真题文章
Manpower Inc., with 560,000 workers, is the world's largest temporary employment agency. Every morning, its people swarm into the offices and factories of America, seeking a day's work for a day's pay. One day at a time. As industrial giants like General Motors and IBM struggle to survive by reducing the number of employees, Manpower, based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is booming.
Even though its economy continues to recover, the US is increasingly becoming a nation of part-timers and temporary workers. This " disposable " work force is the most important trend in American business today, and it is fundamentally changing the relationship between people and their jobs. The phenomenon provides a way for companies to remain globally competitive while avoiding market cycles and the growing burdens imposed by employment rules, healthcare costs and pension plans. For workers it can mean an end to the security, benefits and sense of importance that came from being a loyal employee.
二、 译文
拥有五十六万员工的人力公司是世界上最大的临时就业代理机构。每天清晨，该公司的员工们涌入美国的工厂和办公室，寻找一份只干一天、当天付薪的工作。某日，正当通用汽车公司和IBM这样的工业巨头们正通过裁减雇员数目以求设法生存时，总部在威斯康星州密尔沃基市的“人力公司”却是门庭若市。
即使美国的经济继续恢复，兼职和临时工的人数也还是不断增加。这种“一次性”的就业大军是当今美国经济的最重要的趋势，而且它从根本上改变了个人与职业的关系。这种现象为这些公司开辟了一条道路，使其既不失国际竞争力，又可以不受市场周期的冲击，避免就业法规、医疗保健和养老金法案带来的日益增加的负担。对雇员而言，这将意味着不再享有保障、福利，不再具有作为一个忠实雇员的使命感。
考研核心词汇
agency n. 代理处, 行销处, 代理, 中介
[例] agency general 总代理
[同义] management, office, operation, work
[派生] agent n. 代理(商)
[固定搭配] by/through agency of 经……介绍，通过……之手
swarm n. 蜂群, 一大群 v. 涌往, 挤满, 密集, 成群浮游, 云集
[例] The beach is swarming with bathers. 海滩满是海浴的人。
[同义] assemble, cluster, collect, crowd, gather, meet
[固定搭配] a swarm of 一群, 一堆； swarm into 蜂拥而入；swarm with
充满着, 拥挤着；
giant n. 巨人, 大力士, 巨大的动物或植物, 伟人, 天才
adj. 庞大的, 巨大的
[例] Shakespeare is a giant among writers. 莎士比亚是一位文坛巨匠。
[同义] colossal, enormous, gigantic, huge, immense, mammoth, monumental,
[反义] diminutive adj. 小的, 指小的, 小型的
n. 小的人, 指小辞, 指小词, 爱称
dwarf n. 矮子, 侏儒 v. (使)变矮小,
[派生] giantlike adj. 巨人般的, 巨大的
disposable adj. 可任意使用的
[例] Every disposable piece of equipment was sent to the fire.
每一种可用的设备都被大火烧毁了
[派生] disposal n. 处理, 处置, 布置, 安排, 配置, 支配
dispose v. 处理, 处置, 部署 vt. 布置, 安排, 除去, 使愿意
fundamentally adv. 基础地, 根本地
[例] She is fundamentally unsuited to office work.
她根本不适合做办公室工作。
[同义] primarily
[派生] fundament n. 基础, 基本原理, 臀部
fundamental adj. 基础的, 基本的 n. 基本原则, 基本原理
pension n. 养老金, 退休金
[例] “Some French farmers suggest that the Government pension off the older and less efficient farmers”(E.J. Dionne, Jr.)
“一些法国农夫向政府建议让那些年长的或工作效率低下的农夫领取退休金或补助金而退休”(小E.J.迪翁)
[同义] aid, allowance, assistance, grant, help, stipend
[派生] pensionable adj. 有资格领退休金的, 可领退休金的
loyal adj. 忠诚的, 忠心的
[例] The people stayed loyal to their country.
人民忠于他们的国家。
[同义] devoted, dutiful, faithful, obedient, true, trustworthy
[反义] disloyal adj. 不忠的, 背叛的, 不忠诚的
[派生] loyalty n. 忠诚, 忠心
强化练习
1. Buying a train or a bus ticket used to be a major hassle. Now any hotel or travel ________ can book your tickets
A. resource B. recollection C. agency D. agony
2. He’s just like a fly hanging around. Sorry, not a fly. It’s a________ of flies flying near your ears
A. bunch B. swarm C. lump D. pile
3. They were ________, sometimes 8 feet long, and many of them lived in the swampy pools in which our coal seam, or layer, or formed.
A. giant B. clever C. delight D. light
4. Nowadays the average age at which people settle down and marry is much older than it was 30 years ago, so singles will tend to have more________ income.”
A. dependent B. redundant C. professional D. disposable
5. "John Mills was a great actor, a true gentleman and a ________ friend; someone who made us proud to be British," Blair said in a statement.
A. loyal B. liar C. gangster D. predominant
参考答案:CBADA
