1、This week's decision by the GMB union to bring a legal case against firms delivering for Amazon,the rcommerce giant,throws into sharp relief how much the modern economy has been stretched to benefit a monopolistic form of tech-capitalism.On the surface,the action is about employment law:it argues that couriers working for three delivery companies are not entrepreneurs working for themselves who contract their labour to anyone willing to pay,but are in fact employees of Amazon's latent delivery and logistics network.If the trade union is right,then these couriers should be treated as staff and paid the minimum wage,as well as sick and holiday pay.Amazon has established itself as an essential part of the internet economy and its dominance-its sheer scale and breadth-has been enabled in part by privatising profit and socialising losses.The firm seems to be firmly establishing a model of cheap-labour doorstep delivery by recognising an easily divided workforce is more easily conquered.This model may also one day compete with the Royal Mail;Amazon is reportedly planning to launch its own delivery service to rival the state-owned US Postal Service.Amazon's skill is not just in technology but also in finance.Last year it generated UK sales of￡9bn,a quarter more than the previous 12 months-while pre-tax profits halved to just￡24m.Its effective UK profit margin is just 0.3%.an indication perhaps of its low pricing strategy.In revolutionising e-commerce the company has delivered enormous benefits to consumers:but at what cost?Surely it is morally right that large employers are accountable for the treatment of workers down the supply chain,so long as they are economically dependent on them.Amazon might think differently.The tech giant wants privileged treatment because it thinks only corporate monopolies,with their economies of scale and ability to innovate,can promote growth.This view should be resisted.Amazon's service ensures consumers are better off,but undue focus on this neglects the interests of workers,rival entrepreneurs and voters.This is why the spirit of employment law must be honoured so Amazon shoulders the responsibility(and the cost)for contracted workers,or works out how to compel its suppliers to do so.Amazon clearly would like to control the pipes of capitalism,drawing off consumer demand for itself when it is lucrative to do so and charging others for use of its network.Amazon's website is the dominant platform for online retail sales.Whether it is cloud computing or what ebooks are published,Amazon wants business to be done in arenas where it sets the rules.This i.s bad for democracy.Commerce ought to reside in markets governed by regulations set by democratic political process not those chosen by the world's richest men. According to Paragraph l,the GMB union

　　A hurts Amazon's regular employees.

　　B actually encourages Amazon's monopoly.

　　C is dissatisfied with employment law.

　　D deems the couriers to be Amazon's staff.

　　正確答案：D  

　　答案解析：首段②句指出，工會認為亞馬遜合作快遞公司的快遞員不是個體戶，而是亞馬遜快遞物流網(wǎng)的雇員(in fact employees of Amazon's.…);隨后進一步說明：亞馬遜應該把他們視為自己的員T(should be treated as staff).給予與正式工同等的待遇，可見D.正確。[解題技巧]A.從末句“應給予快遞員正式員工待遇”過度推斷出“正式員工的利益受連累”。B.把首句throws into sharp relief how mucl1.benefit a monopolistic form.…(工會決議突顯“現(xiàn)代經(jīng)濟催生技術企業(yè)壟斷”)反向曲解為“工會助長壟斷”。C.源于②句“表面看這是勞動法問題(其實更是壟斷的負面影響問題)”，但此處并非表示“勞動法存爭議”.相反.工會通過勞動法維護快遞員權益。

