2007 考研英语 Text 3｜站在悬崖边的美国中产
主旨
过去一代人中，曾靠勤劳和公平竞争就能保持财务安全的美国中产家庭，被经济风险和新现实改变：一张解雇通知、一次坏诊断、配偶离去，几个月就能让中产变成新贫 → 数百万母亲出去工作改变了家庭经济，却很少有人注意到副作用：双薪家庭把预算用到极限，失去了过去的”降落伞”（主要收入者失业时可以出去工作的后备收入者）→ 同时，家庭还要承担更多退休收入风险（利率、股市波动、钱不够养老），布什推动社保改为储蓄账户模式，医疗成本和健康储蓄计划的投资风险也在上升，照顾体弱老人的概率更是翻了八倍 → 在中产看来，这不是承担更多财务责任的机会，而是把财务风险全面转嫁到他们本已不堪重负的肩上；财务后果已经显现，政治后果也许随之而来。
原文：2007 Text 3 · 话题：经济 / 社会 · 答案：31 A｜32 B｜33 D｜34 C｜35 B
一、核心词
| 词 | 本文义 | 原文搭配 | 拆解 / 记忆 |
|---|---|---|---|
| financially adv. | 财务上 | could count on hard work and fair play to keep itself financially secure | finance |
| transform v. | 改变 | has been transformed by economic risk and new realities | trans- + form |
| diagnosis n. | 诊断 | a pink slip, a bad diagnosis, or a disappearing spouse | dia 穿过 + gnosis 知道 |
| spouse n. | 配偶 | a pink slip, a bad diagnosis, or a disappearing spouse | |
| solidly adv. | 稳固地 | from solidly middle class to newly poor | solid |
| implication n. | 影响 | the social implications of these changes | |
| budget v. | 做预算 | have budgeted to the limits of their new two-paycheck status | |
| paycheck n. | 薪水 | have budgeted to the limits of their new two-paycheck status | pay + check |
| parachute n. | 降落伞 → 保障 | they have lost the parachute they once had in times of financial setback | para 防 + chute 降落 |
| setback n. | 挫折 | they have lost the parachute they once had in times of financial setback | set back 阻碍 |
| earner n. | 挣钱养家者 | a back-up earner | earn |
| disability n. | 残疾 | disability insurance | dis- + ability |
| disruption n. | 中断 | a disruption to family fortunes | dis- + rupt 断 |
| absorb v. | 承担，吸收 | families have been asked to absorb much more risk in their retirement income | ab- + sorb 吸 |
| retirement n. | 退休 | families have been asked to absorb much more risk in their retirement income | retire |
| fluctuation n. | 波动 | stock market fluctuation | fluct 流动 |
| harsh adj. | 残酷的 | the harsh reality that they may outlive their retirement money | |
| outlive v. | 比……活得长 | the harsh reality that they may outlive their retirement money | out 超过 + live |
| guaranteed adj. | 有保障的 | with retirees trading much or all of their guaranteed payments | guarantee |
| deductible n. | （保险）免赔额 | with much higher deductibles | deduct 扣除 |
| demographics n. | 人口统计特征 | Even demographics are working against the middle class family | demo 人民 + graph 写 |
| attendant adj. | 随之而来的 | all the attendant need for physical and financial assistance | attend 伴随 |
| eightfold adv. | 八倍地 | have jumped eightfold in just one generation | eight + -fold 倍 |
| perspective n. | 视角 | From the middle-class family perspective | per- + spect 看 |
| acceleration n. | 加速 | a frightening acceleration of the wholesale shift of financial risk | accelerate |
| overburdened adj. | 负担过重的 | their already overburdened shoulders | over + burden |
二、搭配与写作迁移
| 原文表达 | 含义 | 写作迁移 |
|---|---|---|
| count on A to do | 依靠 A 来做 | We can’t count on luck to solve the problem. |
| keep oneself financially secure | 保持财务安全 | |
| reduce A from B to C | 使 A 从 B 沦为 C | |
| of all stripes | 各种类型的 | people of all stripes |
| the side effect | 副作用 | the side effects of fast development |
| budget to the limits | 预算做到极限 | |
| in times of | 在……时期 | in times of crisis |
| get laid off | 被解雇 | |
| fall sick | 生病 | |
| weather bad times | 度过困难时期 | weather the storm |
| make up with | 用……弥补 | |
| absorb more risk | 承担更多风险 | |
| trade A for B | 用 A 换 B | trade freedom for security |
| depend on investment returns | 依赖投资回报 | |
| The picture is not any better. | 情况也好不到哪里去 | |
| work against | 对……不利 | Time is working against us. |
| the odds of doing | 做……的概率 | |
| look far less like A and a good deal more like B | 与其说像 A，不如说像 B | |
| shift A onto B | 把 A 转嫁给 B | shift the burden onto consumers |
| not be far behind | 紧随其后 |
三、熟词僻义
- pink slip 解雇通知单（≠粉红色纸条）：a pink slip, a bad diagnosis, or a disappearing spouse
- stripe n. 类型（of all stripes，≠条纹）：critics of all stripes
- weather v. 平安度过（≠天气 n.）：to help families weather bad times
- fortune n. 财务状况（≠命运）：a disruption to family fortunes
- bear v. 承担（borne，≠熊）：the share of it borne by families
- dose n. 一份，一定量（≠药剂量）：a large new dose of investment risk
- wholesale adj. 全面的（≠批发的）：the wholesale shift of financial risk
- fallout n. 后果（≠放射性尘埃）：The financial fallout has begun
