歷年考研英語(yǔ)閱讀理解2007年03

[00:00:02]2007黑暗版歷年閱讀真題解析第三篇 [00:00.81]During the past generation, [00:02.52]the American middle-class family that once could count on hard work [00:07.18]and fair play to keep itself financially secure [00:11.09]has been transformed by economic risk and new realities. [00:15.32]Now a pink slip, a bad diagnosis, [00:18.01]or a disappearing spouse can reduce a family from solidly middle class [00:23.31]to newly poor in a few months. [00:26.25]In just one generation, millions of mothers have gone to work, [00:30.89]transforming basic family economics. [00:33.95]Scholars, policymakers, [00:36.39]and critics of all stripes have debated the social implications of these changes, [00:42.15]but few have looked at the side effect: [00:45.50]family risk has risen as well. [00:48.22]Today’s families have budgeted to the limits [00:51.59]of their new two-paycheck status. [00:54.05]As a result, they have lost the parachute they once had in times of financial setback— [01:00.36]a back-up earner (usually Mom) who could go into the workforce if the primary earner [01:06.45]got laid off on fell sick. [01:09.35]This “added-worker effect” could support the safety net offered by unemployment insurance [01:15.42]or disability insurance to help families weather bad times. [01:20.16]But today, a disruption to family fortunes can no longer be made up [01:25.53]with extra income from an otherwise-stay-at-home partner. [01:30.40]During the same period, [01:33.04]families have been asked to absorb much more risk in their retirement income. [01:39.47]Steelworkers, [01:41.02]airline employees, [01:42.50]and now those it the auto industry are joining millions of families [01:47.37]who must worry about interest rates, [01:50.04]stock market fluctuation, [01:52.05]and the harsh reality that they may outlive their retirement money. [01:56.71]For much of the past year, [01:58.73]President Bush campaigned to move Social Security to a savings-account model, [02:04.39]with retirees trading much or all of their guaranteed payments [02:09.66]for payments depending on investment returns. [02:13.30]For younger families, [02:14.87]the picture is not any better. [02:17.00]Both the absolute cost of healthcare and share of it borne [02:21.78]by families have risen— [02:23.80]and newly fashionable health-savings plans are spreading [02:27.42]from legislative halls to Wal-Mart workers, [02:31.09]with much higher deductibles and a large new dose of investment risk [02:36.58]for families’ future healthcare. [02:39.50]Even demographics are working against the middle class family, [02:43.52]as the odds of having a weak elderly parent— [02:46.86]and all the attendant need for physical and financial assistance— [02:51.23]have jumped eightfold in just one generation. [02:54.75]From the middle-class family perspective, much of this, [02:58.74]understandably, looks far less like an opportunity to exercise more financial responsibility, [03:05.75]and a good deal more like a frightening acceleration [03:09.72]of the wholesale shift of financial risk onto their already overburdened shoulders. [03:15.92]The financial fallout has begun, and the political fallout may not be far behind.

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