Extensive Reading Lesson 51

人都有一个“中国梦”

《人民日报》9月16日发表的一篇关注社会底层人群的文章指出，身份背景对后天发展的影响加大，社会底层人群向上流动越来越难。

“近几年社会底层特别是农民以及农民工家庭的子女，通过教育实现向上流动的动力越来越小，成本越来越高，总体上看，渠道有变窄的趋势。”中国劳动学会副会长苏海南表示。文章指出原因有两个：第一，学费上涨；第二，毕业即失业使得“知识改变命运”逐渐变得不再那么有吸引力。

家庭背景已成为就业过程中一道不断升高的“隐形门槛”，普通人家的子弟，因为其父母没有金钱和权力，难以进入社会上升通道，而有着强大社会资源的富有家庭的孩子，则可以轻松获得体面的工作、较高的收入以及更广阔的发展空间。

苏海南表示，中国目前仍然处在一个社会变迁比较剧烈的时代，阶层结构肯定会发生变化，关键是朝什么方向发展。“我们应当努力营造一个有利于向上流动的社会环境和氛围，让所有人都能够怀有一个‘中国梦’，即只要是中国公民，只要努力向上，不论是偏远地区农民的子女还是城市居民的子女，每个人都有平等的机会和上升的空间，都可能凭借自身的才华和拼搏，改变命运。只有这样，中国未来的可持续发展才有保障。”
 

Everyone has a 'China Dream'

One's family background has an increasingly bigger impact on his later life, and it's becoming more difficult for people to move upward on the socioeconomic ladder, the People's Daily reported on September 16.

"Recently, the lower classes-farmers and migrant workers' children-have been less motivated to change their destinies through education as costs rose," said Su Hainan, vice chairman of the China Association for Labor Studies, told the paper. "In general, the up-flowing channel is narrowing." The article attributes the reason to tuition increases and unemployment after graduation, which have challenged the common idea that "knowledge changes destiny."

Family connections have once again become the best opportunity for obtaining employment. People whose parents have little money and power will find it difficult to get noticed, while children from wealthy families with powerful social resources have an easier time obtaining decent jobs and building better careers.

Su said that China is still in an era when great social changes will happen and that social classes will change, too. The key point is the direction these changes are heading. "We should create a social environment that encourages people to live for change, or to have a 'Chinese dream,' which means, as long as he is a Chinese citizen and works hard, no matter where, remote or urban area, he comes from, he will have the same opportunity to change his destiny through his talents and efforts. In that way will it be possible for China to have a sustainable developmental future," Su said.