In the past, the working-class tended to be paid less than middle-class people, such as teachers and doctors. As a result of this and also of the fact that workers' jobs were generally much less secure, distinct differences in life-styles and attitudes came into existence. The typical working man would collect his wages on Friday evening and then, it was widely believed, having given his wife her "housekeeping", would go out and squander the rest on beer and betting.
The stereotype of what a middle-class man did with his money was perhaps nearer the troth. He was — and still is — inclined to take a longer-term view. Not only did he regard buying a house as a top priority, but he also considered the education of his children as extremely important. Both of these provided him and his family with security. Only in very few cases did workers have the opportunity (or the education and training) to make such long-term plans.
Nowadays, a great deal has changed. In a large number of cases factory workers earn as much, if not more, than their middle-class supervisors. Social security and laws to improve job-security, combined with a general rise in the standard of living since the mid-fifties of the 20th century, have made it less necessary than before to worry about "tomorrow". Working-class people seem slowly to be losing the feeling of inferiority they had in the past. In fact there has been a growing tendency in the past few years for the middle-classes to feel slightly ashamed of their position.
The changes in both life-styles and attitudes are probably most easily seen amongst younger people. They generally tend to share very similar tastes in music and clothes, they spend their money in having a good time, and save for holidays or longer-term plans when necessary. There seems to be much less difference than in previous generations. Nevertheless, we still have a wide gap between the well-paid (whatever the type of job they may have) and the low-paid. As long as this gap exists, there will always be a possibility that new conflicts and jealousies will emerge, or rather that the old conflicts will re-appear, but between different groups.
Which of the following is seen as the cause of class differences in the past?
A.Life style. and occupation.
B.Attitude and income.
C.Income and job security.
D.Job security and hobbies.
However, there are many words with the same denotative meanings but different connotative meanings. For instance, “bat” is an evil animal in European folk legends. The English idioms like “as blind as a bat” and “as crazy as a bat” give explanation by themselves. But many Chinese people believe that “bat” is the symbol of good luck, health and happiness. This is mainly because in “蝙蝠” “蝠” is pronounced the same with “福” (good fortune) in “幸福” (happiness) and “洪福” (limitless blessing).
Still, there are many other words whose denotative and connotative meanings are both different in English and Chinese. For example, in the western world, “dragon” is a fire-spitting mythical animal, signifying violence, as in “He is a bit of dragon here.” By contrast, most Chinese people regard “龙” (Long) as a symbol of dignity and power, as in the idiom “望子成龙” (hold high hopes for one’s child).
1. Some English words about animals carry both denotative and connotative meanings.()
A.True
B.False
2. Many words from Chinese and English are the same in both the denotational meanings and connotational meanings, such as “fox” and “狐狸”.()
A.True
B.False
3. The Chinese word “蝙蝠” carries the same connotative meanings with the English word “bat”.()
A.True
B.False
4. The Chinese word “龙” carries the same denotative meaning with the English word “dragon”.()
A.True
B.False
5.“He is a bit of dragon here.” The equivalent Chinese version of this sentence is: 他在这一带为非作歹。()
A.True
B.False
A.How many books can you see
B.How many animals do you know
C.How many books do you have
A.most
B.more
C.less
D.least
______ many people prefer coffee, he drinks tea as usual.
A.While
B.Besides
C.Because of
D.Except
A.little
B. much
C. few
D. many
Although I spoke to him many times, he never took any______of what I said.
A.attention
B.notice
C.warning
D.observation