Inthelast12yearstotalemploymentintheUnitedStatesgrewfasterthanatanytimeinthepeacetimehistoryofanycountry–from82to110millionbetween1973and1985–thatis,byafullonethird.Theentiregrowth,however,wasinmanufacturing,andespeciallyinno–blue-collarjobs…

Thistrendisthesameinalldevelopedcountries,andis,indeed,evenmorepronouncedinJapan.Itisthereforehighlyprobablethatin25yearsdevelopedcountriessuchastheUnitedStatesandJapanwillemploynolargeraproportionofthelaborforceInmanufacturingthandevelopedcountriesnowemployinfarming–atmost,10percent.TodaytheUnitedStatesemploysaround18millionpeopleinblue-collarjobsinmanufacturingindustries.By2010,thenumberislikelytobenomorethan12million.Insomemajorindustriesthedropwillbeevensharper.Itisquiteunrealistic,forinstance,toexpectthattheAmericanautomobileindustrywillemploymorethanone–thirdofitspresentblue-collarforce25yearshence,eventhoughproductionmightbe50percenthigher.

Ifacompany,anindustryoracountrydoesnotinthenextquartercenturysharplyincreasemanufacturingproductionandatthesametimesharplyreducetheblue-collarworkforce,itcannothopetoremaincompetitive–oreventoremain“developed.”Theattempttopreservesuchblue–collarjobsisactuallyaprescriptionforunemployment…

ThisisnotaconclusionthatAmericanpoliticians,laborleadersorindeedthegeneralpubliccaneasilyunderstandoraccept.WhatconfusestheissueevenmoreitthattheUnitedStatesisexperiencingseveralseparateanddifferentshiftsinthemanufacturingeconomy.Oneistheaccelerationofthesubstitutionofknowledgeandcapitalformanuallabor.Wherewespokeofmechanizationafewdecadesago,wenowspeakof“robotization“or“automation.”Thisisactuallymoreachangeinterminologythanachangeinreality.WhenHenryFordintroducedtheassemblylinein1909,hecutthenumberofman–hoursrequiredtoproduceamotorcarbysome80percentintwoorthreeyears–farmorethananyoneexpectstoresultfromeventhemostcompleterobotization.Butthereisnodoubtthatwearefacinganew,sharpaccelerationinthereplacementofmanualworkersbymachines–thatis,bytheproductsofknowledge.

1.Accordingtotheauthor,theshrinkageinthemanufacturinglaborforcedemonstrates______.

A.thedegreetowhichacountry’sproductionisrobotized

B.areductioninacountry’smanufacturingindustries

C.aworseningrelationshipbetweenlaborandmanagement

D.thedifferencebetweenadevelopedcountryandadevelopingcountry

2.Accordingtotheauthor,incoming25years,adevelopedcountryorindustry,inordertremaincompetitive,oughtto______.

A.reducethepercentageoftheblue-collarworkforce

B.preserveblue–collarjobsforinternationalcompetition

C.acceleratemotor–canmanufacturinginHenryFord’sstyle

D.solvetheproblemofunemployment

3.Americanpoliticiansandlaborleaderstendtodislike_____.

A.confusioninmanufacturingeconomy

B.anincreaseinblue–collarworkforce

C.internalcompetitioninmanufacturingproduction

D.adropintheblue–collarjobopportunities

4.Theword“prescription”in“aprescriptionforunemployment”maybetheequivalentto______

A.somethingrecommendedasmedicaltreatment

B.awaysuggestedtoovercomesomedifficulty

C.somemeasurestakeninadvance

D.adevicetodire

5.Thispassagemayhavebeenexceptedfrom________

A.amagazineaboutcapitalinvestment

B.anarticleonautomation

C.amotor-carmagazine

D.anarticleonglobaleconomy

PartIIICloze

Directions:Therearetwentyblanksinthefollowingpassage.Foreachblanktherearefourchoices.ChoosetheonethatbestfitsintothepassageandthenmarksyouranswerontheAnswerSheet.

Whatmakesachildspeakalanguagehaslongbeenapuzzletolinguists.61speaking,therearetwoschoolsoflinguists,bothofwhomtrytoexplain62achildpicksupalanguagesoeasily.Thefactthatachildpicksalanguage63is64:Atoneyearold,achildisabletosay“bye-bye”;attwo,heisabletousefifty;bytherehebeginsto65tenses.ThefamousAmericanlinguistNoamChomsky66thathumanbeinghaveasortofbuilt-insystemforlanguageuse,andthatthe67is68.Childrenarenottaughtlanguage69theyaretaughtarithmetic.Otherlinguists,70,holdtheviewthatachildlearns71ofhislanguagefromthehintsintheenvironment.72,theoristsofbothschools73thatthereisabiologicalbasisforlanguageuse.The74iswhichismoreimportant,theinnerabilityortheenvironment.Thisiscertainlyafield75tobeexplored.Researchersfrombothschoolsarebusyfindingevidenceto76theirowntheory,but77sideispersuadingtheother.

Itseemsthatinorderto78whyachildlearnsalanguagesoeasily,wehaveto79thejointeffortsofbothschools.Somelinguist,likeDeVilliers,hasrecognizedthevalueofcooperation,and80linguistsofbothsidestoworktogether.

61.A.SurprisinglyB.PersonallyC.ProperlyD.Roughly

62.A.thatB.whenC.whyD.how

63.A.independentlyB.naturallyC.withouthelpD.withease

64.A.confusingB.surprisingC.questionedD.suspected

65.A.masterB.studyC.haveD.get

66.A.doubtsB.believesC.realizesD.criticizes

67.A.helpB.teacherC.environmentD.hint

68.A.quiteessentialB.veryimportantC.notnecessaryD.onlysecondary

69.A.asB.forC.whenD.though

70.A.inparticularB.asaresultC.howeverD.therefore

71.A.alittleB.someC.nothingD.most

72.A.BeforeB.FromnowonC.JustnowD.Bynow

73.A.suspectB.disagreeC.agreeD.realize

74.A.caseB.argumentC.problemD.question

75.A.waitingB.planningC.neverD.unlikely

76.A.provideB.createC.supplyD.support

77.A.notaB.oneC.neitherD.either

78.A.findoutB.ruleoutC.searchforD.lookfor

79.A.getridofB.trustinC.relyonD.persistin

80.A.orderedB.criticizedC.challengedD.urged

Thebesttitleforthepassagewouldbe________.

Advertisementsareaimedatpeoplesufferingfrommildcomplaintsbecause________.

Thematterisnottobe____.