試卷七(2000年3月)

上海市英語高級口譯資格證書第一階段考試

SECTION1：LISTENINGTEST(30minutes)

PartA:SpotDirection

Directions:Inthispartofthetest,youwillhearapassageandreadthesamepassagewith

blanksinit.Fillineachoftheblankswiththewordorwordsyouhaveheardonthe(ape.Writeyour

answerinthecorrespondingspaceinyourANSWERBOOKLET.Rememberyouwillhearthe

passageONLYONCE,

ForcenturiesOxfordUniversityhasbeenatBritain*sintellectualheart,perhapsthe

(1)amongEurope'smanyancientuniversities.Itisanexclusivegreenhouseinwhichthe

country's(2)arebred,anditliesonly50milesfromLondon,closetothecentresof

power-Parliament,theLawCourtsandtheCity.OxfordUniversityhas(3)fromall

evertheworld,whohavegoneontoachievethehighestpositionintheirowncountries

(4),administration,scienceandthearts.Oxfordalumniinclude(5),literaryfiguresand

overseaspoliticianssuchasAmericanPresidentBillClintonandformerPakistani(6)

BenazirBhutto.

Fewpositions(7)aregranderthanbeingheadofanOxfordcollege.Usuallythe

post(8)ofdiplomat,administratorandacademic.AsSirRogerBannister,formerMaster

ofPembrokeCollege,putit"(9)wasanewchallenge.Youhavetorecognize

(10)ofthestudentsandyouhavetohelp(11).Thethree-yearperiodthat

studentsspendatOxfordUniversityisthemostimportantoftheirlives;it(12)andthe

friendshipstheyformintheiruniversitydayswill(13).”

Everyyear,(14)fromhomeandabroad,onlyafewhundredarechosenbyeach

collegethroughanincreasingly(15).Oncetheyareaccepted,theundergraduatesbenefit

from(16).Themostnotableandtherarestoftheseprivilegesistheone-to-onetutorial,

atwhichastudent(17)tothetutor.Itisapersonalsystemthatgoesbackasearlyasthe

13thcentury.Therelationshipof(18)thatcandevelopbetweenteacherandpupilover

threeyearscanbelastingasitis(19).YearsafterstudentshavelefttheUniversity,they

oftenreturntotheirtutors

PartB:ListeningComprehension

Directions:Inthispartofthetesttherewillbesomeshorttalksandconversations.Aftereach

one,youwillheaskedsomequestions.Thetalks,conversationsandquestionswillhespokenONLY

ONCE,Nowlistencarefullyandchoosethefightanswertoeachquestionyouhaveheardandwrite

theletteroftheansweryouhavechoseninthecorrespondingspaceinyourANSWERBOOKLET.

Questions1to5arebasedonthefollowingconversation.

1.(A)Aprimaryschoolprincipal.(B)AteacherofEnglish.

(C)Ashort-storywriter.(D)Apoet

2.(A)TheUSA.(B)Britain.

(C)Singapore(D)Malaysia

3.(A)EducationinSingapore.(B)Poemsandshortstories.

(C)Englishmediumschools.(D)Aresearchproject

4.(A)She'sgoingtowritesomepoemsherself.

(B)Shehassomeofherpoemspublished.

(C)Shewantstousepoemsthatarealreadypublished.

(D)Shewantsthechildrentowritepoems.

5.(A)Onlythemanispleased.(B)OnlytheWomanispleased.

(C)Bothofthemarepleased.(D)Neitherofthemispleased.

Questions6to10arebasedonthefollowingnews.

6.(A)Thediggingofamajortunnelwasslowingdown.

(B)Awatersupplyprojectfailedbecauseofunexpecteddifficulties.

(C)Eightpeoplewerekilledinatrainaccident.

(D)Ahelicopterwasreportedmissing.

7.(A)Togoonprovidinghumanitarianaid.

(B)Toincreasethefoodsupply.

(C)Torevisetheoil-fbr-fbodprogramme.

(D)Tolifttheembargoonhiscountry.

8.(A)TocutdownontheUSmilitarypresenceinEurope.

