At the heart of the debate over illegal immigration lies one key question: are immigrants good or bad for the economy? The American public overwhelmingly thinks they’re bad. Yet the consensus among most economists is that immigration, both legal and illegal, provides a small net boost to the economy. Immigrants provide cheap labor, lower the prices of everything from farm produce to new homes, and leave consumers with a little more money in their pockets. So why is there such a discrepancy between the perception of immigrants’ impact on the economy and the reality?
There are a number of familiar theories. Some argue that people are anxious and feel threatened by an inflow of new workers. Others highlight the strain that undocumented immigrants place on public services, like schools, hospitals, and jails. Still others emphasize the role of race, arguing that foreigners add to the nation’s fears and insecurities. There’s some truth to all these explanations, but they aren’t quite sufficient.
To get a better understanding of what’s going on; consider the way immigration’s impact is felt. Though its overall effect may be positive, its costs and benefits are distributed unevenly. David Card, an economist at UC Berkeley, notes that the ones who profit most directly from immigrants’ low-cost labor are businesses and employers — meatpacking plants in Nebraska, for instance, or agricultural businesses in California. Granted, these producers’ savings probably translate into lower prices at the grocery store, but how many consumers make that mental connection at the checkout counter? As for the drawbacks of illegal immigration, these, too, are concentrated. Native low-skilled workers suffer most from the competition of foreign labor. According to a study by George Boras, a Harvard economist, immigration reduced the wages of American high-school dropouts by 9% between1980-2000.
1. What can we learn from the first paragraph?
2. In what way does the author think ordinary Americans benefit from immigration?
3. Why do native low-skilled workers suffer most from illegal immigration?
问题1选项
A.Whether immigrants are good or bad for the economy has been puzzling economists.
B.The American economy used to thrive on immigration but now it’s a different story.
C.The consensus among economists is that immigration should not be encouraged.
D.The public thinks differently from most economists on the impact of immigration.
问题2选项
A.They can access all kinds of public services.
B.They can get consumer goods at lower prices.
C.They can mix with people of different cultures.
D.They can avoid doing much of the manual labor.
问题3选项
A.They have greater difficulty getting welfare support.
B.They are more likely to encounter interracial conflicts.
C.They have a harder time getting a job with decent pay.
D.They are no match for illegal immigrants in labor skills.
第1题:
【选项释义】
What can we learn from the first paragraph? 我们能从第一段中知道什么？
A. Whether immigrants are good or bad for the economy has been puzzling economists. A. 移民对经济是好是坏一直困扰着经济学家。
B. The American economy used to thrive on immigration but now it’s a different story. B. 美国经济过去靠移民繁荣，但现在情况不同了。
C. The consensus among economists is that immigration should not be encouraged. C. 经济学家一致认为不应该鼓励移民。
D. The public thinks differently from most economists on the impact of immigration. D. 对于移民的影响，公众的想法与大多数经济学家不同。
【答案】D
【考查点】推理判断题。
【解题思路】根据题干定位到第一段第二、三句“美国大众绝大多数认为移民对经济的影响是不好的（they’re bad）。然而，大多数经济学家却一致认为，不管是合法还是非法移民，都为经济带来了小幅的净增长（a small net boost to the economy）”由此可见，对于移民经济的影响问题，大众和多数经济学家存在分歧，故答案为D。
【干扰项排除】
A、B、C选项原文没有提及，属于无中生有。
第2题:
【选项释义】
In what way does the author think ordinary Americans benefit from immigration? 作者认为普通美国人从移民中受益的方式是什么？
A. They can access all kinds of public services. A. 他们可以获得各种公共服务。
B. They can get consumer goods at lower prices. B. 他们可以以较低的价格买到消费品。
C. They can mix with people of different cultures. C. 他们可以与不同文化背景的人交往。
D. They can avoid doing much of the manual labor. D. 他们可以避免做大量的体力劳动。
【答案】B
【考查点】事实细节题。
【解题思路】根据题干定位到原文最后一段第四句“当然，这些生产商的节省可能会转化为杂货店的更低价格（lower prices at the grocery store）”由此可知，选项B符合原文。
【干扰项排除】
A、C、D选项原文没有提及，属于无中生有。
第3题:
【选项释义】
Why do native low-skilled workers suffer most from illegal immigration? 为什么本土低技能工人最容易受到非法移民的影响？
A. They have greater difficulty getting welfare support. A. 他们更难获得福利支持。
B. They are more likely to encounter interracial conflicts. B. 他们更容易遇到种族间的冲突。
C. They have a harder time getting a job with decent pay. C. 他们很难找到一份有体面收入的工作。
D. They are no match for illegal immigrants in labor skills. D. 在劳动技能方面，他们比不上非法移民。
【答案】C
【考查点】事实细节题。
【解题思路】根据题干定位到原文最后一句“从1980年到2000年，移民（immigration）使美国高中辍学生的工资下降（reduced the wages of American high-school dropouts）了9%”这里的“美国高中辍学生”就是指的“本土的低技能工人”，另外“工资下降”对应的是“体面工资”，所以选项C符合原文。
【干扰项排除】
A、B、D选项原文没有提及，属于无中生有。
【文章来源】2011年英语六级真题
【参考译文】
关于非法移民的争论的核心在于一个关键问题：移民对经济是好是坏？绝大多数美国公众认为他们是坏的。然而，大多数经济学家的共识是，移民，无论是合法的还是非法的，都为经济提供了一个小小的净推动力。移民提供了廉价的劳动力，降低了从农产品到新房的所有东西的价格，让消费者的口袋里多了一些钱。那么，为什么人们对移民对经济影响的看法与现实之间存在如此大的差异呢？
有很多熟悉的理论。一些人认为，人们对新工人的流入感到焦虑和威胁。其他人则强调了非法移民给学校、医院和监狱等公共服务带来的压力。还有一些人强调种族的作用，认为外国人增加了国家的恐惧和不安全感。所有这些解释都有一定道理，但都不够充分。
为了更好地理解发生了什么；想想移民带来的影响。虽然其整体影响可能是积极的，但其成本和收益分布不均。加州大学伯克利分校的经济学家大卫•卡德指出，从移民的低成本劳动力中直接获利最多的是企业和雇主——比如内布拉斯加州的肉类加工厂，或者加州的农业企业。诚然，这些生产商的节省可能会转化为杂货店的更低价格，但有多少消费者在收银台前会产生这种心理联系呢？至于非法移民的缺点，也是集中的。本土低技能工人在外国劳动力的竞争中受害最深。根据哈佛大学经济学家乔治•布罗斯的一项研究，1980至2000年间，移民使美国高中辍学生的工资降低了9%。
