At the heart of the debate over illegal immigration lies one key question: are immigrants good or bad for the economy? The American public overwhelmingly thinks they’re bad. Yet the agreement among most economists is that immigration, both legal and illegal, provides a small net boost to the economy. Immigrants provide cheap labor, lower the prices of everything from farm produce to new homes, and leave consumers with a little more money in their pockets. So why is there such a discrepancy between the perception of immigrants’ impact on the economy and the reality?
There are a number of familiar theories. Some argue that people are anxious and feel threatened by an inflow of new workers. Others highlight the stress that undocumented immigrants place on public services, like schools, hospitals, and jails. Still others emphasize the role of race, arguing that foreigners add to the nation's fears and insecurities. There’s some truth to all these explanations, but they aren’t quite sufficient.
To get a better understanding of what’s going on, consider the way immigration’s impact is felt. Though its overall effect may be positive, its costs and benefits are distributed unevenly. David Card, an economist at UC Berkeley, notes that the ones who profit most directly from immigrants’ low-cost labor are businesses and employers —meatpacking plants in Nebraska, for instance, these producers’ savings probably translate into lower prices at the grocery store, but how many consumers make that mental connection at the checkout counter? As for the drawbacks of illegal immigration, these, too, are concentrated. Native low-skilled workers suffer most from the petition of foreign labor. According to a study by George Borjas, a Harvard economist, immigration has reduced the wages of American high-school dropouts by 9%.
Among high-skilled, better-educated employees, however, opposition was strongest in states with both high numbers of immigrants and relatively generous social services. What worried them most, in other words, was the financial burden of immigration. That conclusion was reinforced by another finding: that their opposition appeared to soften when that financial burden decreased, as occurred with welfare reform in the 1990s, which curbed immigrants’ access to certain benefits.
The irony is that for all the overexcited debate, the net effect of immigration is minimal. Even for those most acutely affected — say, low-skilled workers, or California residents — the impact isn’t all that dramatic. “The unpleasant voices have tended to dominate our perceptions,” says Daniel Tichenor, a professor at the University of Oregon. “But when all those factors are put together and the economists calculate the numbers, it ends up being a net positive, but a small one.” Too bad most people don’t realize it.
【小题1】What can we learn from the first paragraph?A．Whether immigrants are good or bad for the economy has been puzzling economists.B．The American economy used to thrive on immigration but now it’s a different story.C．The agreement among economists is that immigration should not be encouraged.D．The general public thinks differently from most economists on the impact of immigration.【小题2】What is the chief concern of native high-skilled, better-educated employees about the inflow of immigrants?A．It may change the existing social structure.B．It may pose a threat to their economic status.C．It may decrease .their financial burden.D．It may place a great pressure on the state budget.【小题3】What is the irony about the debate over immigration?A．Even economists can’t reach an agreement about its impact.B．Those who are opposed to it turn out to benefit most from it.C．People are making too big a fuss about something of small impact.D．There is no essential difference between seemingly opposite opinions.【小题4】Which of the following might be the best title of the passage?A．A debate about whether to immigrate.B．A debate about the impact of illegal immigrants. C．The great impact of immigrants on the economy.D．Opposition to illegal immigration.D
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(答案→)D
解析：本文论述了正反两方对于移民对本国的影响到底有多大，不同的人有不同的观点，文章最后Daniel Tichenor教授指出，其实移民给本国带来的是经济的一个很小的增长，只不过，有的人认识不到这一点。
【小题1】这是概括大意题。这里指出，美国大众绝大多数认为移民对经济的影响是不好的。然而，大多数经济学家却一致认为，不管是合法还是非法移民，都为经济带来了小幅的净增长。由此可见，对于移民经济的影响问题，大众多多数经济学家存在分歧，故答案为D。
【小题2】这是细节理解题。根据Among high-skilled, better-educated employees, however, opposition was strongest in states with both high numbers of immigrants and relatively generous social services. What worried them most, in other words, was the financial burden of immigration.他们主要担心财政负担重，故选 D。
【小题3】这是细节理解题。根据The irony is that for all the overexcited debate, the net effect of immigration is minimal. Even for those most acutely affected — say, low-skilled workers, or California residents — the impact isn’t all that dramatic. 移民对各方面的影响很小，没有必要过于谈论它，故选C。
【小题4】这是标题归纳题。根据从开头及整篇文章的内容来看，是主要谈论的移民的影响，故选B。