阅读理解 A new era is upon us. Call it what you will: the service economy, the information age, the knowledge society. It all translates to a fundamental change in the way we work. Already we''re partly there. The percentage of people who earn their living by making things has fallen dramatically in the Western World. Today the majority of jobs in America, Europe and Japan (two thirds or more in many of these countries) are in the service industry, and the number is on the rise. More women are in the work force than ever before. There are more part-time jobs. More people are self-employed. But the breadth of the economic transformation can''t be measured by numbers alone, because it also is giving rise to a radical new way of thinking about the nature of work itself. Long-held notions about jobs and careers, the skill needed to succeed, even the relation between individuals and employers--all these are being challenged. We have only to look behind us to get some sense of what may lie ahead. No one looking ahead 20 years possibly could have foreseen the ways in which a single invention, the chip, would transform our world thanks to its applications in personal computers, digital communications and factory robots. Tomorrow''s achievements in biotechnology, artificial intelligence or even some still unimagined technology could produce a similar wave of dramatic changes. But one thing is certain: information and knowledge will become even more vital, and the people who possess it, whether they work in manufacturing or services, will have the advantage and produce the wealth. Computer knowledge will become as basic a requirement as the ability to read and write. The ability to solve problems by applying information instead of performing routine tasks will be valued above all else. If you cast your mind ahead 10 years, information services will be predominant. It will be the way you do your job.

单选题 A characteristic of the information age is that __________

【正确答案】 D

【答案解析】根据第一段第五句和第六句"The percentage of people who earn their living by making things has fallen dramatically in the Western World．Today the majority of jobs in America，Europe，and Japan are in the service industry，and the number is on the rise”，可以断定正确答案为[D]。文中提到妇女的就业人数倍增，但并未提及她们是否主力军，故[A]不正确。[B]和文中第一段第五句相矛盾。而[C]与第二段第四句"But one thing is certain：information and knowledge will become even more vital，and the people who possess it，whether they work in manufacturing or services，will have the advantage and produce the wealth"相矛盾。

单选题 One of the great changes brought about by the knowledge society is that ______

单选题 By referring to computers and other inventions, the author means to say that ________

【正确答案】 B

【答案解析】根据第二段第一句"We have only to look behind us to get some sense of what may lie ahead”就可推断出作者之所以举计算机和其他发明的例子，是为了说明未来技术会带来什么变化，再根据第二段第三句"Tomorrow，s achievements in biotechnology，artificial intelligence or even some still unimagined technology could produce a similar wave of dramatic changes"，就可肯定[B]为正确答案。，而[A]，[C]和[D]在原文中并未提及。

单选题 The future will probably belong to those who ______

单选题 Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?

【正确答案】 C

【答案解析】综观全文，尤其是根据第一段第一至第三句“A new era is upon us．Call it what you will：the service economy，the information age，the knowledge society．It all translates to a fundamental change in the way we work"和第二段第四句"But one thing is certain：information and knowledge will become even more vital，and the people who possess it，whether they work in manufacturing or services，will have the advantage and produce the wealth”，可以看出，文章着重介绍了新时代的特点和对未来的展望，故选[C]。而其他选项所述都只是文章的一个方面，概括不了文章的全部内容。