首页
外语
计算机
考研
公务员
职业资格
财经
工程
司法
医学
专升本
自考
实用职业技能
登录
外语
(1) Compared with the systems in other industrialized countries, the American unemployment-insurance (UI) scheme pays lower bene
(1) Compared with the systems in other industrialized countries, the American unemployment-insurance (UI) scheme pays lower bene
admin
2018-06-29
52
问题
(1) Compared with the systems in other industrialized countries, the American unemployment-insurance (UI) scheme pays lower benefits for less time and to a smaller share of the unemployed. In expansions this encourages the jobless to return quickly to work—and unemployed Americans do indeed work harder at finding jobs than their European counterparts (see chart). But in recessions, when there is less work to return to, it causes hardship. Like America’s training system, UI is ripe for attention from the incoming Obama administration.
(2) Like much of the social safety net, the current UI system was a product of Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal. States were prodded to provide benefits in accordance with federal guidelines; in return the federal government paid their administrative costs. But the system has not kept up with changes in America’s labor force.
(3) States often require beneficiaries to have worked or earned an amount that disqualifies many part-time and low-wage workers. They also disqualify people seeking only part-time work—even though many people now work part-time for family reasons. Benefits typically last for only six months, more than enough time to find a new job in normal times but not in recessions. Extended benefits kick in automatically when unemployment reaches certain thresholds, but those thresholds are so high that they are almost never triggered.
(4) Congress therefore has to pass special legislation to extend benefits, as it did twice last year, but political wrangling often delays such action. In the week that ended on December 20th, 586,000 workers filed a first claim for unemployment benefits, the largest number for 26 years. Yet such claimants are, in one sense, lucky: typically, 60% of unemployed people don’t qualify for the benefits at all.
(5) Unemployment insurance is one of the economy’s most important automatic stabilisers, helping to maintain household purchasing power when the economy weakens. But that role is impaired by the short duration of benefits and their skimpy level. At just under $ 300, the average weekly benefit is less than half the average private-sector wage. Mississippi’s maximum benefit of $ 230 is not much more than the federal poverty threshold of $200 for an individual. Benefits are low, in part, because they are financed by payroll taxes that states levy on their employers. States don’t like to raise such taxes, even when times are good. But that means they lack the funds to pay benefits when times are bad, forcing them to raise other taxes or borrow from the federal government, as some 30 states are now considering.
(6) One of the best features of America’s system is "experience rating": employers that frequently lay workers off must pay higher payroll taxes, thereby discouraging such lay-offs. But according to Alan Krueger of Princeton, many states have neutered that feature by charging most employers the lowest tax rate.
(7) Several moves are afoot to mend the flaws in the UI system. Under a bill put forward by Jim McDermott, a congressman from Seattle, the government would offer cash incentives to states to expand eligibility to part-time workers and make the benefit formula more generous. A second bill would significantly expand eligibility for the 46-year old Trade Adjustment Assistance programme, for example by including service-sector workers and providing more generous benefits. Both measures passed the House of Representatives but stalled in the Senate. As a senator, Barack Obama backed both. As president, he might make them reality.
Which of the following has the highest threshold?
选项
A、Mississippi’s maximum benefit.
B、The average weekly benefit.
C、The federal poverty threshold.
D、Half the average private-sector wage.
答案
D
解析
推断题。本题考查的信息在第五段第三、四句处。[A]中“Mississippi’s maximum benefit”是230美元;[B]中“The average weekly benefit”为“At just under $300”,比300美元稍低,所以要比230美元高;[C]中“The federal poverty threshold”为200美元;[D]中“Half the average private-sector wage”比“the average weekly benefit”要高,那么就是这几项当中最高的,有可能超过300美元,故答案为[D]。
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/KEEK777K
0
专业英语八级
相关试题推荐
PassageTwo
ItisquiteafeattobeinvisiblewhileoccupyingsubstantialbuildingsincentralLondonflankingtheRoyalAcademyofArts.B
PassageFourWhat’sthecharacterofBritishaccordingtotheauthor?
PassageThreeWhatqualitydoesVirginiuslackaccordingtoParagraphThree?
OfalltheextraordinaryeventsinthelifeofJohnPaulII,fewcancomparewiththe21minuteshespentinacellinRome’sRe
OfalltheextraordinaryeventsinthelifeofJohnPaulII,fewcancomparewiththe21minuteshespentinacellinRome’sRe
DetroitseemstobewhereWallStreetmeetsMainStreet.TightcreditisreckonedtohavecosttheAmericancarmakers40,000sal
Poetrycanbecomparedtopainting.Whenyoulookataworkofart,youfirstseeitforwhatitis—adepictionofaperson,an
Englishisoneoftheworld’smostwidelyspokenlanguages.ThisispartlybecauseitwasthelanguageoftheBritishEmpire.T
Cellscannotremainaliveoutsidecertainlimitsoftemperatureandmuchnarrowerlimitsmarktheboundariesofeffectivefunc
随机试题
男性,60岁。2年前曾因脑梗死住院治疗,此后常进食呛咳,1周前出现咳嗽、咳痰。体检:双下肺可闻及湿啰音,胸片示双下肺肺炎治疗上除抗感染等处理外,应
中药中存在较普遍的芳香族有机酸有
劳动者进入密闭空间作业时,用人单位应采取综合措施,消除或减少密闭空间的职业危害,下列关于密闭空间作业安全措施的说法中,错误的是()。
上海申申贸易公司从意大利进口一批“固本”牌钙片(保健品、预包装),则这批货物入境报检时,须出示的证件不包括( )。
甲公司2015年12月31口库存配件100套,每套配件的账面成本为12万元,市场价格为10万元。该批配件可用于加工100件A产品,将每套配件加工成A产品尚需投入17万元。A产品2015年12月31日的市场价格为每件28.7万元,估计销售过程中每件将发生销售
简述中学生语文学习的特点。
设z=f(x,y)二阶可偏导,,且f(x,0)=1,f’y(x,0)=x,则f(x,y)=_______.
[A]juice[B]friend[C]baby[D]sugar[E]guest[F]coffee[G]meatHe/Shepaysavisittoyourhouse.
Speech-acttheory*vasfirstdevelopedby______.
Everyprofessionortrade,everyart,andeverysciencehasitsowntechnicalvocabulary.The【C1】______ofthesetechnicalvocab
最新回复
(
0
)