英语专业四级模拟试题附参考答案 第一套

TEXT D

“People thought of themselves as having rights from companies,” said Hoshua Freeman, a labor historian at Columbia University. That sense of entitlement grew even stronger in the early decades after World War II and collective bargaining became the arena for arguing out wages, pensions, health insurance, vacations, hours and job security.

That system is disappearing today. Career-long attachments to one employer, a notion born in the 1920's, are no longer the .norm. The new class-consciousness makes less distinction between workers and managers. Rights are relative, at best. An increasingly conservative electorate has reduced government's role in regulating the economy. Unions have lost influence and membership.

What people do is try to cope, by themselves, said Ms. Skelly, of DYG. Self-employment is one solution, DYG's polls show, and that is a rising trend. "They try, on the job, to hide any weakness in their performance," she said. “They work longer hours and take work home, without letting the boss know, to give the impression that they can do difficult tasks quickly. There is nothing like, ‘we are all in this together.’ There is too much competition. People talk of their weakness to friends and spouses, but not to coworkers.”

And many Americans feel in their hearts that the unemployment might be justified. “There is a sense among people that we are inefficient and bloated,” Ms. Skelly said. “And until they feel that is no longer true, they are reluctant to criticize the forces that are cutting out the fat and the inefficiencies.”

94. It can be inferred from the second paragraph that ___________.

A. people do not enjoy their rights nowadays

B. people are more likely to change their jobs than they were in the 1920's

C. workers and managers share the same rights today

D. nowadays, people refuse to take part in the Union

95.   According to Ms Skelly, which of the following is true?

A. People like to work overtime.

B. People want to work at home.

C. People want to impress the boss with their capability and efficiency.

D. People need help from their families, for they cannot cope with difficult problems themselves.

96. People hide their weakness from___________.

A. their parents    B. their wives or husbands

C. their friends    D. their colleagues

97. The main idea of the passage is___________.

A. people thought of themselves as having rights from companies

B. people's sense of entitlement is not as strong as it used to be

C. people work at home

D. people regard unemployment as usual