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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
Passage2
Questions6to10arebasedonthefollowingpassage:
Thehumanbraincontains10thousandmillioncellsandeachofthesemayhaveathousandconnections.(77)Suchenormousnumbersusedtodiscourageusandcauseustodismissthepossibilityofmakingamachinewithhuman-likeability,butnowthatwehavegrownusedtomovingforwardatsuchapacewecanbelesssure.Quitesoon,inonly10or20yearsperhaps,wewillbeabletoassembleamachineascomplexasthehumanbrain,andifwecanwewill.Itmaythentakeusalongtimetorenderitintelligentbyloadingintherightsoftware(软件)orbyalteringthearchitecturebutthattoowillhappen.
(78)Ithinkitcertainthatindecades,notcenturies,machinesofsilicon(硅)willarisefirsttorivalandthenexceedtheirhumanancestors.Oncetheyexceedustheywillbecapableoftheirowndesign.Inarealsensetheywillbeabletoreproducethemselves.Siliconwillhaveendedcarbon’slongcontrol.Andwewillnolongerbeabletoclaimourselvestobethefinestintelligenceintheknownuniverse.
Astheintelligenceofrobotsincreasestomatchthatofhumansandastheircostdeclinesthrougheconomiesofscalewemayusethemtoexpandourfrontiers,firstonearththroughtheirabilitytowithstandenvironments,harmfultoourselves.Thus,desertsmaybloomandtheoceanbedsbemined.Furtherahead,byacombinationofthegreatwealththisnewagewillbringandthetechnologyitwillprovide,theconstructionofavast,man-createdworldinspace,hometothousandsormillionsofpeople,willbewithinourpower.
6.Inwhatwaycanwemakeamachineintelligent?
A)Bymakingitworkinsuchenvironmentsasdeserts,oceansorspace.
B)Byworkinghardfor10or20years.
C)Byeitherproperlyprogrammingitorchangingitsstructure.
D)Byreproducingit.(C)
7.Whatdoesthewriterthinkaboutmachineswithhuman-likeability?
A)Hebelievestheywillbeusefultohumanbeings.
B)Hebelievesthattheywillcontrolusinthefuture.
C)Heisnotquitesureinwhatwaytheymayinfluenceus.
D)Hedoesn’tconsidertheconstructionofsuchmachinespossible.
8.Theword“carbon”(Line4,Para.2)standsfor________.
A)intelligentrobotsB)achemicalelementC)anorganicsubstanceD)humanbeings(D)
9.Arobotcanbeusedtoexpandourfrontierswhen________.
A)itsintelligenceandcostarebeyondquestion
B)itisabletobeartheroughenvironment
C)itismadeascomplexasthehumanbrain
D)itsarchitectureisdifferentfromthatofthepresentones(A)
10.Itcanbeinferredfromthepassagethat________.
A)aftertheinstallationofagreatnumberofcellsandconnections,robotswillbecapableofself-reproduction
B)withtherapiddevelopmentoftechnology,peoplehavecometorealizethepossibilityofmakingamachinewithhuman-likeability
C)oncewemakeamachineascomplexasthehumanbrain,itwillpossesintelligence
D)robotswillhavecontrolofthevast,man-madeworldinspace
1.AEuropeanspacecrafttookofftodaytospearheadthesearchforanother"Earth"amongthestars.
2.TheCorotspacetelescopeblastedoffaboardaRussianSoyuzrocketfromtheBaikonurcosmodromeinKazakhstanshortlyafter2.20pm.
3.Corot,shortforconvectionrotationandplanetarytransits,isthefirstinstrumentcapableoffindingsmallrockyplanetsbeyondthesolarsystem.Anysuchplanetsituatedintherightorbitstandsagoodchanceofhavingliquidwateronitssurface,andquitepossiblylife,althoughaleadingscientistinvolvedintheprojectsaiditwasunlikelytofind"anylittlegreenmen".
