2. 外语
  3. Once upon a time there lived a beautiful young woman and a handsome young man. They were very poor, but as they were deeply in l

Once upon a time there lived a beautiful young woman and a handsome young man. They were very poor, but as they were deeply in l

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问题     Once upon a time there lived a beautiful young woman and a handsome young man. They were very poor, but as they were deeply in love, they wanted to get married. The young people’s parents shook their heads. "You can’t get married yet," they said. "Wait till you get a good job with good prospects." So the young people waited until they found good jobs with good prospects and they were able to get married. They were still poor, of course, but large organizations lent him the money he needed to buy a house, some furniture, all the latest electrical appliances and a car. The couple lived happily ever after, paying off debts for the rest of their lives. And so ends another modern romantic fable.
    We live in a materialistic society and when we grow old enough to earn a living, it does not surprise us to discover that success is measured in terms of the money you earn. We spend the whole of our lives keeping up with the Joneses. If we buy a new car, we can be sure that Jones will go on better and get two new cars: one for his wife and one for himself. The most amusing thing about this game is that the Joneses and all the neighbors who are struggling frantically to keep up with them are spending borrowed money kindly provided, at a suitable rate of interest, of course, by friendly banks, insurance companies, etc.
    It is not only in affluent societies that people are obsessed with the idea of making more money. Consumer goods are desirable everywhere and modern industry deliberately sets out to create new markets. Gone are the days when industrial goods were made to last forever. The wheel of industry must be kept turning. "Built-in obsolescence" provides the means: goods are made to be discarded. Cars get tinnier and tinnier. You no sooner acquire this year’s model than you are thinking about its replacement.  
The expression "keep up with the Joneses" might mean______.
选项 A、maintain a high standard of achievement
B、compete socially with your neighbors or associates
C、prevent something from moving
D、continue to be in contact with someone
答案B
解析
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