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[历史学]

Historianshaveonlyrecentlybeguntonotetheincreaseindemandforluxurygoodsandservicesthattookplaceineighteenth-centuryEngland.McKendrickhasexploredtheWedgwoodfirm’sremarkablesuccessinmarketingluxurypottery;Plumbhaswrittenabouttheproliferationofprovincialtheater,musicalfestivals,andchildren’stoysandbooks.Whilethefactofthisconsumerrevolutionishardlyindoubt,threekeyquestionsremain:Whoweretheconsumers?Whatweretheirmotives?Andwhatweretheeffectsofthenewdemandforluxuries?

Ananswertothefirstofthesehasbeendifficulttoobtain.Althoughithasbeenpossibletoinferfromthegoodsandservicesactuallyproducedwhatmanufacturersandservicingtradesthoughttheircustomerswanted,onlyastudyofrelevantpersonaldocumentswrittenbyactualconsumerswillprovideaprecisepictureofwhowantedwhat.Westillneedtoknowhowlargethisconsumermarketwasandhowfardownthesocialscaletheconsumerdemandforluxurygoodspenetrated.Withregardtothislastquestion,wemightnoteinpassingthatThompson,whilerightlyrestoringlaboringpeopletothestageofeighteenth-centuryEnglishhistory,hasprobablyexaggeratedtheoppositionofthesepeopletotheinroadsofcapitalistconsumerismingeneral;forexample,laboringpeopleineighteenth-centuryEnglandreadilyshiftedfromhome-brewedbeertostandardizedbeerproducedbyhuge,heavilycapitalizedurbanbreweries.

Toanswerthequestionofwhyconsumersbecamesoeagertobuy,somehistorianshavepointedtotheabilityofmanufacturerstoadvertiseinarelativelyuncensoredpress.This,however,hardlyseemsasufficientanswer.MckendrickfavorsaVeblemmodelofconspicuousconsumptionstimulatedbycompetitionforstatus.The“middlingsort”boughtgoodsandservicesbecausetheywantedtofollowfashionssetbytherich.Again,wemaywonderwhetherthisexplanationissufficient.Donotpeopleenjoybuyingthingsasaformofself-gratification?Ifso,consumerismcouldbeseenasaproductoftheriseofnewconceptsofindividualismandmaterialism,butnotnecessarilyofthefrenzyforconspicuouscompetition.

Finally,whatweretheconsequencesofthisconsumerdemandforluxuries?McKendrickclaimsthatitgoesalongwaytowardexplainingthecomingoftheIndustrialRevolution.Butdoesit?What,forexample,doestheproductionofhigh-qualitypotteryandtoyshavetodowiththedevelopmentofironmanufactureortextilemills?Itisperfectlypossibletohavethepsychologyandrealityofaconsumersocietywithoutaheavyindustrialsector.

Thatfutureexplorationofthesekeyquestionsisundoubtedlynecessaryshouldnot,however,diminishtheforceoftheconclusionofrecentstudies:theinsatiabledemandineighteenth-centuryEnglandforfrivolousaswellasusefulgoodsandservicesforeshadowsourownworld.

1.Inthefirstparagraph,theauthormentionsMcKendrickandPlumbmostprobablyinorderto

[A]contrasttheirviewsonthesubjectofluxuryconsumerismineighteenth-centuryEngland.

[B]indicatetheinadequacyofhistoriographicalapproachestoeighteenth-centuryEnglishhistory.

[C]giveexamplesofhistorianswhohavehelpedtoestablishthefactofgrowingconsumerismineighteenth-centuryEngland.

[D]supportthecontentionthatkeyquestionsabouteighteenth-centuryconsumerismremaintobeanswered.

2.Whichofthefollowingitems,ifpreservedfromeighteenth-centuryEngland,wouldprovideanexampleofthekindofdocumentsmentionedinlines3-4,paragraph2?

[A]Awrittenagreementbetweenasupplierofrawmaterialsandasupplierofluxurygoods.

[B]Adiarythatmentionsluxurygoodsandservicespurchasedbyitsauthor.

[C]Atheaterticketstampedwiththedateandnameofaparticularplay.

[D]Apayrollrecordfromacompanythatproducedluxurygoodssuchaspottery.

3.Accordingtothetext,Thompsonattributestolaboringpeopleineighteenth-centuryEnglandwhichofthefollowingattitudestowardcapitalistconsumerism?

[A]Enthusiasm.

[B]Curiosity.

[C]Ambivalence.

[D]Hostility.

4.Inthethirdparagraph,theauthorisprimarilyconcernedwith

[A]contrastingtwothesesandofferingacompromise.

[B]questioningtwoexplanationsandproposingapossiblealternativetothem.

[C]paraphrasingtheworkoftwohistoriansandquestioningtheirassumptions.

[D]examiningtwotheoriesandendorsingoneovertheother.

5.Accordingtothetext,eighteenth-centuryEnglandandthecontemporaryworldofthetextreadersare

[A]dissimilarintheextenttowhichluxuryconsumerismcouldbesaidtobewidespreadamongthesocialclasses.

[B]dissimilarintheirdefinitionsofluxurygoodsandservices.

[C]dissimilarintheextenttowhichluxurygoodscouldbesaidtobestimulantofindustrialdevelopment.

[D]similarintheirstrongdemandforavarietyofgoodsandservices.