The Culture of Poverty
Guidance for Reciting
International Day for the Eradication of Poverty falls on October 17 each year. You are supposed to take the problem of poverty into more consideration after reading this passage.
Poverty and hunger are marked with shame. A poor man is often ashamed and feels humiliated. In many cultures poverty is a sin. Someone who has lived in poverty for generations is no longer able to function in better conditions.
Another characteristic of poverty is the conflict between inhabitants of cities and people from rural areas. Agriculture in the Third World countries is poor because governments promote city living and control the prices of foodstuffs，keeping them at such a low level that peasants do not make any profit and often migrate to cities. Thus there are so many cities of poverty，where life is still better than in the country. In cities，even in slums，electricity is available. And electricity means light and radio music―so there is some form of entertainment. People flock to such slums，and conflict arises：Yesterday's peasant becomes an enemy of his former neighbors from the country.
These are the typical features of the culture of poverty，which produces tension，aggression and conflict of interests within itself. Poor societies cannot act in an organized manner as they are atomized and tormented by internal conflicts.
贫困文化
诵读导言
每年10月17日为“国际消除贫困日”。希望这篇短文会引发你对贫困问题的深入思考。
贫困和饥饿总是带有耻辱的印记。穷人总是自惭形秽，感到低人一等。很多文化把贫困看成是一种罪过。世代生活在贫困中的人们即使境况有所好转也无法再过上正常的生活。
贫困的另一个特点表现为城市居民和农村地区民众的对立。第三世界国家的农业非常落后，因为各国政府一直在提高城市生活水平并控制粮食蔬菜价格。粮蔬价格低廉，农民们无利可图，常常只好迁往城市，从而形成很多贫困的大城市――即便贫困，那里的生活也要好于农村。城市里，哪怕在贫民区，电还是有的。有电就意味着灯光和收音机播放的音乐――因此就有某种形式的娱乐。人们蜂拥而至这些贫民区，由此出现了对立：这些昨天的农民变成了他们往日乡下邻居的敌人。
这些就是贫困文化的典型特点。贫困文化内部不断产生紧张、争斗和利益冲突。贫困的社会受到内部冲突的瓦解摧残而无法有序运转。
Notes
1.humiliate [hju（：）5milieit] v. 使……丢脸，使……蒙羞，屈辱
2.flock [flRk] v. 成群而行，聚集
3.slum [slQm] n. 贫民窟
