Question

【题目】Directions: Complete the following passage by using the words in the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

Minimum wage laws in the U.S. were first introduced during the 1930s in response to the Great Depression. This period was 【1】 by falling output, falling prices, and falling employment. The National Industrial Recovery Act (NIRA) of 1933 attempted to stop this downward trend by encouraging the 【2】 of trade association agreements that established the lowest price and minimum wages. This was the first time that minimum wages were introduced in major industries. But in 1935, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the NIRA was unlawful, and these initial minimum wage agreements came to an end.

In 1938, the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) established a national minimum wage of $0.25 an hour. This Act 【3】 only applied to a relatively small share of the labor force, but has been 【4】 over time so that it now applies to about 90% of all nonsupervisory workers.

Introductory economies textbooks usually first introduce the minimum wage as an application of demand and supply analysis. This starting discussion is usually based on the following 【5】: the labor market is perfectly competitive, the minimum wage covers all workers, and worker productivity is 【6】 by the wage rate.

While minimum wage increases generally receive 【7】 public support, economists have generally argued that such laws will result in an increase in the unemployment rate in low-wage labor markets.

An issue related to that of a minimum wage is a growing movement for a “living wage”.Living wage proposals suggest that the 【8】 minimum wage is too low to allow families to be above the poverty level. Now, 【9】 of this view support “living wage laws” that require the local government to only accept contracts from firms that pay their workers a wage that is high enough to 【10】 the worker above the poverty line. Under Baltimore’s “living wage” requirement, firms must pay a worker an hourly wage that will allow a full-time worker to receive an annual income greater than or equal to the poverty level for a family of three.

Answer 1

【答案】

【1】H

【2】A

【3】B

【4】J

【5】E

【6】F

【7】I

【8】K

【9】D

【10】C

【解析】

本文是一篇说明文，主要介绍了美国最低工资法案形成和修改完善的相关知识。

【1】考查形容词短语。句意：这一时期的特点是产量下降，价格下降跌和失业率下滑。根据“alling output, falling prices, and falling employment.”可知，形容词短语be characterized by意为“以…为特征”，该结构在句中充当谓语，说明主语的特点。故选H项。

【2】考查名词。句意：在1933年，NIRA尝试通过鼓励形成行业贸易协定的方法来阻止这种下滑趋势，这些行业协议设立了最低价格和最低工资的。encourage后接名词作宾语，根据句意，formation“形成”符合句意。故选A项。

【3】考查副词。句意：这一法案最初只适用于相对较小的劳动力市场。根据“all nonsupervisory workers.”可知，空处填副词initially“最初，原始地” 修饰谓语动词。故选B项。

【4】考查语态。句意：这一法案最初只适用于相对较小的劳动力市场，但多年以来这一法案已经被修改了，以便于现在能应用于百分之90的无监管的劳动力市场。根据“only applied to a relatively small share of the labor force, but”可知，空处应选revised。本句主语the act与动词revise构成被动关系，应该使用被动语态。故选选J项。

【5】考查名词。句意：这一讨论通常根据下面的设想：劳动力市场竞争激烈，最低工资覆盖了所有的工人，工人的生产效率不受工资率的影响。be based on后接名词作宾语。根据“the labor market is perfectly competitive, the minimum wage covers all workers,”可知，空处填名词assumption。故选E项。

【6】考查语态。句意：这一讨论通常根据下面的设想：劳动力市场竞争激烈，最低工资覆盖了所有的工人，工人的生产效率不受工资率的影响。本句主语worker productivity与unaffect构成被动关系，要用过去分词unaffected表示被动语态。且符合句意。故选F项。

【7】考查形容词。句意：尽管增加最低工资得到了广泛的支持，但是经济学家认为这种行为在低工资的劳动力市场上会导致失业率增加。根据“minimum”可知，句中应该使用形容词enormous做定语修饰不可数名词pubic support。故选I项。

【8】考查形容词。句意：生活工资的提议说明现存最低工资的太低了无法让家庭处于贫困线以上。在英语中通常使用形容词做定语修饰名词，句中形容词existing意为“现存的”，修饰minimum wage。符合句意。故选K项。

【9】考查名词复数形式。句意：这一观点的倡议者支持“生活工资法案”。句中谓语动词support前面是主语，根据句意可知应该指“这一观点的倡议者们”，故选D项。

【10】考查动词。句意：公司要支付工人高工资，这些工资足以让他们生活在贫困线以上。be enough to do sth, 根据“high enough，above the poverty line”可知，空处填动词原形place意为“使…处于…位置”。故选C项。