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1、2012高考英語：閱讀理解課堂練學案（10）PassageSix(EqualityofopportunityinthetwentiethCenturyHasNotDestroyedtheClassSystem)???Thesedayswehearalotofnonsenseaboutthe‘greatclasslesssociety’.Theideathatthetwentiethcenturyistheageofthecommonmanhasbecomeoneofthegreatclichésofourtime.Thesameoldargumen
2、tsareputforwardinevidence.Herearesomeofthem:monarchyasasystemofgovernmenthasbeencompletelydiscredited.Themonarchiesthatsurvivehavebeendeprivedofallpoliticalpower.Inheritedwealthhasbeensavagelyreducedbytaxationand,intime,thegreatfortuneswilldisappearaltogether.Inanumberofcountr
3、iesthevictoryhasbeencomplete.Thepeoplerule;thegreatmillenniumhasbecomeapoliticalreality.Buthasit?Closeexaminationdoesn’tbearouttheclaim.???Itisafallacytosupposethatallmenareequalandthatsocietywillbeleveledoutifyouprovideeverybodywiththesameeducationalopportunities.(Itisdebatab
4、lewhetheryoucaneverprovideeveryonewiththesameeducationalopportunities,butthatisanotherquestion.)Thefactisthatnaturedispensesbrainsandabilitywithatotaldisregardfortheprincipleofequality.Theoldrulesofthejungle,‘survivalofthefittest’,and‘mightisright’arestillwithus.Thespreadofedu
5、cationhasdestroyedtheoldclasssystemandcreatedanewone.Rewardsarebasedonmerit.For‘a(chǎn)ristocracy’read‘meritocracy’;inotherrespects,societyremainsunaltered:theclasssystemisrigidlymaintained.???Genuineability,animalcunning,skill,theknackofseizingopportunities,allbringmaterialrewards.
6、Andwhatisthefirstthingpeopledowhentheybecomerich?Theyusetheirwealthtosecurethebestpossibleopportunitiesfortheirchildren,togivethem‘a(chǎn)goodstartinlife’.Forallthelipservicewepaytotheideaofequality,wedonotconsiderthiswronginthewesternworld.Privateschoolswhichofferunfairadvantagesov
7、erstateschoolsarenotbannedbecauseoneoftheprinciplesinademocracyisthatpeopleshouldbefreetochoosehowtheywilleducatetheirchildren.Inthisway,thenewmeritocracycanperpetuateitselftoacertainextent:anablechildfromawealthyhomecansucceedfarmorerapidlythanhispoorercounterpart.Wealthisals
8、ousedindiscriminatelytofurtherpoliticalends.Itwouldbealmostim
