An industrial society, especially one as centralized and concentrated as that of Britain, is heavily dependant on certain essential services: for instance, electricity supply, water, rail and road transport, the harbors. The area of dependency has widened to include removing rubbish, hospital and ambulance services, and, as the economy develops, central computer and information services as well. If any of these services ceases to operate, the whole economic system is in danger.
It is this interdependency of the economic system that makes the power of trade unions such an important issue. Single trade unions have the ability to cut off many economic blood supplies. This can happen more easily in Britain than in some other countries, in part because the labor force is highly organized. About 55 per cent of British workers belong to unions, compared to under a quarter in the United States. For historical reasons, Britains unions have tended to develop along trade and occupational lines, rather than on an industry-by-industry basis, which makes wage policy, democracy in industry and the improvement of procedures for fixing wage levels difficult to achieve.
There are considerable strains and tensions in the trade union movement, some of them arising from their outdated and inefficient structure. Some unions have lost many members because of industrial changes. Others are involved in arguments about who should represent workers in new trades. Unions for skilled trades are separate from general unions, which means that different levels of wages for certain jobs are often a source of bad feeling between unions. In traditional trades which are being pushed out of existence by advancing technologies, unions can fight for their members disappearing jobs to the point where the jobs of other unions members are threatened or destroyed. The printing of newspapers both in the United States and in Britain has frequently been halted by the efforts of printers to hold on to their traditional highly-paid jobs.
21. Why is the question of trade union power important in Britain?
A. The economy is very much interdependent.
B. Unions have been established a long time.
C. There are more unions in Britain than elsewhere.
D. There are many essential services.
22. Because of their out-of-date organization some unions find it difficult to______.
A. change as industries change B. get new members to join them
C. learn new technologies D. bargain for high enough wages
23. Disagreements arise between unions because some of them
A. try to win over members of other unions
B. ignore agreements
C. protect their own members at the expense of others
D. take over other unions jobs
24. It is difficult to improve the procedures for fixing wage levels because______.
A. some industries have no unions
B. unions are not organized according to industries
C. only 55 per cent of workers belong to unions
D. some unions are too powerful
25. Which of the following is NOT TRUE?
A. There are strains and tensions in the trade union movement.
B. Some unions have lost many members.
C. Some unions exist in the outdated structure.
D. A higher percentage of American workers belong to unions than that of British workers.
21. A 22. A 23. C 24. B 25. D
雅思阅读考试的五个高分原则
雅思阅读难句拆分:平行并列结构(下)
雅思阅读考试应该养成的好习惯
雅思阅读技巧
雅思阅读难句拆解:分割结构
雅思阅读高分要用正确的阅读方法
雅思阅读七大题型答题方法:完成句子题
《剑桥雅思考试全真试题解析2》难句整理
雅思阅读是非无判断题解题策略
雅思阅读长难句结构分析100句(上)
雅思听力阅读通用技巧:把握主题
雅思阅读实战模拟题:Biomimetics
部分版本号的雅思听力(3)
部分版本号的雅思听力(2)
雅思阅读七大题型答题方法:回答问题题
提升雅思阅读实力的四个方面
雅思阅读判断题实例解析(下)
雅思阅读必备的两种阅读方法
雅思学术类阅读完全功略手册
雅思阅读考试的测试要点梳理
雅思阅读能力提升策略(A、G类适用)
雅思阅读需要留意的四个地方
搞定雅思阅读的两招:单词+长句
浅谈雅思阅读拿高分的三个关键点
雅思阅读长难句结构分析100句(下)
雅思阅读难句拆分:插入结构(上)
部分版本号的雅思听力(4)
雅思阅读考试要点全解(中)
如何攻克雅思阅读的单词和句子?
雅思阅读T/F/NG题型的解题技巧
不限 |
英语教案 |
英语课件 |
英语试题 |
不限 |
不限 |
上册 |
下册 |
不限 |