首页
外语
计算机
考研
公务员
职业资格
财经
工程
司法
医学
专升本
自考
实用职业技能
登录
考研
Who’s poor in America? That’s a question hard to answer. Hard because there’s no conclusive definition of poverty. Low income ma
Who’s poor in America? That’s a question hard to answer. Hard because there’s no conclusive definition of poverty. Low income ma
admin
2017-07-09
46
问题
Who’s poor in America? That’s a question hard to answer. Hard because there’s no conclusive definition of poverty. Low income matters, though how low is unclear. Poverty is also a state of mind that fosters self-defeating behavior—bad work habits, family breakdowns, and addictions. Finally, poverty results from bad luck: accidents, job losses, disability.
Despite poverty’s messiness, we’ve measured progress against it by a single statistic; the federal poverty line. By this measure, we haven’t made much progress. But the apparent lack of progress is misleading for two reasons.
First, it ignores immigration. Many immigrants are poor and low-skilled. They add to the poor. From 1989 to 2007, about three quarters of the increase in the poverty population occurred among Hispanics(西班牙裔美国人) —mostly immigrants and their children.
Second, the poor’s material well-being has improved. The official poverty measure obscures this by counting only pre-tax cash income and ignoring other sources of support, including food stamps and housing subsidies. Although many poor live from hand to mouth, they’ve participated in rising living standards. In 2005, 91% had microwaves, 79% air-conditioning, and 48% cell phones.
The existing poverty line could be improved by adding some income sources and subtracting some expenses. Unfortunately, the administration’s proposal for a "supplemental poverty measure" in 2011 goes beyond that. The new poverty number would compound public confusion. It also raises questions about whether the statistic is tailored to favor a political agenda.
The "supplemental measure" ties the poverty threshold to what the poorest third of Americans spend on food, housing, clothing, and utilities. The actual threshold will probably be higher than today’s poverty line. Many Americans would find this curious; people get richer, but "poverty" stays stuck.
What produces this outcome is a different view of poverty. The present concept is an absolute one; the poverty threshold reflects the amount estimated to meet basic needs. By contrast, the new measure embraces a relative notion of poverty; people are automatically poor if they’re a given distance from the top, even if their incomes are increasing.
The new indicator is a "propaganda device" to promote income redistribution by showing that poverty is stubborn or increasing. The Census Bureau has estimated statistics similar to the administration’s proposal. In 2008, the traditional poverty rate was 13.2% ; estimates of the new statistic range up to 17%. The new poverty statistic exceeds the old, and the gap grows larger over time.
As senator Daniel Moynihan said, the administration is defining poverty up. It’s reasonable to debate how much we should aid the poor or reduce economic inequality. But the debate should not be swayed by misleading statistics that few Americans could possibly understand. Government statistics should strive for political neutrality. This one fails.
What does the author say about the poor in America?
选项
A、Their living standards have actually improved.
B、Most of them are immigrants and their descendants.
C、Their chances of rising above the poverty line are slim.
D、Most of them rely on government subsidies for survival.
答案
A
解析
细节题。根据题干关键词the poor定位到第4段。第4段首句提到,穷人的物质生活水平已经提高了;倒数第2句也说,虽然许多穷人仍然仅能满足温饱问题,但是他们的生活水平确实在不断提升。A项中的living standards分别对应两句中的material well—being和living standard,improved对应has improved和rising。故A项为正确答案。
转载请注明原文地址:https://jikaoti.com/ti/gAr7FFFM
0
考研英语一
相关试题推荐
Sciencemovesforward,theysay,notsomuchthroughtheinsightsofgreatmenofgeniusasbecauseofmoreordinarythingslike
AlthoughnumerousbookshavebeenwrittenaboutAmericanmothers,onlyrecentlyhasliteraturefocusedontheroleofafather.
Whatshapesmoralemotionsinthefirstplace?Theanswerhaslongbeenevolution,hutinrecentyearsthere’sanincreasingapp
Humanbeingshavetheuniqueabilitytoformulatepersonalgoalsforthemselves.Withoutthisformofpersonaldevelopment,the
Inthefollowingtext,somesentenceshavebeenremoved.ForQuestions1~5,choosethemostsuitableonefromthelistA~Gtofi
【F1】Whenpeopletellmethattheyloveanimalsbecausethey’refeelingbeingsandthengoontoabusethem,ItellthemthatI’m
Undeniably,manyEuropeansarcsuffering.LevelsofunemploymentarethehighestsincerecordsbeganinFrance(3.2million)and
It’sbadbiologytoargueagainsttheexistenceofanimalemotions.Scientificresearchinevolutionarybiology,cognitiveethol
Researchhasuncoveredthatcultureisadeterminingfactorwheninterpretingfacialemotions.Thestudyrevealsthatinculture
ThenumbersinthejobsreportforFebruarywerebad,butthetrendswereworse.MorethanhalfOfthe4.4millionjobslostsin
随机试题
茶艺人员的良好坐姿尤为重要,这仅仅是因为良好坐姿便于茶艺操作的进行。
坚持四项基本原则,核心在于坚持()。
根据基础埋置深度的不同,基础分为浅基础和深基础,一般情况下,基础埋深不超过()时叫浅基础。
太阳能平板集热器的玻璃盖板与吸热板之间装设蜂窝状结构的元件,抑制空气对流、减少集热器的对外辐射损失,是属于削弱换热途径中的( )。
若商品流通企业有商品历年销售量统计数据,在进行下一年销售量预测时,可采用的预测:疗法有()。
ABC公司正在着手编制明年的财务计划,公司财务主管请你协助计算其加权资本成本。有关信息如下:(1)公司银行借款利率当前是10%,明年将下降为8.93%;(2)公司债券目前市价580万元,面值为650万元,票面利率为8%,尚有5年到期,分期付
“君子欲化民成俗,其必由学乎”“古之王者,建国君民,教学为先”体现了()的教育目的论。
根据《行政诉讼法》的规定,下列各项可以作为提起行政诉讼事由的是()。
Thefollowingparagraphsaregiveninawrongorder.ForQuestions41-45,youarerequiredtoreorganizetheseparagraphsintoa
A、womenandmenB、womenandchildrenC、women,children,andmenB
最新回复
(
0
)