4.DevelopedbytheFrenchspaceagency,CNES,andpartneredbytheEuropeanSpaceAgency(ESA),Austria,Belgium,Germany,BrazilandSpain,Corotwillmonitoraround120,000starswithits27cmtelescopefromapolarorbit514milesabovetheEarth.Overtwoandahalfyears,itwillfocusonfivetosixdifferentareasofthesky,measuringthebrightnessofabout10,000starsevery512seconds.
5."Atthepresentmomentwearehopingtofindoutmoreaboutthenatureofplanetsaroundstarswhicharepotentialhabitats.Wearelookingathabitableplanets,notinhabitedplanets.Wearenotgoingtofindanylittlegreenmen,"ProfessorIanRoxburgh,anESAscientistwhohasbeeninvolvedwithCorotsinceitsinception,toldtheBBCRadio4Todayprogramme.
6.ProfRoxburghsaiditwashopedCorotwouldfind"rockyplanetsthatcoulddevelopanatmosphereand,iftheyaretherightdistancefromtheirparentstar,theycouldhavewater".
7.Tosearchforplanets,thetelescopewilllookforthedimmingofstarlightcausedwhenanobjectpassesinfrontofastar,knownasa"transit".Althoughitwilltakemoresophisticatedspacetelescopesplannedinthenext10yearstoconfirmthepresenceofanEarth-likeplanetwithoxygenandliquidwater,Corotwillletscientistsknowwheretopointtheirlenses.
8.MeasurementsofminutechangesinbrightnesswillenablescientiststodetectgiantJupiter-likegasplanetsaswellassmallrockyones.Itistherockyplanets-thatcouldbenobiggerthanabouttwicethesizeoftheEarth-whichwillcausethemostexcitement.Scientistsexpecttofindbetween10and40ofthesesmallerplanets.
9.Corotwillalsoprobeintostellarinteriorsbystudyingtheacousticwavesthatrippleacrossthesurfaceofstars,atechniquecalled"asteroseismology".
10.Thenatureoftheripplesallowsastronomerstocalculateastar’sprecisemass,ageandchemicalcomposition.
11."Aplanetpassinginfrontofastarcanbedetectedbythefallinlightfromthatstar.Smalloscillationsofthestaralsoproducechangesinthelightemitted,whichrevealwhatthestarismadeofandhowtheyarestructuredinternally.Thisdatawillprovideamajorboosttoourunderstandingofhowstarsformandevolve,"ProfRoxburghsaid.
12.Sincethediscoveryin1995ofthefirst"exoplanet"-aplanetorbitingastarotherthantheSun-morethan200othershavebeenfoundbyground-basedobservatories.
13.Untilnowtheusualmethodoffindingexoplanetshasbeentodetectthe"wobble"theirgravityimpartsonparentstars.ButonlygiantgaseousplanetsbiggerthanJupitercanbefoundthisway,andtheyareunlikelytoharbourlife.
14.Inthe2010s,ESAplanstolaunchDarwin,afleetoffourorfiveinterlinkedspacetelescopesthatwillnotonlyspotsmallrockyplanets,butanalysetheiratmospheresforsignsofbiologicalactivity.
15.Ataroundthesametime,theUSspaceagency,Nasa,willlaunchTerrestrialPlanetFinder,anotherspacetelescopedesignedtolocateEarth-likeplanets.
ChoosetheappropriateletterfromA-Dforquestion1.
1.Corotisaninstrumentwhich
(A)canhelptosearchforcertainplanets
(B)isusedtofindplanetsintheorbit
(C)canlocateplanetswithhumanbeings
(D)canspotanyplanetswithwater.
Dothefollowingstatementsagreewiththeinformationgiveninthereadingpassage?Forquestions2-5write
TRUEifthestatementagreeswiththeinformation
FALSEifthestatementcontraictstheinformation
NOTGIVENifthereisnoinformationonthisinthepassage
2.Scientistsaretryingtofindoutabouttheplanetsthatcanbeinhabited.
3.BBCRadio4recentlyfocusesonthebroadcastingofCorot.
4.Passingobjectsmightcauseafallinlight.
