Section B: Information Matching
Directions: In this section, you are going to read a passage with ten statements attached to it. Each statement contains information given in one of the paragraphs. Identify the paragraph from which the information is derived. You may choose a paragraph more than once. Each paragraph is marked with a letter. Answer the questions by marking the corresponding letter on your Answer Sheet.
The Place Where the Poor Once Thrived
[A] This is the land of opportunity. If that weren't already implied by the landscape—rolling green hills, palm trees, sun-kissed flowers—then it's evident in the many stories of people who grew up poor in these sleepy neighborhoods and rose to enormous success. People like Tri Tran, who fled Vietnam on a boat in 1986, showed up in San Jose with nothing, made it to MIT, and then founded the food-delivery start-up Munchery, which is valued at $300 million.
[B] Indeed, data suggests that this is one of the best places to grow up poor in America. A child born in the early 1980s into a low-income family in San Jose had a 12.9 percent chance of becoming a high earner as an adult, according to a landmark study released in 2014 by the economist Raj Chetty and his colleagues from Harvard and Berkeley. That number—12.9 percent—may not seem remarkable, but it was: Kids in San Jose whose families fell in the bottom quintile of income nationally had the best shot in the country at reaching the top quintile.
[C] By contrast, just 4.4 percent of poor kids in Charlotte moved up to the top; in Detroit the figure was 5.5 percent. San Jose had social mobility comparable to Denmark's and Canada's and higher than other progressive cities such as Boston and Minneapolis.
[D] The reasons kids in San Jose performed so well might seem obvious. Some of the world's most innovative companies are located here, providing opportunities such as the one seized by a 12-year-old Mountain View resident named Steve Jobs when he called William Hewlett to ask for spare parts and subsequently received a summer job. This is a city of immigrants—38 percent of the city's population today is foreign-born—and immigrants and their children have historically experienced significant upward mobility in America. The city has long had a large foreign-born population (26.5 percent in 1990), leading to broader diversity, which, the Harvard and Berkeley economists say, is a good predictor of mobility.
[E] Indeed, the streets of San Jose seem, in some ways, to embody the best of America. It's possible to drive in a matter of minutes from sleek office towers near the airport where people pitch ideas to investors, to single-family homes with orange trees in their yards, or to a Vietnamese mall. The libraries here offer programs in 17 languages, and there are areas filled with small businesses owned by Vietnamese immigrants, Mexican immigrants, Korean immigrants, and Filipino immigrants, to name a few.
[F] But researchers aren't sure exactly why poor kids in San Jose did so well. The city has a low prevalence of children growing up in single-parent families, and a low level of concentrated poverty, both factors that usually mean a city allows for good intergenerational mobility. But San Jose also performs poorly on some of the measures correlated with good mobility. It is one of the most unequal places out of the 741 that the researchers measured, and it has high degrees of racial and economic segregation. Its schools underperform based on how much money there is in the area, said Ben Scuderi, a predoctoral fellow at the Equality of Opportunity Project at Harvard. “There's a lot going on here which we don't totally understand,” he said. “It's interesting, because it kind of defies our expectations.”
[G] The Chetty data shows that neighborhoods and places mattered for children born in the San Jose area of the 1980s. Whether the city still allows for upward mobility of poor kids today, though, is up for debate. Some of the indicators such as income inequality, measured by the Equality of Opportunity Project for the year 2000, have only worsened in the past 16 years.
[H] Some San Jose residents say that as inequality has grown in recent years, upward mobility has become much more difficult to achieve. As Silicon Valley has become home to more successful companies, the flood of people to the area has caused housing prices to skyrocket. By most measures, San Jose is no longer a place where low-income, or even middle-income families, can afford to live. Rents in San Jose grew 42.6 percent between 2006 and 2014, which was the largest increase in the country during that time period. The city has a growing homelessness problem, which it tried to address by shutting down “The Jungle,” one of the largest homeless encampments in the nation, in 2014. Inequality is extreme. The Human Development Index—a measure of life expectancy, education and per capita income—gives East San Jose a score of 4.85 out of 10, while nearby Cupertino, where Apple's headquarters sits, receives a 9.26. San Jose used to have a happy mix of factors—cheap housing, closeness to a rapidly developing industry, tightly-knit immigrant communities—that together opened up the possibility of prosperity for even its poorest residents. But in recent years, housing prices have skyrocketed, the region's rich and poor have segregated, and middle-class jobs have disappeared. Given this, the future for the region's poor doesn't look nearly as bright as it once did.
