It is no longer just dirty blue-collar jobs in manufacturing that are being sucked offshore but also white-collar service jobs, which used to be considered safe from foreign competition. Telecoms charges have tumbled, allowing workers in far-flung locations to be connected cheaply to customers in the developed world. This has made it possible to offshore services that were once non-tradable. Morgan Stanley’s Mr. Roach has been drawing attention to the fact that the "global labour arbitrage" is moving rapidly to the better kinds of jobs. It is no longer just basic data processing and call centres that are being outsourced to low-wage countries, but also software programming, medical diagnostics, engineering design, law, accounting, finance and business consulting. These can now be delivered electronically from anywhere in the world, exposing skilled white-collar workers to greater competition.
The standard retort to such arguments is that outsourcing abroad is too small to matter much. So far fewer than lm American service-sector jobs have been lost to off-shoring. Forrester Research forecasts that by 2015 a total of 3.4m jobs in services will have moved abroad, but that is tiny compared with the 30m jobs destroyed and created in America every year. The trouble is that such studies allow only for the sorts of jobs that are already being off-shored, when in reality the proportion of jobs that can be moved will rise as IT advances and education improves in emerging economies.
Alan Blinder, an economist at Princeton University, believes that most economists are underestimating the disruptive effects of off-shoring, and that in future two to three times as many service jobs will be susceptible to off-shoring as in manufacturing. This would imply that at least 30% of all jobs might be at risk. In practice the number of jobs off-shored to China or India is likely to remain fairly modest. Even so, the mere threat that they could be shifted will depress wages:
Moreover, says Mr. Blinder, education offers no protection. Highly skilled accountants, radiologists or computer programmers now have to compete with electronically delivered competition from abroad, whereas humble taxi drivers, janitors and crane operators remain safe from off-shoring. This may help to explain why the real median wage of American graduates hat fallen by 6% since 2000, a bigger decline than in average wages.
In the 1980s and early 1990s, the pay gap between low-paid, low-skilled workers and high-paid, high-skilled workers widened significantly. But since then, according to a study by David Autor, Lawrence Katz and Melissa Kearney, in America, Britain and Germany workers at the bottom as well as at the top have done better than those in the middle-income ’group. Office cleaning cannot be done by workers in India. It is the easily standardised skilled job in the middle, such as accounting, that are now being squeezed hardest. A study by Bradford Jensen and Lori Kletzer, at the Institute for International Economics in Washington D. C., confirms that workers in tradable services that are exposed to foreign competition tend to be more skilled than workers in non-tradable services and tradable manufacturing industries.
To offshore services that were once non-tradable results from ______.

A:the blue-collar job market B:the geographic location of the Underdeveloped worlc1 C:the fierce competition among skilled workers D:the dive of telecoms fee

It is no longer just dirty blue-collar jobs in manufacturing that are being sucked offshore but also white-collar service jobs, which used to be considered safe from foreign competition. Telecoms charges have tumbled, allowing workers in far-flung locations to be connected cheaply to customers in the developed world. This has made it possible to offshore services that were once non-tradable. Morgan Stanley’s Mr. Roach has been drawing attention to the fact that the "global labour arbitrage" is moving rapidly to the better kinds of jobs. It is no longer just basic data processing and call centres that are being outsourced to low-wage countries, but also software programming, medical diagnostics, engineering design, law, accounting, finance and business consulting. These can now be delivered electronically from anywhere in the world, exposing skilled white-collar workers to greater competition.
The standard retort to such arguments is that outsourcing abroad is too small to matter much. So far fewer than lm American service-sector jobs have been lost to off-shoring. Forrester Research forecasts that by 2015 a total of 3.4m jobs in services will have moved abroad, but that is tiny compared with the 30m jobs destroyed and created in America every year. The trouble is that such studies allow only for the sorts of jobs that are already being off-shored, when in reality the proportion of jobs that can be moved will rise as IT advances and education improves in emerging economies.
Alan Blinder, an economist at Princeton University, believes that most economists are underestimating the disruptive effects of off-shoring, and that in future two to three times as many service jobs will be susceptible to off-shoring as in manufacturing. This would imply that at least 30% of all jobs might be at risk. In practice the number of jobs off-shored to China or India is likely to remain fairly modest. Even so, the mere threat that they could be shifted will depress wages:
Moreover, says Mr. Blinder, education offers no protection. Highly skilled accountants, radiologists or computer programmers now have to compete with electronically delivered competition from abroad, whereas humble taxi drivers, janitors and crane operators remain safe from off-shoring. This may help to explain why the real median wage of American graduates hat fallen by 6% since 2000, a bigger decline than in average wages.
In the 1980s and early 1990s, the pay gap between low-paid, low-skilled workers and high-paid, high-skilled workers widened significantly. But since then, according to a study by David Autor, Lawrence Katz and Melissa Kearney, in America, Britain and Germany workers at the bottom as well as at the top have done better than those in the middle-income ’group. Office cleaning cannot be done by workers in India. It is the easily standardised skilled job in the middle, such as accounting, that are now being squeezed hardest. A study by Bradford Jensen and Lori Kletzer, at the Institute for International Economics in Washington D. C., confirms that workers in tradable services that are exposed to foreign competition tend to be more skilled than workers in non-tradable services and tradable manufacturing industries.
Which of the following statements is the typical reply concerning off-shoring