　　2、"Welfare makes people lazy"is an intellectual pillar of conservative economic theory,which recommends cutting programs like Medicaid and cash assistance,partly out of a fear that self-reliance degenerates in the face of government assistance.Many economists have for decades argued that this orthodoxy is simply wrong.Welfare isn't just a moral imperative to raise the Iiving standards of the poor.lt's also a critical investment in the health and future careers of low-income kids.However,a core mission of the Republican Party is to reduce government aid to the poor.Many conservative economists argue that some adults might reject certain jobs or longer work hours because doing so would eliminate their eligibility for programs like Medicaid.But this concern has little basis in reality.One of the latest studies on the subject found that Medicaid has"little if any"impact on employment or work hours.In research based in Canada and the U.S.,the economist Ioana Marinescu has found that even when basic-income programs do reduce working hours,adults don't typically stay home to,say,play video games;instead,they often use the extra cash to go back to school or hold out for a more desirable job.But the standard conservative critique of Medicaid and other welfare programs is wrong on another plane entirely.It fails to account for the conclusion of a 2015 paper:Anti-poverty programs can work wonders for their youngest recipients.According to the paper,American adults whose families had access to prenatal coverage under Medicaid have lower rates of obesity,higher rates of high-school graduation,and higher incomes as adults than those from similar households in states without Medicaid."Welfare helps people work"may sound like a strange and counterintuitive claim to some.But it is perfectly obvious when the word people in that sentence refers to low-income children in poor households.Poverty and lack of access to health care is a physical,psychological,and vocational burden for children.Poverty is a slow-motion trauma,and impoverished children are more likely than their middle-class peers to suffer from chronic physiological stress and exhibit antisocial behavior.It's self-evident that relieving children of an ambient trauma improves their lives and,indeed,relieved of these burdens,children from poorer households are more likely to follow the path from high-school graduation to college and then full-time employment,Republicans have a complicated relationship with the American Dream.Conservative politicians praise the virtues of hard work and opportunity.But when they use these virtues to strongly criticize welfare programs,they ignore the overwhelming evidence that government aid relieves low-income children of the psychological and physiological stresses that get in the way of embracing those very ideals.Welfare is so much more than a substitute for a paycheck.It is a remedy for the myriad burdens of childhood poverty,which gives children the opportunity to become exactly the sort of healthy and striving adults celebrated by both political parties. According to loana Marinescu.basic-income programs

　　A justify concerns over aid dependency.

　　B will not reduce working hours.

　　C help raise the employment rate.

　　D allow people to make progress.

　　正確答案：D  

　　答案解析：第三段末句介紹Ioana的研究發(fā)現(xiàn)：就算工作時長因基本收入計劃縮短了，工作者也往往不會懶在家中.而是會利用福利項目發(fā)放的資金重返校園充實自己或者等待一份更理想的工作，即基本收入計劃為自我提升提供了條件，故D.正確。[解題技巧]首句“這種擔憂基本沒有現(xiàn)實依據(jù)”為第三段主旨句，而經(jīng)濟學家Ioana的觀點屬于正面論據(jù)，A.與段落主旨相悖.B.、C.對②句“醫(yī)療補助(與基本收入計劃同為福利項目)對就業(yè)和工作時長幾乎沒有影響”斷章取義，其中B.將“l(fā)ittle if any”篡改為表示否定的will not，忽略了末句even when體現(xiàn)的“仍可能發(fā)生”小概率情形，C.將“l(fā)ittle if any'’篡改為表示肯定的help raise.…，也與②句語義相悖。

　　3、The Open University,one of the great successes of modern Britain,is facing a crisis.On the surface,this centres on the embattled vice-chancellor.Peter Horrocks,whom the staff want to resign.The UCU(University and College Union)branch at the university has passed a motion of no confidence in him.and says he no longer commands the respect of staff.The immediate cause was a remark for which he has been forced to apologise,to the effect that some academics had been allowed"to get away with not teaching for decades",but this came in a context of brutal budget cuts he has proposed.More profoundly.the crisis exposes a huge disagreement about what actually constitutes teaching,and why it is a worthwhile activity.Is it a way to produce exam resulis and certificates of employability,or is the purpose to share whaiever makes a subject worth studying for itself,and to inculcate the skills that will enable students to glimpse and pursue that vision?But the deeper crisis reaches far beyond the vice-chancellor's inadequacies.Some of the challenges facing the university are simply a result of the huge changes in society and technology since it was founded in 1969.In the early days,staff agonised over whether to include colour in their television programmes,since many viewers might still own black and white sets.In those days,too.there was a very large pool of middle-aged people who had been denied tertiary education,and for whom this really was the university of the seconcl chance.But the pool of second chancers has now largely gone the way of black and white televisions.Those are difficulties that would face the university under any administration.So would the widespread competition in the field of distance learning.But with all that said,it is central government that is largely responsible for the difficulties of the OU.The government's conception of higher education as a marketplace where students can shop for qualifications is profoundly destructive to all universities,and the OU is only the most exposed and vulnerable.The introduction,and then the tripling,of tuition fees has wrecked its financial model,so that student numbers have dropped by a third since 2010.The only thing to fall as fast has been the university's rating for student satisfaction,from lst t0 47th.So much for the conception of universities as selling to"customers",rather than teaching students.The university is an institution that enriches the lives of those who attend it.It is on that basis that the government should still recognise,and support,the ideal that everyone deserves access to the benefits of a real university,whatever their past,and whenever they decide they need it. Peter Horrocks has come under criticism directly due to his《》()

