OG2020每日閱讀訓練練習 D2

Pistachio_lin · 发表于 2022-3-9 17:59:58

Hi 打卡閱讀訓練 D2.

Resources: OG2020 RC

Passage

Structural unemployment—the unemployment that remains even at the peak of the economy's upswings—is caused by an imbalance between the types and locations of available employment on the one hand and the qualifications and locations of workers on the other hand. When such an imbalance exists, both labor shortages and unemployment may occur, despite a balance between supply and demand for labor in the economy as a whole.

Because technological change is likely to displace some workers, it is a major factor in producing structural unemployment. While technological advance almost invariably results in shifts in demands for different types of workers, it does not necessarily result in unemployment. Relatively small or gradual changes in demand are likely to cause little unemployment. In the individual firm or even in the labor market as a whole, normal attrition may be sufficient to reduce the size of the work force in the affected occupations. Relatively large or rapid changes, however, can cause serious problems. Workers may lose their jobs and find themselves without the skills necessary to obtain new jobs.Whether this displacement leads to structural unemployment depends on the amount of public and private sector resources devoted to retraining and placing those workers. Workers can be encouraged to move where there are jobs, to reeducate or retrain themselves, or to retire. In addition, other factors affecting structural unemployment, such as capital movement, can be controlled.

Increased structural unemployment, should it occur, makes it difficult for the economy to achieve desired low rates of unemployment along with low rates of inflation. If there is a growing pool of workers who lack the necessary skills for the available jobs, increases in total labor demand will rapidly generate shortages of qualified workers. As the wages of those workers are bid up, labor costs, and thus prices, rise. This phenomenon may be an important factor in the rising trend, observed for the past two decades, of unemployment combined with inflation. Government policy has placed a priority on reducing inflation, but these efforts have nevertheless caused unemployment to increase.

簡化

Structural unemployment—the unemployment that remains even at the peak of the economy's upswings—is caused by an imbalance between the types and locations of available employment on the one hand and the qualifications and locations of workers on the other hand. When such an imbalance exists, both labor shortages and unemployment may occur, despite a balance between supply and demand for labor in the economy as a whole. (解釋structural unemployment的概念. 它與labor shortage and unemployment之間的關係)

Because technological change is likely to displace some workers, it is a major factor in producing structural unemployment. While technological advance almost invariably results in shifts in demands for different types of workers, it does not necessarily result in unemployment. Relatively small or gradual changes in demand are likely to cause little unemployment. In the individual firm or even in the labor market as a whole, normal attrition may be sufficient to reduce the size of the work force in the affected occupations. Relatively large or rapid changes, however, can cause serious problems. (層層遞進 1, technological change is major factor in producing structral employment -> 使對不同類型的工人的需求變化, 但不一定導致失業 -> 接下來講變化與失業之間的關係 - 這一段印證了第一段的 - when such an imbalacne exisit (structural unemployment), shortage and unemployment may occur)

Workers may lose their jobs and find themselves without the skills necessary to obtain new jobs. Whether this displacement leads to structural unemployment depends on the amount of public and private sector resources devoted to retraining and placing those workers. Workers can be encouraged to move where there are jobs, to reeducate or retrain themselves, or to retire. In addition, other factors affecting structural unemployment, such as capital movement, can be controlled. (說明在relatively large or rapid changes下會有什麼情況，以及實際如何會真的發生structural unemployment，重點段，聚焦於structural unemployment solutions - 考點 -.)

Increased structural unemployment, should it occur, makes it difficult for the economy to achieve desired low rates of unemployment along with low rates of inflation. If there is a growing pool of workers who lack the necessary skills for the available jobs, increases in total labor demand will rapidly generate shortages of qualified workers. As the wages of those workers are bid up, labor costs, and thus prices, rise. This phenomenon may be an important factor in the rising trend, observed for the past two decades, of unemployment combined with inflation. Government policy has placed a priority on reducing inflation, but these efforts have nevertheless caused unemployment to increase.
(第一句話標示structural unemployment跟inflation以及成因 - 考點 -，通貨膨脹伴隨著失業率上升而發生，儘管政策優先傾向減少通膨，但這樣的政策仍會導致失業率的上升)

總結
第一段: 解釋structural unemployment - 為接下來的段落鋪路。（可能會，也可能不會發生）
第二段: 造成structural unemployment 的主因，如何阻止其發生。
第三段: 解釋structural unemployment與通膨的關係

大意：解釋一種現象，討論它的成因及可能有的結果，以及如何避免。

1) All of the following are mentioned as ways of controlling the magnitude of structural unemployment EXCEPT

A. using public funds to create jobs (考的是details, 對應的段落沒提到)
B. teaching new skills to displaced workers
C. allowing displaced workers to retire
D. controlling the movement of capital
E. encouraging workers to move to where jobs are available

2) The passage suggests that a potential outcome of higher structural unemployment is

A. increased public spending for social services
B. placement of workers in jobs for which they are not qualified
C. higher wages for those workers who have skills that are in demand (第三段處說明了成因)
D. an increase in the length of time jobs remain unfilled
E. a shift in the government's economic policy priorities

3) It can be inferred from the passage that even when there are unemployed workers, labor shortages are still likely to occur if

A. the inflation rate is unusually high
B. there is insufficient technological innovation
C. the level of structural unemployment is exceptionally low
D. the jobs available in certain places require skills that the labor force in those areas lacks (第一段說明了原因; structural unemployment的原因, structural unemployment -> both labor shortages and unemployment may occur, when such an imbalance exisit <qualifications and locations of worker>)
E. the workers in some industries are dissatisfied with the pay offered in those industries

4) The passage suggests that the phenomenon of combined unemployment and inflation is

A. a socioeconomic problem that can only be addressed by government intervention
B. a socioeconomic problem that can be characteristic of periods of structural unemployment (第三段處說明, structural unemployment跟inflation以及成因)
C. an economic problem that results from government intervention in management-labor relations
D. an economic problem that results from imperfect applications of technology
E. an economic problem that can be eliminated by relatively small changes in the labor force

5) The passage is primarily concerned with

A. clarifying the definition of a concept
B. proposing a way to eliminate an undesirable condition
C. discussing the sources and consequences of a problem (同大意分析)
D. suggesting ways to alleviate the effects of a particular social policy
E. evaluating the steps that have been taken to correct an imbalance

6) According to the passage, small downward shifts in the demand for labor will not usually cause unemployment because

A. such shifts are frequently accompanied by upswings in the economy
B. such shifts usually occur slowly
C. workers can be encouraged to move to where there are jobs
D. normal attrition is often sufficient to reduce the size of the work force (normal attrition may be sufficient to reduce the size of the work force in the affected occupations, 從第二段定為此句後得出答案)
E. workers are usually flexible enough to learn new skills and switch to new jobs

----- 自己看到的考點小總結，講到if，成因以及伴隨結果，容易成為考點。要留心成因與結果。有however的地方，承接的作者想highlight的部分也是重點。

OG2020每日閱讀訓練練習 D2

所属分类: GMAT考试

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