In an essay entitled“Making It in America," the author Adam Davidsonrelatesajoke from cotton country about just how much a moder textile mill has beenautomated: The average mill has only two employees today, “a man anda dog. Theman is there to feed the dog, and the dog is there to keep the man away from themachines.'
Davidson's article is one of a number of pieces that have recently appearedmaking the point that the reason we have such stubborly high unemployment anddeclining middle-class incomes today is largely because of the big drop in demandbecause of the Great Recession, but it is also because of the advances in bothglobalization and the information technology revolution, which are more rapidly thanever replacing labor with machines or foreign workers.
In the past, workers with average skills, doing an average job, could earn anaverage lifestyle. But, today, average is officially over. Being average just won't earyou what it used to. It can't when so many more employers have So much moreaccess to so much more above average cheap foreign labor, cheap robotics, cheapsoftware, cheap automation and cheap genius. Therefore, everyone needs to find theirextra - their unique value contribution that makes them stand out in whatever is theirfield of employment.
Yes, new technology has been eating jobs forever, and always will. But there's been an acceleration. As Davidson notes, "In the 10 years ending in 2009, LUS. factories shed workers so fast that they erased almost all the gains of the previous 70 years; roughly one out of every three manufacturing jobs-about 6 million in total- disappeared.” There will always be change -new jobs, new products, new services. But the one thing we know for sure is that with each advance in globalization and the I. T revolution, the best jobs will require workers to have more and better education to make themselves above average In a world where average is officially over, there are many things we need to do to support employment, but nothing would be more important than passing some kind of G. I. Bill for the 21 century that ensures that every American has access to post-high school education
21. The joke in Paragraph 1 is used to illustrate
[A] the impact of technological advances
[B] the alleviation of job pressuream m doegumum t
[C] the shrinkage of textile mills
[D] the decline of middle class incomesoubedodwood 0und
22. According to Paragraph 3, to be a successful employee, one has to
[A] work on cheap software 5 yodTboogoldelotbocms
[B] ask for a moderatc salary
[C] adopt an average ifestyte odsbiginoumtounousw bot
[D] contribute something unique
23. The quotation in Paragraph 4 explains that
[A] gains of technology have been erased
[B] job opportunities are disappearing at a high speed
[C] factories are making much less money than before
[D] new jobs and services have been offered
24. According to the author, to reduce unemployment, the most important is
[A] to accelerate theI. T. revolution
ggoaogbnssmosoltolongou[ B] to ensure more education for people
[C] to advance economic globalization mylimaabosgonlgonondouew
[D] to pass more bills in the 215t century
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25. Which of the following would be the most appropriate title for the text?
[A] New Law Takes Effect. ombospidtthodsdnioomont
[B] Technology Goes Cheap.
[C] Average Is Over. uolgoogtobhowwonandlgoulubommoooA
[D] Recession Is Bad.
