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1、短文阅读2007年6月23日大学英语六级真题PassageOneQuestions52to56arebasedonthefollowingpassage.Youheartherefrainallthetime:theU.S.economylooksgoodstatistically,butitdoesn'tfeelgood.Whydoesn'tever-greaterwealthpromoteever-greaterhappiness?Itisaquestionthatdatesatleasttotheappearance
2、in1958ofTheAffluent（富裕的）SocietybyJohnKennethGalbraith,whodiedrecentlyat97.TheAffluentSocietyisamodernclassicbecauseithelpeddefineanewmomentinthehumancondition.Formostofhistory,"hunger,sickness,andcolcTthreatenednearlyeveryone,Galbraithwrote."Povertywasfoundeverywh
3、ereinthatworld.Obviouslyitisnotofours：AfterWorldWarII，thedreadofanotherGreatDepressiongavewaytoaneconomicboom.Inthe1930sunemploymenthadaveraged18.2percent;inthe1950sitwas4.5percent.ToGalbraith,materialismhadgonemadandwouldbreeddiscontent.Throughadvertising,compani
4、esconditionedconsumerstobuythingstheydidn^treallywantorneed.Becausesomuchspendingwasartificial,itwouldbeunfulfilling.Meanwhile,governmentspendingthatwouldmakeeveryonebetteroffwasbeingcutdownbecausepeopleinstinctively一andwrongly一labeledgovernmentonlyas“anecessaryev
5、iL^^Ifsoftensaidthatonlythericharegettingahead;everyoneelseisstandingstillorfallingbehind.Well,therearemanyundeservingrich一overpaidchiefexecutives,forinstance.Butoveranymeaningfulperiod,mostpeople'sincomesareincreasing.From1995to2004,inflation-adjustedaveragefamil
6、yincomerose14.3percent,to$43,200.peoplefeel"squeezed^becausetheirrisingincomesoftendon'tsatisfytheirrisingwants一forbiggerhomes,morehealthcare,moreeducation,fasterInternetconnections.Theothergreatfrustrationisthatithasnoteliminatedinsecurity.Peopleregardjobstabilit
7、yaspartoftheirstandardofliving.Ascorporatelayoffsincreased,thatparthaseroded・Moreworkersfeartheyebecome"thedisposableAmerican/'asLouisUchitelleputsitinhisbookbythesamename.Becausesomuchprevioussufferingandsocialconflictstemmedfrompoverty,thearrivalofwidespreadaff
8、luencesuggestedutopian（乌托邦式的）possibilities.Uptoapoint,affluencesucceeds.Thereismuchlesphysicalmiserythanbefore.Peoplearebetteroff.Unfortunately,affluenc
