21. The word " homogenizing "( Line 2, Para .1) most probably means
[ A ] identifying
[ B ] associating
[ C ] assimilating
[ D ] monopolizing
22. According to the author , the department stores of the 19th century _
[ A ] played a role in the spread of popular culture
[ B ] became intimate shops for common consumers
[ C ] satisfied the needs of a knowledgeable elite
[ D ] owed its emergence to the culture of consumption
23. The text suggests that immigrants now in the U . S .
[ A ] are resistant to homogenization
[ B ] exert a great influence on American culture
[ C ] are hardly a threat to the common culture
[ D ] constitute the majority of the population
24. Why are Arnold Schwarzenegger and Garth Brooks mentioned in Paragraph 5?
[ A ] To prove their popularity around the world .
[ B ] To reveal the public ' s fear of immigrants .
[ C ] To give examples of successful immigrants .
[ D ] To show the powerful influence of American culture.
25. In the author ' s opinion , the absorption of immigrants into American society is
[ A ] rewarding
[ B ] successful
[ C ] fruitless
[ D ] harmful
In spite of " endless talk of difference ", American society is an amazing machine for homogenizing people . There is " the democratizing uniformity of dress and discourse , and the casualness and absence of deference " characteristic of popular culture . People are absorbed into " a culture of consumption " launched by the 19th- century department stores that offered " vast arrays of goods in an elegant atmosphere ". Instead of intimate shops catering to a knowledgeable elite , these were stores " anyone could enter , regardless of class or background ". This turned shopping into a public and democratic act ." The mass media , advertising and sports are other forces for homogenization .
Immigrants are quickly fitting into this common culture , which may not be altogether elevating but is hardly poisonous . Writing for the National Immigration Forum , Gregory Rodriguez reports that today ' s immigration is neither at unprecedented levels nor resistant to assimilation . In 1998 immigrants were 9.8 percent of the population ; in 1900,13.6 percent . In the 10 years prior to 1990,3.1 immigrants arrived for every 1,000 residents ; in the 10 years prior to 1890,9.2 for every 1,000. Now , consider three indices of assimilation - language , home ownership and intermarriage .
The 1990 Census revealed that " a majority of immigrants from each of the fifteen most common countries of origin spoke English " well ' or movery well ' after ten years of residence ". The children of immigrants tend to be bilingual and proficient in English ." By the third generation , the original language is lost in the majority of immigrant families ." Hence the description of America as a " graveyard " for languages . By 1996 foreign - born immigrants who had arrived before 1970 had a home ownership rate of 75.6 percent , higher than the 69.8 percent rate among native - born Americans .
Foreign - born Asians and Hispanics " have higher rates of intermarriage than do U . S .- born whites and blacks ". By the third generation , one third of Hispanic women are married to non - Hispanics , and 41 percent of Asian - American women are married to non - Asians .
Rodriguez notes that children in remote villages around world are fans of superstars like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Garth Brooks , yet " some Americans fear that immigrants living within the United States remain somehow immune to the nation ' s assimilative power ".
Are there divisive issues and pockets of seething anger in America ? Indeed . It is big enough to have a bit of everything . But particularly when viewed against America ' s turbulent past , today ' s social indices hardly suggest a dark and deteriorating social environment.
ANSWER CACDB
