2015年6月大學(xué)英語(yǔ)六級(jí)考試真題及答案共三套

年6月大學(xué)英語(yǔ)六級(jí)考試真題（第一套）

ReadingcomprehensionSectionAInnovation,theelixir(靈丹妙藥)ofprogress,hasalwayscostpeopletheirjobs.IntheIndustrialRevolutionhandweaverswere___36___asidebythemechanicalloom.Overthepast30yearsthedigitalrevolutionhas___37___manyofthemid-skilljobsthatunderpinned20th-centurymiddle-classlife.Typists,ticketagents,banktellersandmanyproduction-linejobshavebeendispensedwith,justastheweaverswere.Forthosewhobelievethattechnologicalprogresshasmadetheworldabetterplace,suchdisruptionisanaturalpartofrising___38___.Althoughinnovationkillssomejobs,itcreatesnewandbetterones,asamore___39___societybecomesricheranditswealthierinhabitantsdemandmoregoodsandservices.AhundredyearsagooneinthreeAmericanworkerswas___40___onafarm.Todaylessthan2%ofthemproducefarmorefood.Themillionsfreedfromthelandwerenotrendered___41___,butfoundbetter-paidworkastheeconomygrewmoresophisticated.Todaythepoolofsecretarieshas___42___,butthereareevermorecomputerprogrammersandwebdesigners.Optimismremainstherightstarting-point,butforworkersthedislocatingeffectsoftechnologymaymakethemselvesevidentfasterthanits___43___.Evenifnewjobsandwonderfulproductsemerge,intheshorttermincomegapswillwiden,causinghugesocialdislocationandperhapsevenchangingpolitics.Technology's___44___willfeellikeatornado(旋風(fēng)),hittingtherichworldfirst,but___45___sweepingthroughpoorercountriestoo.Nogovernmentispreparedforit.SectionBWhytheMonaLisaStandsOut[A]Haveyoueverfallenforanovelandbeenamazednottofinditonlistsofgreatbooks?Orwalkedaroundasculpturerenownedasaclassic,strugglingtoseewhatthefussisabout?Ifso,you?veprobablyponderedthequestionCuttingaskedhimselfthatday:howdoesaworkofartcometobeconsideredgreat?[B]Theintuitiveansweristhatsomeworksofartarejustgreat:ofintrinsicallysuperiorquality.Thepaintingsthatwinprimespotsingalleries,gettaughtinclassesandreproducedinbooksaretheonesthathaveprovedtheirartisticvalueovertime.Ifyoucan?tseethey?resuperior,that?syourproblem.It?sanintimidatinglyneatexplanation.Butsomesocialscientistshavebeenaskingawkwardquestionsofit,raisingthepossibilitythatartisticcanonsarelittlemorethanfossilisedhistoricalaccidents.[C]Cutting,aprofessoratCornellUniversity,wonderedifapsychologicalmechanismknownasthe“mere-exposureeffect”playedaroleindecidingwhichpaintingsrisetothetopoftheculturalleague.Cuttingdesignedanexperimenttotesthishunch.Overalecturecourseheregularlyshowedundergraduatesworksofimpressionismfortwosecondsatatime.Someofthepaintingswerecanonical,includedinart-historybooks.Otherswerelesserknownbutofcomparablequality.Thesewereexposedfourtimesasoften.Afterwards,thestudentspreferredthemtothecanonicalworks,whileacontrolgroupofstudentslikedthecanonicalonesbest.Cutting?sstudentshadgrowntolikethosepaintingsmoresimplybecausetheyhadseenthemmore.[D]Cuttingbelieveshisexperimentoffersaclueastohowcanonsareformed.Hepointsoutthatthemostreproducedworksofimpressionismtodaytendtohavebeenboughtbyfiveorsixwealthyandinfluentialcollectorsinthelate19thcentury.Thepreferencesofthesemenbestowedprestigeoncertainworks,whichmadetheworksmorelikelytobehungingalleriesandprintedinanthologies.Thefamepasseddowntheyears,gainingmomentumfrommereexposureasitdidso.Themorepeoplewereexposedto,themoretheylikedit,andthemoretheylikedit,themoreitappearedinbooks,onpostersandinbigexhibitions.Meanwhile,academicsandcriticscreatedsophisticatedjustificationsforitspre-eminence.Afterall,it?snotjustthemasseswhotendtoratewhattheyseemoreoftenmorehighly.AscontemporaryartistslikeWarholandDamienHirsthavegrasped,criticalacclaimisdeeplyentwinedwithpublicity.