In spite of endless talk of考研真题
In spite of “endless talk of difference,” American society is an amazing machine for homogenizing people. There is “the democratizing uniformity of dress and discour, and the casualness and abnce of difference” characteristic of popular culture. People are absorbed into “a culture of consumption” launched by the 19th-century department stores that offered “vast arrays of goods in an elegant atmosphere. Instead of intimate shops catering to a knowledgeable elite.” the were stores “anyone could enter, regardless of class or background. This turned shopping into a public and democratic act.” The mass media,advertising and sports are other forces for homogenization.
Immigrants are quickly fitting into this common culture, which may not be altogether elevating but is hardly poisonous. Writing forallowed the National Immigration Forum, Gregory Rodriguez reports that today’s immigration is neither at unprecedented level nor resistant to assimilation. In1998 immigrants were 9.8 percent of population; in 1900, 13.6 percent .In the10 years prior to 1990, 3.1 immigrants arrived for every 1,000 residents; in the 10 years
prior to 1890, 9.2 for every 1,000. Now, consider three indices of assimilation-language, home ownership and intermarriage.
The 1990 Census revealed that “a majority of immigrants from each of the fifteen most common countries of origin spoke English ‘well’goole翻译 or ‘very well’ after ten years of residence.” The children of immigrants tend to be bilingual and proficient in English. “By the third generation, the original language is lost in the majority of immigrant families.” Hence the description of America exceedinglyas a “graveyard” for languages. By 1996 foreign–born immigrants who had arrived before 1970 had a home ownership rate of 75.6 percent, higher than the 69.8 percent rate among native-born Americans.
Foreign-born Asians and Hispanics “have higher rates of intermarriage than do U.S.–born whites and blacks .” By the third generation, one third of Hispanic women are married to non-Hispanics, and 41 percent of Asian–American women are married to non-Asians .
Rodriguez notes that children in remote villages around the world are fans of superstars like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Garth Brooks, yet “some Americans fear that immigrants
living within the United States remain somehow immune to the nation’s assimilative power.”
Are there wellcomedivisive issues and pockets of ething anger in America?Indeed. It recognize什么意思is big enough to have a bit of everything. But particularly when viewed against America’s turbulent past, today’s social indices hardly suggest a dark and deteriorating social environment .
21. The word “homogenizing”(Line 2, Paragraph 1) most probably means
[A] identifying
[B] associating
[C] assimilating
[D] monopolizing
22. According to the author, the department stores of the 19thcentury
[A] played a role in the spread of popular culture
[B] became intimate shops for common consumers
[C] satisfied the needs of a knowledgeable elite
[D] owed its begun怎么读emergence to the culture of consumption
23. The text suggests that immigrants now in the US
[A] are resistant to homogenization
[B] exert a great influence 混淆英语on American culture
[C] are hardly a threat to the common culture
[D] constitute the majority of the population
24. Why are Arnold Schwarzenegger and Garth Brooks mentioned in Paragraph 5?
[A] To prove their popularity around the world
[B] To reveal theon the town public’s fear of immigrants
[C]牛津英汉词典 To give examples of successful immigrants
[D] To show the powerful influence of American culture
25. In the author’s美国派4 opinion, the absorption of immigrants into American society is
[A] rewarding
[B] successful
[C] fruitless
[D] harmful
解析：
21. The word “homogenizing” (Line 2, Paragraph 1) most probably means
“homogenizing”(第一段第二行)一词的大致意思是
[A] identifying 识别确认
[B] associating 联系，联合
[C] assimilating 吸收，同化
[D] monopolizing 独占，垄断
【答案】 C
【考点】 词义题。
【分析】 本题的答案直接可以定位到第一句话。文章说“尽管人们不停地谈论差异”，用到了表示转折的“in spite of”，后面显然就是与前面的意思相反了。差异的反面自然是相同。如果考生没有把握，只要继续读两句，就会发现作者描述的都是一个同化了的社会的特征。而“homogenize”这个单词，如果从词根来分析，也不难判断。“homo”表示相同的，比如同性恋就是“homoxual”，而“homogenize”的原意就是“使均匀，均质化”，所以只有[C]“assimilate”这个单词合适。“assimilate”的本意是“吸收，消化”，后引申为“使相同、使相象”，以及“把(移民或文化出色的群体)同化到盛行的文化中”。[A]“identify”一般表示对身份的“识别，确认”，不合题意。[B]“associate”表示“联系，联合”，不合题意。[D]“monopolize”(独占，垄断)，这个单词由“mono(单一)+pole(极)”构成，用在本处意思不符合。
22. According to the author, the department stores of the19th-century
在作者看来，19世纪的商场
[A] played a role in the spread of popular culture 在传播流行文化方面发挥了作用。
[B] became intimate shops for common consumers 成为和普通消费者关系亲密的商店。
[C] satisfied the needs of a knowledgeable elite 满足了知识精英的需要。
[D] owed its emergence to the culture of consumption 其出现归功于消费文化。
