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 (挽歌) for some nonexistent “golden age,” Elshtain says, nor is it a wishful (一廂情愿的) 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 cant’ be bought.”

　　1. Professor Elshtain is pleased to see that Americans ________.

　　A) have adapted to a new set of moral standards

　　B) are longing for the return of the good old days

　　C) have realized the importance of material things

　　D) are awakening to the lowering of their moral standards

　　2. The moral decline of American society is caused manly by ________.

　　A) its growing wealth

　　B) the self-centeredness of individuals

　　C) underestimating the impact of social changes

　　D) the prejudice against women and minorities

　　3. Which of the following characterizes the traditional communities?

　　A) Great mobility.

　　B) Concern for one’s neighbors.

　　C) Emphasis on individual effort.

　　D) Ever-weakening social bonds.

　　4. In the 1950s, classroom violence ________.

　　A) was something unheard of

　　B) was by no means a rare occurrence

　　C) attracted a lot of pubic attention

　　D) began to appear in analysts’ data

　　5. According to Elshtain, the current moral decline may be reversed ________.

　　A) if people can return to the “golden age”

　　B) when women and mean enjoy equal rights

　　C) when people rid themselves of prejudice

　　D) if less emphasis is laid on material things

　　參考答案

　　1. D 2. B 3. B 4.A 5. D

　　For an increasing number of students at American universities, Old is suddenly in. The reason is obvious: the graying of America means jobs, coupled with the aging of the baby-boom (生育高峰) generation, a longer life span means that the nation’s elderly population is bound to expand significantly over the next 50 years. By 2050, 25 percent of all Americans will be older than 65, up from 14 percent in 1995. The change poses profound questions for government and society, of course. But it also creates career opportunities in medicine and health professions, and in law and business as well. “In addition to the doctors, we’re going to need more sociologists, biologists, urban planners and specialized lawyers,” says Professor Edward Schneider of the University of Southern California’s (USC) School of Gerontology (老年學(xué)).

　　Lawyers can specialize in “elder law,” which covers everything from trusts and estates to nursing-home abuse and age discrimination (歧視). Businessmen see huge opportunities in the elder market because the baby boomers, 74 million strong, are likely to be the wealthiest group of retirees in human history. “Any student who combines an expert knowledge in gerontology with, say, an MBA or law degree will have a license to print money,” one professor says.

　　Margarite Santos is a 21-year-old senior at USC. She began college as a biology major but found she was “really bored with bacteria.” So she took a class in gerontology and discovered that she lied it. She says, “I did volunteer work in retirement homes and it was very satisfying.”

　　1. “...Old is suddenly in” (Line 1, Para. 1) most probably means “________”.

　　A) America has suddenly become a nation of old people

　　B) gerontology has suddenly become popular

　　C) more elderly professors are found on American campuses

　　D) American colleges have realized the need of enrolling older students

　　2. With the aging of America, lawyers can benefit ________.

　　A) from the adoption of the “elder law”

　　B) from rendering special services to the elderly

　　C) by enriching their professional knowledge

　　D) by winning the trust of the elderly to promote their own interests

　　3. Why can businessmen make money in the emerging elder market?

　　A) Retirees are more generous in spending money.

　　B) They can employ more gerontologists.

　　C) The elderly possess an enormous purchasing power.

　　D) There are more elderly people working than before.

　　4. Who can make big money in the new century according to the passage?

　　A) Retirees who are business-minded.

　　B) The volunteer workers in retirement homes.

　　C) College graduates with an MBA or law degree.

　　D) Professionals with a good knowledge of gerontology.

　　5. It can be seen from the passage that the expansion of America’s elderly population ________.

　　A) will provide good job opportunities in many areas

　　B) will impose an unbearable burden on society

　　C) may lead to nursing home abuse and age discrimination

　　D) will create new fields of study in universities

　　參考答案

　　1. B 2. B 3. C 4.D 5. A