In 1950, a young man would have found it much easier than it is today to get and keep

a job in the auto industry. And in that year the average autoworker could meet monthly mortgage (抵押贷款) payments on an average home with just 13.4 percent of his take-home pay. Today a similar mortgage would claim more than twice that share of his monthly earnings.

Other members of the autoworker’s family, however, might be less inclined to trade the present for the past. His retired parents would certainly have had less economic security back then. Throughout much of the 1960s, more than a quarter of men and women age 65 and older lived below the poverty level, compared to less than 10 percent in 2010.

In most states, his wife could not have taken out a loan or a credit card in her own name. In 42 states, a homemaker had no legal claim on the earnings of her husband. And nowhere did a wife have legal protection against family violence.

Most black workers would not want to return to a time when, on average, they earned 40 percent less than their white counterparts (职位相对的人), while racially restrictive agreements largely prevented them from buying into the suburban neighborhoods being built for white working-class families.

Today, new problems have emerged in the process of resolving old ones, but the solution is not to go back to the past. Some people may long for an era when divorce was still hard to come by. The spread of no-fault divorce has reduced the bargaining power of whichever spouse is more interested in continuing the relationship. And the breakup of such marriages has caused pain for many families.

The growing diversity of family life comes with new possibilities as well as new challenges. According to a recent poll, more than 80 percent of Americans believe that their current family is as close as the one in which they grew up, or closer. Finding ways to improve the lives of the remaining 20 percent seems more realistic than trying to restore an imaginary golden age.

61. What do we learn about American autoworkers in 1950？

A) They had less job security than they do today.

B) It was not too difficult for them to buy a house.

C) Their earnings were worth twice as much as today.

D) They were better off than workers in other industries.

62. What does the author say about retired people today？

A) They invariably long to return to the golden past.

B) They do not depend so much on social welfare.

C) They feel more secure economically than in the past.

D) They are usually unwilling to live with their children.

63. Why couldn’t black workers buy a house in a white suburban neighborhood？

A) They lacked the means of transportation.

B) They were subjected to racial inequality.

C) They were afraid to break the law.

D) They were too poor to afford it.

64. What is the result of no-fault divorce？

A) Divorce is easier to obtain.

B) Domestic violence is lessened.

C) It causes little pain to either side.

D) It contributes to social unrest.

65. What does the author suggest society do？

A) Get prepared to face any new challenges.

B) Try to better the current social security net.

C) Narrow the gap between blacks and whites.

D) Improve the lives of families with problems.