In the last 12 years total employment in the United States grew faster than at any time in the peacetime history of any country from 82 to 110 million between 1973 and 1985 that is, by a full one third. The entire growth, however, was in manufacturing, and especially in no blue-collar jobs
This trend is the same in all developed countries, and is, indeed, even more pronounced in Japan. It is therefore highly probable that in 25 years developed countries such as the United States and Japan will employ no larger a proportion of the labor force I n manufacturing than developed countries now employ in farming at most, 10 percent. Today the United States employs around 18 million people in blue-collar jobs in manufacturing industries. By 2010, the number is likely to be no more than 12 million. In some major industries the drop will be even sharper. It is quite unrealistic, for instance, to expect that the American automobile industry will employ more than one third of its present blue-collar force 25 years hence, even though production might be 50 percent higher.
If a company, an industry or a country does not in the next quarter century sharply increase manufacturing production and at the same time sharply reduce the blue-collar work force, it cannot hope to remain competitive or even to remain developed. The attempt to preserve such blue collar jobs is actually a prescription for unemployment
This is not a conclusion that American politicians, labor leaders or indeed the general public can easily understand or accept. What confuses the issue even more it that the United States is experiencing several separate and different shifts in the manufacturing economy. One is the acceleration of the substitution of knowledge and capital for manual labor. Where we spoke of mechanization a few decades ago, we now speak of robotization or automation. This is actually more a change in terminology than a change in reality. When Henry Ford introduced the assembly line in 1909, he cut the number of man hours required to produce a motor car by some 80 percent in two or three years far more than anyone expects to result from even the most complete robotization. But there is no doubt that we are facing a new, sharp acceleration in the replacement of manual workers by machines that is, by the products of knowledge.
1.According to the author, the shrinkage in the manufacturing labor force demonstrates______.
A.the degree to which a countrys production is robotized
B.a reduction in a countrys manufacturing industries
C.a worsening relationship between labor and management
D.the difference between a developed country and a developing country
2.According to the author, in coming 25years, a developed country or industry, in order t remain competitive, ought to ______.
A.reduce the percentage of the blue-collar work force
B.preserve blue collar jobs for international competition
C.accelerate motor can manufacturing in Henry Fords style
D.solve the problem of unemployment
3.American politicians and labor leaders tend to dislike_____.
A.confusion in manufacturing economy
B.an increase in blue collar work force
C.internal competition in manufacturing production
D.a drop in the blue collar job opportunities
4.The word prescription in a prescription for unemployment may be the equivalent to ______
A.something recommended as medical treatment
B.a way suggested to overcome some difficulty
C.some measures taken in advance
D.a device to dire
5.This passage may have been excepted from ________
A.a magazine about capital investment
B.an article on automation
C.a motor-car magazine
D.an article on global economy
参考答案:
AADCD
大学英语四六级每日冲刺的词汇:教育类
大学英语四六级考前9天每日词汇的冲刺:灾难类
大学英语六级轻松的学单词(3):abase
大学英语六级完形填空题的预测
大学英语六级冲刺必考的1300个核心的词汇
大学英语六级轻松的学单词(10):aberrant
英语六级冲刺的提示:单词语法对每个题型都很重要
四十天突破大学英语六级考试讲义与笔记的词汇(29)
四十天突破大学英语六级考试讲义与笔记的词汇(2)
大学英语六级轻松的学单词(15):abide
大学英语四级考试词汇的活学活用(一)
四十天突破大学英语六级考试讲义与笔记的词汇(6)
大学英语四六级每日冲刺的词汇:人物性格类
大学英语六级轻松的学单词(12):abeyance
大学英语四六级每日冲刺的词汇:艺术类
过来人的经验谈大学英语六级短语集中营
大学英语六级轻松的学单词(4):abate
大学英语六级实用的词汇:秋日浓情下午茶
大学英语四六级每日冲刺的词汇:科学类
08年12月大学英语四六级每日冲刺词汇:求职类
四十天突破大学英语六级考试讲义与笔记的词汇(1)
四十天突破大学英语六级考试讲义与笔记的词汇(24)
大学英语六级轻松的学单词(9):abashed
大学六级词汇的真题演练第五期
大学英语六级轻松的学单词(8):abdomen
冲刺必看:大学英语四六级语法全面的解析
大学英语四六级考试旅游词汇的积累之住宿篇
大学英语六级轻松的学单词(17):abject
大学英语四六级考前10天每日词汇的冲刺:情感类
大学英语四六级每日冲刺的词汇:金融求职类
不限 |
英语教案 |
英语课件 |
英语试题 |
不限 |
不限 |
上册 |
下册 |
不限 |