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  3. By the 1980s, according to international but admittedly inconsistent definitions of literacy, about seven out of ten adults in t

By the 1980s, according to international but admittedly inconsistent definitions of literacy, about seven out of ten adults in t

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问题      By the 1980s, according to international but admittedly inconsistent definitions of literacy, about seven out of ten adults in the world were considered literate. The increase in literacy from ancient times to the present has not been a story of unbroken progress. The ability of people within a given society to read and write has been influenced by a number of factors, including economic well being, the availability of material to read, the amount of education available, and the basic matter of the usefulness of reading.
     Of these factors, usefulness has probably been the most decisive. In ancient societies, as people settled into stable patterns of agriculture and trade, it became useful for some of them to read and write in order to keep records, to transact business, and to measure amounts of !and, animals, goods, materials, and produce. Since all economic aspects of a society were closely tied to the operations of government, literacy became useful and even necessary for the keeping of records by officials. The responsibilities of citizenship led to a fairly high level of literacy in ancient Greece and Rome, but in addition to that, there also grew an appreciation of good literature, poetry, drama, history, and philosophy.
     During the early Middle Ages, with the general breakdown of society in Europe and the decrease of commerce, literacy became largely confined to the church. But in the late Middle Ages, in the period of the Renaissance, the great expansion of commerce and banking led to a revival in literacy for the same reason that had caused it to increase in the ancient world usefulness.
     With the invention of the printing press and inexpensive paper late in the 15th century there was for the first time a great availability of reading material for a much greater number of people. Religious reformers were among the first to utilize the situation, quickly getting translations of the Bible and educational tracts and booklets into the hands of many people.
     The broadened religious enlightenment that resulted was followed in later centuries by a political one. Political theorists who favored doctrines promoting the natural rights of man called for an attack upon illiteracy. Political revolutions, particularly in the United States and France, helped inaugurate an era in which all classes were called upon to become informed on public policy for their own welfare. Against this political background there emerged the movement for universal popular education. Literacy came to be understood as a means whereby the individual could benefit and advance, and gradually whole societies began to acknowledge that universal literacy among their citizens was an avenue to greater economic well being.
The last paragraph is mainly about______.
选项 A、the religious movements that promoted the literacy of the public
B、the new progress towards literacy initiated by democratic society
C、modem political movement towards a more democratic society
D、political movements at the end of the Middle Ages fighting illiteracy
答案B
解析 意为：“由民主运动促成的新的文化进步”。最后一段指出，所产生的广泛的宗教启蒙运动(religious enlightenment)之后是几个世纪的政治启蒙。那些支持天赋人权(natural rights of man)纲领的政治理论家号召向文盲宣战，政治革命特别是美国和法国的革命促进了一个新时代的诞生；为了其自身利益，各社会阶层的人被号召关心国家政策，在这种背景下，出现了文化普及运动。
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