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According to many analysts, labor-management relations in the United States are undergoing a fundamental change: traditional adversarialism is giving way to a new cooperative relationship between the two sides and even to concessions from labor. These analysts say the twin shocks of nonunion competition in this country and low-cost, high-quality imports from abroad are forcing unions to look more favorably at a variety of management demands: the need for wage restraint and reduced benefits as well as the abolition of "rigid" work rules, seniority rights, and job classifications. Sophisticated proponents of these new developments cast their observations in a prolabor light. In return for their concessions, they point out, some unions have bargained for profit sharing, retraining rights, and job-security guarantees. Unions can also trade concessions for more say on the shop floor, where techniques such as quality circles and quality-of-work-life programs promise workers greater control over their own jobs. Unions may even win a voice in investment and pricing strategy, plant location, and other major corporate policy decisions previously reserved to management. Opponents of these concessions from labor argue that such concessions do not save jobs, but either prolong the agony of dying plants or finance the plant relocations that employers had intended anyway. Companies make investment decisions to fit their strategic plans and their profit objectives, opponents point out, and labor costs are usually just a small factor in the equation. Moreover, unrestrained by either loyalty to their work force or political or legislative constraints on their mobility, the companies eventually cut and run, concessions or no concessions. Wage-related concessions have come under particular attack, since opponents believe that high union wages underlay much of the success of United States industry in this century. They point out that a long-standing principle, shared by both management and labor, has been that workers should earn wages that give them the income they need to buy what they make. Moreover, high wages have given workers the buying power to propel the economy forward. If proposals for pay cuts, two-tier wage systems, and subminimum wages for young workers continue to gain credence, opponents believe the U.S. social structure will move toward that of a less-developed nation: a small group of wealthy investors, a sizable but still minority bloc of elite professionals and highly skilled employees, and a huge mass of marginal workers and unskilled laborers. Further, they argue that if unions willingly engage in concession bargaining on the false grounds that labor costs are the source of a company's problems, unions will find themselves competing with Third World pay levels—a competition they cannot win.
单选题15.It can be inferred from the passage that opponents of labor concessions would most likely describe many plant-relocation decisions made by United States companies as
【正确答案】
B
【答案解析】Evaluation This question requires you to pick a word that the passage suggests opponents of labor concessions would apply to many plant-relocation decisions made by U.S. companies. The passage indicates that those who oppose labor concessions often do so on the grounds that companies will move their production overseas if it matches their perceived self-interest—regardless of any concessions labor has made in order to preserve jobs. According to the passage, opponents of labor concessions therefore tend to view such plant-relocation decisions as self-serving. A The passage does not attribute to opponents of labor concessions the view that corporate decisions are variable in a way that makes them unpredictable. B Correct. According to the passage, the opponents of labor concessions believe that companies make investment decisions that fit their strategic plans and profit objectives. C The passage suggests that the opponents may view plant managers' relocation decisions as based on realistic assessments of corporate interests. D The passage does not attribute to the opponents the view that companies make plant-relocation decisions on impulse; rather, it suggests that these opponents tend to see relocation decisions as based on analysis of how relocation would advance predetermined strategies and objectives. E According to the passage, the opponents see an inflexible logic governing such relocation decisions, which are based on an assessment of how best to serve companies' interests, as judged by reference to predetermined investment strategies and profit objectives. The correct answer is B.
单选题16.It can be inferred from the passage that, until recently, which of the following has been true of United States industry in the twentieth century?
【正确答案】
C
【答案解析】Inference This question requires you to draw a conclusion about United States industry in the twentieth century from the information in the passage. The passage indicates that even opponents of labor concessions believe that union workers have traditionally been paid relatively high wages and that high wages underlay much of the success of industry in the United States in the twentieth century. A The passage suggests otherwise. It tells us that advocates of labor concessions believe it may eventually be possible for labor to participate in management decisions in a way that was not traditionally the case. B The passage mentions "quality circles" as a benefit that, according to some proponents of labor concessions, may eventually be gained in the context of having more say on the shop floor. But that does not imply that quality control in manufacturing has been a major problem. C Correct. The passage attributes a belief that this was so to opponents of labor concessions. D The passage tells us that opponents of labor concessions believe that proposals for two-tier wage systems could become a reality— which indicates that such systems have not been the norm. E According to the passage, opponents of labor concessions admit that wages have been relatively high for union workers and that labor and management have long been committed to the idea that workers should be able to afford to purchase the products they make. The correct answer is C.
单选题17.The passage provides information to answer which of the following questions?
