北京外国语大学1999年基础英语试题

所有考研本科试卷免费下载..,.,”,,.,.“,.”.“,.”.“,[.”InSiliconValley-thefountainheadoftheInformationAgeeconomy-eachofthetop100executivesreceivesasmuchpayas220productionworkerscombined.,wheneachofthetop100executiveswaspaidasmuchas42averageworkers.Thesefigurescomefromastudytitled“GrowingTogetherorDriftingApart?”thatwasput,WorkingPartnershipsUSA,inSanJose,andtheEconomicPolicyInstitute,inWashington.Thestudyalsoreportedthatthepoorestone-quarteroftheValley’sworkersearnedlessthan$9.11perhourin1996,adropfrom$9.96(adjustedforinflation)earnedin1991.Granted,statisticsareslipperythings.Overestimatesofinflationinrecentdecadeshaveobscuredwagegrowthforeveryone,andworkersearnenoughnow,infewerworkinghoursthanin1975,tobuybettergoods——carswithair-conditioning,computerswithworldwidecommunicationscapabilities,disease-fightingdrugs,largerhousesandoverseasvacations.Dependingonwhatisbeingmeasuredandwhen,wageestimatescanvaryby40percent,cautionsRobertI.Lerman,aneconomistattheUrbanInstituteinWashington.Lerman’sstudiesshowthattheoverallwagegaphasremainedstaticsincethemid-1980slargelybecausegrowthinwagespaidtowomenandracialminoritieshasbalancedoutsignificanttechnology-drivendeclinesinwagespaidtoless-skilledmen.But,headds,thehigh-techproducts“areaforceforwideninggaps…Becausetheyarepartoftherisingdemandforskill.”WHYTECHNOLOGY’SCULPRITEdwardR.Wolff,aneconomicsprofessoratNewYorkUniversity,pointstoofficecomputersasthelargestdriverofinequality.Drawingoncensusdata,heconcludesthatthewagegapgrowsby10percentforeverydoublingofper-workerinvestmentinofficecomputers.Forexample,inaneconomywherethetop5percentofworkerswon20percentofallincome,adoublingofcomputerinvestmentwouldboosttheirsharebyatenth——to22percentofallincome——whileshrinkingallotherworkers’incometo78percent.Thisoccurs,hesays,becauseofficecomputerstransferworkfromsomeemployees——suchasinsuranceadjusters,telephonesupportworkersandnurses——toasmallercorpsofhigh-techexpertswhocandesignsoftwarecapableofmimickingthoseskills.Althoughtherecentriseinthestockmarket——dueinlargeparttophenomenalgrowthofhigh-techstocks——willprovideadditionalwealthforthe43percentoffamilieswhoownstocks,itwon’tdomuchtoreduceincomeinequality,Wolffsays.Themarketdoesn’tworkthatway:83percentofallstockisownedbtherichest10percentoffamilies.Othereconomistssaythewagegapexistsbecausethenewtechnologycreatesgreaterrewardsfortheskilledworkerswhocanuseit.Thus,technologicaladvanceswideninequalitiesnotonlybetweendifferentgroupsofworkers,butwithintheranksofthosegroups,saysPhilipCook,professorofpublicpolicyatDukeUniversity(Durham,N.C.)andco-authorofTheWinner-TakeallSociety.Forexample,Cooksays,laptopcomputersandcellularphonesallowthebestsalespeopleinacompanytospendmoretimeselling,thussnatchingsalesawayfromthealmost-asgoodsalespeople.GaryT.Burtless,aseniorfellowattheBrookingsInstitution,arguesthattechnologyisonlyoneelementofareinvigoratedmarketplace,inwhichWallStreet,shareholdersandcustomerspressuretopmanagerstocutcostsandincreaseefficiencybywhatevermeanspossible,includinggreateruseoftechnologyorcheapoverseaslabor.Thispressure“helpedremoveunderperformingmanagers,[and]themanagerswhoremainarenotmastersoftheirdomain,butareslavesofthemarketplace,”Burtlesssays.Burtless’analysismatchesevidencecollectedbyChrisC.Benner,aresearchassociateatWorkingPartnershipsandanauthorofthe“GrowingApart”report.“Whattechnologyhasdoneisbreakdowntheboundariesbetweenfirms,”Bennerargues,and“thereisreallynothingontheworkers’sidetohelpcollectivebargainingacrossmultiplefirms.”ThejanitorsatHewlett-Packardareoneexampleofcompanies’abilitytousetechnology——tocutcosts.Generally,companiescanusecomputertechnologytocarefullytracktheirspendingandoperationsandtoidentifyless-importantancillarywork,suchasjanitorialservicesandpartsproduction,orinefficientelements,suchasslowproductionworkers.Firmsusedtohireworkerswhowouldcleantheirfactoriesandofficesunderdirectsupervisionofin-housemanagers.Butthisisnotcost-effective.Now,moreandmorecompanieshireoutmuchoftheircustodialworktoleaningcontractors.Thecompaniessavemoneybecausethecontractorsusuallypaytheirworkersmuchlessthanin-housejanitorswouldbepaid.Andthecontractorsalsoassumetheburdenofsupervisingthejanitors’work——supervisionthattheemployingcompanycanoverseethroughcomputer-aidedreports.Fromthecompany’spointofview,thisallmakesobvioussense.