Social problemnew version.docx

Social problemnew version.docx

《Social problemnew version.docx》由会员分享，可在线阅读，更多相关《Social problemnew version.docx（16页珍藏版）》请在冰点文库上搜索。

Socialproblemnewversion

Socialproblems

Passage1

SocialProblemsintheUnitedStates（I）

TheUnitedStatesofAmericaisahighly-developedcountrywithahighdegreeofadvancedscienceandtechnology.Itisalsooneoftherichestcountriesintheworld.Nevertheless,variouskindsofsocialevilsareprevalent,suchasdiscriminationagainstminoritiesandthepoor,thelackofequalopportunity,unequaleducation,unemployment,starvation,moralcorruption,etc.Theyarestillsocialrealities,whichcanbesolvedonlyonconditionthatthecapitalistsystemofAmericansocietycomestoanend.

TheGapBetweenthePoorandtheRich

InAmericansociety,avociferousequalityisgreatlyadvocated.However,socialequalityhasneverbeenrealized.Whenwesayequalityineconomics,wemeantheequalityofopportunityinpractice.Eachmayhaveasgoodachanceaseveryoneelseofachievingwealthbyhisownefforts;everyoneisindependent,andfreetochoosehisownpositioninsociety.Butthisisnotalwaystrue.Thesonofabankermayfinditeasiertobesuccessfulforseveralreasons.Therefore,equalitydoesnotmeanallAmericansareequalineconomics.Thedifferencebetweentherichandthepoorisgreatbecauseofthesocialproblem.

Asfarasincomesandpossessionsareconcerned,thereismuchinequalityinAmerica.ThenationalwealthofAmericaisdistributeddifferently.Itistruethatfive-sixthsofallAmericansliveinconditionsofrelativecomfortandwealthbeyondwhatisnecessaryinlife,buttheremainingone-sixtharestillpoor,feelingthattheyhavebeenoutcastsoftheirsociety.

IntheAmericansociety,sincetheaccumulationofpersonalcapitalisallowed,therearegreaterdifferencesconcerningwealthandrealestatethanthedifferencesinincome.Thegapbetweentherichandthepoorhasbecomegreaterandgreateralongwitheconomicaldevelopment.ItisestimatedthatintheUnitedStatesofAmericaabouthalfofallthepropertyisinthepossessionofone-tenthofthepopulation,andtheincomedistributionisaccordinglynotequalatall.

ItisgenerallyadmittedthatAmericaisarichcountry,butpovertystillexists.In1968,itwascalculatedthataccordingtothestandardthenlaiddown,abouttwenty-fourmillionpeople,ortwelvepercentofthepopulation,werepoor.Thecausesofpovertymaybeunemployment,oldage,largefamilieswithlittleincome,etc.UnemploymentisaconstantthreattotheAmericanpeopleanditaffects,inparticular,thosewithoutskillsandthosewhohavebeendisplacedbymachines.InAmerica,manyjobscanbedonebymachinesorwiththehelpofmachines,thusunemploymenthasgreatlyincreased.In1974-1975thefigureforunemploymentwasnearlynicepercentofthepopulation,anditwasstillsevenpercentinmid1976evenaftergreatimprovementsweremade.

Peoplewithnomoneyoftengohungry.TherearesomepeoplewhoarehomelessinAmerica.Howtosolvethisproblemofthehomelesspeopleisandwillbesomethingveryseriousandimportant.Itiscalculatedthatthereareabouttwohundredthousandhomelesspeoplewanderingalongthestreet.Theyhaveneitherjobs,norplacestolivein.

Inthepast,suchthingshappenedinbigcities,buttoday,itisalmostseeneverywhereintheUnitedStates.Someofthemareyoung,andsomeareold,includingtheweakandthesick.Theyliveinalifeneithersafenorsteady.Sometimestheyspendtheirnightsinthecornersofstreetsoronthestairsofahighbuilding.Theyaresufferinggreatlyfrompoverty.Whatismore,theyarerobbedandattackedbytheyoungandthestrong;andwomenbecomethevictimsofraping.Thesepeoplehavenohopeinlife,sotheyjustcomfortthemselvesbydrinkingandlookingforexcitement.

ThisoftencausesgreattroubletotheAmericansociety.

InNewYorkCity,itisestimatedthatthereareabout35000homelesspeoplewhoarewanderingalongthestreetseveryday.AmongthemispeculiarkindofladiesinNewYork,whoarecalledshoppingbagladies,or“urbanhermits”.Theyspendtheirdaysandnightsinthesameplaceformonthsonend,andthentheydisappearassuddenlyastheycome.Theywanderwherevertheycanfindfood-theleftoversinthegarbagecans.Theystandbythesideoftheroadorinacornereverydayandbegforsomechangeforthepassers-by.Formthis,wecanseethatsomepeopleinAmericacannotenjoyfamilyhappinessforonereasonoranother.

Violence

InadditiontopovertyintheAmericansociety,politicalassassinationsaresurprisingandextraordinary.InAmericanhistory,fourAmericanpresidentshavebeenassassinated.TheyareAbrahamLincoln,assassinatedinApril,1865;JamesA.Garfield,inSeptember1881;WilliamMcKinley,inSeptember1901;andJohnF.Kennedy,inNovember1963.Indeed,itisaterribleandcruelsocialphenomenon.

