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The concept of man versus machine is at least as old as the industrial revolution, but this phenomenon tends to be most acutely felt during economic downturns and fragile recoveries. And yet, it would be a mistake to think we are right now simply experiencing the painful side of a boom and bust cycle. Certain jobs have gone away for good, outmoded by machines. Since technology has such an insatiable appetite for eating up human jobs, this phenomenon will continue to restructure our economy in ways we can't immediately foresee.

When there is exponential improvement in the price and performance of technology, jobs that were once thought to be immune from automation suddenly become threatened. This argument has attracted a lot of attention, via the success of the book Race Against the Machine, by Erik Brynjolfsson and Andrew McAfee, who both hail from MIT's Center for Digital Business. This is a powerful argument, and a scary one. And yet, John Hagel, author of The Power of Pull and other books, says Brynjolfsson and McAfee miss the reason why these jobs are so vulnerable to technology in the first place.

Hagel says we have designed jobs in the U.S. that tend to be "tightly scripted" and "highly standardized" ones that leave no room for "individual initiative or creativity." In short, these are the types of jobs that machines can perform much better at than human beings. That is how we have put a giant target sign on the backs of American workers, Hagel says. It's time to reinvent the formula for how work is conducted, since we are still relying on a very 20th century notion of work, Hagel says. In our rapidly changing economy, we more than ever need people in the workplace who can take initiative and exercise their imagination "to respond to unexpected events." That's not something machines are good at. They are designed to perform very predictable activities.

As Hagel notes, Brynjolfsson and McAfee indeed touched on this point in their book. We need to reframe race against the machine as race with the machine. In other words, we need to look at the ways in which machines can augment human labor rather than replace it. So then the problem is not really about technology, but rather, "how do we innovate our institutions and our work practices?"

31. According to the first paragraph, economic downturns would __________. 具体信息题

[A]. ease the competition of man vs. machine 划线信息与原文含义相反 “man versus machine … tends to be most acutely felt during economic downturns and fragile recoveries.”

[B]. highlight machines’ threat to human jobs 对应原文“this phenomenon tends to be most acutely felt during economic downturns and fragile recoveries”

[C]. provoke a painful technological revolution 划线信息错误搭配，原文为“industrial revolution”

[D]. outmode our current economic structure 错误搭配，原文“Certain jobs… outmoded by machines (一些工作被机器所替代)”

32. The authors of Race Against the Machine argue that _________. 段落信息题

[A]. technology is diminishing man’s job opportunities 对应原文“jobs that were once thought to be immune from automation suddenly become threatened (那些曾被认为无法被自动技术所取代的工作正遭受着随之而来的威胁)”

[B]. automation is accelerating technological development 不符合原文“once thought to be immune from automation”

[C]. certain jobs will remain intact after automation不符合原文“jobs that were once thought to be immune from automation suddenly become threatened (那些曾被认为无法被自动技术所取代的工作正遭受着随之而来的威胁)”

[D]. man will finally win the race against machine 信息来源有误，且含义不符“This is a powerful argument, and a scary one.”

33. Hagel argues that jobs in the U.S. are often _________.

[A]. performed by innovative minds不符合原文“no room for "individual initiative or creativity."”

[B]. scripted with an individual style 不符合原文“no room for "individual initiative or creativity."”

[C]. standardized without a clear target不符合原文“put a giant target sign on the backs of American workers”

[D]. designed against human creativity 符合原文“leave no room for "individual initiative or creativity”

34. According to the last paragraph, Brynjolfsson and McAfee discussed _____.

[A]. the predictability of machine behavior in practice 选项是针对第三段“They are designed to perform very predictable activities.（机器人是设计用来完成可以预测的各种任务）”而设计。信息来源有误且选项为拼凑的选项。

[B]. the formula for how work is conducted efficiently  信息来源有误，是Hagel的观点。

[C]. the ways machines replace human labor in modern times不符合原文“ … the ways in which machines can augment human labor rather than replace it我们应该去关注让机器增强人的能力而不是代替人力本身的方法”

[D]. the necessity of human involvement in the workplace符合原文，对应原文是 “rather than replace it”. 不取代人的劳动，强调人的参与。

35. Which of the following could be the most appropriate title for the text?

[A]. How to Innovate Our Work Practices 以偏概全

[B]. Machines will Replace Human Labor 错误

[C]. Can We Win the Race Against Machines 概括全文

[D]. Economic Downturns Stimulate Innovations 细节信息，以偏概全