单选题 The differences in living standards around the world are vast. In 1993, the average American had an income of about ＄25,000. In the same year, the average Mexican earned ＄7,000, and the average Nigerian earned ＄1,500. Not surprisingly, this large variation in average income is reflected in various measures of the quality of life. Changes in living standards over time are also large. In the United States, incomes have historically grown about 2 percent per year (after adjusting for changes in the cost of living). At this rate, average income doubles every 35 years. In some countries, economic growth has been even more rapid. In Japan, for instance, average income has doubled in the past 20 years, and in South Korea it has doubled in the past 10 years.
What explains these large differences in living standards among countries and over time? The answer is surprisingly simple. Almost all variation in living standards is attributable to differences in countries' productivity—that is, the amount of goods and services produced from each hour of a worker's time. In nations where workers can produce a large quantity of goods and services per unit of time, most people enjoy a high standard of living; in nations where workers are less productive, most people must endure a more meager existence. Similarly, the growth rate of a nation's productivity determines the growth rate of its average income.
The fundamental relationship between productivity and living standards is simple, but its implications are far-reaching. If productivity is the primary determinant of living standards, other explanations must be of secondary importance. For example, people might think that labor unions or minimum-wage laws contributed to the rise in living standards of American workers over the past century. Yet the real hero of American workers is their rising productivity.
The relationship between productivity and living standards also has great implications for public policy. When thinking about how any policy will affect living standards, the key question is how it will affect our ability to produce goods and services. To improve living standards, policymakers need to raise productivity by ensuring that workers are well educated, have the tools needed to produce goods and services, and have access to the best available technology.

单选题 Which of the following countries has enjoyed the fastest economic growth in history?

A. Mexico
B. The United States
C. Japan
D. South Korea

【正确答案】 D

【答案解析】[考点] 细节题 [解析] 根据题干信号词enjoyed the fastest economic growth in history可回文定位到首段的倒数第三和第一句In some countries, economic growth has been even more rapid. In Japan, for instance, average income has doubled in the past 20 years, and in South Korea it has doubled in the past 10 years. (在一些国家，经济增长速度甚重更快。例如，在日本，人均收入在过去的20年里翻了一番；而在韩国，人均收入在过去的10年里翻了一番)，故此处为题眼。它明确指出，韩国的经济增速比目本和美国都要快，是本文提及的增速最快的国家。请考生注意信号词与原文的同义转述：fastest对应原文的even more rapid；economic growth对应原文的economic growth；in history对应原文的in the past 20 years和in the past 10 years。

单选题 The Word "meager" in the second paragraph is closest in meaning to "______".

A. modest
B. poor
C. meaningless
D. plentiful

【正确答案】 B

【答案解析】[考点] 词汇推断题 [解析] 根据题干信号词meager以及出处提示second paragraph可回文定位到第二段第四句In nations where workers can produce a large quantity of goods and services per unit of time, most people (enjoy a high standard of living); in nations where workers are less productive, most people must (endure a more meager existence)(有些国家，劳工能在单位时间内生产大量的产品或提供大量的服务，大多数人享有很高的生活水平；而另一些国家，劳工的生产率较低，大多数人就得忍受较……的生活)，本句是该题目的“题眼”。鉴于词汇推断题的解题思路是关注问题词汇的上或下文信息，找寻线索，作分析推断，考生应重点关注本句分号前的对比信息：前面讲“生产率高的国家”，后面讲“生产率低的国家”，前面说“享有很高的生活水平”，后面无疑应是“忍受较低的生活水平”，即“生活贫穷”，所以meager的意思是poor。请考生注意分号前后的英文表达对比：produce a large quantity of goods and services per unit of time(生产率高)对应are less productive(生产率低)；enjoy a high standard of living(享有很高的生活水平)对应endure a more meager existence(忍受较低的生活状态)，故meager=low standard of living，即poor，答案选B。

单选题 What is the most important factor that leads to the rise in living standards of average people?