(B)ToincreasetheEuropeanUnion'smilitaryinfluence.

(C)Tomakecombinedeffortstosustainitseconomicgrowth,

(D)Totakeconcreteactionstostoparmsrace.

9.(A)SexdiscriminationintheUStroopsisfarlessobviousthaninotherfieldsofAmericanlife.

(B)RacerelationshaveconsiderablyimprovedintheUSmilitary.

(C)TherearemoreblackorHispanicofficersinthearmedservicesthanbefore.

(D)Manyminoritymilitarypersonnelcomplainedaboutnegativeracerelations.

10.(A)4.4%.(B)11.2%

(C)14.4%.(D)40%.

Questions11to15arebasedonthefollowinginterview.

11.(A)Thelanguageusedbythelocals.

(B)Drivingonthewrongsideoftheroad.

(C)Namingofthesameobjectsindifferentways.

(D)A1Jdifferenttypesofbrightcoloursonmen.

12.(A)“Chips”and"crisps".

(B)“Queue”and"line".

(C)"Fries"andnpotato".

(D)"Mate"and"love".

13.(A)HehasagenerallynegativeviewofBritainandtheBritish.

(B)HeisinterestedingettingtoknowBritain.

(C)HeisnothappyinBritain.

(D)HefeelscompletelyathomeinBritain.

14.(A)Somanymenwearearringsinoneoftheirears.

(B)Peopleherearepoliticallyradical.

(C)Youngwomenoftenwearblack.

(D)EveryonelikesMadonna.

15.(A)BecauseBritainhasacloseaffinitywiththeUSA.

(B)BecauseBritainhasbeensomuchaffectedbyUSpolicies.

(C)BecauseBritainisclosertocontinentalEuropethantheUSA.

(D)BecauseBritainismoreconcernednowwithworldaffairsthanitusedtobe.

Questions16to20arebasedonthefollowingtalk.

16.(A)LocalgovernmentinpartsofBritain.

(B)EducationatOxfordUniversity.

(C)Thefinancingofauniversitybyacountycouncil.

(D)CouncilhousinginEnglandandWales.

17.(A)Two.(B)Three.

(C)Four.(D)Five.

18.(A)Housingandlocalplans.

(B)Highways,librariesandmuseums.

(C)Dustbincollectionandenvironmentalhealth.

(D)Swimmingbaths.

19.(A)TheMinisterofEducationiselectedeveryfouryears.

(B)TheMinisterofEducation,meetsregularlywithcountycouncillors.

(C)MostofthecountycouncillorsontheEducationCommitteearepaidofficials.

(D)Countycouncilsactuallyruntheschoolsandcollegesinthearea.

20.(A)Theemploymentofqualifiedteachers.

(B)Theroleofparentsinschooleducation.

(C)Thequestionofpupil-teacherratio.

(D)Thecommunicationbetweenparentsandteachers.

SECTION2:READINGTEST(30minutes)

Directions:Inthissectionvonwillreadseveralpassages.Eachoneisfollowedbyseveral

questionsaboutii.YouaretochooseONEbestanswer,(A),(B).(C)or(D),toeachquestion.

Answerallthequestionsfollowingeachpassageonthebasisofwhatisstatedorimpliedinthat

passageandwritetheletteroftheansweryouhavechoseninthecorrespondingspaceinyour

ANSWERBOOKLET.

Questions1*5

You*veinsulatedtheattic,installedtriple-glazedwindows,andboughthigh-efficiency

appliances.Canyoumakeyourhomeanymoreeco-friendly?Foranincreasingnumberof

Americans,theanswerisyes.Youcanletnaturehelpcutyourutilitybill.

Itmaybeassimpleasreplacingoutdoorlightswithsolar-poweredfixturesorsigningupfor

yourutility's"greenpower”program.Thankstorapidlyimprovingtechnologyandgovemment

subsidies,thousandsofAmericanslivinginremotelocationsarefindingitcanbecheapertousethe

sunandwindthanfossilfuels.Don'tcutyourtiestothelocalutilityjustyet.

