One thing almost everyone is agreed on,including Americans,is that they place a very high valuation upon success.Success does not necessarily mean material rewards,but recognition of some sort—preferably measurable.If a boy turns out to be a preacher(传道者) instead of a businessman,that's all right.But the bigger his church is,the more successful he is judged to be.A good many things contributed to this accent on success.There was the Puritan(清教徒的) beli
One thing almost everyone is agreed on,including Americans,is that they place a very high valuation upon success.Success does not necessarily mean material rewards,but recognition of some sort—preferably measurable.If a boy turns out to be a preacher(传道者) instead of a businessman,that's all right.But the bigger his church is,the more successful he is judged to be.
A good many things contributed to this accent on success.There was the Puritan(清教徒的) belief in the virtue of work,both for its own sake and because the rewards it brought were regarded as signs of God‘s love.There was the richness of opportunity in a land waiting to be settled.There was the lack of a settled society with fixed ranks and classes,so that a man was certain to rise through achievement.
There was the determination of an immigrant to gain in the new world what had been denied to him in the old,and on the part of his children an urge to throw off the immigrant onus(负担) by still more success and still more rise in a fluid and classless society.Brothers did not compete within the family for the favor of the parents as in Europe,but worked hard for success in the outer world,along paths of their own choosing.
21.According to the first paragraph,______.
A.success is highly valued in American society.
B.success surely brings material rewards.
C.success equals measurable recognition.
D.people agree on what success means.
22.In this passage,the author indicates that _____.
A.preachers are not as successful as businessmen.
B.businessmen are not as successful as preachers.
C.boys are advised to become preachers instead of businessmen.
D.measurable success can also be achieved by preachers.
23.The word accent (line 1,para.2) most probably means ____.
A.dialect B.emphasis C.attention D.recognition
24.Which of the following does NOT account for people's desire for success?
A.The Puritan belief in the virtue of work.
B.Richness of opportunities in the new world.
C.Lack of fixed social ranks and classes.
D.Determination to deny the values of the new world.
25.It is suggested in the last paragraph that _______ in the old world.
A.children tended to compete for the favor of their parents
B.children were determined to throw off their immigrant identities
C.children were urged to achieve success in the fluid and classless society
D.children worked hard for success along paths chosen by their parents.
Questions 26-30 are based on the following two advertisements:
C D B D C
C.success equals measurable recognition
D.measurable success can also be achieved by preachers.
B.emphasis
D.Determination to deny the values of the new world.
C.children were urged to achieve success in the fluid and classless society