“alotoftechnologycompaniesreallyhavebeenturningmoreandmoretotheircorecompetencies,thethingswedoreallywell,”saidAnneMcGrath,aspokeswomanforHewlett-Packard.AsHewlett-Packardseesit,thereisnothingtobegainedbyinvestinginthelong-termprospectsofsuchobviouslyunskilledworkersasjanitors.Instead,saysMcGrath,thecompanywill“hirewhateverwethinkisthebestcompanytocleanourbuildings,basedontheirqualityandthepriceandtheirtrackrecord.”Thebenefitsofthisapproachgobeyondcostsaving.Rightnow,150janitorsarestrikingthecompanythatcleansHewlett-Packard’splantinRoseville,Calif.It’sapotentiallynastylittlelabordispute,butit’snotHewlett-Packard’sdispute.SaysMcGrath,“Ourattitudeisthatthisreallyisn’tourissue.”ADARWINIANAPPROACHSiliconValleycompaniesareparticularlyrelianton“out-sourcing”becauseconsumerdemandfortheirproductschangesveryquickly.Anycompanies——especiallytheneworsmallones——can’triskbuildingtheirownexpensivemanufacturingplantsorretainingskilledworkers,forfearthattheywillstandidleforlongperiods.AsBennerexplains,thathascreatedaclassofondemandmanufacturersandworkerswhomigratewithintheValleyfromoneproducttoanotherfromonefactorytoanother,aseachtechnologyseasoncomesandgoes,thuspushingdownpricesandwages.Itisdifficulttomeasurepreciselyhowmuchworkthehigh-techindustryhascontractedout,saysBenner.Buttheamountisclearlylarge.Bennernotesthatthebiggesthigh-techcompaniesintheValleyhaveone-seventhasmanyemployeesastheBigThreeautomakers,eventhoughtheirstockmarketvaluesarecomparable.Theresult,saysPaulSaffo,adirectorattheCalifornia-basedInstitutefortheFuture,is“a[technology]revolutionbeingpushedbyandever-smallernumberofpeople.”Thesametrendshavespunofflow-paidjobsnationwide,arguesMichaelE.McGrath(norelation),presidentofLocal7026oftheCommunicationsWorkersofAmerica.McGrathistrying,withlimitedsuccess,toorganizetheroughly18,000telemarketingworkersinTucson,salespeoplewhocallcustomersnationwideovercheaplong-distancephonelines.Manylargecompanieshavecuttheiroverheadbyreplacingtheirowntelemarketingstaffwithworkershiredbytelemarketingcompanies,includingthe35companiesbasedinTucson.However,unionorganizerMcGrathcan’tgetmuchtraction,partlybecausethemarketconditionsbouncetheworkersfromonejobtothenext,keepingtheirwagesatunder$7anhour.Thatraisesasomewhatdelicatepoliticalpoint.Thehigh-techindustrylikestothinkofitselfasprogressiveand,asawhole,leanstowardliberalandDemocraticpolitics.So,howdoesitdealwiththefactthatitcontributestolaborinequalities?Itdoesn’t,excepttopassthebucktothemarket.Explaintheunderlinedpartsinyourownwords,tryingtobringouttheimpliedmeaning,ifthereisany:(40%)1.Thedisparityillustrates……dazzlingindustry2.thisgapisoccurring……becauseofit3.Thisgaphasbeengrowing……inrecentmonths4.Thattheneweconomy……isagrowingworry(Whataretheworstaspects?Whatismeantbyoldeconomy?)5.thereisapotentially……aboutthisissue6.Weknowfromhardexperience……7.Granted,paniescanusecomputers……lessimportantancillarywork9.thebenefits……beyondcostsaving10.SiliconValleycompaniesareparticularlyrelianton“out-sourcing”.Whatismeantby“out-sourcing”?Pleaseexplain.II.Pleaseanswerthefollowingquestions:(20%)1.Accordingtotheauthor,howdoeshightechnologywidenthewagegap?2.A.Fromthecompany’spointofview,thisallmakesobvioussense:“Alotftechnologycompaniesreallyhavebeenturningmoreandmoretotheircorecompetencies,thething,wedoreallywell”……(Para.6frombottom)(6%)a.Whydoesthecompanythinkit