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 87 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 a 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 re engineering 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 Bong 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 Al Rosenshine is blunter. He dismisses a lot of the work of re engineering consultants as mere rubbish - “the worst sort of ambulance cashing.”
5. According to the author, the American economic situation is _____ .
A）not as good as it seemsB）at its turning point
C）much better than it seems D）near to complete recovery
6. The official statistics on productivity growth _____ .
A）exclude the usual rebound in a business cycleB）fall short of businessmen's anticipation
C）meet the expectation of business people D）fail to reflect the true state of economy
7. The author raises the question “what about pain without gain?” because _____ .
A）he questions the truth of “no gain without pain”
B）he does not think the productivity revolution works
C）he wonders if the official statistics are misleading
D）he has conclusive evidence for the revival of businesses
8. 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.
Unit 5 （1998） Part2
重点词汇：
1.assume （v.假定；承担；呈现）。Optimism assumes, or attempts to prove, that the universe exists to please us, and pessimism that it exists to displease us.乐观主义假定或企图证明宇宙存在是为了使我们快乐；悲观主义则假定或企图证明那是为了使我们不快乐。
2.lump （团块；使成团块）。An overdose of praise is like ten lumps of sugar in coffee; only a very few people can swallow it.过量的赞扬有如在咖啡里放了十块糖，只有极少数的人能咽得下去。
3.acceleration（加速；加速度）即ac+celer+ation，ac-加强前缀，celer词根“速度”，-ation名词后缀；反义词为deceleration（减速）←de向下+celer+ation。
4.rebound（v.n.反弹）←re反+bound跳。
5.evidence（证据，迹象）即e+vid+ence，e-（=ex-），vid词根“看”=vis（如visible→vis+ible→可见的），-ence名词后缀，“能看出来的东西”→证据。Growth is the only evidence of life.成长是生命的证明。Poverty of speech is the outward evidence of poverty of mind.言语的贫乏是心智贫乏的表现。
6.treasury （宝库，国库）即treasur（e）+y，treasure（n.财宝v.珍爱），-y表“地方”，于是“放财宝的地方”→宝库。Collection of famous quotes and collection of mottoes are the most important treasure of the society.名言集和格言集是社会最可贵的财富。
7.disjunction ?（n.分离，分裂）即dis+junction，dis-否定前缀，junction（n.连接，连接处）。
8.anecdote（趣闻，轶事）
9.profitability（收益率）即profit+ability，profit（v.n.收益），-ability名词后缀； profitability ― the sovereign criterion of the enterprise 有利可图――企业的至高无上的准则。
10.ineptly（不相宜地；无能地）即in+ept+ly，in-否定前缀，ept（=apt）适宜的，-ly副词后缀。
11.revenue（财政收入；税收）←re+venue，另可记avenue（林荫道；途径）←a+venue。Economy is of itself a great revenue.节约本身就是一大笔收入。
12.blunt ?率直的；钝的；使钝。
13.consultant （顾问）即consult+ant，consult（v.商量；查询），-ant表“人”。
难句解析：
① What is harder to establish is whether the productivity revolution that businessmen assume they are presiding over is for real.
这个句子的主语和表语都是从句。主语是what引导的名词性从句，表语是whether引导的状语表语从句。在表语从句中，主语是the productivity revolution，核心句是Whether the productivity revolution is for real，其中productivity revolution后面跟了一个that引导的定语从句，这个从句中的主语是businessmen，谓语是assume，后面跟一个宾语从句，而that所替代的productivity resolution就是这个宾语从句中over这个介词的宾语。
理解这个句子的关键在于要弄清其中环环相套的从句关系，就是revolution后面that引导的定语从句，以及从句中assume后面的宾语从句，这样就找出preside over的宾语其实就是productivity revolution。
② 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.
这个句子有一个很长的表语从句，由that引导。从句中有两个分句，中间用and so连接。第一个分句中又有一个that引导的定语从句，修饰的是rebound，第二个分句的主语与第一个分句的主语一样，都是Part of the recent acceleration。这样我们可以得到这个句子的主干部分：The trouble is that Part of acceleration is due to rebound, and is not conclusive evidence.
理解这个句子的关键在于要清楚表语从句中第一个分句所套的修饰rebound的定语从句，再者就是第二个分句的主语与第一个分句的主语一致，并注意conclusive的意思。
③ There is, as Robert Rubin, the treasury secretary, says, a "disjunction" between the mass of business anecdote that points to a leap in productivity and the picture reflected by the statistics.
