历年考研英语阅读理解mp3(07-3)

[00:00:02]2007黑暗版历年阅读真题解析第三篇
[00:00:06]在线英语听力室(www.tingroom.com)

[00:00.81]During the past generation,
[00:02.52]the American middle-class family that once could count on hard work
[00:07.18]and fair play to keep itself financially secure
[00:11.09]has been transformed by economic risk and new realities.
[00:15.32]Now a pink slip, a bad diagnosis,
[00:18.01]or a disappearing spouse¹ can reduce a family from solidly middle class
[00:23.31]to newly poor in a few months.
[00:26.25]In just one generation, millions of mothers have gone to work,
[00:30.89]transforming basic family economics.
[00:33.95]Scholars, policymakers,
[00:36.39]and critics of all stripes have debated the social implications of these changes,
[00:42.15]but few have looked at the side effect:
[00:45.50]family risk has risen as well.
[00:48.22]Today’s families have budgeted to the limits
[00:51.59]of their new two-paycheck status.
[00:54.05]As a result, they have lost the parachute they once had in times of financial setback—
[01:00.36]a back-up earner (usually Mom) who could go into the workforce² if the primary earner
[01:06.45]got laid off on fell sick.
[01:09.35]This “added-worker effect” could support the safety net offered by unemployment insurance
[01:15.42]or disability insurance to help families weather bad times.
[01:20.16]But today, a disruption to family fortunes can no longer be made up
[01:25.53]with extra income from an otherwise-stay-at-home partner.
[01:30.40]During the same period,
[01:33.04]families have been asked to absorb much more risk in their retirement³ income.
[01:39.47]Steelworkers,
[01:41.02]airline employees,
[01:42.50]and now those it the auto⁴ industry are joining millions of families
[01:47.37]who must worry about interest rates,
[01:50.04]stock market fluctuation,
[01:52.05]and the harsh reality that they may outlive their retirement money.
[01:56.71]For much of the past year,
[01:58.73]President Bush campaigned to move Social Security to a savings-account model,
[02:04.39]with retirees trading much or all of their guaranteed payments
[02:09.66]for payments depending on investment returns.
[02:13.30]For younger families,
[02:14.87]the picture is not any better.
[02:17.00]Both the absolute cost of healthcare and share of it borne
[02:21.78]by families have risen—
[02:23.80]and newly fashionable health-savings plans are spreading
[02:27.42]from legislative⁵ halls to Wal-Mart workers,
[02:31.09]with much higher deductibles and a large new dose of investment risk
[02:36.58]for families’ future healthcare.
[02:39.50]Even demographics are working against the middle class family,
[02:43.52]as the odds⁶ of having a weak elderly parent—
[02:46.86]and all the attendant need for physical and financial assistance—
[02:51.23]have jumped eightfold in just one generation.
[02:54.75]From the middle-class family perspective, much of this,
[02:58.74]understandably, looks far less like an opportunity to exercise more financial responsibility,
[03:05.75]and a good deal more like a frightening acceleration
[03:09.72]of the wholesale⁷ shift of financial risk onto their already overburdened shoulders.
[03:15.92]The financial fallout has begun, and the political fallout may not be far behind.

1 spouse   

n.配偶(指夫或妻)

参考例句：

• Her spouse will come to see her on Sunday.她的丈夫星期天要来看她。
• What is the best way to keep your spouse happy in the marriage?在婚姻中保持配偶幸福的最好方法是什么？

2 workforce   

n.劳动大军，劳动力

参考例句：

• A large part of the workforce is employed in agriculture.劳动人口中一大部分受雇于农业。
• A quarter of the local workforce is unemployed.本地劳动力中有四分之一失业。

3 retirement   

n.退休，退职

参考例句：

• She wanted to enjoy her retirement without being beset by financial worries.她想享受退休生活而不必为金钱担忧。
• I have to put everything away for my retirement.我必须把一切都积蓄起来以便退休后用。

4 auto   

n.(=automobile)(口语)汽车

参考例句：

• Don't park your auto here.别把你的汽车停在这儿。
• The auto industry has brought many people to Detroit.汽车工业把许多人吸引到了底特律。

5 legislative   

n.立法机构，立法权；adj.立法的，有立法权的

参考例句：

• Congress is the legislative branch of the U.S. government.国会是美国政府的立法部门。
• Today's hearing was just the first step in the legislative process.今天的听证会只是展开立法程序的第一步。

6 odds   

n.让步，机率，可能性，比率；胜败优劣之别

参考例句：

• The odds are 5 to 1 that she will win.她获胜的机会是五比一。
• Do you know the odds of winning the lottery once?你知道赢得一次彩票的几率多大吗？

7 wholesale   

n.批发；adv.以批发方式；vt.批发，成批出售

参考例句：

• The retail dealer buys at wholesale and sells at retail.零售商批发购进货物，以零售价卖出。
• Such shoes usually wholesale for much less.这种鞋批发出售通常要便宜得多。