单选题 The differences in living standards around the world are vast. In 1993, the average American had an in- come 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.

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】[解析] 该词出现在第二段“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.”这里对两类国家进行了一下对比，首先在那些单位时间内能生产出大量的产品和服务，即生产力水平较高的国家，大多数人的生活水平都较高；接着与之相对应，在那些生产力水平较低的国家，人们的生活水平肯定较低，因此可推出meager一词肯定跟穷困的意思接近，故答案只能为poor。其他选项modest“谦虚的，适度的”；meaningless“毫无意义的”；plentiful“许多的，丰富的。”

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】[解析] 本题答案在第三段“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.”由上面的论述可知，生产力对人们的生活水平起决定作用，其他因素都是次要的。

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

A. it calls policymakers' 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 policymakers to access the latest technology

【正确答案】 A

【答案解析】[解析] 政策的制定者们必须考虑到生产力的提高也就意味着生活水平的提高。如何提高生产力从而提高人们的生活水平就是他们必须认真思考的。而提高生产力就必须依靠提高工人的受教育水平，拥有先进的生产和服务工具以及能够接触到高科技。所以推断出研究生产力和生活水平之间的关系的意义在于引起政策制定者关注劳动力素质的提高。因此A为正确答案。