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 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.”
1. Professor Elshtain is pleased to see that Americans ______.
A. have adapted to a new set of moral standards
B. are longing for the return of the good old days
C. are realized the importance of material things
D. are awakened to the lowering of their moral standards
2 The moral decline of American society is caused mainly by _______.
A. its growing wealth
B. the self-centeredness of individuals
C. underestimating the impact of social changes
D. the prejudice against women and minorities
3. Which of the following characterizes the traditional communities?
A. Great mobility
B. Concern for one’s neighbors
C. Emphasis on individual effort.
D. Ever-weakening social bonds
4. In the 1950s classroom violence ______.A. was something unheard of
B. was by no means a rare occurrence
C. attracted a lot of public attention
D. began to appear in analysts’ data
5. According to Elshtain, the current moral decline may be reversed ______.
A. if people can return to the “golden age”
B. when women and men enjoy equal rights
C. when people rid themselves of prejudice
D. if less emphasis is laid on material things
参考答案：Passage 13. D B B A D
社会分析家关注很久的道德水准下降问题终于引起了普通美国人的注意。作为一名社会分析家，简.比思克.艾尔顿很是高兴。
普通美国公民现在已经开始严肃思考国民道德风气这一事实使我们有理由希望会产生新的想法来改进这种状况，芝加哥大学伦理教授说。
但是不要低估这种挑战。美国社会的功利主义及个人主义是两个最大的障碍。艾尔斯顿女士说：“‘我干这事是为自己’的思想深深植根于民族意识之中。”
她说：其中某些方面应归咎于邻里之间的互相关照的传统社区的解体。由于当今流动性更大，很多夫妻都工作，这种联系已经被削弱，取而代之的是更加强调自我。
1996年的一项美国民意测验中，道德沦丧名列美国所面临的若干最大问题的榜首。艾尔斯顿说，公众对这一问题的认识是正确的：资料表明美国人正在与50年代从未听到过的问题作斗争，如：教室暴力、未婚母亲生育率。
艾尔斯顿说，提高道德水准的愿望不是对某个并不存在的 “黄金时代” 的挽歌，也不是对一个曾拒绝给妇女和少数民族以机会的时代一厢情愿的愿望。实际上，大多数人赞成减少歧视。
她说，直到人们克服社会上功利主义的办法时，道德沦丧才能扭转。“慢慢地你会认识到：真正要紧的东西是那些买不到的东西。”
