In our society the razor of necessity cuts close. You must make a buck to survive the day. You must work to make a buck. The job is often a chore, rarely a delight. No matter how demeaning the task, no matter how it dulls the senses or breaks the spirit, one must work. Lately there has been a questioning of this "work ethic", especially by the young. Strangely enough, it has touched off profound grievances in others hitherto silent and anonymous.
Unexpected precincts are being heard from in a show of discontent by blue collar and white. On the evening bus the tense, pinched faces of young file clerks and elderly secretaries tell us more than we care to know. On the expressways middle-management men pose without grace behind their wheels, as they flee city and job.
In all, there is more than a slight ache. And there dangles the impertinent question: Should there not be another increment, earned though not yet received, to one's daily work—an acknowledgment of a man's being? In fact, what all of us are looking for is a calling, not just a job. Jobs alone are not being enough for people.
1."In our society the razor of necessity cuts close" in the first line means _______.
A.there is a shortage of daily necessities B.people fight each other for necessities
C.most people feel the financial pressure D.everyone lives a hard life
2.The "work ethic" in the first paragraph can be interpreted as _______.
A.one works mainly to keep body and soul together
B.one must work not only for money, but also for delight
C.one must understand that jobs as chores
D.one should earn as much money a day as possible
3.Middle-management men flee city and job because _______.
A.they have lost their grace
B.they are tired by the long day's work
C.they don't want to see the tense and pinched faces of their clerks and secretaries
D.they are frightened by the profound grievances shown by the young people
4.The phrase "increment, earned though not received" in the third paragraph means _______.
A.money one has earned and will be paid later
B.money one has earned, but will not be paid to him/her
C.something that one earns through a job, but is not counted in terms of pay
D.something that one earns that has nothing to do with his or her job
5.The main idea of this passage is _______.
A.in modern society people are under great work pressure
B.nowadays people want to enjoy life more than do hard work
C.work should be to people more than just a means to survive
D.more jobs of delight should be created for people
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1.【答案】C。
【解析】本題的依據(jù)是原文第一段第二句的“You must make a buck to survive the day.（人們?yōu)榱四軌虻玫浇?jīng)濟保障及其再提高而在工作中疲于奔命）”因此正確的選項是C。
2.【答案】A。
【解析】在解答本題之前，應(yīng)注意文中work ethic前面有指代詞this。本題的答案為A。
3.【答案】B。
【解析】本題的依據(jù)是原文的“Unexpected precincts are being heard from in a show of discontent by blue collar and white”。從中可知，他們已經(jīng)厭倦了每天的工作，所以B項正確。
4.【答案】C。
【解析】解答本題關(guān)鍵在于理解“In fact，what all of us are looking for is a calling, not just a job.（應(yīng)該從工作中得到樂趣，而不僅僅是為了拿到工資。）”因此正確答案為C。
5.【答案】C。
【解析】綜合全文內(nèi)容可知，本文主要講的是工作對人們來說不應(yīng)只是一種生存的手段。因此C項正確。
