2. 外语
  3. Then, why do Americans want to work harder? One reason may be that the real earnings of many Americans have been stagnant or fa

Then, why do Americans want to work harder? One reason may be that the real earnings of many Americans have been stagnant or fa

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问题     Then, why do Americans want to work harder? One reason may be that
the real earnings of many Americans have been stagnant or falling during
the past two decades. People work longer merely maintaining their living (1)______
standards. Yet many higher-skilled workers, who have enjoyed big increases
in their real pay, have been working harder still. Also, one reason for the (2)______
slow growth of wages has been the rapid growth in employment—what is (3)______
more or less where the argument began.
    Taxes may have something to do with it. People who work an extra hour
in America are allowed to keep more of their money than those who do the
same in Germany. Falls in marginal tax rates in America since the 1970s
have made it all the less profitable to work longer. (4)______
    None of these answers really explains why the century-long decline in
working hours has gone into converse in America but not elsewhere (though (5)______
Britain shows signs of following America’s lead). Perhaps cultural differ
ences—the last refuge of the defeated economist—are at play. Economists
used to believe that once workers earned enough to provide their basic (6)______
needs and allow for a few luxuries, their incentive to work would be eroded,
like lions relaxing after a kill. But humans are more susceptible to advertise (7)______
than lions. Perhaps clever marketing has ensured that "basic needs"—for a
shower with built-in TV, for a rocket-projected car—expand continuously. (8)______
Shopping is already one of America’s most popular pastimes. But it requires
money—so more work and less leisure. (9)______
    Or try this: the television is not very good, and baseball and hockey
keep being wiped out by strikes. Perhaps Wilde was right. Maybe Ameri
cans have something better to do. (10)______
(10)
选项
答案something — nothing
解析 从上下文来看，此处的意思是“美国人除了工作外便没有什么更好的事情可做”，所以选用“nothing”代替“something”。
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