GMAT阅读资料第27篇

时间：2024-12-25

S***ce the late 1970's, *** the face of a severe loss of market share *** dozens of ***dustries, manufacturers *** the Unit*** States h**e been try***g *** improve produc- ti***ty-and theref***e enhance their ***ternational (5) ***mpetitive***ss-through ***st-cutt***g programs. (***st- cutt***g here is def****** as rais***g lab*** output while hold***g the amount of lab*** ***nstant.) However, from 1978 through 1982, producti***ty-the value of ***ods manufactur*** di***d*** by the amount of lab*** ***put- (10) did not improve; and while the resu***s were better *** the bus***ess upturn of the three years follow***g, they ran 25 percent lower than producti***ty improve***nts dur***g ear***er, post-1945 upturns. At the sa*** ti***, it beca*** clear that the harder manufactures w***k*** *** imple- (15) ***nt ***st-cutt***g, the m***e they lost their ***mpetitive ***ge.

　　With this paradox *** m***d, I recently ********* 25 ***mpanies; it beca*** clear *** *** that the ***st-cutt***g approach *** ***creas***g producti***ty is funda***ntally (20) flaw***. Manufactur***g regularly observes a "40, 40, 20" rule. Roughly 40 percent of any manufactur***g-bas*** ***mpetitive advantage derives from long-term changes *** manufactur***g structure (decisions about the number, size, location, and capacity of faci***ties) and *** approaches (25) *** materials. Another 40 percent ******s from maj*** changes *** equip***nt and process technology. The f***al 20 percent rests on imple***nt***g ***nventional ***st- cutt***g. This rule does not imply that ***st-cutt***g ***uld not be tri***. The well-known ***ols of this approach- (30) ***clud***g simp***fy***g jobs and retra******g employees *** w***k smarter, not harder-do produce resu***s. But the ***ols qu***kly reach the ***mits of what they can ***ntribute.

　　Another problem is that the ***st-cutt***g approach (35) h***ders ***novation and dis***urages creative people. As Abernathy's study of ******mobile manufacturers has ***wn, an ***dustry can easily be****** priso***r of its own ***vest***nts *** ***st-cutt***g techniques, r***uc***g its abi***ty *** develop ***w products. And managers under (40) pressure *** maximize ***st-cutt***g will resist ***novation bec***se they know that m***e funda***ntal changes *** processes *** systems will wreak h**oc with the resu***s on wh***h they are ***asur***. Production managers h**e always seen their job as o*** of m***imiz***g ***sts and (45) maximiz***g output. This di***nsion of perf***mance has until recently suff****** as a basis of evaluation, but it has creat*** a penny-p***ch***g, ***chanist*** cu***ure *** most fac***ries that has kept away creative managers.

　　Every ***mpany I know that has fre*** itself from the (50) paradox has do*** so, *** part, by develop***g and imple- ***nt***g a manufactur***g strategy. Such a strategy focuses on the manufactur***g structure and on equip- ***nt and process technology. In o*** ***mpany a manu- factur***g strategy that allow*** different areas of the (55) fac***ry *** specia***ze *** different markets replac*** the ***nventional ***st-cutt***g approach; with*** three years the ***mpany rega****** its ***mpetitive advantage. Together with such strategies, su***es**ul ***mpanies are also en***urag***g managers *** focus on a wider set of objectives besides cutt***g ***sts. There is hope f*** manufactur***g, but it clearly rests on a different way of manag***g.

　　1.The ***th*** of the passage is primarily ***ncer***d with

　　(A) summariz***g a thesis

　　(B) re***m***nd***g a different approach

　　(D) mak***g a series of pr******tions

　　(E) describ***g a number of paradoxes

　　2. It can be ***ferr*** from the passage that the manufacturrs ***ntio***d *** ****** 2 expect*** that the ***asures they imple***nt*** would

　　(A) en***urage ***novation

　　(B) keep lab*** output ***nstant

　　(D) permit bus***ess upturns *** be m***e easily pr******t***

　　(E) c***se managers *** focus on a wider set of objectives

　　3. The primary function of the first paragraph of the passage is ***

　　(A) out****** *** brief the ***th***'s argu***nt

　　(B) ant***ipate challenges *** the prescriptions that follow

　　(D) summarize a number of long-a***ept*** explanations

　　(E) present a his***r***al ***ntext f*** the ***th***'s observations

　　4. The ***th*** refers *** Abernathy's study (****** 36) most probably *** ***der ***

　　(A) qua***fy an observation about o*** rule ***vern***g manufactur***g

　　(B) address possible objections *** a re***m***ndation about impro***ng manufactur***g ***mpetitive***ss

　　(D) suggest the centra***ty *** the Unit*** States e***nomy of a part***ular manufactur***g ***dustry

　　(E) given an example of research that has questio***d the wisdom of re***s***g a manufactur***g strategy

　　5. The ***th***'s attitude ***ward the cu***ure *** most fac***ries is best describ*** as

　　(A) c***tious

　　(B) crit***al

　　(D) respectful

　　(E) adula***ry

　　6. In the passage, the ***th*** ***cludes all of the follow***g EXCEPT

　　(A) personal observation

　　(B) a bus***ess pr***ciple

　　(D) an example of a su***es**ul ***mpany

　　(E) an illustration of a process technology

　　7. The ***th*** suggests that imple***nt***g ***nventional ***st-cutt***g as a way of ***creas***g manufactur***g ***mpetitive***ss is a strategy that is

　　(A) flaw*** and ru***ous

　　(B) ***rtsight*** and diff***u*** *** susta***

　　(D) useful but ***adequate

　　(E) misunders***od but promis***g