“Scholars”,Cuttingargues,“arenodifferentfromthepublicintheeffectsofmereexposure.”[E]TheprocessdescribedbyCuttingevokesaprinciplethatthesociologistDuncanWattscalls“cumulativeadvantage”:onceathingbecomespopular,itwilltendtobecomemorepopularstill.Afewyearsago,Watts,whoisemployedbyMicrosofttostudythedynamicsofsocialnetworks,hadasimilarexperiencetoCuttinginanotherParismuseum.Afterqueuingtoseethe“MonaLisa”initsclimate-controlledbulletproofboxattheLouvre,hecameawaypuzzled:whywasitconsideredsosuperiortothethreeotherLeonardosinthepreviouschamber,towhichnobodyseemedtobepayingtheslightestattention?[F]WhenWattslookedintothehistoryof“thegreatestpaintingofalltime”,hediscoveredthat,formostofitslife,the“MonaLisa”remainedinrelativeobscurity.Inthe1850s,LeonardodaVinciwasconsiderednomatchforgiantsofRenaissanceartlikeTitianandRaphael,whoseworkswereworthalmosttentimesasmuchasthe“MonaLisa”.Itwasonlyinthe20thcenturythatLeonardo?sportraitofhispatron?swiferocketedtothenumber-onespot.Whatpropelledittherewasn?tascholarlyre-evaluation,butatheft.[G]In1911amaintenanceworkerattheLouvrewalkedoutofthemuseumwiththe“MonaLisa”hiddenunderhissmock.Parisianswereaghastatthetheftofapaintingtowhich,untilthen,theyhadpaidlittleattention.Whenthemuseumreopened,peoplequeuedtoseethegapwherethe“MonaLisa”hadoncehunginawaytheyhadneverdoneforthepaintingitself.Fromthenon,the“MonaLisa”cametorepresentWesterncultureitself.[H]Althoughmanyhavetried,itdoesseemimprobablethatthepainting?suniquestatuscanbeattributedentirelytothequalityofitsbrushstrokes.Ithasbeensaidthatthesubject?seyesfollowthevieweraroundtheroom.Butasthepainting?sbiographer,DonaldSassoon,drylynotes,“Inrealitytheeffectcanbeobtainedfromanyportrait.”DuncanWattsproposesthatthe“MonaLisa”ismerelyanextremeexampleofageneralrule.Paintings,poemsandpopsongsarebuoyedorsunkbyrandomeventsorpreferencesthatturnintowavesofinfluence,ripplingdownthegenerations.[I]“Sayingthatculturalobjectshavevalue,”BrianEnooncewrote,“islikesayingthattelephoneshaveconversations.”Nearlyalltheculturalobjectsweconsumearrivewrappedininheritedopinion;ourpreferencesarealways,tosomeextent,someoneelse?s.Visitorstothe“MonaLisa”knowtheyareabouttovisitthegreatestworkofarteverandcomeawayappropriatelyimpressed—orletdown.Anaudienceataperformanceof“Hamlet”knowitisregardedasaworkofgenius,sothatiswhattheymostlysee.Wattsevencallsthepre-eminenceofShakespearea“historicalaccident”.[J]Althoughtherigidhigh-lowdistinctionfellapartinthe1960s,westillusecultureasabadgeofidentity.Today?sfashionforeclecticism—“IloveBach,AbbaandJayZ”—is,ShamusKhan,aColumbiaUniversitypsychologist,argues,anewwayforthemiddleclasstodistinguishthemselvesfromwhattheyperceivetobethenarrowtastesofthosebeneaththeminthesocialhierarchy.[K]Theintrinsicqualityofaworkofartisstartingtoseemlikeitsleastimportantattribute.Butperhapsit?smoresignificantthanoursocialscientistsallow.Firstofall,aworkneedsacertainqualitytobeeligibletobeswepttothetopofthepile.The“MonaLisa”maynotbeaworthyworldchampion,butitwasintheLouvreinthefirstplace,andnotbyaccident.Secondly,somestuffissimplybetterthanotherstuff.Read“Hamlet”afterreadingeventhegreatestofShakespeare?scontemporaries,andthedifferencemaystrikeyouasunarguable.