2022年福建大学英语考试考前冲刺卷六1测

2022年福建大学英语考试考前冲刺卷六（本卷共分为1大题50小题,作答时间为180分钟,总分100分,60分及格。）单位: 姓名: 考号:题号单选题多项选择判断题综合题总分分值得分ー、单项选择题（共50题,每题2分。每题的备选项中,只有一个最符合题意）OnthelastshoppingdaybeforeChristmas,storesacrosstheUnitedStateswerebusybutnotjam-packedasshoppersscrambledforlast-minutegifts,eventhoughsomerefusedtoadmitit.AtBoston1sCopIeyMall,asmalIcrowdgatheredoutsidethemainentranceofluxurydepartmentstoreNeimanMarcus,butnoonewaitingforthestoretoopenwouldadmittobeingalast-minuteshopper.n19mreallyheretouseagiftcertificateandgetsomethingformyselfandmaybesomeoneelsewithwhat'sleftover,"saidMattDoran,whoIivesinBostonandhadbeenwaitingsince8:30a.m.forthestore's10a.m.opening.11yaPolykoff,whomovedtoBostonfromRussia,saidhewaswaiting"becauseIhadthedayoffandIwantedtogetsomeperfume."ButheinsistedthathewasreallyshoppingearlybecauseforhimChristmascomesinJanuary.TheOrthodoxChristmaswi11becelebratedonJan.7."Therearelotsofmenouttheretoday,MsaidKarenMcDonaIdfaspokes-womanformaIIoperatorTaubmanCenters,afterreturningfromtheLakesideMalIinSterIingHeights,Michigan."ThereispanicouttherebutpeopIeseemtobeingoodspirits,"shesaid,addingthatmostshoppingtrafficpeakedaroundmidday.AccordingtotheInternationalCounciIofShoppingCenters,December24wasthesixthbusiesthoiidayshoppingdayin1997,whiIe44percentofhoiidaysaleswererecordedintheDecember15toDecember24period.EdNaily,manageroftheSwatchStoreknownmostIyforitsbrightlycoloredpIasticwatches,describedtheatmosphereasfestiveratherthancrazed.Hedidsay,however,thatDec.21wastheturningpointdate,afterwhichshoppersstarted."TheclosertoChristmas,thecraziertheyget,"Nallysaid."Theybecomemoreagitated,lesspatient.MHesaidred-hotitemsthisyearwerephones,beepersandthenewdigitalswatchwatchthatcosts$70andcameontothemarketaweekbeforeChristmas.Theword"festive"inparagraph2cannotbeunderstoodas.A.cheeryB.fetishC.joyousD.merryAfewyearsago,AnnandWalterTaylorthoughtitmightbetimetomoveoutoftheirNewYorkCityapartmenttothesuburbs.TheyhadoneyoungsonandanotherchiIdontheway.Butaftermonthsoflooking,theybecamediscouragedanddecidedtobuyanoldtownhouserightinthemiddleofBrooklyn,whichisapartofNewYorkCity.Totheirdelight,theydiscoveredthattheyweren'ttheonlyyoungcoupIetohavemadesuchadecision.Infact,theentireareainBrooklynhadbeensettIedbyyoungfamiIies.Andasaresult,theneighborhood,whichhadbeendeciiningforyears,wasnowbeingrestored.Brooklynisn'ttheonlycityintheUnitedStatestoexperiencethiskindofrenewaI.SoarePhiladeIphiaandSt.Louis.AndCharleston,SouthCarolina,hassosuccessfullyrebuiItitsoldcentralareathatitnowranksasoneofAmericaJsmostcharmingcities.Therestorationofthe〇IdportcityofSavannahrGeorgia,isaIsolivingproofthatdowntownareasdonotneedtodie.Butencouragingasthesedevelopmentsmaybe,theyareamongthefewbrightspotsinamassofdifficultiesthattoday'scitiesface.Indeed,theirwoesaresomanythatitisfairtoaskwhetherornottheinnercity,thecoreofmosturbanareaswiIImanagetosurviveatall.Inthe1940a,urbanAmericansbeganamassmovetothesuburbsinsearchoffreshair,elbowroom,andprivacy.Suburbsbegantosprawloutacrossthecountryside.Sincemostofthosemakingthemoveweremiddle-class,theytookwiththemthetaxmoneythecitiesneededtomaintaintheneighborhoodsinwhichtheyhadIived.ThepeopIeleftinthecitieswereoftenthosewhoweretoooldortoopoortomove.Thus,manycitiesbegantofaIIintodisrepair.Crimebegantosoar,andpubIictransportationwasneglected.