真题训练

In the last half of the nineteenth century "capital" and "labour" were enlarging and perfecting their rival organisations on modern lines. Many an old firm was replaced by a limited liability company with a bureaucracy of salaried managers. The change met the technical requirements of the new age by engaging a large professional element and prevented the decline in efficiency that so commonly spoiled the fortunes of family firms in the second and third generation after the energetic founders. It was moreover a step away from individual initiative, towards collectivism and municipal and state-owned business. The railway companies, though still private business managed for the benefit of shareholders, were very unlike old family business. At the same time the great municipalities went into business to supply lighting, trams and other services to the taxpayers.
The growth of the limited liability company and municipal business had important consequences. Such large, impersonal manipulation of capital and industry greatly increased the numbers and importance of shareholders as a class, an element in national life representing irresponsible wealth detached from the land and the duties of the landowners; and almost equally detached from the responsible management of business. All through the nineteenth century, America, Africa, India, Australia and parts of Europe were being developed by British capital, and British shareholders were thus enriched by the world's movement towards industrialisation. Towns like Bournemouth and Eastbourne sprang up to house large "comfortable" classes who had retired on their incomes, and who had no relation to the rest of the community except that of drawing dividends and occasionally attending a shareholders' meeting to dictate their orders to the management. On the other hand "shareholding" meant leisure and freedom which was used by many of the later Victorians for the highest purpose of a great civilization.
The "shareholders" as such had no knowledge of the lives, thoughts or needs of the workmen employed by the company in which he held shares, and his influence on the relations of capital and labour was not good. The paid manager acting for the company was in more direct relation with the men and their demands, but even he had seldom that familiar personal knowledge of the workmen which the employer had often had under the more patriarchal system of the old family business now passing away. Indeed the mere size of operations and the numbers of workmen involved rendered such personal relations impossible. Fortunately, however, the increasing power and organisation of the trade unions, at least in all skilled trades, enabled the workmen to meet on equal terms the managers of the companies who employed them. The cruel discipline of the strike and lockout taught the two parties to respect each other's strength and understand the value of fair negotiation.

59. It's true of the old family firms that ________.
[A] they were spoiled by the younger generations
[B] they failed for lack of individual initiative
[C] they lacked efficiency compared with modern companies
[D] they could supply adequate services to the taxpayers

60. The growth of limited liability companies resulted in ________.
[A] the separation of capital from management
[B] the ownership of capital by managers
[C] the emergence of capital and labour as two classes

[D] the participation of shareholders in municipal business
61. According to the passage, all of the following are true except that ________.
[A] the shareholders were unaware of the needs of the workers
[B] the old firm owners had a better understanding of their workers
[C] the limited liability companies were too large to run smoothly
[D] the trade unions seemed to play a positive role

