2012硕士研究生英语二Text4

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.

大萧条也许已经结束，但是高失业率的时期可能才刚开始，在这种情况结束前，它将可能改变一代年轻人的生活方式和性格。并最终，它有可能重塑我们长久以来的政治、文化、社会特征。

　　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.

       在这次全国性经济灾难中，没有人能比失业者更努力去寻找一线希望。许多人说失业期间极度痛苦，在有些方面也让自己有许多提升：他们变得不再那么物质了，在财务方面更加谨慎了，对其他人的奋斗更加关注了。在有限方面，也许萧条会让社会变得更好。至少，它让我们从全国性暴富和大别墅的狂热梦想中醒来。并且结束了个人不计后果盲目消费的时代。

　　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.

       但是对大部分人而言，这些益处似乎微乎其微、模糊和太遥远。在《经济增长的道德后果》书中，经济历史学家本杰明.弗里德曼认为无论是在美国还是其他国家，长期的经济停滞或者衰退几乎总是使得社会更加心胸狭窄、缺少包容并且通常导致人权和自由的进步停滞或者倒退。与种族和阶级矛盾冲突一样，反移民情绪往往也会增长。

　　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.

       通常，在经济萧条期间收入差距会缩小。但是这次确没有。事实上，这阶段的经济疲软可能会加剧阶级分化、减少缓和的机会。特别是对于年轻人。哥伦比亚大学的经济学家Till Von Wachter的研究表明：不是所有在经济萧条时期毕业的人都把他们的生活机会看得很渺茫，那些从名牌大学毕业的人能很快赶上，恰恰是普通大众被落在后面。

　　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.

       在互联网时代，存在于美国社会内部的不满很容易被看到。在这个时候，精确识别经济萧条对社会特征的影响要困难得多。在很多方面，美国在这次经济萧条期间，社会容忍度超过了任何历史时期。在此期间做的各种关于社会冲突的国民调查，其结果都很复杂。这次经济萧条将如何重塑社会结构我们还将拭目以待。但可以肯定的是经济萧条肯定会重塑我们的社会，并且萧条持续时间越长，影响越大。

【题目】

36.By saying "to find silver linings"（Line 1,Para.2）the author suggest that the jobless try to__D_.

　　[A]seek subsidies from the government

　　[B]explore reasons for the unemployment

　　[C]make profits from the troubled economy

　　[D]look on the bright side of the recession

　　37. According to Paragraph 2,the recession has made people___D__.

　　[A]realize the national dream

　　[B]struggle against each other

　　[C]challenge their lifestyle

　　[D]reconsider their lifestyle

　　38. Benjamin Friedman believed that economic recession may__B___.

　　[A]impose a heavier burden on immigrants

　　[B]bring out more evils of human nature

　　[C]Promote the advance of rights and freedoms

　　[D]ease conflicts between races and classes

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

　　[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

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

　　[A]certain

　　[B]positive

　　[C]trivial

　　[D]destructive

附录：

1、joblessness:失业率   。 silver lining :一线希望 。at the very least =at least至少

2、leave sb/sth better off：使某人或某事变得更好；leave在真题中多次被用到表示使怎么，让怎么样，相当于make/let；

3、英语每日一练143-147

4、far off ：遥远的、久远的。almost always ：几乎总是

5、mean-spirited：心胸狭窄的；卑鄙的；mean这个单词在这里用作形容词表示心眼坏的，恶毒的；重点考试义项；

6、anti-immigrant：反移民的；im-migrate强调移民进入某个国家；e-migrate强调，移民出某个国家；

考研英语资料大全：https://www.onekbit.com/dwz/254