Butwhilerenewableenergywon'treplacecoalandnaturalgassoon(orever,criticscontend),

consumershavemorechoiceintheirenergymixthaneverbefore.Manyarechoosingtogo"green”

-atleastabit.Andthey'renotallwhole-branenvironmentalists.RoldanMontalvorunsagasstation

hereinHebbronville,Texas.Butwhenhewantedtobringelectricitytohiscabineightmilesoutof

town,hewentsolar.

Thereasonwassimple.Theutilitywanted$100,000toextenditselectriclinetohiscabin.Mr.

Montalvopaidlessthan$8,000forhissolarsystem.HIfsallrightsofar,nhesays,lookingupatthe

threesolarpanelsthatrunafewlights,afan,andaTVinside.nIcanrunpowertools.1,

Others,ofcourse,takeamoreenthusiasticline."There'sanewfocusonrenewables,"says

ThomasWhite,chairmanandchiefexecutiveofEnronRenewableEnergyCorporation,whichhas

completedtheworld'slargestwindfarminMinnesota.nMyfeelingisthatweareatthepointintime

wherethepersonalcomputerwasinthelate'70s,"addsMacMoore,directorofbusiness

developmentforBPSolar,oneofthelargestmanufacturersandmarketersofsolarelectricsystems

intheworld."Overthenext10years,ifthingsgowell,there'sgoingtobearevolutionarychangein

thewaythatweobtainpower.n

Windpowerrepresentsanevenmorecompellingargumentforremotehomeowners.Turbines

havebecomesomuchmoreefficientoverthepastdecadethathomeownersaquarter-milefroma

utilitylinemayfinditcheapertoputupawindturbinethantopaytheutilitytoextenditsservice.

Butformostconsumers,barriersremain.Foronething,renewableenergysystemsareexpensiveto

installandrequiremorethanadecadebeforeconsumersseeapayback.

Evenagooddealonsolarpanelsinahigh-sunareawouldstillcostatypicalhomeowner30to

40centsakilowatt-hourforelectricity,estimatesBobJohnson,industryanalystwithStrategies

Unlimited,atechnology-researchfirminMountainView,Calif.Thafsfarabovethesixto15cents

thatAmericanstypicallypaytheirlocalutility,headds.

Small-scalewindturbinesaremuchmorecompetitive?anywherefrom8to15centsa

kilowatt-hour,saysMikeBergeypresidentofBergeyWindpowerinNorman.Okla.Buttheystill

requirea$30.000toS35.000investmentupfrontanditwouldtakemosthomeowners15to20years

beforethe/dseeanypayback.

Thereareother,drawbacks.Sincethesesystemsonlyproduceenergyintennittently,there'sno

guaranteehomeownerscanstoreenoughenergytoruntheirhomeswhenthesunisn'tshiningorthe

windblowing.Thenthere*saesthetics.Willtheneighborsacceptthosesolarpanelsonyourroof?Do

youwanta100-fbot-highwindturbinehumminginyourbackyardlikeamuffledhelicopter?

ThafswhycompanieslikeBergeyWindpoweraretargetingruralresidentsintheUnitedStates-

especiallythoseinstatessuchasCalifornia,whichwillpayuptohalfthecostofinstalling

renewable-energysystems,

1.Accordingtothepassage,whichofthefollowingshouldbeconsideredsourcesofrenewable

energy?

(A)Petroleum,sunlightandwindpower.

(B)Gas,waterandfossilfuels.

(C)Coal,naturalgasandhydropower.

(D)Sunlight,waterandwindpower.

2.Thefunctionofthesentence"Don'tcutyourtiestothelocalutilityjustyet.1*(para.3)isto

(A)statethethesisofthepassage

(B)serveasasummaryofthepassage

(C)playtheroleoftransition

(D)leadtoacounter-argumentinthefollowingparagraphs

3.Thesentence”…weareatthepointintimewherethepersonalcomputerwasinthelate70s"

(para.6)suggestswhichofthefollowing?

(A)Thegreatestbreakthroughofcomputertechnologywasinthelate70s.

(B)Agreatchangeinrenewableenergytechnologywilloccurquitesoon.

