The great recession may be over, but this era of high joblessness is probably beginning. Before it ends, it will likely change the life course and character of a generation of young adults. And ultimately, it is likely to reshape our politics, our culture, and the character of our society for years.
No one tries harder than the jobless to find silver linings in this national economic disaster. Many said that unemployment, while extremely painful, had improved them in some ways: they had become less materialistic and more financially prudent ； they were more aware of the struggles of others. In limited respects, perhaps the recession will leave society better off. At the very least, it has awoken us from our national fever dream of easy riches and bigger houses, and put a necessary end to an era of reckless personal spending.
But for the most part, these benefits seem thin, uncertain, and far off. In the Moral Consequences of Economic Growth, the economic historian Benjamin Friedman argues that both inside and outside the U. S. , lengthy periods of economic stagnation or decline have almost always left society more mean-spirited and less inclusive, and have usually stopped or reversed the advance of rights and freedoms. Anti-immigrant sentiment typically increases ,as does conflict between races and classes.
Income inequality usually falls during a recession, but it has not shrunk in this one. Indeed, this period of economic weakness may reinforce class divides, and decrease opportunities to cross them—especially for young people. The research of Till Von Wachter, the economist at Columbia University, suggests that not all people graduating into a recession see their life chances dimmed: those with degrees from elite universities catch up fairly quickly to where they otherwise would have been if they had graduated in better times; it is the masses beneath them that are left behind.
In the Internet age, it is particularly easy to see the resentment that has always been hidden within American society. More difficult, in the moment, is discerning precisely how these lean times are affecting society character. In many respects, the U. S. was more socially tolerant entering this recession than at any time in its history, and a variety of national polls on social conflict since then have shown mixed results. We will have to wait and see exactly how these hard times will reshape our social fabric. But they certainly will reshape it, and all the more so the longer they extend. (410 words)
1.By saying “to find silver linings” (Para. 2) the author suggests that the jobless try to （ ）.
2.According to Paragraph 2, the recession has made people （ ）.
3.Benjamin Friedman believes that economic recessions may （ ）.
4.The research of Till Von Wachter suggests that in the recession graduates from elite universities tend to （ ）.
5.The author thinks that the influence of hard times on society is （ ）.
问题1选项
A.seek subsidies from the government
B.make profits from the troubled economy
C.explore reasons for the unemployment
D.look on the bright side of the recession
问题2选项
A.struggle against each other
B.realize the national dream
C.challenge their prudence
D.reconsider their lifestyle
问题3选项
A.impose a heavier burden on immigrants
B.bring out more evils of human nature
C.promote the advance of rights and freedoms
D.ease conflicts between races and classes
问题4选项
A.lag behind the others due to decreased opportunities
B.catch up quickly with experienced employees
C.see their life chances as dimmed as the others’
D.recover more quickly than the others
问题5选项
A.trivial
B.positive
C.certain
D.destructive
第1题:D
第2题:D
第3题:B
第4题:D
第5题:C
第1题:
【选项释义】
By saying “to find silver linings” (Para. 2) the author suggests that the jobless try to_____. 通过说“寻找一线希望”（第2段），作者建议失业者尝试_____。
A. seek subsidies from the government A. 向政府寻求补贴
B. make profits from the troubled economy B. 从陷入困境的经济中获利
