【優(yōu)質(zhì)】六級(jí)考試

2015年六級(jí)考試試題（一）SectionADirections:Inthissection,thereisapassagewithtenblanks.Youarerequiredtoselectonewordforeachblankfromalistofchoicesgiveninawordbankfollowingthepassage.Readthepassagethroughcarefullybeforemakingyourchoices.Eachchoiceinthebankisidentifiedbyaletter.PleasemarkthecorrespondingletterforeachitemonAnswerSheet2withasinglelinethroughthecentre.Youmaynotuseanyofthewordsinthebankmorethanonce.Questions36to45arebasedonthefollowingpassage.Innovation,theelixir(靈丹妙藥)ofprogress,hasalwayscostpeopletheirjobs.IntheIndustrialRevolutionhandweaverswere(36)asidebythemechanicalloom.Overthepast30yearsthedigitalrevolutionhas(37)manyofthemid-skilljobsthatsupported20th-centurymiddle-classlife.Typists,ticketagents,banktellersandmanyproduction-linejobshavebeendispensedwith,justastheweaverswere.Forthosewhobelievethattechnologicalprogresshasmadetheworldabetterplace,suchdisruptionisanaturalpartofrising(38).Althoughinnovationkillssomejobs,itcreatesnewandbetterones,asamore(39)societybecomesricheranditswealthierinhabitantsdemandmoregoodsandservices.AhundredyearsagooneinthreeAmericanworkerswas(40)onafarm.Todaylessthan2%ofthemproducefarmorefood.Themillionsfreedfromthelandwerenotrendered(41),butfoundbetter-paidworkastheeconomygrewmoresophisticated.Todaythepoolofsecretarieshas(42),butthereareevermorecomputerprogrammersandwebdesigners.Optimismremainstherightstarting-point,butforworkersthedislocatingeffectsoftechnologymaymakethemselvesevidentfasterthanits(43).Evenifnewjobsandwonderfulproductsemerge,intheshorttermincomegapswillwiden,causinghugesocialdislocationandperhapsevenchangingpolitics.Technology's(44)willfeellikeatornado(旋風(fēng)),hittingtherichworldfirst,but(45)sweepingthroughpoorercountriestoo.Nogovernmentispreparedforit.AbenefitsBdisplacedCemployedDeventuallyEimpactFjoblessGprimarilyHproductiveIprosperityJresponsiveKrhythmLsentimentsMshrunkNsweptOwithdrawnSectionBDirections:Inthissection,youaregoingtoreadapassagewithtenstatementsattachedtoit.Eachstatementcontainsinformationgiveninoneoftheparagraphs.Identifytheparagraphfromwhichtheinformationisderived.Youmaychooseaparagraphmorethanonce.Eachparagraphismarkedwithaletter.WhytheMonaLisaStandsOutHaveyoueverfallenforanovelandbeenamazednottofinditonlistsofgreatbooks?Orwalkedaroundasculpturerenownedasaclassic,strugglingtoseewhatthefussisabout?Ifso,you'veprobablyponderedthequestionapsychologist,JamesCutting,askedhimself:howdoesaworkofartcometobeconsideredgreat?Theintuitiveansweristhatsomeworksofartarejustgreat:ofintrinsicallysuperiorquality.Thepaintingsthatwinprimespotsingalleries,gettaughtinclassesandreproducedinbooksaretheonesthathaveprovedtheirartisticvalueovertime.Ifyoucan'tseethey'resuperior,that'syourproblem.It'sanintimidatinglyneatexplanation.Butsomesocialscientistshavebeenaskingawkwardquestionsofit,raisingthepossibilitythatartisticcanons（名作目錄）arelittlemorethanfossilisedhistoricalaccidents.Cutting,aprofessoratCornellUniversity,wonderedifapsychologicalmechanismknownasthe"mere-exposureeffect"playedaroleindecidingwhichpaintingsrisetothetopoftheculturalleague.Cuttingdesignedanexperimenttotesthishunch（直覺(jué)）.Overalecturecourseheregularlyshowedundergraduatesworksofimpressionismfortwosecondsatatime.Someofthepaintingswerecanonical,includedinart