①If the trade unionist Jimmy Hoffa were alive today, he would probably represent civil servants. When Hoffa’s Teamsters were in their prime in 1960, only one in ten American government workers belonged to a union; now 36% do. In 2009 the number of unionists in America’s public sector passed that of their fellow members in the private sector. In Britain, more than half of public-sector workers but only about 15% of private-sector ones are unionized.

②There are three reasons for the public-sector unions’ thriving. First, they can shut things down without suffering much in the way of consequences. Second, they are mostly bright and well-educated. A quarter of America’s public-sector workers have a university degree. Third, they now dominate left-of-centre politics. Some of their ties go back a long way. Britain’s Labor Party, as its name implies, has long been associated with trade unionism. Its current leader, Ed Miliband, owes his position to votes from public-sector unions.

③At the state level their influence can be even more fearsome. Mark Baldass are of the Public Policy Institute of California points out that much of the state’s budget is patrolled by unions. The teachers’ unions keep an eye on schools, the CCPOA on prisons and a variety of labor groups on health care.

④In many rich countries average wages in the state sector are higher than in the private one. But the real gains come in benefits and work practices. Politicians have repeatedly “backloaded” public-sector pay deals, keeping the pay increases modest but adding to holidays and especially pensions that are already generous.

⑤Reform has been vigorously opposed, perhaps most notoriously in education, where charter schools, academies and merit pay all faced drawn-out battles. Even though there is plenty of evidence that the quality of the teachers is the most important variable, teachers’ unions have fought against getting rid of bad ones and promoting good ones.

⑥As the cost to everyone else has become clearer, politicians have begun to clamp down. In Wisconsin the unions have rallied thousands of supporters against Scott Walker, the hardline Republican governor. But many within the public sector suffer under the current system, too.

⑦John Donahue at Harvard’s Kennedy School points out that the norms of culture in Western civil services suit those who want to stay put but is bad for high achievers. The only American public-sector workers who earn well above $250,000 a year are university sports coaches and the president of the United States. Bankers’ fat pay packets have attracted much criticism, but a public-sector system that does not reward high achievers may be a much bigger problem for America.

1.It can be learned from the first paragraph that _________

A Teamsters still have a large body of members.

B Jimmy Hoffa used to work as a civil servant.

C unions have enlarged their public-sector membership.

D the government has improved its relationship with unionists.

解析：选C。C细节理解题。根据题目定位到第一段，可知1960年美国只有十分之一的政府工作人员属于工会，现在有36%；2009年，美国公共部门的工会成员超过了私营部门的工会成员人数；在英国，超过一半的公共部门工作人员加入工会，而大约只有15%的私营部门的员工加入了工会。由此可知工会中公共部门工作的人员人数增加。故选C。

2.Which of the following is true of Paragraph 2?

A Public-sector unions are prudent in taking actions.

B Education is required for public-sector union membership.

C Labor Party has long been fighting against public-sector unions.

D Public-sector unions seldom get in trouble for their actions.

解析：选D。D细节理解题。根据题目定位到第二段，根据 First, they can shut things down without suffering much in the way of consequences.可知他们可以在不承担太多后果的情况下罢工，即他们很少因为自己的行动而陷入麻烦，D符合原文，故选D。

3.It can be learned from Paragraph 4 that the income in the state sector is _________

A illegally secured.

B indirectly augmented.

C excessively increased.

D fairly adjusted.

解析：选B。B细节理解题。根据题目定位到第四段，可知在许多国家，国有部门的平均工资都比私营的要高。政客们温和地涨工资，但增加了假期和本来已经的很多的养老金，其实是在变相地、间接地涨工资，故选B。

4.The example of the unions in Wisconsin shows that unions _________

A often run against the current political system.

B can change people’s political attitudes.

C may be a barrier to public-sector reforms.

D are dominant in the government.

解析：选C。C推理判断题。根据unions in Wisconsin定位到第六段，结合上文可知在威斯康辛州，工会召集了数千名支持者反对强硬的共和党州长（改革），但在当前的体制下，许多公共部门也遭受了损失。可推知工会的反对阻碍了改革的进行，故选C。

5.John Donahue’s attitude towards the public-sector system is one of _________

A disapproval.

B appreciation.

C tolerance.

D indifference.

解析：选A。A观点态度题。根据John Donahue定位到最后一段，根据is bad for和may be a much bigger problem for America等可知作者的态度，A更符合原文，故选A。