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  3. In his new book, Going Solo, New York University sociologist Eric Klinenberg argues that we’re poised to become a nation dominat

In his new book, Going Solo, New York University sociologist Eric Klinenberg argues that we’re poised to become a nation dominat

admin2014-10-24  61
问题     In his new book, Going Solo, New York University sociologist Eric Klinenberg argues that we’re poised to become a nation dominated by single people. Just 51 percent of American adults are married, according to recent census data, and more than a quarter of all U. S. households consist of only one person. Yet singles often don’t get a lot of love—and we’re not talking about their romantic lives.
    Activists say that unmarried people are systematically discriminated against. " Singleism— stereotyping, stigmatizing, and discrimination against people who are single—is largely unrecognized and unchallenged," says activist Bella DePaulo, the author of Singled Out.
    DePaulo says: " People don’t notice singleism, and if their attention is called to it, they think there’s nothing wrong. " That’s why, for instance, car and health insurance companies get away with charging less for couples and families. "They can attract more business that way," DePaulo notes. In the process, they leave single people to essentially subsidize the benefit by paying more. " When married workers can add spouses to a health-care plan at a discount and single workers can’t add someone important to them, that’s discrimination," says DePaulo.
    The U. S. government not only turns a blind eye to the problem of " singleism," but helps enforce it, activists say. Just look at Social Security. "A childless singleton can work side by side with a childless married person, doing the same job, for the same number of years, at the same level of accomplishment—and when the married person dies, that worker can leave his or her Social Security benefits to a spouse," says DePaulo. " The single person’s benefits go back into the system. "
    That’s especially true given how much they contribute to society—more, activists argue, than married couples with families. "On average, singles have more disposable income," Klinenberg says. " They’ re fueling urban economies that would be in much worse shape without them. And compared to married people, they’re more likely to spend time with neighbors, to participate in public events, and to volunteer. "
    Singles may also be contributing more at the office, without being compensated for it, activists say. " Studies have shown that singles are often paid less than married people, even if they share the same title, responsibilities, and years of experience," says Langburt. "And if you agree that time equals dollars, then it doesn’t stop there: there’s maternity leave, all the time off leading up to the pregnancy for doctors’ visits, and sick days. "
    Historically, governments have passed laws encouraging marriage and families in the hopes that doing so would decrease the likelihood that the state would need to care for abandoned children. But policies that benefit the married shouldn’t be substitutes for more universal social programs, says marriage historian Stephanie Coontz, the director of research and public education for the Council on Contemporary Families. "The penalties for being single in this country are worse than in Europe, where individuals have guaranteed access to health care, and they have options beyond a spouse’s death benefits for staying above the poverty line as they age. "
Singleism refers to______.
选项 A、a kind of well-recognized stereotype about single people
B、a subtle form of economic inequality faced by single people
C、a stubborn opposition held by single people to married life
D、a type of overlooked discrimination against single people
答案D
解析 第二段对singleism一词给出了明确的解释，“Singleism--stereotyping，stigmatizing，anddiscrimination against people who are single--is largely unrecognized and unchallenged．”人们对单身人士的成见、污蔑和歧视构成了单身主义。在很大程度上，单身主义尚未引起人们的关注，也未对此进行过讨论。因此，[A]选项错在well-recognized一词。[B]选项缩小了单身主义的概念，单身主义并不单单指经济上遭遇的不平等，虽然下文很多例子都是从经济角度阐述单身主义的问题。[C]选项属于望文生义，singleism一词如果不看文中的解释，很容易被误解为是单身人士对于单身生活的坚持，对婚姻生活的反对。[D]选项为正确答案。
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