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  3. The differences in living standards around the world are vast. In 1993, the average American had an income of about $25, 000. In

The differences in living standards around the world are vast. In 1993, the average American had an income of about $25, 000. In

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问题     The differences in living standards around the world are vast. In 1993, the average American had an income of about $25, 000. In the same year, the average Mexican earned $7, 000, and the average Nigerian earned $1, 500. Not surprisingly, this large variation in average income is reflected in various measures of the quality of life. Changes in living standards over time are also large. In the United States, incomes have historically grown about 2 percent per year(after adjusting for changes in the cost of living). At this rate, average income doubles every 35 years. In some countries, economic growth has been even more rapid. In Japan, for instance, average income has doubled in the past 20 years, and in South Korea it has doubled in the past 10 years.
    What explains these large differences in living standards among countries and over time? The answer is surprisingly simple. Almost all variation in living standards is attributable to differences in countries’ productivity—that is, the amount of goods and services produced from each hour of a worker’s time. In nations where workers can produce a large quantity of goods and services per unit of time, most people enjoy a high standard of living; in nations where workers are less productive, most people must endure a more meager existence. Similarly, the growth rate of a nation’s productivity determines the growth rate of its average income.
    The fundamental relationship between productivity and living standards is simple, but its implications are far-reaching. If productivity is the primary determinant of living standards, other explanations must be of secondary importance. For example, people might think that labor unions or minimum-wage laws contributed to the rise in living standards of American workers over the past century. Yet the real hero of American workers is their rising productivity.
    The relationship between productivity and living standards also has great implications for public policy. When thinking about how any policy will affect living standards, the key question is how it will affect our ability to produce goods and services. To improve living standards, policymakers need to raise productivity by ensuring that workers are well educated, have the tools needed to produce goods and services, and have access to the best available technology.
The study of the relationship between productivity and living standards is significant because______.
选项 A、it calls policymakers’ attention to a qualified work force
B、it encourages workers to get better education
C、it helps improve the workers’ ability to produce goods and services
D、it enables policymakers to access the latest technology
答案A
解析 根据题干信号词The study of the relationship between productivity and living standards is significant可回文定位到第四段首句The relationship between productivity and living standards also has great implications for public policy(生产率与生活水平之间的关系对于公共政策也有着巨大意义)。但鉴于原因分析题的解题思路是关注回文定位信息的上文件或下文(尤其下文)，考生可继续向下阅读，锁定本段第二句为本题目的“题眼”，即原因：When thinking about how any policy will affect living standards，the key question is how it will affect our ability to produce goods and services(在思考如何利用政策提高生活水平时，一个关键性的问题是该政策如何提高我们生产产品和提供服务的能力)。由此句可知，“对生产率与生活水平关系的研究”已经使得“决策者”不再仅仅思考“如何提高生活水平”，而是开始将思考转向“如何提高我们劳动力的素质”上来，可见“对生产率与生活水平关系的研究”引起了决策者们对劳动力质量的关注，故A项正确。请考生注意题眼与A项的信息对应：Thinking about暗含的逻辑主语是policymakers，对应A项中的policymakers；Thinking about与the key question(思考的一个关键问题，即暗含“关注”之意)，对应calls…attention to；our ability to produce goods and services(我们生产产品和提供服务的能力)对应a qualified work force(劳动力质量)。
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