　　A improper statement.

　　B planned brutal budget cuts.

　　C short-sighted teaching vision.

　　D infeasible managerial practices.

　　正確答案：A  

　　答案解析：首段①句明確指出霍洛克斯招致全體教職員工不滿的直接原因是“他說過的一句話，為這句話他還被迫道歉過”，可見，霍洛克斯招致教職員工不滿的直接原因是其某個不恰當言論，故A.正確。[解題技巧]B.是教職員工不滿霍洛克斯的背景，但并非直接原因。C.源自末兩句碎片信息ieaching、vision.但文中vision實際指代“某一學科的真知灼見/精華”而非“霍洛克斯的教育卓見”;同時末兩句所述“教育()R市場”這一拉鋸戰(zhàn)是整個教育體制面臨的問題，而霍洛克斯本人對“教育OR市場”這一問題的真實看法并不知曉.所以無法確認他的教育設想是短淺還是長遠。D.由②③句所述霍洛克斯所處的境地“教職員工想辭退他、大學學院工會對他沒有信心、教職員工不再尊敬他”以及第三段administraiion一詞憑空捏造出“他的管理實踐不可行”，而文中并未提到他的管理措施。

　　4、This week's decision by the GMB union to bring a legal case against firms delivering for Amazon,the rcommerce giant,throws into sharp relief how much the modern economy has been stretched to benefit a monopolistic form of tech-capitalism.On the surface,the action is about employment law:it argues that couriers working for three delivery companies are not entrepreneurs working for themselves who contract their labour to anyone willing to pay,but are in fact employees of Amazon's latent delivery and logistics network.If the trade union is right,then these couriers should be treated as staff and paid the minimum wage,as well as sick and holiday pay.Amazon has established itself as an essential part of the internet economy and its dominance-its sheer scale and breadth-has been enabled in part by privatising profit and socialising losses.The firm seems to be firmly establishing a model of cheap-labour doorstep delivery by recognising an easily divided workforce is more easily conquered.This model may also one day compete with the Royal Mail;Amazon is reportedly planning to launch its own delivery service to rival the state-owned US Postal Service.Amazon's skill is not just in technology but also in finance.Last year it generated UK sales of￡9bn,a quarter more than the previous 12 months-while pre-tax profits halved to just￡24m.Its effective UK profit margin is just 0.3%.an indication perhaps of its low pricing strategy.In revolutionising e-commerce the company has delivered enormous benefits to consumers:but at what cost?Surely it is morally right that large employers are accountable for the treatment of workers down the supply chain,so long as they are economically dependent on them.Amazon might think differently.The tech giant wants privileged treatment because it thinks only corporate monopolies,with their economies of scale and ability to innovate,can promote growth.This view should be resisted.Amazon's service ensures consumers are better off,but undue focus on this neglects the interests of workers,rival entrepreneurs and voters.This is why the spirit of employment law must be honoured so Amazon shoulders the responsibility(and the cost)for contracted workers,or works out how to compel its suppliers to do so.Amazon clearly would like to control the pipes of capitalism,drawing off consumer demand for itself when it is lucrative to do so and charging others for use of its network.Amazon's website is the dominant platform for online retail sales.Whether it is cloud computing or what ebooks are published,Amazon wants business to be done in arenas where it sets the rules.This i.s bad for democracy.Commerce ought to reside in markets governed by regulations set by democratic political process not those chosen by the world's richest men. The author indicates in the last paragraph that the rules of commerce should

　　A avoid being manipulated by monopolies.

