【答案解析】[解析] 22-25 Minimum wage is the lowest hourly pay rate permitted by law．In the United States，the federal minimum wage is 5 dollars and 15 cents an hour. It has not changed since 1997．And it does not include all jobs． For example，workers who receive extra money in the form of tips can be paid 2 dollars and 13 cents an hour．Also，the federal rate may not cover some workers for small companies．State laws often set minimum pay in these cases． The Department of Labor says about 2 million workers eam the minimum wage or less．That is about 3 percent of all workers paid by the hour． Ohio and Kansas have lower minimum wages for some workers than under federal law．But 1 6 of the 50 states and the District of Columbia have minimum wages higher than the federal one． In Califomia，Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has just proposed what he says is a much-needed raise．California's minimum wage would rise 1 dollar， to 7 dollars and 75 cents an hour，over the next year and a half． State lawmakers passed a bill last year to add a dollar to the minimum wage．But Mr.Schwarzenegger vetoed it because it would have also required yearly increases for inflation． Some economists and lawmakers argue that markets，and not the government， should set prices for labor．They say minimum wage laws reduce the number of jobs for unskilled workers and young people． Employers might not be happy with higher labor costs．But labor activists warn that inflation has reduced the buying power of today's minimum wage．They say a minimum wage must be a“living wage”．That is，it must be enough for workers and their families to live on．
22．What's the federal minimum wage?
[解析] 选C，信息明示题。文章第一段指出联邦最低工资标准是每小小时5.15美元。
【正确答案】
B
【答案解析】[解析] Which of the following state has lower minimum wages for some workers?
[解析] 选B，信息明示题。文章第四段提到Ohio and Kansas have lower minimum wages for some workers than under federal law，由此可知是俄亥俄州和堪萨斯 州的最低工资标准低于联邦的法律规定。
【正确答案】
A
【答案解析】[解析] Why did Mr.Schwarzenegger reject the bill according to the passage?