That robots, automation, and software can replace people might seem obvious to anyone who’s worked in automotive manufacturing. But MIT business scholars Erik Brynjolfsson and Andrew McAfee’s claim is more troubling and controversial. They believe that rapid technological change has been destroying jobs faster than it is creating them.
They believe that technology increases productivity and makes societies wealthier, but it became clear to them that the same technologies making many jobs safer, easier, and more productive were also reducing the demand for many types of human workers. Technologies like the Web, artificial intelligence, and big data are automating many routine tasks. Countless traditional white-collar jobs, such as many in the post office and in customer service, have disappeared.
As evidence, Brynjolfsson and McAfee point to a chart on which separate lines represent productivity and total employment in the United States. For years after World War II, the two lines closely tracked each other, with increases in jobs corresponding to increases in productivity. Then, beginning in 2000, the lines diverge; productivity continues to rise steadily, but employment suddenly shrinks. By 2011, a significant gap appears between the two lines, showing economic growth with no parallel increase in job creation.
United States Productivity and Employment
But are these new technologies really responsible for a decade of lackluster (无生气) job growth? David Autor, an economist at MIT who has studied the connections between jobs and technology, doubts that technology could account for such a sudden change in total employment. Moreover, he also doubts that productivity has, in fact, risen steadily in the United States in the past decade. If he’s right, it raises the possibility that poor job growth could be simply a result of a depressed economy. The sudden slowdown in job creation “is a big puzzle,” he says, “but there’s not a lot of evidence that it’s linked to computers.” “To be sure, computer technologies are changing the types of jobs available, but that is very different from saying technology is affecting the total number of jobs,” he adds. “Jobs can change a lot without there being huge changes in employment rates.”
Lawrence Katz, a Harvard economist, says that while technological changes can be painful for workers whose skills no longer match the needs of employers, no historical pattern shows these shifts leading to a net decrease in jobs over an extended period. Still, Katz doesn’t dismiss the notion that there is something different about today’s digital technologies. Though he expects the historical pattern to hold, it is “genuinely a question,” he says. “If technology disrupts enough, who knows what will happen?”
1.Which period on the chart strongly supports McAfee’s claim?
A. 1947—1967. B. 1985—1987.
C. 1997—2000. D. 2011—2013.
2.According to David Autor, the change in job growth ________.
A. is not necessarily caused by technology
B. results from a weakening economy
C. has no connection with productivity
D. affects the current types of jobs
3.What is Lawrence Katz’s attitude towards the topic?
A. Optimistic. B. Defensive.
C. Objective. D. Disapproving.
4.The main purpose of the passage is to ________.
A. show the relation between productivity and job creation
B. discuss the effect of technological advances on employment
C. argue against the wide use of artificial intelligence
D. explain the impact of technologies on productivity
Yasmeen’s Mehndi
Mrs. Cross, Yasmeen’s social study teacher, announced, “Boys and girls, you have been learning about world customs. Be ready to share one of your family’s customs, tomorrow.”
After school, Yasmeen dragged her backpack along, thinking about the day’s homework. “I’m the only Indian student in my class,” she thought, “what will everyone think about my family’s customs?”
At home, Yasmeen was upset. She opened the kitchen door and saw her mother busily crushing henna leaves.
“Ready for the party tonight?” Mother smiled.
Yasmeen shrugged (耸肩). Normally, she’d be excited when her aunts, uncles and cousins came to celebrate the end of the ninth month of the Islamic year. This holy month is observed with prayers and fasting(斋戒)during daylight hours.
Later, Yasmeen explored the house, trying to get an idea for her homework. She found her father’s Koran (古兰经). She turned over the worn pages of her father’s holy book. Maybe I’ll take this to school, she thought. But the Koran isn’t a custom.
Maybe I’ll wear my salwar kameez (沙丽) to school. Wrong! Everybody might laugh at me. Tears filled Yasmeen’s eyes as she tried to figure out what to share.
Yasmeen walked into the kitchen again and watched Mother mix henna powder into a smooth paste, to be used to paint at the party.
That night all the girls in their beautiful salwar kameez gathered around the sofa to have their hands painted with Mehndi.
