2012英语二Text    4

本文讲经济衰败带来的好处（1-2段）和坏处（345段）。

1---The great recession may be over, but this era of high joblessness is probably beginning. Before it ends, it will likely change the life course and character of a generation of young adults. And ultimately, it is likely to reshape our politics, our culture, and the character of our society for years。

大萧条也许结束了,但高失业率可能正在抬头。在情况没有变好之前，这将可能改变人生的过程和刚成年一代人们的特点。最终，这种情况还有可能改变我们长期形成的政策，文化以及社会的特点。

　　2---No one tries harder than the jobless to find silver linings in this national economic disaster. Many said that unemployment, while extremely painful, had improved them in some ways：they had become less materialistic and more financially prudent; they were more aware of the struggles of others. In limited respects, perhaps the recession will leave society better off. At the very least, it has awoken us from our national fever dream of easy riches and bigger houses, and put a necessary end to an era of reckless personal spending。

没有人会比失业者更想在全国经济灾难中看到希望。许多人说，虽然痛苦，失业也能提升自己：他们不再物质至上，更加节俭；他们更加注意到其它人的辛苦。在有限的方面，萧条可以使社会得到好转。至少，使我们从暴富和大别墅的狂热幻境中苏醒过来，及时结束挥金如土的消费时代。

注：silver linings n. (不幸或失望中的) 一线希望，

 　36.By saying “to find silver linings”(Line 1,Para.2)the author suggest that the jobless try to___。

　　[A] seek subsidies from the government 无中生有

　　[B] explore reasons for the unemployment ×无中生有

　　[C] make profits from the troubled economy  ×无中生有

　　[D] look on the bright side of the recession √ 下文讲的就是好处，上下文原则

　37.According to Paragraph 2, the recession has made people_____。

　　[A]realize the national dream无中生有，正反混淆

　　[B]struggle against each other

　　[C]challenge their lifestyle

　　[D]reconsider their lifestyle √

3---But for the most part, these benefits seem thin, uncertain, and far off. In The Moral Consequences of Economic Growth, the economic historian Benjamin Friedman argues that both inside and outside the U.S. ,lengthy periods of economic stagnation or decline have almost always left society more mean-spirited and less inclusive, and have usually stopped or reversed the advance of rights and freedoms. Anti-immigrant sentiment typically increases, as does conflict between races and classes。

但对于大多数人，这些好处似乎不够，不确定，而且离个人太远。Benjamin Friedman是经济历史学家，在《经济增长的道德结果》一书中，他认为不管美国还是其它国家，长期经济滞后或下跌总是使得社会人民更加小心眼，不能全面看问题，经常使得人权和自由的停滞不前或者倒退。反移民情绪尤其高涨，种族矛盾，阶层矛盾也高涨。

　38.Benjamin Friedman believe that economic recessions may_____。

　　[A]impose a heavier burden on immigrants 无中生有

　　[B]bring out more evils of human nature √

　　[C]Promote the advance of rights and freedoms 正反

[D]ease conflicts between races and classes 正反

　　4---Income inequality usually falls during a recession, but it has not shrunk in this one,. Indeed, this period of economic weakness may reinforce class divides, and decrease opportunities to cross them--- especially for young people. The research of Till Von Wachter, the economist in Columbia University, suggests that not all people graduating into a recession see their life chances dimmed: those with degrees from elite universities catch up fairly quickly to where they otherwise would have been if they had graduated in better times; it is the masses beneath them that are left behind。萧条期的收入不均的情况通常会好转，但这次没有。的确，这次经济衰退可能会加强阶级隔阂，减少弥补的机会----尤其对于年轻人来说。哥伦比亚大学经济学家Till Von Wachter的研究表示，不是所有人都毕业就进入萧条，就看到自己的人生机会渺茫：从精英大学毕业的人会快速赶上他本该拥有的职位；落后的人不是别人正是他们底下的普通大众。

　39.The research of Till Von Wachther suggests that in recession graduates from elite universities tend to _____。

　　[A]lag behind the others due to decreased opportunities

　　[B]catch up quickly with experienced employees

　　[C]see their life chances as dimmed as the others’

　　[D]recover more quickly than the others

5---In the internet age, it is particularly easy to see the resentment that has always been hidden within American society. More difficult, in the moment, is discerning precisely how these lean times are affecting society’s character. In many respects, the U.S. was more socially tolerant entering this recession than at any time in its history, and a variety of national polls on social conflict since then have shown mixed results. We will have to wait and see exactly how these hard times will reshape our social fabric. But they certainly will reshape it, and all the more so the longer they extend。

注：lean time   n. 拮据时期

在互联网时代，很容易看到美国社会的各种愤怒之声。这个时候，更难区分清楚这些艰难困苦是如何影响社会国民性格的。从很多方面来讲，美国进入这次萧条要比历史上任何时期都更有社会容忍度，但此后对社会冲突的各种全国民意调查喜忧参半。我们还得等等看，这些困难时如何重塑我们的社会结构的。但是，这些困难肯定会重塑美国，而且时间越长影响越大。

　　40.The author thinks that the influence of hard times on society is____。

　　[A]certain　　[B]positive　　[C]trivial　　[D]destructive