When education fails to keep pace with technology, the result is inequality. Without the skills to stay useful as innovations arrive, workers suffer—and if enough of them fall behind, society starts to fail apart. That fundamental insight seized reformers in the Industrial Revolution, promoting state-funded universal schooling. Later, automation in factories and offices called forth a surge in college graduates. The combination of education and innovation, spread over decades, led to a remarkable flowering of prosperity. Today robotics and artificial intelligence call for another education revolution. This time, however, working lives are so lengthy and so fast-changing that simply cramming more schooling in at the start is not enough. People must also be able to acquire new skills throughout their careers. Unfortunately, as our special report in this issue sets out, the lifelong learning that exists today mainly benefits high achievers and is therefore more likely to aggravate inequality than diminish it. If 21st-century economies are not to create a massive underclass, policymakers urgently need to work out how to help all their citizens learn while they earn. So far, their ambition has fallen pitifully short. The classic model of education—a burst at the start and top-ups through company training—is breaking down. One reason is the need for new, and constantly updated, skills. Manufacturing increasingly calls for brain work rather than physical work. The share of the American workforce employed in routine office jobs declined from 25. 5% to 21% between 1996 and 2015. The single, stable career has gone the way of the Rolodex. Pushing people into ever-higher levels of formal education at the start of their lives is not the way to cope. Just 16% of Americans think that a four-year college degree prepares students very well for a good job. Although a vocational education promises that vital first hire, those with specialized training tend to withdraw from the labour force earlier than those with general education—perhaps because they are less adaptable. At the same time on-the-job training is shrinking. In America and Britain it has fallen by roughly half in the past two decades. Self-employment is spreading, leaving more people to take responsibility for their own skills. Taking time out later in life to pursue a formal qualification is an option, but it costs money and most colleges are geared towards youngsters.

单选题 We can infer from Paragraph 1 that______.

【正确答案】 C

【答案解析】解析：推理题。[A]society will collapse without innovation“如果没有创新，社会将会分崩离析”。该项对应首段第二句：if enough of them fall behind，society starts to fall apart“如果落后的工人太多，社会就开始分崩离析”显然，该项属于偷换概念。[B]education is the only way to social prosperity“教育是促进社会繁荣的唯一方式”。该项对应首段尾句：The combination of education and innovation，spread over decades，led to a remarkable flowering of prosperity．首先，该项的the only way过于绝对；其次，该项与原文不符，原文强调“教育和创新促进了繁荣”，而该项仅仅强调“教育”，故可以排除。[C]inequality may originate from poor education“落后的教育可能产生不平等”。该项来自首段首句：When education fails to keep pace with technology，the result is inequality．“当教育落后于科技，就会造成不平等。”选项与原文意思基本一致，为最佳答案。[D]most workers in factories are college graduates “工厂大多数工人都是大学毕业生”。该项对应首段倒数第二句Later，automation in factories and offices called forth a surge in college graduates．文章提到“工厂和办公室自动化导致大学生人数猛增”，但并没有说“大多数工人都是大学生”，故该项错误。综上，本题选择[C]。

单选题 The author believes that in face of education revolution, workers need______.

【正确答案】 D

【答案解析】解析：观点题。根据题干education revolution定位到第二段首句，workers need=people must，故本题答案来自acquire new skills throughout their careers一句。选项[A]high goals“高目标”与原文new skills“新技能”毫无关联，可以排除。选项[B]与原文more schooling at the start is not enough完全相反，故排除。选项[C]at the beginning与原文throughout their careers不符，故可以排除。选项[D]persistent effort in their lives“终生不断的努力”与acquire new skills throughout their careers“在整个职业生涯中获取新技能”接近，其中persistent effort=acquire new skills，in their lives=throughout their careers。故[D]为最佳答案。

单选题 According to Paragraph 3, today's lifelong learning can______.

【正确答案】 A

【答案解析】解析：细节题。根据题干定位到第三段首句。[A]increase the number of the underclass“使底层阶级数量增加”；首句说：如今终身学习使成功人士受益，并加剧不平等；接着说：如果21世纪的经济体不想产生一个庞大的底层阶级：由这两句话得出结论：今天的终身学习会加剧不平等并产生庞大的底层阶级，也就是“使底层阶级数量增加”，故选项[A]正确。[B]benefit people with high career goals“使树立远大事业目标的人士受益”与原文benefits high achievers“使成功人士受益”不符，“树立远大事业目标的人士”不等同于“成功人士”，故该项可以排除。[C]eliminate inequality once and for all“彻底消除不平等”；该项与原文aggravate inequality“加剧不平等”完全相反，故排除。[D]be helpful to the majority of people“对大多数人有帮助”：该项与原文mainly benefits high achievers“主要使成功人士受益”不符。综上，本题选[A]。

单选题 The traditional educational pattern becomes outdated because______.

【正确答案】 B

【答案解析】解析：细节题。根据题干traditional educational pattern“传统教育模式”定位到第四段首句the classic model of education，其中traditional=classic，educational pattern=model of education；而题干becomes outdated“过时”=is breaking down“失败，失效”；because=one reason；故本题答案句为：One reason is the need for new，and constantly updated，skills．与该句意思相同的选项是[B]technique should be continually renewed。其中，technique=skills；should be=the need for；continually renewed=constantly updated。而[A][C][D]三项均与答案句无关，故可排除。

单选题 The author's attitude towards on-the-job training is______.

【正确答案】 A

【答案解析】解析：态度题。根据on-the-job training“在职培训”定位到最后一段首句；第二句it指代的也是on-the-job training；最后一句taking time out later in life to pursue a formal qualification “在年纪较大的时候抽出时间获得一个正规的资质”指的也是“在职培训”，故可以综合这三句得出答案。其中，shrinking“萎缩”，fallen“下降”，costs money“耗费金钱”等为负面词汇，而is an option“是一种选择”则偏向肯定，因此作者对于在职培训的态度偏向客观。选项[A]objective客观的；[B]favorable赞成的；[C]pessimistic悲观的；[D]contradictory矛盾的。显然本题答案为[A]。