理解这个句子先要找出它的核心句：There is a "disjunction" between the mass and the picture，中间的人名及其职位可以当作插入语。between后面的名词带有一个that引导的定语从句，修饰的是business anecdote，that在这个从句中充当的是主语；and后面的名词the picture后面跟的是过去分词reflected，表示的是一种被动关系。
找出between和and的宾语（分别是the mass of business anecdote和the picture reflected by the statistics），这个句子就容易理解了。
④ New ways of organizing the workplace ― all that re-engineering 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.
这个句子看似庞大，分析之下就简单了。先找出核心句：New ways are one contribution，再来看其它部分：new ways后面of organizing the workplace限定了new ways的内容；破折号之间的部分是进一步说明new ways of organizing the workplace的一些具体内容；contribution后面的to接的是名词宾语，这之后有一个which引导的定语从句，修饰的是前面的名词an economy。在这个定语从句中by后面的宾语是factors，后面的such as跟随的三个名词短语就是列举的内容。
找出主干句之后就不会受到长句所造成的混乱影响，关键是要弄清楚contribution to后面的内容，尤其是which引导的定语从句，修饰的是economy。
⑤His 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.
这个句子的主要部分在于谓语says后面的宾语从句，从句中的重要成分是在状语短语部分，即in a mechanistic fashion，因为后面跟的一个现在分词短语chopping out costs是进一步说明fashion的内容，without后面的动名词短语是补充成分，表示的是一种伴随状态
关键在于chopping out costs这个现在分词短语的理解，要明白这是in a mechanistic fashion的进一步说明。
试题解析：
5 【正确答案】[A]
意为：并不像表面看上去那样好。第一段第三、四句指出，美国到处都在谈论所谓公司的振兴（tales of corporate revival），但是，商界自认为正在进行的所谓生产率革命究竟是否名符其实（for real），这一点却很难确定。该句实际上是全文的主旨，从反面提出了下文旨在回答的问题，所谓生产率革命根本不存在，官方的统计数字也并不怎么乐观；该段第四句指出，问题是；最近显示出的增长部分是由商业领域里此时出现的正常的反弹（rebound）造成的，因此，不能将它看作是更深层的（当指生产率）振兴的证据。
最后一段引用了几个专家的评价，对目前进行的促进生产率发展的措施进行了否定，特别是罗森伯格的评价，在他看来，目前负责调整经济的顾问们所做的工作，多数都是垃圾（没有成效），是典型的“于事无补”（ambulance-chasing）。
B意为：处于转折阶段。C意为：比现状要好得多。D意为；几乎要实现全面复苏了。
6. 【正确答案】 [B]
意为：与商人的预想不符。或：不像商人预想的那样好。第二段指出，官方的统计数字也并不怎么乐观，如果将制造业和服务业算在一起（lump... together），1989年以来生产率平均增长了1.2％，比前十年的平均指数略有增长；1991年后，生产率每年增长约2％，是1978年至1987年这十年平均指数的一倍多。然而问题是：最近显示出的增长部分是由商业领域里此时出现的正常的反弹造成的，因此，不能将它看作是更深层的（当指生产率）振兴的证据。正如财政部长鲁宾所说的那样，一方面，大量的商业神话似乎表明生产率的激增（leap），另一方面，（官方的）统计数字又是另一番景象，二者之间存在着一个“差距”（disjunction）。
A意为：排除了商业领域里出现的正常的反弹。C意为：与商人预想的一致。D意为：没有准确地反映经济的状况。
7. 【正确答案】 [B]
意为：他认为所谓的生产率革命并未奏效。第一段指出，人们常说：不劳则无所获，但是，要是劳而无获呢？美国到处都在谈论所谓公司的振兴，但是，商界自认为正在进行的所谓生产率革命究竟是否名符其实，这一点却很难确定。作者的观点在此其实已表达得很清楚。另外，从第三段来看，所谓的生产率革命包括了改组企业（business restructuring, reengineering）等一系列措施，正如第四段所指出的，近年所进行的一些重组措施也许并未奏效，而且，即使有所成效，效果也没有人们想像的那样广泛。在最后一段，作者引用了几个专家的评价，这几位专家对目前进行的促进生产率发展的措施更是持否定态度。作者的引用当然带有很大的倾向性，用以支持自己的观点。
另请参考第5、6题题解。
A意为：他对“不劳则无所获”的真实性提出质疑。该选择项过于局限于字面意思。C意为：他认为官方的统计数宁可能有错。正好相反，他们认为所谓的商业振兴仅仅是假象。D意为：他获得了商业振兴的确凿证据。
8．【正确答案】[A]
意为：激进的改革对生产率的提高极其重要。这是