文都：2008年12月英語四級全真預(yù)測試卷(六)

　　As we have said, however, the class system is much less rigid than it was, and for a long time it has been government policy to reduce class distinctions. Working�瞔lass students very commonly receive a university education and enter the professions, and working�瞔lass incomes have grown so much recently that the distinctions between the two classes are becoming less and less clear. However, regardless of one’s social status, certain standards of politeness are expected of everybody, and a well�瞓red person is polite to everyone he meets, and treats a laborer with the same respect he gives an important businessman. Servility inspires both embarrassment and dislike. Even the word “sir”, except in school and in certain occupations (e.g. commerce, the army， etc.) sounds too servile to be commonly used.

　　57.The middle class mainly refers to people .

　　[A]who were born as aristocrat

　　[B]who have the right to sit in the House of Lords

　　[C]who speak in many different local accents

　　[D]who are prosperous businessmen or who work in some professions

　　58.The most obvious difference between the working class and the middle class in English is their.

　　[A]dress[B]work [C]accent[D]meal

　　59.Why isn’t the word “sir” commonly used in Britain?

　　[A]Because it sounds too servile and is likely to cause embarrassment.

　　[B]Because it can only be used in some certain occupations.

　　[C]Because it is an impolite word.

　　[D]Because it shows that the speaker is not a well-bred person.

　　60.The “upper class” in England today .

　　[A]are extremely small in number so that media pays no attention to them

　　[B]still uses old words like “Sir” in their everyday life

　　[C]includes the hereditary aristocracy

　　[D]refers only to the royal family

　　61.Which of the following is not true about the English class system?

　　[A]It is an embarrassing subject for English people.

　　[B]Working�瞔lass students cannot receive a university education.

　　[C]The class system is much less rigid than it was.

　　[D]The class system still exists below the surface.

　　Passage Two

　　Questions 62 to 66 are based on the following passage.

　　Among the more colorful characters of Leadville’s golden age were H.A.W. Tabor and his second wife, Elizabeth McCourt, better known as “Baby Doe”. Their history is fast becoming one of the legends of the Old West. Horace Austin Warner Tabor was a school teacher in Vermont. With his first wife and two children he left Vermont by covered wagon in 1855 to homestead in Kansas. Perhaps he did not find farming to his liking, or perhaps he was lured by rumors of fortunes to be made in Colorado mines. At any rate, a few years later he moved west to the small Colorado mining camp known as California Gulch, which he later renamed Leadville when he became its leading citizen. “Great deposits of lead are sure to be found here.” he said.

　　As it turned out, it was silver, not lead, that was to make Leadville’s fortune and wealth. Tabor knew little about mining himself, so he opened a general store, which sold everything from boots to salt, flour, and tobacco. It was his custom to “grubstake” prospective miners, in other words, to supply them with food and supplies, or “grub”, while they looked for ore, in return for which he would get a share in the mine if one was discovered. He did this for a number of years, but no one that he aided ever found anything of value.

　　Finally one day in the year 1878, so the story goes, two miners came in and asked for “grub”. Tabor had decided to quit supplying it because he had lost too much money that way. These were persistent, however, and Tabor was too busy to argue with them. “Oh help yourself. One more time won’t make any difference,” He said and went on selling shoes and hats to other customers. the two miners took $17 worth of supplies, in return for which they gave Tabor a one-third interest in their findings. They picked a barren place on the mountainside and began to dig. After nine days they struck a rich vein of silver. Tabor bought the shares of the other two men, and so the mine belonged to him alone. This mine, known as the “Pittsburgh Mine,” made ��1 300 000 for Tabor in return for his $17 investment.

　　Later Tabor bought the Matchless Mine on another barren hillside just outside the town for $117 000.This turned out to be even more fabulous than the Pittsburgh, yielding $35 000 worth of silver per day at one time. Leadville grew. Tabor became its first mayor, and later became lieutenant governor of the state.