(InthepastsixtyyearsSanFranciscoistheonlycityintheUnitedStatestohavecompIetedanewmasstransitsystem.)MeanwhiIe,housingconstructioncostscontinuedtorisehigherandhigher.Middle-classhousingwasa11owedtodecay,andlittlenewhousingwasconstructed.Eventually,manydowntownareasexistedforbusinessonIy.DuringthedaytheywouIdbefiIledwithpeopIeworkinginoffices,andatnighttheywouldbedeserted.Giventhesecircumstances,somebusinessexecutivesbeganasking,“WhybotherwithgoingdowntownatalIWhynotmovetheofficestothesuburbssothatwecanIiveandworkinthesamearea"Gradually,someofthelargercompaniesbeganmovingoutofthecites,withtheresultthaturbancentersdeciinedevenfurtherandthesuburbsexpandedstillmore.ThismovementofbusinessestothesuburbsisnotconfinedtotheUnitedStates.BusinesseshavealsobeenmovingtothesuburbsinStockholm,Sweden,inBonn,Germany,andinBrussels,BeIgiurn,aswell.ButitmayweIIbethatthismovementtothesuburbshasreacheditspeak.SomepeopIemaybetiredofspendinglonghourscommuting,andtheymayhavebeguntomisstheadvantagesofcultureandcompanionshipprovidedbycityIife.PerhapsthedecisionmadebytheTaylorsisasignthatpeopIewiIIreturntothecitiesandbegintorestorethem,hbeginstolookasifsuburbansprawlmaynothavebeentheanswertoman'sneedtocreateanidealenvironmentinwhichtoIiveandwork.ManycitiesbegantofaIIintodisrepairinthe1940sbecause.housingconstructioncostscontinuedtorisehousingwasallowedtodecaymanypeoplemovedoutofthecitiesonlyoldandpoorpeoplewereleftinthecitiesIfonedoesnotworkoutregularly,hemay.easilycatchacoldeasilygettiredeasilygetanxiousfeeldepressedThemonumentwasdedicatedtointheSecondWorldWar.4,000AmericanheroeskilledallAmericansoldierskilledallAmericanswhotookpartallthesoldierswhofoughtinthePacificortheAtlantictheatreCardiovascularexercisehelps.onetoworkmoreefficientlytopromoteastronghearttoloseweightonetosleepbetterItseemsthatphysicalactivitiesinevitably,whichimprovesfitness.burncaloriesbuildmusclesrelievebackpainsreducehighbloodpressureWhichofthefollowingstatementsaboutthemonumentisNOTTRUEThemonumentissituatedinWashingtonD.C..OneofthearchesrepresentstheAtlantictheaterofthewar.EachofthegoldstarssandsforanAmericansoldierkilledinthewar.Theinscriptionsaysthesepeoplesacrificedtheirlivesforfreedom.WhichofthefollowingmaycountasdeliberateworkoutHousework.Lawn-mowing.Tabletennis.Out-of-the-gymactivities.WhoservedintheSecondWorldWarBillClintonandBobDole.BobDoleandGeorgeHerbertWalkerBush.GeorgeHerbertWalkerBush.GeorgeHerbertWalkerBushandBillClinton.Thegreatestbenefitonecangetfromexerciseiswhen.theworkoutinvolvevariousjumpsonedoesnotuseanelevatorbutclimbsstairsonewalkstorunmostoftheerrandsoneswitchesfrombeinginactivetoactive11.