Labor force is defined as being the total number of people who are available to work and earn income. This definition includes everyone who is employed or seeking paid employment, so it includes employers and the self-employed. Labor is one of the country's resources which can be combined with other resources to produce the goods and services wanted by the community.

       Although the size of the workforce depends a great deal on the size of the total population, there are several other influences which also affect it. The age distribution (分布) of the total population has a very marked effect on the available workforce. If the population has a high proportion of very young people or of those too old to work, then the available workforce would be lower than if there were a balanced spread age distribution. If the population naturally grows rapidly, the number of births greatly exceeds (超出) the number of deaths then as a total population increases proportion of the workforce declines.

       Sometimes a population is described as aging which means that the birth rate is either falling or growing very slowly, and as people retire from the workforce there are insufficient numbers of young people entering it to replace those who are leaving it. In that situation the population is top-heavy with older people. So the percentage of the population in the workforce declines when there is either a rapid increase in births or a falling birth rate.

       The age distribution of the population has several important effects on the economy. If the population is aging and there is an increase in the number of people retiring without a corresponding increase in the number entering the workforce, this raises the problem of the ability of the economy to provide a reasonable level of social services to the retired group. If the aged are to be cared for in special homes, finance must be available for that purpose. If the size of the workforce is small relative to the total population, then the government tax revenue (税收) is relatively low and either the government has less money available to it or the workforce members have to be taxed more heavily.

In the passage “labor force” is defined as ___________.

A.people who are available to work and earn income

B.self-employed people only

C.people who are looking for an employment

D.employers who create job opportunities

The conclusion which can be drawn from the second paragraph is that___________.

A.a natural growth of population leads to a balanced workforce

B.a large population does not necessarily mean a higher proportion of workforce

C.the larger the population, the higher the proportion of the workforce

D.the workforce will be lower, if the population has a balanced age distribution,

When a population is said to be aging,___________.

A.there are more people retiring than those entering the workforce

B.the birth rate must be growing

C.there should be an oversupply of workforce

D.There are more people entering the workforce than those retiring

The population which is top-heavy with older people ___________ of a country.

A.leads to the high rate of unemployment 

B.results in low tax on the workforce members 

C.affects employees’ incomes

D.places pressure on the economy


There are four types of persons who go to work part-time. These include retirees who want a bit more income or socialization, parents who want to spend more time with their children, college and high school students and temporary agency workers who want more experience. Many people enjoy the advantages of working part-time, but benefits are rarely offered to part-time employees.
Most people are hoping for health insurance and retirement benefits when taking a job. Traditionally, companies only offer benefits to employees who work 30 hours or more a week. This is only a 25% reduction in hours, so it doesn’t free up a lot of time for the employee who needs part-time hours. Even when a part-timer is offered health benefits, he is rarely offered paid time off and retirement benefits. Dental benefits are almost never offered to part-time employees.
Many businesses hire part-time employees for the simple reason of saving money. If they work less than a certain number of hours, the employers don’t need to pay for benefits. There are companies, however, that are beginning to offer benefits to part-time employees. This includes benefits for health, paid time off and retirement plans. Some companies have begun to offer this in order to take in high quality, trained professionals who just want part-time hours. If a company wants a qualified employee, it will have to compete with other companies. People who may only want to work part-time may be forced to take a full-time job to get the benefits. Companies who offer benefits to part-timers have an advantage by offering more choices to their employees in terms of hours.
Conducting an Internet search is probably the quickest way to find companies that provide benefits for part-time employees. Many large corporations like Starbucks, Barnes & Noble and Whole Foods offer benefits to part-time employees among other things. Look for companies that offer a team approach to their employees. Employees are given choices and part of decision-making in the business. Businesses that allow employee input are more likely to offer benefits to part-timers.
【小题1】People prefer to work part-time mainly because they __________.

A.don’t want to spend more time on work
B.have so many household and social affairs
C.hope to have more money, time and experience
D.only expect to make more friends
【小题2】From the second paragraph we can learn that part-timers _______.
A.can enjoy as many benefits as full-timers
B.prefer retirement benefits to health insurance
C.often retire without enjoying any benefit
D.often enjoy fewer benefits than full-timers
【小题3】What’s the advantage of hiring part-time employees?
A.They don’t need the insurance.
B.They can save employers some money.
C.They have no choice but to work hard.
D.They can be also changed into full-timers.
【小题4】We can infer from the last paragraph that _________.
A.it’s easy to find companies providing benefits
B.companies not allowing employee input don’t offer any benefit to part-timers
C.Starbucks in England doesn’t provide benefits to full-timers
D.employees are often forced to choose their jobs

阅读下列材料, 从所给的六个选项(A、B、C、D、E 和 F)中, 选出符合各小题要求的最佳选项。选项中有一项是多余选项。
A. Prepare for Rainy Days                B. Watch Your Spending
C. Get Aggressive                     D. Start Saving
E. Set the Goal                          F. Save More
Steps to Retire a Millionaire
Having a million-dollar portfolio is a retirement dream for many people. Making that dream come true requires some serious effort. While success is never a sure thing, the steps outlined below will go a long way toward helping you achieve your objective.
61. ____
Vacations, car, kids and all of life's other expenses take a big chunk out of your paycheck. To maximize your savings, you need to minimize your expenses. Buying a home you can afford and living a lifestyle that is below your means and not funded by credit cards are all necessities if you want to boost your savings.
62. ____
If you don't save, you'll never reach your goal. As obvious as this might seems, far too many people never even start to save. If your employer offers a 401(k) plan, enrolling in the plan is a great way to put your savings on autopilot. Simply sign up for the plan and contributions will be automatically taken out of your paycheck, increasing your savings and decreasing your immediate tax liability.
If your employer offers to match your contributions up to a certain percentage, be sure to contribute enough to get the full match. It's like getting a guaranteed return on your investment. Finding the cash to stash may be a challenge, particularly when you're young, but don't let that stop you from pursuing future riches.
63. ____
Studies have shown that the majority of the returns generated by an investment are dictated by the asset-allocation decision. If you are looking to grow your wealth over time, fixed-income investments aren't likely to get the job done, and inflation can take a big chunk out of your savings.
Investing in equities entails more risk, but is also statistically likely to lead to greater returns. For many of us, it's a risk we have to take if want to see our wealth grow. Asset-allocation strategies can help you learn how to make picking the right mix of securities the core of your investing strategy.
64. ___
Part of long-term planning involves accepting the idea that setbacks will occur. If you are not prepared, these setbacks can put a stop to your savings efforts. While you can't avoid all of the bumps in the road, you can prepare in advance to mitigate the damage they can do.
65. ____
Your income should rise as time passes. You'll get raises, you'll change jobs, and maybe you'll get married and become a two-income family. Every time more cash comes in to your pocket, you should increase the amount that you save. The key to reaching your goal as quickly as possible is to save as much as you can.

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