专业英语四级阅读-21
(总分：100.00，做题时间：90分钟)
一、{{B}}READING COMPREHENSION{{/B}}(总题数：0，分数：0.00)
二、{{B}}TEXT A{{/B}}(总题数：1，分数：25.00)
Despite all the progress toward women's equality, women who work full time are still earning only 75 cents on average to every dollar earned by men.
Driving home that point, the National Committee on Pay Equity has chosen April 16 this year, to remind Americans that all women would need to work at least an extra two days in a workweek to earn almost as much as all men do in one normal workweek.
Why does such a wage gap still persist?
Economists differ in their explanations. And yet this income disparity is seen as a key indicator of how women are treated—both in the workplace and at home.
Fortunately, the women's movement and civil rights enforcement have ended most gender di
Driving home that point, the National Committee on Pay Equity has chosen April 16 this year, to remind Americans that all women would need to work at least an extra two days in a workweek to earn almost as much as all men do in one normal workweek.
Why does such a wage gap still persist?
Economists differ in their explanations. And yet this income disparity is seen as a key indicator of how women are treated—both in the workplace and at home.
Fortunately, the women's movement and civil rights enforcement have ended most gender di
scrimination in setting wages. Now advocates are focused on ensuring that working women have female advisers and role models, while they try to remove subtle discrimination in promotions—the "glass ceiling" that accounts for so few women being in top management.
Many economists, however, say many women have lower-paying jobs because of choices made in their home life, such as taking time out to raise children. Or women take part-time, low-wage jobs for the flexibility. When they do reenter the workforce full time, they're often behind their working peers in pay and promotions.
But as more women feel empowered to make career choices, their pay rises.
Another explanation is that women don't really make the choice to drop off the career ladder or to stay at a lower job rung. They may, for example, accept the expectations of others to take traditional jobs for women, such as nursing, which have low market wages. They must often take jobs that don't account for the unpredictability of families. Working moms may find their income can't pay for day care, or day care doesn't suit their child. If they are married, they may realize their husbands are not inclined to child rearing (or house chores), so they either quit work or go part-time.
Many economists, however, say many women have lower-paying jobs because of choices made in their home life, such as taking time out to raise children. Or women take part-time, low-wage jobs for the flexibility. When they do reenter the workforce full time, they're often behind their working peers in pay and promotions.
But as more women feel empowered to make career choices, their pay rises.
Another explanation is that women don't really make the choice to drop off the career ladder or to stay at a lower job rung. They may, for example, accept the expectations of others to take traditional jobs for women, such as nursing, which have low market wages. They must often take jobs that don't account for the unpredictability of families. Working moms may find their income can't pay for day care, or day care doesn't suit their child. If they are married, they may realize their husbands are not inclined to child rearing (or house chores), so they either quit work or go part-time.
So as their life choices seem to become a lite burden, women's income slips behind men's.
No matter what the explanation, much progress has been made in reducing the pay gap. While government still has a major role, employers can do more. Many have found a market advantage in supporting working mothers or putting women in management. And in the home, men and women are getting smarter in defining their marital relationships, often before tying the knot.
Just as women now outnumber men in college, perhaps someday their average pay will surpass men's—and that may make up for lost wages.（分数：25.00）
No matter what the explanation, much progress has been made in reducing the pay gap. While government still has a major role, employers can do more. Many have found a market advantage in supporting working mothers or putting women in management. And in the home, men and women are getting smarter in defining their marital relationships, often before tying the knot.
Just as women now outnumber men in college, perhaps someday their average pay will surpass men's—and that may make up for lost wages.（分数：25.00）
(1).April 16 has been chosen
∙ A. to show the organization's attitude towards equal pay.
∙ B. to define the day as pay day for women who are not equally paid.
∙ C. to make it clear that women working full time are earning less than men.
∙ D. to remind women to work longer hours to earn as much as men.
（分数：5.00）
A.
B.
C. √
D.
解析：事实细节题。文章第二段中开头便提到：“为了讲清楚这一点……选择了今年的4月16日……”，而这一点所指的内容在第一段已经出现过，即“全职工作的女性的平均报酬只有男性的75%”，由此可以看出C是原文的同义转述，正确。A“表明该组织对平等薪酬的态度”、B“为那些没得到平等薪酬的女性把这一天定为发工资日”原文未提及；第二段最后提到，选择这一天是要提醒美国人男女薪酬存在差异这一现象，而不是提醒女性要工作更长的时间，以取得与男人一样的薪酬，故D错误。
(2).How can women raise their salary?
∙ A. By going out for work instead of staying at home.
∙ B. By asking their employer to raise their salary.
∙ C. By sending their child to the kindergarten.
∙ D. By having the ability to choose their jobs.
（分数：5.00）
A.
B.
C.
D. √
解析：事实细节题。由题干关键词raise salary，将信息定位于第七段：But as more women feel empowered to make career choices, their pay rises.所以D是原文的同义转述。A“出去
工作，而不是待在家里”、C“把孩子送到幼儿园”文中均未谈到能解决加薪的问题；B“叫老板加薪”原文未提及。
(3).Which of the following is NOT a traditional job for women?
∙ A. Nurse.
∙ B. Teacher.
∙ C. Economist.
∙ D. Typist.
（分数：5.00）
A.
B.
C. √
D.
解析：推理判断题。文章第八段提到妇女经常从事一些传统的职业，比如护理。我们根据常识可以判断，护士，教师，以及从事电脑打字员等都是妇女经常从事的职业。因此都属于妇女传统的职业，文章第六段提到过C“经济学家”，但是没有说是女性传统的职业，而且也不合常理，为本题答案。
(4).Which of the following statement is NOT true?
