Question

    Robert F. Kennedy once said that a country’s GDP measures “everything except what makes life worthwhile.” With Britain voting to leave the European Union, and GDP already predicted to slow as a result, it is now a timely moment to assess what he was referring to.

The question of GDP and its usefulness has annoyed policymakers for over half a century. Many argue that it is a mistaken concept. It measures things that do not matter and misses things that do. By most recent measures, the UK’s GDP has been the envy of the Western world, with record low unemployment and high growth figures. If everything was going so well, then why did over 17 million people vote for Brexit, despite the warnings about what it could do to their country’s economic prospects?

A recent annual study of countries and their ability to convert growth into well-being throws some light on that question. Across the 163 countries measured, the UK is one of the poorest performers in ensuring that economic growth is translated into meaningful improvements for its citizens. Rather than just focusing on GDP, over 40 different sets of criteria from health, education and civil society engagement have been measured to get a more all-round assessment of how countries are performing.

While all of these countries face their own challenges, there are a number of common themes. Yes, there has been an economic recovery since the 2008 global crash, but in key indicators in areas such as health and education, major economies have continued to decline. Yet this isn’t the case with all countries. Some relatively poor European countries have seen huge improvements across measures including civil society, income equality and environment.

This is a lesson that rich countries can learn: When GDP is no longer regarded as the only measure of a country’s success, the world looks very different.

So what Kennedy was referring to was that while GDP has been the most common method for measuring the economic activity of nations, as a measure, it is no longer enough. It does not include important factors such as environmental quality or education outcomes — all things that contribute to a person’s sense of well-being.

1.Robert F.Kennedy is cited（引用）because he _______.

A.praised the UK for its GDP. B.identified GDP with happiness.

C.misinterpreted the role of GDP. D.had a low opinion of GDP.

2.Which of the following is true about the recent annual study?

A.Its results are inspiring. B.It is sponsored by 163 countries.

C.Its criteria are questionable. D.It removes GDP as an indicator.

3.What is the author’s attitude towards GDP as the most common measure of a country’s success?

A.Favorable. B.Indifferent.

C.Critical. D.Defensive.

Answer

1.D

2.A

3.C

【解析】

本文是一篇说明文。主要介绍了GDP作为衡量国家经济活动的标准是不够的，政策决定者还要考虑其他提升民众幸福感的因素。

1.细节理解题。根据文章第一句Robert F. Kennedy once said that a country’s GDP measures “everything except what makes life worthwhile.” Robert F. Kennedy曾经说过，一个国家的GDP衡量了“除了让生活有价值的东西之外的一切”。以及文章最后So what Kennedy was referring to was that while GDP has been the most common method for measuring the economic activity of nations, as a measure, it is no longer enough. 因此，Kennedy所指的是，虽然国内生产总值是衡量各国经济活动的最常见方法，但作为一种衡量标准，它已经不够了。由此我们可以理解引用Robert F. Kennedy的话就是因为Robert F. Kennedy对GDP的评价很低。故选D。

2.推理判断题。根据文章第三段Rather than just focusing on GDP, over 40 different sets of criteria from health, education and civil society engagement have been measured to get a more all-round assessment of how countries are performing.我们不仅关注GDP，还衡量了来自卫生、教育和公民社会参与的40多种不同标准，以更全面地评估各国的表现。”由此判断出，可知这个研究的结果还是很鼓舞人心的，故选A。

3.推理判断题。根据文章最后一段So what Kennedy was referring to was that while GDP has been the most common method for measuring the economic activity of nations, as a measure, it is no longer enough. It does not include important factors such as environmental quality or education outcomes — all things that contribute to a person’s sense of well-being. “因此，Kennedy所指的是，虽然GDP一直是衡量国家经济活动最常用的方法，但作为一种衡量标准，它已经不够了。它不包括重要的因素，如环境质量或教育成果—所有这些都有助于一个人的幸福感。”由此可推断，作者对于把GDP作为衡量一个国家成功的最普遍标准是不认同的，是批判的态度，故选C。