- 阅读理解A
题干：Youheartherefrainallthetime：theUSeconomylooksgoodstatistically,butitdoesn’tfeelgood.Whydoesn'tever-greaterwealthpromoteever-greaterhappiness?Itisaquestionthatdatesatleasttotheappearancein1958ofTheAffluent(富裕的）SocietybyJohnKennethGalbraith,whodiedrecentlyat97.TheAffluentSocietyisamodernclassicbecauseithelpeddefineanewmomentinthehumancondition.Formostofhistory,“hunger,sickness,andcold”threatenednearlyeveryone,Galbraithwrote.“Povertywasfoundeverywhereinthatworld.Obviouslyitisnotofours.”AfterWorldWarII，thedreadofanotherGreatDepressiongavewaytoaneconomicboom.Inthe1930sunemploymenthadaveraged18.2percent；inthe1950sitwas4.5percent.ToGalbraith,materialismhadgonemadandwouldbreeddiscontent.Throughadvertisingcompaniesconditionedconsumerstobuythingstheydidn’treallywantorneed.Becausesomuchspendingwasartificial,itwouldbeunfulfilling.Meanwhile,governmentspendingthatwouldmakeeveryonebetteroffwasbeingcutdownbecausepeopleinstinctivelyandwronglylabeledgovernmentonlyas“anecessaryevil”.It’softensaidthatonlythericharegettingahead；everyoneelseisstandingstillorfallingbehind·Well,therearemanyundeservingrich-overpaidchiefexecutives,forinstance.Butoveranymeaningfulperiod,mostpeople’sincomesareincreasing.From1995to2004,inflation-adjustedaveragefamilyincomerose14.3percent,to$43,200.Peoplefeel“squeezed”becausetheirrisingincomesoftendon’tsatisfytheirrisingwants-forbiggerhomes,morehealthcare，moreeducation，fasterInternetconnections.Theothergreatfrustrationisthatithasnoteliminatedinsecurity.Peopleregardjobstabilityaspartoftheirstandardofliving.Ascorporatelayoffsincreased,thatparthaseroded.Moreworkersfearthey’vebecome“thedisposableAmerican”,asLouisUchitelleputsitinhisbookbythesamename.Becausesomuchprevioussufferingandsocialconflictstemmedfrompoverty，thearrivalofwidespreadaffluencesuggestedUtopian(乌托邦式的）possibilities.Uptoapoint,affluencesucceeds.Thereismuchlessphysicalmiserythanbefore.Peoplearebetteroff.Unfortunately,affluencealsocreatesnewcomplaintsandcontradictions.Advancedsocietiesneedeconomicgrowthtosatisfythemultiplyingwantsoftheircitizens.Butthequestforgrowthletsloosenewanxietiesandeconomicconflictsthatdisturbthesocialorder.Affluenceliberatestheindividual,promisingthateveryonecanchooseauniquewaytoself-fulfillment.Butthepromiseissoextravagantthatitpredestinesmanydisappointmentsandsometimesinspireschoicesthathaveanti-socialconsequences,includingfamilybreakdownandobesity(肥胖症）.Statisticalindicatorsofhappinesshavenotrisenwithincomes.Shouldwebesurprised?Notreally.We’vesimplyreaffirmedanoldtruth：thepursuitofaffluencedoesnotalwaysendwithhappiness.
题目：Why do people feel squeezed when their average income rises considerably? - A 、Their material pursuits have gone far ahead of their earnings.
- B 、Their purchasing power has dropped markedly with inflation.
- C 、The distribution of wealth is uneven between the rich and the poor.
- D 、Health care and educational cost have somehow gone out of control.
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参考答案【正确答案：A】
归纳题。题干问及当人们的收人大幅度提高的时候，为什么感到压抑？我们可以通过feelsqueezed 定位到第四段的最后一句 People feel “squeezed” because their rising incomes oftendon’t satisfy their rising wants-for bigger homes，more health care，more education，faster Internet connections. 由此可见，人们收入的增长根本无法满足日益增长的，诸如住房、医疗、教育和通讯等等物质享受的需求。
您可能感兴趣的试题- 1 【单选题】Why do you（）interrupting me when I have repeatedly asked you to stop?
- A 、take on
- B 、subject to
- C 、persist in
- D 、submit to
- 2 【阅读理解A】 The “empty bottles” metaphor illustrates that people feel a pressure to（）.
- A 、update their to-do lists
- B 、make passing time fulfilling
- C 、carry their plans through
- D 、pursue carefree reading
- 3 【阅读理解A】Why does the author feel great satisfaction when talking about her class?
- A 、Female students no longer have to bother about gender issues.
- B 、Her students’ performance has brought back her confidence.
- C 、Her female students can do just as well as male students.
- D 、More female students are pursuing science than before.
- 4 【阅读理解A】Why aren’t people enjoying better lives when they have jobs?
- A 、Because many families are divorced.
- B 、Because government aid is now rare.
- C 、Because their wages are low.
- D 、Because the cost of living is rising.
- 5 【阅读理解A】According to Galbraith, people feel discontented because_____.
- A 、public spending hasn’t been cut down as expected
- B 、the government has proved to be a necessary evil
- C 、they are in fear of another Great Depression
- D 、materialism has run wild in modern society
- 6 【阅读理解A】How did the author feel when waiting tables at the age of 19?
- A 、She felt it unfair to be treated as a mere servant by professionals.
- B 、She felt badly hurt when her customers regarded her as a peon.
- C 、She was embarrassed each time her customers joked with her.
- D 、She found it natural for professionals to treat her as inferior.
- 7 【阅读理解A】Why do Americans feel humiliated?
- A 、Their economy is plunging.
- B 、Their currency has slumped.
- C 、They can’t afford trips to Europe.
- D 、They have lost half of their assets.
- 8 【阅读理解A】How do many Europeans feel about the US with the devalued dollar?
- A 、They feel contemptuous of it.
- B 、They are sympathetic with it.
- C 、They regard it as a superpower on the decline.
- D 、They think of it as a good tourist destination.
- 9 【阅读理解A】How do the public feel about the current economic situation?
- A 、Optimistic.
- B 、Confused.
- C 、Carefree.
- D 、Panicked.
- 10 【阅读理解A】Why can many people see “silver linings” to the economic slowdown?
- A 、They would benefit in certain ways.
- B 、The stock market shows signs of recovery.
- C 、Such a slowdown usually precedes a boom.
- D 、The purchasing power would be enhanced.
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