Question

Human wants seem endless. When a starving man gets a meal, he begins to think about an overcoat; when an executive gets a new sports car, visions of country clubs and pleasure boats dance into view.

    The many wants of mankind might be regarded as making up several levels. When there is money enough to satisfy one level of wants, another level appears.

    The first and most basic level of wants involves food. Once this want is satisfied, a second level of wants appears, clothing and some sorts of shelter. By the end of World War II these wants were satisfied for a great majority of Americans. Then a third level appeared. It included such items as automobiles and new houses.

    By 1957 or 1958 this third level of wants was fairly well satisfied. Then, in the late 1950s a fourth level of wants appeared: the “life-enriching” level. While the other levels involve physical satisfaction, the feeding, comfort, safety, and transportation of the human body, this level stresses mental needs for recognition, achievement, and happiness. It includes a variety of goods and services, many of which could be called "luxury" items. Among them are vacation trips, the best medical and dental care, and entertainment. Also included here are fancy foods and the latest styles in clothing.

    On the fourth level, a greater percentage of consumer spending goes to services, while on the first three levels, more is spent on goods. Will consumers raise their sights to a fifth level of wants as their income increases, or will they continue to demand luxuries and personal services on the fourth level?

    A fifth level probably would involve wants that can be achieved best by community action. Consumers may be spending more on taxes to pay for government action against disease, ignorance, crime and prejudice. After filling stomachs, our clothes, our garages, our teeth, and our minds, we now may seek to ensure the health, ,safety, and leisure to enjoy more fully the good things on the first four levels.

 

83. According to the passage, man will begin to think about such needs as housing and clothing only when ________.

   A. he has saved up enough money

   B. he has grown dissatisfied with his simple shelter

   C. he has satisfied his hunger for food

   D. he has learned to build house

84. It can be inferred from the passage that at the end of World War II most Americans ________.

   A. were very rich                                                    B. live in poverty

   C. had the good things on the first three levels            D. did not own automobiles

85. What is the main concern of man on the fourth level?

   A. The more goods the better                     B. The more mental satisfaction the better

   C. The more "luxury" items the better         D. The more earnings the better

86. The author is inclined to think that a fifth level ________

   A. would be little better than the fourth level

   B. may be a lot more desirable than the first four

   C. can be the last and most satisfying level

   D. will become attainable provided the government takes actions

Answer 1

CDBD