{{BUTEXTA{{/B}}ThefirsttimeIsawStephenLeacockatclosequartershecameswingingintoaclassroominMoyseHall,theserenelyuglyoldArtsBuiIdingofMcGiIIUniversityinMontreal.TheroomwaspackedwithundergraduatesIikemewhohadcomewithhugecuriositytoIistentotheirfirstlectureonpoliticalsciencebyamanwhosehumorouswritinghadrockedtheEnglish-speakingworldwithlaughter,butwhowasacampuscharacterforverydifferentreasons.Leacockenjoyedareputationforeccentricityandforanimpishindividualismthatexpresseditselfinbluntspeechoneverysubject.NaturallyweIookedhimovercarefully.WhatwesawwasashockofgrayinghaircrowningaruggedfacethatworeafriendlysmiIe,emphasizedbycrinklesofmirthabouttheeyes.Irememberthinking,MHecoulduseahaircut.wHisnecktiehadsIippeditsmoorings,andhistweedysuitIookedsiept-in.Acrosshisvesthiswatchchainhadcomeapartinthemiddleandhadbeenputtogetherwithasafetypin.Theeffectwasofamanwhogavenothoughttohisappearance.Buthismannerwasfartoobuoyanttosuggesttheabsent-mindedprofessor.Hisapparelwastoppedbyoneofthoseloose,blackgownsprofessorsworeinthosedays.Leacoek'shadbeenacquiredaboutthetimehereceivedhisPh.D.fromtheUniversityofChicagoin1903.Eventhoughthegarmentwasshowingsignsofwearin1914,itwasstilloneoftheessentialpropertiesofhispIay-acting.AtleastadozentimesduringeveryIectureitwouldslipoffhisshouldersandseizehimbythecrookofhiselbows.Withoutpauseintheflowoftalkandmotion-hewasawalkinglecturer—greatshrugoftheshoulderswouldhoistthegownpartwayintoplace.LeacockwastremendouslyproudofhisChicagoPh.D.,butitwasinescapablyincharacterthathemustspoofit."Themeaningofthisdegree,HhequippedinaIecture,"isthattherecipienthasbeenexaminedforthelasttimeinhisIifeandpronouncedfull.Afterthis,nonewideascanbeimpartedtohim.nInsimilarvein,afterreturningfromahoiidayabroadhetoldhisclass,HIwassittingquietlyinmycabinwhenastewardknockedand,aftermakingsureIamcaIIedDoctor,askedifIwouldcomeandlookatthestewardessesknee.IwasoffIikeashot,butanotherfeIlowgotthereaheadofme.HewasaDoctorofDivinity.”Whatcamethroughtome,eveninthefirstlecture,wasLeacock1swarmthandhumanness.IknewIwasIisteningtoamanwholovedyoungpeopIeandwasdeterminedtogivethemasmuchwisdomashecould.HisteachingmethodswereunconventionaI.HecouIdn'tresistthetemptationtoexpIorebypaths.IndiscussingthedaysofQueenVictoria,hementionedDisraeIi,andthissethimofftotaIkaboutthemanratherthanthePrimeMinister-hiswayofliving,hisquickmindthisdiIettantism,hisgreatIoveaffairwithhiswife.ThedigressionIiftedthegreatstatesmanintoaframeworkofhisownand,whenLeacockreturnedtothemainlineofhissubject,theIistenerunderstood,inawaynotextbookcouldinformhim,howsuchamancouldbringoffthecoupwhichgaveBritaincontroloftheSuezCanalandmadetheEmpireimpregnablefordecadestocome.ThestudentwereeagertoseeLeacockbecausehewas.aneccentriccharacteranunconventionalteacherarenownedpoliticalscientistalloftheabove{{B}}TEXTC{{/B})Lastyear'seconomyshouldhavewontheOscarforbestpicture.Growthingrossdomesticproductwas4.1percent;profitssoared;exportsflourished;andinflationstayedaround3percentforthethirdyear.SowhydidsomanyAmericansgivethepictureaIousyBratingTheanswerisjobs.Themacroeconomicsituationwasgood,butthemicroeconomicnumberswerenot.Yes,3millionnewjobswerethere,butnotenoughofthemwerepermanent,goodjobspayingenoughtosupportafamily.Jobinsecuritywasrampant.Evenastheyannouncedhighersalesandprofits,corporationsactedasiftheywereinataiIspin,cutting516,069jobsin1994alone,aImostasmanyasintherecessionyearof1991.Yes,unempIoymentwentdown.Butover1millionworkersweresodiscouragedtheyleftthelaborforce.Morethan6millionwhowantedfu11-timeworkwereonlypartiallyempIoyed;andanotherlargegroupwaseitheroverqualifiedorshelteredbehindtheeuphemismofself-employment.WelostamiIIiongoodmanufacturingjobsbetween1990and1995,continuingthetrendthathasreducedthebIue-coIlarworkforcefromabout30percentinthe1950stoabouthalfthattoday.White-collarworkersfoundouttheywerenolongerimmune.Forthefirsttime,theywereletgoinnumbersvirtuallyequaltothoseforblue-collarworkers.Manyresortedtotemporarywork-withlowerpay,fewerbenefitsandlessstatus.AlIthisinacountrywherepeopIemeetingforthefirsttimesay,nWhatdoyoudo”Thenthereisthematterofremuneration.WhateverhappenedtowagegainsfouryearsintoarecoveryTheLaborDepartmentrecentlyreportedthatreaIwagesfelI2.3percentinthe12-monthperiodendingthisMarch.Since1973,wagesadjustedforinflationhavedeciinedbyaboutaquarterforhighschooIdropouts,byasixthforhighschoolgraduatesandbyabout7.percentforthosewithsomecoIIegeeducation.OnlythewagesofcoIIegegraduatesareup,by5percent,andrecentlystartingsalaries,evenforthisgroup,havenotkeptupwithinflation.Whilethetop5percentofthepopuIationwassettingnewincomerecordsaImosteveryyear,povertyratesrosefrom11percentto15percent.NowonderthisisbeginningtobecalledtheSiIentDepression.WhatisgoingonhereInpreviousbusinesscycles,companieswithrisingproductivityraisedwagestokeeplabor.IsthehistoricalIinkbetweenproductivityimprovementsandincomegrowthseveredOfalIthereasonsgivenforthewagesqueeze-internationalcompetition,technology,deregulation,thedecIineofunionsanddefensecuts-technologyisprobablythemostcritical.IthasfavoredtheeducatedandskiIled.Justthinkthatin1976,78percentofautoworkersandsteelworkersingoodmassproductionjobswerehighschooIdropouts.Butthesejobsaredisappearingfast.Educationandjobtrainingarewhatcount.Thesedayscollegegraduatescanexpecttoearn1.9timestheIikeIyearningsofhighschooIgraduates,upfrom1.45timesinthe1970s.Theearningsqueezeonmiddle-classandworking-classpeopIeandthescarcityof"good,high-paying1'jobswi11bethebigpoliticalissueofthe1990s.Americanshavesofarrespondedtotheirfailingfortunesbyworkingharder.AmericanmalesnowtoiIaboutaweekandahalflongerthantheydidin1973,thefirsttimethiscenturyworkinghourshaveincreasedoveranextendedperiodoftime.Women,particularlyinpoorerfamiIies,areworkingharder,too.Two-workerfamiIiesrosebymorethan20percentinthe1980s.Sevenmillionworkersholdatleasttwojobs,thehighestproportioninhalfacentury.Americaissimplynotgrowingfastenoughtotightenthelabormarketandpushuprealwages.Thedangeroftheinformationageisthatwhileintheshortrunitmaybecheapertoreplaceworkerswithtechnology,inthelongrunitispotentiaIIyself-destructivebecausetherewi11notbeenoughpurchasingpowertogrowtheeconomy.ToavoidthisdismaIprospect,wemustgetonthevirtuouscycleofhighergrowthandavoidtheviciouscycleofretrenchment.Otherwise,anangry,disillusionedandfrustratedpopuIation-whoseragetodayisfocusedonbiggovernment,excesstaxes,immigration,welfareandaffirmativeaction-maysomedaybebroughttogetherbyitssenseofdiminishedhopes.ThenwewillalIbeinforaverydifficulttime.HowmanypeopIewerepartiallyempIoyedlastyearOver1million.3million.Over6million.7million.{{I}}Questions9and10arebasedonthefollowingnews.Attheendofthenewsitem,youwillbegiven10secondstoanswereachquestion.NowIistentothenews.