1 You have to have lived in the 1950s and 1960s to have experienced a good economy. In the period between 1950 and 1970 it was the rulerather than the exceptionthat an ordinary family, without higher education, could sustain itself decently on the income of a single breadwinner(养家糊口的人). In 1955, when I was 19 and living in Brooklyn, N. Y., my father, who had a sixth-grade education, maintained our family of five on a wage of $82 a week as a bookbinder. My mother taught us fairness and compassion; my father, discipline and enterprise.
2 The U. S. economy in those years was good. Then where did this good economy go? It was inflated away. The price of gold, which I take as proxy for the prices of all goods, was $35 an ounce in those years. It is at roughly ten times that price today.
3 There is another answer, though: inflation caused the entire work force to be moved into higher tax groups, thus reducing after-tax purchasing power. That is, my fathers bindery job in1954 paid $82 a week, with $80 after deductions; today, at $ 820 per week the net would be $662.
4 To ordinary people, the economy doesnt look very good at all. After-tax incomes continue to decrease in purchasing power. The jobs offered in the employment ads pay only a little more than the minimum wage, maybe $5 an hour, which, after payroll deductions, yields $4 an hour. Compare that with minimum-wage jobs of the early 1950s, when 75 cents was worth todays $7.50 before and after taxes.
Notes
1 Brooklyn: a district of New York city
2 inflate:通货膨胀
3 proxy: the authority to act for another
4 payroll: a list of employees and the wages due to each
2013年职称英语考试综合类的阅读通关指导2
2013职称英语综合类的经典阅读理解模拟题3
2013职称英语综合类的阅读理解考前强化题()
2013职称英语综合类的B级阅读理解模拟题3
2013年职称英语考试综合类的阅读通关指导11
2013年职称英语考试综合类的阅读通关指导1
2013职称英语综合类的阅读理解考前强化题9
2013年职称英语考试综合类的阅读通关指导12
2013年职称英语综合类的阅读理解习题及答案2
2013职称英语综合类的阅读理解考前强化题10
2013年职称英语考试综合类的阅读通关指导3
2013年职称英语综合类的阅读理解习题及答案1
2013职称英语综合类的阅读理解备考练习题1
2013职称英语综合类的阅读理解考前强化题7
2013职称英语综合类的阅读理解通关模拟题4
2013职称英语综合类的经典阅读理解模拟题7
2013职称英语综合类的A级阅读理解模拟题3
2014年职称英语综合类的阅读理解练习题5
2013职称英语综合类的B级阅读理解模拟题2
2013年职称英语考试综合类的阅读通关指导6
2013职称英语综合类的阅读理解通关模拟题2
2013年职称英语考试综合类的阅读通关指导7
2013职称英语综合类的阅读理解备考练习题5
2014年职称英语综合类的阅读理解练习题4
2013职称英语综合类的经典阅读理解模拟题10
2014年职称英语综合类的阅读理解练习题3
2013职称英语综合类的阅读理解通关模拟题1
2013职称英语综合类的B级阅读理解模拟题1
2013职称英语综合类的经典阅读理解模拟题4
2013职称英语综合类的阅读理解通关模拟题3
| 不限 |
| 英语教案 |
| 英语课件 |
| 英语试题 |
| 不限 |
| 不限 |
| 上册 |
| 下册 |
| 不限 |