The great recession may be over, but this era of high joblessness is probably beginning. Before it ends, it will likely change the life course and character of ageneration of young adults. And ultimately, it is likely to reshape our politics, our culture, and the character of our society for years.
大衰退也许结束了，但高失业率时代很有可能才刚刚开始。在它结束之前，它将很可能改变年轻一代的生活轨迹及其性格。 而且它可能会在未来许多年重塑我们的政治、文化以及社会特征。
No one tries harder than the jobless to find silver linings in this national economic disaster. Many said that unemployment, while extremely painful, had improved them in some ways: they had become less materialistic and more financially prudent; they were more aware of the struggles of others. In limite drespects, perhaps the recession will leave society better off. At the very least, it has awoken us from our national fever dream of easy riches and bigger houses, and put a necessary end to an era of reckless personal spending.
在这场全国性的经济灾难中，没有人比失业者更努力地在寻找一线希望。许多人说，尽管失业极其痛苦，但是它以某些方式使人进步;自己变得不再那么贪图物质享乐，而且在经济问题上更加审慎;自已比过去更能体会到别人的艰辛。在有限的几个方面，也许大萧条将使得整个社会变得更好。至少它将我们从“一夜暴富和豪宅”的民族热梦中唤醒，并且给挥金如土的个人消费时代划上了一个必要的句号。
But for the most part, these benefits seem thin, uncertain, and far off. In TheMoral Consequences of Economic Growth, the economic historian BenjaminFriedman argues that both inside and outside the U.S. lengthy periods ofeconomic stagnation or decline have almost always left society moremean-spirited and less inclusive, and have usually stopped or reversed theadvance of rights and freedoms. Anti-immigrant sentiment typically increases, asdoes conflict between races and classes.
然而对于大多数情况而言，这些好处似乎是微乎其微、未知且遥远的。在《经济增长的道德影响》一书中，经济历史学家本杰明。弗里德曼认为，美国国内外所经历的长期经济停滞或衰退几乎总是使社会变得更为狭隘、包容性更弱，而且往往使权利与自由的发展止步不前或逆向而行。反移民情绪往往会加剧，正如种族和阶级间矛盾一样。
Income inequality usually falls during a recession, but it has not shrunk inthis one. Indeed, this period of economic weakness may reinforce class divides,and decrease opportunities to cross them - especially for young people. Theresearch of Till Von Wachter, the economist at Columbia University, suggests thatnot all people graduating into a recession see their life chances dimmed: thosewith degrees from elite universities catch up fairly quickly to where theyotherwise would have been if they had graduated in better times; it is the massesbeneath them that are left behind.
经济衰退时期的收入差距往往会有所缩小，但这一次例外。的确，此次经济弱势阶段可能加深阶级隔阂，减少阶级隔阂弥合的机会一对于年轻人来说更是如此。哥伦比亚大学经济学家蒂尔冯。瓦赫特在报告中指出，不是所有坠入衰退时期的人都认为人生机会渺茫:那些毕业于名牌大学的人会相当快地到达其繁荣时期毕业时本该置身其中的位置，落后的是那些不如他们的普通大众。
In the Internet age, it is particularly easy to see the resentment that hasalways been hidden within American society. More difficult, in the moment, isdiscering precisely how these lean times are affecting society's character. Inmany respects, the U.S. was more socially tolerant entering this recession than atany time in its history, and a variety of national polls on social conflict since thenhave shown mixed results. We will have to wait and see exactly how these hardtimes will reshape our social fabric. But they certainly will reshape it, and all themore so the longer they extend.
因特网时代，了解深藏于美国社会内部的怨气格外容易。当前难的是去弄清楚这些艰苦岁月究竟如何影响社会特征。在许多方面，步入经济萧条期的美国在社会问题上比历史上任何时期都更为宽容，而且从萧条开始时期，各种关于社会矛盾方面的全国性民意调查就显示出不同的结果。在这些艰苦日子到底将如何重塑我们的社会结构这一问题上，我们只能继续观望。但可以确定的是，它们一定会使社会结构得到重组，而且不利时期持续越久，重组的程度就越甚。
36. By saying“to find silver linings” (Line 1, Para. 2) the author suggests that the jobless try to
[A] seek subsidies from the government
[B] make profits from the troubled economy
[C] explore reasons for the unemployment
[D] look on the bright side of the recession
37. According to Paragraph 2, the recession has made people
[A] struggle against each other
[B] realize the national dream
[C] challenge their prudence
[D] reconsider their lifestyle
38. Benjamin Friedman believes that economic recessions may
[A] impose a heavier burden on immigrants
[B] bring out more evils of human nature
[C] promote the advance of rights and freedoms
[D] ease conflicts between races and classes
39. The research of Till Von Wachter suggests that in the recession graduates fromelite universities tend to
[A] lag behind the others due to decreased opportunities
[B] catch up quickly with experienced employees
[C] see their life chances as dimmed as the others’
[D] recover more quickly than the others
40. The author thinks that the influence of hard times on society is
[A] trivial
[B] positive
[C] certain
[D] destructive
