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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 Word "meager" in the second paragraph is closest in meaning to "______".
选项 A、modest
B、poor
C、meaningless
D、plentiful
答案B
解析 根据题干信号词meager以及出处提示second paragraph可回文定位到第二段第四句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)(有些国家，劳工能在单位时间内生产大量的产品或提供大量的服务，大多数人享有很高的生活水平；而另一些国家，劳丁的生产率较低，大多数人就得忍受较……的生活)，本句是该题目的“题眼”。鉴于词汇推断题的解题思路是关注问题词汇的上或下文信息，找寻线索，作分析推断，考生应重点关注本句分号前的对比信息：前面讲“生产率高的国家”，后面讲“生产率低的国家”，前面说“享有很高的生活水平”，后面无疑应是“忍受较低的生活水平”，即“生活贫穷”，所以meager的意思是poor。请考生注意分号前后的英文表达对比：produce a large quantity of goods and services per unit of time(生产率高)对应are less productive(生产率低)；enjoy a high standard of living(享有很高的生活水平)对应endure a more meager existence(忍受较低的生活状态)，故meager=low standard of living，即poor，答案选B。
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