C. explore reasons for the unemployment C. 探究失业的原因
D. look on the bright side of the recession D. 要看到经济衰退好的一面
【考查点】词汇推断题
【解题思路】根据题干信息Para. 2和to find silver linings可定位至第二段第二、三句Many said that unemployment, while extremely painful, had improved them in some ways: they had become less materialistic and more financially prudent; they were more aware of the struggles of others. In limited respects, perhaps the recession will leave society better off.（许多人说，失业虽然极其痛苦，但在某些方面改善了他们：他们不再那么物质主义，在财政上更加谨慎；他们更了解别人的挣扎。在有限的方面，也许经济衰退会让社会变得更好。）由此可知，失业人员在萧条时发现了积极面。D选项‘看到经济衰退的积极面’是正确答案。
【干扰项排除】
A、B、C选项不能通过文章信息推理出来。
第2题:
【选项释义】
According to Paragraph 2, the recession has made people_____. 根据第二段，经济衰退使人们_____。
A. struggle against each other A. 相互斗争
B. realize the national dream B. 实现民族梦想
C. challenge their prudence C. 挑战他们的谨慎
D. reconsider their lifestyle D. 重新考虑他们的生活方式
【考查点】事实细节题
【解题思路】根据题干“Paragraph 2”和“the recession has made people”可定位至第二段尾句it has awoken us from our national fever dream of easy riches and bigger houses, and put a necessary end to an era of reckless personal spending.（它唤醒了我们，让我们从国家狂热的梦想中清醒过来，梦想着轻松致富、拥有更大的房子，并为一个不计后果的个人消费时代敲响了必要的警钟。）D选项中reconsider‘重新考虑’与句中的awoken（唤醒）含义相符，故正确。
【干扰项排除】
A、B、C选项在定位段不能找到细节支撑。
第3题:
【选项释义】
Benjamin Friedman believes that economic recessions may_____. 本杰明·弗里德曼认为经济衰退可能_____。
A. impose a heavier burden on immigrants A. 加重移民负担
B. bring out more evils of human nature B. 把人性中更多的邪恶展现出来
C. promote the advance of rights and freedoms C. 促进权利和自由的进步
D. ease conflicts between races and classes D. 缓和种族和阶级之间的冲突
【考查点】事实细节题
【解题思路】根据题干Benjamin Friedman, believes和economic recessions可定位至第三段第二句the economic historian Benjamin Friedman argues that both inside and outside the U. S. , lengthy periods of economic stagnation or decline have almost always left society more mean-spirited and less inclusive, and have usually stopped or reversed the advance of rights and freedoms. （经济历史学家本杰明•弗里德曼认为，无论是在美国国内还是国外，长期的经济停滞或衰退几乎总是让社会变得更吝啬，包容性更低，而且通常会阻碍或逆转权利和自由的进步。）B选项中‘带来更多人性的邪恶’与句中‘更加狭隘，并缺乏包容性’信息一致，为正确选项。
【干扰项排除】
A选项，原文中提到的是Anti-immigrant sentiment typically increases…（反移民情绪通常会增加），关于选项提到的移民本身是否压力增加，文章并没有告知，这里属于曲解原文；
C、D选项的内容与原文段信息完全相反（可见解析处），属于反向干扰。
第4题:
【选项释义】
The research of Till Von Wachter suggests that in the recession graduates from elite universities tend to_____.
蒂尔•冯•瓦赫特的研究表明，在经济衰退期间，精英大学的毕业生往往会_____。
A. lag behind the others due to decreased opportunities A. 由于机会减少而落后于他人
B. catch up quickly with experienced employees B. 快速赶上有经验的员工
C. see their life chances as dimmed as the others C. 看到他们的人生机会和其他人一样渺茫
D. recover more quickly than the others D. 比其他人恢复得更快
【考查点】事实细节题
【解题思路】根据题干The research of Till Von Wachter, suggests that, in the recession和 graduates from elite universities可定位至第四段第三句The research of Till Von Wachter, the economist at Columbia University, suggests that not all people graduating into a recession see their life chances dimmed: those with degrees from elite universities catch up fairly quickly to where they otherwise would have been if they had graduated in better times; it is the masses beneath them that are left behind.（哥伦比亚大学经济学家蒂尔·冯·瓦赫特的研究表明，并不是所有在经济衰退中毕业的人都认为自己的生活机会渺茫：那些拥有名牌大学学位的人，很快就能赶上他们本来更好的毕业环境的时候可以赶上的水平；他们身后留下的是他们下面的群众。D选项正确。
【干扰项排除】
A、B选项在原文中没有提及，属于无中生有；
C选项在文中的信息是not all people graduating into a recession see their life chances dimmed（并不是所有在经济衰退中毕业的人都认为自己的生活机会渺茫），而名牌大学的精英就是其中的例子，所以这里属于反向干扰。
第5题:
【选项释义】
The author thinks that the influence of hard times on society is______. 作者认为困难时期对社会的影响是______。
A. Trivial A. 无关紧要的
B. positive B. 积极的
C. certain C. 确定的
D. destructive D. 毁灭性的
【考查点】观点态度题
【解题思路】根据题干the influence of hard times on society可定位到尾段的倒数第二句和倒数第一句，We will have to wait and see exactly how these hard times will reshape our social fabric. But they certainly will reshape it, and all the more so the longer they extend.（对此次经济萧条将怎样重塑我们的社会结构，我们只能拭目以待。但可以确定它将重塑我们的社会结构。）这两句中的But（转折词）和certainly（主观感受词）可以推测C选项‘certain’正确。
【干扰项排除】
A、B、D不能通过文章信息推出。
