A new Pew Research poll shows that the cultural battle between rich and poor is as fierce as ever.Fully 66% of Americans believe there are 'strong' or 'very strong' conflicts between rich and poor in the U.S. That's way up from 47% in 2009.The rich-poor conflict noweclipsesperceived conflicts over immigration. The poll found that 62% of respondents believed there was a strong conflict between immigrants and native-born Americans less than the 66% for rich-poor.What's more, Americans remain highly skeptical of the way the rich in America get rich. According to the poll, 46% of respondents believe the wealthy got wealthy 'because they were born with money or they knew the right people.'Only 43% of Americans believe that 'hard work, ambition or education' are the reasons the rich got rich.Of course, these questions could have been phrased more precisely. Getting rich through an inheritance is very different from getting rich by making the right connections and relationships in life (clearly a part of any rich-person's journey). They should be separated as wealth causes.And the numbers are about the same as they were in 2009, meaning that while class-warfare may be at an all-time high, Americans' actual perceptions of the rich haven't changed much.Yet their opinions are still fairly negative, since more Americans believe the rich owe their fortunes to their parents or clubby social circles rather than hard work, ambition or education. This skeptical view is most pronounced among the young, or those between the ages of 18 and 34.Republicans believe in the 'hard work' path more than Democrats (their responses are almost mirror opposites). And men generally fall into the 'hard work' camp more than women.The results highlight just how conflicted Americans are about the rich. Most studies show that more than two-thirds of today's millionaires made it themselves, rather than from inheritance. And clearly education and skills matter in making a fortune in the knowledge economy.(1) The new Pew Research poll tells us that ________.A. the conflict between rich and poor becomes not so apparent.B. more people believe there is a conflict between rich and poor.C. there is no conflict between immigrants and native-born Americans.D. the cultural conflict between rich and immigrants is as fierce as ever.(2) What does the word “ eclipses” (line 1, para 3) mean?A. To make something disappear gradually. B. To make something much more influential.C. To make something seem more obvious. D. To make something appear dull by comparison.(3) What can we learn from the results of most studies?A. Most of the rich people made their fortune on their own.B. Most of today’s millionaires became rich through inheritance.C. Education is not so important for people when making a fortune.D. The current economy does not value education very much.
A new Pew Research poll shows that the cultural battle between rich and poor is as fierce as ever.
Fully 66% of Americans believe there are 'strong' or 'very strong' conflicts between rich and poor in the U.S. That's way up from 47% in 2009.
The rich-poor conflict noweclipsesperceived conflicts over immigration. The poll found that 62% of respondents believed there was a strong conflict between immigrants and native-born Americans less than the 66% for rich-poor.
What's more, Americans remain highly skeptical of the way the rich in America get rich. According to the poll, 46% of respondents believe the wealthy got wealthy 'because they were born with money or they knew the right people.'
Only 43% of Americans believe that 'hard work, ambition or education' are the reasons the rich got rich.
Of course, these questions could have been phrased more precisely. Getting rich through an inheritance is very different from getting rich by making the right connections and relationships in life (clearly a part of any rich-person's journey). They should be separated as wealth causes.
And the numbers are about the same as they were in 2009, meaning that while class-warfare may be at an all-time high, Americans' actual perceptions of the rich haven't changed much.
Yet their opinions are still fairly negative, since more Americans believe the rich owe their fortunes to their parents or clubby social circles rather than hard work, ambition or education. This skeptical view is most pronounced among the young, or those between the ages of 18 and 34.
Republicans believe in the 'hard work' path more than Democrats (their responses are almost mirror opposites). And men generally fall into the 'hard work' camp more than women.
The results highlight just how conflicted Americans are about the rich. Most studies show that more than two-thirds of today's millionaires made it themselves, rather than from inheritance. And clearly education and skills matter in making a fortune in the knowledge economy.
| A. the conflict between rich and poor becomes not so apparent. |
| B. more people believe there is a conflict between rich and poor. |
| C. there is no conflict between immigrants and native-born Americans. |
| D. the cultural conflict between rich and immigrants is as fierce as ever. |
eclipses” (line 1, para 3) mean?
| A. To make something disappear gradually. |
| B. To make something much more influential. |
| C. To make something seem more obvious. |
| D. To make something appear dull by comparison. |
| A. Most of the rich people made their fortune on their own. |
| B. Most of today’s millionaires became rich through inheritance. |
| C. Education is not so important for people when making a fortune. |
| D. The current economy does not value education very much. |
题目解答
答案
| 【小题1】B | 【小题2】D | 【小题3】A |
解析
- 考查要点：本题为阅读理解题，主要考查学生对文章主旨、细节理解及词汇在上下文中含义的掌握。
- 解题思路：
- 第（1）题：需结合文章首段数据变化，抓住“conflicts between rich and poor”这一核心信息。
- 第（2）题：通过上下文语境推断“eclipses”的具体含义，注意比较对象。
- 第（3）题：需定位文章末尾的研究结论，明确“self-made millionaire”这一关键概念。
第（1）题
关键信息提取
文章首段指出，66%的美国人认为贫富之间存在“强烈”或“非常强烈”的冲突，而2009年这一比例仅为47%。数据对比表明更多人开始关注贫富矛盾。
选项分析
- B选项“更多人相信存在贫富冲突”直接对应数据变化，正确。
- 其余选项均与文章核心信息矛盾（如A选项“冲突不明显”与数据上升趋势矛盾）。
第（2）题
语境分析
第三段中“the rich-poor conflict now eclipses perceived conflicts over immigration”意为贫富冲突已超越移民矛盾，成为更突出的社会问题。
词义推断
“eclipses”在此处表示使某事物（移民矛盾）显得逊色，对应选项D。
第（3）题
关键句定位
文章最后一段明确指出：“超过三分之二的百万富翁是通过自身奋斗致富，而非继承遗产”。
选项匹配
A选项“多数富人靠自己创造财富”与研究结论一致，正确。