Question

It’s often said of British people that they are very aware of each other’s social rank. Britons can usually work out a fellow countryman’s background from the way they speak or dress, and may even treat them differently based on this. But although this may have been truer in the past than it is today, visitors to Britain say that they still notice it. The comic play Pygmalion (1913), by the Irishman George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950), is a famous exploration of the importance of social rank in British society.

The main story of the play concerns a working class girl, Eliza Doolittle, a flower seller from London. Two upper class gentlemen try to see if they can get Doolittle to appear like an upper class lady after sending her for elocution lessons. Professor Henry Higgins, a language expert, says it can be done; his friend Colonel Pickering says that it’s impossible. Even so, Higgins sets out to teach Eliza how to “speak properly”.

Of course, Eliza isn’t a lump of clay; she has her own will. She can see that it’s in her best interest to go along with Higgins’ plan to “improve herself”. She wants to be able to sell flowers in a shop rather than on the street. After the training, Eliza proves that a flower girl can pass herself off as a lady at a ball. She is a triumph (赢家), and Higgins has won his bet.

But what happens next? Eliza has her future to worry about. She may be able to fool the upper class into thinking she’s one of them, but she isn’t really one of them.

Shaw seems to be telling us that social rank is about more than the way someone talks-it’s about wealth and privilege. The whole experiment proves the idea that accents and classes are very superficial (肤浅的). The way one speaks and dresses are only markers of class. The class system itself, however, is something completely different.

1.What can we learn about speaking and dressing from Paragraph 1?

A. They determine Britons’ social rank.

B. Britons are stricter in them nowadays.

C. Britons no longer care about them.

D. They could affect others’ opinion of a person.

2.Which can replace the underlined word “elocution”?

A. dress    B. manners

C. speech    D. dance

3.What happens to Eliza Doolittle during the experiment?

A. She is forced to give up selling flowers on the street.

B. She is unwilling to participate in the experiment.

C. She is thought of as an upper-class lady at the hall.

D. She is hopeful about her future.

4.Which of the following would Shaw probably agree with?

A. One can enter the upper class after receiving training.

B. People should try their best to improve their accents.

C. The way people speak greatly affects their social status.

D. Social rank can t he judged by dressing or speaking.

Answer

1.D

2.C

3.C

4.D

【解析】讲话和穿衣会影响别人对一个人的看法。社会地位不仅仅是人们谈论财富和特权的方式，不能通过穿衣或说话来判断社会地位。

1.D

推理判断题。根据第一段中Britons can usually work out a fellow countryman’s background from the way they speak or dress, and may even treat them differently based on this.可知讲话和穿衣会影响别人对一个人的看法。故选D。

2.C

词义猜测题。根据第二段中的Higgins sets out to teach Eliza how to‘speak properly’.”可知这两位绅士要让Eliza学习语言艺术课。故选C。

3.C

细节理解题。根据第四段中Eliza has her future to worry about. She may be able to fool the upper class into thinking she’s one of them, but she isn’t really one of them.可知她在大厅里被认为是上流社会的淑女。故选C。

4.D

推理判断题。根据最后一段第一句Shaw seems to be telling us that social rank is about more than the way someone talks-it’s about wealth and privilege.可知Shaw似乎在告诉我们社会地位不仅仅是人们谈论财富和特权的方式。也就是说不能通过穿衣或说话来判断社会地位。故选D。