[L]AstudyintheBritishJournalofAestheticssuggeststhattheexposureeffectdoesn?tworkthesamewayoneverything,andpointstoadifferentconclusionabouthowcanonsareformed.Thesocialscientistsarerighttosaythatweshouldbealittleskepticalofgreatness,andthatweshouldalwayslookinthenextroom.Greatartandmediocritycangetconfused,evenbyexperts.Butthat?swhyweneedtosee,andread,asmuchaswecan.Themorewe?reexposedtothegoodandthebad,thebetterweareattellingthedifference.Theeclecticistshaveit.46.AccordingtoDuncanWatts,thesuperiorityofthe"MonaLisa"toLeonardo'sotherworksresultedfromthecumulativeadvantage.47.Somesocialscientistshaveraiseddoubtsabouttheintrinsicvalueofcertainworksofart.48.Itisoftenrandomeventsorpreferencesthatdeterminethefateofapieceofart.49.Inhisexperiment,Cuttingfoundthathissubjectslikedlesserknownworksbetterthancanonicalworksbecauseofmoreexposure.50.Theauthorthinksthegreatnessofanartworkstillliesinitsintrinsicvalue.51.Itistrueofcriticsaswellasordinarypeoplethatthepopularityofartisticworksiscloselyassociatedwithpublicity.52.Weneedtoexposeourselvestomoreartandliteratureinordertotellthesuperiorfromtheinferior.53.Astudyofthehistoryofthegreatestpaintingssuggestsevenagreatworkofartcouldexperienceyearsofneglect.54.Cultureisstillusedasamarktodistinguishonesocialclassfromanother.55.Opinionsaboutandpreferencesforculturalobjectsareofteninheritable.SectionCPassageOneWhentherightpersonisholdingtherightjobattherightmoment,thatperson'sinfluenceisgreatlyexpanded.ThatisthepositioninwhichJanetYellen,whoisexpectedtobeconfirmedasthenextchairoftheFederalReserveBank(Fed)inJanuary,nowfindsherself.Ifyoubelieve,asmanydo,thatunemploymentisthemajoreconomicandsocialconcernofourday,thenitisnostretchtothinkYellenisthemostpowerfulpersonintheworldrightnow.Throughoutthe2008financialcrisisandtherecessionandrecoverythatfollowed,centralbankshavetakenontheroleofstimulatorsoflastresort,holdinguptheglobaleconomywithvastamountsofmoneyintheformofassetbuying.Yellen,previouslyaFedvicechair,wasoneoftheprincipalarchitectsoftheFed's$3.8trillionmoneydump.Astareconomistknownforhergroundbreakingworkonlabormarkets,Yeilenwasakindofprophetessearlyoninthecrisisforherwarningsaboutthesubprime（次級(jí)債）meltdown.NowitwillbeherjobtogettheFedandthemarketsoutofthebiggestandmostunconventionalmonetaryprograminhistorywithoutderailingthefragilerecovery.ThegoodnewsisthatYellen,67,isparticularlywellsuitedtomeetthesechallenges.Shehasakeenunderstandingoffinancialmarkets,anappreciationfortheirimperfectionsandastrongbeliefthathumansufferingwasmorerelatedtounemploymentthananythingelse.SomeexpertsworrythatYellenwillbeinclinedtochaseunemploymenttotheneglectofinflation.Butwithwagesstillrelativelyflatandtheeconomyincreasinglydividedbetweenthewell-offandthelong-termunemployed'morepeopleworryabouttheopposite,deflation（通貨緊縮）thatwouldaggravatetheeconomy'sproblems.Eitherway,theincomingFedchiefwillhavetowalkafinelineinslowlyendingthestimulus.Itmustbesteadyenoughtodeflatebubbles（去泡沫）andbringmarketsbackdowntoearthbutnotsoquickthatitcreatesanothercreditcrisis.UnlikemanypastFedleaders,Yellenisnotonetobuyintothefinanceindustry'sargumentthatitshouldbeleftalonetoregulateitself.SheknowsallalongtheFedhasbeentooslackonregulationoffinance.Yellenislikelytoaddressrightaftershepushesunemploymentbelow6%,stabilizesmarketsandmakessurethattherecoveryismoreinclusiveandrobust.AsPrincetonProfessorAlanBlindersays'"She'ssmartasawhip,deeplylogical,willingtoarguebutalsoagoodlistener.Shecanpersuadewithoutcreatinghostility."AHthosetraitswillbeusefulastheglobaleconomy'snewpowerplayertakesonitsmostannoyingproblems.56.WhatdomanypeoplethinkisthebiggestproblemfacingJanetYellen?A)Lackofmoney.B)Subprimecrisis.C)Unemployment.D)Socialinstability.57.WhatdidYellenhelptheFeddototacklethe2008financialcrisis?A)Takeeffectivemeasurestocurbinflation.B)DeflatethebubblesintheAmericaneconomy.C)Formulatepoliciestohelpfinancialinstitutions.D)Pourmoneyintothemarketthroughassetbuying.58.Whatisagreaterconcernofthegeneralpublic?A)Recession.B)Deflation.C)Inequality.D)Income.59.WhatisYellenlikelytodoinherpositionastheFedchief?A)Developanewmonetaryprogram.B)Restorepublicconfidence.C)Tightenfinancialregulation.D)Reformthecreditsystem.60.HowdoesAlanBlinderportrayYellen?A)Shepossessesstrongpersuasivepower.B)Shehasconfidenceinwhatsheisdoing.C)Sheisoneoftheworld'sgreatesteconomists.D)SheisthemostpowerfulFedchiefinhistory.PassageTwoAirpollutionisdeterioratinginmanyplacesaroundtheworld.Thefactthatpublicparksincitiesbecomecrowdedassoonasthesunshinesprovesthatpeoplelongtobreatheingreen,openspaces.Theydonotallknowwhattheyareseekingbuttheyflockthere,nevertheless.And,inthesesurroundings,theyaregenerallybothpeacefulandpeaceable.Itisraretoseepeoplefightinginagarden.Perhapsstruggleunfoldsfirst,notataneconomicorsociallevel,butovertheappropriationofair,essentialtolifeitself.Ifhumanbeingscanbreatheandshareair,theydon'tneedtostrugglewithoneanother.Unfortunately,inourwesterntradition,neithermaterialistnoridealisttheoreticiansgiveenoughconsiderationtothisbasicconditionforlife.Asforpoliticians,despiteproposingcurbsonenvironmentalpollution,theyhavenotyetcalledforittobemadeacrime.Wealthycountriesareevenallowedtopolluteiftheypayforit.Butisourlifeworthanythingotherthanmoney?Theplantworldshowsusinsilencewhatfaithfulnesstolifeconsistsof.Italsohelpsustoanewbeginning,urgingustocareforourbreath,notonlyatavitalbutalsoataspirituallevel.Theinterdependencetowhichwemustpaytheclosestattentionisthatwhichexistsbetweenourselvesandtheplantworld.Oftendescribedas"thelungsoftheplanet",thewoodsthatcovertheearthofferusthegiftofbreathableairbyreleasingoxygen.Buttheircapacitytorenewtheairpollutedbyindustryhaslongreacheditslimit.Ifwelacktheairnecessaryforahealthylife,itisbecausewehavefilleditwithchemicalsandundercuttheabilityofplantstoregenerateit.Asweknow,rapiddeforestationcombinedwiththemassiveburningoffossilfuelsisanexplosiverecipeforanirreversibledisaster.Thefightovertheappropriationofresourceswillleadtheentireplanettohellunlesshumanslearntosharelife,bothwitheachotherandwithplants.Thistaskissimultaneouslyethicalandpoliticalbecauseitcanbedischargedonlywheneachtakesituponherselforhimselfandonlywhenitisaccomplishedtogetherwithothers.Thelessontaughtbyplantsisthatsharinglifeexpandsandenhancesthesphereoftheliving,whiledividinglifeintoso-callednaturalorhumanresourcesdiminishesit.Wemustcometoviewtheair,theplantsandourselvesasthecontributorstothepreservationoflifeandgrowth,ratherthanawebofquantifiableobjectsorproductivepotentialitiesatourdisposal.Perhapsthenwewouldfinallybegintolive,ratherthanbeingconcernedwithbaresurvival.61.Whatdoestheauthorassumemightbetheprimaryreasonthatpeoplewouldstrugglewitheachother?A)Togettheirshareofcleanair.B)Topursueacomfortablelife.C)Togainahighersocialstatus.D)Toseekeconomicbenefits.62.Whatdoestheauthoraccusewesternpoliticiansof?A)Deprivingcommonpeopleoftherighttocleanair.B)Givingprioritytotheoryratherthanpracticalaction.C)Offeringpreferentialtreatmenttowealthycountries.D)Failingtopasslawstocurbenvironmentalpollution.63.Whatdoestheauthortrytodrawourclosestattentionto?A)Themassiveburningoffossilfuels.B)Ourrelationshiptotheplantworld.C)Thecapacityofplantstorenewpollutedair.D)Large-scaledeforestationacrosstheworld.64.Howcanhumanbeingsaccomplishthegoalofprotectingtheplanetaccordingtotheauthor?A)Byshowingrespectforplants.B)Bypreservingallformsoflife.C)Bytappingallnaturalresources.D)Bypoolingtheireffortstogether.65.Whatdoestheauthorsuggestwedoinordernotjusttosurvive?A)Expandthesphereofliving.B)Developnature'spotentials.C)Sharelifewithnature.D)Allocatetheresources.PartIVTranslation(30minutes)中國(guó)傳統(tǒng)的待客之道要求飯菜豐富多樣，讓客人吃不完。中國(guó)宴席上典型的菜單包括開(kāi)席的一套涼菜及其后的熱菜，例如：肉類(lèi)，雞鴨，蔬菜等。大多數(shù)宴席上，全魚(yú)被認(rèn)為是必不可少的，除非已經(jīng)上過(guò)各式海鮮。如今，中國(guó)人喜歡把西方特色菜與傳統(tǒng)中式菜肴溶于一席，因此牛排上桌也不少見(jiàn)。沙拉也已流行起來(lái)，盡管傳統(tǒng)上中國(guó)人一般不吃任何未經(jīng)烹飪的菜肴。宴席通常至少有一道湯，可以最先或最后上桌。甜點(diǎn)和水果通常標(biāo)志宴席的結(jié)束。答案：36.N.swept原意是“機(jī)械織布機(jī)取代了手工織布者”，sweptaside表示“迅速除去”的意思37.B.displaced與上一句是一個(gè)同意結(jié)構(gòu)，displace的意思與sweepaside最為接近!38.I.prosperity首先確定是一個(gè)名詞，并且是一個(gè)正面色彩的，符合條件的有prosperity39.H.productive應(yīng)該為一個(gè)形容詞，同樣也應(yīng)該是正面色彩的，productive最為合適40.C.employed工人肯定是“被農(nóng)場(chǎng)所雇用啊”，所以選employed41.F.jobless根據(jù)后面but所接信息可推出該空應(yīng)該為負(fù)面色彩形容詞，jobless最合適42.M.shrunk同樣根據(jù)but以及more，可以推出該空為shrunk43.A.benefits與dislocatingeffect相對(duì)應(yīng)的應(yīng)是一個(gè)正面的復(fù)數(shù)名詞，或通過(guò)but解題44.E.impact首先確定為名詞，能夠hitrichworld也只有impact了45.D.eventually與前面的first相對(duì)應(yīng)46.E47.B48.H49.C50.K51.D52.L53.F54.J55.I56-60CDBCA61-65ACBDCThetraditionalhospitalityofChinarequiresthatthebanquetcontainsvariousdishesthattheguestscouldnotfinish.ThetypicalmenuofChinesebanquetincludesasetofcolddishes,whichmeansthatwecanbegineatingnow,withthehotfoodfollowed,suchasmeat,chicken,ducksandvegetables.Wholefishisconsideredessentialinmostbanquets,unlessallkindsofseafoodhavebeenserved.ChineseliketocombinethewesternspecialtywithtraditionalChinesedishes,soitisverycommontoseealotofsteakonthetable.Despitethefactthat,traditionally,Chinesedon’tliketoeatanyrawcookingdishes,saladshavealsobeenpopular.Thereareatleastakindofsoupatthedinner,whichcanbeservedeitheratfirstoratlast.Dessertandfruitarethesign。