It was Yasmeen’s turn. Mother drew tiny flower patterns on her hands. Seconds later, “That’s it,” Yasmeen shouted out, “Mehndi!”
“On special Muslim holidays,” Yasmeen explained the next day at school, “it’s an Indian tradition to paint women’s hands with Mehndi designs.” Yasmeen proudly displayed the design on her hands. She also held up a bowl of crushed henna leaves for the class to see and then described how her mother prepared henna paste.
“Could you paint me a Mehndi design?” All her classmates held out their hands.
Yasmeen’s eyes moistened. She had always thought that Mehndi was only something valued in her own country, but now she was far too glad to see this ancient art on hands admired by people from different cultures.
1.Yasmeen was upset at home, because ________.
A.she couldn’t make friends with her classmates
B.she was not invited to the party
C.she had too much homework
D.she didn’t know what to share in her class
2.Yasmeen and her family held the party to ________.
A.celebrate their traditional festival B.get together for a big dinner
C.remember the first day of year D.read her fathers Koran
3.________ is NOT a custom on this special Muslim holiday.
A.Painting a Mehndi design on hands B.Eating a bowl of henna leaves
C.Fasting during daylight hours D.Wearing salwar kameez
4.The author wants to tell us that ________.
A.painting can help people communicate
B.people from different cultures love painting
C.cultural relics can be valued by other cultures
D.different countries celebrate the same festival
Climbing Without Ropes
The popular image of the mountain climber is of a person carefully climbing a steep cliff with a network of safety ropes, but it is not the only kind. Many climbers now enjoy bouldering. It’s more accessible and better for the environment.
What is bouldering? Bouldering is a sport that involves climbing on, over, and around boulders up to approximately twenty feet above the ground. Participants employ no safety ropes. | ||
Why boulder? improve your climbing skills by focusing on basics places to climb, such as climbing walls at gyms and parks, easy to find less time commitment to bouldering than to mountain climbing intellectual and physical enjoyment as one solves problems |
| Bouldering Terms crimp: a very small handhold foothold: a place where one may place a foot to aid in climbing boulder jug: a very large handhold that is easy to use problem: The path up a boulder is referred to as the “problem” that one must solve. The “solution” is the sequence of moves one makes up and over a boulder. |
Here is an example of a climber addressing a bouldering problem.
Figure 1: The climber has two routes she could take, one to the left and one to the right. The left one appears easier because it has a jug within easy reach, but look what happens if she chooses that direction. She gets stuck on the rock and has to go back down. Sometimes that is even difficult than going up.
Figure 2: The climber takes the one to the right this time. using a foothold and placing her right hand in a crimp, she is able to life herself up and locate other handholds. After only a few moves, she is able to throw her leg over the top of the boulder and pull herself up.
1.According to the passage, bouldering ________.
A.is an indoor sport B.has no safety protection
C.needs maps and equipment D.is a steep cliff climbing
2.Bouldering becomes popular because ________.
A.it challenges the limits B.it costs less
C.it builds minds and bodies D.it is a team game
3.According to the example, the right route is ________.
A.a shortcut B.a dead end
C.tough but to the top D.lined with jugs
语法填空
When you read a story in English, do you read it for the story 1. for the English language?This is a question which is not so 2.(fool) as it may seem, for I find that many students of English pay 3.(much) attention to the story than to the English. For instance, they care for how the mystery in the story 4.(settle)，but can not tell what preposition(介词)5.(use) before a certain word in the speech of a certain character.
Of course, if you want to know the story only, you need not focus 6.the language. But a student of English is different from a student of stories or what is called the general reader.7. you may also have learned from the above，you ought to read not only very 8.(care) but also aloud till you learn the passage by heart and can recite it as if it were your own. On one hand, this will teach you many useful 9. (word) and phrases; on the other hand, it will help you avoid 10.(make) many mistakes in expression.
The science teacher，Mr.Black，had asked his students to study a particular animal. They were asked to ______ a short report and then make a ______ in class.Some talked about dogs，others about horses，and some chose fish. But the most ______ discovery of all was made by little Sophie.