(C)The"greenpower1*programandthedevelopmentofpersonalcomputerareofequal

significance.

(D)Solarenergywillreplaceallotherenergiesinabouttenyears'time.

4.Itcanbeconcludedfromthepassagethattheauthor.

(A)doesnotrevealhispersonalviewtowardstheuseofrenewableenergy

(B)makesasystematiccomparisonbetweennon-renewableenergyandrenewableenergy

(C)displaysanobjectiveviewtowardstheapplicationofrenewableenergy

(D)doesnotsidewiththeenvironmentalists

5.Itcanbeinferredfromthepassagethatmorepeoplewill.

(A)usebothnon-renewableandrenewableenergy

(B)sticktotheuseoflocalutility

(C)notbeusedtorenewableenergy

(D)userenewableenergyonly

Questions6-10

YousawthestoriesoftheembarrassmentatEncyclopediaBritannicalastweekasthe

company'shighlyadvertisedfreeWebsitewasjammedintononfunctioning.

Thestorieswereofsome10millionhitsadaycloggingthesite,;ofthree

separateapologiesgiventowould-beusersofthefreereferenceservice;ofpromisestogetthetiling

upandrunning,perhapsasearlyasthisweek.

Morestriking,though,iswhatthestoriesdidn'tsay:Whatanextraordinarythingitisthat

peoplearoundtheworldsuddenlyhaveaccess-freeaccess-toknowledgethatwouldhavebeenthe

envyofauniversityprofessorearlierinmyownlifetime:

Asforordinarypeople,Irememberhowtheencyclopediasalesmenwouldcomearoundwith

theirsamplevolumes,theirmemorizedspielsandtheiroffersof"easy1*termsifyou*donlysignup

forCompton'sorWorldBook.Owninganencyclopedia—or"asetofencyclopedias/asweusedto

say-wasaprettybigdealforfamiliesofmodestmeans,anunaffordableluxuryfbrmanyofthefolk

inmyhometown.

Andnowifsallfree-orwillbeassoonasBritannicaworksoutthebugs.Thereasonit*sfreeis

thatBritannica,whosehard-copysalesaredownsome80percentsince1990,isforcedtocompete

withMicrosoffsdominantEncartaEncyclopedia.

Buttheencyclopediaisjustonesmallillustrationoftheexplosionbothinknowledgeandinour

accesstoitsinceThomasJefferson'smodestbookcollectionformedthenucleusoftheLibraryof

Congress,NotonlydoesmyownhousenowcontainmorebooksthanJeffersoneverowned,butmy

accesstopubliclibraries,bookstoresand,ofcourse,theWeb,givesmyfamilyinformationresources

beyondtheimaginationofworld-classscholarsashorttimeago;

Fvejusthadaphonecallfromafriendwhotellsmethat,inpreparationfbranupcomingtripto

Benin,she*sdownloaded75to100pagesofinfbnnation,fromascoreofsites,onthatWestAfrican

country-informationoneverythingfromthelocalcurrency,politicalsituationandweathertothe

latestlocalnewsandthestreetaddressoftheAmericanEmbassy.'TmstartingtofeelalmostlikeI

knowtheplace,eventhoughI'veneverbeenthere/1shesaid.MarcoPolo,eatyourheartout

Norisitjustinformationthatissoprofuselyavailable.Thinkofthedifficultiesconfrontinga

19th-centurymusiclover.HecouldAofcourse,hearlocalfolkartists.Butifhehadafondnessfbr,

say,BachorBeethoven,he'dhavetohireanorchestraandaplacefbrittoperform-whichmeans

he'dhavetobewealthy.Today,anyteenagerwithaCDplayer(orevenanFMradio)canhear

almostanymusicofhisorherchoosing,performedbytopmusicians,virtuallyatwill.Thesame

youngstercould,atawhim,lookattensofthousandsofpaintingsfromtheNationalGalleryofArt

Thinkoflawsforbiddinganyonetoteachslavestoread.ThinkofHitlefsbookburnings.Think

ofailtheattemptsovertheyearstoenforceeitherorthodoxyorthestatusquobyputtinglearning

ofMimits,andyoubegintosensethepowerofwhatishappening.Thewallsofcasteandclasshave

notbeenrazed,buttheyaresuddenly,irrevocably,moreporous.

