The decline in moral standards—which has long concerned social analysts—has at last captured the attention of average Americans.

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问题     The decline in moral standards—which has long concerned social analysts—has at last captured the attention of average Americans. And Jean Bethke Elshtain, for one, is glad.
    The fact the ordinary citizens are now starting to think seriously about the nation’s moral climate, says this ethics (伦理学) professor at the University of Chicago, is reason to hope that new ideas will come forward to improve it.
    But the challenge is not to be underestimated. Materialism and individualism in American society are the biggest obstacles. "The thought that ’I’m in it for me’ has become deeply rooted in the national consciousness," Ms. Elshtain says.
    Some of this can be attributed to the disintegration of traditional communities, in which neighbors looked out for one another, she says. With today’s greater mobility and with so many couples working, those bonds have been weakened, replaced by a greater emphasis on self.
    In a 1996 poll of Americans, loss of morality topped the list of the biggest problems facing the U.S. and Elshtain says the public is correct to sense that; Data show that Americans are struggling with problems unheard of in the 1950s, such as classroom violence and a high rate of births to unmarried mothers.
    The desire for a higher moral standard is not a lament (挽歌) for some nonexistent "golden age," Elshtain says, nor is it a wishful (一厢情愿的) longing for a time that denied opportunities to women and minorities. Most people, in fact, favor the lessening of prejudice.
    Moral decline will not be reversed until people find ways to counter the materialism in society, she says. "Slowly, you recognize that the things that matter are those that can’t be bought. " (293 words)
The moral decline of American society is caused mainly by______.

选项 A、its growing wealth
B、the self-centeredness of individuals
C、underestimating the impact of social changes
D、the prejudice against women and minorities

答案B

解析 本题属于推理判断题。文章第三、四段讲美国人道德沦丧的原因,而其中第四段分析根本原因,最后作出总结:“bonds have been weakened,replaced by a greater emphasis on self”(当今社会人与人的联系被割断,人越来越关注自我);而B“个人的自我中心主义”为其同义替换。A是干扰项,因为物质主义不同于日益增加的财富,而是指“什么都可以用钱买到”这种观念。
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