5.CorotcantellwhetherthereisanotherEarth-likeplanet.
Basedonyourreadingofthepassage,completethesentencesbelowwithwordstakenfromthepassage.UseNOMORETHANTHREEWORDSforeachanswer.
Withmeasurements,scientistswillbeabletosearchforsomegaseousandrockyplanets.Theywillbeextremelyexcitediftheycandiscoversomesmall6.__________,theexpectednumberofwhichcouldbeupto7.__________.
Corotwillenablescientiststostudythe8.__________ofstars.Inthisway,astar’smass,ageandchemicalcompositioncanbecalculated.
AccordingtoProfRoxburgh,changesinlightcanbecausedbypassingplanetsorstar9.__________.Therelatedstatisticscangainusabetter10.__________ofthestarformationandevolvement.
Observatorieshavefoundmanyexoplanets,whichare11.__________otherstarsthantheSun.Thecommonwayusedinfindingexoplanetscanonlydetecthugegasplanets,whichdonot12.___________.
WiththelaunchingofDarwin,astronomerswillbeabletoanalysewhetherthoserockyplanetshave13.__________forlife.
Passage2
Questions6to10arebasedonthefollowingpassage:
Thefoodweeatseemstohaveprofoundeffectsonourhealth.Althoughsciencehasmadeenormousstepsinmakingfoodmorefittoeat,ithas,atthesametime,mademanyfoodsunfittoeat.Someresearchhasshowntat40percentofcancerisrelatedtothedietaswell,especiallycancerofthecolon.Differentculturesatemorepronetogetcertainillnessesbecauseofthefoodthatischaracteristicinthesecultures.Thatfoodisrelatedtoillnessisnotanewdiscovery.In1945,governmentresearchersrealizedthatnitratesandnitrites,commonlyusedtopreservecolorinmeats,andotherfoodadditives,causedcancer.Yetthesecarcinogenicadditivesremaininourfood,anditbecomesmoredifficultallthetimetoknowwhichthingsonthepackaginglabelsofprocessedfoodarehelpfulorharmful.Theadditivesthatweeatarenotallsodirect.Farmersoftengivepenicillintobeefandpoultry,andbecauseofthis,penicillinhasbeenfoundinthemilkoftreatedcows.Sometimessimilardrugsareadministeredtoanimalsnotformedicinalpurposes,butforfinancialreasons.Thefarmersaresimplytryingtofattentheanimalsinordertoobtainahigherpriceonthemarket.AlthoughtheFoodandDrugAdministration(FDA)hastriedrepeatedlytocontroltheseprocedures,thepracticescontinue.
6.Howhassciencedoneadisservicetomankind?
A.Becauseofscience,mostofthefoodsweeattodayarecontaminated.
B.Ithascausedalackofinformationconcerningthevalueoffood.
C.Asaresultofscientificintervention,somepotentiallyharmfulsubstanceshasbeenaddedtoourfood.
D.Thescientistshavepreservedthecolorofmeats,butnotofvegetables.
7.Whatarenitratesusedfor?
A.Theypreservesflavorinpackagedfoods.
B.Theypreservethecolorofmeats.
C.Theyaretheobjectsofresearch.
D.Theycausetheanimalstobecomefatter.
8.TheFDAhastriedrepeatedlytocontrol.
A.theattempttofattentheanimals
B.theattempttocuresickanimals
C.theusingofdrugstoanimals
D.theusingofadditivestopreservethedoloroffood
9.Theword“carcinogenic”meansmostnearlythesameas.
A.trouble-makingB.color-retaining
C.money-savingD.cancer-causing
10.WhichofthefollowingstatementsisNOTtrue?
A.Drugsarealwaysgiventoanimalsformedicalreasons.
B.Someoftheadditivesinourfoodareaddedtothefooditselfandsomearegiventothelivinganimals.
C.Researchershaveknownaboutthepotentialhazardsofthefoodadditivesforoverthirty-fiveyears.
D.Foodmaycausefortypercentofcancerintheworld.
