Question

One of the most difficult questions to answer is how much a job is worth. We naturally expect that a doctor’s salary will be higher than a bus conductor’s wages. But the question becomes much more difficult to answer when we compare a miner with an engineer, or an unskilled man working on an oil-rig（钻探平台）with a teacher in a secondary school. What the doctor, the engineer and the teacher have in common is that they have devoted several years to studying in order to obtain the necessary qualifications for their professions. We feel instinctively that these skills and these years should be rewarded. At the same time we recognize that the work of the miner and the oil-rig laborer is both hard and dangerous, and that they must be highly paid for the risks they take.
　　Another aspect we must take into consideration is how socially useful a man’s work is. Most people would agree that looking after the sick or teaching children is more important than, say, selling second-hand cars. Yet it is almost certain that the used-car salesman earns more than the nurse and the schoolteacher.
　　Indeed, this whole question of just rewards can be turned on its head. You can argue that a man who does a job which brings him personal satisfaction is already receiving part of his reward in the form of a so-called “psychic（精神的）wage”, and that it is the man with the boring, repetitive job who needs more money to make up for the soul-destroying repetitiveness of his work. It is significant that the jobs like nursing and teaching continue to be poorly paid, while others, such as those in the world of sport or entertainment, carry financial rewards out of all proportion to their social worth.
Although the amount of money that people earn is largely determined by market forces, this should not prevent us from seeking some way to decide what is the right pay for the job. A starting point would be to try to decide the ratio（比率）which ought to exist between the highest and the lowest paid. The picture is made more complicated by two factors: firstly by the welfare benefits which every citizen receives, and secondly by the taxation system which is often used as an instrument of social justice by taxing high incomes at a very high rate indeed. Most countries now regard a ratio of 7:1 as socially acceptable. If it is less, the highly-qualified people carrying heavy responsibilities will become disappointed, and might even end up by leaving for another country. If it is more, the difference between rich and poor will be so great that it will lead to social unrest.
【小题1】Why do people naturally expect that doctors should be well-paid?

A．Their work requires greater intelligence.

B．They are under constant pressure at work.

C．They work harder than most other people.

D．They have studied for years to get qualified.

【小题2】In Paragraph 2 and 3, the author indicates that __________.

A．the talented should do more important work

B．unskilled jobs have less social responsibility

C．those with more socially useful jobs earn less

D．people want to pay more to important services

【小题3】Which of the following statements would the author agree?

A．It’s difficult to define the social value of a job.

B．The market will decide what the right pay is for a job.

C．People should find a proper ratio between high and low pay.

D．Those receiving high salary should carry heavy responsibilities.

Answer 1

【小题1】D
【小题2】C
【小题3】C

解析试题分析：文章讨论的是社会上工资分配问题，到底什么样的工作应该得到高工资？作者认为最低工资和最高工资应该有个适当的比率。
【小题1】细节题：从第一段的句子：What the doctor, the engineer and the teacher have in common is that they have devoted several years to studying in order to obtain the necessary qualifications for their professions. 可知医生经过多年的学习才有医师资格，所以人们认为他们应该拿高工资。选D
【小题2】细节题：从第二段的句子：Yet it is almost certain that the used-car salesman earns more than the nurse and the schoolteacher. 可知对社会有用的工作反而得到的工资很少。选C
【小题3】细节题：从第四段的句子：A starting point would be to try to decide the ratio（比率）which ought to exist between the highest and the lowest paid. 可知作者认为人们应该在最低工资和最高工资有个适当的比率。选C
考点：考查社会现象类短文
点评：首段主题由most difficult question引出，可见其后的内容都是围绕工资展开。第二段的主题句也很明显，显然就是对影响工资的另一个因素的讨论。而第三段indeed后面引出的才是作者真正的观点，即人的工资的有一部分是“精神工资”，只有算上这部分工资，才能衡量一个人真正应得的报酬。结构是很清楚的，题目设置都是细节题。可以在文章中直接找到与答案有关的信息?或是其变体。搜查信息在阅读中非常重要它包括理解作者在叙述某事时使用的具体事实、数据、图表等细节信息。