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  3. There is no more fashionable solution to the current global recession than "green jobs." Many countries are all eagerly promotin

There is no more fashionable solution to the current global recession than "green jobs." Many countries are all eagerly promotin

admin2013-07-11  29
问题     There is no more fashionable solution to the current global recession than "green jobs." Many countries are all eagerly promoting clean-technology industries. It sounds like the ultimate win-win deal: create jobs, cut down on energy dependence, and save the planet from global warming. Ever since the recession began, governments, environmental groups, and even labor unions have been spinning out reports on just how many jobs might be created by these new industries—estimates that range from tens of thousands to millions.
    Those kinds of predictions, however, may be overoptimistic. As a new study from McKinsey points out, the clean-energy industry doesn’t have much in common with old, labor-intensive manufacturing industries like steel and cars. A more accurate comparison would be to the semiconductor industry, which was also expected to create a boom in high-tech jobs but today employs mainly robots. Green-tech workers now make up only 0.6 percent of the American workforce. McKinsey figures that clean energy won’t command much more of the total job market in the years ahead.
    On the other hand, a booming green sector could fuel job growth in other industries. Here, too, the story of the computer chip is instructive. Today the big chip makers like Intel employ only 0.4 percent of the U.S. workforce. But indirectly they helped create millions of jobs by making other industries more efficient.
    McKinsey says that the same process could play out today if governments focused less on building a clean-energy industry and more on greening every part of the existing economy. U.S. efforts to promote corn-based ethanol(乙醇), for instance, are incredibly counter-productive. The state is creating inefficient sectors, with jobs that are not likely to last.
    A better approach would be to push businesses and consumers to do the basics, such as to improve building insulation(绝缘材料)and replace outdated heating and cooling equipment. In places like California, 30 percent of the summer energy load is sucked up by air conditioning, so the state government now offers low-interest loans for consumers to replace old units with more efficient ones. Consumers pay back the loans through their taxes. When that money is spent, it drives demand and thus job growth in other areas.
Why does McKinsey say "clean energy won’t command much more of the total job market in the years ahead"(Lines 5-6, Para. 2)?
选项 A、The clean-energy industry is quite different from other industries.
B、The case of clean-technology is similar to semiconductor industry.
C、Clean-energy workers account for a small percentage of the US workforce.
D、Job vacancy is expected to boom in labor-intensive manufacturing industries.
答案B
解析 第2段讲到，绿色产业与一些劳动密集型的产业不同，与其类似的是半导体行业。半导体行业在初期也被认为能够增加就业岗位，但结果是，现在多使用机器人。言下之意，半导体行业不能增加就业岗位。故《麦肯锡》根据半导体产业的发展预测绿色产业也不能增加就业岗位，故应选B。
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