A:Service-sector has sustained a great loss. B:White-collar workers will not have a narrow escape. C:Most economists underestimated the effects of off-shoring. D:Outsourcing abroad has no significant impact.

Text 4
Business travelers used to be the cash cows of the hotel business. Armed with corporate credit cards and expense accounts, they’d happily lay down hundreds of dollars per night for the privilege of a Godiva chocolate on their pillow and a sunken whirlpool tub in their bathroom. But just as pro longed corporate belt tightening has forced road warriors to use budget airlines, more and more of them are now eschewing five-star lodging in favor of cheaper accommodations. Indeed, earlier this year the U. S. -based National Business Travel Association released figures showing that 61 percent of corporate travel managers planned to book their people into lower-priced hotels in the coming year.
Here’s the good news: penny-pinching is translating into better deals at cheap and up-market hotels alike. Services at middle-market hotels are rising to accommodate a new wave of more demanding corporate customers. And luxury hotels are working harder to keep business travelers coming, offering lower rates, special packages and extra services. Even though business-travel volume is set to rise by more than 4 percent in 2004 after three dismal years, hotels will continue to be under pressure--in large part because a weak dollar is forcing American business travelers to search for value.
Some of the best deals are coming from the big chains. In January Starwood Hotels announced it would upgrade its global middle-market brand, Four Points, by rolling out free high-speed wireless Internet access in all guest rooms. On the flip side, upscale brands like Inter Continental and Ritz Carlton are selling empty rooms at discount rates via online services. That has the effect of depressing luxury-room prices, because corporate travel managers can now demand that hotels match their own discount prices all the time. Inter Continental hotels in France and Germany have been hit so hard that they are actually repricing their rooms to reflect rates before the dollar began falling. Upscale hotels like Waldorf-Astoria, Sofitel are also trying to offer extra services.
But beware of new, hidden fees. In an effort to make up some of their lost revenue, hotels are starting to charge corporate travelers for things that used to be free--including breakfast, banquet or meeting rooms.
Aside from saving companies money, the trend in frugal business travel may give rise to a whole new market segment: the buy-to-let hotel room, Last week in London, British property developer Johnny Sandelson launched GuestInvest, a hotel in Notting Hill where users can purchase a room for￡ 235,000, use it for a maximum of 52 nights a year themselves, then rent it out the rest of the time to make extra money. It seems an idea whose time has come: GuestInvest says it has already fielded hundreds of calls from business people interested in making a cheaper hotel their second home.

Travelers can now demand hotels to match their own prices because（）

A:travelers only have limited budget. B:hotels are trying hard to keep good business. C:hotels are trying to depress their prices. D:travelers demand for extra services.

What Will Be is an impressive and visionary guide to the future, filled with insights on how information technology will transform our lives and our world in the new century.
The author, Michael Dertouzos, stands (1) from many of the forecasters and commentators who bombard us daily with (2) of this future. For twenty years he has led one of the world’s (3) research laboratories, whose members have brought the world (4) computers, the Ether Net, and start-up companies.
As a visionary, his (5) have been on the mark: In 1981, he described the (6) of an Information Marketplace as "a twenty-first-century village marketplace where people and computers buy, sell, and freely exchange information and information services." That’s a (7) description of the Internet as we know it today.
Naturally, we do not agree on all the (8) ways the new world will (9) or affect us. This is as it should be. There is plenty of room for (10) ideas and debate concerning the rich and promising setting ahead. What’s more important is that people become (11) , and form their own opinions, about the changes (12) .
When it (13) to that future world, what we do (14) far outweighs our differences New businesses will be created and new (15) will be made in the (16) areas of activity this book describes. More important, radical changes in hardware, software, and infrastructure will (17) in ways large and small our social lives, our families, our jobs, our health, our environment, our economy, and even the (18) we see for ourselves in the universe. Whoever (19) the coming Information Revolution—d that’s (20) all of us--needs to know What Will Be.

