阅读理解
German Chancellor (首相) Otto Von Bismarck may be most famous for his military and diplomatic talent, but his legacy (遗产) includes many of today''s social insurance programs. During the middle of the 19th century, Germany, along with other European nations, experienced an unprecedented rash of workplace deaths and accidents as a result of growing industrialization. Motivated in part by Christian compassion (怜悯) for the helpless as well as a practical political impulse to undercut the support of the socialist labor movement, Chancellor Bismarck created the world''s first workers'' compensation law in 1884.
By 1908, the United States was the only industrial nation in the world that lacked workers'' compensation insurance. America''s injured workers could sue for damages in a court of law, but they still faced a number of tough legal barriers. For example, employees bad to prove that their injuries directly resulted from employer negligence and that they themselves were ignorant about potential hazards in the workplace. The first state workers'' compensation law in this country passed in 1911, and the program soon spread throughout the nation.
After World War II, benefit payments to American workers did not keep up with the cost of living. In fact, real benefit levels were lower in the 1970s than they were in the 1940s, and in most states the maximum benefit was below the poverty level for a family of four. In 1970, President Richard Nixon set up a national commission to study the problems of workers'' compensation. Two years later, the commission issued 19 key recommendations, including one that called for increasing compensation benefit levels to 100 percent of the states'' average weekly wages.
In fact, the average compensation benefit in America has climbed from 55 percent of the states'' average weekly wages in 1972 to 97 percent today. But, as most studies show, every 10 percent increase in compensation benefits results in a 5 percent increase in the numbers of workers who file for claims. And with so much more money floating in the workers'' compensation system, it''s not surprising that doctors and lawyers have helped themselves to a large slice of the growing pie.
单选题
The world''s first workers'' compensation law was introduced by Bismarck ___________.
【正确答案】
C
【答案解析】辨认事实题。题目询问世界上第一部工人赔偿法是由Bismarck出于______目的而创立的。文章第1段提到“Motivated in part by Christian compassion(怜悯)for the helpless as well as a practical political impulse to undercut the support of the socialist labor movement,Chancellor Bismarck created the world''s first workers’compensation law in 1884(部分地是对孤立无援的工人出于基督教的怜悯,同时也是出于削弱对社会主义工人运动的支持这一实际的政治目的的考虑,德国首相俾斯麦于1884年创立了世界上第一部工人赔偿法)”,因此C项与文章的意思一致。
单选题
We learn from the passage that the process of industrialization in Europe ___________.
【正确答案】
A
【答案解析】辨认事实题。题目询问从文章中我们知道欧洲工业化进程______。文章第1段提到"During the middle of the 19th century,Germany,along with other European nations,experienced an unprecedented rash of work-place deaths and accidents as a result of growing industrialization(19世纪中期,随着工业化的发展,德国和其他一些欧洲国家一样,由于工业化的发展而导致了史无前例的一系列的工人伤亡事故)”,故选A项
单选题
One of the problems the American injured workers faced in getting compensation in the early 19th century was that ___________.
【正确答案】
D
【答案解析】辨认事实题。题目询问19世纪早期,为了获得赔偿,美国受伤工人面对的问题之一是______。文章第2段提到“but they still faced a number of tough legal barriers. For example,employees had to prove that their injuries directly resulted from employer negligence and that they themselves were ignorant about potential hazards in the workplace(美国受伤工人可以向法庭控告要求赔偿损失,但他们仍需面对一系列棘手的法律障碍。例如:雇员必须证明他们的伤是由于雇主的过失而直接造成的,而他们自己对工场内潜在的危险一无所知)”。由此可知D项正确。
单选题
After 1972 workers'' compensation insurance in the U.S. became more favorable to workers so that ___________.
【正确答案】
C
【答案解析】辨认事实题。题目询问1972年以后,美国的工人赔偿保险对工人越来越有利,因此产生了______的结果。文章最后一段提到“every 10 percent increase in compensation benefits results in a 5 percent increase in the numbers of workers who file for claims(大多数的研究表明,赔偿金每增加10%,提起赔偿诉讼请求的工人就会增加5%)”。因此C项与文章所表达的意思一致。
单选题
The author ends the passage with the implication that ___________.
【正确答案】
B
【答案解析】推断题。题目询问在文章的结尾作者做了______的暗示。在文章结尾作者提到"with so much more money floating in the workers’compensation system,it''s not surprising that doctors and lawyers have helped them-selves to a large slice of the growing pie(由于在工人赔偿体系中所投入的资金越来越多,医生和律师使自己在这不断增大的馅饼中分到一大块也是毫不令人奇怪的)”。因此可推断工人并不是惟一能从赔偿体系中受益的人。因此B项正确。