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  3. These days we hear a lot of nonsense about the "great classless society". The idea that the twentieth century is the age of the

These days we hear a lot of nonsense about the "great classless society". The idea that the twentieth century is the age of the

admin2010-02-17  47
问题      These days we hear a lot of nonsense about the "great classless society". The idea that the twentieth century is the age of the common man has become one of the great cliches of our time. The same old arguments are put forward in evidence. Here are some of them: monarchy as a system of government has been completely discredited. The monarchies that survive have been deprived of all political power. Inherited wealth has been savagely reduced by taxation and, in time, the great fortunes will disappear altogether. In a number of countries the victory has been complete. The people rule; the great millennium has become a political reality. But has it? Close examination doesn’t bear out the claim.
     It is a fallacy to suppose that all men are equal and that society will be leveled out if you provide everybody with the same educational opportunities. (It is debatable whether you can ever provide everyone with the same educational opportunities, but that is another question. ) The fact is that nature dispenses brains and ability with a total disregard for the principle of equality. The old rules of the jungle, survival of the fittest, and might is right are still with us. The spread of education has destroyed the old class system and created a new one. Rewards are based on merit. For aristocracy "read meritocracy"; in other respects, society remains unaltered: the class system is rigidly maintained.
     Genuine ability, animal cunning, skill, the knack of seizing opportunities, all bring material rewards. And what is the first thing people do when they become rich? They use their wealth to secure the best possible opportunities for their children, to give them a good start in life. For all the lip service we pay to the idea of equality, we do not consider this wrong in the western world. Private schools which offer unfair advantages over state schools are not banned because one of the principles in a democracy is that people should be free to choose how they will educate their children. In this way, the new meritocracy can perpetuate itself to a certain extent: an able child from a wealthy home can succeed far more rapidly than his poorer counterpart. Wealth is also used indiscriminately to further political ends. It would be almost impossible to become the leader of a democracy without massive financial backing. Money is as powerful a weapon as ever it was.
     In societies wholly dedicated to the principle of social equality, privileged private education is forbidden. But even here people are rewarded according to their abilities. In fact, so great is the need for skilled workers that the least able may be neglected. Bright children are carefully and expensively trained to become future rulers. In the end, all political ideologies boil down to the same thing: class divisions persist whether you are ruled by a feudal king or an educated peasant.
What is the main idea of this passage?
选项 A、Equality of opportunity in the twentieth century has not destroyed the class system.
B、Equality means money.
C、There is no such society as classless society.
D、Nature can’t give you a classless society.
答案A
解析 主旨题。文章一开始就对无阶级社会的论点进行了反驳：有人认为君主政体已完全摧毁，幸存下来的王公贵族已经被剥夺了一切政治权力，继承的财产、税收大幅度的削减，到时候，巨大的财富将消失殆尽。在许多国家中，无阶级社会已全面胜利，人民进行统治，伟大的太平盛世已成为政治重心。作者认为：通过深入检查发现这一断言并不真实。第二段提出了即使人人都获同样的受教育机会，可人的天然智慧和能力与平等原则无关，适者生存，强权即公理依然存在。教育的普及摧毁了老的阶级体制，却创造新的，报酬是机遇＋才干＋成就。贵族统治就是英才统治，可在其他
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