ItisreportedthatintheUnitedStates,aviolentcasetakesplaceeverytwenty-sevenseconds;andapersoniskilledeverytwenty-fourminutes.

Recently,anewsocialphenomenonhasappearedwithinthecampusesofAmericancollegesanduniversities,thatis,girlstudentsandwomenteachersaregreatlythreatenedbyrobberyandrape.AccordingtothedataoftheFederalBureauofInvestigation,intheyearof1980,therewere56439criminalcasesin107universities,andcasesofrapeincreasedaboutfiftypercent.Thishascausedgreatworriesandanxietiesamongstudentsandteachers.In1981,inCaliforniaUniversity,robberyandrapeincreasedonehundredandfiftypercent.InaCathedralschoolofWashingtonDistrict,agirlstudentwasrapedandrobbedbyacriminalwithahuntingknifewhileshewasstudyingalongintheclassroom.InaCaliforniaUniversity,afootballcoachwasrobbedonthecampusbysomeonewithagun.Itissaidthat,inSouthCarolinaUniversity,gangsofrascalshavebeentakinggirlstudents,womenteachersandwivesofteachersworkinginthisuniversityastheirtargetsofrape,whichhascausedagreatfear.

Answerthefollowingquestions:

1.Howmanysocialproblemsarementionedinthispassage?

Andwhatarethey?

2.Asfarasincomesandpossessionsareconcerned,istheremuchinequalityinAmerica?

Andcanyousummarizethegapbetweentherichandthepoor

3.Whatisthemajorreasonofthegapbetweentherichandthepoor?

4.InAmericanhistory,howmanypresidentsareassassinated?

Whowerethey?

5.WhatkindsoftroublewillthewealthinequalitycauseinAmerica?

Passage2

SocialProblemsintheUnitedStates（II）

DecayingMorality

TheAmericansocietyisdevelopingveryfastscientifically,whilethespiritofthesocietyisbecomingmoreandmorehollow,andthesocietyitselfmoreandmorecorrupted.

The“NuclearFamily”isagoodthingfortheindependenceoftheAmericanpeople,especiallyfortheyoung,however,italsocausesasocialprobleminthesocietythatoldmenandwomencannotbetendedwellandcarefullywhentheybecomeaged.Someofthemsuffergreatlyfromloneliness.

DivorcehascausedveryseriousproblemintheAmericansociety.In1979,therewereabout1.2millionsofcoupleswhogotdivorced,threetimesasmanyasthatoftenyearsbefore.Thedivorcerateincreasedfrom13.4percentthenyearsbeforeto22.8percentineverythousandcouples.Thishascausedgreatandseriousproblems,especiallytochildren.Upto1980,therewere12millionyoungpeoplewhoseparentsweredivorcedandabout1millionwhosufferedgreatlyfrom“brokenfamilies”becauseoftheirparents’divorce.Someofthemhaveescapedfromtheironeparentfamiliesbecauseofilltreatment;somearedrivenoutofhomes,wanderinginthestreets.Asaresult,theybegantodothingsdesperately,takingdrugs,drinkingwine,stealingmoney,robbing,raping,etc..

Theunfavorablesocialorderisalsoworthnoticing.TherearemoreandmoreillegalbabiestodayinAmerica.Theillegalbirthrateofthecountryisseventeenpercentofthebirthtotal.

Inthe1960sandtheearly1970sa“newmorality”appearedamongyoungpeople,mostofwhomwereeducatedatcollege.Theyhavepremaritalsexualrelationshipsandlivetogetherbeforemarriage.However,manyAmericansdisapproveofthisbehavior.Adoublestandardinsexualbehaviorisupheldthatitisacceptableforyoungmentohavesexualexperiencesbeforemarriage,butwomenareexpectedtobevirginsbeforemarriage.Thisisreallystrangeandunreasonable.Manysocialscientistsclaimthatpremaritalsexualrelationswerenotunusualamongbothyoungmenandyoungwomenbefore1960s.Butwhatisdifferenttodayistheopenacceptancebymanyyoungpeopleofasinglestandardforbothsexesbeforemarriage.SomeAmericanssaythisisonlycasualbehavior;othersmayfindsuchanexcusethatpremaritalrelationsarethenaturalresultofromanticlove.Thissoundsevenmoreridiculous.The“newmorality”isnothingbut“immorality”.Thisisso-called“AmericanCivilization”.

Homosexualityisaratherstrangesocialphenomenonthatmostpeoplecanhardlyunderstand.Itwidelyspreads.Onereasonforthismaybethedespairinmarriageorloveaffairs.Somepeoplefailinmarriageandbecomedisappointedwithit.Sotheydecidenolongertolovetheoppositesex,butinsteadbegintoloveapersonofthesamesexasareturnofhatredtotheopposite.Anotherreasonmaybethatsomepeoplejustwanttofindanddosomething“new”and“curious”.Sotheypracticedhomosexualityasakindofnewexcitement.Gaymenandlesbiansusuallyhavetheiractivitiesinsecret,andtheyareoftenlookeddownupon,buttheyalsoprotestfortheir“freedom”.However,thiscannotbutshowthespiritualhollownessofthesepeopleandthedistortionofthesocialorder.

Drug-abuseisanothersocialproblem.InNewYorkcity,oneoutoffortycitizenstakedrug-heroin,