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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.
What is the most important factor that leads to the rise in living standards of average people?
选项 A、labor unions
B、minimum-wage laws
C、rising productivity
D、favorable public policy
答案C
解析 根据题干信号词the most important factor that leads to the rise in living standards可回文定位到第二段第三句Almost all variation in living standards is attributable to differences in countries’productivity(几乎所有生活水平的差异都可归因于国家间生产率的差异)，本句是该题目的“题眼”。它明确指出“所有生活水平的差异”都是“生产率差异”造成的，因此“提高生产率”是提高生活水平的最重要因素，答案选C。请考生注意彼此间的信息对应：信号词the most important对应原文Almost all(几乎所有的，表示语气强调)；信号词factor that leads to(导致……的因素，表示原因)对应原文的is attributable to(归因于)；信号词the rise in living standards(生活水平提高)对应原文的variation in living standards(生活水平的差异)。此外，第三段第二句If productivity is the primary determinant of living standards，other explanations must be of secondary importance(如果生产率是决定生活水准的首要因素，那么其他的因素都是次要的)，进一步回答了这个问题。请考生注意信息对应：信号词the most important factor(最重要的因素)对应本句的the primary determinant(首要的决定因素)；信号词the rise in living standards对应本句的living standards；问题what对应本句productivity。
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