Microelectronics Revolution The 1980s are likely to be considered as a more than somewhat interesting decade for the United

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问题                     Microelectronics Revolution
    The 1980s are likely to be considered as a more than somewhat interesting decade for the United Kingdom and indeed for other industrialized countries. The political, social and economic autonomic reflexes in operation for the greater part of this century will have to give way to the new as conditions change. Paramount amongst these changes is the advent of microelectronics with their ability to increase productivity and the end of cheap, easily manipulated sources of energy. Together these will undoubtedly change the pattern of industrialization and industrialized life in a radical manner not seen in the UK since the early 19th century.
    Most technological changes are somewhat less than fundamental. Many act on an individual process of industry and so their effects on the general economy can be boxed off. Others act on the demand side with new products, often for new markets. Microelectronics, though, are different. It is difficult to think of parts of the economy on which they will not have an impact; it is especially very difficult to think of the many new consumer products that will evolve. It is already being used, in productive processes through robotics, in production planning through cheap computers, as cheap and easy to maintain components, and through telecommunications, teletext systems and word processing to provide, transmit and store information.
    The resulting large increases in productivity will mean that increased levels of output will be produced using fewer resources of manpower, raw materials and energy. On the face of it this has to be a good thing, it opens vistas that were previously closed. The cost, however, is measured in terms of the resulting job losses, job changes and lack of new jobs. If we sit back and allow the market to work allocating wealth and jobs-in other words-continue as we are at present, either the technologies will not be introduced at all or there will be social confrontation on a massive scale.
    This new technology improves productivity at precisely the time world trade growth is declining, and this is likely to diminish even further given the responses to the shortage of energy sources. This will almost certainly mean that our ability to supply will outstrip(超过)our ability to demand, giving a classic high unemployment.
According to the writer, what will happen if we allow market forces alone to allocate wealth and jobs?

选项 A、World trade will immediately start to decline.
B、The new technological developments may not be brought into the best possible way.
C、Resources will be allocated in the best possible way.
D、There will be great social advances.

答案B

解析 如文中第三段所分析的那样,如果我们听任市场独自对财富与工作进行调配,其结果只能有两种可能,一种是“无法产生新技术”。也就是B所描述的那样,另一种是“大范围内爆发社会冲突”,这与D中的说法正相反,所以D错误。不管是哪种,都是消极结果,所以C也不对。A中的内容在第四段才出现,与本题没有关系。
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