　　B aim at curbing dominant companies.

　　C ensure online business'slable development.

　　D take consumer demand into account.

　　正確答案：A  

　　答案解析：文章末尾指出，商業(yè)應該存在于這樣的市場：管控的規(guī)則由民主的政策流程制定，而非最有錢的人說了算。the world's richest men代指亞馬遜為代表的壟斷或具壟斷趨勢的企業(yè).A.正確。[解題技巧]B.干擾較大，作者確實希望亞馬遜得到遏制，但呼吁的對象不是“商業(yè)規(guī)則”，而是“監(jiān)管者(對大企業(yè)自定規(guī)則的現(xiàn)狀進行遏制)”，且商業(yè)規(guī)則應旨在約束一切不合規(guī)行為，而非僅遏制大企業(yè)。C.從②③句中的online reiail sales、cloud computing、ebooks等信息臆測作者不希望商業(yè)規(guī)則影響在線商務的穩(wěn)定發(fā)展，但它們實際旨在引出亞馬遜想一家獨大，凌駕法規(guī)之上的野心。D.源于首句信息“抽走消費者需求為己所用”，但這是亞馬遜壟斷的體現(xiàn)，不涉及“商業(yè)規(guī)則忽視消費者需求”。

　　5、The Open University,one of the great successes of modern Britain,is facing a crisis.On the surface,this centres on the embattled vice-chancellor.Peter Horrocks,whom the staff want to resign.The UCU(University and College Union)branch at the university has passed a motion of no confidence in him.and says he no longer commands the respect of staff.The immediate cause was a remark for which he has been forced to apologise,to the effect that some academics had been allowed"to get away with not teaching for decades",but this came in a context of brutal budget cuts he has proposed.More profoundly.the crisis exposes a huge disagreement about what actually constitutes teaching,and why it is a worthwhile activity.Is it a way to produce exam resulis and certificates of employability,or is the purpose to share whaiever makes a subject worth studying for itself,and to inculcate the skills that will enable students to glimpse and pursue that vision?But the deeper crisis reaches far beyond the vice-chancellor's inadequacies.Some of the challenges facing the university are simply a result of the huge changes in society and technology since it was founded in 1969.In the early days,staff agonised over whether to include colour in their television programmes,since many viewers might still own black and white sets.In those days,too.there was a very large pool of middle-aged people who had been denied tertiary education,and for whom this really was the university of the seconcl chance.But the pool of second chancers has now largely gone the way of black and white televisions.Those are difficulties that would face the university under any administration.So would the widespread competition in the field of distance learning.But with all that said,it is central government that is largely responsible for the difficulties of the OU.The government's conception of higher education as a marketplace where students can shop for qualifications is profoundly destructive to all universities,and the OU is only the most exposed and vulnerable.The introduction,and then the tripling,of tuition fees has wrecked its financial model,so that student numbers have dropped by a third since 2010.The only thing to fall as fast has been the university's rating for student satisfaction,from lst t0 47th.So much for the conception of universities as selling to"customers",rather than teaching students.The university is an institution that enriches the lives of those who attend it.It is on that basis that the government should still recognise,and support,the ideal that everyone deserves access to the benefits of a real university,whatever their past,and whenever they decide they need it. The UCU branch at the OU regards Peter Horrocks as a leader who is《》()

　　A aggressive.

　　B incompetent.

　　C unconfident.

　　D ineloquent.

　　正確答案：B  

　　答案解析：首段③句指出英國大學學院工會OU分會通過一項對“霍洛克斯沒有信心”的動議，并且指出他不再贏得全體教職工的尊重�？梢娫摲謺�認為霍洛克斯未能勝任好其校長之職，故B.正確。[解題技巧]A.由前段②句enlhattled望文生義出aggressive“好斗的”之意，而該詞實際意為“被敵人/困難/問題重重包圍的”;C.由首段③句no confidence in him曲解出“他沒有信心”，而文意實為“英國大學學院工會OU分會對他沒有信心”;D.dl首段④句a remark for which he has been forced to apologise“他被迫為自己所說的一句活道歉”捏造出“他不善言辭”。

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