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The value whichsociety places on work has traditionally been closely associated with the valueof individualism and as a result it has had negative effects on the developmentof social security. (46) It has meant thatin the first place the amount of benefits must be small lest people’swillingness to work and support themselves suffers. Eventoday with flat rate and earnings-related benefits, the total amount of thebenefit must always be smaller than the person’s wages for fear ofmalingering. “The purpose of social security,” said Huntfordreferring to Sweden’s comparatively generous benefits, “is to dispel needwithout crossing the threshold of prosperity.” Second, socialsecurity benefits are granted under conditions designed to reduce thelikelihood of even the boldest of spirits attempting to live on the Staterather than work. Many of the rules surrounding the payment of unemployment orsupplementary benefit are for this purpose. Third, the value placed on work ismanifested in a more positive way as in the case of disability. (47) Peoplesuffering from accidents incurred at work or from occupational diseases receivepreferential treatment by the social security service compared with thosesuffering from civil accidents and ordinary illnesses.
Yet, the stranglehold which work has had on the social securityservice has been increasingly loosened over the years. The provision of familyallowances, family income supplements, the slight liberalization of the wagesstop are some of the manifestations of this trend. (48) Similarly,the preferential treatment given to occupational disability by the socialsecurity service has been increasingly questioned with the demands for theupgrading of benefits for the other types of disability. It is felt that in contemporary industrial societies the distinctionbetween occupational and non-occupational disability is artificial for manynon-occupational forms of disability have an industrial origin even if they donot occur directly in the workplace. (49)There isalso the additional reason which we mentioned in the argument for one benefitfor all one-parent families, that a modern social security service mustconcentrate on meeting needs irrespective of the cause behind such needs.
The relationship between social security and work is not all aone-way affair.(50) It is true that until very recently the general view was thatsocial security “represented a type of luxury and was essentially anti-economic.” Itwas seen as merely government expenditure for the needy. As we saw, however,redundancy payments and earnings-related unemployment benefits have been usedwith some success by employers and the government to reduce workers’ oppositiontowards loss of their jobs.
总体分析
这是一篇关于社会保障的文章，主要论述社会赋予工作的价值这种观点所带来的后果，并指出虽然社会保障存在一些问题，但是仍有成效可见。
第一段：先提出社会赋予工作的价值在传统上一直与个人主义紧密联系在一起，因此对社会保障的发展产生了负面的影响。接着具体论述了三点影响。
第二段：转折指出，近年来工作对社会保障的束缚日益松解。接着作者又提到现代工业社会中工伤和非工伤的区别是虚假的，最后提到单亲家庭的救济理由，即一个现代的社会保障体系必须专注于满足需求，不管这些需求的背后有何原因。
第三段：综述社会保障和工作之间的关系。并指出看待社会保障的几种观点。
文章是有关社会生活的评论性文章，所用词汇绝大多数为书面用语，句子结构也比较复杂，长句较多。此外，这篇文章的主题“社会保障”是社会生活中比较常见的话题，所以考生可以结合常识理解。由此可见，考生平时应该注意一些有关社会文化生活的中英文报道，一方面熟悉常用词汇，一方面积累常识性知识。
文章考核的知识点：(一)状语，包括目的状语从句，分词作状语，介词短语作状语。(二)定语，包括定语从句，过去分词作定语等。(三)it为形式主语的主语从句。(四)同位语。
试题精解
46.[精解] 本题考核知识点：目的状语从句的翻译
该句是一个含有lest引导的目的状语从句的复合句。主句部分又包含了一个that引导的宾语从句。主句的主语为代词it，考生翻译时应联系上下文找出它所指代的对象，避免产生歧义。在此句中，it指代的是前文整个句子，可以译为“这种观念”。Mean字面含义是“表示...的意思”，在这里因为主语译成观念，所以可将mean活译成“认为”与之相搭配。连词lest引导目的状语从句，按字面意思直译是“以免人们的积极性受到损害”，但是考虑到要突出主语以及具体动作，可依照汉语习惯译成主动句。
词汇：benefit常见含义是“好处，利益”，因为整个文章谈论的是社会保障问题，所以应译成“救济金，保障金”。in the first place字面意思是“在第一的位置上”，一般译为“首先”。Willingness原意为“甘愿，自愿”，Suffer意为“受损害，受痛苦”，两个词搭配在一起，译为“积极性受到损害”或“损害积极性”。
47.[精解] 本题考核知识点：现在分词作定语、过去分词作定语、过去分词作状语的译法
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