GRE阅读题目解析:美国大公司去工业化后果

　　1

　　The “deindustrialization” thesis of Bluestone and Harrison asserts that the replacement of domestic with foreign manufacturing begun by United States corporations in the late 1960s resulted in a “hollowing out” of American industry, whereby workers displaced from manufacturing jobs through massive plant closings found themselves moving more or less permanently into lower-paying, less secure jobs or into unemployment.

　　B 和 H 的 “ 去工业化 ” 理论认为，1960 年代后期由美国大公司发起的，以外国制造代替本土制造，导致美国工业的 “ 中空 ” 局面，因大量工厂关门而被迫转行的工人，发现自己几乎永远只能找到低收入，低保障的工作，甚至滑向失业。

　　(关于 deindustrialization 的译法备忘

　　【MWC】: the reduction or destruction of a nation's or region's industrial capacity

　　deindustrialization 一般被译为 “ 去工业化 ”，似乎暗示着这个过程是主动的，不想要工业了，所以去掉了，这种译法符合经济学 “ 比较优势 ” 理论的，也许美国工业仍然具备一定意义上的绝对优势，但失去了比较优势，所以主动放弃了工业化经济模式。

　　但本文中 B 和 H 的观点，一直在介绍 deindustrialization 所造成的问题，弊病，所以译作 “ 去工业化 ” 读起来可能有点怪，不免让人疑问，这么费力不讨好的事美国干嘛要干，其实还是讨好的，只是文中没细说，你理解就好。)

　　2

　　Critics of the deindustrialization thesis have argued that new service and high-technology sectors of the United States economy have recently created a substantial number of jobs.

　　去工业化理论的批评者指出，美国经济的新服务领域和高科技领域近期已经创造了大量工作岗位。

　　3

　　While these critics do not deny the painful aspects of this transition from an industrial to a service- and information-based economy, they argue that it will be short-term, and a necessary evil if the United States is to have long-term increases in living standards.

　　尽管这些批评者也不否认，从工业经济转型为以服务业和信息产业为基础的经济是个痛苦的过程，但他们认为，为了维持美国人民生活水平的长期增长，这些痛苦是短暂的，也是必要的。

　　4

　　Critics of the emerging economy, however, point to disturbing evidence of an “hourglass” effect: a shrinking middle tier of managerial and blue-collar unionized workers and consequent polarization of incomes.

　　然而批评新兴经济的学者，指出了关于 “ 沙漏 ” 效应的一些令人不安的证据：中层管理者和蓝领工会工人的减少，以及随之而来的收入两极分化。

　　5

　　The emergence of a technical and financial elite, they argue, has brought forth a host of low-wage jobs to service the new economy, and it is this service sector that many ex-industrial workers must seek.

　　他们认为，技术和金融精英的出现，已经产生了大量为新经济服务的底薪工作岗位，这个服务领域，也正是前产业工人不得不进入谋生的领域。

　　(bring forth 产生

　　host of somebody / something 大量，众多人或物)

　　1. The purpose of the passage is to

　　A. analyze the events that contributed to an economic phenomenon

　　B. present different views on the nature and impact of an economic phenomenon

　　C. distinguish between the short-term and long-term effects of an economic phenomenon

　　D. challenge a dominant theory about how to solve the problems created by an economic phenomenon

　　E. present new evidence to suggest that an economic phenomenon is more complex than had previously been believed

　　选 B

　　展示关于同一种经济现象的性质和影响的不同观点。

　　economic phenomenon 指的是 deindustrialization，一方认为它造成各种问题，一方认为是必要的

　　2. Which of the following, if true, would most tend to weaken the deindustrialization thesis of Bluestone and Harrison?

　　A. a survey of the spouses of former industrial workers reveals a significant increase in the number of working spouses since the mid-1960s.

　　B. data from the most recent United States census show that fewer individuals list their occupation as industrial worker than in the census from ten years earlier.

　　C. a random survey of United States consumers indicates that a majority of those surveyed would prefer to buy United States-manufacturing goods if given the opportunity.

　　D. A recent study indicates that large numbers of former industrial workers have retrained and found employment as skilled, highly-paid computer workers.

　　E. Interviews with representatives at major agencies for temporary employment in the United States suggest that they value the skills of former industrial workers.

　　选 D

　　A 不选。即便改成配偶找工作的比例下降，也不能削弱 B 和 H 的理论，因为时间是 mid-1960s，deindustrialization 是 late 1960s 发生的。

　　B 不选。本项只能证明 deindustrialization 现象存在，不能削弱 B 和 H 对它的解读。

　　C 不选。如果有机会，消费者更愿意买美国国产货。这跟 B 和 H 的解读无关，甚至不足以影响 deindustrialization 的趋势，比如有个老板，一百万可以建厂生产运动鞋，也可以投资拍电影，消费者可能更愿意买他家的鞋，但拍电影赚更多，如果你是老板你会做哪种投资?

　　D 正确。B 和 H 的理论认为，工人在 deindustrialization 后的处境是 more or less permanently into lower-paying, less secure jobs or into unemployment，但 D 项说 highly-paid，显然 B 和 H 的判断有问题了，weakened 。

　　E 无关项。interviews 里的 representatives 说的就算是实话，他们也不是真正雇佣 former industrial workers 的企业主，最终决定给多少薪水的不是他们能决定的。不足以削弱。

　　3. It can be inferred from the passage that the highlighted “critics” believe which of the following about “hourglass” effect?

　　A. It involves the relegation of industrial workers to less desirable jobs.

　　B. It requires that workers make short-term sacrifices to achieve long-term gains.

　　C. It affects non-unionized workers more strongly than it does unionized workers.

　　D. It represents an increase in unemployment for those in the service sector.

　　E. It threatens the status of the technological and financial elite.

　　选 A

　　综合句 4-5：

　　Critics of the emerging economy, however, point to disturbing evidence of an “hourglass” effect: a shrinking middle tier of managerial and blue-collar unionized workers and consequent polarization of incomes. The emergence of a technical and financial elite, they argue, has brought forth a host of low-wage jobs to service the new economy, and it is this service sector that many ex-industrial workers must seek.

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