四、题目与选项词
| 词 / 搭配 | 义 | 出处 | 拆解 / 记忆 |
|---|---|---|---|
| double-income adj. | 双收入的 | Q31 题干 | |
| safety net | 安全网，保障 | Q31 [A] | |
| vulnerable adj. | 易受伤害的 | Q31 [C] | |
| be deprived of | 被剥夺 | Q31 [D] | |
| secured adj. | 有保障的 | Q32 [B] | |
| popularize v. | 普及 | Q33 [B] | popular + -ize |
| compensate for | 弥补 | Q33 [C] | |
| pension n. | 养老金 | Q33 [C] | |
| outweigh v. | 超过 | Q34 [A] | |
| on the alert | 保持警惕 | Q35 [A] | |
| on the cliff | 在悬崖边 | Q35 [B] | |
| in ruins | 毁灭 | Q35 [D] |
五、同义替换：原文 → 正确项
| 题 | 原文 | 正确项 |
|---|---|---|
| 31 A | they have lost the parachute they once had in times of financial setback | the safety net they used to enjoy has disappeared |
| 32 B | with retirees trading much or all of their guaranteed payments | less secured payments |
| 33 D | with much higher deductibles / a large new dose of investment risk | increase the families’ investment risk |
| 34 C | The financial fallout has begun / the political fallout may not be far behind | financial problems may bring about political problems |
| 35 B | from solidly middle class to newly poor / their already overburdened shoulders | The Middle Class on the Cliff |
六、长难句
① 主语带 that 定语从句 + 完成时被动（开篇）
During the past generation, the American middle-class family that once could count on hard work and fair play to keep itself financially secure has been transformed by economic risk and new realities.
- 主干：the American middle-class family has been transformed by economic risk and new realities
- that once could count on …：定语从句修饰 family；count on A to do 依靠 A 做
- 译：过去一代人中，曾经可以依靠勤奋工作和公平竞争来保持财务安全的美国中产家庭，已被经济风险和新的现实所改变。
② 省略关系词的定语从句 + 破折号同位语 + who 定语从句（Q31 出处）
As a result, they have lost the parachute they once had in times of financial setback – a back-up earner (usually Mom) who could go into the workforce if the primary earner got laid off or fell sick.
- 主干：they have lost the parachute
- (that) they once had …：省略关系词的定语从句
- 破折号后：a back-up earner，是 parachute 的同位语，解释”降落伞”指什么
- who could go into the workforce if …：定语从句修饰 earner，内含条件状语从句
- 译：结果，她们失去了过去在财务受挫时拥有的”降落伞”：一个后备的收入者（通常是妈妈），能在主要收入者被解雇或生病时出去工作。
③ look far less like A and a good deal more like B（Q35 背景）
From the middle-class family perspective, much of this, understandably, looks far less like an opportunity to exercise more financial responsibility, and a good deal more like a frightening acceleration of the wholesale shift of financial risk onto their already overburdened shoulders.
- 主干：much of this looks far less like A and a good deal more like B
- understandably：插入，“可以理解的是”
- the wholesale shift of financial risk onto …：shift A onto B 把 A 转嫁给 B
- 译：从中产家庭的角度看，这一切可以理解地显得不太像是承担更多财务责任的机会，而更像是在令人恐惧地加速把财务风险全面转嫁到他们本已不堪重负的肩上。
七、句型
- Now A, B, or C can reduce a family from … to … in a few months.（极言风险之大） 原句：Now a pink slip, a bad diagnosis, or a disappearing spouse can reduce a family from solidly middle class to newly poor in a few months. 套用：Now a serious illness can reduce a family from comfortable to poor in a few months.
- A have debated …, but few have looked at the side effect: …（揭示被忽视的一面） 原句：Scholars, policymakers, and critics of all stripes have debated the social implications of these changes, but few have looked at the side effect: family risk has risen as well. 套用：Many have debated the benefits of online learning, but few have looked at the side effect: students feel more isolated.
- But today, A can no longer be made up with …（今昔对比） 原句：But today, a disruption to family fortunes can no longer be made up with extra income from an otherwise-stay-at-home partner. 套用：Today, a lack of skills can no longer be made up with hard work alone.
- For younger families, the picture is not any better.（递进） 原句：For younger families, the picture is not any better. 套用：For rural students, the picture is not any better.
- Even demographics are working against A.（连……也不利） 原句：Even demographics are working against the middle class family 套用：Even the weather seems to be working against the farmers.
- The financial fallout has begun, and the political fallout may not be far behind.（预警收尾） 原句：The financial fallout has begun, and the political fallout may not be far behind. 套用：The environmental damage has begun, and the health crisis may not be far behind.