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  3. In the late years of the nineteenth century, "capital" and "labour" were enlarging and perfecting their rival organizations on m

In the late years of the nineteenth century, "capital" and "labour" were enlarging and perfecting their rival organizations on m

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问题     In the late years of the nineteenth century, "capital" and "labour" were enlarging and perfecting their rival organizations on modern lines. Many an old firm was replaced by a limited liability company with a bureaucracy of salaried managers. The change met the technical requirements of the new age by engaging a large professional element and prevented the decline in efficiency that so commonly spoiled the fortunes of family firms in the second and third generation after the energetic founders. It was moreover a step away from individual initiative, towards collectivism and municipal and state-owned business. The railway companies, though still private business managed for the benefit of shareholders, were very unlike old family business. Meanwhile the great municipalities went into business to supply lighting, trams and other services to the taxpayers.
    The growth of the limited liability company and municipal business had important consequences. Such large, impersonal manipulation of capital and industry greatly increased the numbers and importance of shareholders as a class, an element in national life representing irresponsible wealth detached from the land and the duties of the landowners; and almost equally detached from the responsible management of business. During the nineteenth century, America, Africa, India, Australia and parts of Europe were being developed by British capital, and British shareholders were thus enriched by the world’s movement towards industrialisation. Towns like Bournemouth and Eastbourne sprang up to house large "comfortable" classes who had retired on their incomes, and who had no relation to the rest of the community except that of drawing dividends and occasionally attending a shareholders’ meeting to dictate their orders to the management. On the other hand "shareholding" meant leisure and freedom which was used by many of the later Victorians for the highest purpose of a great civilisation.
    The "shareholders" as such had no knowledge of the lives, thoughts or needs of employees in the company in which they held shares, and their influence on the relations of capital and labour was not good. The paid manager acting for the company was in more direct relation with the workers and their demands, but even he had seldom familiar personal knowledge of the workmen which the employers had often had under the more patriarchal system of the old family business. Indeed the mere size of operations and the number of workmen involved rendered such personal relations impossible. Fortunately, however, the increasing power and organisation of the trade unions, at least in all skilled trades, enabled the workmen to meet on equal terms the managers of the companies who employed them. The cruel discipline of the strike and lockout taught the two parties to respect each other’s strength and understand the value of fair negotiation.
The author says that old family firms______.
选项 A、were ruined by the younger generations
B、failed for lack of individual initiative
C、lacked efficiency compared with modern companies
D、were able to supply adequate services to taxpayers
答案C
解析 作者说旧式的家族企业：选项A：旧式的家族企业被年轻一代毁掉。文章第一段是提到了，但这不是文章所要说的重点。文章主要在谈有限责任公司和股东。选项B：旧式的家族企业缺少个人主动性。很显然不正确，旧式的家族企业的创始人是积极肯干的，只是第二代第三代缺少激情。选项C：旧式的家族企业和现代企业相比缺少效率，正确。选项D：能向纳税人提供全方位的服务和设施。这不是旧式的家族企业，而是市政府等公益部门的主要职责。
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