成人高等教育英语教材第四册07

UNIT 7
Conference
Integrated¹ Skills Development

Passage The Knowledge Economy Is Coming

　　Human society has developed through several stages. Sociologist² Daniel Bell calls these stages "pre-industrial," "industrial," and "post-industrial". According to Bell, the economy of the pre-industrial society included agriculture, mining, fishing, lumber³, oil, and gas. Natural power produced these resources. Such power included wind power, water power, and the muscle power of people and animals. This economy depended on people who worked with their hands. In the next stage, industrial society, people made things by using machines. These machines used new forms of energy such as electricity. The industrial economy employed engineers and semi-skilled workers. The last stage, the post-industrial economy, results from a shift away from the production of goods to the production of services. They include the transportation of people and goods; utilities such as water and power supplies; financial services such as banks, trade, insurance, and real estate; and human services such as health, education, research, government, and recreation. The main resource of this economy is knowledge. Scientists, technologists, and other professionals use and process this knowledge.
Today's economy still depends on the same major industries that were important in the past. The agriculture, steel, and automobile⁵ industries are some of the giants that have led economic expansion. However, these industries are now becoming economically less important. They will probably not continue to grow and expand.
Agriculture is a clear example of an important industry that is getting smaller. In 1860, 40.6% of the U.S. labor⁶ force worked in agriculture, but this figure was only 2.1 percent in 1980. The auto⁴ industry, which is still growing, will soon reach its limits and start to get smaller too.
What are the new knowledge-based industries on which economic growth will depend? Peter Drucker, a well-known management expert, discusses three categories of such industries. The first of these is the information industry. This industry collects, stores, spreads, and applies knowledge. It depends on the computer. Another source of new industries is the science of the oceans. New technologies may help to supply food and minerals from the seas. A third new source of economic growth is the materials industry. This industry provides the materials for making objects. One such industry that has already become economically important is the plastics industry. Drucker explains that throughout history our traditional materials have been metals, glass, natural fibers⁸, and paper. Today, with the help of modern science, industries can make many new materials to meet specific needs. Industries that supply traditional material such as steel or glass will have trouble competing with those that produce these new materials.
The traditional industrial economy, then, is changing into a knowledge economy in many ways. These changes are already affecting the kinds of work people do, the training they need to do it and the products they create. Clearly, society and the economy are facing a major discontinuity.

New Words and Expressions

agriculture
n. 农业

automobile
n. 汽车

compete
V. 比赛，竞争

economically
ad. 在经济学上；节俭地

energy
n. 能，能量

fiber⁷
n. 纤维

giant
n. & a. 巨人，巨物；巨大的

insurance
n. 保险，保险业

limit
n. 限制

lumber
n. 木材

metal
n. 金属

mineral
n. 矿物

mining
n. 采矿，矿业

muscle
n. 肌肉

ocean
n. 海洋

plastic
n. 塑料

recreation
n. 娱乐

sociologist
n. 社会学家

store
V. 储存

technologist
n. 技术专家

technology
n. 技术

utility
n. 效用；公用事业

compete with
与…竞争

depend on
依靠

real estate
房地产

result from
来源于…

Merry Learning

As an instructor⁹, I try to lighten the stress of important exams by sticking in a lighthearted question at the end. Before Christmas break one year, the last question read: "Your instructor wishes you: (a) An enjoyable holiday; (b) A Happy New Year; (c) A restful vacation: (d) All of the above."
One of my students, correctly anticipating his low grade on the exam, added a choice of his own: "(e) Had studied more!"
 

1 integrated   

a.整合的，完整的

参考例句：

• A fully integrated low phase noise LC voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) is presented.介绍了一种全集成的LC压控振荡器(VCO)的设计。

2 sociologist   

n.研究社会学的人，社会学家

参考例句：

• His mother was a sociologist,researching socialism.他的母亲是个社会学家，研究社会主义。
• Max Weber is a great and outstanding sociologist.马克斯·韦伯是一位伟大的、杰出的社会学家。

3 lumber   

n.木材，木料；v.以破旧东西堆满；伐木；笨重移动

参考例句：

• The truck was sent to carry lumber.卡车被派出去运木材。
• They slapped together a cabin out of old lumber.他们利用旧木料草草地盖起了一间小屋。

4 auto   

n.(=automobile)(口语)汽车

参考例句：

• Don't park your auto here.别把你的汽车停在这儿。
• The auto industry has brought many people to Detroit.汽车工业把许多人吸引到了底特律。

5 automobile   

n.汽车，机动车

参考例句：

• He is repairing the brake lever of an automobile.他正在修理汽车的刹车杆。
• The automobile slowed down to go around the curves in the road.汽车在路上转弯时放慢了速度。

6 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

7 fiber   

n.纤维，纤维质

参考例句：

• The basic structural unit of yarn is the fiber.纤维是纱的基本结构单元。
• The material must be free of fiber clumps.这种材料必须无纤维块。

8 fibers   

光纤( fiber的名词复数 )； （织物的）质地； 纤维，纤维物质

参考例句：

• Thesolution of collagen-PVA was wet spined with the sodium sulfate as coagulant and collagen-PVA composite fibers were prepared. 在此基础上，以硫酸钠为凝固剂，对胶原-PVA共混溶液进行湿法纺丝，制备了胶原-PVA复合纤维。
• Sympathetic fibers are distributed to all regions of the heart. 交感神经纤维分布于心脏的所有部分。

9 instructor   

n.指导者，教员，教练

参考例句：

• The college jumped him from instructor to full professor.大学突然把他从讲师提升为正教授。
• The skiing instructor was a tall,sunburnt man.滑雪教练是一个高高个子晒得黑黑的男子。