阅读理解Itishardtogetanyagreementontheaccuratemeaningoftheterm“socialclass”.Ineverydaylifepeopletendtohaveadifferentapproachtothosetheyconsidertheirequalsfromthatwhichtheyassumewithpe
阅读理解
Itishardtogetanyagreementontheaccuratemeaningoftheterm“socialclass”.Ineverydaylifepeopletendtohaveadifferentapproachtothosetheyconsidertheirequalsfromthatwhichtheyassumewithpeopletheyconsiderhigherorlowerthanthemselvesinthesocialscale.Thecriteriaweuseto“place”anewacquaintance(熟人)howeverareacomplexmixtureoffactors.Dresswayofspeakingareaofresidenceinagivencityorprovinceeducationandmannersallplayapart.
InGreeceafterthesixthcenturyB.C.therewasagrowingconflictbetweenthepeasantsandthelandedaristocrats(贵族)andagradualdecreaseinthepowerofthearistocracywhenakindof“middleclass”oftradersandskilledworkersgrewup.ThepopulationofAthensforexamplewasdividedintothreemainclasseswhichwerepoliticallyandlegallydistinct.AboutonethirdofthetotalwereslaveswhodidnotcountpoliticallyatallafactoftenforgottenbythosewhopraiseAthensasthenurseryofdemocracy.Thenextmaingroupconsistedofresidentforeignersthe“metics”whowerefreementhoughtheytwowereallowednoshareinpoliticallife.Thethirdgroupwasthepowerfulbodyof“citizens”whowerethemselvesdividedintosubclasses.
InthelaterMiddleAgeshoweverthedevelopmentofmonetaryeconomyandthegrowthofcitiesandtradeledtotheriseofanotherclassthe“burghers”orcitymerchantsandmayors.Thesewerethepredecessorsofthemodernmiddleclasses.Graduallyhighofficeandoccupationassumedimportanceindeterminingsocialpositionasitbecamemoreandmorepossibleforapersonborntoonestationinlifetomovetoanother.Thischangeaffectedthetownsmorethanthecountryareaswhereremnantsoffeudalismlastedmuchlonger.
Withthebreakupofthefeudaleconomytheincreasingdivisionoflabourandthegrowingpowerofthetownburghers(公民)thecommercialandprofessionalmiddleclassbecamemoreandmoreimportantinEuropeandtheolderprivilegedclassthelandedaristocracybegantolosesomeofitspower.
1.Themainideaofthefirstparagraphisthat________.
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A.todefinethetermsocialclassdoesnotinvolvemuchdifficulty
B.thereismuchalternationinpeople'ssocialclasses
C.toevaluateaperson'ssocialcla