-historybooks.Otherswerelesserknownbutofcomparablequality.Thesewereexposedfourtimesasoften.Afterwards,thestudentspreferredthemtothecanonicalworks,whileacontrolgroupofstudentslikedthecanonicalonesbest.Cutting'sstudentshadgrowntolikethosepaintingsmoresimplybecausetheyhadseenthemmore.Cuttingbelieveshisexperimentoffersaclueastohowcanonsareformed.Hepointsoutthatthemostreproducedworksofimpressionismtodaytendtohavebeenboughtbyfiveorsixwealthyandinfluentialcollectorsinthelate19thcentury.Thepreferencesofthesemenbestowed（給予）prestigeoncertainworks,whichmadetheworksmorelikelytobehungingalleriesandprintedincollections.Thefamepasseddowntheyears,gainingmomentumfrommereexposureasitdidso.Themorepeoplewereexposedto,themoretheylikedit,andthemoretheylikedit,themoreitappearedinbooks,onpostersandinbigexhibitions.Meanwhile,academicsandcriticscreatedsophisticatedjustificationsforitspreeminence （卓越）.Afterall,it'snotjustthemasseswhotendtoratewhattheyseemoreoftenmorehighly.AscontemporaryartistslikeWarholandDamienHirsthavegrasped,critics'praiseisdeeplyentwined （交織）withpublicity."Scholars",Cuttingargues,"arenodifferentfromthepublicintheeffectsofmereexposure."TheprocessdescribedbyCuttingevokesaprinciplethatthesociologistDuncanWattscalls"cumulativeadvantage":onceathingbecomespopular,itwilltendtobecomemorepopularstill.Afewyearsago,Watts,whoisemployedbyMicrosofttostudythedynamicsofsocialnetworks,hadasimilarexperiencetoCutting'sinanotherParismuseum.Afterqueuingtoseethe"MonaLisa"initsclimate-controlledbulletproofboxattheLouvre,hecameawaypuzzled:whywasitconsideredsosuperiortothethreeotherLeonardosinthepreviouschamber,towhichnobodyseemedtobepayingtheslightestattention?WhenWattslookedintothehistoryof"thegreatestpaintingofalltime",hediscoveredthat,formostofitslife,the"MonaLisa"remainedinrelativeobscurity.Inthe1850s,LeonardodaVinciwasconsiderednomatchforgiantsofRenaissanceartlikeTitianandRaphael,whoseworkswereworthalmosttentimesasmuchasthe"MonaLisa".Itwasonlyinthe20thcenturythatLeonardo'sportraitofhispatron'swiferocketedtothenumber-onespot.Whatpropelledittherewasn'tascholarlyre-evaluation,butatheft.In1911amaintenanceworkerattheLouvrewalkedoutofthemuseumwiththe"MonaLisa"hiddenunderhissmock（工作服）.Parisianswereshockedatthetheftofapaintingtowhich,untilthen,theyhadpaidlittleattention.Whenthemuseumreopened,peoplequeuedtoseethegapwherethe"MonaLisa"hadoncehunginawaytheyhadneverdoneforthepaintingitself.Fromthenon,the"MonaLisa"cametorepresentWesterncultureitself.Althoughmanyhavetried,itdoesseemimprobablethatthepainting'suniquestatuscanbeattributedentirelytothequalityofitsbrushstrokes.Ithasbeensaidthatthesubject'seyesfollowthevieweraroundtheroom.Butasthepainting'sbiographer,DonaldSassoon,drylynotes,"Inrealitytheeffectcanbeobtainedfromanyportrait."DuncanWattsproposesthatthe"MonaLisa"ismerelyanextremeexampleofageneralrule.Paintings,poemsandpopsongsarebuoyed （使浮起）orsunkbyrandomeventsorpreferencesthatturnintowavesofinfluence,passingdownthegenerations."Sayingthatculturalobjectshavevalue,"BrianEnooncewrote,"islikesayingthattelephoneshaveconversations."Nearlyalltheculturalobjectsweconsumearrivewrappedininheritedopinion;ourpreferencesarealways,tosomeextent,someoneelse's.Visitorstothe"MonaLisa"knowtheyareabouttovisitthegreatestworkofarteverandcomeawayappropriatelyimpressed—orletdown.Anaudienceataperformanceof"Hamlet"knowitisregardedasaworkofgenius,sothatiswhattheymostlysee.WattsevencallsthepreeminenceofShakespearea"historicalaccident".Althoughtherigidhigh-lowdistinctionfellapartinthe1960s,westillusecultureasabadgeofidentity.Today'sfashionforeclecticism（折衷主義）-"IloveBach,AbbaandJayZ"—is,ShamusKhan,aColumbiaUniversitypsychologist,argues,anewwayforthemiddleclasstodistinguishthemselvesfromwhattheyperceivetobethenarrowtastesofthosebeneaththeminthesocialhierarchy.Theintrinsicqualityofaworkofartisstartingtoseemlikeitsleastimportantattribute.Butperhapsit'smoresignificantthanoursocialscientistsallow.Firstofall,aworkneedsacertainqualitytobeeligibletobeswepttothetopofthepile.The"MonaLisa"maynotbeaworthyworldchampion,butitwasintheLouvreinthefirstplace,andnotbyaccident.Secondly,somestuffissimplybetterthanotherstuff.Read"Hamlet"afterreadingeventhegreatestofShakespeare'scontemporaries,andthedifferencemaystrikeyouasunarguable.AstudyintheBritishJournalofAestheticssuggeststhattheexposureeffectdoesn'tworkthesamewayoneverything,andpointstoadifferentconclusionabouthowcanonsareformed.Thesocialscientistsarerighttosaythatweshouldbealittlescepticalofgreatness,andthatweshouldalwayslookinthenextroom.Greatartandmediocrity（平庸）cangetconfused,evenbyexperts.Butthat'swhyweneedtosee,andread,asmuchaswecan.Themorewe'reexposedtothegoodandthebad,thebetterweareattellingthedifference.Theeclecticistshaveit.46.AccordingtoDuncanWatts,thesuperiorityofthe"MonaLisa"toLeonardo'sotherworksresultedfromthecumulativeadvantage..Somesocialscientistshaveraiseddoubtsabouttheintrinsicvalueofcertainworksofart..Itisoftenrandomeventsorpreferencesthatdeterminethefateofapieceofart..Inhisexperiment.Cuttingfoundthathissubjectslikedlesserknownworksbetterthancanonicalworksbecauseofmoreexposure..Theauthorthinksthegreatnessofanartworkstillliesinitsintrinsicvalue..Itistrueofcriticsaswellasordinarypeoplethatthepopularityofartisticworksiscloselyassociatedwithpublicity..Weneedtoexposeourselvestomoreartandliteratureinordertotellthesuperiorfromtheinferior..Astudyofthehistoryofthegreatestpaintingssuggestsevenagreatworkofartcouldexperienceyearsofneglect..Cultureisstillusedasamarktodistinguishonesocialclassfromanother..Opinionsaboutandpreferencesforculturalobjectsareofteninheritable.SectionCDirections:Thereare2passagesinthissection.Eachpassageisfollowedbysomequestionsorunfinishedstatements.ForeachofthemtherearefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C)andD).Youshoulddecideonthebestchoice.PassageOneQuestions56to60arebasedonthefollowingpassage.Whentherightpersonisholdingtherightjobattherightmoment,thatperson'sinfluenceisgreatlyexpanded.ThatisthepositioninwhichJanetYellen,whoisexpectedtobeconfirmedasthenextchairoftheFederalReserveBank(Fed)inJanuary,nowfindsherself.Ifyoubelieve,asmanydo,thatunemploymentisthemajoreconomicandsocialconcernofourday,thenitisnostretchtothinkYellenisthemostpowerfulpersonintheworldrightnow.Throughoutthe2008financialcrisisandtherecessionandrecoverythatfollowed,centralbankshavetakenontheroleofstimulatorsoflastresort,holdinguptheglobaleconomywithvastamountsofmoneyintheformofassetbuying.Yellen,previouslyaFedvicechair,wasoneoftheprincipalarchitectsoftheFed's$3.8trillionmoneydump.Astareconomistknownforhergroundbreakingworkonlabormarkets,Yellenwasakindofprophetessearlyoninthecrisisforherwarningsaboutthesubprime(次級(jí)債)meltdown.NowitwillbeherjobtogettheFedandthemarketsoutofthebiggestandmostunconventionalmonetaryprograminhistorywithoutderailingthefragilerecovery.ThegoodnewsisthatYellen,67,isparticularlywellsuitedtomeetthesechallenges.Shehasakeenunderstandingoffinancialmarkets,anappreciationfortheirimperfectionsandastrongbeliefthathumansufferingwasmorerelatedtounemploymentthananythingelse.SomeexpertsworrythatYellenwillbeinclinedtochaseunemploymenttotheneglectofinflation.Butwithwagesstillrelativelyflatandtheeconomyincreasinglydividedbetweenthewell-offandthelong-termunemployed,morepeopleworryabouttheopposite,deflation(通貨緊縮）thatwouldaggravatetheeconomy'sproblems.Eitherway,theincomingFedchiefwillhavetowalkafinelineinslowlyendingthestimulus.Itmustbesteadyenoughtodeflatebubbles （去泡沫）andbringmarketsbackdowntoearthbutnotsoquickthatitcreatesanothercreditcrisis.UnlikemanypastFedleaders,Yellenisnotonetobuyintothefinanceindustry'sargumentthatitshouldbeleftalonetoregulateitself.SheknowsallalongtheFedhasbeentooslackonregulationoffinance.Yellenislikelytoaddresstheissuerightaftershepushesunemploymentbelow6%,stabilizesmarketsandmakessurethattherecoveryismoreinclusiveandrobust.AsPrincetonProfessorAlanBlindersays,"She'ssmartasawhip,deeplylogical,willingtoarguebutalsoagoodlistener.Shecanpersuadewithoutcreatinghostility."Allthosetraitswillbeusefulastheglobaleconomy'snewpowerplayertakesonitsmostannoyingproblems..WhatdomanypeoplethinkisthebiggestproblemfacingJanetYellen?ALackofmoney.BSubprimecrisis.CUnemployment.DSocialinstability.WhatdidYellenhelptheFeddototacklethe2008financialcrisis?ATakeeffectivemeasurestocurbinflation.BDeflatethebubblesintheAmericaneconomy.CFormulatepoliciestohelpfinancialinstitutions.DPourmoneyintothemarketthroughassetbuying..Whatisagreaterconcernofthegeneralpublic?ARecession.BDeflation.CInequality.DIncome..WhatisYellenlikelytodoinherpositionastheFedchief?ADevelopanewmonetaryprogram.BRestorepublicconfidence.CTightenfinancialregulation.DReformthecreditsystem..HowdoesAlanBlinderportrayYellen?AShepossessesstrongpersuasivepower.BShehasconfidenceinwhatsheisdoing.CSheisoneoftheworld'sgreatesteconomists.DSheisthemostpowerfulFedchiefinhistory.PassageTwoQuestions61to65arebasedonthefollowingpassage.Airpollutionisdeterioratinginmanyplacesaroundtheworld.Thefactthatpublicparksincitiesbecomecrowdedassoonasthesunshinesprovesthatpeoplelongtobreatheingreen,openspaces.Theydonotallknowwhattheyareseekingbuttheyflockthere,nevertheless.And,inthesesurroundings,theyaregenerallybothpeacefulandpeaceable.Itisraretoseepeoplefightinginagarden.Perhapsstruggleunfoldsfirst,notataneconomicorsociallevel,butovertheappropriationofair,essentialtolifeitself.Ifhumanbeingscanbreatheandshareair,theydon'tneedtostrugglewithoneanother.Unfortunately,inourwesterntradition,neithermaterialistnoridealisttheoreticiansgiveenoughconsiderationtothisbasicconditionforlife.Asforpoliticians,despiteproposingcurbsonenvironmentalpollution,theyhavenotyetcalledforittobemadeacrime.Wealthycountriesareevenallowedtopolluteiftheypayforit.Butisourlifeworthanythingotherthanmoney?Theplantworldshowsusinsilencewhatfaithfulnesstolifeconsistsof.Italsohelpsustoanewbeginning,urgingustocareforourbreath,notonlyatavitalbutalsoataspirituallevel.Theinterdependencetowhichwemustpaytheclosestattentionisthatwhichexistsbetweenourselvesandtheplantworld.Oftendescribedas"thelungsoftheplanet",thewoodsthatcovertheearthofferusthegiftofbreathableairbyreleasingoxygen.Buttheircapacitytorenewtheairpollutedbyindustryhaslongreacheditslimit.Ifwelacktheairnecessaryforahealthylife,itisbecausewehavefilleditwithchemicalsandundercuttheabilityofplantstoregenerateit.Asweknow,rapiddeforestationcombinedwiththemassiveburningoffossilfuelsisanexplosiverecipeforanirreversibledisaster.Thefightovertheappropriationofresourceswillleadtheentireplanettohellunlesshumanslearntosharelife,bothwitheachotherandwithplants.Thistaskissimultaneouslyethicalandpoliticalbecauseitcanbedischargedonlywheneachtakesituponherselforhimselfandonlywhenitisaccomplishedtogetherwithothers.Thelessontaughtbyplantsisthatsharinglifeexpandsandenhancesthesphereoftheliving,whiledividinglifeintoso-callednaturalorhumanresourcesdiminishesit.Wemustcometoviewtheair,theplantsandourselvesasthecontributorstothepreservationoflifeandgrowth,ratherthanawebofquantifiableobjectsorproductivepotentialitiesatourdisposal.Perhapsthenwewouldfinallybegintolive,ratherthanbeingconcernedwithbaresurvival..Whatdoestheauthorassumemightbetheprimaryreasonthatpeoplewouldstrugglewitheachother?ATogettheirshareofcleanair.BTopursueacomfortablelife.CTogainahighersocialstatus.DToseekeconomicbenefits..Whatdoestheauthoraccusewesternpoliticiansof?ADeprivingcommonpeopleoftherighttocleanair.BGivingprioritytotheoryratherthanpracticalaction.COfferingpreferentialtreatmenttowealthycountries.DFailingtopasslawstocurbenvironmentalpollution..Whatdoestheauthortrytodrawourclosestattentionto?AThemassiveburningoffossilfuels.BOurrelationshiptotheplantworld.CThecapacityofplantstorenewpollutedair.DLarge-scaledeforestationacrosstheworld..Howcanhumanbeingsaccomplishthegoalofprotectingtheplanetaccordingtotheauthor?AByshowingrespectforplants.BBypreservingallformsoflife.CBytappingallnaturalresources.DBypoolingtheireffortstogether..Whatdoestheauthorsuggestwedoinordernotjusttosurvive?AExpandthesphereofliving.BDevelopnature'spotentials.CSharelifewithnature.DAllocatetheresources.翻譯：Directions:Forthispart,youareallowed30minutestotranslateapassagefromChineseintoEnglish.YoushouldwriteyouransweronAnswerSheet2.中國(guó)傳統(tǒng)的待客之道要求飯菜豐富多樣，讓客人吃不完。中國(guó)宴席上典型的菜單包括開(kāi)席的一套涼菜及其后的熱菜，例如肉類(lèi)、雞鴨、蔬菜等。大多數(shù)宴席上，全魚(yú)被認(rèn)為是必不可少的，除非已經(jīng)上過(guò)各式海鮮。如今，中國(guó)人喜歡把西方特色菜與傳統(tǒng)中式菜肴融于一席，因此牛排上桌也不少見(jiàn)，沙拉也已流行起來(lái)，盡管傳統(tǒng)上中國(guó)人一般不吃任何未經(jīng)烹飪的菜肴，宴席通常至少有一道湯，可以最先或最后上桌。甜點(diǎn)和水果通常標(biāo)志宴席的結(jié)束。作文:Directions:Forthispart,youareallowed30minutestowriteanessaycommentingonthesaying"Knowledgeisatreasure,butpracticeisthekeytoit."Youcangiveanexampleortwotoillustrateyourpointofview.Youshouldwriteatleast150butnomorethan200words.