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 ageneration of young adults. And ultimately, it is likely to reshape our politics, our culture, and the character of our society for years.
大衰退也許結(jié)束了，但高失業(yè)率時(shí)代很有可能才剛剛開(kāi)始。在它結(jié)束之前，它將很可能改變年輕一代的生活軌跡及其性格。? 而且它可能會(huì)在未來(lái)許多年重塑我們的政治、文化以及社會(huì)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 limite drespects, 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.
在這場(chǎng)全國(guó)性的經(jīng)濟(jì)災(zāi)難中，沒(méi)有人比失業(yè)者更努力地在尋找一線希望。許多人說(shuō)，盡管失業(yè)極其痛苦，但是它以某些方式使人進(jìn)步;自己變得不再那么貪圖物質(zhì)享樂(lè)，而且在經(jīng)濟(jì)問(wèn)題上更加審慎;自已比過(guò)去更能體會(huì)到別人的艱辛。在有限的幾個(gè)方面，也許大蕭條將使得整個(gè)社會(huì)變得更好。至少它將我們從“一夜暴富和豪宅”的民族熱夢(mèng)中喚醒，并且給揮金如土的個(gè)人消費(fèi)時(shí)代劃上了一個(gè)必要的句號(hào)。
But for the most part, these benefits seem thin, uncertain, and far off. In TheMoral Consequences? of Economic Growth,? the? economic? historian BenjaminFriedman argues? that both? inside? and outside the U.S. lengthy? periods ofeconomic stagnation or decline have almost always left society? moremean-spirited and less inclusive, and have usually stopped or reversed theadvance of rights and freedoms. Anti-immigrant sentiment typically increases, asdoes conflict between races and classes.
然而對(duì)于大多數(shù)情況而言，這些好處似乎是微乎其微、未知且遙遠(yuǎn)的。在《經(jīng)濟(jì)增長(zhǎng)的道德影響》一書(shū)中，經(jīng)濟(jì)歷史學(xué)家本杰明。弗里德曼認(rèn)為，美國(guó)國(guó)內(nèi)外所經(jīng)歷的長(zhǎng)期經(jīng)濟(jì)停滯或衰退幾乎總是使社會(huì)變得更為狹隘、包容性更弱，而且往往使權(quán)利與自由的發(fā)展止步不前或逆向而行。反移民情緒往往會(huì)加劇，正如種族和階級(jí)間矛盾一樣。
Income inequality usually falls during a recession, but it has not shrunk inthis one. Indeed, this period of economic weakness may reinforce class divides,and decrease opportunities to cross them - especially for young people. Theresearch of Till Von Wachter, the economist at Columbia University, suggests thatnot all people graduating into a recession see their life chances dimmed: thosewith degrees? from? elite? universities? catch? up fairly quickly to where theyotherwise would have been if they had graduated in better times; it is the massesbeneath them that are left behind.
經(jīng)濟(jì)衰退時(shí)期的收入差距往往會(huì)有所縮小，但這一次例外。的確，此次經(jīng)濟(jì)弱勢(shì)階段可能加深階級(jí)隔閡，減少階級(jí)隔閡彌合的機(jī)會(huì)一對(duì)于年輕人來(lái)說(shuō)更是如此。哥倫比亞大學(xué)經(jīng)濟(jì)學(xué)家蒂爾馮。瓦赫特在報(bào)告中指出，不是所有墜入衰退時(shí)期的人都認(rèn)為人生機(jī)會(huì)渺茫:那些畢業(yè)于名牌大學(xué)的人會(huì)相當(dāng)快地到達(dá)其繁榮時(shí)期畢業(yè)時(shí)本該置身其中的位置，落后的是那些不如他們的普通大眾。
In the Internet age, it is particularly easy to see the resentment that hasalways been hidden within American society.? More difficult, in the moment, isdiscering precisely how these lean times are affecting society's character. Inmany respects, the U.S. was more socially tolerant entering this recession than atany time in its history, and a variety of national polls on social conflict since thenhave shown mixed results. We will have to wait and see exactly how these hardtimes will reshape our social fabric. But they certainly will reshape it, and all themore so the longer they extend.
因特網(wǎng)時(shí)代，了解深藏于美國(guó)社會(huì)內(nèi)部的怨氣格外容易。當(dāng)前難的是去弄清楚這些艱苦歲月究竟如何影響社會(huì)特征。在許多方面，步入經(jīng)濟(jì)蕭條期的美國(guó)在社會(huì)問(wèn)題上比歷史上任何時(shí)期都更為寬容，而且從蕭條開(kāi)始時(shí)期，各種關(guān)于社會(huì)矛盾方面的全國(guó)性民意調(diào)查就顯示出不同的結(jié)果。在這些艱苦日子到底將如何重塑我們的社會(huì)結(jié)構(gòu)這一問(wèn)題上，我們只能繼續(xù)觀望。但可以確定的是，它們一定會(huì)使社會(huì)結(jié)構(gòu)得到重組，而且不利時(shí)期持續(xù)越久，重組的程度就越甚。
36. By saying“to find silver linings” (Line 1, Para. 2) the author suggests that the jobless try to
[A] seek subsidies from the government
[B] make profits from the troubled economy
[C] explore reasons for the unemployment
[D] look on the bright side of the recession
37. According to Paragraph 2, the recession has made people
[A] struggle against each other
[B] realize the national dream
[C] challenge their prudence
[D] reconsider their lifestyle
38. Benjamin Friedman believes that economic recessions may
[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 Wachter suggests that in the recession graduates fromelite 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
40. The author thinks that the influence of hard times on society is
[A] trivial
[B] positive
[C] certain
[D] destructive