Andyetnotcompletelyporous.Thepertinenceofthe"digitaldivide,*isareminderthatsome

Americansremaincutofffromthepowerofthe.knowledgerevolution.Wehavetogetseriousnot

merelyaboutthetechnologybutalsothepsychologyofbridgingthatdivide.Wehavetoinfectour

turned-offadults,and.ouruninspiredchildrenwiththedesiretoknowmoreofwhatiswithintheir

graspalreadyandtheoceansmorethatshortlywillbe.

Ifthafstrueofendof^the-centuryAmerica,itisimmeasurablyworseformuchoftherestofthe

world.AsU.N.SecretaryGeneralKofiAnnanremarkedinarecentspeech,nHalftheworld's

populationhasneverevenmade,orreceived,atelephonecall."

6.TheauthorcitestheexampleofEncyclopediaBritannicaatthebeginningofthepassagemainly

toshowthat.

(A)itsWebsiteisthetargetofmillionsofbackers

(B)theWebsitecanberepairedsoon

(C)itisoneofthemajorsignsofknowledgeexplosion

(D)itisthesymbolofthearrivalofencyclopedicage

7.Whichofthefollowingbestexpressesthemeaningofthesentence"MarcoPolo,eatyourheart

out**(para.7)?

(A)MarcoPolowouldbesadtoknowabouttheeasyaccesstoinformationabouttheworld.

(B)MarcoPolowouldsincerelywelcometheinformationage.

(C)MarcoPolowouldbehappytolearntousetheWeb.

(D)MarcoPolowouldneverbelievethestoryfromtheauthor'sfriend.

8.WhichofthefollowingisNOTtrueaccordingtothepassage?

(A)BothCompton'sandWorldBookareencyclopedias.

(B)EncartaEncyclopediaisgivingwaytoEncyclopediaBritannica.

(C)ThesalesofEncyclopediaBritannicahavebeengoingdowndramaticallyoverthepast

decade.

(D)EncyclopediaBritannicaopensitsWebsitetoattractmorereaders.

9.TheauthorquotesU.N.SecretaryGeneraFsremarkinthelastparagraphmainlytodemonstrate

that.

(A)telephoneismoreimportanttothepoorthantheWeb

(B)digitalrevolutionwillbewelcomedbythepoor

(C)thegapbetweentherichandthepoorcanbewiderintheinformationage

(D)halftheworld'spopulationwillbenefitfromknowledgeexplosion

10.Thelasttwoparagraphsofthepassagecanbeperceivedas.

(A)thesummaryofthewholepassage

(B)theintroductionoftheconceptHdigitaldivide11

(C)thepredictionaboutAmericainthenewcentury

(D)thewarningofissuesbehindtechnologicalprogress

Questions11-15

ONEofFrance*sbestknownwarphotographersisbracedforanewbattleoverhisworkinthe

ParisMetro.LucDclahaye,whowonawardsforMsphotographsinRwandaandwhowasonce

beatenupbySerbiansinCroatia,haspublishedabookof"stolen”portraitsofMetrotravellersthat

directlychallengesFrenchprivacylaws.

Thebook,calledL'Autre(TheOther),hasbeenhailedbycriticsasanevocativestudythat

cleverlycapturesthethrillofexaminingstrangers1facesonanundergroundtrain.YetDclahayewas

forcedtoturntoaBritishpublisher,Phaidon.NoFrenchpublisherWouldtouchhis90blackand

whitepictures.

UnderFrenchlawsdrawnuptodeterpaparazzifromstalkingcelebrities,allcitizensareentitled

totherighttocontrolthen-ownimage.Intheory,Dclahayeshouldhaveapproachedhissubjectsto

askpermissiontophotographthem.

