But not everyone who loses a job will end up in the unemployment line. Many will shift to growing positions within their own companies. When new technologies shook up the telecomm business, telephone operator Judy Dougherty pursued retraining. She is now a communications technician, earning about $64,000 per year. Of course, if you’ve been a tollbooth collector for the past 30 years, and you find yourself replaced by an E-ZPass machine, it may be of little consolation (安慰) to know that the telecomm field is booming.
And that’s just it: The service economy is fading; welcome to the expertise (专门知识) economy. To succeed in the new job market, you must be able to handle complex problems. Indeed, all but one of the 50 highest—paying occupations-air-traffic controller---demand at least a bachelors degree.
For those with just a high school diploma (毕业证书), it’s going to get tougher to find a well-paying job. Since fewer factory and clerical jobs will be available, what’s left will be the jobs that compumation can’t kill Computers can’t clean offices, or care for Alzheimer’s patients (老年痴呆病人). But, since most people have the skills to fill those positions, the wages stay painfully low, meaning compumpation could drive an even deeper wedge (楔子) between the rich and poor. The best advice now: Never stop learning, and keep up with new technology.
For busy adults, of course, that can be tough. The good news is that the very technology that’s reducing so many jobs is also making it easier to go back to school—without having to sit in a classroom. So-called Internet distance learning is hot, with more than three million students currently enrolled, and it’s gaining credibility with employers.
Are you at risk of losing your job to a computer? Check the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Outlook Handbook, which is available online at bls.gov.
41. From the first Paragraph we can infer that all of the following persons are easily thrown into unemployment EXCEPT.
A. secretaries. B. stock clerks. C. managers D. wholesalers
42. In the second paragraph the author mentions the tollbooth collector to
A. mean he will get benefits from the telecomm field.
B. show he is too old to shift to a new position.
C. console him on having been replaced by a machine.
D. blame the PC for his unemployment.
43. By saying“…compumation could drive an even deeper wedge between the rich and poor”
(Line 5, Para 4) the author means
A. people are getting richer and richer
B. there will be a small gap between rich and poor
C. the gap between rich and poor is getting larger and larger
D. it’s time to close up the gap between the rich the poor
44. What is the author’s attitude towards computer?
A. positive B. negative C. neutral D. prejudiced
45. Which of the following might serve as the best title of the passage?
A. Blaming the PC B. The booming telecomm field
C. Internet distance learning D. Keeping up with compumation
Questions 46 to 50 are based on the following passage:
Tens of thousands of 18-year-olds will graduate this year and be handed meaningless diplomas. These diplomas won’t look any different from those awarded their luckier classmates. Their validity will be questioned only when their employers discover that these graduates are semiliterate (半文盲)
Eventually a fortunate few will find their way into educational-repair shops-adult-literacy programs, such us the one where I teach basic grammar and writing. There, high-school graduates and high-school dropouts pursuing graduate-equivalency certificates will learn the skills they should have learned in school. They will also discover they have been cheated by our educational system.
I will never forget a teacher who got the attention of one of my children by revealing the trump card of failure. Our youngest, a world-class charmer, did little to develop his intellectual talents but always got by. Until Mrs. Stiffer.
Our son was a high-school senior when he had her for English. “He sits in the back of the room talking to his friends,” she told me “why don’t you move him to the front row?” I urged, believing the embarrassment would get him to settle down Mrs. Stiffer said, “I don’t move seniors I flunk (使…及格) them,” Our son’s academic life flashed before my eyes. No teacher had threatened him. By the time I got home I was feeling pretty good about this. I was a radical approach for these times, but, well, why not?” she’s going to flunk you, “I told my son. I did not discuss it any further. Suddenly English became a priority (头等要事) in his life. He finished out the semester with an A.
I know one example doesn’t make a case, but at night I see a parade of students who are angry for having been passed along until they could no longer ever pretend to keep up. Of average intelligence or better, they eventually quit school, concluding they were too dumb to finish.” I should have been held back,” is a comment I hear frequently. Even sadder are those students who are high-school graduates who say to me after a few weeks of class, “I don’t know how I ever got a high-school diploma.”
