A. decreased in importance in manufacturing firms but increased in service firms

B. increased in importance in service firms but decreased in manufacturing firms

C. increased in importance in both service and manufacturing firms

D. decreased in importance in both service and manufacturing firms

10. To obtain employee input regarding benefits packages, employers often use        .

A. performance appraisals

B. psychological tests

C. union reports

D. opinion surveys

Answer:

1.B  2.A  3.D   4.C   5.A   6.C   7.D   8.C   9.C   10.D

三、阅读理解（每题3分，共30分）

（一）8788

Redundancy, like the poor which it helps to create, has always been with us. At one time, however, it was mainly a result of adverse trading conditions, especially during times of recession. This is, of course, still a major cause of redundancy, exacerbated by the pressures of global competition and international recession. But the drive for competitive advantage has forced organizations to ‘take cost out of the business’ - a euphemism for getting rid of people, employment costs being the ones on which companies focus, as they are usually the largest element in their cost structures. Result has been delayering (eliminating what are deemed to be unnecessary layers of management and supervision) and ‘downsizing’ (another euphemism) or even ‘right-sizing’ (a yet more egregious euphemism).

The introduction of new technology has contributed hugely to the reduction in the number of semi-skilled or unskilled people in offices and on the shop floor. But the thrust for productivity (more from less) and added value (increasing the income derived from the expenditure on people) has led to more use of such indices as added value per £ of employment costs to measure business performance with regard to the utilization of its ‘human resources’ (the use of human resources in this connection implies a measure of exploitation). Business process re-engineering techniques are deployed as instruments for downsizing. Benchmarking to establish which organizations are in fact doing more with less (and if so how they do it) is another popular way of preparing the case for ‘downsizing’.

The pressure for improved performance to meet more intense global competition explains why many organizations are setting higher standards for employees and are not retaining those who do not meet those standards. This may be done through disciplinary procedures, but performance management processes are being used to identify under-performers. Properly administered, such processes will emphasize positive improvement and development plans but they will inevitably highlight weaknesses and, if these are not overcome, disciplinary proceedings may be invoked.

Of course, people also leave organizations voluntarily to further their careers, get more money, move away from the district or because they are fed up with the way they feel they have been treated. They may also take early retirement (although this is sometimes involuntary) or volunteer for redundancy (under pressure or because they are being rewarded financially for doing so).

1. According to the passage, which of the following is a main cause of redundancy?      .

A. adver