[I] Leaders in San Jose are determined to make sure that the city regains its status as a place where even poor kids can access the resources to succeed. With Silicon Valley in its backyard, it certainly has the chance to do so. “I think there is a broad consciousness in the Valley that we can do better than to leave thousands of our neighbors behind through a period of extraordinary success,” San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo said.
[J] But in today's America—a land of rising inequality, increasing segregation, and stagnating middle-class wages—can the San Jose region really once again become a place of opportunity?
[K] The idea that those at the bottom can rise to the top is central to America's ideas about itself. That such mobility has become more difficult in San Jose raises questions about the endurance of that foundational belief. After all, if the one-time land of opportunity can't be fixed, what does that say for the rest of America?
36. According to some people living in San Jose, it has become much harder for the poor to get ahead due to the increased inequality.
37. In American history, immigrants used to have a good chance to move upward in society.
38. If the problems of San Jose can't be solved, one of America's fundamental beliefs about itself can be shaken.
39. San Jose was among the best cities in America for poor kids to move up the social ladder.
40. Whether poor kids in San Jose today still have the chance to move upward is questionable.
41. San Jose's officials are resolved to give poor kids access to the resources necessary for success in life.
42. San Jose appears to manifest some of the best features of America.
43. As far as social mobility is concerned, San Jose beat many other progressive cities in America.
44. Due to some changes like increases in housing prices in San Jose, the prospects for its poor people have dimmed.
45. Researchers do not have a clear idea why poor children in San Jose achieved such great success several decades ago.
Answers & Explanations
36. H。解析：题干中的 people living in San Jose... much harder to get ahead due to increased inequality 对应 [H] 段开头的 Some San Jose residents say that as inequality has grown... upward mobility has become much more difficult to achieve（一些居民说随着不平等加剧，向上流动变得困难得多）。
37. D。解析：题干中的 immigrants used to have a good chance to move upward 对应 [D] 段中的 immigrants and their children have historically experienced significant upward mobility in America（历史上，移民及其子女在美国经历了显著的向上流动）。
38. K。解析：题干中的 one of America's fundamental beliefs... can be shaken 对应 [K] 段中的 raises questions about the endurance of that foundational belief（对这一基本信念的持久性提出了质疑）。
39. B。解析：题干中的 among the best cities... to move up 对应 [B] 段的 one of the best places to grow up poor... had the best shot in the country at reaching the top quintile（在美国最适合穷人长大的地方之一...在全国拥有进入最高五分之一阶层的最佳机会）。
40. G。解析：题干中的 Whether poor kids... today still have the chance... is questionable 对应 [G] 段的 Whether the city still allows for upward mobility of poor kids today, though, is up for debate（然而，这座城市今天是否仍允许贫困儿童向上流动，还有待争论）。
