Text 11

Adam Smith, writing in the 1770s, was the first person to see the importance of the division of labor and to explain part of its advantages. He gives as an example the process by which pins were made in England.

One man draws out the wire; another strengthens it; a third cuts it; a fourth points it; a fifth grinds it at the top to prepare it to receive the head. To make the head requires two or three operations. To put it on is a separate operation, to polish the pins is another. And the important business of making pins is, in this manner, divided into about eighteen operations, which in some factories are all performed by different people, though in others the same man will sometimes perform two or three of them.

Ten men, Smith said, in this way, turned out twelve pounds of pins a day or about 4,800 pins per worker. But if all of them had worked separately and independently without division of labor, none of them could have made twenty pins in a day and perhaps not even one.

There can be no doubt that division of labor is an efficient way of organizing work. Fewer people can make more pins. Adam Smith saw this but he also took it for granted that division of labor is in itself responsible for economic growth and development and that it accounts for the difference between expanding economies and those that standing still. But division of labor adds nothing new; it only enables people to produce more of what they already have.

1.According to the passage, Adam Smith was the first person to_______.

A.take advantage of the division of labor

B.introduce the division of labor into England

C.understand the effects of the division of labor

D.explain the causes of the division of labor

2.Adam Smith saw that the division of labor_______.

A.enabled each worker to make pins more quickly and more cheaply

B.increased the possible output per worker

C.increased the number of people employed in factories

D.improved the quality of pins produced

3.Adam Smith mentioned the number 4,800 in order to_______.

A.show the advantages of the division of labor

B.show the advantages of the old craft system

C.emphasize how powerful the individual worker was

D.emphasize the importance of increased production

4.According to the writer, Adam Smith's mistake was in believing that division of labor_______.

A.was an efficient way of organizing work

B.was an important development in methods of production

C.certainly led to economic development

D.increased the production of existing goods

5.Which of the following could serve as an appropriate title for the passage?

A.Adam Smith, the English Economist

B.The Theory of Division of Labor

C.Division of Labor, an Efficient Way of Organizing Work

D.Adam Smith, the Last Discoverer of Division of Labor

长难例句分析

［长难例句］Adam Smith saw this but he also took it for granted that division of labor is in itself responsible for economic growth and development and that it accounts for the difference between expanding economies and those that standing still.

［结构分析］本句是两个并列的句子连在一起。Adam Smith saw this是第一个句子。第二个句子则是but引出的转折部分，其中he是主语，took it for granted是谓语动词，it是形式宾语，而真正的宾语是后面由that引导的两个并列从句。第一个从句是主系表结构，主语division of labor，系动词is，in itself作状语，表语则是responsible for economic growth and development；第二个从句是主谓宾结构，it作主语，谓语动词accounts for，宾语是the difference，而between expanding economies and those that standing still作后置定语，其中还有一个由that引导的定语从句修饰those。

［参考译文］亚当·斯密看到这一点，但他理所当然地认为劳动分工是经济增长和发展的根本原因，而且可以说明扩张的经济和停滞不前的经济之间存在的不同。

［长难例句］There can be no doubt that division of labor is an efficient way of organizing work.

［结构分析］本句是there be结构，no doubt作表语，that引导的从句是no doubt的同位语从句。从句中主语是division of labor，表语是an efficient way of organizing work。

［参考译文］劳动分工无疑是一种组织工作的有效方式。

全文参考译文

18世纪70年代亚当·斯密开始写作，他是最先看到劳动分工的重要性并解释了其优点的人。他用英国大头针的生产过程这个例子对其进行了说明。

一人拉出铁丝；另一人拉紧；第三个人把它割断；第四个人把它弄尖；第五个人在它的一端打磨，这样可以让它准备好接头。制作针头需要两至三道工序。把头安上是一道单独的工序，磨光这些针是另一道工序。照这样，制作大头针的工作被分成大约18道工序，在有些工厂都是由不同的工人分别完成的，虽然在其他的厂家同一个人有时要完成两或三道工序。

斯密说，10个人用这样的方法一天可以生产12磅大头针，即大约每名工人生产4800个。但是若全部的工人单独工作而不进行劳动分工的话，一天之中，没有人可以制作出20个大头针：甚至有可能一个都没有。

劳动分工无疑是一种组织工作的有效方式。更少的人可以制作更多的大头针。亚当·斯密看到这一点，但他理所当然地认为劳动分工是经济增长和发展的根本原因，并且可以说明扩张的经济和停滞不前的经济之间存在的不同。但是劳动分工并未增添新的东西，它只是让人们能够生产出更多他们已经有的产品来。

题目答案与解析

1.按照本篇文章，亚当·斯密是第一个_________ 的人。

A.利用劳动分工　　　　B.把劳动分工引入英国

C.理解劳动分工作用　　D.解释劳动分工由来

【答案】C

【解析】本题的依据是文章第一段的第一句...was the first person to see the importance of the division of labor and to explain part of its advantages，C项中的understand就等于原文中的see，因此C项为正确答案。

2.亚当·斯密看到劳动分工_________。

A.使工人们生产大头针速度更快，成本更便宜

B.增加了每名工人的可能产量

C.增加了工厂雇佣工人的数量

D.提高了生产的大头针的质量

【答案】B

【解析】本题可参照文章的第三段。从中可知，通过劳动分工工人们能极大地提高产量。因此正确答案为B。

3.亚当·斯密说起4800这一数字的目的是_________。

A.显示劳动分工的优势　　　B.显示旧的工艺系统的优势

C.强调工人个体是多么强大　D.强调产量增长的重要性

【答案】A

【解析】本题可参照此句的下一句without division of labor, none of them could have made twenty pins in a day and perhaps not even one，从中可知，作者用这一数字显示分工的优越性。因此A项为正确答案。

4.按照作者的观点，亚当·斯密的错误是他认为分工问题_________。

A.是组织工作的有效方式　　B.是生产方式的重要发展

C.一定会导致经济的发展　　D.增加了现有货品的产量

【答案】C

【解析】本题的依据是文章的最后一段的第三句，从中可得知Adam Smith“理所当然地认为分工能促进经济”以及文章的最后一句“实际上，分工只能使工人们极大地提高产量”。因此C项是正确答案。

5.下面哪一个题目最适合本篇文章？

A.英国经济学家亚当·斯密　　　　　　　B.劳动分工原理

C.劳动分工：一种有效的劳动组织方式　D.亚当·斯密，劳动分工的最后发现者

【答案】C

【解析】从文中内容可知，A项不够全面，作者并非是在介绍这位经济学家。B项不适合，文章主要是讲分工，但重点不在理论研究方面，而是用实例说明分工怎样提高了劳动效率。D项是明显错误的，因为文章说亚当·斯密是第一个提出分工理论的人，而不是最后一个。因此C项是正确答案。