希賽網為考生們整理了2008年中共中央黨校考博英語閱讀題真題，供考生們備考復習。

We have already compared Christian feudal life to a vast prison. The bars were the all-encompassing restrictions placed upon the daily life of the people. Inside the bars were the peasants, the so-called Third Estate, who comprised about 95 percent of the total population. Outside the bars but tied to them by invisible chains were the other two estates, the priests and the nobles. Neither inside the prison nor tied to the bars outside it were the Jews, the unofficial “Fourth Estate.”

The restrictions placed on the feudal serfs, as the peasants were called, pursued them from “womb to tomb.” There could be no movement from one estate to another except through the ranks of the clergy, and then only for the exceptionally gifted child. Restrictions on travel kept the serf tied to the soil. He usually saw nothing of the world except that within walking distance. Though he technically was a free man, he could own no property. He could be sold with the land by his lord. Even freedmen, as late as 1500, could not sell their property without their lord’s permission. The peasant had to grind his flour in the lord’s granary, bake his bread in the lord’s bakery—all for a fee, paid either in goods or in labor. He could own only wooden dishes, and one spoon was all he was allowed for his entire family, no matter what its size. The kind of cloth he could buy, sell, or wear was regulated. The lord was allowed to sample everything his serfs had, including their brides. In three aspects, however, the serf and noble were almost equals—they usually equally ignorant, equally illiterate, and equally superstitious.

The nobles, too, were fettered with regulations. Society prescribed their roles with rigidity, and they had to act out these roles to the letter. They had to wear the right clothes, fight for the right causes, participate in the right games, render the right homage, and marry the right girl. Life was one continuous ritual dance. Deviation from social restrictions meant loss of caste or ostracism. Deviation from religious regulations meant anathema or the stake.

None of these restrictions applied to the Jews. They were free to come and go, marry and divorce, sell and buy as they pleased. Whoever “designed” the feudal system had forgotten to provide for tradesmen, artisans, merchants, doctors, bankers. The priests were excluded from work, the nobles did not want to work, and the serfs were not allowed to enter the bourgeoisie or middle-class professions. There was no one left to do this work except the Jews, who therefore became indispensable. The Jews were granted charters of freedom by Pope, emperor, and prince. This is why they were invited to settle in towns, villages, and provinces.

1.The feudal society may be best characterized as one where ( ).

A、restrictions cost many people their lives.

B、there were rigid rules and regulations.

C、nobody was allowed to travel.

D、serfs, nobles and Jews were all free and equal.

2.For the serf, the only way to change his status might be ( ).

A、to seek help from the clergy.

B、to say put in one place.

C、to travel beyond walking distance.

D、to become a priest.

3.Which of the following statements is NOT directly stated in the passage?

A、The nobles hated regulations.

B、The nobles were very often as poorly educated as the serfs.

C、The nobles were subject to right regulations.

D、The nobles were given specific roles to play.

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