2022年BEC商务英语阅读精选（2）

为了方便同学们的BEC商务英语学习，新东方在线BEC商务英语网为大家准备整理了BEC商务英语阅读精选，供大家阅读参考。更多有关BEC商务英语的资讯，尽在新东方在线BEC商务英语网!

2022年BEC商务英语阅读精选（2）

How Computers are Changing Your Career

Not so many years ago, there was a real fear that all jobs would be overtaken by computers. Now we know that is bunk. Technology has indeed changed the face of work, but not in the ways many people once predicted.

During the Industrial Revolution, technology brought low-skilled workers to the fore and
displaced higher-skilled craftspeople such as weavers and clock makers. Something different
is happening now. Strange as it sounds, computerized work creates both high-skilled and
low-skilled jobs. With a few exceptions, it is the "middling skilled jobs" that are most at
risk. To understand this pattern, begin with the fact that computers excel at jobs that can be
described as a series of logical rules.

Think about the airline kiosks that handle self-service check-in:

● Identify the passenger by reading the account number on his/her credit card

● Does the number on the credit card match a reservation in the data base (yes/no)?

● If no—reject the request

● If yes—does the passenger have a seat assignment in the data base (yes/no)?

● If no—show him/her the available seats

● If yes—complete the transaction.…. and so on.

This "rules-based" repetitive work occurs most frequently in clerical jobs—particularly
back office work—and in assembly line work.

Conversely, three main types of work cannot be described in rules:

(1) Identifying and solving new problems (if the problem is new, there is no rules-based solution to program).

(2) Engaging in complex communication—verbal and non-verbal—with other people in
jobs like leading, negotiating, teaching, and selling.

(3) Many "simple" physical tasks that are central to janitorial work, waiting on tables, and other service work. (For example, entering an unfamiliar room and making sense of what you see is trivial for a human but extremely difficult to program.)

Occupations have evolved over the last thirty years. Low-skilled service work—-for example janitors and security guards—is growing in importance, as are sales jobs and high-skilled technical and professional jobs. The relative declines come in manufacturing and clerical jobs—-rules-based jobs. Computers are not the only factor in this hollowing out, but they play an important role.

Advances in computerisation in the coming years will hollow out the occupational distribution even more, leaving a smaller and smaller percentage of the U.S. labor force employed in manufacturing and clerical jobs. Workers with the skills to do the growing number of managerial, technical, and sales jobs will prosper. Those without the requisite skills will be forced to compete for service jobs, the number of which is growing, but which do not pay well because almost all workers can do these jobs.

参考译文

电脑如何改变人们的职业

不过几年前，人们还在着实担心所有工作都会被电脑取代。如今我们知道这不过是骗人的鬼话。科技确实改变了工作的外在形式，但其方式并不像人们所预测的那样。

工业革命时期，科技使低技能工人发挥了积极作用，替代了编织工人和钟表匠等高技能手工业者。今天的情况则不同。虽然听起来奇怪，电脑化却为高技能和低技能工作均创造了种种机会。除了少数例外，最具危机的是"中等技能工作"。为于弄清这一模式，我们首先要了解，计算机最擅长的是那些可以形容为具备系统逻辑规律的工种。

回想一下机场办理登机手续的自助服务机：

● 通过扫描旅客信用卡账号确认其身份；

● 该账号是否符合数据库的某个预订信息（是/不是）；

● 如果回答"不是"——拒绝登机要求；

● 如果回答"是"——数据库中是否已为该旅客分配座位；

● 如果回答"不是"——显示空座位信息；

● 如果回答"是"——完成交易及其他。

这类"有规律可循"的重复工作最常见于一般事务工作，尤其是办公事务以及装配线工作。

反之，有三种工作是无规律可循的∶

（1）确认和解决新出现的问题（因为是新出现的，就缺乏根据规律设计的现成解快方案）。

（2）在领导，谈判、教学、销售等工作中需要与他人进行复杂的人际沟通一包括文字和非文字的沟通。

（3）办公楼门卫、餐馆服务生和其他服务性工作所涉及的许多"简单"体力活（诸如进入一间陌生屋子，弄懂眼中所见，对人而言是轻而易举的事情，但要编成程序却难上加难）。

在过去30年中，不同职业经历了不同的发展过程。对技术要求不高的服务性工作，例如门卫和保安，其重要性日益增加，同样重要的还包括销售工作和高技能的专业技术工作。而制造和文书工作则呈相对下降的趋势，它们均为有规律可循的工作。计算机并非造成这一现象的唯一因素，但它却起着重要作用。

未来计算机的发展还会进一步拉开职业分布状况，是美国从事制造业和文秘工作的劳动力比例越来越小，而管理、技术和销售行业的工作机会则日益增多，具备相关技能的从业者前景辉煌。缺乏必要技能的人将被迫竞争服务性工作，这类工作虽然数量增加，却由于几乎所有工人均能承担，收入并不理想。

想获取更多BEC备考资料及学习素材，可扫码加助教领取↓