Part A: Reading Comprehension
Directions: Read the following text. Answer the questions below each text by choosing A, B, C or D. Mark your answers on the ANSWER SHEET. (40 points)
Text 4
If the trade unionist Jimmy Hoffa were alive today, he would probably represent civil servants. When Hoffa’s Teamsters were in their prime in 1960, only one in ten American government workers belonged to a union; now 36% do. In 2009 the number of unionists in America’s public sector passed that of their fellow members in the private sector. In Britain, more than half of public-sector workers but only about 15% of private-sector ones are unionized.
There are three reasons for the public-sector unions’ thriving. First, they can shut things down without suffering much in the way of consequences. Second, they are mostly bright and well-educated. A quarter of America’s public-sector workers have a university degree. Third, they now dominate left-of-centre politics. Some of their ties go back a long way. Britain’s Labor Party, as its name implies, has long been associated with trade unionism. Its current leader, Ed Miliband, owes his position to votes from public-sector unions.
At the state level their influence can be even more fearsome. Mark Baldassare of the Public Policy Institute of California points out that much of the state’s budget is patrolled by unions. The teachers’ unions keep an eye on schools, the CCPOA on prisons and a variety of labor groups on health care.
In many rich countries average wages in the state sector are higher than in the private one. But the real gains come in benefits and work practices. Politicians have repeatedly “backloaded” public-sector pay deals, keeping the pay increases modest but adding to holidays and especially pensions that are already generous.
Reform has been vigorously opposed, perhaps most notoriously in education, where charter schools, academies and merit pay all faced drawn-out battles. Even though there is plenty of evidence that the quality of the teachers is the most important variable, teachers’ unions have fought against getting rid of bad ones and promoting good ones.
As the cost to everyone else has become clearer, politicians have begun to clamp down. In Wisconsin the unions have rallied thousands of supporters against Scott Walker, the hardline Republican governor. But many within the public sector suffer under the current system, too.
John Donahue at Harvard’s Kennedy School points out that the norms of culture in Western civil services suit those who want to stay put but is bad for high achievers. The only American public-sector workers who earn well above $250,000 a year are university sports coaches and the president of the United States. Bankers’ fat pay packets have attracted much criticism, but a public-sector system that does not reward high achievers may be a much bigger problem for America.
36. It can be learned from the first paragraph that
37. Which of the following is true of Paragraph 2?
38. It can be learned from Paragraph 4 that the income in the state sector is
39. The example of the unions in Wisconsin shows that unions
40. John Donahue’s attitude towards the public-sector system is one of
全文翻译
如果工会领袖吉米·霍法今天还活着，他可能会代表公务员。当霍法的卡车司机工会在1960年处于鼎盛时期时，只有十分之一的美国政府雇员属于工会；现在这一比例是36%。2009年，美国公共部门的工会成员数量超过了私营部门的同行成员。在英国，超过一半的公共部门雇员加入了工会，而私营部门只有大约15%。
公共部门工会蓬勃发展的原因有三个。第一，他们可以让事情停摆而不用承受太多的后果。第二，他们大多聪明且受过良好教育。美国四分之一的公共部门雇员拥有大学学位。第三，他们现在主导着中左翼政治。其中一些联系可以追溯到很久以前。英国的工党，顾名思义，长期以来一直与工会主义联系在一起。其现任领导人埃德·米利班德的职位归功于公共部门工会的选票。
在州一级，他们的影响力可能更加令人畏惧。加州公共政策研究所的马克·巴尔达萨雷指出，该州预算的很大一部分受到工会的巡查。教师工会盯着学校，CCPOA盯着监狱，各种劳工团体盯着医疗保健。
在许多富裕国家，公共部门的平均工资高于私营部门。但真正的收益来自福利和工作实践。政客们反复"后置负载"公共部门的薪酬协议，保持工资增长适度，但增加假期，尤其是已经丰厚的养老金。
改革遭到了强烈反对，也许最臭名昭著的是在教育领域，特许学校、学院和绩效工资都面临着旷日持久的斗争。即使有大量证据表明教师质量是最重要的变量，教师工会还是极力反对淘汰差教师、提拔好教师。
随着对其他人造成的代价日益明显，政客们开始进行压制。在威斯康星州，工会召集了数千名支持者反对强硬的共和党州长斯科特·沃克。但公共部门内部的许多人也在现行制度下受苦。
哈佛大学肯尼迪学院的约翰·多纳休指出，西方公务员制度的文化规范适合那些想安于现状的人，但对高成就者不利。美国公共部门雇员中唯一年薪远高于25万美元的是大学体育教练和美国总统。银行家的丰厚薪酬吸引了很多批评，但不奖励高成就者的公共部门制度可能是美国面临的更大问题。
Answers & Explanations (答案与深度解析)
试题精解
36. [C] unions have enlarged their public-sector membership.
