2013年英语二阅读理解Text1

第一段

①In an essay entitled “Making It in America”, the author Adam Davidson relates a joke from cotton country about just how much a modern textile mill has been automated: The average mill has only two employees today, “a man and a dog.②The man is there to feed the dog, and the dog is there to keep the man away from the machines.”

单词&词组

1. entitle  v. 称做……；定名为……

2. relate  v. 叙述，讲述，讲（故事）

3. textile mill  纺织厂

4. textile  n. 纺织品，织物

5. automate  v. 自动化

6. keep sb. away from...  使某人远离……

本段翻译

《在美国制造》一文中，作者亚当·戴维森讲述了一个来自棉花产地、有关现代纺织厂自动化到达何种程度的笑话：普通纺织厂如今只有两名员工，“一个人和一只狗。人负责喂狗，而狗负责让人远离机器”。

第二段

①Davidson's article is one of a number of pieces that have recently appeared making the point that the reason we have such stubbornly high unemployment and declining middle-class incomes today is largely because of the big drop in demand because of the Great Recession,but it is also because of the advances in both globalization and the information technology revolution, which are more rapidly than ever replacing labor with machines or foreign worker.

单词&词组

1. make the point  表明观点

2. stubbornly  ad. 顽固地；倔强地

3. recession  n. 衰退；不景气；后退

本段翻译

戴维森此文只不过是新近涌现的诸多同类文章中的一篇，这些文章都提出这样一种观点：当前失业率居高不下以及中产阶级收入缩水，很大程度上是由于大萧条造成的需求大幅降低，但同时也由于全球化和信息技术革命的发展，这种发展使机器或外来雇工取代劳力的速度超过了以往任何时期。 

第三段

①In the past, workers with average skills, doing an average job，could earn an average lifestyle.②But,today,average is officially over. ③Being average just won't earn you what it used to.④It can't when so many more employers have so much more access to so much more above average cheap foreign labor, cheap robotics, cheap software, cheap automation and cheap genius.⑤Therefore, everyone needs to find their extra-their unique value contribution that makes them stand out in whatever is their field of employment.

单词&词组

1. average  n. 平均水平，一般水准

2. access  n. 使用权；通路

3. robotics  n. 机器人科学（或技术）

4. extra  n. 额外的事物

5. stand out  突出，脱颖而出

本段翻译

过去，劳动者拥有一般技能，干一份普通工作，就能过上普通生活。但是现在，“平庸”已正式结束。表现平平完全无法再让你过上普通生活了。当如此多得多的雇主有着如此多得多的渠道获取如此多得多中等以上水平的廉价外国劳力、廉价机器人、廉价软件、廉价自动装置以及廉价天才的时候，表现普通将难以立足。因此，所有人都需要找到自身的额外价值——一种可以令其在各种工作领域中脱颖而出的独特价值贡献。 

第四段

①Yes, new technology has been eating jobs forever, and always will.②But there's been an acceleration.③As Davidson notes, “In the 10 years ending in 2009, [U.S.] factories shed workers so fast that they erased almost all the gains of the previous 70 years; roughly one out of every three manufacturing jobs-about 6 million in total-disappeared.”

单词&词组

1. acceleration  n. 加速，促进

2. note  v. 指出，特别提到

3. in the... years ending in...  ……年之前的……年间

4. shed  v. 去除；摆脱（已经不再需要的东西）

5. shed workers 裁员

6. erase  v. 抹去，消除

7. previous  a. 以前的，以往的

8. one out of every three...  三分之一的……

9. in total  总共

本段翻译

的确，新技术一直在吞噬工作岗位，而且将永远持续下去。不过速度一直在加快。正如戴维森所言，“2009年以前的十年间，(美国)工厂裁员如此之快，以至于抹掉了前70年所有新增员工的总额；制造业岗位中，大约有三分之一，共计将近600万个岗位不复存在。”

第五段

①There will always be change-new jobs, new products, new services.②But the one thing we know for sure is that with each advance in globalization and the I.T. revolution, the best jobs will require workers to have more and better education to make themselves above average.

单词&词组

1. for sure  确实；毫无疑问地；肯定

2. require sb. to do sth.  要求某人做某事

3. revolution  n. 革命

4. above average  超越平庸，高于平均水平

本段翻译

变化将会永远存在新岗位，新产品，新服务。但有一点我们确信无疑，随着全球化和信息技术革命的发展，最佳岗位将要求员工掌握更多更好的教育以使自己超越平庸。

第六段

①In a world where average is officially over, there are many things we need to do to support employment, but nothing would be more important than passing some kind of G.I. Bill for the 21st century that ensures that every American has access to post-high school education.

单词&词组

1. support  v. 支持，支撑

2. ensure  v. 保证，确保

3. post-high school education  高中以后教育

本段翻译

在一个已正式告别平庸的世界里，我们需要做很多事情以扶持就业，但对21世纪来讲，最重要的事情莫过于出台《美国退伍军人权利法案》之类的法案，以确保每个美国人都有机会接受高中后教育。 

五道题

21. The joke in Paragraph 1 is used to illustrate ________.

[A] the impact of technological advances   

[B] the alleviation of job pressure

[C] the shrinkage of textile mills         

[D] the decline of middle-class incomes

22. According to Paragraph 3, to be a successful employee, one has to ________.

[A] work on cheap software                 

[B] ask for a moderate salary

[C] adopt an average lifestyle   

[D] contribute something unique

23. The quotation in Paragraph 4 explains that ________.

[A] gains of technology have been erased   

[B] job opportunities are disappearing at a high speed

[C] factories are making much less money than before

[D] new jobs and services have been offered

24. According to the author, to reduce unemployment, the most important is ________.

[A] to accelerate the I.T. revolution     

[B] to ensure more education for people

[C] to advance economic globalization     

[D] to pass more bills in the 21st century

25. Which of the following would be the most appropriate title for the text?

[A] New Law Takes Effect                  

[B] Technology Goes Cheap

[C] Average Is Over                       

[D] Recession Is Bad

参考答案

ADBBC

答案解析

21、第一段引述戴维森一篇文章中一则笑话，介绍“现代普通棉纺织厂自动化程度极高，机器大幅替代人力”这一普遍现象，第二段指出这种现象背后的推手之一是全球化和信息技术发展，可见首段引述笑话是为了说明技术进步的影响，[A]正确。

22、根据题干定位至第三段， 末句以Therefore总结指出个人必须超越自身局限， 出类拔萃， 才能立足职场。[D] 同义改写find their extra―their unique value contribution...， 正确。

23、根据题干定位至第四段第③句戴维森原话。[B]同义改写shed workers so fast...roughly one out of every three...disappeared， 为正确选项。

24、根据题干关键词the most important定位至末段nothing would be more important than...， 作者认为扶持就业最重要的莫过于出台类似G.I.Bill法案的法律法规，保障每个公民接受高等教育的权利，即，保证人们接受更多教育，所以[B]是正确答案。

25、第一、二段引出“信息技术和全球化高速发展导致高失业率和中产阶级收人下降”，第三至五段深入阐释了该影响的严重程度并向个人提出“努力突破平庸，成为佼佼者”的应对建议，并在末段呼吁社会采取相应措施，保证公民接受高等教育的权利，以提升劳动力素质，从而免于淘汰。第三段②句提出主旨：today， average is over， ⑤句进而提出建议：to find their extra， 以警醒人们不应再安于现状， 并在第五段②句中进一步回应主旨：to make themselves above average， 综上， 文章意在说明， 靠平庸过活的年代已然结束，应创造独一无二的自身价值来应对就业难的问题，[C]正确。