{{/I}}WhichofthefollowingCANNOTbeinferredfromthenewsManyPalestinianhousesweredestroyed.Dozensofpeoplewerekilled.Theraidlastedforalmostaweek.Themissionofthisoperationhasnotbeenachieved.AgrowingbodyofresearchsuggeststhatchroniciIInessisnotaninevitableconsequenceofaging,butmoreoftentheresultofIifestylechoices."Peopleusedtosay,'whowouldwanttobe100"saysDr.ThomasPerIs,aninstructoratHarvardMedicaISchooIanddirectoroftheNewEnglandCentenarianStudy."Nowthey'rerealizingit,sanopportunity.MHigh-techmedicineisn'tIikeIytochangetheoutIookdramatically;drugsandsurgerycandoonlysomuchtosustainabodyonceitstartstofaiI.ButthereisnoquestionwecanlengthenourIiveswhileshorteningourdeaths.ThetooIsaIreadyexist,andthey1rewithinvirtuallyeveryone5sreach.LifeexpectancyintheUnitedStateshasnearlydoubIedsinceacenturyago-from47yearsto76years.Andthoughcentenariansarestillrare,theynowconstitutethefastestgrowingsegmentoftheU.S.population.Theirrankshaveincreased16"f〇Idoverthepastsixdecadesfrom3,700in1940toroughly61,000today.TheCensusBureauprojectsthat1in9babyboomers(9millionofthe80millionpeopIebornbetween1946and1964)wiIIsurviveintotheirlate90s,andthat1in26(or3mi11ion)wi11reach100.MAcenturyago,theoddsofIivingthatlongwereaboutonein500,"saysLynnAdler,founderoftheNationalCentenarianAwarenessProjectandtheauthorof"Centenarians:TheBonusYears.”"That'show,farwe'vecome.nIfdecrepitudewereaninevitablepartofaging,theseburgeoningnumberswouldspelItrouble.ButtheevidencesuggeststhatAmericansareIivingbetter,asweIIaslonger.ThedisabiIityrateamongpeopIeolderthan65hasfaIlensteadilysincetheearly1980s,accordingtoDukeUniversitydemographerKennethManton,andashrinkingpercentageofseniorsareplaguedbyhypertension,arteriosclerosisanddementia.Moreover,researchershavefoundthatthe〇IdestoftheoldoftenenjoybetterhealththanpeopIeintheir70s.The'79centenariansinPerIs'sNewEnglandstudyhavealIIivedindependentIythroughtheirearly90s,takinganaverageofjustonemedication.Andwhenthetimecomesfortheseheartysoulstodie,theydon'tIinger.Ina1995study,JamesLubitzoftheHealthCareFinancingAdministrationcalculatedthatmedicaIexpendituresforthelasttwoyearsofIife-statisticallythemostexpensive—average$22,600forpeopIewhodieat70,butjust$8,300forthosewhomakeitpast100.Theseinsightshavespawnedarevolutioninthescienceofaging.nUntiIrecently,therewassomuchpreoccupationwithdiseasesthatIittIeworkwasdoneonthecharacteristicsthatpermitpeopletodowe11,MsaysDr.JohnRowe,theNewYorkgeriatricianwhoheadstheMacArthurFoundation1sResearchNetworkonSuccessfulAging.Researchconfirmstheoldsayingthatitpaystochooseyourparentswell.ButthewayweagedependslessonwhowearethanonhowweIivewhatweeat,howmuchweexerciseandhowweemployourminds.Theauthorseemstosuggestthat.theagedshouldnotgotothenursinghomewecanlengthenourlivesthroughhigh-techmedicinecentenariansdiefasterthanthosewhoareyoungertheever-growingSegmentofcentenarianshascausedconcern15.ThewordsdiscussedsofarhavebeenIimitedtoonetype:thosewhosemeaningidentifiesthemembersofaclass.Forexample,thewordchairisusedcorrectIywhenitisappIiedtothecIasswhichincludesobjectsasdifferentasstraightchairs,foldingchairsandrockingchairs.Thesameskillinidentifyinginstancesofthesameclassisrequiredforunderstandingsometypesofverbs.Forexample,a11peopIewalkdifferently,butnativespeakersofEnglishusethewordwalkcorrectlywhentheyrealizethattheseminordifferencesareirrelevant.ButnotalIwordsinaIanguageinvoIvetheidentificationofclasses.Infact,themasteryofaworkingvocabularyinanyhumanIanguageappeaIstoawiderangeofinteIIectuaIskills,someeasierandsomemoredifficultthanthoserequiredforgraspingthemeaningofcommonnounsandverbs.AsanexampIeofarelativelyeasyconcept,considerwhatisrequiredforunderstandingpropernouns:onemustsimplypointoutasingleindividualandattachaIabeIfIikeJohnorDaddy.Becauseitiseasiertoassociatealabelwithasingleindividualthantonameaclasswithcommonproperties,chiIdrenmasterpropernounsfirst,sometimeswhentheyareasyoungassixtoninemonthsold.Incontrast,arelationaltermIikelargeorsmalIconstitutesarelativelycompIexconcept.ThecorrectuseofwordsIiketheserequiresthattwothingsbekeptinmind:theabsolutesizeoftheobjectinquestion,anditspositiononascaleofsimilarobjects.Forexample,anelephantwhichissixfeettaiIattheshouldersmaybesmalIasfaraselephantsgo,butadogofthesameheightwouldbehuge.Five-andsix-year-oldchiIdrenareunabletomaketheshiftinperspectivenecessaryforusingrelationalwordsappropriately.InoneweIIknownexperimentwhichdocumentsthisconclusion,chiIdrenwereengagedinapretendteapartywithdollsandanadultobserver.Theadultgavethechildanordinaryjuiceglassandaskedthechildifitwaslargeorsma11.ThoughalIofthechiIdreninthestudyagreedthattheglasswassmalIfromtheirownperspective,itappearedridiculouslylargewhenpIacedonthetoytablearoundwhichthedollswereseated.Nevertheless,theyoungestchiIdrenwerestillinclinedtosaythattheglasswassmalIwhenaskedaboutitssizewithrespecttoitsnewcontext.AnothercompIexconceptunderIiesdeicticexpressions,whicharewordsusedtopointtoobjectsandindicatetheirdistancefromthespeaker.ForexampIe,thespeakermayusehereorthistopointoutobjectswhichmaybeclosetohim,whilethereandthatareappropriateonlywhentheobjectsarerelativelyfaraway.Butsincetherearenoabsolutedistancesinvolvedinthecorrectuseofadeicticexpression,chiIdrenhavedifficultydeterminingwhenthe“close“termsaretobepreferredoverthe"far"terms.Aswithrelationalterms,itisnecessarytotakeintoaccountthesizeoftheobjectpointedto.Thusathirty-storybuildingsixfeetinfrontofusiscloseenoughtobecalledthisbuiIding,butanantremovedfromusbythesamedistanceisfarenoughawaytobecalledthatant.Commonandpropernouns,relationaltermsanddeicticexpressionsdonotexhausttherangeofconceptsmasteredbychiIdren,buttheydoiIlustratethevarietyoftasksinvoIvedinacquiringthevocabularyofafirstlanguage.LinguistscanexaminetheevidencefromtheacquisitionofwordmeaningandfindsupportfortwofundamentaIhypotheses:thatsomeconceptsaremorecompIexthanothers,andthattheacquisitionofIanguagerequiresaconsiderableexerciseofinte11igence.Inordertocorrectlyacquirethemeaningsofnounsinreferringto"classes”,achild.hastolearntoidentifysomefeatureswhileignoringothersfirsthastobeabletousepropernounsmustbeatleastsixyearsoldmustplaywithtoys{{I}}Questions9and10arebasedonthefollowingnews.Attheendofthenewsitem,youwiIIbegiven10secondstoanswereachquestion.NowIistentothenews.{{/I}}WhatmightbethetargetoftheIsraeliraidIllegalweaponsdealers.Twoundergroundpassages.Egyptiansmugglers.Islamicmilitants.