62. The author is most critical of ________.
[A] family firm owners
[B] landowners
[C] managers
[D] shareholders
难句解析

难句解析：
①The change met the technical requirements of the new age by engaging a large professional element and prevented the decline in efficiency that so commonly spoiled the fortunes of family firms in the second and third generation after the energetic founders.
▲句子的主干结构是The change met... requirements... and prevented the decline...。其中by engaging a large professional element是介词词组作状语，说明met the technical requirements of the new age的方式。decline in efficiency后面的that引导定语从句修饰前面的decline in efficiency。
△此句的阅读关键在于抓住句子的主干，即主要谓语动词，这样就能把握句子的基本结构，从而明白句子的主要意思。engage在这里的意思是“使卷入，涉及”。
②Such large, impersonal manipulation of capital and industry greatly increased the numbers and importance of shareholders as a class, an element in national life representing irresponsible wealth detached from the land and the duties of the landowners; and almost equally detached from the responsible management of business.
▲这个句子的主干结构是... manipulation... increased the numbers and importance of shareholders as a class...。其中an element是class的同位语，representing irresponsible wealth是现在分词作定语修饰前面的element，detached from则是过去分词作后置定语，相当于是省略了which is的定语从句。and连接两个detached from，都修饰前面的wealth。
△理解an element是a class的同位语是理解此句的关键。只要分清句子的主语、谓语动词的中心词，就能够抓住句子的主要意思。在速度的时候，也可以先抓住主句而略过an element后面的部分不看。另外句中一些短语的意思也会影响到对整句的理解，如：detach from与……相分离；irresponsible wealth不负责任的财富，在本句中指的是股东们虽然拥有大量财富，但并不参与公司的运作，不承担任何经营管理的责任。
③Towns like Bournemouth and Eastbourne sprang up to house large "comfortable" classes who had retired on their incomes, and who had no relation to the rest of the community except that of drawing dividends and occasionally attending a shareholders' meeting to dictate their orders to the management.
▲这个句子的主干结构是Towns... sprang up to house... classes，后面两个who引导两个定语从句修饰前面的classes。except在这里是介词，它后面的that指代relation。drawing和attending是并列关系，作介词of的宾语。动词不定式to dictate their orders to the management是表示目的的状语。
△理解这句的关键是两个who引导的定语从句都是修饰classes的，而且except后面的that指代的是relation。
④The "shareholders" as such had no knowledge of the lives, thoughts or needs of the workmen employed by the company in which he held shares, and his influence on the relations of capital and labour was not good.
▲这个句子是and连接的两个并列句。第一个句子的主干结构是The "shareholders" had no knowledge...。在第一个句子中，employed作定语修饰前面的workmen，相当于省略了who were (employed by)...。which引导定语从句in which he held shares修饰前面的company。第二句的主干结构是his influence... was not good，是常见的主语+系动词+表语结构。
△第一分句中要认清employed by和后面which引导的从句都是修饰什么成分的。另外，在阅读本句中，指代关系也非常重要，要看清代词he和his都是指代前面的shareholders。
⑤The paid manager acting for the company was in more direct relation with the men and their demands, but even he had seldom that familiar personal knowledge of the workmen which the employer had often had under the more patriarchal system of the old family business now passing away.
▲首先这个句子是but连接的两个转折关系的句子。第一个句子的主干结构是The... manager... was in more direct relation with...。第一个句子中acting for是现在分词作定语，修饰manager。第二个句子的主干结构是he had seldom that... knowledge of the workmen...。第二个句子中which引导定语从句which the employer had often had...修饰前面的familiar personal knowledge，passing away是现在分词作定语修饰前面的family business。under the more patriarchal system of the old family business是介词词组作状语，修饰谓语had often had。
△理解本句的重点在于对第二个分句的理解。he指代前面的the paid manager，which引导的定语从句是修饰that familiar personal knowledge的，而不是修饰workmen的，因为在这个of词组that familiar personal knowledge of the workmen当中中词词是knowledge，而且其中的that一词是用来强调familiar personal knowledge，在朗读的时候应该重读。另外现在分词词组now passing away是修饰前面的the old family business的。把这些修饰关系弄清楚，就能够把握句子的层次结构了。

