Passage 10
The poverty line is the minimum income that people need for an acceptable standard of living. People with incomes below the poverty line are considered poor. Economists study the causes of poverty in order to find solutions to the problem.
As the general standard of living in the country rises, the poverty line does, too. Therefore, even with todays relatively high standard of living, about 10 percent of the people in the United States are below the poverty line. However, if these people had stable jobs, they could have an acceptable standard of living. Economists suggest several reasons why poor people do not have jobs.
For one thing, more than half of the poor people in the United States are not qualified to work. Over 40 percent of the poor people are children. By law, children less than 16 years old cannot work in many industries. A large number of poor people are old. Many companies do not hire people over 65 years old, the normal retirement age.
Some poor adults do not look for jobs for a variety of personal reasons: they are sick, they do not have any motivation. they have family problems, or they do notbelieve that they can find a job.
Other poor people look for a job but cannot find one. Many poor adults never went to high school. Therefore, when they look for jobs, they have few skills that they can offer.
At the present time, the government thinks it can reduce poverty in the country in the following ways.
First, if the national economy grows, businesses and industries hire more workers. Some of the poor who are qualified to look for jobs may find employment. Then they will no longer be below the poverty line.
Second, if society invests in the poor, the poor will become more productive. If the government spends money on social programs, education, and training for poor people, the poor will have the skills to offer. Then it is more likely that they can find jobs.
Finally, if the government distributes societys income differently, it raises some poor people above the poverty line. The government collects taxes from the non-poor and gives money to the poor. These payments to the poor are called welfare. In 1975 over 18 million people in the United States received welfare.
Some economists are looking for better solutions to the poverty problem. However, at the present time, many people depend on welfare for a minimally acceptable standard of living.
2009中考英语词汇短语集锦 (2)
初中英语常用词组2 介词短语词组
09年中考英语总复习经典习题讲解1一冠词
2009中考英语词汇表 系列M
2009中考英语词汇表 系列S
09年中考英语总复习经典习题讲解3一冠词
中考英语词汇--“美味水果”大聚会
十个窍门积累英语词汇
09年中考英语总复习经典习题讲解5一代词
初中英语常用词组复习2
2010年中考英语词汇旧词新义:deal
2009中考英语词汇短语集锦 (1)
常用英语词语辨析105组(4)
2010年中考英语词汇旧词新义:blind
09年中考英语总复习经典习题讲解2一名词
常用英语词语辨析105组(11)
初中英语短语汇总 A- Y
2009最新中考英语单项填空模拟考试卷 附详解答案
09年中考英语总复习经典习题讲解4一数词
初中英语常用词组复习1
2010年中考英语词汇熟词新义:start
2009中考英语词汇表 系列PQ
英乐时空Here I Am
2009中考英语词汇表 系列W
2010年中考英语词汇旧词新义:cause
常用英语词语辨析105组(3)
常用英语词语辨析105组(5)
张惠妹《排山倒海》英文版
“爱”成中学生作文出现频率最高词汇
09年英语短语集中联想记忆110条
不限 |
英语教案 |
英语课件 |
英语试题 |
不限 |
不限 |
上册 |
下册 |
不限 |