{{B}}TEXTC{{/B}}Lastyear'seconomyshouldhavewontheOscarforbestpicture.Growthingrossdomesticproductwas4.1percent;profitssoared;exportsflourished;andinflationstayedaround3percentforthethirdyear.SowhydidsomanyAmericansgivethepicturealousyBratingTheanswerisjobs.Themacroeconomicsituationwasgood,butthemicroeconomicnumberswerenot.Yes,3millionnewjobswerethere,butnotenoughofthemwerepermanent,goodjobspayingenoughtosupportafamily.Jobinsecuritywasrampant.Evenastheyannouncedhighersalesandprofits,corporationsactedasiftheywereinataiIspin,cutting516,069jobsin1994alone,almostasmanyasintherecessionyearof1991.Yes,unempIoymentwentdown.Butover1millionworkersweresodiscouragedtheyleftthelaborforce.Morethan6millionwhowantedfuII-timeworkwereonlypartiallyempIoyed;andanotherlargegroupwaseitheroverqualifiedorshelteredbehindtheeuphemismofself-employment.Welostami11iongoodmanufacturingjobsbetween1990and1995,continuingthetrendthathasreducedtheblue-colIarworkforcefromabout30percentinthe1950stoabouthalfthattoday.White-colIarworkersfoundouttheywerenolongerimmune.Forthefirsttime,theywereletgoinnumbersvirtuallyequaltothoseforblue-colIarworkers.Manyresortedtotemporarywork-withlowerpay,fewerbenefitsandlessstatus.AlIthisinacountrywherepeopIemeetingforthefirsttimesay,nWhatdoyoudo”Thenthereisthematterofremuneration.WhateverhappenedtowagegainsfouryearsintoarecoveryTheLaborDepartmentrecentlyreportedthatreaIwagesfelI2.3percentinthe12-monthperiodendingthisMarch.Since1973,wagesadjustedforinflationhavedeciinedbyaboutaquarterforhighschooIdropouts,byasixthforhighschoolgraduatesandbyabout'7.percentforthosewithsomeco11egeeducation.OnlythewagesofcoIIegegraduatesareuprby5percent,andrecentIystartingsalaries,evenforthisgroup,havenotkeptupwithinfIation.Whilethetop5percentofthepopuIationwassettingnewincomerecordsaImosteveryyear,povertyratesrosefrom11percentto15percent.NowonderthisisbeginningtobecalledtheSiIentDepression.WhatisgoingonhereInpreviousbusinesscycles,companieswithrisingproductivityraisedwagestokeeplabor.IsthehistoricalIinkbetweenproductivityimprovementsandincomegrowthseveredOfalIthereasonsgivenforthewagesqueeze—internationalcompetition,technology,deregulation,thedecIineofunionsanddefensecuts-technoIogyisprobablythemostcritical.IthasfavoredtheeducatedandskiIled.Justthinkthatin1976,78percentofautoworkersandsteelworkersingoodmassproductionjobswerehighschooIdropouts.Butthesejobsaredisappearingfast.Educationandjobtrainingarewhatcount.Thesedayscollegegraduatescanexpecttoearn1.9timestheIikeIyearningsofhighschooIgraduates,upfrom1.45timesinthe1970s.Theearningsqueezeonmiddle-classandworking-classpeopIeandthescarcityof"good,high-paying"jobswiIIbethebigpoIiticaIissueofthe1990s.Americanshavesofarrespondedtotheirfailingfortunesbyworkingharder.AmericanmalesnowtoiIaboutaweekandahalflongerthantheydidin1973,thefirsttimethiscenturyworkinghourshaveincreasedoveranextendedperiodoftime.Women,particularlyinpoorerfamiIies,areworkingharder,too.Two-workerfamiIiesrosebymorethan20percentinthe1980s.Sevenmillionworkersholdatleasttwojobs,thehighestproportioninhalfacentury.Americaissimplynotgrowingfastenoughtotightenthelabormarketandpushuprealwages.Thedangeroftheinformationageisthatwhileintheshortrunitmaybecheapertoreplac