单选题 All men are created equal, or so reckoned Thomas Jefferson as he drafted America's Declaration of Independence in 1776. Subsequent Americans have had reason to question the founding father. So too have people in the land from which the new nation gained its freedom. America and Britain are among the most unequal countries in the rich world and Britain, at any rate, is more unequal now than it was a generation ago. That is the conclusion of a study commissioned by Harriet Harman, the equalities minister.
Class and money have always strongly affected how people do in life in Britain, with well-heeled fan, lies breeding affluent children just as the offspring of the desperately poor tend to remain poor. All that was supposed to have ceased at the end of the Second World War, with the birth of a welfare state designed to meet basic needs and promote social mobility. But despite devoting much thought and more money to improving the lot of the poor, governments have failed to boost those at the bottom of the pile as much as those at the top have boosted themselves.
The new study, led by John Hills of the London School of Economics, found, for example, that the richest tenth of households received income more than four tinges that of the poorest tenth; just a generation ago, it was three times as much. Internationally, only six of the 30 members of the OECD, a club of mainly rich countries, show greater inequality. Wealth is distributed far more unequally than income, with the richest tenth in Britain holding assets worth almost 100 times those of the poorest.
Although the study found that some of the widest gaps between social groups have diminished over time, deep-seated differences between haves and have-nots persist, ruining the life chances of the less fortunate. Politicians of all stripes talk up equality of opportunity, arguing that it makes for a fairer and more mobile society, and a more prosperous one. The goal of greater equality of outcomes also has its boosters. In "The Spirit Level", epidemic disease experts Kate Pickett and Richard Wilkinson claim that more equal societies are healthier than unequal ones, as well as happier. Not all agree, but in a country where the National Health Service accounts for almost a fifth of public spending, it is worth considering.
The difficulty arises in putting these notions into practice, through severe tax increases for the middleclass and wealthy, or expanding government intervention. These have not recently been votewinning propositions, but the recession that Britain is now limping away from may have changed things.

单选题 According to Harriet Harman, in Britain,

A. inequality has disappeared.
B. the rich-poor gap has narrowed.
C. various social inequalities spring up.
D. the unequal situation has worsened.

单选题 Which of the following is true according to Paragraph 2?

A. Class and money determine everything in Britain.
B. Gap between poor and rich remains after World War Ⅱ.
C. Basic needs are met in Britain thanks to the welfare policy.
D. The British government makes few efforts to help the poor.

单选题 John Hills' study has found that

A. the richest receive income four times more than the poorest.
B. Britain is an OECD member with the highest rate of inequality.
C. wealth distribution is more unequal than income distribution.
D. most gaps between social groups have disappeared over time.

单选题 It is indicated in Paragraph 4 that British politicians

A. only indulge in empty talks.
B. advocate fairer opportunities.
C. boost the equality of outcomes,
D. ignore the real need of the poor.

单选题 Kate Pickett and Richard Wilkinson hold that fairer countries

A. enjoy a higher level of well-being.
B. are often more mobile and prosperous.
C. feature stronger government intervention.
D. can be realized by severe tax increases.