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  3. The decline in moral standards--which has long concerned social analysts---has at last captured the attention of average America

The decline in moral standards--which has long concerned social analysts---has at last captured the attention of average America

admin2010-06-18  44
问题    The decline in moral standards--which has long concerned social analysts---has at last captured the attention of average Americans. And Jean Bethke Elshtain, for one, is glad.
   The fact that ordinary citizens are now starting to think seriously about the nation’s moral climate, says this ethics professor at the University of Chicago, is reason to hope that new ideas will come forward to improve it.
   But the challenge is not to be underestimated. Materialism and individualism in American society are the biggest obstacles. "The thought that ’I’m in it for m’ has become deeply rooted in the national consciousness." Ms. Elshtain says.
   Some of this can be attributed to the disintegration of traditional communities, in which neighbors looked out for one another, she says. With today’s greater mobility and with so many couples working, those bonds have been weakened, replaced by a greater emphasis on self.
   In a 1996 poll of Americans, loss of morality topped the list of the biggest problems facing the U.S. And Elshtain says the public is correct to sense that. Data show that Americans are struggling with problems unheard of in the 1950s, such as classroom violence and a high rate of births to unmarried mothers.
   The desire for a higher moral standard is not a lament for some nonexistent "golden age, " Elshtain says, nor is it a wishful longing for a time that denied opportunities to women and minorities. Most people, in fact, favor the lessening of prejudice.
   Moral decline will not be reversed until people find ways to counter the materialism in society, she says, "Slowly, you recognize that the things that matter are those that can’t be bought."
The moral decline of American society is caused mainly by______.
选项 A、its growing wealth
B、the self-centeredness of individuals
C、underestimating the impact of social changes
D、the prejudice against women and minorities
答案B
解析 第四段中的“With today’s great mobility and with so many couples working，those bonds have been weakened，replaced by a greater emphasis on self”说明美国社会道德滑坡的原因是人们过分以自我为中心了。所以[B]正确。“growing wealth”本身不会引起道德滑坡，只是人们对财富的过分追求才是道德滑坡的原因，所以，[A]不符合题意。“social changes”有多种，把“the moral de- cline of American society”笼统地归咎于“underestimating the impact of social changes”有失偏颇。所以，[C]也不正确。
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