【解析】细节题。第一段提到，1960年只有十分之一的美国政府工作人员加入工会，现在达到 36%。2009年美国公共部门工会会员数量甚至超过了私营部门。这清晰地表明工会“扩大了其公共部门的成员数量（enlarged their public-sector membership）”。
37. [D] Public-sector unions seldom get in trouble for their actions.
【解析】细节题。第二段给出了公共部门工会繁荣的三个原因。第一点是：“they can shut things down without suffering much in the way of consequences（他们可以停工而不必承担太多后果）”。D 选项 seldom get in trouble for their actions（很少因其行为惹上麻烦）是对这句话的完美同义替换。
38. [B] indirectly augmented.
【解析】推理题。第四段指出，真正的收益来自于福利和工作惯例。政客们反复将公共部门薪酬协议“延后支付（backloaded）”，即“保持工资适度增长，但增加假期，尤其是本已优厚的养老金”。这说明公共部门的收入并没有直接大幅提高工资，而是通过假期、养老金等福利“间接增加（indirectly augmented）”了。故选 B。
39. [C] may be a barrier to public-sector reforms.
【解析】例证题。第五段一直在论述改革遭到了强烈反对（Reform has been vigorously opposed）。第六段顺承前文，政客开始严厉打击（clamp down），而威斯康星州的工会集结了数千人反对州长。这一例子正是为了证明工会阻碍了政府的改革步伐，成为“公共部门改革的障碍（a barrier to public-sector reforms）”。
40. [A] disapproval.
【解析】态度题。最后一段中，John Donahue 指出西方公务员的文化规范适合那些想“留在原处（stay put，即不求进取）”的人，但对高成就者（high achievers）是不利的（is bad for）。文章结尾总结称：一个不奖励高成就者的公共部门系统可能是美国更大的问题。字里行间流露出明显的“不赞成/反对（disapproval）”态度。
考研核心句型与长难句
【长难句剖析】
1. 代词的灵活指代：
"In 2009 the number of unionists in America’s public sector passed that of their fellow members in the private sector."
【解析】that 代指前文的 the number。fellow members 指代私营部门中的工会会员同行。
"In 2009 the number of unionists in America’s public sector passed that of their fellow members in the private sector."
【解析】that 代指前文的 the number。fellow members 指代私营部门中的工会会员同行。
2. 让步状语与复杂宾语：
"Even though there is plenty of evidence that the quality of the teachers is the most important variable, teachers’ unions have fought against getting rid of bad ones and promoting good ones."
【解析】Even though 引导让步状语从句，其中 that 引导同位语从句解释 evidence。主句中 fought against 后接了两个并列的动名词短语（getting rid of 和 promoting）作宾语，批判了工会阻碍优胜劣汰的行为。
"Even though there is plenty of evidence that the quality of the teachers is the most important variable, teachers’ unions have fought against getting rid of bad ones and promoting good ones."
【解析】Even though 引导让步状语从句，其中 that 引导同位语从句解释 evidence。主句中 fought against 后接了两个并列的动名词短语（getting rid of 和 promoting）作宾语，批判了工会阻碍优胜劣汰的行为。