Well, no gain without pain, they say. But what about pain without gain Everywhere you go in America, you hear tales of corporate revival. What is harder to establish is whether the productivity revolution that businessmen assume they are presiding over is for real. 　　The official statistics are mildly discouraging. They show that, if you lump manufacturing and services together, productivity has grown on average by 1.2% since 1987. That is somewhat faster than the average during the previous decade. And since 1991, productivity has increased by about 2% a year, which is more than twice the 1978―1987 average. The trouble is that part of the recent acceleration is due to the usual rebound that occurs at this point in a business cycle, and so is not conclusive evidence of a revival in the underlying trend. There is, as Robert Rubin, the treasury secretary, says, a" disjunction" between the mass of business anecdote that points to leap in productivity and the picture reflected by the statistics. 　　Some of this can be easily explained. New ways of organizing the workplace―all that reengineering and downsizing―are only one contribution to the overall productivity of an economy, which is driven by many other factors such as joint investment in equipment and machinery, new technology, and investment in education and training. Moreover, most of the changes that companies make are intended to keep them profitable, and this need not always mean increasing productivity: switching to new markets or improving quality can matter just as much. 　　Two other explanations are more speculative. First, some of the business restructuring of recent years may have been ineptly done. Second, even if it was well done, it may have spread much less widely than people suppose. 　　Leonard Schlesinger, a Harvard academic and former chief executive of Au Bon Pain, a rapidly growing chain of bakery cafes, says that much" re-engineering" has been crude. In many cases, he believes, the loss of revenue has been greater than the reductions in cost. His colleague, Michael Beer, says that far too many companies have applied re-engineering in a mechanistic fashion, chopping out costs without giving sufficient thought to long-term profitability. BBDO’’s AI Rosenshine is blunter. He dismisses a lot of the work of re-engineering consultants as mere rubbish―" the worst sort of ambulance-chasing." Which of the following statements is NOT mentioned in the passage ____________.

A:Radical reforms are essential for the increase of productivity. B:New ways of organizing workplaces may help to increase productivity. C:The reduction of costs is not a sure way to gain long-term profitability. D:The consultants are a bunch of good-for-nothings.

Nowadays, people work longer hours than they used to, but are they really working harder than ever before Apparently, many people believe that the more time a person spends on work, (21) she or he accomplishes. However, the connection between time and (22) is not always (23) . In fact, many studies indicate that after a certain point, anyone’s productivity and creativity begin to (24) . Furthermore, it is not always easy for individuals to (25) that their performance is falling off.
Part of the problem is understandable. When (26) evaluate employees, they often consider the amount of time spent on the job (27) performance. Employees know this. Consequently, they work longer hours and (28) less vacation time than they did several years ago. Although many working people can do their job effectively during a (29) 40-hour-work week, they feel they have to spend more time on the job after normal working hours so that they can let the people who can (30) them see it.

22（）

A:production B:product C:productivity D:productive

Nowadays, people work longer hours than they used to, but are they really working harder than ever before Apparently, many people believe that the more time a person spends on work, (21) she or he accomplishes. However, the connection between time and (22) is not always (23) . In fact, many studies indicate that after a certain point, anyone’s productivity and creativity begin to (24) . Furthermore, it is not always easy for individuals to (25) that their performance is falling off.
Part of the problem is understandable. When (26) evaluate employees, they often consider the amount of time spent on the job (27) performance. Employees know this. Consequently, they work longer hours and (28) less vacation time than they did several years ago. Although many working people can do their job effectively during a (29) 40-hour-work week, they feel they have to spend more time on the job after normal working hours so that they can let the people who can (30) them see it.

29（）

A:production B:product C:productivity D:productive

Nowadays, people work longer hours than they used to, but are they really working harder than ever before Apparently, many people believe that the more time a person spends on work, (21) she or he accomplishes. However, the connection between time and (22) is not always (23) . In fact, many studies indicate that after a certain point, anyone’s productivity and creativity begin to (24) . Furthermore, it is not always easy for individuals to (25) that their performance is falling off. Part of the problem is understandable. When (26) evaluate employees, they often consider the amount of time spent on the job (27) performance. Employees know this. Consequently, they work longer hours and (28) less vacation time than they did several years ago. Although many working people can do their job effectively during a (29) 40-hour-work week, they feel they have to spend more time on the job after normal working hours so that they can let the people who can (30) them see it.

