根据下列文章,请回答 36～40 题。 Is the Tie a Necessity？ Ties, or neckties, ha ve been

根据下列文章,请回答 36～40 题。

Is the Tie a Necessity？

Ties, or neckties, ha ve been asymbol of politeness and elegance in Britain for centuries. But the casual Prime Minister Tony Blair has problems with them. Reports suggest that even the civil servants may stop wearing ties. So, are the fa mously formal British really going to abandon the neckties？

Maybe. Last week, the UK's Cabinet Secretary Andrew Turnbull openly welcomed Atieless era . He hinted that civil servants would soon be free of the costliest 12 inches of fabric that most men ever buy in their lives.

In fact, Blair showed this attitude when he had his first guests to acocktail party. Many of them were celebrities (知名人士) without ties, which would ha ve been unima ginable even in the recent past.

For some more conservative British, the tie is a must for proper appearance. Earlier, Labor leader Jim Calla ghan said he would ha ve died rather than ha ve his children seen in public without Atie. For people like Calla ghan, the tie was asign of being complete, of showing respect. Men were supposed to wear Atie when going to church, to work in the office, to aparty - almost every social occasion.

But today, people ha ve begun to accept acasual style. even for formal occasions.

The origin of the tie is tricky. It started as something called simply a "band". The term could mean anything around a man's neck. It appeared in finer ways in the 1630s. Frenchmen showed alove of this particular fashion statement. Their neckwear (颈饰) impressed Charles II, the king of England who was exiled (流放) to France at that time.When he returned to England in "1660, he brought this new fashion item along with him.

It wasn't, however, until the late 18th century that fancy young men introduced a more colorful, flowing piece of cloth that eventually beca me known as the tie. Then, clubs, military institutions and schools began to use colored and patterned ties to indicate the wearer's membership in the late 19th century. After that, the tie beca me anecessary item of clothing for British gentlemen.

But now, even gentlemen are getting tired of ties. Anyway, the day leers abit easier when you wake up without ha ving to decide which tie suits you and your mood.

第 36 题 The tie symbolizes all of the following except

A．respect.

B．elegance.

C．politeness.

D．democracy.