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：What has affluence brought to American society?
参考答案
您可能感兴趣的试题