Butthepurposeofhistwo-yearproject,duringwhichhephotographed1,400peoplewitha

hiddencamerainhislap,wastocapturethemwhentheywereunaware.Delahayeacknowledgedlast

weekthatthepublicationofthebookinFrancethismonthhasmadehimvulnerabletoupto90

lawsuitsshoulddisgruntledtravellerssue.Buthesaidhewasattemptingtocapturetheawkward

silenceandwanderingthoughtscommontotravellerscrushedtogetheronundergroundtrains.

"Ifounditunthinkabletoturnupandsay,'Bonjour,pleasestandlikethisorlikethat,“'hesaid.

Andyoucan*tlookpeopleinthefacebecausetheyfeelyoulookingatthem."

InareviewoftheBritisheditionofthebook,publishedearlierthisyear,acriticfromTheTunes

noted:"Theseanonymousportraitsspeakmoreaboutthelives,feelingandconcernsofthesitters

thananynumberofwordscould."

InFrance,however,artisticmeritisnodefenceifanindividualconsidersthataphotographer

hasinvadedhisprivacy.Thebook'spublicationseemslikelytofuelavigorousdebateover

governmentplanstoamendprivacylaws,furtherrestrictingthekindsofphotographsthat

newspaperscanpublish.

ElisabethGuigou,thejusticeminister,isproposingtoextendtovictimsofcrimesandnatural

disasterstheprivacyrightscurrentlyexploitedmainlybycelebrities.Draftlawsaredesignedto

safeguardthedignityofvictimswhomaybephotographedgrieving,coveredhibloodorinastateof

undress.

Theproposalshaveoutragedmemedia.Theywereinspiredbythepaparazziwhoswanned

aroundthedyingbodyofDiana,PrincessofWalesafterhercarcrashinParis.

ButAlainGenestar,ofParisMatch,claimstheproposedlawswouldhavebannedfromFrance

suchimagesasthenakedVietnamesegirlfleeinganapalmattack;theassassinationofPresident

JohnFKennedy;andpicturesofvictimsofnaturaldisasters.

Genestarandothereditorscomplainthatthegovemmenfsobsessionwithprivacywillinfringe

freedomofexpression.MEveniftheyaredoingthiswithgoodintentions,thispolicyhasaname:

censorship."Genestarsaid.

11.LucDelahaye*sbookL'AutreispublishedinBritainbecause.

(A)hispicturesareallblackandwhite

(B)Frenchpublishersdonotacceptit

(C)theBritishpublisherhaspromisedmorereturns

(D)heviolatedFrenchprivacylaws

12.WhichofthefollowingisTRUEaboutDelahaye'sL*Autre?

(A)ThepublicationoftheBritisheditionandFrencheditioncameoutsimultaneously.

(B)TheFrencheditionofthebookisnotallowedtosell.

(C)Thepublicationofthebookhasarousedcontroversy.

(D)Thesubjectsofhispicturesinthebookaregoingtosuehim,

13.Whichofthefollowingisimplied,butnotdirectlystated,inthepassage?

(A)FrenchlawsaremorestrictthanBritishlawsconcerningprivacyrights.

(B)DelahayetookpicturesofMetrotravellerswithoutaskingfortheirpermission.

(C)ThepublicationofL*Autrehasreceivedpositivereviewsfromcritics.

(D)LucDelahayethinksitridiculoustoaskpeopletoposeforpictures.

14.AlainGenestarofParisMatchcitesthepicturesofmenakedVietnamesegirlfleeinganapalm

attack,meassassination,ofPresidentKennedyandthevictimsofnaturaldisastersmainlyto

demonstratethat.

(A)heiscriticalofthepublicationofDelahayefsL'Autre

(B)allthesepicturesareofhistoricalsignificance

(C)Franceisnotconsideredtobeademocraticcountry

(D)freedomofexpressionismoreimportantthantheconcernwithprivacy

15.Theword"paparazziHusedinthepassageisclosestinmeaningtowhichofthefollowing?

