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)-and-stainless 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 (陶瓷) 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 is Stoke 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 competent professionally but clueless socially. 

    33. The trend toward casual dining has resulted in _____.
　　A) bankruptcy of fine china manufacturers
　　B) shrinking of the pottery industry
　　C) restructuring of large enterprises
　　D) economic recession in Great Britain 
    34. Which of the following may be the best reason for casual dining?
　　A) Family members need more time to relax.
　　B) Busy schedules leave people no time for formality.
　　C) People want to practice economy in times of scarcity.
　　D) Young people won't follow the etiquette of the older generation. 
    35. It can be learned from the passage that Royal Doulton is _____.
　　A) a retailer of stainless steel tableware
　　B) a dealer in stoneware
　　C) a pottery chain store
　　D) a producer of fine china 
    36. The main cause of the layoffs in the pottery industry is _____.
　　A) the increased value of the pound
　　B) the economic recession in Asia
　　C) the change in people's way of life
　　D) the fierce competition at home and abroad 
    37. Refined table manners, though less popular than before in current social life, _____.
　　A) are still a must on certain occasions
　　B) are bound to return sooner or later
　　C) are still being taught by parents at home
　　D) can help improve personal relationships

    33. 正确答案： B 
    本题题干中的 "casual"一词将本题答案信息圈定在第二段。由于本题追问的是"结果"(result in…)，故将答案线索定位在第二段的第二句和第三句。第二句的内容并未在四个选项中出现。第三句的内容与选项A的内容不符。原文讲瓷器(fine china)度日艰难，但不等于选项A中所表述的"瓷器生产商破产"。在这种情况下，考生不得不继续阅读第三段，该段所阐述的内容均与 "pottery"（陶瓷业）有关，讲这个行业的大量裁员。在四个选项中只有选项B涉及 "pottery"（陶瓷业），故只有选项B是正确答案。

    34. 正确答案：B 
    本题题干的 "casual dining"将本题的答案线索圈定在第四段的尾句，因为其前句出现了题干中的信号词 "casual dining"。第四段尾句的含义是：由于人们或者是单身、或者是边看电视边吃饭，所以更多的人单独进餐，家庭成员一起吃饭的机会少了。另外，本文第五段第1句继续出现信号词 "casual"，并解释原因为"工作时间漫长和家庭时间安排紧凑，主人忙忙碌碌……。"故人们"随便进餐"的主要原因是：人们没有时间。显而易见，选项B是正确答案。选项A是干扰项，"家庭成员需要更多的休闲时光"没有充分表达原文中的"人们没有时间"这一明确含义。

    35. 正确答案： D 
    本题题干中的 "Royal Doulton"将本题的答案线索圈定在第三段。从第三段表述的内容推断：Royal Doulton和Wedgwood一样均是陶瓷地区的制造工厂。故只有选项D是正确选项。选项A中的 "retailer"，B中的 "dealer"，和 C中的 "chain store"，其含义分别是"零售商"、"经营商"和"连锁店"。

    36. 正确答案： C
    本题题干中的 "layoffs"将本题的答案线索圈定在本文第四段第一句。该句中的 "have roots in…"等于 "result mainly from…"。 "earthshaking social shifts"等于 "profound social changes"。故选项C是正确答案。

    37. 正确答案： A 
    本题题干中的 "table manners"将本题的答案信息圈定在全文尾段的第二句。该句强调：以前在餐桌上学到的礼节细节一定要在其他场合被人们所遵守。考生应当格外注意本句中的 "must"一词，它是一个语言信号词。故只有选项A是正确答案，该选项中的 "must"是名词，"on certain occasions"等于原文中的 "elsewhere"。