(This passage was adapted from an article written
in 1992.)
Line
(5)
(10)
(15)
(20)
(25)
(30)
Some observers have attributed the dramatic
growth in temporary employment that occurred in
the United States during the 1980s to increased
participation in the workforce by certain groups,
such as first-time or reentering workers, who
supposedly prefer such arrangements. However,
statistical analyses reveal that demographic
changes in the workforce did not correlate with
variations in the total number of temporary
workers. Instead, these analyses suggest that
factors affecting employers account for the rise
in temporary employment. One factor is product
demand: temporary employment is favored by
employers who are adapting to fluctuating demand
for products while at the same time seeking
to reduce overall labor costs. Another factor
is labor’s reduced bargaining strength, which
allows employers more control over the terms of
employment. Given the analyses, which reveal that
growth in temporary employment now far exceeds
the level explainable by recent workforce entry
rates of groups said to prefer temporary jobs, firms
should be discouraged from creating excessive
numbers of temporary positions. Government
policymakers should consider mandating benefit
coverage for temporary employees, promoting pay
equity between temporary and permanent workers,
assisting labor unions in organizing temporary
workers, and encouraging firms to assign temporary
jobs primarily to employees who explicitly indicate that preference.
55. In the context of the passage, the word “excessive”
(line 23) most closely corresponds to which of the
following phrases?
(A) Far more than can be justified by worker
preferences
(B) Far more than can be explained by fluctuations
in product demand
(C) Far more than can be beneficial to the success
of the firms themselves
(D) Far more than can be accounted for by an
expanding national economy
(E) Far more than can be attributed to increases in
the total number of people in the workforce
看这句话的前半段就可以得到答案了。said to prefer temporary jobs等同于worker preference
Given the analyses, which reveal that growth in temporary employment now far exceeds the level explainable by recent workforce entry rates of groups said to prefer temporary jobs, firms should be discouraged from creating excessivenumbers of temporary positions.作者: wangliming 时间: 2010-6-12 22:24
