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  3. In general, our society is becoming one of giant enterprises directed by a bureaucratic management in which man becomes a small,

In general, our society is becoming one of giant enterprises directed by a bureaucratic management in which man becomes a small,

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问题     In general, our society is becoming one of giant enterprises directed by a bureaucratic management in which man becomes a small, well-oiled cog in the machinery. The oiling is done with higher wages, well-ventilated factories and piped music and by psychologists and "human-relation" experts; yet all this oiling does not alter the fact that man has become powerless, that he does not whole heartedly participate in his work and that he is bored with it. In fact, the blue and the white-collar workers have become economic puppets(木偶)who dance to the tune of automated machines and bureaucratic management.
    The workers and employees are anxious, not only because they might find themselves out of a job; they are anxious also because they are unable to acquire any real satisfaction or interest in life. They live and die without ever having confronted the fundamental realties of human existence as emotionally and intellectually independent and productive human beings.
    Those higher up on the social ladder are no less anxious. Their lives are no less empty than those of their subordinates. They are even more insecure in some respects. They are in a highly competitive race. To be promoted or to fall behind is not a matter of salary but even more a matter of self-respect. When they apply for their first job, they are tested for intelligence as well as for the right mixture of submissiveness and independence. From that moment on they are tested again and again- by psychologists, for whom testing is a big business, and by their superiors, who judge their behavior, sociability, capacity to get along, etC. This constant need to prove that one is as good as or better than one’s fellow-competitors creates constant anxiety and stress, the very causes of unhappiness and illness.
    Am I suggesting that we should return to the preindustrial mode of production or to the 19th-century "free-enterprise" capitalism? Certainly not. Problems are never solved by returning to a stage which one has already outgrown. I suggest transforming our social system from a bureaucratically managed industrialism in which maximal production and consumption are ends in themselves into a humanist industrialism in which man and full development of his potentialities—those of love and of reason- are the aims of all social arrangements. Production and consumption should serve only as a means to this end, and should be prevented from ruling man.
By "a well-oiled cog in the machinery" the author intends to render the idea that man is______.
选项 A、an unimportant part in comparison with the rest of the society, though functioning smoothly
B、a necessary part of the society though each individual’s function is negligible
C、a humble component of the society, especially when working smoothly
D、working in complete harmony with the rest of the society
答案A
解析 通过“a well—oiled cog in the machinery”作者打算表达这样的观念：与社会其他要素相比，人尽管进展顺利，但微不足道。根据该名词短语我们可以了解到，在这个社会中人变得无权(powerless)，成了经济木偶(economic puppets)，这说明他微不足道(unimportant)，犹如机器中一个微小的轮齿(a small cog)。但高薪、通风设备精良的工厂和管乐等条件使人这颗小轮齿运行状态良好(well-oiled)。C中的when改为though也可视为正确答案。
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