In other Europeans’ eyes, the British are binge-drinkers (酗酒者) and class-conscious. Are we British really so drinking excessively and being sensitive to class status? Let’s take a look at these observations and see whether they hold water.

题目： In other Europeans’ eyes, the British are binge-drinkers (酗酒者) and class-conscious. Are we British really so drinking excessively and being sensitive to class status? Let’s take a look at these observations and see whether they hold water.

Startwiththebottle.StatisticsshowthatwearefarfromEurope’sheaviestdrinkers.TheOrganizationforEconomicCo-operationandDevelopment(OECD)rankedus11thinEuropeforalcoholconsumption,farbehindFranceinfirstplace,followedbyPortugalandAustria.ButwhiletheFrench,German,SpanishandItaliansaredrinkingmuchlessthantheydidin1980,theBritisharedrinkingninepercentmore.
Still,it’snotthevolumeofpintsconsumedthathasledtoourboozyreputation.It’sthewaywedrinkthat’stheproblem.TheFrenchfiguremaybehigh,butthat’sdrivenupbyalotofpeopledrinkingmoderately:aglassortwoofredwineatdinner.TheBritish,however,havevast,rapidconsumptionsaimedsolelyatgettinghammered.Onestudyfoundthat54percentofBritish15-and16-year-oldsadmittobingedrinking,comparedtoaEuropeanaverageof43percent.
Nowlet’slookatclass.It’stemptingtosaythatclassisoutofdate,thatmostBritishnowbelonginthevast,sprawlingmiddleclass.Butthefiguresaremuchlesscomforting.TheOECDputBritainatthebottomofthesocialmobilityleaguetable,findingthatchildrenbornintopoorfamiliesherehavealowerchanceofgettingonthantheydoinItaly,France,SpainorGermany.
Evenifthefigureswerenotagainstus,wecouldhardlycomplainifourfellowEuropeansthinkwehaveahang-upaboutclass.WhatmessagedoweBritishthinkwesendwhenoursignatureculturalexportof2011wasDowntonAbbey,atelevisiondramaentirelyabouttheintricaciesofclassandsocialhierarchy?
Nowwemaysaythatthereismorethanalittlerealitybehindourimage.YetnoBritishcouldacceptthesedepictionsofuswithoutsomedissent(意见分歧).Forinstance,thosedescriptionsareoftencontradictory.Howcanwesimultaneouslybebothself-controlledandpronetoripourclothesoffinadrunkenhaze?Thus,whatourEuropeanneighborsseeofusisathumbnail(简要的)sketch,notthewholepicture.

(1)(单选题)Thephrase“holdwater”(Para.1)probablymeans“__________”.

A.beconvincing
B.beexcessive
C.beflexible
D.beconscious
(1)(单选题)AccordingtothestatisticsoftheOECD,Britainhas__________.
A.thelowestnumberofoverweightdrinkersinEurope
B.thelargestnumberofmoderatedrinkersinEurope
C.alargeramountofalcoholconsumptionthanFranceandAustria
D.alargeramountofalcoholconsumptiontodaythaninthe1980s