Today ' s double - income families are at greater financial risk in that
[ A ] the safety net they used to enjoy has disappeared
[ B ] their chances of being laid off have greatly increased
[ C ] they are more vulnerable to changes in family economics
[ D ] they are deprived of unemployment or disability insuranceAs a result of President Bush ' s reform , retired people may have
[ A ] a higher sense of security
[ B ] less secured payments
[ C ] less chance to invest
[ D ] a guaranteed futureAccording to the author , health - savings plans will
[ A ] help reduce the cost of healthcare
[ B ] popularize among the middle class
[ C ] compensate for the reduced pensions
[ D ] increase the families ' investment riskIt can be inferred from the last paragraph that
[ A ] financial risks tend to outweigh political risks
[ B ] the middle class may face greater political challenges
[ C ] financial problems may bring about political problems
[ D ] financial responsibility is an indicator of political status
35.Which of the following is the best title for this text ?
[ A ] The Middle Class on the Alert
[ B ] The Middle Class on the Cliff
[ C ] The Middle Class in Conflict
[ D ] The Middle Class in Ruins
During the past generation , the American middle - class family that once could count on hard work and fair play to keep itself financially secure has been transformed by economic risk and new realities . Now a pink slip , a bad diagnosis , or a disappearing spouse can reduce a family from solidly middle class to newly poor in a few months .
In just one generation , millions of mothers have gone to work , transforming basic family economics . Scholars , policymakers , and critics of all stripes have debated the social implications of these changes , but few have looked at the side effect : family risk has risen as well . Today ' s families have budgeted to the limits of their new two - paycheck status . As a result , they have lost the parachute they once had in times of financial setback - a back - up earner ( usually Mom ) who could go into the workforce if the primary earner got laid off or fell sick . This " added - worker effect " could support the safety net offered by unemployment insurance or disability insurance to help families weather bad times . But today , a disruption to family fortunes can no longer be made up with extra income from an otherwise - stay - at - home partner .
During the same period , families have been asked to absorb much more risk in their retirement income . Steelworkers , airline employees , and now those in the auto industry are joining millions of families who must worry about interest rates , stock market fluctuation , and the harsh reality that they may outlive their retirement money . For much of the past year , President Bush campaigned to move Social Security to a savings - account model , with retirees trading much or all of their guaranteed payments for payments depending on investment returns . For younger families , the picture is not any better . Both the absolute cost of healthcare and the share of it borne by families have risen - and newly fashionable health - savings plans are spreading from legislative halls to Wal - Mart workers , with much higher deductibles and a large new dose of investment risk for families ' future healthcare . Even demographics are working against the middle class family , as the odds of having a weak elderly parent - and all the attendant need for physical and financial assistance - have jumped eightfold in just one generation .
From the middle - class family perspective , much of this , understandably , looks far less like an opportunity to exercise more financial responsibility , and a good deal more like a frightening acceleration of the wholesale shift of financial risk ontotheir already overburdened shoulders . The financial fallout has begun , and the political fallout may not be far behind .
ANSWER CBDCB
