A recent survey conducted by the Pew Research Centre showed that a mere 16% of Americans think that

(C)
A recent survey conducted by the Pew Research Centre showed that a mere 16% of Americans think that a four-year degree course prepares students very well for a high-paying job in the modern economy. But technology also seems to be complicating the picture.
A paper published by a trio (三人小组) of Canadian economists, Paul Beaudry, David Green and Benjamin Sand, questions optimistic assumptions about demand for non-routine work and shows that since 2000 the share of employment accounted for by high-skilled jobs in America has been falling. This analysis supports the view that technology has come as a blow to employment. Skilled and unskilled workers alike are in trouble. Those with a better education are still more likely to find work, but there is now a fair chance that it will be unenjoyable. Those who never made it to college face being squeezed out of the workforce altogether. This is the argument of the techno-pessimists.
There is another, less pessimistic possibility. James Bessen, an economist at Boston University, finds that since 1980 employment has been growing faster in occupations that use computers than in those that do not. Partial automation can actually increase demand by reducing costs. But even though technology may not destroy jobs in all, it does force change upon many people.
In many occupations it has become essential to acquire new skills as established ones become out-of-date. Burning Glass Technologies, a Boston-based startup that analyses labor markets by obtaining data from online job advertisements, finds that the biggest demand is for new combinations of skills—what its boss, Matt Sigelman, calls “hybrid jobs”. The composition of new jobs is also changing rapidly.
A college degree at the start of a working career does not answer the need for the continuous acquisition of new skills, especially as career spans (持续时间) are lengthening. Vocational training is good at giving people job-specific skills, but those, too, will need to be updated over and over again during a career lasting decades. Vocational training has a role, but training someone early to do one thing all their lives is not the answer to lifelong learning.
Add all of this up, and it becomes clear that times have got tougher for workers of all kinds. A college degree is still a prerequisite (必备条件) for many jobs, but employers often do not trust it enough to hire workers just on the strength of that, without experience. In many occupations workers on company payrolls face the prospect that their existing skills will become outdated, yet it is often not obvious how they can gain new ones.
63. We can learn from the paper conducted by the Canadian economists that ____________.
A. employment has been shaken by technology
B. college degree is a necessity in career success
C. skilled workers are no longer required in most American industries
D. techno-pessimism paves the way for future technology development
64. James Bessen believes that ____________.
A. increased demand can bring about cost reduction
B. progressive automation is beneficial to companies
C. technology advancement has a positive impact on most people
D. computer has always been an essential factor in employment
65. Burning Glass Technologies is mentioned as an example to show that ____________.
A. online job advertisements require a precise data analysis
B. acquisition of new skills is essential in current job market
C. the composition of new jobs is shaped by technology
D. Matt Sigelman predicts a bright future of job market
66. Which of the following is the best title for the text?
A. Lifelong Learning: an Economic Priority
B. Technology Revolution: the Way to Success
C. College Degree: a Guarantee for Career Change
D. Vocational Training: a Blessing for Job Seekers
【答案】63. A    64. B    65. B    66. A
【解析】