23（）

A:production B:product C:productivity D:productive

The differences in living standards around the world are vast. In 1993, the average American had an income of about $25,000. In the same year, the average Mexican earned $7,000, and the average Nigerian earned $1,500. Not surprisingly, this large variation in average income is reflected in various measures of the quality of life. Changes in living standards over time are also large. In the United States, incomes have historically grown about 2 percent per year (after adjusting for changes in the cost of living). At this rate, average income doubles every 35 years. In some countries, economic growth has been even more rapid. In Japan, for instance, average income has doubled in the past 20 years, and in South Korea it has doubled in the past 10 years.
What explains these large differences in living standards among countries and over time The answer is surprisingly simple. Almost all variation in living standards is attributable to differences in countries’ productivity—that is, the amount of goods and services produced from each hour of a worker’s time. In nations where workers can produce a large quantity of goods and services per unit of time, most people enjoy a high standard of living; in nations where workers are less productive, most people must endure a more meager existence. Similarly, the growth rate of a nation’s productivity determines the growth rate of its average income.
The fundamental relationship between productivity and living standards is simple, but its implications are far-reaching. If productivity is the primary determinant of living standards, other explanations must be of secondary importance. For example, people might think that labor unions or minimum-wage laws contributed to the rise in living standards of American workers over the past century. Yet the real hero of American workers is their rising productivity.
The relationship between productivity and living standards also has great implications for public policy. When thinking about how any policy will affect living standards, the key question is how it will affect our ability to produce goods and services. To improve living standards, policymakers need to raise productivity by ensuring that workers are well educated, have the tools needed to produce goods and services, and have access to the best available technology.
What is the most important factor that leads to the rise in living standards of average people

A:Labor unions. B:Minimum-wage laws. C:Rising productivity. D:Favorable public policy.

The differences in living standards around the world are vast. In 1993, the average American had an income of about $25,000. In the same year, the average Mexican earned $7,000, and the average Nigerian earned $1,500. Not surprisingly, this large variation in average income is reflected in various measures of the quality of life. Changes in living standards over time are also large. In the United States, incomes have historically grown about 2 percent per year (after adjusting for changes in the cost of living). At this rate, average income doubles every 35 years. In some countries, economic growth has been even more rapid. In Japan, for instance, average income has doubled in the past 20 years, and in South Korea it has doubled in the past 10 years.
What explains these large differences in living standards among countries and over time The answer is surprisingly simple. Almost all variation in living standards is attributable to differences in countries’ productivity—that is, the amount of goods and services produced from each hour of a worker’s time. In nations where workers can produce a large quantity of goods and services per unit of time, most people enjoy a high standard of living; in nations where workers are less productive, most people must endure a more meager existence. Similarly, the growth rate of a nation’s productivity determines the growth rate of its average income.
The fundamental relationship between productivity and living standards is simple, but its implications are far-reaching. If productivity is the primary determinant of living standards, other explanations must be of secondary importance. For example, people might think that labor unions or minimum-wage laws contributed to the rise in living standards of American workers over the past century. Yet the real hero of American workers is their rising productivity.
The relationship between productivity and living standards also has great implications for public policy. When thinking about how any policy will affect living standards, the key question is how it will affect our ability to produce goods and services. To improve living standards, policymakers need to raise productivity by ensuring that workers are well educated, have the tools needed to produce goods and services, and have access to the best available technology.
The passage mainly discusses ______.

A:the differences in average income among countries B:the relationship between productivity and living standards C:the causes of the rise in living standards D:the importance of raising productivity

The differences in living standards around the world are vast. In 1993, the average American had an income of about $25,000. In the same year, the average Mexican earned $7,000, and the average Nigerian earned $1,500. Not surprisingly, this large variation in average income is reflected in various measures of the quality of life. Changes in living standards over time are also large. In the United States, incomes have historically grown about 2 percent per year (after adjusting for changes in the cost of living). At this rate, average income doubles every 35 years. In some countries, economic growth has been even more rapid. In Japan, for instance, average income has doubled in the past 20 years, and in South Korea it has doubled in the past 10 years.
What explains these large differences in living standards among countries and over time The answer is surprisingly simple. Almost all variation in living standards is attributable to differences in countries’ productivity--that is, the amount of goods and services produced from each hour of a worker’s time. In nations where workers can produce a large quantity of goods and services per unit of time, most people enjoy a high standard of living; in nations where workers are less productive, most people must endure a more meager existence. Similarly, the growth rate of a nation’s productivity determines the growth rate of its average income.
The fundamental relationship between productivity and living standards is simple, but its implications are far-reaching. If productivity is the primary determinant of living standards, other explanations must be of secondary importance. For example, people might think that labor unions or minimum-wage laws contributed to the rise in living standards of American workers over the past century. Yet the real hero of American workers is their rising productivity.
The relationship between productivity and living standards also has great implications for public policy. When thinking about how any policy will affect living standards, the key question is how it will affect our ability to produce goods and services. To improve living standards, policymakers need to raise productivity by ensuring that workers are well educated, have the tools needed to produce goods and services, and have access to the best available technology.
What is the most important factor that leads to the rise in living standards of average people

