①　In an essay entitled “Making It in America,” the author Adam Davidson relates a joke from cotton country about just how much a modern textile mill has been automated: The average mill has only two employees today, “a man and a dog. The man is there to feed the dog, and the dog is there to keep the man away from the machines.”

②　Davidson’s article is one of a number of pieces that have recently appeared making the point that the reason we have such stubbornly high unemployment and declining middle-class incomes today is largely because of the big drop in demand because of the Great Recession, but it is also because of the advances in both globalization and the information technology revolution, which are more rapidly than ever replacing labor with machines or foreign workers.

③　In the past, workers with average skills, doing an average job, could earn an average lifestyle. But, today, average is officially over. Being average just won’t earn you what it used to. It can’t when so many more employers have so much more access to so much more above average cheap foreign labor, cheap robotics, cheap software, cheap automation and cheap genius. Therefore, everyone needs to find their extra – their unique value contribution that makes them stand out in whatever is their field of employment.

④　Yes, new technology has been eating jobs forever, and always will. But there’s been an acceleration. As Davidson notes, “In the 10 years ending in 2009, [U.S.] factories shed workers so fast that they erased almost all the gains of the previous 70 years; roughly one out of every three manufacturing jobs – about 6 million in total – disappeared.”

⑤　There will always be change – new jobs, new products, new services. But the one thing we know for sure is that with each advance in globalization and the I. T. revolution, the best jobs will require workers to have more and better education to make themselves above average.

1.1.The joke in Paragraph 1 is used to illustrate ________.

A the impact of technological advances

B the alleviation of job pressure

C the shrinkage of textile mills

D the decline of middle-class incomes

解析：选A。 A推理判断题。第一段引述戴维森一篇文章中一则笑话，介绍“现代普通棉纺织厂自动化程度极高，机器大幅替代人力”这一普遍现象，第二段指出这种现象背后的推手之一是全球化和信息技术发展，可见首段引述笑话是为了说明技术进步的影响，[A]正确。

2.2.According to Paragraph 3, to be a successful employee, one has to ________.

A work on cheap software

B ask for a moderate salary

C adopt an average lifestyle

D contribute something unique

解析：选D。 D细节理解题。根据题干定位至第三段，末句以Therefore总结指出个人必须超越自身局限，出类拔萃，才能立足职场。[D]同义改写find their extra – their unique value contribution，正确。

3.3.The quotation in Paragraph 4 explains that ________.

A gains of technology have been erased

B job opportunities are disappearing at a high speed

C factories are making much less money than before

D new jobs and services have been offered

解析：选B。 B细节理解题。根据题干定位至第四段第③句戴维森原话。[B]同义改写shed workers so fast...和roughly one out of every three...disappeared，为正确选项。

4.4.According to the author, to reduce unemployment, the most important is ________.

A to accelerate the I. T. revolution

B to ensure more education for people

C to advance economic globalization

D to pass more bills in the 21st century

解析：选B。 B细节理解题。根据题干关键词the most important定位至末段nothing would be more important than...，作者认为扶持就业最重要的莫过于出台类似G.I.Bill法案的法律法规，保障每个公民接受高等教育的权利，即，保证人们接受更多教育，所以[B]是正确答案。

5.5.Which of the following would be the most appropriate title for the text?

A New Law Takes Effect.

B Technology Goes Cheap.

C Average Is Over.

D Recession Is Bad.

解析：选C。 C主旨大意题。第一、二段引出“信息技术和全球化高速发展导致高失业率和中产阶级收入下降”，第三至五段深入阐释了该影响的严重程度并向个人提出“努力突破平庸，成为佼佼者”的应对建议，并在末段呼吁社会采取相应措施，保证公民接受高等教育的权利，以提升劳动力素质，从而免于淘汰。第三段②句提出主旨：today, average is over；⑤句进而提出建议：to find their extra，以警醒人们不应再安于现状，并在第五段②句中进一步回应主旨：to make themselves above average。综上，文章意在说明，靠平庸过活的年代已然结束，应创造独一无二的自身价值来应对就业难的问题，[C]正确。