考研英语一（阅读）模拟试卷855
阅读（常规阅读理解）
An effective unemployment-insurance (UI) system plays an essential role in a healthy economy It helps people get by when they lose jobs. It alleviates recessions by maintaining consumers\’ spending power. It\’s not a handout; it\’s something people should be encouraged to use as quickly as possible when trouble hits. However, amid the coronavirus crisis, instead of receiving timely benefits, millions of Americans have spent weeks waiting in long lines, battling troublesome websites and breaking through bureaucracies that in some cases were designed to keep them out. Their struggles demonstrate just how far the U.S. system has fallen, and how overdue it is for reform.
The origins of today\’s system can be traced to the New Deal. In a departure from the highly successful Social Security program, however, Congress left the management of unemployment insurance largely to the states now. Beyond some general guidelines, such as the minimum amount of income to be taxed, states were—and still are—free to decide crucial details such as who qualifies for benefits, how much they receive and for how long.
The result is a confusing inconsistency, in which benefits depend heavily on where workers happen to live and all too often fall short of what\’s needed. Some states have accessible claims process that the system\’s creators envisaged, while some other states make it so daunting that only about 1 in 10 unemployed workers received anything—among the lowest rates in the nation.
When recessions hit, Congress invariably supplements state benefits with emergency federal funds. But this has been unacceptably slow to reach people, because years of underinvestment have left too many state unemployment offices poorly staffed, ill-equipped.
Such a broken system can\’t be fixed overnight. Reducing the immediate backlogs will depend primarily on state efforts to increase staffing and find creative ways to loosen bottlenecks. This can be a difficult and time-consuming process. That said, Congress can help by making more federal funds available in its next relief package, and by tying the money to measurable progress in processing and paying claims.
Reform shouldn\’t stop there. The federal government should get more involved—and even consider handing the system over to the Social Security Administration (SSA). This would en-tail a significant investment, but would also improve efficiency, provide more consistent benefits and free workers to move where the jobs are. At the very least, Congress should impose stricter requirements—for coverage, access, and minimum and extended benefits—on state programs and empower the Labor Department to enforce them.
Granted, any reform will require increasing the taxes that fund unemployment insurance, but the money will go toward a
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