Robert F. Kennedy once said that a country’s GDP measures "everything except that which makes life worthwhile." With Britain vot

admin2017-12-11  28

问题    Robert F. Kennedy once said that a country’s GDP measures "everything except that which makes life worthwhile." With Britain voting to leave the European Union, and GDP already predicted to slow as a result, it is now a timely moment to assess what he was referring to.
   The question of GDP and its usefulness has annoyed policymakers for over half a century. Many argue that it is a flawed concept. It measures things that do not matter and miss things that do. By most recent measures, the UK’s GDP has been the envy of the Western World, with record low unemployment and high growth figures. If everything was going so well, then why did over 17 million people vote for Brexit, despite the warnings about what it could do to their country’ s economic prospects?
   A recent annual study of countries and their ability to convert growth into well-being sheds some light on that question. Across the 163 countries measured, the UK is one of the poorest performers in ensuring that economic growth is translated into meaningful improvement for its citizens. Rather than just focusing on GDP, over 40 different sets of criteria from health, education and civil society engagement have been measured to get a more rounded assessment of how countries are performing.
   While all of these countries face their own challenges, there are a number of consistent themes. Yes, there has been a budding economic recovery since the 2008 global crash, but in key indicators in areas such as health and education, major economies have continued to decline. Yet this isn’t the case with all countries. Some relatively poor European countries have seen huge improvements across measures including civil society, income equality and the environment.
   This is a lesson that rich countries can learn: When GDP is no longer regarded as the sole measure of a country’s success, the world looks very different.
   So, what Kennedy was referring to was that while GDP has been the most common method for measuring the economic activity of nations, as a measure, it is no longer enough. It does not include important factors such as environmental equality or education outcomes—all things that contribute to a person’s sense of well-being.
   The sharp hit to growth predicted around the world and in the UK could lead to a decline in the everyday services we depend on for our well-being and for growth. But policymakers who refocus efforts on improving well-being rather than simply worrying about GDP figures could avoid the forecasted doom and may even see progress.
In the last two paragraphs, the author suggests that

选项 A、the UK is preparing for an economic boom.
B、high GDP foreshadows an economic decline.
C、it is essential to consider factors beyond GDP.
D、it requires caution to handle economic issues.

答案C

解析 推断题。根据题干关键词last two paragraphs定位至文章最后两段。第六段的段落中心 为第一句话,因为本句有重点的逻辑关系词so,并且第二句为代词开头。第一句话So,what Kennedy was…呼应第一段第一句,意思是“尽管GDP曾是衡量一个国家经济活力最重要且常 规的指标,但是现在仅仅使用这个手段已经不足够了。”故C项“作者指出有必要考虑GDP之 外的因素”和本句内涵吻合。原文的no longer enough和选项中的beyond形成同义替换。
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/KoBZ777K
0

最新回复(0)