When families gather for Christmas dinner, some will stick to formal traditions, that is, their tables will be set with the good dishes and silver bowls. But now in many other homes, this china-and-silver elegance (优雅)has given way to a stoneware (粗陶) and informality, with dresses in an informal and ordinary look. For hosts and guests, the change means greater simplicity and comfort. For makers of fine china in Britain, it means economic hard times.
Last week Royal Doulton, the largest employer in Stoke-on-Trent, announced that it is removing 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) field. 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（失业） in Stoke have their roots in great social changes. A spokesman for Royal Doulton admitted that the company "has been somewhat slow in catching up with the trend(潮流)" toward informal dining. Families eat together less often, he explained, and more people eat alone, either because they are single or because they want to eat in front of television. Even dinner parties, if they happen at all, have gone informal. In a time of long work hours and busy 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. Clean the silver bowls ? 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 before 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 else-where. Some companies now offer etiquette courses for employees who may be able professionally but inexperienced socially.
71. In many homes nowadays, people tend to ______________________
A. stick to formal traditions when they dine
B. set their tables with the good dishes and silver bowls
C. have dinner informally
D. buy many sets of fine china
72. Why do people tend to follow the trend towards informal dining?
A. Family members need more time to relax.
B. Busy schedules leave people no time for formality.
C. People prefer to live a comfortable life.
D. Young people won't follow the etiquette of the older generation.
73. It can be learned from the passage that ‘Royal Doulton’ is .
A. a store of steel tableware B. a store of stoneware
C. a store of pottery chain D. a producer of fine china
74. The main cause of the layoffs in the pottery industry is .
A. the increased value of the pound B. the worsening economy in Asia
C. the change in people's way of life D. the fierce competition at home and abroad
75. In the last paragraph, we can find that formal table manners, though less popular than before in present social life, .
A. are still a must on certain occasions B. are certain to return sooner or later
C. are still being taught by parents at home D. can help improve personal relationships