A:Labor unions. B:Minimum-wage laws. C:Rising productivity. D:Favorable public policy.

The differences in living standards around the world are vast. In 1993, the average American had an income of about $25,000. In the same year, the average Mexican earned $7,000, and the average Nigerian earned $1,500. Not surprisingly, this large variation in average income is reflected in various measures of the quality of life. Changes in living standards over time are also large. In the United States, incomes have historically grown about 2 percent per year (after adjusting for changes in the cost of living). At this rate, average income doubles every 35 years. In some countries, economic growth has been even more rapid. In Japan, for instance, average income has doubled in the past 20 years, and in South Korea it has doubled in the past 10 years.
What explains these large differences in living standards among countries and over time The answer is surprisingly simple. Almost all variation in living standards is attributable to differences in countries’ productivity--that is, the amount of goods and services produced from each hour of a worker’s time. In nations where workers can produce a large quantity of goods and services per unit of time, most people enjoy a high standard of living; in nations where workers are less productive, most people must endure a more meager existence. Similarly, the growth rate of a nation’s productivity determines the growth rate of its average income.
The fundamental relationship between productivity and living standards is simple, but its implications are far-reaching. If productivity is the primary determinant of living standards, other explanations must be of secondary importance. For example, people might think that labor unions or minimum-wage laws contributed to the rise in living standards of American workers over the past century. Yet the real hero of American workers is their rising productivity.
The relationship between productivity and living standards also has great implications for public policy. When thinking about how any policy will affect living standards, the key question is how it will affect our ability to produce goods and services. To improve living standards, policymakers need to raise productivity by ensuring that workers are well educated, have the tools needed to produce goods and services, and have access to the best available technology.
The passage mainly discusses ______.

A:the differences in average income among countries B:the relationship between productivity and living standards C:the causes of the rise in living standards D:the importance of raising productivity

The differences in living standards around the world are vast. In 1993, the average American had an income of about $25,000. In the same year, the average Mexican earned $7,000, and the average Nigerian earned $1,500. Not surprisingly, this large variation in average income is reflected in various measures of the quality of life. Changes in living standards over time are also large. In the United States, incomes have historically grown about 2 percent per year (after adjusting for changes in the cost of living). At this rate, average income doubles every 35 years. In some countries, economic growth has been even more rapid. In Japan, for instance, average income has doubled in the past 20 years, and in South Korea it has doubled in the past 10 years.
What explains these large differences in living standards among countries and over time The answer is surprisingly simple. Almost all variation in living standards is attributable to differences in countries’ productivity--that is, the amount of goods and services produced from each hour of a worker’s time. In nations where workers can produce a large quantity of goods and services per unit of time, most people enjoy a high standard of living; in nations where workers are less productive, most people must endure a more meager existence. Similarly, the growth rate of a nation’s productivity determines the growth rate of its average income.
The fundamental relationship between productivity and living standards is simple, but its implications are far-reaching. If productivity is the primary determinant of living standards, other explanations must be of secondary importance. For example, people might think that labor unions or minimum-wage laws contributed to the rise in living standards of American workers over the past century. Yet the real hero of American workers is their rising productivity.
The relationship between productivity and living standards also has great implications for public policy. When thinking about how any policy will affect living standards, the key question is how it will affect our ability to produce goods and services. To improve living standards, policymakers need to raise productivity by ensuring that workers are well educated, have the tools needed to produce goods and services, and have access to the best available technology.
The passage mainly discusses ______.

A:the differences in average income among countries B:the relationship between productivity and living standards C:the causes of the rise in living standards D:the importance of raising productivity