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  3. The decline in moral standards--which has long concerned social analysts---has at last captured the attention of average America

The decline in moral standards--which has long concerned social analysts---has at last captured the attention of average America

admin2010-06-18  84
问题    The decline in moral standards--which has long concerned social analysts---has at last captured the attention of average Americans. And Jean Bethke Elshtain, for one, is glad.
   The fact that ordinary citizens are now starting to think seriously about the nation’s moral climate, says this ethics professor at the University of Chicago, is reason to hope that new ideas will come forward to improve it.
   But the challenge is not to be underestimated. Materialism and individualism in American society are the biggest obstacles. "The thought that ’I’m in it for m’ has become deeply rooted in the national consciousness." Ms. Elshtain says.
   Some of this can be attributed to the disintegration of traditional communities, in which neighbors looked out for one another, she says. With today’s greater mobility and with so many couples working, those bonds have been weakened, replaced by a greater emphasis on self.
   In a 1996 poll of Americans, loss of morality topped the list of the biggest problems facing the U.S. And Elshtain says the public is correct to sense that. Data show that Americans are struggling with problems unheard of in the 1950s, such as classroom violence and a high rate of births to unmarried mothers.
   The desire for a higher moral standard is not a lament for some nonexistent "golden age, " Elshtain says, nor is it a wishful longing for a time that denied opportunities to women and minorities. Most people, in fact, favor the lessening of prejudice.
   Moral decline will not be reversed until people find ways to counter the materialism in society, she says, "Slowly, you recognize that the things that matter are those that can’t be bought."
According to Elshtain, the current moral decline may be reversed______.
选项 A、if people can return to the "golden age"
B、when women and men enjoy equal rights
C、when people rid themselves of prejudice
D、if less emphasis is laid on material things
答案D
解析 根据文章最后一段中的“Moral decline will not be reversed until people find ways to counter the materialism in society”可以判断Elshtain教授认为如果不改变物欲太重的现象就不会扭转道德滑坡的局面。该题是细节变相表达题，“lay less emphasis on material tings”也就相当于说人们应该“find ways to counter the materialism in society”。由此可见，[D]正确。因为该题的答案很明显，所以尽管文章中也提到“golden age”，“women”和“prejudice”它们也不会造成干扰。所以， [A]，[B]和[C]都不正确。
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