Question

阅读理解 　　When families gather for Christmas dinner, some will stick to formal traditions dating back to grandma’s generation．Their tables will be set with the good dishes and silver, and the dress code will be Sunday best． 　　But in many other homes, this china and silver elegance has given way to a stoneware(粗陶器)and stainless steel informality, with dresses assuming an equally casual Friday look．For hosts and guests the change means greater simplicity and comfort．For makers of fine china in Britain, it spells economic hard times． 　　Last week Royal Doulton, the largest employer in Stoke on Trent，announced that it is eliminating 1 000 jobs one fifth of its total workforce．That brings to more than 4 000 the number of positions lost in 18 months in the pottery(陶器)region．Wedgwood and other pottery factories made cuts earlier． 　　Although a strong pound and weak markets in Asia play a role in the downsizing, the layoffs in Stoking have their roots in earthshaking social shifts．A spokesman for Royal Doulton admitted that the company “has been somewhat slow in catching up with the trend” toward casual dining．Families eat together less often, he explained, and more people eat alone, either because they are single or they eat in front of television． 　　Even dinner parties, if they happen at all, have gone casual．In a time of long work hours and demanding family schedules, busy hosts insist, rightly, that it’s better to share a takeout pizza on paper plates in the family room than to wait for the perfect moment or a “real” dinner party．Too often, the perfect moment never comes．Iron a fine patterned tablecloth? Forget it．Polish the silver? Who has time? 　　Yet the loss of formality has its down side．The fine points of etiquette(礼节)that children might once have learned at the table by observation or instruction from parents and grandparents(“Chew with your mouth closed．” “Keep your elbows off the table．”)must be picked up elsewhere．Some companies now offer etiquette seminars for employees who may be able professionally but inexperienced socially． (1) Why do people tend to follow the trend to casual dining? [　　] A． Family members need more time to relax． B． Busy schedules leave people no time for formality． C． People prefer to live a comfortable life． D． Young people won’t follow the etiquette of the old generation． (2) It can be learned from the passage that Royal Doulton is ________． [　　] A． a seller of stainless steel tableware B． a dealer in stoneware C． a pottery chain store D． a producer of fine china (3) The main cause of the layoffs in the pottery industry is ________． [　　] A． the increased value of the pound B． the worsening economy in Asia C． the change in people’s way of life D． the fierce competition at home and abroad (4) Formal table manners, though less popular than before in current social life, ________． [　　] A． are still a must on certain occasions B． are certain to return sooner or later C． are still being taught by parents at home D． can help improve personal relationships

Answer 1

答案：1．B;2．D;3．C;4．A;
解析：

(1)	本题是细节理解题目。结合文章第五段，可以看出；工作的快节奏和任务的繁重是引起人们不愿意讲究一些烦琐的礼仪的主要原因。
(2)	本题是判断分析题目。结合文章第三段，Royal Boulton应该是一位陶瓷生产商人。
(3)	本题是综合判断题目。结合文章第四段，我们看出：由于人们日常生活方式的改变，引起生活用具的变化，最终导致这些行业的变化。
(4)	本题是综合判断题目。从文章最后一段的“The fine points of etiquette…must be picked up elsewhere”．充分说明一些好的礼节在有些方面必须继续下去。