【正确答案】
A
【答案解析】Evaluation This question requires you to identify a question that the passage provides an answer to. In paragraph 1, the passage indicates some factors ("twin shocks") that have contributed to a change in the approach of labor unions to negotiations with management. A Correct. The passage claims that competition from non-union companies and imports of low-priced high-quality products from abroad have induced labor unions to be more flexible in meeting the demands of management. B The passage does not address this question either directly or indirectly. C According to the passage, proponents of labor concessions claim that job-security guarantees can be negotiated if concessions are made, but the passage provides no further detail that would shed light on how such guarantees operate. D The passage is silent on the effectiveness of investment and pricing strategies in combating imports. E The passage mentions quality circles, but provides no information on their impact. Presumably, quality circles aim to improve quality, and such improvements would be pointless absent any payoff in "performance and value." The correct answer is A.
单选题18.The passage is primarily concerned with the
【正确答案】
C
【答案解析】Main idea This question asks us to identify the overall theme of the passage, i.e., the topic that motivates the discussion of various subtopics. A The traditionally adversarial relationship between labor and management is mentioned in passing, but the reasons for that relationship are not probed. B The passage details benefits that some labor unionists perceive in cooperative labor-management relations, but does not assess the importance of such relations. C Correct. The passage explores this theme by looking at the new approach of some labor unions by discussing the pros and cons of labor concessions as perceived by proponents and opponents of such concessions. D The passage alludes to these effects, but no sustained exploration of this topic is present in the passage. E The passage alludes to these effects, but no sustained exploration of this topic is present in the passage. The correct answer is C.
单选题19.The sentence "If proposals for pay cuts .. . unskilled laborers" serves primarily to
【正确答案】
D
【答案解析】Evaluation This question asks you to determine the intended purpose of one of the passage's sentences. This sentence, found in the final paragraph, describes what opponents of labor concessions predict are possible consequences if labor unions agree to pay cuts, two-tier wage systems, or lower wages for newly hired workers. These hypothesized consequences can be summarized as a significant degradation in the overall material welfare of large sections of the population because of grossly unequal distribution of wealth and income such as exist in some less-developed societies. A The sentence describes what is perceived as something that could occur if labor unions were to make concessions resulting in reductions in wages. It is not framed as evidence to refute a theory, since it is merely a prediction of what could occur. B The sentence does not function in resolving an ambiguity, no ambiguity that the sentence could be meant to resolve is described or suggested. C The sentence does nothing to reconcile opposing views; it articulates a vision of a possible future that it attributes to those who oppose wage-reduction concessions by labor unions. D Correct. The sentence presents a hypothesis about the possible long-term consequences of labor-union concessions that would result in significantly lower wages. E Accepted data can be contradicted only by alternative datasets, but the sentence an question does not provide alternative data, only a prediction of what the future might bring for workers' material welfare if drastic wage reductions were to be conceded by labor unions. The correct answer is D.
单选题20.It can be inferred from the passage that opponents of labor concessions believe that if concession bargaining continues, then
【正确答案】
E
【答案解析】Inference This question concerns the beliefs of opponents of labor concessions, as those beliefs are represented in the passage. The passage attributes to those opponents the view that if the idea of reducing wages gains credence, the U.S. social structure will begin to decline and will eventually be on a par with the social structures of less-developed nations. Moreover, the passage represents the opponents as believing that if labor unions negotiate on the premise that high labor costs are causing a company's problems, eventually wages will be reduced drastically—potentially to Third World levels. In paragraph 1, the passage reports that analysts say that labor unions are currently forced to favorably consider management demands for "wage restraint" and concessions on benefits. A The passage indicates that the opponents believe companies relocate their plants whenever companies perceive this as in accord with their investment strategies and profit objectives. B A need for continued retraining of young workers is not a belief attributed by the passage to opponents of labor concessions. C The passage, in referring to "a huge mass of marginal workers," attributes a contrary view to opponents of labor concessions. D The passage does not attribute this view to opponents of labor concessions. E Correct. We learn from the passage that labor unions are engaged in concession bargaining, on topics that include wage restraint. The opponents of labor concessions believe, according to the passage, that eventually the result will be wage reductions, and the ultimate result will be degradation of the U.S. social structure, resulting in a social structure more like that of a less-developed nation. The correct answer is E.
单选题21.According to the author, "Sophisticated proponents" of concessions do which of the following?
【正确答案】
B
【答案解析】Supporting Ideas This question requires you to identify what the passage says "sophisticated proponents" of concessions do. According to the passage, these sophisticated proponents represent their concessions in a "prolabor light."They suggest that concessions by labor can bargain for profit sharing, retraining rights, and job-security guarantees—and can even bargain for "more say on the shop floor" and a voice in company strategy and decision making. A According to the passage, analysts say that labor-management relations are increasingly cooperative rather than adversarial. B Correct. As indicated above, the proponents of labor concessions represent concessions in a prolabor light by detailing the types of labor gains that can come from such concessions. C The proponents probably conduct such analyses, but no information about this is given in the passage. D Sophisticated proponents may sometimes do this, but the passage emphasizes their focus on the opportunities for labor gains. E Sophisticated proponents may sometimes do this, but the passage emphasizes their focus on the opportunities for labor gains. The correct answer is B.