2014年職稱英語(綜合類)教材閱讀理解文章及譯文27

　　Importance of Services

　　The United States has moved beyond the industrial economy stage to the point where it has become the world’s first service economy. Almost three-fourths of the nonfarm labor force is employed in service industries, and over two-thirds of the nation’s gross national product is accounted for by services. Also, service jobs typically hold up better during a recession than do jobs in industries producing tangible goods.

　　During the 20-year period of 1966 to 1986, about 36 million new jobs were created in the United States―far more than in Japan and Western Europe combined. About 90 percent of these jobs were in service industries. During this same time span, some 22 million women joined the labor force―and 97 percent of these women went to work in the service sector. These employment trends are expected to continue at least until the year 2000. For the period 1986-2000, the Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that over 21 million new jobs will be created and 93 percent of them will be in service industries.

　　Moreover, most of this explosive growth in services employment is not in low-paying jobs, contrary to the beliefs of many economists, business and labor leaders, and politicians. These people argue that manufacturing jobs, which have been the economic foundation of America's middle class, are vanishing. They claim that factory workers are being replaced with a host of low-wage earners. It is true that manufacturing jobs have declined, with many of them going to foreign countries. It is also true that there has been growth in some low-paying service jobs. Yet cooks and counter people still represent only 1 percent of the U. S. labor force today: Furthermore, for many years the fastest-growing occupational category has been “professional, technical, and related work.” These jobs pay well above the average, and most are in service industries.

　　About one-half of consumer expenditures are for the purchase of services. Projections to the year 2000 indicate that services will attract an even larger share of consumer spending. A drawback of the service economy boom is that the prices of most services have been going up at a considerably faster rate than the prices of most tangible products. You are undoubtedly aware of this if you have had your car or TV set repaired, had your shoes half-soled, or paid a medical bill in recent years.

　　When we say that services account for close to one-half of consumer expenditures, we still grossly understate the economic importance of services. These figures do not include the vast amounts spent for business services. By all indications, spending for business services has increased even more rapidly than spending for consumer services.

　　詞匯：

　　gross national product 國民生產總值，略作GNP

　　drawback 缺點，不利條件;退款;退稅

　　tangible goods 有形商品

　　understate 沒有充分表達實情地陳述，打折扣地報道

　　注釋：

　　1.The United States has moved beyond the industrial economy stage to the point where it has become the world’s first service economy. 美國已經跨越了工業(yè)經濟的階段，成為世界上第一個服務型經濟的國家。

　　2.…service jobs typically hold up better during a recession than do jobs in industries producing tangible goods. ：……服務業(yè)的工作往往要比從事生產有形商品的工作更能經受經濟蕭條的打擊。

　　3.contrary to the beliefs of many economists…：……這與許多經濟學家的觀點相反……

　　4.a host of：一大群

　　5.projections to the year 2000…：……到2000年的規(guī)劃……

　　6.account for close to one-half of consumer expenditures…：……占了將近一半的消費開支……close to的意思是“接近……”。例如：We have a parking lot close to our street.在街道附近我們有一個停車場。

　　7.by all indications…：根據所有的跡象來看……

　　練習：

　　1. The first paragraph intends to tell us that

　　A. services are more important than industries producing tangible goods.

　　B. services are important.

　　C. service jobs make more money than other jobs.

　　D. services are more comfortable than other jobs.

　　2. Between 1966 and 1986, the United States created about

　　A. 32.4 million service jobs.

　　B. 32.4 million jobs.

　　C. 22 million service jobs.

　　D. 198 million service jobs.

　　3. Many economists, business and labor leaders and politicians believe that

　　A. most of the explosive growth in service employment is not in low-paying jobs.

　　B. most of the fast growth in the service sector is in low-paying jobs.

　　C. manufacturing jobs are disappearing because they are to longer attractive.

　　D. most of the fast growth in the service sector is in high-paying jobs.

　　4. The importance of services can be shown

　　A. only by consumer expenditure.

　　B. only by money spent on business services.

　　C. by money spent on business services as well as on consumer services.

　　D. only by money spent on food and housing.

　　5. What does the writer of this passage disapprove of regarding services now?

　　A. Their fast growth.

　　B. Their decline.

　　C. Their prices.

　　D. Their quality.

　　答案與題解：

　　1.B 第一段指明了文章的大意，即標題表達的意思。因此B是明顯的答案。

　　2.A 通過計算便知。而選項BCD均是錯的。

　　3.B 從第三段的短語contrary to可看出B是正確的答案。

　　4.C 主要根據最后一段的第一句和第二句：When we say that services account for close to one-half of consumer expenditures, we still grossly understate …These figures do not include the vast amounts spent for business services.便可知道答案。

　　5.從倒數第二段可看出作者對價格上漲不滿。作者說，A drawback of the service economy boom is that the prices of most services have been going up at a considerably faster rate than the prices of most tangible products. You are undoubtedly aware of this if you have had your car or TV set repaired, had your shoes half-soled, or paid a medical bill…因此C是正確的答案。

　　譯文：服務業(yè)的重要性

　　美國已經跨越了工業(yè)經濟的階段，成為世界上第一個服務型經濟的國家。幾乎3/4的非農業(yè) 勞動力受雇于服務業(yè)。服務業(yè)的產值在國民生產總值中所占比例已超過2/3。而且，服務業(yè)的工 作往往要比從事生產有形商品的工作更能經受經濟蕭條的打擊。

　　從1966年至1986年這20年間，美國新增加了大約3 600萬個工作，比日本和西歐合起來還 多。這些工作約有90%是服務性行業(yè)。在這同一時期，有2 200萬婦女也加入到勞動大軍中來， 其中有97%在服務業(yè)工作。這種就業(yè)趨勢可望持續(xù)到2000年。美國勞動統計局預測，在1986年 至2000年期間，大約將增加2 100萬個工作，其中93%在服務業(yè)。

　　而且，服務行業(yè)就業(yè)率的這種爆炸性增長大部分并不是低薪的工作。這與許多經濟學家、商 人、工會首腦和政界人士的觀點相反。這些人爭論說，已經是美國中產階級經濟基礎的生產性工 作正在消失。他們聲稱，產業(yè)工人正被一大群低工資的打工仔所代替。的確，生產性工作已經減 少，有些生產性工作流向了茵外。也確實有一些低報酬的服務型工作巳經有所增長。然而像廚師 和售貨員仍然僅占美國當今勞工隊伍的1%。而且多年來發(fā)展最快的職業(yè)種類一直是“職業(yè)性的、 技術性的以及有關的工作”。這些工作的報酬高于平均工資，而它們大部分都在服務業(yè)。

　　消費開支大約有1/2是以購買服務為目的的。到2000年的規(guī)劃表明，服務業(yè)將吸引一個更大 的消費開支份額。服務型公司繁榮發(fā)展的一個缺點是，大部分服務的價格比大部分有形商品的價 格上漲要快得多。如果近年來你的汽車或彩電修理過，你的鞋子打過后掌或者你支付過醫(yī)藥費， 毫無疑問你會清楚這一點。

　　如果我們說服務幾乎占了消費開支的一半時，我們仍然沒能充分表明服務業(yè)的經濟重要性。 這些數字沒有包括大量的用于商業(yè)性服務的開支。根據所有的跡象來看，商業(yè)性服務的開支比消 費服務的開支增長得更快些。