∙ A. The wage gap serves as a key indicator of how women are treated.
∙ B. Many women have lower-paying jobs because of house chores.
∙ C. Some working mothers earn less than their children's day care costs.
∙ D. Many employers have already done enough to support working mothers.
（分数：5.00）
A.
B.
C.
D. √
解析：事实细节题。由第四段第二句可知，收入差异被视为女性待遇的关键指标，A项的wage gap是原句income disparity的同义词，故该项为原文的同义转述；文章第六段中明确说“很多女性从事低报酬的工作是因家庭生活的选择所致，例如抽时间带孩子。”故B也为原文的同义转述；C的内容由第八段倒数第二句的内容可以推断出；第十段第三句谈到“许多人(雇主)已经发现了支持职业母亲的市场优势”，但这并不等于雇主们已经为支持职业母亲做得足够多，故D选项不合原文，为本题答案。
(5).Who are expected to contribute more to narrowing the pay gap?
∙ A. Women themselves.
∙ B. Employers.
∙ C. The government.
∙ D. Men.
（分数：5.00）
A.
B. √
C.
D.
解析：事实细节题。由题干关键词narrowing the pay gap，将信息定位于倒数第二段。由该段一、二句可知，在减少收入差距方面，政府仍然扮演重要角，但雇主能做的更多；因此B正确。A、D与上述句子的表述不符；C是对该句话的错误理解。
三、{{B}}TEXT B{{/B}}(总题数：1，分数：25.00)
If sustainable competitive advantage depends upon work force skills, American firms have a problem. Human-resource management is not traditionally seen as central to the competitive survival of the firm in the United States. Skill acquisition is considered an individual responsibility. Labor is simply another factor of production to be hired—rented at the lowest possible cost—much as one buys raw materials or equipment.
The lack of importance attached to human-resource management can be seen in the corporate hierarchy. In an American firm the chief financial officer (CFO) is almost always second in command. The post of head of human-resource management is usually a specialized job, off at the edge of the corporate hierarchy. The executive who holds it is never consulted on major strategic decisions and has no chance to move up to Chief Executive Officer (CEO). By way of contrast, in Japan the head of human-resource management is central—usually the second most important executive, after the CEO, in the firm's hierarchy.
While American firms often talk about the vast amounts they spend in training their work forces, in fact, they invest less in the skills of their employees than do either Japanese or G
The lack of importance attached to human-resource management can be seen in the corporate hierarchy. In an American firm the chief financial officer (CFO) is almost always second in command. The post of head of human-resource management is usually a specialized job, off at the edge of the corporate hierarchy. The executive who holds it is never consulted on major strategic decisions and has no chance to move up to Chief Executive Officer (CEO). By way of contrast, in Japan the head of human-resource management is central—usually the second most important executive, after the CEO, in the firm's hierarchy.
While American firms often talk about the vast amounts they spend in training their work forces, in fact, they invest less in the skills of their employees than do either Japanese or G
erman firms. The money they do invest is also more highly concentrated on professional and managerial employees. And the limited investments that are made in training workers are also much more narrowly focused on the specific skills necessary for the next job rather than on the basic background skills that make it possible to absorb new technologies.
As a result, problems emerge when new breakthrough technologies arrive. If American workers, for example, take much longer to learn how to operate new flexible manufacturing stations than in Germany (as they do), the effective cost of those stations is lower in Germany than it is in the United States. More time is required before equipment is up and running at capacity, and the need for extensive retraining generates costs and creates bottlenecks that limit the speed with which new equipment can be employed. The result is a slower pace of technological change. And in the end the skills of the bottom half of the population affect the wages of the top half. If the bottom half can't effectively start the processes that have to be operated, the management and professional jobs that go with these processes will disappear.（分数：25.00）
As a result, problems emerge when new breakthrough technologies arrive. If American workers, for example, take much longer to learn how to operate new flexible manufacturing stations than in Germany (as they do), the effective cost of those stations is lower in Germany than it is in the United States. More time is required before equipment is up and running at capacity, and the need for extensive retraining generates costs and creates bottlenecks that limit the speed with which new equipment can be employed. The result is a slower pace of technological change. And in the end the skills of the bottom half of the population affect the wages of the top half. If the bottom half can't effectively start the processes that have to be operated, the management and professional jobs that go with these processes will disappear.（分数：25.00）
(1).In an American firm, the executive of human-resource management
less is more英文理解∙ A. has a position directly under the chief financial executive.
∙ B. is one of the most important executives of the firm.
∙ C. has no say in making important decisions of the firm.
∙ D. is unimportant when new technologies have been introduced.
（分数：5.00）
A.
B.
C. √
D.
解析：事实细节题。浏览题干和选项可知，本题涉及的是人力资源主管在美国公司里的地位问题，由此将信息定位于第二段。由该段第四句“公司作重大决策时从来不会咨询这一职务的
主管人员的意见”可知C的表述正确。该段笫二、三句谈到，美国公司的财务主管是公司的第二把手，人力资源部门的主管被远远地排在公司等级的边缘；由此可知A、B均不正确；D“在公司引进新技术后，他就不重要了”文中未提及，不选。
(2).The money most American firms put in work force training mainly goes to
∙ A. technological and managerial staff.
∙ B. workers who will run new equipment.
∙ C. workers who lack basic background skills.
∙ D. top executives.
（分数：5.00）
A. √
B.
C.
D.
解析：事实细节题。文章在第三段谈到美国公司投资培训员工的情况。其中第二句说，他们所投资的钱concentrated on professional and managerial employees;所以A是其同义转述，为答案。该段最后一句谈到，只有limited investments是用于培训工人的，且都是培训“那些下一步工作可能用到的特定技能”；故B、C均不正确；D原文未提及。
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