9．Ask most people how they define the American Dream and chances are they'll say，"Success．"The dream of individual opportunity has been present in America since Europeans discove red"The New World"in the Western Hemisphere．Early immigrants like Hector St．Jean de Crevecoeur highly praised the freedom and opportunity to be found in this new land．His enthusiastic descriptions of a classless society where anyone could attain success through honesty and hard work fired the imaginations of many European readers．In Letters from an American Farmer （1782）he wrote，"We are all excited at the spirit of an industry which is unfettered （無拘無束的） and unrestrained，because each person works for himself …We have no princes，for whom we toil （干苦力活），starve，and bleed．We are the most perfect society now existing in the world．"The promise of a land where"the rewards of a man's industry follow with equal steps the progress of his labor"drew poor immigrants from Europe and fueled national expansion into the western lands．
Our national historical story is full of illustration of the American success story．For instance，Benjamin Franklin was the very model of the self-educated，self-made man，who rose from modest origins to become a well-known scientist，philosopher，and statesman．In the nineteenth century，Horatio Alger，a writer of fiction for young boys，became American's best-selling author with his rags-to-riches tales．The idea of success impressed us：we spend millions every year reading about the rich and famous，learning how to"make a fortune in real estate（房地產(chǎn)） with no money down，"and"dressing for success．"The story of success has even affected our personal relationships：today it's as important to be"successful"in marriage or parenthoods as it is to come out on top in business．
But dreams easily turn into nightmares．Every American who hopes to"make it"also knows the fear of failure，because the story of success implies comparison between the haves and the have-nots，the stars and the unknown crowd．Under pressure of the story，we become lost in status symbols：we try to live in the"right"neighborhoods，wear the"right"clothes，and eat the"rig ht"foods．These symbols of distinction assure us and others that we believe strongly in the fundamental equality of all，yet try as hard as we can to separate ourselves from our fellow citizens．
68．What is the nature of the American Dream according to Crevecoeur？C
A．People are free to develop their power of imagination．
B．People who are honest and work hard can succeed．
C．People are free from being used and treated badly．
D．People can fully enjoy individual freedom．
69．By saying"the rewards of a man's industry follow with equal steps the progress of his labor"，the author meansB．
A．the more hard-working one is，th e bigger his returns are
B．hard work ensures the growth of an industry
C．a(chǎn) man's business should be developed step by step
D．a(chǎn) company's success depends on its employees'hard work
70．It can be inferred from the last sentence of Paragraph 2 thatA．
A．business success often contributes to a successful marriage
B．Americans wish to succeed in every aspect of life
C．good personal relationships lead to busines s success
D．successful business people provide good care for their children
71．What is the paradox（矛盾）of American culture according to the author of the passage？B
A．The American road to success is full of nightmares．
B．Status symbols are not a real symbol of a person's wealth．
C．The American Dream is nothing but an empty dream．
D．What Americans fight for often disagrees with their beliefs．
分析 問問大多數(shù)人他們是如何定義美國夢，他們可能會(huì)說是"成功"． 自從歐洲人在西半球發(fā)現(xiàn)了"新世界"，美國人的夢想就是擺脫剝削和壓迫．我們堅(jiān)信在根本上是平等的．
解答 68．C推理判斷題．根據(jù)第一段第二句The dream of individual opportunity has been home in American since Europeans discovered a"new world"in the Western Hemisphere．自從歐洲人在西半球發(fā)現(xiàn)了"新世界"，個(gè)人機(jī)會(huì)的夢想已經(jīng)扎根在美國．可知美國人的夢想就是擺脫剝削和壓迫．故選C．
69．B推理判斷題．根據(jù)第一段中的because each person works for himself …We have no princes，for whom we toil （干苦力活），starve，and bleed：we are the most perfect society now existing in the world．"因?yàn)槊總�(gè)人為自己工作---，我們沒有王子，不為他干苦力活，挨餓和流血：我們是世界上現(xiàn)在存在的最完美的社會(huì)．故選B．
70．A推理判斷題．根據(jù)第二段最后一句today it's as important to be"successful"in marriage or parenthoods as it is to come out on top in business．今天在婚姻或parenthoods的成功同在生意上的成功同樣的重要．故可推斷出選A．
71．B推理判斷題．根據(jù)第三段最后兩句These symbols of distinction assure us and others that we believe strongly in the fundamental equality of all，yet strive as hard as we can to separate ourselves from our fellow citizens．這些區(qū)分符號讓我們和其他人，我們堅(jiān)信在根本上是平等的，然而我們卻盡最大努力將自己和我們的同胞分離開．故可知選B．
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