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  3. Much of the debate about multiculturalism in the UK is crass, ignorant and misconceived. The new critics, from the left in parti

Much of the debate about multiculturalism in the UK is crass, ignorant and misconceived. The new critics, from the left in parti

admin2019-06-10  20
问题    Much of the debate about multiculturalism in the UK is crass, ignorant and misconceived. The new critics, from the left in particular, risk contributing to the very processes they decry, since they are so dismissive of the achievements that mark this country out from others, particularly in Europe. I can’t think of any other EU state that has been more successful than the UK in managing cultural diversity.
   In this country, we need more multiculturalism, not less. That is to say, we should concentrate upon developing further links between different ethnic and cultural communities, and upon dialogue even when on the surface it seems to create problems. Jack Straw’s remarks about women who wear the veil have provoked huge controversy. But he was right to raise the issue, because he was emphasizing the importance of connection and communication. In a pluralistic society all groups should accept the need for interrogation from others — it is the condition of producing mutual respect, rather than undermining it. He was not suggesting any sort of coercion.
   Pakistani groups in particular featured in the riots that happened in Oldham, Leeds and Bradford in the 1990s and early 2000s. At that time as well, multiculturalism came in for a bashing: it was widely blamed in the press for creating segregation between Pakistani and local white communities. These claims were made, however, by writers with scant knowledge of the neighbourhoods in question.
   A sociologist at the University of Leeds, Ludi Simpson, later studied the communities concerned in depth and — something often neglected — over time. He found that segregation was far lower than most outside commentators had suggested. Many Pakistani families originally living in the inner-city areas had in fact moved out across the years to middle-class neighbourhoods or rural areas. Contrary to the idea that the Asian (mostly Muslim) groups wanted to keep to themselves, the evidence showed a desire for more mixing, with most wanting independent lifestyles away from too much ethnic clustering.
   For much of the 20th century the main perceived social problem was that of class conflict. Class differences continue to overlap with cultural and ethnic divisions. But for us today the perceived social problem is that of the management of diversity: delivering its benefits, which are many, while containing the conflicts and costs that it can incur. We shan’t get anywhere in pursuing such goals if we abandon multiculturalism.
The author suggests that the blame put on multiculturalism was due to the lack of______.
选项 A、close investigation into the reasons for the racial segregation
B、in-depth knowledge about the cultural groups involved
C、an acute awareness of the feelings of the inner-city dwellers
D、a full understanding of the gap between different social classes
答案B
解析 本题是推理题，考查对第三段最后一句话的理解，关键点：…by writers with scant knowledge of the neighbourhoods in question…。
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