Low wages, chronic unemployment and underemployment lead to low income, lack

游客2023-12-31  20

问题    Low wages, chronic unemployment and underemployment lead to low income, lack of property ownership, absence of savings, absence of food reserves in the home, and a chronic shortage of cash. These conditions reduce the possibility of effective participation in the larger economic system. As a response to these conditions, we find in the culture of poverty a high incidence of pawning personal goods, borrowing from local money-lenders at higher rates of interest, spontaneous informal credit devices organized by neighbors, the use of second-hand clothing and furniture, and the pattern of frequent buying of small quantities of food many times a day as the need arises.
   People with a culture of poverty produce very little wealth and receive very little in return. They have a low level of literacy and education, usually do not belong to labor unions, are not members of political parties, generally do not participate in the national welfare agencies, and make very little use of banks, hospitals, department stores, museums or art galleries. They have a critical attitude toward some of the basic institutions of the dominant classes, hatred of the police, mistrust of government and those in high position, and a cynicism which extends even to the church. This gives the culture of poverty a high potential for protest and for being used in political movements aimed against the existing social order.
   People with a culture of poverty are aware of middle-class values, talk about them and even claim some of them as their own, but on the whole, they do not live by them. Thus, it is important to distinguish between what they say and what they do. For example, many will tell you that marriage by law, by the church, or by both is the ideal form of marriage, but few will marry. To men who have no steady jobs or other sources of income, who do not own property and have no wealth to pass on to their children, who are present-time-oriented and who want to avoid the expense and legal difficulties involved in formal marriage and divorce, free unions or consensual marriages make a lot of sense. Women will often turn down offers of marriage because they feel it ties them down to men who are immature, punishing and generally unreliable. Women feel that consensual union gives them a better break; it gives them some of the freedom and flexibility that men have. By not giving the fathers of their children legal status as husbands, the women have a stronger claim on their children if they decide to leave their men. It also gives women exclusive rights to a house or any other property they may own. [br] The phrase "culture of poverty" underlined in Paragraph 1 suggests that______.

选项 A、there are several classifications of poor people
B、poor people often take pride in their poverty
C、poverty has become a prevalent lifestyle for some people
D、poor people share a common background

答案 C

解析    细节识别。“culture of poverty”在第一段第一次出现,由于它有下画线,所以比较容易识别。当然,本题要考查的是这个术语表明的内容。由于本句提到“We find in the culture of poverty a high incidence of…”,既然发生率很高,那么符合选项C的“a prevalent lifestyle for some people”。【知识拓展】本题有两个词组对应起来就可以找到答案。“high incidence”和“prevalent lifestyle”都表示盛行。另外,“culture of poverty(贫困文化)”是由美国人类学家奥斯卡-刘易斯(Oscar Lewis)于1959年提出的。该理论认为,在社会中,穷人因为贫困而在生活各方面与众不同,形成独特的生活方式。穷人独特的居住方式促进了穷人间的集体互动,使得他们与其他人在社会生活中相对隔离,由此产生一种脱离社会主流文化的贫困亚文化。处于贫困亚文化之中的人有独特的文化观念和生活方式,这种亚文化通过“圈内”交往而得到加强,并且被制度化,进而维持着贫困的生活。在这种环境中长成的下一代会自然地习得贫困文化,于是贫困文化发生世代传递,即使遇到摆脱贫困的机会也难以利用它走出贫困。这正是本题所考查的要点。
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