(A)bravewarphotographerssuchasDelahaya

(B)reporterswhoaredoggedlyafterfamouspeople

(C)victimsofcrimesandnaturaldisasters

(D)publisherswhoonlyprintpicturesofcelebrities

Questions16-20

MitsubishiMotorsjustannouncedplanstocut10,000jobs.LastweekNissan,nowownedby

Renaultandansweringtoitstough-mindedforeignboss,pledgedtoslash16,500.Similarreports

fromTokyoForthepastyearhavebeengreetedbyAmericanandBritisheconomistsassignalsthat

atlastthefamousJapanesepracticeofpermanentemploymentisvanishing-aprofound,traumatic

transformationthattheyinsistJapanneeds.

Butthereislesstothetrendthanmeetstheeye.Readingpasttheheadlines,onediscoversthat

Mitsubishi'scutswillnottakefulleffectuntilMarch2004.EvenNissan'snewchiefoperatingofficer,

CarlosGhosn,knowntotheworldas"TheCostKiller,Mwillspreadoutthedownsizingoverthree

years.AndJapan'scompaniesaremakingmanyoftheiradjustmentsthroughattrition,hiringfreezes,

voluntaryretirementbuyoutsandreassignmentofemployeestosubsidiaries.Whatisstrikingabout

whatishappeningnowisnotthatitrepresentsachangeinthewaycompaniesdealwithworkers,but

thatitshowsremarkablecontinuityinnearlydesperateeconomictimes.

Fordecades,AmericananalystshavebeenpredictingthatachangeintheJapanesewaysof

doingbusinesswasimminent.Ingoodtimes,likethe60'sor80,s,laborshortagesandaffluencewere

expectedtoleademployeestorejectmestatusquoandstartjobhopping.Inbadtimes,likethe70's

or90*s,thepressureofthebottomlinewasexpectedtoleadbosses^finally"toaproper

market-basedsystemofemployment.

TheanalystswhomakethesepredictionsdonotunderstandthedeephistoricalrootsofJapan*s

employmentpractices,rootssunkinitslegalsystem,thestructureofschools,itssystemsofjob

recruitingandskilldevelopment,itsdecades-oldcooperativerelationsbetweencompaniesand

unions,andtheimplicitexpectationswecallculture.

OntheverydayoftheNissanannouncement,abackstoryinJapanesenewspapers

showedhowfirmthegripoftheserootscanbe.ThegamemakerSegahadfireda35-year-oldman

fbrnlackofability.**Heprotestedwithalawsuit,andthecourtsruledinhisfavor.Theycalledthe

terminationan“abuseoftherighttofire,"decidedthecompanyhadmade"insufficientefforttotrain

theemployee"andorderedSegatopaybackwages.

Japandoes,ofcourse,needeconomicreform.Butthecountry'scurrentcrisisisrootedina

paralyzedfinancialsystemandstagnantconsumerdemand,especiallyathome.Itisnotacrisisof

unproductiveorlazysystemsofindustrialproduction.

Thefinancialsystemneedsathoroughhousecleaning,notonlymoretransparentandeffective

regulation,butalsointernalreformstoinsurethatbanksmakemoreseriousriskassessmentswhen

theystartlendingaggressivelyagain.Thecountryalsoneedspublicworksspendingandtaxcutsto

getcommercemovingfaster.

ButitisprobablyagoodthingthattheJapanesesystemresiststhesortofchangethatwould

pleasetheeconomicseerswhothrilltomisleadingreportsabouthugeemployeecutbacks.Aworking

person'sprescriptionfbrchangewouldfirstnotethatthecutsthathavetakenplace,timidastheyare

byAmericanstandards,haveshakentheconfidenceofconsumers.Jobsecurityandstablewages,

andpublicpoliciestoinsurethem,couldreducefearsandmakepeoplefeelmorecomfortableabout

buying,increasingdomesticdemandandpromotingrecovery.

Itisworthrememberingthatforseveraldecades,withthefamiliaremploymentsysteminplace,

theproductivityofJapaneseindustrialorganizationsandtheirabilitytocopewithshocks-tikethe

oilcrisesorthetriplingofthevalueoftheyenagainstthedollar-wastheenvyoftheworld.

16.Whichofthebasicwritingskillsdoestheauthormainlyuseinthepassage?

(A)classification(B)defini