“I found that _____ are terribly bad- tempered(坏脾气的)，”she said for certain .
Everyone smiled, waiting for her to______. Then Sophie explained, " I spent hours _____ flies. When they flew normally，everything was okay,_____when they found a window they would make a noisy sound. I had always thought they make that noise ____ their wings, but they don't. With my daddy's binoculars(双筒望远镜)，I watched the flies really_______，and saw that ____ they were doing was shouting. They were angry. They______ fly out of the window. Later, a butterfly passing by the window tried to ____ them the top of the window was open, but it had no effect at all. The flies just ____ shouting.”
Mr.Black laughed and explained to the class that the flies’ behaviour had nothing to do with ____. Instead, it was an example of animals having different levels of intelligence（智力）.At the ____ of the class， Mr. Black asked the students to bring a list of animals in order of their intelligence.
What surprised Mr Black was that many parents came to the school to ____ the next day, ____ their children had listed their parents among the least ______animals! This，said the children, was because their parents did ______ but complain.
Mr. Black had to do a lot of explaining to calm the parents down. However, it also helped some of the parent
_____ that although they weren't stupid,they didn't often behave very intelligently.
1.A.write B.listen C.review D.give
2.A.word B.speech C.performance D.wish
3.A.challenging B.terrible C.interesting D.important
4.A.dogs B.horses C.fish D.flies
5.A.look B.stay C.leave D.continue
6.A.enjoying B.watching C.talking D.thinking
7.A.and B.but C.besides D.since
8.A.on B.for C.with D.about
9.A.closely B.quietly C.quickly D.safely
10.A.how B.when C.why D.what
11.A.couldn't B.shouldn't C.needn't D.mustn't
12.A.ask B.tell C.answer D.call
13.A.took on B.relied on C.kept on D.lived on
14.A.happiness B.anger C.beauty D.shape
15.A.beginning B.middle C.half D.end
16.A.praise B.complain C.doubt D.play
17.A.so B.until C.because D.and
18.A.brave B.humorous C.clever D.kind
19.A.everything B.something C.anything D.nothing
20.A.realise B.think C.wake D.believe
A teenager needs to have a sense of independence in their life to feel secure（安全的）. To some teenagers independence means a lot to them, and I think that some parents don’t allow their teenagers enough independence.
Independence has something to do with freedom. Some kids are not allowed to go anywhere alone, and the only thing their schedule includes is going to school, coming home, going to sleep, and repeating the process the next day. Parents tend to be afraid that their kids can get hurt if they go outside into the world. But if parents control their kids too much, they may never learn to live on their own. The best way for a teenager to learn lesson is through experience. I think it is beneficial for teenagers to have freedom.
Teenagers’ lack of freedom can also stop them from having good friendship at school. Some might say this is a good thing, because it helps them focus more on their school work. I argue that this can only discourage them not to do their school work. Some parents do not allow their children to be around their friends outside the school, thinking that this will get them into trouble. But I don’t think so. Instead, isn’t this a good reason for parents to get their children a cellphone? Cellphones allow teenagers to stay in touch with their parents, and communicate with friends.
Privacy is another issue between parents and their teenagers. Teenagers tend to enjoy relaxation by themselves in their own room. This also gives them a sense of independence. It often annoys teenagers when their parents enter their room when they are not home. I know that my mom always goes in my room when I’m not home, and this has brought me to the point where I have asked many times to get a lock on my door.
1.What is the main idea of the second paragraph?
A.Kids know how to live independently.
B.Some parents allow their kids no freedom.
C.It benefits teenagers to have freedom.
D.Kids have a dull routine every day
2.In the opinion of the author, ___________.
A.parents should make it easy for kids to communicate with their friends
B.good friendships between kids harm their school work
C.it is unnecessary for a kid to have a cellphone
D.kids should focus on the school work
3.How do teenagers usually feel when their parents enter their rooms in their absence?
A.Disappointed B.Lucky
C.Angry D.Calm
4.The author hopes to have her door locked in order to ______________.
A.keep her father from reading her dairy B.prevent her mother entering her room
C.Protect herself from any harm D.Stop thieves from going in