2015年6月大學(xué)英語(yǔ)六級(jí)考試真題（第二套）SectionA"Thatwhichdoesnotkillusmakesusstronger."Butparentscan'thandleitwhenteenagersputthis36____intopractice.Nowtechnologyhasbecomethenewfieldfortheage-oldbattlebetweenadultsandtheirfreedom-seekingkids.Lockedindoors,unabletogetontheirbicyclesandhangoutwiththeirfriends,teenshaveturnedtosocialmediaandtheirmobilephonestosocializewiththeirpeers.Whattheydoonlineoften37____whattheymightotherwisedoiftheirmobilityweren'tsoheavily38____intheageofhelicopterparenting.Socialmediaandsmart-phoneappshavebecomesopopularinrecentyearsbecauseteensneedaplacetocalltheirown.Theywantthefreedomto39____theiridentityandtheworldaroundthem.Insteadof40____out,theyjumponline.Asteenshavemovedonline,parentshaveprojectedtheirfearsontotheInternet,imaginingallthe41____dangersthatyouthmightface一from42____strangerstocruelpeerstopicturesorwordsthatcouldhauntthemonGooglefortherestoftheirlives.Ratherthanhelpingteensdevelopstrategiesfornegotiatingpubliclifeandtherisksof43____withothers,fear-fullparentshavefocusedontracking,monitoringandblocking.Thesetactics（策略）don'thelpteensdeveloptheskillstheyneedtomanagecomplexsocialsituations,44____risksandgethelpwhenthey'reintrouble."Protecting"kidsmayfeelliketherightthingtodo,butit45____thelearningthatteensneedtodoastheycomeofageinatechnology-soakedworld.SectionBInequalityIsNotInevitable[A]Adangeroustrendhasdevelopedoverthispastthirdofacentury.AcountrythatexperiencedsharedgrowthafterWorldWarIIbegantotearapart,somuchsothatwhentheGreatRecessionhitinlate2007,onecouldnolongerignorethedivisionthathadcometodefinetheAmericaneconomiclandscape.Howdidthis"shiningcityonahill"becometheadvancedcountrywiththegreatestlevelofinequality?[B]Overthepastyearandahalf,TheGreatdivide,aseriesinTheNewYorkTimes,haspresentedawiderangeofexamplesthatunderminethenotionthatthereareanytrulyfundamentallawsofcapitalism.Thedynamicsoftheimperialcapitalismofthe19thcenturyneedn'tapplyinthedemocraciesofthe21st.wedon'tneedtohavethismuchinequalityinAmerica.[C]Ourcurrentbrandofcapitalismisafakecapitalism.ForproofofthisgobacktoourresponsetotheGreatRecession,wherewesocializedlosses,evenasweprivatizedgains.Perfectcompetitionshoulddriveprofitstozero,atleasttheoretically,butwehavemonopoliesmakingpersistentlyhighprofits.C.E.O.senjoyincomesthatareonaverage295timesthatofthetypicalworker,amuchhigherratiothaninthepast,withoutanyevidenceofaproportionateincreaseinproductivity.[D]IfitisnotthecruellawsofeconomicsthathaveledtoAmerica'sgreatdivide,whatisit?Thestraightforwardanswer:ourpoliciesandourpolitics.PeoplegettiredofhearingaboutScandinaviansuccessstories,butthefactofthematteristhatSweden,FinlandandNorwayhaveallsucceededinhavingaboutasmuchorfastergrowthinpercapita（人均的）incomesthantheUnitedStatesandwithfargreaterequality.[E]SowhyhasAmericachosentheseinequality-enhancingpolicies?PartoftheansweristhatasWorldWarIIfadedintomemory,sotoodidthesolidarityithadcreated.AsAmericatriumphedintheColdWar,theredidn'tseemtobearealcompetitortooureconomicmodel.Withoutthisinternationalcompetition,wenolongerhadtoshowthatoursystemcoulddeliverformostofourcitizens.[F]Ideologyandinterestscombineviciously.SomedrewthewronglessonfromthecollapseoftheSovietsystemin1991.Thependulumswungfrommuchtoomuchgovernmenttheretomuchtoolittlehere.Corporateinterestsarguedforgettingridofregulations,evenwhenthoseregulationshaddonesomuchtoprotectandimproveourenvironment,oursafety,ourhealthandtheeconomyitself.[G]Butthisideologywashypocritical（虛偽的）.Thebankers,amongthestrongestadvocatesoflaissez-faire（自由放任的）economics,wereonlytoowillingtoaccepthundredsofbillionsofdollarsfromthegovernmentintheaidprogramsthathavebeenarecurringfeatureoftheglobaleconomysincethebeginningoftheThatcher-Reaganeraof"free"marketsandderegulation.