六級(jí)考試試題第二套SectionADirections:Inthissection,thereisapassagewithtenblanks.Youarerequiredtoselectonewordforeachblankfromalistofchoicesgiveninawordbankfollowingthepassage.Readthepassagethroughcarefullybeforemakingyourchoices.Eachchoiceinthebankisidentifiedbyaletter.Youmaynotuseanyofthewordsinthebankmorethanonce.Questions36to45arebasedonthefollowingpassage."Thatwhichdoesnotkillusmakesusstronger."Butparentscan'thandleitwhenteenagersputthis(36)intopractice.Nowtechnologyhasbecomethenewfieldfortheage-oldbattlebetweenadultsandtheirfreedom-seekingkids.Lockedindoors,unabletogetontheirbicyclesandhangoutwiththeirfriends,teenshaveturnedtosocialmediaandtheirmobilephonestosocializewiththeirpeers.Whattheydoonlineoften(37)whattheymightotherwisedoiftheirmobilityweren'tsoheavily(38)intheageofhelicopterparenting.Socialmediaandsmart-phoneappshavebecomesopopularinrecentyearsbecauseteensneedaplacetocalltheirown.Theywantthefreedomto(39)theiridentityandtheworldaroundthem.Insteadof(40)out,theyjumponline.Asteenshavemovedonline,parentshaveprojectedtheirfearsontotheInternet,imaginingallthe(41)dangersthatyouthmightface—from(42)strangerstocruelpeerstopicturesorwordsthatcouldhauntthemonGooglefortherestoftheirlives.Ratherthanhelpingteensdevelopstrategiesfornegotiatingpubliclifeandtherisksof(43)withothers,fearfulparentshavefocusedontracking,monitoringandblocking.Thesetactics(策略)don'thelpteensdeveloptheskillstheyneedtomanagecomplexsocialsituations,(44)risksandgethelpwhenthey'reintrouble."Protecting"kidsmayfeelliketherightthingtodo,butit(45)thelearningthatteensneedtodoastheycomeofageinatechnology-soakedworld.AassessBconstrainedCcontainsDexploreEinfluenceFinteractingGinterpretationHmagnifiedImirrorsJphilosophyKpotentialLsneakingMstickingNunderminesOviolentSectionBDirections:Inthissection,youaregoingtoreadapassagewithtenstatementsattachedtoit.Eachstatementcontainsinformationgiveninoneoftheparagraphs.Identifytheparagraphfromwhichtheinformationisderived.Youmaychooseaparagraphmorethanonce.Eachparagraphismarkedwithaletter.InequalityIsNotInevitableAdangeroustrendhasdevelopedoverthispastthirdofacentury.AcountrythatexperiencedsharedgrowthafterWorldWarIIbegantotearapart,somuchsothatwhentheGreatRecessionhitinlate2007,onecouldnolongerignorethedivisionthathadcometodefinetheAmericaneconomiclandscape.Howdidthis"shiningcityonahill"becometheadvancedcountrywiththegreatestlevelofinequality?Overthepastyearandahalf,TheGreatdivide,aseriesinTheNewYorkTimes,haspresentedawiderangeofexamplesthatunderminethenotionthatthereareanytrulyfundamentallawsofcapitalism.Thedynamicsoftheimperialcapitalismofthe19thcenturyneedn'tapplyinthedemocraciesofthe21st.wedon'tneedtohavethismuchinequalityinAmerica.Ourcurrentbrandofcapitalismisafakecapitalism.ForproofofthisgobacktoourresponsetotheGreatRecession,wherewesocializedlosses,evenasweprivatizedgains.Perfectcompetitionshoulddriveprofitstozero,atleasttheoretically,butwehavemonopoliesmakingpersistentlyhighprofits.C.E.O.senjoyincomesthatareonaverage295timesthatofthetypicalworker,amuchhigherratiothaninthepast,withoutanyevidenceofaproportionateincreaseinproductivity.IfitisnotthecruellawsofeconomicsthathaveledtoAmerica'sgreatdivide,whatisit?Thestraightforwardanswer:ourpoliciesandourpolitics.PeoplegettiredofhearingaboutScandinaviansuccessstories,butthefactofthematteristhatSweden,FinlandandNorwayhaveallsucceededinhavingaboutasmuchorfastergrowthinpercapita（人均的）incomesthantheUnitedStatesandwithfargreaterequality.SowhyhasAmericachosentheseinequality-enhancingpolicies?PartoftheansweristhatasWorldWarIIfadedintomemory,sotoodidthesolidarityithadcreated.AsAmericatriumphedintheColdWar,theredidn'tseemtobearealcompetitortooureconomicmodel.Withoutthisinternationalcompetition,wenolongerhadtoshowthatoursystemcoulddeliverformostofourcitizens.Ideologyandinterestscombinedviciously.SomedrewthewronglessonfromthecollapseoftheSovietsystemin1991.Thependulumswungfrommuchtoomuchgovernmenttheretomuchtoolittlehere.Corporateinterestsarguedforgettingridofregulations,evenwhenthoseregulationshaddonesomuchtoprotectandimproveourenvironment,oursafety,ourhealthandtheeconomyitself.Butthisideologywashypocritical（虛偽的）.Thebankers,amongthestrongestadvocatesoflaissez-faire（自由放任的）economics,wereonlytoowillingtoaccepthundredsofbillionsofdollarsfromthegovernmentintheaidprogramsthathavebeenarecurringfeatureoftheglobaleconomysincethebeginningoftheThatcher-Reaganeraof"free"marketsandderegulation.TheAmericanpoliticalsystemisoverrunbymoney.Economicinequalitytranslatesintopoliticalinequality,andpoliticalinequalityyieldsincreasingeconomicinequality.Socorporatewelfareincreasesaswereducewelfareforthepoor.Congressmaintainssubsidiesforrichfarmersaswecutbackonnutritionalsupportfortheneedy.DrugcompanieshavebeengivenhundredsofbillionsofdollarsaswelimitMedicaidbenefits.Thebanksthatbroughtontheglobalfinancialcrisisgotbillionswhileatinybitwenttothehomeownersandvictimsofthesamebanks'predatory（掠奪性的）lendingpractices.Thislastdecisionwasparticularlyfoolish.Therewerealternativestothrowingmoneyatthebanksandhopingitwouldcirculatethroughincreasedlending.Ourdivisionsaredeep.Economicandgeographicsegregationhasimmunizedthoseatthetopfromtheproblemsofthosedownbelow.Likethekingsofancienttimes,theyhavecometoperceivetheirprivilegedpositionsessentiallyasanaturalright.Oureconomy,ourdemocracyandoursocietyhavepaidforthesegrossinequalities.Thetruetestofaneconomyisnothowmuchwealthitsprincescanaccumulateintaxhavens（庇護(hù)所）,buthowwelloffthetypicalcitizenis.Butaverageincomesarelowerthantheywereaquarter-centuryago.Growthhasgonetothevery,verytop,whosesharehasalmostincreasedfourtimessince1980.Moneythatwasmeanttohavetrickled（流淌）downhasinsteadevaporatedintheagreeableclimateoftheCaymanIslands.WithalmostaquarterofAmericanchildrenyoungerthan5livinginpoverty,andwithAmericadoingsolittleforitspoor,thedeprivationsofonegenerationarebeingvisiteduponthenext.Ofcourse,nocountryhasevercomeclosetoprovidingcompleteequalityofopportunity.ButwhyisAmericaoneoftheadvancedcountrieswherethelifeprospectsoftheyoungaremostsharplydeterminedbytheincomeandeducationoftheirparents?AmongthemostbitterstoriesinTheGreatDividewerethosethatportrayedthefrustrationsoftheyoung,wholongtoenterourshrinkingmiddleclass.Soaringtuitionsanddecliningincomeshaveresultedinlargerdebtburdens.Thosewithonlyahighschooldiplomahaveseentheirincomesdeclineby13percentoverthepast35years.Wherejusticeisconcerned,thereisalsoahugedivide.Intheeyesoftherestoftheworldandasignificantpartofitsownpopulation,massimprisonmenthascometodefineAmerica—acountry,itbearsrepeating,withabout5percentoftheworld'spopulationbutaroundafourthoftheworld'sprisoners.Justicehasbecomeacommodity,affordabletoonlyafew.WhileWallStreetexecutivesusedtheirexpensivelawyerstoensurethattheirrankswerenotheldaccountableforthemisdeedsthatthecrisisin2008sographicallyrevealed,thebanksabusedourlegalsystemtoforeclose(取消贖回權(quán))onmortgagesandejecttenants,someofwhomdidnotevenowe