Researchers have studied the poor as individuals, as families and households, as members of poor communities, neighborhoods and regions, as products of larger poverty creating structures. They have been analyzed as victims of crime and criminals, as members of minority cultures, as passive consumers of mass culture and active producers of a “counterculture”, as participants in the informal economy, as inventions of survival strategies, as an economic burden and as a reserve army of labor—to mention just some of the preoccupations of poverty research.
The elites, who occupy the small upper stratum within the category of the non-poor, and their functions in the emergence and reproduction of poverty are as interesting and important an object for poverty research as the poor themselves. The elites have images of the poor and of poverty which shape their decisions and actions. So far, little is known about those images, except as they are sketchily portrayed in popular stereotypes. The elites may well ignore or deny the external effects of their own actions (and omissions) upon the living conditions of the poor. Many social scientists may take a very different view. As poverty emerged and was reproduced, legal frameworks were created to contain the problems it caused with profound, and largely unknown, consequences for the poor themselves. In general, political, educational and social institutions tend to ignore or even damage the interests of the poor. In constructing a physical infrastructure for transport, industry, trade and tourism, the settlements of the poor are often the first to suffer or to be left standing and exposed to pollution, noise and crowding.
Most important are the economic functions of poverty, as, for lack of other options the poor are forced to perform activities considered degrading or unclean. The poor are more likely to buy second-hand goods and leftover foodstuffs, thus prolonging their economic utility. They are likely to use the services of low-quality doctors, teachers and lawyers whom the non-poor shy away from. Poverty and the poor serve an important symbolic function, in reminding citizens of the lot that may befall those who do not heed the values of thrift, diligence and cleanliness, and of the constant threat that the rough, the immoral and the violent represent for the rest of society.
Physically, the poor and the non-poor are kept apart, through differential land use and ghettoization. Socially, they are separated through differential participation in the labor market, the consumption economy, and in political, social and cultural institutions. Conceptually, they are divided through stereotyping and media cliché. This separation is even more pronounced between the elites and the poor.
1. According to the author, studying the elites also sheds light on poverty research because ____.
2. While social scientists are devoting much of their effort to poverty research, ____.
3. In the eyes of the society, ____.
4. The word “pronounced” in the last sentence of the passage probably means ____.
5. In the passage, the author is mainly concerned with ____.
问题1选项
A.they are also members of the same society as the poor
B.they play an important role in creating and reproducing poverty
C.solution of the poverty problem is at their mercy
D.they know the living conditions of the poor better than other groups
问题2选项
A.not enough legal frameworks have been created to relieve the condition of the poor
B.they have done little to actually provide relief programs for the poor
C.they ignore the role of the elites as an object for poverty research
D.the poor people themselves do not much appreciate such effort
问题3选项
A.the poor tend to symbolize what lazy and evil people turn out to be
B.the poor are not worthy of the sympathy the society shows them
C.economic prejudice is more of an obstacle to the solution of poverty
D.the non-poor should show more sympathy for the poor
问题4选项
A.sympathetic
B.conspicuous
C.identifiable
D.unbridgeable
问题5选项
A.analyzing a problem
B.providing a solution
C.defining a situation
D.outlining a proposal
