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$\quad$$\quad$If the trade unionist Jimmy Hoffa were alive today, he would probably represent civil servants. When Hoffa’s Teamsters were in their prime in 1960, only one in ten American government workers belonged to a union; now 36% do. In 2009 the number of unionists in America’s public sector passed that of their fellow members in the private sector. In Britain, more than half of public-sector workers but only about 15% of private-sector ones are unionized.
$\quad$$\quad$如果工会成员Jimmy Hoffa今天还活着,他可能会代表公会。当Hoffa的成员会在1960年的起步期时,在十个美国政府工作人员中仅有一个是工会成员。现在有36%的政府人员是他们的人了。2009年,美国公共部门的工会会员人数超过了私营部门的会员人数。在英国,超过一半的公共部门人员但在私营部门仅有15%的人员是工会成员。
$\quad$$\quad$There are three reasons for the public-sector unions’ thriving. First, they can shut things down without suffering much in the way of consequences. Second, they are mostly bright and well-educated. A quarter of America’s public-sector workers have a university degree. Third, they now dominate left-of-centre politics. Some of their ties go back a long way. Britain’s Labor Party, as its name implies, has long been associated with trade unionism. Its current leader, Ed Miliband, owes his position to votes from public-sector unions.
$\quad$$\quad$公共部门工会的兴盛有三个原因。首先,他们可以在不承担太多后果的情况下关闭项目。其次,他们通常是明智且受过良好教育的。四分之一的美国公众部门的工作人员有大学文凭。第三,他们现在主导着左偏政策。他们的一些关系可以追溯到很久之前。英国工党,顾名思义,长期以来一直与工会主义联系在一起。工党现任领袖Ed Miliband的地位要归功于公共部门工会的投票。
$\quad$$\quad$At the state level their influence can be even more fearsome. Mark Baldassare of the Public Policy Institute of California points out that much of the state’s budget is patrolled by unions. The teachers’ unions keep an eye on schools, the CCPOA on prisons and a variety of labor groups on health care.
$\quad$$\quad$在州一级,他们的影响甚至更可怕。加州公共政策研究所的Mark Baldassare指出,该州的大部分预算都是由工会监督的。教师工会关注学校,CCPOA关注监狱,各种劳工组织关注医疗保健。
$\quad$$\quad$In many rich countries average wages in the state sector are higher than in the private one. But the real gains come in benefits and work practices. Politicians have repeatedly “backloaded” public-sector pay deals, keeping the pay increases modest but adding to holidays and especially pensions that are already generous.
$\quad$$\quad$在许多富裕国家在州部门的平均薪酬比在私营部门要高。但真正的收获来自于福利和工作实践。政客们一再“重加”公共部门的工资协议,使工资增长适度,但增加了假期,特别是已经很慷慨的养老金。
$\quad$$\quad$Reform has been vigorously opposed, perhaps most egregiously in education, where charter schools, academies and merit pay all faced drawn-out battles. Even though there is plenty of evidence that the quality of the teachers is the most important variable, teachers’ unions have fought against getting rid of bad ones and promoting good ones.
$\quad$$\quad$改革遭到了强烈的反对,也许最严重的是在教育领域,特许学校、学院和绩效工资都面临着旷日持久的斗争。尽管有大量证据表明教师的素质是最重要的变量,但教师工会一直反对解雇坏教师,提拔好教师。
$\quad$$\quad$As the cost to everyone else has become clearer, politicians have begun to clamp down. In Wisconsin the unions have rallied thousands of supporters against Scott Walker, the hardline Republican governor. But many within the public sector suffer under the current system, too.
$\quad$$\quad$随着对其他所有人造成的损失变得越来越清楚,政客们已经开始取缔。在威斯康辛州,工会召集了数千名支持者反对强硬的共和党州长斯科特•沃克。但在当前的体制下,许多公共部门也遭受了损失。
$\quad$$\quad$John Donahue at Harvard’s Kennedy School points out that the norms of culture in Western civil services suit those who want to stay put but is bad for high achievers. The only American public-sector workers who earn well above $250,000 a year are university sports coaches and the president of the United States. Bankers’ fat pay packets have attracted much criticism, but a public-sector system that does not reward high achievers may be a much bigger problem for America.
$\quad$$\quad$Kennedy School的John Donahue指出,西方政府部门的文化规范适合那些希望留在原地的人,但不利于取得高成就的人。美国公共部门工作人员中年收入超过25万美元的只有大学体育教练和美国的总统。银行家的丰厚薪酬招致了很多批评,但对美国来说,公共部门体系不奖励高成就人士可能是一个更大的问题。
36 It can be learned from the first paragraph that .
[A] Teamsters still have a large body of members
Teamsters仍具有许多成员
[B] Jimmy Hoffa used to work as a civil servant
Jimmy Hoffa曾经是一名公务员
[C] unions have enlarged their public-sector membership
工会扩张了他们的公共部门成员 正确,now和used的对比,强调了
[D] the government has improved its relationship with unionists
政府改善了与工会成员之间的关系
答案定位:{in 1960, only one in ten American government workers belonged to a union; now 36% do. I}
37 Which of the following is true of Paragraph 2?
[A] Public-sector unions are prudent in taking actions.
公共部门的工会成员在采取行动时很谨慎
[B] Education is required for public-sector union membership.
良好的教育经历对公共部门的工会成员来说是必须的
[C] Labor Party has long been fighting against public-sector unions.
英国工会与公共部门工会斗争了很长时间
[D] Public-sector unions seldom get in trouble for their actions.
公共部门的工会很少因为他们的行为而惹上麻烦。 正确
答案定位:{First, they can shut things down without suffering much in the way of consequences.}
38 It can be learned from Paragraph 4 that the income in the state sector is .
[A] illegally secured
非法获取
[B] indirectly augmented
间接提高 正确
[C] excessively increased
过度增加
[D] fairly adjusted
失去调控
答案定位:{Politicians have repeatedly “backloaded” public-sector pay deals, keeping the pay increases modest but adding to holidays and especially pensions that are already generous. }
39 The example of the unions in Wisconsin shows that unions .
[A] often run against the current political system
经常反对现有政治体系
[B] can change people’s political attitudes
能改变人们的政治态度
[C] may be a barrier to public-sector reforms
可能会成为公共部门改革的障碍 正确
[D] are dominant in the government
在政府取主导地位
答案定位:{Reform has been vigorously opposed. In Wisconsin the unions have rallied thousands of supporters against Scott Walker, the hardline Republican governor.}
40 John Donahue’s attitude towards the public-sector system is one of .
[A] disapproval
否定 正确,明显的否定
[B] appreciation
赞许
[C] tolerance
容忍
[D] indifference
不感兴趣
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