In today's knowledge economy, nations
survive on the things they do best. The Japanese design electronics while the
Germans export engineering techniques. The French serve the best food and
Americans make computers. Britain specializes in the gift of
talking. The nation doesn't manufacture much of anything. But it has lawyers,
stylists and business consultants who earn their living from talk, talk and more
talk. The World Foundation think tank says the UK's four iconic (标志性的) jobs
today are not scientists, engineers, teachers and nurses. Instead, they're
hairdressers, celebrities, management consultants and managers. But can all this
talking keep the British economy going? The British government thinks it
can. Although the country's trade deficit was more than ￡60
billion in 2006, UK's largest in the postwar period, officials say the country
has nothing to worry about. In fact, Britain does have a world-class
pharmaceutical (制药的) industry, and it still makes a small sum from selling arms
abroad. It also trades services— accountancy, insurance, banking and
advertising. The government believes Britain is on the cutting
edge of the knowledge economy. After all, the country of
Shakespeare and Wordsworth has a literary tradition of which to be proud. Rock
'n' roll is an English language medium, and there are billions to be made by
their cutting-edge bands. In other words, the creative economy has plenty of
strength to carry the British economy. However, creative
industries account for only about 4 percent of UK's exports of goods and
services. The industries are finding it hard to make a profit, according to a
report of the National Endowment for Science, Technology, and the Arts. The
report shows only 38 percent of British companies were engaged in "innovation
activities", 3 percentage points below the EU average and well below Germany (61
percent) and Sweden (47 percent). In fact, it might be better
to call Britain a "servant" economy—there are at least 4 million people "in
service". The majority of the population are employed by the rich to cook,
clean, and take care of their children. Many graduates are even doing menial
(体力劳动的) jobs for which they do not need a degree. Most employment growth has
been, and will continue to be, at the low-skill end of the service sector—in
shops, bars, hotels, domestic service and in nursing and care homes.
单选题
According to the World Foundation think tank, one of the iconic jobs in
Britain today is ______.
单选题
Which of the following is true about the creative industries in
Britain?
A. They contribute a lot to the country's trade deficit.
B. They are not doing as well as those in other European nations.
C. They can't make a profit out of their innovation activities.
D. They make Britain on the cutting edge of the knowledge economy.
【正确答案】
B
【答案解析】[解析] 根据第四段最后一句中的“only 38 percent of British companies were engaged in 'innovation activities'，3 percentage points below the EU average”可知，英国只有38%，的企业进行有关创新的工作，比欧盟的平均水平要低三个百分点。由此不难推出，英国的创新工作没有欧洲其他国家做得好。
单选题
It can be inferred from the passage that ______.
A. the gift of talking can keep the British economy growing
B. the British government is over-confident in its economy
C. the British economy is the least innovative one in the EU
D. being a servant to the rich is one of the best jobs in Britain