A.contributionB.effort

C.honourD.purpose

—I have known that, and __________ his new car was completely destroyed.

A. hopefully B. fortunately C. thankfully D. unfortunately

A. accompanied

B. companies

C. companions

D. accomplished

A. followed B. would follow C. had followed D. should follow

They believe that technology increases productivity and makes societies wealthier, but it became clear to them that the same technologies making many jobs safer, easier, and more productive were also reducing the demand for many types of human workers. Technologies like the Web, artificial intelligence, and big data are automating many routine tasks. Countless traditional white-collar jobs, such as many in the post office and in customer service, have disappeared.

As evidence, Brynjolfsson and McAfee point to a chart on which separate lines represent productivity and total employment in the United States. For years after World War II, the two lines closely tracked each other, with increases in jobs corresponding to increases in productivity. Then, beginning in 2000, the lines diverge; productivity continues to rise steadily, but employment suddenly shrinks. By 2011, a significant gap appears between the two lines, showing economic growth with no parallel increase in job creation.

United States Productivity and Employment

But are these new technologies really responsible for a decade of lackluster (無(wú)生氣) job growth? David Autor, an economist at MIT who has studied the connections between jobs and technology, doubts that technology could account for such a sudden change in total employment. Moreover, he also doubts that productivity has, in fact, risen steadily in the United States in the past decade. If he’s right, it raises the possibility that poor job growth could be simply a result of a depressed economy. The sudden slowdown in job creation “is a big puzzle,” he says, “but there’s not a lot of evidence that it’s linked to computers.” “To be sure, computer technologies are changing the types of jobs available, but that is very different from saying technology is affecting the total number of jobs,” he adds. “Jobs can change a lot without there being huge changes in employment rates.”

Lawrence Katz, a Harvard economist, says that while technological changes can be painful for workers whose skills no longer match the needs of employers, no historical pattern shows these shifts leading to a net decrease in jobs over an extended period. Still, Katz doesn’t dismiss the notion that there is something different about today’s digital technologies. Though he expects the historical pattern to hold, it is “genuinely a question,” he says. “If technology disrupts enough, who knows what will happen?”

【1】Which period on the chart strongly supports McAfee’s claim?

A. 1947—1967. B. 1985—1987.

C. 1997—2000. D. 2011—2013.

【2】According to David Autor, the change in job growth ________.

A. is not necessarily caused by technology

B. results from a weakening economy

C. has no connection with productivity

D. affects the current types of jobs

【3】What is Lawrence Katz’s attitude towards the topic?

A. Optimistic. B. Defensive.

C. Objective. D. Disapproving.

【4】The main purpose of the passage is to ________.

A. show the relation between productivity and job creation

B. discuss the effect of technological advances on employment

C. argue against the wide use of artificial intelligence

D. explain the impact of technologies on productivity

— Yes. He ______ his maximum potential in the past decade.

A. has been exploring B. is exploring

C. had explored D. explored

A. exposed B. having exposed

C. being exposed D. exposing

A.nextB.other

C.followingD.another

A.wouldn’t be dyingB.is dead

C.had been deadD.will not die

The popular image of the mountain climber is of a person carefully climbing a steep cliff with a network of safety ropes, but it is not the only kind. Many climbers now enjoy bouldering. It’s more accessible and better for the environment.

Here is an example of a climber addressing a bouldering problem.

Figure 1: The climber has two routes she could take, one to the left and one to the right. The left one appears easier because it has a jug within easy reach, but look what happens if she chooses that direction. She gets stuck on the rock and has to go back down. Sometimes that is even difficult than going up.

Figure 2: The climber takes the one to the right this time. using a foothold and placing her right hand in a crimp, she is able to life herself up and locate other handholds. After only a few moves, she is able to throw her leg over the top of the boulder and pull herself up.

【1】According to the passage, bouldering ________.

A.is an indoor sportB.has no safety protection

C.needs maps and equipmentD.is a steep cliff climbing

【2】Bouldering becomes popular because ________.

A.it challenges the limitsB.it costs less

C.it builds minds and bodiesD.it is a team game

【3】According to the example, the right route is ________.

A.a shortcutB.a dead end

C.tough but to the topD.lined with jugs