people feel ―squeezed‖ because their rising incomes often don’t satisfy their rising
wants—for bigger homes, more health care, more education, faster Internet connections.
The other great frustration is that it has not eliminated insecurity. People regard job
stability as part of their standard of living. As corporate layoffs increased, that part has
eroded. More workers fear they’ve become ―the disposable American,‖ as Louis
Uchitelle puts it in his book by the same name.
Because so much previous suffering and social conflict stemmed from poverty, the
arrival of widespread affluence suggested utopian (乌托邦式的) possibilities. Up to a
point, affluence succeeds. There is much les physical misery than before. People are
better off. Unfortunately, affluence also creates new complaints and contradictions.
Advanced societies need economic growth to satisfy the multiplying wants of their
citizens. But the quest for growth lets loose new anxieties and economic conflicts that
disturb the social order. Affluence liberates the individual, promising that everyone can
choose a unique way to self-fulfillment. But the promise is so extravagant that it
predestines many disappointments and sometimes inspires choices that have anti-social
consequences, including family breakdown and obesity (肥胖症). Statistical indicators of
happiness have not risen with incomes.
Should we be surprised? Not really. We’ve simply reaffirmed an old truth: the
pursuit of affluence does not always end with happiness.
注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。
52. What question does John Kenneth Galbraith raise in his book The Affluent Society?
A) Why statistics don’t tell the truth about the economy.
B) Why affluence doesn’t guarantee happiness.
C) How happiness can be promoted today.
D) What lies behind an economic boom.
53. According to Galbraith, people feel discontented because ________.
A) public spending hasn’t been cut down as expected
B) the government has proved to be a necessary evil
C) they are in fear of another Great Depression
D) materialism has run wild in modern society
54. Why do people feel squeezed when their average income rises considerably?
A) Their material pursuits have gone far ahead of their earnings.
B) Their purchasing power has dropped markedly with inflation.
C) The distribution of wealth is uneven between the r5ich and the poor.
D) Health care and educational cost have somehow gone out of control.
55. What does Louis Uchitelle mean by ―the disposable American‖ (Line 3, Para. 5)?