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  3. These days we hear a lot of nonsense about the "great classless society". Th

These days we hear a lot of nonsense about the "great classless society". Th

游客2025-04-03  29
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. [br] 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 本题是主旨大意题。本文是一篇驳斥“无阶级社会和人人平等”的文章。从以下四个方面进行论述：①“适者生存，强权即公理”依然存在。②天赋和智慧与平等原则无关。③人获得的报酬取决于人的能力，而不是获得平等的报酬。④金钱不仅可以培育有能力的人，还是政治的后盾。金钱加能力是成功的关键，所以不存在所谓平等，更没有无阶级的社会。A项“二十世纪平等的机遇并没有摧毁阶级”。B项“金钱意味着平等是错误的”。C项“不存在无阶级社会”，内容是对的，但不是本文的主题思想。D项“自然界不会赋予你一个无阶级社会”。由以上分析可知A正确。
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