A. labor unions
B. minimum-wage laws
C. rising productivity
D. favorable public policy

【正确答案】 C

【答案解析】[考点] 细节题 [解析] 根据题干信号词the most important factor that leads to the rise in living standards可回文定位到第二段第三句Almost all variation in living standards is attributable to differences in countries' productivity(几乎所有生活水平的差异都可归因于国家间生产率的差异)，本句是该题目的“题眼”。它明确指出“所有生活水平的差异”都是“生产率差异”造成的，因此“提高生产率”是提高生活水平的最重要因素，答案选C。请考生注意彼此间的信息对应：信号词the most important对应原文Almost all(几乎所有的，表示语气强调)；信号词factor that leads to(导致……的因素，表示原因)对应原文的is attributable to(归因于)；信号词the rise in living standards(生活水平提高)对应原文的variation in living standards(生活水平的差异)。此外，第三段第二句If productivity is the primary determinant of living standards, other explanations must be of secondary importance(如果生产率是决定生活水准的首要因素，那么其他的因素都是次要的)，进一步回答了这个问题。请考生注意信息对应：信号词the most important factor(最重要的因素)对应本句的the primary determinant(首要的决定因素)；信号词the rise in living standards对应本句的living standards；问题what对应本句productivity。

单选题 The study of the relationship between productivity and living standards is significant because ______.

A. it calls policy makers' attention to a qualified work force
B. it encourages workers to get better education
C. it helps improve the workers' ability to produce goods and services
D. it enables policy makers to access the latest technology

【正确答案】 A

【答案解析】[考点] 原因分析题 [解析] 根据题干信号词The study of the relationship between productivity and living standards is significant可回文定位到第四段首句The relationship between productivity and living standards also has great implications for public policy(生产率与生活水平之间的关系对于公共政策也有着巨大意义)。但鉴于原因分析题的解题思路是关注回文定位信息的上文或下文(尤其下文)，考生可继续向下阅读，锁定本段第二句为本题目的“题眼”，即原因：When thinking about how any policy will affect living standards, the key question is how it will affect our ability to produce goods and services(在思考如何利用政策提高生活水平时，一个关键性的问题是该政策如何提高我们生产产品和提供服务的能力)。由此句可知，“对生产率与生活水平关系的研究”已经使得“决策者”不再仅仅思考“如何提高生活水平”，而是开始将思考转向“如何提高我们劳动力的素质”上来，可见“对生产率与生活水平关系的研究”引起了决策者们对劳动力质量的关注，故A项正确。请考生注意题眼与A项的信息对应：Thinking about暗含的逻辑主语是policymakers，对应A项中的policymakers；Thinking about与the key question(思考的一个关键问题，即暗含“关注”之意)，对应calls...attention to；our ability to produce goods and services(我们生产产品和提供服务的能力)对应a qualified work force(合格的劳动力)。

单选题 Which of the following can best summarize the main idea of this text?

A. The differences in average income among countries
B. The relationship between productivity and living standards
C. The causes of the rise in living standards
D. The importance of raising productivity

【正确答案】 B

【答案解析】[考点] 篇章主旨题 [解析] 篇章主旨题的解题思路之一是“将各段首句作逻辑比对”。首段首句：The differences in living standards around the world are vast(世界各国的生活水准差别巨大)，本段提出问题：生活水平有差异。第二段首句：What explains these large differences in living standards among countries and over time?(为什么不同国家不同历史时期生活水准有如此大的差异呢?)，本段分析问题，并得出结论：生活水平的差异是生产率差异造成的，体现了productivity与living standards的因果关系。第三段首句：The fundamental relationship between productivity and living standards is simple, but its implications are far-reaching(生产率与生活水平之间的基本关系是简单的，但却意义重大)，本段开始阐述productivity与living standards之间关系的意义。尾段首句：The relationship between productivity and living standards also has great implications for public policy(生产率与生活水平之间的关系对于公共政策也有着巨大意义)，本段继续阐述productivity与living standards之间关系的意义。综上所述，本文除第一段引出问题外，其余部分都在探讨productivity与living standards之间的关系，故B项是正确答案。