试题解析

试题解析：
59. [C] 本题提问部分意为：事实上，老家族公司……。选择项[C]意为：与现代公司相比，它们缺乏效率。
第一段第二、三句指出，许多老公司被拥有各级拿薪水的经理的有限（责任）公司所取代。这一变化通过一大批专业人员的使用适应了新时代技术的要求、防止了效率的下降。而效率的下降使许多家族公司破产，因为第二、三代继承人已不像公司的创立者那样精力充沛。
A意为：它们被后代毁了。[A]不对主要有两个原因，其一，原文指出：是效率的下降毁了家庭公司，而效率的下降可能是主观原因造成的，也可能是客观原因造成的；其二，根据原文，效率的下降通常(so commonly)在第二、三代毁了家庭公司，so commonly一词的使用说明还有没破产的家庭公司。
B意为：它们因缺乏个人的独创精神而破产。从以上的分析可见，破产的原因是缺乏效率。
D意为：它们能为纳税人提供足够的服务项目。
60. [A] 意为：资本与管理的分离，
第二段指出，有限公司及市营买卖的发展引起了重大变化。对资本与企业的如此大规模的非个人操纵大大地增加了作为一个阶级的持股人的数量及其地位的重要性。国民生活中这一现象的出现代表了与土地及土地所有者相分离的不由个人负责的财富的出现，而且这也意味着（不由个人负责的财富）几乎在同等程度上与由个人负责的商业管理的分离。在整个19世纪，美洲、非洲、印度、澳大利亚及欧洲的部分国家的发展靠的是英国的资本，因此，在世界走向工业化的过程中英国的股东们大发其财。从以上的论述可以看出，作者认为：有限公司的发展引起了资本与经营的分离，投资者（股东）并不实际参加经营，而是坐吃红利(dividends)或有时参加些间接管理；而真正的管理者未必再是公司的拥有者。这一点从第三段的论述也同样可以看出。
B意为：经理对资本的所有权。
C意为：劳资两个阶级的出现。劳资两个阶级早在资本主义的形成时期就已经存在了。
D意为：股东对市办买卖的参与。
61. [C] 意为：有限公司太大以至于运转艰难。本文并未提到这一点。
A意为：股东不了解工人的需要。这一点在第三段第一句说得很清楚。该句可译为：这样的“股东”根本就不了解自己持股的公司里的工人们的生活、思想和需要，因此．他们对劳资双方的关系有不良影响。
B意为：老公司的老板更了解自己的工人。第三段第二、三句指出，公司的拿薪水的执行经理与工人和他们的需要有更直接的关系。但是，与现在正在消失的世袭制的旧家族企业的老板相比，即使是他也很少有过去那种对工人的熟悉程度。的确，仅经营的规模和雇用工人的数量两方面就使得这种个人关系的建立成为不可能的事。
C意为：工会似乎起一个正面作用。第三段第三、四句指出，然而，值得庆幸的是，至少在所有技术行业，工会与日俱增的力量使得工人们可以同他们的雇主平起平坐。罢工与封厂的严酷惩罚使双方学会了互相尊重，明白了公平协商的价值。可见，在这方面，工会起到了保护工人的积极作用。
62. [D] 提问中is critical of意为：对……持批评态度。
第二段第四句将股东阶层称为“饱食终日”(comfortable)者，他们与别人的关系仅限于抽取红利，他们偶尔也参加一次股东会，对企业的管理指手画脚(dictate their orders)。第三段指出，他们不了解工人，不关心工人。这里使用的显然是一种批评的语气。

全文翻译

全文翻译：
19世纪后半叶，“资方”和“劳方”按现代方式不断扩大和完善各自相对立的组织。许多旧式公司被责任有限公司所取代，由领薪经理构成其管理机构。这种变革通过聘用大量专业人员来适应新时代的技术要求，并防止了效率的降低，而在过去这种低效率使得许多旧式家族企业在精力充沛的创业者之后的第二、三代手中破产倒闭。而且这也是公司摆脱个体创造，走向集体化和市营、国营迈出的一步。铁路公司，虽然仍是为股东谋利的私有企业，但还是与旧家族企业大不相同了。与此同时，大城市也开始涉足实业界，为纳税人提供照明、电车及其他服务。
有限责任公司及市政企业的发展导致了重大后果。对资本与企业的如此大规模的非个人操纵大大地增加了作为一个阶级的持股人的数量及其地位的重要性。他们在国民生活中代表着非责任性的财富，与土地及土地所有者责任相分离，几乎也同样与企业的责任经营相分离。整个19世纪，美洲、非洲、印度、澳洲及欧洲的部分地区都靠英国的资本发展起来，而英国股东则因世界性的工业化而大发其财。像伯恩茅斯和伊斯特本这样的城市的兴起是为了给大批“舒适”阶层提供居住场所，这些人靠自己的丰厚收入而不工作，除了领取红利，偶尔参加股东会议向管理人员发号施令外，他们与外界没有联系。另一方面“持股”就意味着悠闲和自由，维多利亚后期许多人视之为伟大文明的最高目标。
这种股东不了解他们所持股的公司里工人们的生活、思想和需求。他们对劳资关系也不会产生积极的影响。领取报酬后代表公司经营的经理与工人和工人的需求形成更加直接的关系，但甚至他也很少像正在被淘汰的旧式家族企业的家长制中的雇主那样对工人有着亲近的、个人化的了解。的确，单说公司的经营规模和所用的工人数量就使建立这种个人关系不可能了。然而，幸运的是，工会的势力和组织在日益壮大，至少在各技术行业是这样，这就使工人与雇用他们的公司经理们地位平等了。罢工和封厂的严酷惩罚使双方学会了互相尊重对方的力量，理解公正谈判的价值。