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  3. Passage One I came across an old country guide the other day. It listed all the tradesmen in each village in my part of the

Passage One I came across an old country guide the other day. It listed all the tradesmen in each village in my part of the

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问题     Passage One
    I came across an old country guide the other day. It listed all the tradesmen in each village in my part of the country, mid it was impressive to see the great variety of services which were available on one’s own doorstep in the late Victorian countryside.
    Nowadays a superficial traveler in rural England might conclude that the only village tradesmen were selling frozen food to the inhabitants or selling antiques (古玩) to visitors. Nevertheless, this would really be a false impression. There has been a contraction (衰退) of village commerce, but its vigor is remarkable.
    Our local grocer’s shop, for example, is actually expanding in spite of the competition from supermarkets in the nearest town. Women prefer to go there and exchange the local news while doing their shopping instead of queuing up(排队) at a supermarket. And the owner knows well that personal service has a substantial cash value.
    His prices may be a bit higher than those in the town, but he will deliver anything at any time. His assistants think nothing of bicycling down the village street in their lunch hour to take a piece of cheese to an old age pensioner who sent her order by word of mouth with a friend who happened to be passing. The wealthier customers telephone their shopping lists and the goods are on their doorsteps within an hour. They have only to hint at a fancy for some commodity (商品) outside the usual stock and the grocer, a red-faced figure, instantly obtains it for them.
    The village gains from this sort of enterprise. But I also find it satisfactory because a village shop offers one of the few ways in which a modest individualist can still get along in the world without attaching in myself to the big battalions (队伍) of industry or commerce.
    Passage Two
    Today the game reserves of East Africa are facing a number of threats. Although they earn considerable revenue by attracting tourists, they take up land which is increasingly sought by the local people. While these reserves feed and protect animals, they are in danger of turning into barren areas or deserts. Trees, shrubs and grass are gradually being eaten by grazing herds.
    Another problem is to be found in the changing attitudes of the animals themselves. Many of them are losing their hereditary (天生的) fear of man. In this way they may become a danger to visitors and thus to themselves. Attacks on vehicles are beginning to increase, and it is possible that the problems will become serious in a few years’ time.
    The problem of shortage of land is not a simple one. As the population increases, more and more people look hungrily at the land set aside for game reserves. They claim that a Government’s first duty is to its inhabitants and not to tourists or to wild animals. Despite the income obtained from tourism, this is an argument which it is difficult to answer satisfactorily.
    Passage Three
    Before the 1930’s, workers were only paid as long as they were "smart." If they were smart enough not to be ill, they were paid. If they were smart enough not to be injured, they were paid. And if they were very smart, they would find strength to work every day until they died. When people were not this "smart," they looked for help. Their families, private charities, and churches did what they could. All of these groups helped when the economy was healthy.
    When the Depression hit, families, charities, and churches were weakened. And there was more need of them than ever before. Pat Cauley, a construction worker, kept a diary. Here is an entry from 1932: "Went to church. I said the family needed something to keep going. Got nice sermon (说教). Came home, pockets empty." Cauley’s story was told by millions of others. Even when charities did help, people were not completely happy. People on soup lines did net starve. But their pride went hungry.
    In 1933, Democrat Franklin Roosevelt became president. He said government should replace charities. Since people paid for government, government support was not charity. Government support was people’s tax money at work. People could feel they deserved government support.
    In 1935, Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act, which provided money for the elderly, the blind, and the handicapped. Workers benefited, too. Workers who were ill or injured were to receive money. Families were to receive assistance when working fathers died. People laid off from work were to be helped until they found new jobs.
As it is used in the passage, the phrase "laid off?"(Line 3, Para 4) means"______"
选项
答案dismissed temporarily/losing jobs temporarily
解析
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