[H]TheAmericanpoliticalsystemisoverrunbymoney.Economicinequalitytranslatesintopoliticalin-equality,andpoliticalinequalityyieldsincreasingeconomicinequality.Socorporatewelfareincreasesaswereducewelfareforthepoor.Congressmaintainssubsidiesforrichfarmersaswecutbackonnutritionalsupportfortheneedy.DrugcompanieshavebeengivenhundredsofbillionsofdollarsaswelimitMedicaidbenefits.Thebanksthatbroughtontheglobalfinancialcrisisgotbillionswhileatinybitwenttothehomeownersandvictimsofthesamebanks'predatory（掠奪性的）lendingpractices.Thislastdecisionwasparticularlyfoolish.Therewerealternativestothrowingmoneyatthebanksandhopingitwouldcirculatethroughincreasedlending.[I]Ourdivisionsaredeep.Economicandgeographicsegregationhasimmunizedthoseatthetopfromtheproblemsofthosedownbelow.Likethekingsofancienttimes'theyhavecometoperceivetheirprivilegedpositionsessentiallyasanaturalright.[J]Oureconomy,ourdemocracyandoursocietyhavepaidforthesegrossinequalities.Thetruetestofaneconomyisnothowmuchwealthitsprincescanaccumulateintaxhavens（庇護(hù)所）,buthowwelloffthetypicalcitizenis.Butaverageincomesarelowerthantheywereaquarter-centuryago.Growthhasgonetothevery,verytop,whosesharehasalmostincreasedfourtimessince1980.Moneythatwasmeanttohavetrickled（流淌）downhasinsteadevaporatedintheagreeableclimateoftheCaymanIslands.[K]WithalmostaquarterofAmericanchildrenyoungerthan5livinginpoverty,andwithAmericadoingsolittleforitspoor,thedeprivationsofonegenerationarebeingvisiteduponthenext.Ofcourse,nocountryhasevercomeclosetoprovidingcompleteequalityofopportunity.ButwhyisAmericaoneoftheadvancedcountrieswherethelifeprospectsoftheyoungaremostsharplydeterminedbytheincomeandeducationoftheirparents?[L]AmongthemostbitterstoriesinTheGreatDividewerethosethatportrayedthefrustrationsoftheyoung,wholongtoenterourshrinkingmiddleclass.Soaringtuitionsanddecliningincomeshaveresultedinlargerdebtburdens.Thosewithonlyahighschooldiplomahaveseentheirincomesdeclineby13percentoverthepast35years.[M]Wherejusticeisconcerned,thereisalsoahugedivide.Intheeyesoftherestoftheworldandasignificantpartofitsownpopulation,massimprisonmenthascometodefineAmerica—acountry,itbearsrepeating,withabout5percentoftheworld'spopulationbutaroundafourthoftheworld'sprisoners.[N]Justicehasbecomeacommodity,affordabletoonlyafew.WhileWallStreetexecutivesusedtheirexpensivelawyerstoensurethattheirrankswerenotheldaccountableforthemisdeedsthatthecrisisin2008sographicallyrevealed,thebanksabusedourlegalsystemtoforeclose（取消贖回權(quán)）onmortgagesandejecttenants,someofwhomdidnotevenowemoney.[O]Morethanahalf-centuryago,AmericaledthewayinadvocatingfortheUniversalDeclarationofHumanRights,adoptedbytheUnitedNationsin1948.Today,accesstohealthcareisamongthemostuniversallyacceptedrights,atleastintheadvancedcountries.America,despitetheimplementationoftheAffordableCareAct,istheexception.InthereliefthatmanyfeltwhentheSupremeCourtdidnotoverturntheAffordableCareAct,theimplicationsofthedecisionforMedicaidwerenotfullyappreciated.Obamacare'sobjective一toensurethatallAmericanshaveaccesstohealthcare—hasbeenblocked:24stateshavenotimplementedtheexpandedMedicaidprogram,whichwasthemeansbywhichObamacarewassupposedtodeliveronitspromisetosomeofthepoorest.[P]Weneednotj