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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.
Which of the following can best summarize the main idea of this text?
选项 A、The differences in average income among countries
B、The relationship between productivity and living standards
C、The causes of the rise in living standards
D、The importance of raising productivity
答案B
解析 篇章圭旨题的解题思路之一是“将各段首句作逻辑比对”。首段首句：The differences in living standards around the world are vast(世界各国的生活水准差别巨大)，本段提出问题：生活水平有差异。第二段首句：What explains these large differences in living standards among countries and over time?(为什么不同国家不同历史时期生活水准有如此大的差异呢?)，本段分析问题，并得出结论：生活水平的差异是生产率差异造成的，体现了productivity与living standards的因果关系。第三段首句：The fundamental relationship between productivity and living standards is simple，but its implications are far—reaching(生产率与生活水平之间的基本关系是简单的，但却意义重大)，本段开始阐述productivity与living standards之间关系的意义。尾段首句：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)，本段继续阐述productivity与living standards之间关系的意义。综上所述，本文除第一段引出问题外，其余部分都在探讨productivity与living standards之间的关系，故B项是正确答案。
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