007版--2012年12月英语六级阅读真题(全三套及答案详解).docVIP

2012年12月英语六级第一套深度阅读真题 Section B Passage One Questions 52 to 56 are based on the following passage. Whos poor in America? Thats a question hard to answer. Hard because theres no conclusive definition of poverty. Low income matters, though how low is unclear. Poverty is also a state of mind that fosters self-defeating behavior-bad work habits, family breakdowns, and addictions. Finally, poverty results from bad luck: accidents, job losses, disability. Despite povertys messiness, weve measured progress against it by a single statistic: the federal poverty line. By this measure, we havent made much progress. But the apparent lack of progress is misleading for two reasons. First, it ignores immigration. Many immigrants are poor and low-skilled. They add to the poor. From 1989 to 2007, about three quarters of the increase in the poverty population occurred among Hispanics（西班牙裔美国人）-mostly immigrants and their children. Second, the poors material well-being has improved. The official poverty measure obscures this by counting only pre-tax cash income and ignoring other sources of support, including food stamps and housing subsidies. Although many poor live from hand to mouth, theyve participated in rising living standards. In 2005, 91% had microwaves. 79% air-conditioning, and 48% cell phones. The existing poverty line could be improved by adding some income sources and subtracting some expenses. Unfortunately, the administrations proposal for a supplemental poverty measure in 2011 goes beyond that. The new poverty number would compound public confusion. It also raises questions about whether the statistic is tailored to favor a political agenda. The supplemental measure ties the poverty threshold to what the poorest third of Americans spend on food, housing, clothing, and utilities. The actual threshold will probably be higher than todays poverty line. Many Americans would find this weird: people get richer, but poverty stays stuck.. What produces this outcome is a