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Text 4
①If the trade unionist Jimmy Hoffa
were alive today, he would probably represent civil servants. ②When Hoffa’s Teamsters were in their prime in 1960, only one in ten
American government workers belonged to a union; now 36% do. ③In 2009 the number of unionists in America’s public sector passed
that of their fellow members in the private sector. ④In Britain, more than half of public-sector workers but only about
15% of private-sector ones are unionized.
①There are three reasons for the
public-sector unions’ thriving. ②First, they can shut things
down without suffering much in the way of consequences. ③Second, they are mostly bright and well-educated. ④A quarter of America’s public-sector workers have a university
degree. ⑤Third, they
now dominate left-of-centre politics. ⑥Some of their
ties go back a long way. ⑦Britain’s Labor Party, as its
name implies, has long been associated with trade unionism. ⑧Its current leader, Ed Miliband, owes his position to votes from
public-sector unions.
①At the state level their
influence can be even more fearsome. ②Mark
Baldassare of the Public Policy Institute of California points out that much of
the state’s budget is patrolled by unions. ③The teachers’ unions keep an eye on schools, the CCPOA on prisons
and a variety of labor groups on health care.
①In many rich countries average
wages in the state sector are higher than in the private one. ②But the real gains come in benefits and work practices.③Politicians have repeatedly “backloaded” public-sector pay deals,
keeping the pay increases modest but adding to holidays and especially pensions
that are already generous.
①Reform has been vigorously
opposed, perhaps most notoriously in education, where charter schools,
academies and merit pay all faced drawn-out battles. ②Even 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.
①As the cost to everyone else has
become clearer, politicians have begun to clamp down. ②In Wisconsin the unions have rallied thousands of supporters against
Scott Walker, the hardline Republican governor. ③But many within the public sector suffer under the current system,
too.
①John 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. ②The only American public-sector workers who earn well above $250,000
a year are university sports coaches and the president of the United States. ③Bankers’ 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
[A]
Teamsters still have a large body of members.
[B]
Jimmy Hoffa used to work as a civil servant.
[C]
unions have enlarged their public-sector membership.
[D] the
government has improved its relationship with unionists.
37.
Which of the following is true of Paragraph 2?
[A]
Public-sector unions are prudent in taking actions.
[B]
Education is required for public-sector union membership.
[C]
Labor Party has long been fighting against public-sector unions.
[D]Public-sector
unions seldom get in trouble for their actions.
38.
It can be learned from Paragraph 4 that the income in the state sector is
[A]
illegally secured.
[B]
indirectly augmented.
[C]
excessively increased.
[D] fairly
adjusted.
39.
The example of the unions in Wisconsin shows that unions
[A]often
run against the current political system.
[B]can
change people’s political attitudes.
[C]may
be a barrier to public-sector reforms.
[D]are
dominant in the government.
40.
John Donahue’s attitude towards the public-sector system is one of
[A]
disapproval.
[B]
appreciation.
[C]
tolerance.
[D]
indifference.
Text 436.C37.D38.B39.C40.A
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