41. I。解析：题干中的 San Jose's officials are resolved... access to the resources 对应 [I] 段的 Leaders in San Jose are determined to make sure... poor kids can access the resources to succeed（圣何塞的领导人下定决心...让贫困儿童能够获得成功的资源）。
42. E。解析：题干中的 manifest some of the best features of America 对应 [E] 段的 the streets of San Jose seem... to embody the best of America（圣何塞的街道似乎在某些方面体现了美国最好的一面）。
43. C。解析：题干中的 beat many other progressive cities 对应 [C] 段的 social mobility... higher than other progressive cities such as Boston and Minneapolis（社会流动性高于波士顿等其他进步城市）。
44. H。解析：题干中的 increases in housing prices... prospects... have dimmed 对应 [H] 段末尾的 housing prices have skyrocketed... the future for the region's poor doesn't look nearly as bright（房价飙升...该地区穷人的未来看起来远不如过去光明）。
45. F。解析：题干中的 Researchers do not have a clear idea why... 对应 [F] 段的 researchers aren't sure exactly why poor kids in San Jose did so well... “There's a lot going on here which we don't totally understand”（研究人员不确定为什么...有很多我们不完全了解的情况）。
全文翻译
[A] 这是一片机遇之地。如果说起伏的青山、棕榈树和沐浴阳光的花朵这些风景还不足以暗示这一点，那么无数故事——那些在宁静社区中贫困长大、最终取得巨大成功的人们——则清楚地证明了这一点。比如Tri Tran，他于1986年乘船逃离越南，身无分文地来到圣何塞，考入麻省理工学院，随后创立了估值3亿美元的食品外卖初创公司Munchery。
[B] 事实上，数据表明这里是美国最适合穷人长大的地方之一。根据经济学家Raj Chetty及其哈佛和伯克利同事在2014年发布的一项里程碑式研究，20世纪80年代初出生在圣何塞低收入家庭的孩子，成年后有12.9%的几率成为高收入者。12.9%这个数字看似不起眼，但意义重大：家庭收入处于全国最低五分之一的圣何塞孩子，拥有全国最佳的进入最高五分之一阶层的机会。
[C] 相比之下，夏洛特只有4.4%的贫困儿童上升到顶层，底特律这一数字为5.5%。圣何塞的社会流动性可与丹麦和加拿大相媲美，并高于波士顿和明尼阿波利斯等其他进步城市。
[D] 圣何塞孩子表现如此出色的原因似乎显而易见。世界上一些最具创新力的公司坐落于此，提供了众多机会，例如12岁的山景城居民史蒂夫·乔布斯（Steve Jobs）打电话给威廉·休利特（William Hewlett）索要备用零件、随后获得一份暑期工作的故事。这是一座移民之城——如今38%的人口为外国出生——而移民及其子女在美国历史上经历了显著的向上流动。这座城市长期以来拥有大量外国出生人口（1990年为26.5%），带来了更广泛的多样性，哈佛和伯克利的经济学家表示，这是预测流动性的良好指标。
[E] 确实，圣何塞的街道在某些方面似乎体现了美国最美好的一面。从机场附近人们向投资者推销创意的时尚办公楼，驱车几分钟即可到达院子里种着橙树的独栋住宅，或者越南购物中心。这里的图书馆提供17种语言的节目，还有众多由越南移民、墨西哥移民、韩国移民和菲律宾移民等经营的小企业聚集的区域。
[F] 但研究人员并不确定为什么圣何塞的贫困儿童表现得如此出色。该城市单亲家庭长大的儿童比例低，集中贫困水平低，这两个因素通常意味着一个城市能实现良好的代际流动。但圣何塞在一些与良好流动性相关的指标上表现不佳。在研究测量的741个地区中，它是最不平等的地区之一，且种族和经济隔离程度高。哈佛机会平等项目的博士前研究员本·斯库德里（Ben Scuderi）说，考虑到该地区的资金水平，其学校表现不佳。"这里有很多我们不完全理解的情况，"他说，"这很有趣，因为它某种程度上违背了我们的预期。"
[G] 切蒂（Chetty）的数据显示，邻里和地区对20世纪80年代圣何塞地区出生的孩子很重要。然而，这座城市如今是否仍允许贫困儿童向上流动，还有待商榷。机会平等项目测量的2000年收入不平等等指标在过去16年中进一步恶化。
[H] 一些圣何塞居民表示，随着近年来不平等加剧，向上流动变得更加困难。随着硅谷成为更多成功公司的所在地，大量涌入的人口导致房价飙升。从大多数指标来看，圣何塞已不再是低收入甚至中等收入家庭能够负担得起的居住地。圣何塞的租金在2006年至2014年间增长了42.6%，是同期全国最大涨幅。该城市无家可归问题日益严重，2014年曾通过关闭全国最大的无家可归者营地之一"丛林"（The Jungle）来应对。不平等现象极端。人类发展指数——衡量预期寿命、教育和人均收入的指标——给东圣何塞打了4.85分（满分10分），而苹果总部所在地附近的库比蒂诺得到了9.26分。圣何塞曾经拥有令人愉悦的要素组合——低廉的住房、紧邻快速发展的产业、紧密的移民社区——这些共同为即使是最贫困的居民开辟了繁荣的可能性。但近年来，房价飙升，该地区的富人和穷人日益隔离，中产阶级工作岗位消失。有鉴于此，该地区穷人的未来看起来远不如从前光明。
[I] 圣何塞的领导者决心确保这座城市重新成为一个即使贫困儿童也能获得成功所需资源的地区。背靠硅谷，它当然有机会做到这一点。"我认为硅谷有一种广泛的共识，即我们可以在取得非凡成功的时期做得更好，而不是把成千上万的邻居抛在身后，"圣何塞市长山姆·里卡尔多（Sam Liccardo）说。
[J] 但在当今美国——一个不平等加剧、隔离加深、中产阶级工资停滞的国度——圣何塞地区真的能再次成为机遇之地吗？
[K] "底层的人能够上升到顶层"这一观念是美国自我认知的核心。圣何塞的这种流动性变得更加困难，对这一基本信念的持久性提出了质疑。毕竟，如果这个曾经的机遇之地都无法修复，那对美国其他地方又意味着什么？