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.
52. The passage suggests which of the following about the use of temporary employment by firms during the 1980s?
(A) It enabled firms to deal with fluctuating product demand far more efficiently than they did before the 1980s.
(B) It increased as a result of increased participation in the workforce by certain demographic groups.
(C) It was discouraged by government-mandated policies.
(D) It was a response to preferences indicated by certain employees for more flexible working arrangements.
(E) It increased partly as a result of workers’ reduced ability to control the terms of their employment.
我选的是A选项...答案是E... OG给的解释是A goes too far beyond the information provided.
但是文中说的之所以导致temporary employment增加的两个factor里面第一个不就是adapting to fluctuating demand吗？
之所以不对是因为efficiency文中没有讲吗？
我觉得是因为原文说“temporary employment is favored by employers who are adapting to fluctuating demand for products...”，言下之意是temporary employement对适应需求变动是有利的；但选项说“it enabled firms to deal with fluctuating product demand far more efficiently than they did before the 1980s”，且不说“有利”和“已产生作用（enabled）”不能划上严格的等号，原文中也没有证据支持“far more”这个对程度的表述。所以和E选项相比，E没有扭曲原文的意思，故更为合适。
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