首页
外语
计算机
考研
公务员
职业资格
财经
工程
司法
医学
专升本
自考
实用职业技能
登录
外语
We all have expectations of what a "normal" society looks like, but society can take an infinite number of different forms, as t
We all have expectations of what a "normal" society looks like, but society can take an infinite number of different forms, as t
admin
2019-02-25
36
问题
We all have expectations of what a "normal" society looks like, but society can take an infinite number of different forms, as these unusual examples demonstrate.
For almost fifty years, a group of adults and their children—now about 100 in number—have lived together in Twin Oaks Community on two square kilometers of land in rural Virginia, USA, equally sharing their resources. Apart from bedrooms, all the rooms in their seven residential buildings are communal. Seventeen shared cars are at everyone’s disposal, although they mostly rely on the communal bikes at Twin Oaks for local journeys. Even the clothes on their backs are borrowed from the community’s well-stocked clothing library.
There’s no room for freeloaders, however. All adults work forty-two hours per week for the community who are encouraged to choose a variety of tasks to keep boredom at bay, and persistent failure to do so would lead to expulsion. In return for their labour, everyone is provided with housing, food, healthcare and a little personal spending money so that they can splash out on treats. With such an egalitarian distribution of wealth, there have never been any problems with crime, and decisions about the community are made democratically, for the common good.
This way of life is not Utopia. Complaints range from other people’s taste in loud music to the fact that unpopular jobs like cleaning tend to be neglected, and majority rule means that people with views few residents share can feel powerless and isolated. But despite its problems, there is a long waiting list of potential new residents, and Twin Oaks members have helped to set up several similar communities elsewhere in the USA. They hope that the Twin Oaks society can serve as a model for the wider world, promoting greater social responsibility and pointing the way to a fairer, more cooperative and more sustainable future for all.
In the Indian state of Meghalaya, it’s the women who wear the trousers. India is a country of extreme ethnic diversity, and minority rights and traditions are strongly defended by the constitution. This allows Meghalaya to maintain a custom unheard of elsewhere in India: property and family names are matrilineal and so pass, not from father to son, but from mother to daughter. The youngest daughter inherits the family wealth, accepting in return a duty to look after her parents in their old age.
Although civic engagement is mostly a male pursuit—only men are eligible for the role of village elder and they make up 93% of state assembly politicians—they have little say in domestic matters. When they marry, they move into the home of their mother-in-law and submit to her rule. Because of the relative importance of women in society, families tend to prioritize the education of girls over boys, to the extent that female university graduates commonly have brothers who never finished high school.
A men’s rights movement emerged about fifty years ago, but lost momentum after hundreds of women turned up at one of their meetings brandishing knives. Recently, activists have renewed the struggle for equal rights and equal opportunities. Sixty-year-old Keith Pariat, leader of the movement , explains that he and his colleagues " do not want to bring women down. We just want to bring the men up to where the women are. " So far, however, the movement has gained little support, despite the superior numbers of men in the political arena. " In most of Meghalaya, people only know the old ways," says Patricia Mukhim, editor of the local paper, " and they like the old ways just fine. " It appears that, in this hilly corner of India, the woman will be wearing the trousers for some time to come.
Questions 66 to 70
Answer the following questions with the information given in the passage.
What is the author’s purpose in writing this article?
选项
答案
To show that society can take many different forms.
解析
(根据第一段“but society can take an infinite number of different forms,as these unusual examples demonstrate.”可知,本文是举了一个不同寻常的社会形态的例子。因此答案为To show that society can take many different forms。)
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/Kt8K777K
本试题收录于:
B类竞赛(英语专业本科专科)题库大学生英语竞赛(NECCS)分类
0
B类竞赛(英语专业本科专科)
大学生英语竞赛(NECCS)
相关试题推荐
Treesshouldonlybeprunedwhenthereisagoodandclearreasonfordoingsoand,fortunately,thenumberofsuchreasonsiss
Althoughfewwoulddenythatit’sbettertoberichthanpoor,forsomepeoplethequestformoneyissoall-consumingthatite
Differentpeoplehavedifferentwaystorelievethestressandpressureofmodernlife.Somereadbooksandmagazines;somedop
Everyyearalargenumberofyoungpeopleleaveschoolandbeginwork.Some【D1】______jobsonfarmsorinindustry.Othersacce
Noonewouldimaginethatthiscitywasjustanight’sjourneyfromhere.Itseemedasthough______inanotherworld.
Itisverydifficulttosayjustwhencolonizationbegan.ThefirsthundredyearsafterChristopherColumbus’sjourneyofdiscov
______isawardedthe2013NobelPrizeinLiteratureforherworkas"masterofthemodernshortstory",andthe2009ManBooker
Nationally,executivepoliticalpowerofNewZealandisexercisedbytheCabinet,ledbythePrimeMinister.______isthecountr
Whohasitandwhodoesn’t?Andhowdothoseofuswithlessofitgetmore?Itisariddlethathasexercisedphilosophersever
Hereisariddle:Iamsuspendedintheair,Itouchnothing,andIamsurroundedbylights.NowIdressmyselfafresh,and
随机试题
某农场通过大规模的并购活动,兼并多家同类型农场,农产品的种植规模和产量得到大幅度提高。高质量的产品和低廉的价格为该农场赢得了市场的肯定,成为国内多家知名食品生产企业的原料供应商。在充分分析行业竞争结构的基础上,该农场决定将业务范围扩大到农产品的深加工领域,
A.上下颌骨包绕牙根的突起部分B.牙槽骨容纳牙根的部分C.牙槽窝的游离缘D.两牙之间的牙槽骨E.多根牙诸根之间的牙槽骨
女性,32岁,右输尿管结石并右肾中度积水1周。当肾内"安全阀"开放时,下列哪项是错误的
法律规则是法律的基本构成因素。下列关于法律规则分类的表述哪一项可以成立?
根据《招标投标法》的规定,下列关于招标投标活动行政监督的基本原则的表述中不正确的是()。
健康领域的活动要()幼儿生长发育的规律,严禁以任何名义进行有损幼儿健康的比赛、表演或训练等。
所有成功人十都要穿衣吃饭,我不是成功人士,所以,我不必穿衣吃饭。以下哪个选项所犯逻辑错误与题干最为类似?
新民主主义革命与旧民主主义革命相比有其新的内容和特点,集中表现在()
Olderpeoplemustbegivenmorechancestolearniftheyaretocontributetosocietyratherthanbeafinancialburden,accordi
A、AdocumentarycalledParkLife.B、AdramadirectedbyKeithEdwards.C、ATVseriescalledNorthWhale.D、AmoviestarredClint
最新回复
(
0
)