12.Gus Wenner runs RoIIingstone.com; his father gave him the job.But Jann Wenner,the magazine's co-founder and publisher,was quick to assure critics of the appointment process that his son is terribly talented and had to prove himself before being given the post.Apparently Gus worked his way up from more junior positions with the company,and demonstrated(展示),according to his father,the"drive and discipline and charm,and all the things that show leadership."Gus Wenner is 22years old.
He is certainly not the only kid out of college,or even out of high school,working at daddy's firm.Family contacts are a common way of finding both temporary internships and longtime careers.Opportunities for the children of top 1percent are not the same as they are for the 99percent.
This is hardly a shock,but it is precisely the type of inequality that shows the hard-to-define promise of the"Just Do It"version of the American dream and deepens our cynicism (憤世嫉俗) about how people get ahead.As a consequence,it weakens support for public policies that could address the lack of upward mobility(流動(dòng)性) among children born at the bottom,who ought to be given equality.A strong tie between adult outcomes and family background annoys Americans.When an organization conducted a nationally representative survey asking about the meaning of"the American dream,"some typical answers included:"Being free to say or do what you want"and"Being free to accomplish almost anything you want with hard work,"but also"Being able to succeed regardless of the economic circumstances in which you were born."
This is exactly the reason that"the American dream,"is not only a defining metaphor(隱喻) for the country,but also why Americans have long been willing to tolerate a good deal more economic inequality than citizens of many other rich countries.After all,why would you be a strong advocate for reducing inequality if you believe that you,or eventually your children,were likely to climb the income ladder?
Hard work and perseverance (毅力) will always be key components of success,but higher inequality has made having successful parents,if not essential,certainly a central part of the recipe(秘訣).
The belief that talent is something you are born with,and that opportunities are open to anyone with ambition and energy,also has a dangerous consequence.When the public policy is focused on the difficult situation of the poor,this belief can help the concept resurface that the poor are"undeserving"and are the authors of their own situation.Yet we actually know a good deal about why children of the poor have a higher chance of being stuck on poverty as adults.
The recipes for breaking this intergenerational trap are clear; a nurturing (培養(yǎng)) environment in the early years combined with health care and education promote the abilities of young children,and eventually raise their chances of upward mobility.
Talent is nurtured and developed,and even genes are expressed differently depending upon environmental influences.
The 1percent are the goal for these upper-middle-class families,who after all have also experienced significant growth in their relative standing.The graduate and other higher degrees that they hold have put them on the upside of the wave of globalization and technical change that has transformed the American job market.This age gives them both more resources to promote the abilities of their children,and more encouragement to make these investments since their children now have all the more to gain.
For upper-middle-class families,an American dream still lives,and as a result they are less likely,with their considerable cultural and political influence,to support the reshaping of American public policy to meet its most desperate need:the future of those at the bottom.
65.What do we know about Gus Wenner?A
A.He has some work experience in the company.
B.He will prove himself competent in the future.
C.He is the co-founder and publisher of the magazine.
D.He is too young to be in charge of the company.
66.The phenomenon illustrated by the appointment of Gus WennerD.
A.stops people from dreaming the American dream
B.encourages the government to carry out public policies
C.reduces the level of people's tolerance of economic inequality
D.narrows the possibilities of people at the bottom moving upward
67.By saying"Being able to succeed regardless of the economic circumstances in which you were born,"the respondents of the surveyB.
A.expressed their gratitude for the fairness
B.showed their worries about the inequality
C.indicated their determination to succeed
D.gave their satisfaction with the circumstances
68.Which of the following opinions does the author hold?D
A.Lack of talent leads to people's difficult situations.
B.When someone is born,his future has been decided.
C.Opportunities are open to anyone ambitious and energetic.
D.The environment where one is brought up determines his fate.
69.We can infer from the passage that the public policy for the poor faces opposition fromC.
A.the lower class
B.a(chǎn)ll classes of society
C.the upper middle class
D.the top one percent
70.What is the best title for the passage?B
A.How old are you?
B.Who is your daddy?
C.What is your talent?
D.Where is your future?
分析 本文是一篇人物故事類閱讀.文章通過(guò)敘述Gus Wenner的故事來(lái)說(shuō)明底層人群向上流動(dòng)的可能性很。髡哒J(rèn)為一個(gè)人的成長(zhǎng)環(huán)境決定了他的命運(yùn).
解答 65-70ADBDCB
65.A.細(xì)節(jié)理解題.根據(jù)"Apparently Gus worked his way up from more junior positions with the company,and demonstrated(展示),according to his father,the"drive and discipline and charm,and all the things that show leadership."可知Gus Wenner有一些工作經(jīng)驗(yàn).故選A.
66.D.推理判斷題.根據(jù)"As a consequence,it weakens support for public policies that could address the lack of upward mobility(流動(dòng)性) among children born at the bottom,who ought to be given equality."可知這種現(xiàn)象縮小了底層人群向上流動(dòng)的可能性.故選D.
67.B.推理判斷題.根據(jù)"Being able to succeed regardless of the economic circumstances in which you were born"可知受訪者的話展示了他們對(duì)不公平的擔(dān)憂.故選B.
68.D.判斷作者觀點(diǎn)題.根據(jù)"Talent is nurtured and developed,and even genes are expressed differently depending upon environmental influences."可知作者認(rèn)為一個(gè)人的成長(zhǎng)環(huán)境決定了他的命運(yùn).故選D.
69.C.推理判斷題.根據(jù)"For upper-middle-class families,an American dream still lives,and as a result they are less likely,with their considerable cultural and political influence,to support the reshaping of American public policy to meet its most desperate need:the future of those at the bottom."可知窮人的公共政策遭到上層中產(chǎn)階級(jí)的反對(duì).故選C.
70.B.主旨大意題.縱覽全文并根據(jù)"Gus Wenner runs RoIIingstone.com; his father gave him the job."可知文章主要介紹了一個(gè)人的成長(zhǎng)環(huán)境對(duì)他以后的影響,所以Who is your daddy?是這篇文章最好的題目.故選B.
點(diǎn)評(píng) 本文是一篇人物故事類閱讀.此類題型主要考查學(xué)生的細(xì)節(jié)理解和推理判斷能力.細(xì)節(jié)理解題是針對(duì)文中某個(gè)細(xì)節(jié)、某句話或某部分具體內(nèi)容設(shè)置問(wèn)題,所以在做細(xì)節(jié)理解題時(shí)要結(jié)合原文和提干有針對(duì)性的找出相關(guān)語(yǔ)句進(jìn)行仔細(xì)分析,再結(jié)合選項(xiàng)選出正確答案.在做推理判斷題時(shí)不要以個(gè)人的主觀想象代替文章的事實(shí),要聯(lián)系上下文根據(jù)文章事實(shí)進(jìn)行合乎邏輯的推理判斷.在做主旨大意題時(shí)考生首先要仔細(xì)閱讀短文,完整了解信息,準(zhǔn)確把握作者觀點(diǎn),確定主旨.