Read the following text. Choose the best word (s) for each numbered blank and mark A, B, C or D on ANSWER SHEET 1.17（）

A:evolve B:assemble C:betray D:depress

Text 4 Business travelers used to be the cash cows of the hotel business. Armed with corporate credit cards and expense accounts, they’d happily lay down hundreds of dollars per night for the privilege of a Godiva chocolate on their pillow and a sunken whirlpool tub in their bathroom. But just as pro longed corporate belt tightening has forced road warriors to use budget airlines, more and more of them are now eschewing five-star lodging in favor of cheaper accommodations. Indeed, earlier this year the U. S. -based National Business Travel Association released figures showing that 61 percent of corporate travel managers planned to book their people into lower-priced hotels in the coming year. Here’s the good news: penny-pinching is translating into better deals at cheap and up-market hotels alike. Services at middle-market hotels are rising to accommodate a new wave of more demanding corporate customers. And luxury hotels are working harder to keep business travelers coming, offering lower rates, special packages and extra services. Even though business-travel volume is set to rise by more than 4 percent in 2004 after three dismal years, hotels will continue to be under pressure--in large part because a weak dollar is forcing American business travelers to search for value. Some of the best deals are coming from the big chains. In January Starwood Hotels announced it would upgrade its global middle-market brand, Four Points, by rolling out free high-speed wireless Internet access in all guest rooms. On the flip side, upscale brands like Inter Continental and Ritz Carlton are selling empty rooms at discount rates via online services. That has the effect of depressing luxury-room prices, because corporate travel managers can now demand that hotels match their own discount prices all the time. Inter Continental hotels in France and Germany have been hit so hard that they are actually repricing their rooms to reflect rates before the dollar began falling. Upscale hotels like Waldorf-Astoria, Sofitel are also trying to offer extra services. But beware of new, hidden fees. In an effort to make up some of their lost revenue, hotels are starting to charge corporate travelers for things that used to be free--including breakfast, banquet or meeting rooms. Aside from saving companies money, the trend in frugal business travel may give rise to a whole new market segment: the buy-to-let hotel room, Last week in London, British property developer Johnny Sandelson launched GuestInvest, a hotel in Notting Hill where users can purchase a room for￡ 235,000, use it for a maximum of 52 nights a year themselves, then rent it out the rest of the time to make extra money. It seems an idea whose time has come: GuestInvest says it has already fielded hundreds of calls from business people interested in making a cheaper hotel their second home.

Travelers can now demand hotels to match their own prices because（）

A:travelers only have limited budget. B:hotels are trying hard to keep good business. C:hotels are trying to depress their prices. D:travelers demand for extra services.

A:evolve B:assemble C:betray D:depress

Text 2

Which of the following statements is the typical reply concerning off-shoring

A:Service-sector has sustained a great loss. B:White-collar workers will not have a narrow escape. C:Most economists underestimated the effects of off-shoring. D:Outsourcing abroad has no significant impact.

What Will Be is an impressive and visionary guide to the future, filled with insights on how information technology will transform our lives and our world in the new century.
The author, Michael Dertouzos, stands (1) from many of the forecasters and commentators who bombard us daily with (2) of this future. For twenty years he has led one of the world’s (3) research laboratories, whose members have brought the world (4) computers, the Ether Net, and start-up companies.
As a visionary, his (5) have been on the mark: In 1981, he described the (6) of an Information Marketplace as "a twenty-first-century village marketplace where people and computers buy, sell, and freely exchange information and information services." That’s a (7) description of the Internet as we know it today.
Naturally, we do not agree on all the (8) ways the new world will (9) or affect us. This is as it should be. There is plenty of room for (10) ideas and debate concerning the rich and promising setting ahead. What’s more important is that people become (11) , and form their own opinions, about the changes (12) .
When it (13) to that future world, what we do (14) far outweighs our differences New businesses will be created and new (15) will be made in the (16) areas of activity this book describes. More important, radical changes in hardware, software, and infrastructure will (17) in ways large and small our social lives, our families, our jobs, our health, our environment, our economy, and even the (18) we see for ourselves in the universe. Whoever (19) the coming Information Revolution—d that’s (20) all of us--needs to know What Will Be.

Read the following text. Choose the best word (s) for each numbered blank and mark A, B, C or D on ANSWER SHEET 1.3（）

A:evolve B:assemble C:betray D:depress

Some day software will translate both written and spoken language so well that the need for any common second language could ______.

A:descend B:decline C:deteriorate D:depress