American Dreams

There is a commonresponse to America amongforeign writers:the USis a land of extremes where the best of things are just as easily found as theworst. This is a cliche（陈

词滥调）.

In the land of blackand white,people should not be too surprised to find some of the biggest gapsbetween the rich and the poor in the world.But the American Dream offers a

way out toeveryone._______(46)No class system or government stands in the way.

Sadly,this oldargument is no longer true.Over the past few decades there has been afundamental shift in the structure of the American economy.

The gap between therich and the poor has widened and widened._______( 47)

Over the past 25years the median USfamily income has gone up 18 per cent. For the top 1 per cent,however,it hasgone up 200 per cent. Twenty-five years ago the top fifth

of Americans had anaverage income 6.7 times that of the bottom fifth._______(48)

Inequalities havegrown worse in different regions.In California,incomesfor lower class families have fallen by 4 per cent since 1969._______(49)Thishas led to an economy

hugely in favor of asmall group of very rich Americans.The wealthiest 1 per cent of households nowcontrol a

third of thenational wealth. There are now 37 million Americans living in poverty.At 12.7per cent of the population,it is the highest per centage in the developedworld.

Yet the tax burdenon America'srich is falling,not growing._______(50)There was an economic theory holdingthat the rich spending more would benefit everyone as a

whole.But clearlythat theory has not worked in reality.__________（47）

A.Nobody is poor in the US.

B.The top 1 per cent of households has seen its tax bite fall by a full 25 percentage points since 1980.

C.For upper class families they have risen 41 per cent.

D.Now it is 9.8 times.

E.As it does so,the possibility to cross that gap gets smaller and smaller.