Passage 2

Questions 35 to 38 are based o the following passage

     If sustainable competitive advantage depends on work force skill, American firms have a problem. Human resource management is not traditionally seen as central to the competitive survival of the firm in the United States. Skills acquisition is considered as an individual responsibility. Labor is simply another factor of production to be hired—rented at the lowest possible cost--much as one buys raw materials or equipment.

     The lack of importance attached to human resource management can be seen in the corporation hierarchy. In an American firm the chief financial officer is almost always second in common. The post of head of human resource management is usually a specialized job, off at the edge of the corporate hierarchy. The executive who holds it is never consulted on major strategic decisions and has no chance to move up to Chief Executive Officer (CEO) . By way of contrast ,in Japan the head of human resource management is central--usually the second most important executive, after the CEO, in the firm's hierarchy.

     While American firms often talk about the vast amounts spent on training their work forces, in fact they invest less in the skill of their employees than do the Japanese or German firms. The money they do invest is also more highly concentrated on professional and managerial employees. And the limited investments that are made in training workers are also much more narrowly focused on the specific skills necessary to do the next job rather than on the basic background  skills that make it possible to absorb new technologies.

     As a result, problems emerge when new breakthrough technologies arrive. If American workers, for example, take much longer to learn how to operate new flexible manufacturing stations than workers in Germany ( as they do ), the effective cost of those station is lower In Germany than it is in the United Stated. More time is required before equipment is up and running at capacity, and the need for extensive refraining generates costs and creates bottlenecks that limit the speed with which new equipment can be employed . The result is a slower pace of technological change. And in the end the skills of the bottom half of the population affect the wages of the top half .If the bottom half can't effectively staff the processes that have to be operated, the management and professional jobs that go with these processes will disappear.

35. Which of the following applies to the management of human resources In American companies?

A. They hire people at the lowest cost regardless of their skills.

B. They see the gaining of skills as their employees own business.

C. They attach more importance to workers than to equipment.

D. They only hire ski/led workers because of keen competition.

36. What is the position of the head of human resource management ha an American firm?

A. He is one of the most important executives in the firm.

B. His post is likely to disappear when new technologies are introduced.

C. He is directly under the chef financial executive.

D. He has no authority in making important decisions in the firm.

37. The money most American firms spend in training mainly goes to________

A. workers who can operate new equipment

B. technological and managerial staff

C. workers who lack basic background skills

D. top executives

38. What is the main idea of the passage?

A. American firms are different from Japanese and German firms ha human resource management.

B. Extensive retraining is indispensable to effective human resource management.

C. The head of human resource management must be in the central position in a firms hierarchy.

D. The human resource management strategies of American firms affect their competitive capacity.

一、语言点详解

1.  sustainable adj. 持续的

2.  human resource management 人力资源管理

3.  survival n.  幸存，生存，死里逃生

The mart's survival was surprising, as the doctors thought he would die.

这个人能活下来真是出人意料，因为医生们认为他必死无疑。

4.  acquisition n. 获得，取得，取得的行为

language acquisition  语言习得

5.  hierarchy n.  等级制度，阶层

The government is a hierarchy. 政府是个官阶分明的统治集团。

6.  specialized adj. 专用的，专门的(亦作：specialised)

7.  consult v. 咨询，商议

I consulted George about buying a car. 我向乔治请教购买小汽车的事。

8.  strategic adj. 关键性的，对全局有重大意义的

The committee discussed strategic marketing factors.

委员会讨论了至关重要的市场因素。

9.   invest vt., vi(常与in连用)投资

The state has planned to invest two millions in the dam.

国家计划投资两百万元修建这个大坝。

10. concentrate vi.集中(注意力、思想等)(被动式：be concentrated on, 与 be focused on意思一致)

A driver should concentrate on the road when driving.

开车时驾驶员的注意力要集中在路上。

11. absorb vt.吸取(知识)，占有

This job absorbs all of my time.这件工作占用了我的全部时间。

12. emerge vi.暴露，形成

The truth emerged at the inquest.真相在询问中显露。

13. flexile adj.灵活的，有伸缩性的

We can visit your company on Monday or Tuesday; our plans are fairly flexible.

我们可以在星期一或星期二到你们公司来，我们的计划是相当灵活的。

14. at capacity 满功率．满负载

15. extensive adj. 大范围的，大量的

16. retraining n. 再训练，再培训

17. generate vt. 形成，造成

generate a discussion造成一场争论

18. bottleneck n. 瓶颈，障碍，阻碍

19. staff vt.供给人员，充当职员

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