第1题:B
第2题:C
第3题:A
第4题:C
第5题:C
第1题:
【选项释义】
According to the author, studying the elites also sheds light on poverty research because ____. 根据作者的说法，研究精英阶层也有助于贫困研究，因为____。
A. they are also members of the same society as the poor A. 他们和穷人是同一个社会的成员
B. they play an important role in creating and reproducing poverty B. 他们在制造和再造贫穷方面发挥着重要作用
C. solution of the poverty problem is at their mercy C. 贫困问题的解决取决于他们
D. they know the living conditions of the poor better than other groups D. 他们比其他群体更了解穷人的生活条件
【答案】B
【考查点】事实细节题
【解题思路】根据题干关键词the elites和poverty research定位到原文第二段第一句，该句提到“精英阶层在贫困产生和再生中的作用（their functions in the emergence and reproduction of poverty），与穷人本身一样，都是贫困研究中有趣而重要的研究对象（an object for poverty research）。”由此可知，研究精英阶层也有助于贫困研究，是因为他们在贫困产生和再生中的作用是贫困研究的研究对象。因此，B选项“他们在制造和再造贫穷方面发挥着重要作用”符合题意。
【干扰项排除】
A选项“他们和穷人是同一个社会的成员”，原文并未提及，且与题干无关，该选项属于无中生有；
C选项“贫困问题的解决取决于他们”，原文并未提及，该选项属于无中生有；
D选项“他们比其他群体更了解穷人的生活条件”，原文并未提及，该选项属于无中生有。
第2题:
【选项释义】
While social scientists are devoting much of their effort to poverty research, ____. 虽然社会科学家们正致力于贫困研究，但是____。
A. not enough legal frameworks have been created to relieve the condition of the poor A. 没有建立足够的法律框架来缓解穷人的状况
B. they have done little to actually provide relief programs for the poor B. 他们几乎没有为穷人提供实际的救济项目
C. they ignore the role of the elites as an object for poverty research C. 他们忽视了精英阶层作为贫困研究对象的作用
D. the poor people themselves do not much appreciate such effort D. 穷人自己并不怎么感激这种努力
【答案】C
【考查点】推理判断题
【解题思路】根据题干关键词poverty research定位到原文第一、二段。原文第一段介绍了“贫困研究的一些关注点（some of the preoccupations of poverty research）”；第二段第一句提到“精英阶层（The elites）在贫困产生和再生产中的作用，是贫困研究的研究对象（an object for poverty research）”；第二句提到“精英们对穷人和贫困的印象（images of the poor and of poverty）影响了他们的决策和行动”；第三句提到“到目前为止，人们对这些形象知之甚少（little is known about those images）”。综上所述，关于“精英们对穷人和贫困的印象”，社会科学家们了解得很少，那么关于“这些印象对精英们决策和行动的影响作用”的研究也很少，即社会科学家们很少研究精英阶层在贫困产生和再生产中的作用。因此，C选项“他们忽视了精英阶层作为贫困研究对象的作用”符合题意。
【干扰项排除】
A选项“没有建立足够的法律框架来缓解穷人的状况”，原文并未提及，该选项属于无中生有；
B选项“他们几乎没有为穷人提供实际的救济项目”，原文并未提及，该选项属于无中生有；
D选项“穷人自己并不怎么感激这种努力”，原文并未提及，该选项属于无中生有。
第3题:
【选项释义】
In the eyes of the society, ____. 在社会的眼中，____。
A. the poor tend to symbolize what lazy and evil people turn out to be A. 穷人往往代表着懒惰和邪恶的人
B. the poor are not worthy of the sympathy the society shows them B. 穷人不值得社会对他们的同情
C. economic prejudice is more of an obstacle to the solution of poverty C. 经济偏见更多的是解决贫困问题的障碍
D. the non-poor should show more sympathy for the poor D. 非穷人应该对穷人表示更多的同情
【答案】A
【考查点】推理判断题
【解题思路】根据题干关键词the society定位到原文第三段。本段最后一句提到“贫穷和穷人发挥着重要的象征作用，它提醒公民，如果不遵守（do not heed）节俭、勤奋和爱干净的（thrift, diligence and cleanliness）价值观，将会遭遇厄运，并提醒他们粗鲁、不道德和暴力（the rough, the immoral and the violent）对社会构成的持续威胁。”由此可知，在社会的眼中，穷人的形象是“不节俭、不勤奋、不爱干净、粗鲁、不道德、暴力”，因此，A选项“穷人往往代表着懒惰和邪恶的人”符合原文。
【干扰项排除】
B选项“穷人不值得社会对他们的同情”，原文并未提及，该选项属于无中生有；
C选项“经济偏见更多的是解决贫困问题的障碍”。原文虽然提到了穷人被迫从事一些有辱人格或不干净的工作，也只能享受得起质量不高的服务，但是，原文并没有说，在社会看来，这是解决贫困问题的障碍，该选项属于无中生有；
D选项“非穷人应该对穷人表示更多的同情”，原文并未提及，该选项属于无中生有。
第4题:
【选项释义】
The word “pronounced” in the last sentence of the passage probably means ____. 文章最后一句中的“pronounced”可能是____的意思。
A. sympathetic A. 同情的
B. conspicuous B. 出色的
C. identifiable C. 可辨认的
D. unbridgeable D. 无法弥合的
【答案】C
【考查点】词汇推测题
【解题思路】根据题干关键词pronounced和the last sentence定位到原文最后一句，该句提到“在精英和穷人之间，这种分离更为____。”由此可知，pronounced修饰的是“分离”。前文讲的是穷人和非穷人在物理、社会以及概念上的分离，而定位句讲的是精英与穷人之间的分离，根据常识，这种分离应该是更明显的。另外，pronounced的本意是“明显的”，因此，C选项“可辨认的”最符合原文。
【干扰项排除】A选项“同情的”、B选项“出色的”、D选项“无法弥合的”，不符合原文语义衔接。
第5题:
【选项释义】
In the passage, the author is mainly concerned with ____. 在本文中，作者主要关注的是____。
A. analyzing a problem A. 分析问题
B. providing a solution B. 提供解决办法
C. defining a situation C. 明确一个状况
D. outlining a proposal D. 概述一项提议
【答案】C
【考查点】推理判断题
【解题思路】原文第一段主要内容，研究人员对穷人进行了研究并列出了贫困研究的一些关注点；第二段主要内容，精英阶层在贫困产生和再生中的作用也是贫困研究的研究对象，但是精英们很可能会忽视或否认他们自己的行为（和疏漏）对穷人生活条件的外部影响，接着介绍了一些不好的影响；第三段主要内容，贫穷的经济功能；第四段的主要内容，穷人与非穷人（以及精英）之间的分离。综上所述，本文主要围绕贫困研究的研究对象之一精英阶层在贫困产生和再生中的作用展开，着重介绍了精英们的行为的影响下，穷人及贫困的现状。因此，C选项“明确一个状况”更符合题意。
【干扰项排除】
A选项“分析问题”，虽然说原文“明确精英们的行为的影响下，穷人及贫困的现状”也算是在分析贫困问题，但是C选项“明确一个状况”表述更准确，作者主要关注的是贫困问题研究中的这一个现状。如果说作者主要关注的是分析问题的话，就会详细分析这个问题的原因、解决办法等，而原文并没有这么做，该选项属于推理过度。
B选项“提供解决办法”，原文并未提出任何解决办法，该选项属于无中生有；
D选项“概述一项提议”，原文并未提出任何提议，该选项属于无中生有。
