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http://www.economist.com/node/18359864

Special report: The future of the state

Enemies of progress

The biggest barrier to public-sector reform are the unions 工会成为公共部门改革的障碍

Mar 17th 2011 | from the print edition

1---If the trade unionist Jimmy Hoffa were alive today, he would probably represent civil servant. 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.

如果工会主义者Jimmy Hoffa今天还活着的话，他可能会代表公务员了。当Hoffa领导的卡车司机联盟在1960年处于鼎盛阶段的时候，只有1/10的美国政府工作者属于工会；现在这个数字达到36%了。在2009年，美国公共服务部门的工作人员参与工会人员的人数超过了私人企业。在英国，有一半公务员参加了工会，而私企只有15%参加。

teamster ['ti:mstә]    n.    卡车驾驶员

36. It can be learned from the first paragraph that

[A] Teamsters still have a large body of members. 无中生有

[B] Jimmy Hoffa used to work as a civil servant. 正反，原文是虚拟语气

[C] unions have enlarged their public-sector membership.

[D] the government has improved its relationship with unionists. 无中生有

2---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.

公共服务部门的工会兴起有三个原因。第一，他们能罢工而无需承担罢工带来的太多后果。第二，他们有教养聪明。有25%的公务员有大学学历。第三，他们现在控制着左倾政策。这些政策历史悠远。英国工党，正如他的名字所暗示的，和工会有长期联系。工党现在的领导者是Ed Miliband就把自己党魁的席位归功于公务员工会。

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. 无中生有

[C] Labor Party has long been fighting against public-sector unions. 正反

[D]Public-sector unions seldom get in trouble for their actions.  √对

3---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.

工会的影响力在各州影响力更恐怖。加州公共政策研究中心的Mark Baldassare指出：该州预算很大程度由工会巡查审定。教师工会则监管学校，CCPOA监管监狱，其它各种工会团队监管健康医疗。

4---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 ns that are already generous.

在很多发达国家，洲级公务员的平均工资要高于私企。但真正的收入来自于各项利益和工作实践。政治家不断调整公务员的薪水，保持工资上涨不快，但实际上增加了假期，尤其是本就很高的养老金。

注：back-loaded：Agreement or arrangement in which the heavier charges are levied（征收）, or greater benefits accrue增加, towards the end of its duration or term. Opposite of front Loaded.

38. It can be learned from Paragraph 4 that the income in the state sector is

[A] illegally secured.                           [B] indirectly augmented. = modest       

[C] excessively increased. （正反，原文modest）  [D]fairly adjusted.

5---Reform has been vigorously opposed, perhaps most egregiously 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.

改革受到强烈反对，尤其惊人的是教育改革。特许学校，学术机构和绩效奖都要面对长期战役。即使有充足的证据：教师质量是最重要的因素，但教师工会反对放弃差老师而鼓励好老师。

6---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.

对反对改革会对每个人产生坏处，这种坏处现在变得越来越明显了，政治家开始打压取缔。在威斯康辛，工会集结了上千上万的支持者反对Scott Walker, 共和党强硬派。但是，公务员也会受到现有体制的不利影响。

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.（5,6段讲反对正当改革不好）

[D] are dominant in the government.

7---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.

哈佛肯尼迪学院的John Donahue 指出，西方行政部门的文化标准适合那些想留在原地的人，但对于优秀人才是不利的。年薪25万的美国公务员是大学体育教练和美国总统。银行家厚实的工资袋导致了众多批评，但公务员系统不能回馈优秀人才可能是美国面临的更大问题。

40. John Donahue’s attitude towards the public-sector system is one of

[A] disapproval.   （7段最后） [B]appreciation.           [C]tolerance.         [D]indifference.