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  3. As a wise man once said, we are all ultimately alone. But an increasing number of Europeans are choosing to be so at an ever ear

As a wise man once said, we are all ultimately alone. But an increasing number of Europeans are choosing to be so at an ever ear

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问题    As a wise man once said, we are all ultimately alone. But an increasing number of Europeans are choosing to be so at an ever earlier age. This isn’t the stuff of gloomy philosophical contemplations, but a fact of Europe’ s new economic landscape, embraced by sociologists, real-estate developers and ad executives alike. The shift away from family life to solo lifestyle, observes a French sociologist, is part of the "irresistible momentum of individualism" over the last century. The communications revolution, the shift from a business culture of stability to one of mobility and the mass entry of women into the workforce have greatly wreaked havoc on Europeans private lives.
   Europe’s new economic climate has largely fostered the trend toward independence. The current generation of home-aloners came of age during Europe’s shift from social democracy to the sharper, more individualistic climate of American-style capitalism. Raised in an era of privatization and increased consumer choice, today’s tech-savvy workers have embraced a free market in love as well as economics. Modern Europeans are rich enough to afford to live alone, and temperamentally independent enough to want to do so.
   Once upon a time, people who lived alone tended to be those on either side of marriage twenty something professionals or widowed senior citizens. While pensioners, particularly elderly women, make up a large proportion of those living alone, the newest crop of singles are high earners in their 30s and 40s who increasingly view living alone as a lifestyle choice. Living alone was conceived to be negative—dark and cold, while being together suggested warmth and light. But then came along the idea of singles. They were young, beautiful, strong! Now, young people want to live alone.
   The booming economy means people are working harder than ever. And that doesn’t leave much room for relationships. Pimpi Arroyo, a 35-year-old composer who lives alone in a house in Paris, says he hasn’ t got time to get lonely because he has too much work. "I have deadlines which would make life with someone else fairly difficult." Only an Ideal Woman would make him change his lifestyle, he says. Kaufmann, author of a recent book called "The Single Woman and Prince Chaining" thinks this fierce new individualism means that people expect more and more of mates, so relationships don’t last long—if they start at all. Eppendorf, a blond Berliner with a deep tan, teaches grade school in the mornings. In the afternoon she sunbathes or sleeps, resting up for going dancing. Just shy of 50, she says she’d never have wanted to do what her mother did—give up a career to raise a family. Instead, "I’ve always done what I wanted to do: live a self-determined life."
What is the author’ s purpose in writing the passage?
选项 A、To review the impact of women becoming high earners.
B、To contemplate the philosophy underlying individualism.
C、To examine the trend of young people living alone.
D、To stress the rebuilding of personal relationships.
答案C
解析 主旨题。本文主要是关于新一代的年轻人受到社会和经济的影响更加趋于独自 生活的原因。作者主要讨论欧洲大陆单身化趋势、单身族的特征以及选择单身的原因。C 项“审视年轻人单独生活的趋势”很好地概括了这一内容，故正确。其他三项均概括不正 确，不能体现作者的意图。
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