阅读理解 U.S. technology workers may be looking at a better job market in the coming months, according to a new study from staffing firm Robert Half Technology. A net 11 percent of chief information officers surveyed plan to add full-time information technology staff in the third quarter, the firm said Thursday. That is the largest net percent of CIOs expecting to increase staff in three years, Robert Half Technology said. 14 percent of CIOs interviewed plan to add full-time IT staff, while 3 percent anticipate personnel reductions, the firm said. 81 percent of survey respondents expect to maintain current staff levels. Robert Half Technology's national poll includes responses from more than 1,400 CIOs from a sample of U.S. companies with 100 or more employees.
"Businesses are showing increased optimism in their hiring plans, but they remain realistic," Katherine Spencer Lee, executive director of Robert Half Technology, said in a statement. "CIOs are carefully evaluating their key requirements and adding full-time staff only when they identify a long-term need for a particular position or skill set. In the interim, they are bringing in project professionals to help core staff address short-term workload spikes and move ahead with select initiatives. "
The job scene for U.S. tech professionals has been a mixed bag for some time. A recent report indicated that the U.S. tech industry may have turned a corner last year when it comes to employment woes. In addition, technology professionals have reason to be cautiously optimistic about jobs at startup companies. But a gauge of information technology workers' confidence in the job market dropped in May. The average number of unemployed workers in nine high-tech categories fell by 64,000 last year but remained close to 150,000, according to the Labor Department. And in the first three months of this year, technology companies slashed nearly 60,000 U.S. jobs—twice the number trimmed in the same period last year.
In its latest report, Robert Half Technology said business expansion was cited by 38 percent of respondents as the leading factor driving IT hiring, followed by demand for increased customer and end-user support at 21 percent. Executives at the largest firms(1,000 or more employees)forecast the highest levels of IT hiring activity, and CIOs in the New England states are most optimistic about future hiring activity, the firm said. "Help desk/end-user support" is the specialization experiencing the strongest growth among U.S. companies, the firm said.
单选题 16.IT workers can expect an improved job market in the near future because______.
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】属细节题。文章第一段首句就指出:一项来自Robert Half Technology职工安置公司新的研究表明,IT人员未来几个月将好找工作了。接着就对此加以解释:被调查的首席信息官有11%表示计划在第三季度招收全职信息技术人员,所以答案选D。A项中的during the next threeyears与原文不符。B项中的staff范围太大。C项与原文第一段倒数第二句内容不符:81%被调查的首席信息官则希望维持目前的员工人数。
单选题 17.The percentage of CIOs who expect IT staffing levels to be cut are______.
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】属细节题。第一段第四句指出:……3%的首席信息官期望裁减人员,故答案为B。
单选题 18.What can we infer from the second paragraph?
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】属推断题。从Katherine Spencer Lee的话里可以推知答案:CIOs在认真斟酌自己的主要需求,只有当他们认为确实有必要设立某一职位时,才会增加全职人员。在此期间,他们会引入项目专业人员来帮助原有人员应对短期的工作负荷。所以答案为C而非D。A项原文没有提到。CIOs感到乐观的并非increasing short-term job prospects,所以B可排除。
单选题 19.What does the author mean by "a mixed bag"(line 1, para. 3)?
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】属语义题。原文解释说,专业技术人员有理由对刚起步的公司的工作职位持谨慎的乐观态度,但五月份一些IT工人对劳务市场的信心下降了,之后又举例说明。由此推出答案为B。A项原文没提到。C是客观事实,但与问题无关。D项中的on the rise与原文不符。
单选题 20.According to Robert Half Technology, increased IT hiring is mainly due to______.
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】属细节推断题。最后一段指出:在最近的报告中,Robert Half Technology说企业扩张被38%的人认为是驱使IT行业增加人员的主要因素。……一些最大的公司预计会有最大规模的IT人员招聘活动。所以答案为A。企业扩张并没有限定区域,因此B项中in New England states不对。C、D与原文不符。