Recently, Congressional Democrats introduced legislation to make it easier for older workers to win age discrimination lawsuits. Age discrimination remains a significant work place issue.
In recent ten years, 15.79 percent of cases brought to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, were described at successful claims. While this number is small given the number of workers covered by the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, many, if not most, instances of age discrimination are never sued, and cases of hiring discrimination often go undetected.
Most of those who do sue are white, male middle-mangers who are likely to have lost a sizeable salary and pension. For the most part, other groups do not sue because the costs of a lawsuit outweigh the potential benefits. Age discrimination remains a significant workplace issue.
There is strong experimental evidence for age discrimination in hiring at least for entry level jobs. Recently, I performed a labor market experiment in Boston in which I sent out thousands of resumes for fictitious(虚构的) entry level female candidates and measured response rate based on date of high school graduation. Among this group, younger applicants, whose date of high school graduation indicated that they were less than 50 years old, were 40 percent more like to be called back for an interview than were older applicants.
It is difficult to tell whether employment problems are worse for older worker that for other workers when times are bad. The number of discrimination lawsuits increases during times of high unemployment, but this finding by itself does not indicate an increased level of age discrimination. In times of higher unemployment, the opportunity cost to a lawsuit is lower than it is when times are good.
From the employer’s perspective, mass layoffs may seem like a good chance to remove a higher proportion of generally more expensive older workers without the worry of being sued. On the other hand, employers may be less likely to remove protected older workers because they still fear lawsuits. One thing we do know is that once an older worker loses a job, he or she is much less likely to find a new job than a younger worker is.
Unfortunately, the effect of legislation prohibiting age discrimination is not easy to see and may actually be part of the reason it is so difficult for older workers to find employment. If it is more difficult to fire an older worker than a younger worker, a firm will be less likely to want to hire older workers. Indeed, my research finds that in states where workers have longer time to bring a lawsuit claim, older men work fewer weeks per year, are less likely to be hired, and less likely to be fired than men in states where they do not have as much.
Not many people would suggest that we go back to a world prior to the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, in which advertisements specify the specific ages of people they are willing to hire. However, legislation prohibiting discrimination is no panaceas(万灵药). The recently proposed congressional legislation could have both positive and negative effects on potential older workers.
41. A lot of cases of age discrimination are not known because( ).
42. The labor market experiment in Boston shows that( ).
43. What may lead to the increase of discrimination lawsuits during times of high unemployment?
44. From the last paragraph, we learn that( ).
45. The author is( )when he analyzes the age discrimination issue.
问题1选项
A.age discrimination law was just introduced recently
B.other discriminated groups don’t sue except the whites
C.age discrimination cases are in large quantity and it is difficult to detect all of them
D.benefits from winning a lawsuit may not be enough to cover the expenses
问题2选项
A.younger male applicants are more likely to be hired than their female counterparts
B.age discrimination is quite common in the hiring process
C.the author collected information by interviewing female applicants
D.female applicants who are 50 years old will never have a chance to get a job
问题3选项
A.The increase of age discrimination.
B.The decrease of age discrimination.
C.The decrease of opportunity cost to lawsuits.
D.The increase of opportunity cost to lawsuits.
问题4选项
A.employers could specify the ages of people they want to hire in the past
B.all employers recruited workers through advertisements in the past
C.legislation prohibiting discrimination can’t free old workers from age discrimination
D.the recently proposed congressional legislation issue
问题5选项
A.pessimistic
B.partial
C.objective
D.doubtful
第1题:D
第2题:B
第3题:C
第4题:A
第5题:C
41. 推理判断题。定位在第二段的最后一句cases of hiring discrimination often go undetected.(许多年龄歧视没有被发现)说出了事实,接下来第三段开始说明原因。根据第三段的最后一句For the most part, other groups do not sue because the costs of a lawsuit outweigh the potential benefits.(其他群体不提出诉讼主要是因为诉讼费远远超过潜在的利益。)由此可知,许多年龄歧视的案例未被发现主要是因为提出诉讼的价格高,而给本人带来的利益也有限。因此D选项“打赢官司的好处可能不足以支付费用”正确,符合题意。A选项“年龄歧视法是最近才出台的”,B选项“除白人外,其他受歧视的群体不起诉”根据原文Most of those who do sue are white, male middle-mangers who are likely to have lost a sizeable salary and pension.(大多数起诉的人都是白人男性中层管理人员,他们很可能失去可观的工资和养老金。)只说了大多数是白人,说法过于绝对,可排除。C选项“年龄歧视案件数量众多,很难全部发现”均不符合题意。故选D。
42. 推理判断题。定位在第四段There is strong experimental evidence for age discrimination in hiring at least for entry level jobs. Recently, I performed a labor market experiment in Boston…(有强有力的实验证据表明,至少在初级职位的招聘中存在年龄歧视。最近,我在波士顿做了一个劳动力市场实验……)实验调查内容就是为了证明年龄歧视在招聘过程中很普遍。因此B选项“年龄歧视在招聘过程中是很常见的”,正确,符合题意。A选项“年轻的男性求职者比女性求职者更有可能被聘用”,实验未涉及性别歧视,可排除。C选项“作者通过对女性申请者的面试来收集信息”,与题意不符,可排除。D选项“50岁的女性申请者永远不会有机会找到工作”说法过于绝对,可排除。根据原文Among this group, younger applicants, whose date of high school graduation indicated that they were less than 50 years old, were 40 percent more like to be called back for an interview than were older applicants.(在这一组中,较年轻的申请人——高中毕业日期表明他们不到50岁比较年长的申请人更有可能被召回面试。)只是相较于50岁的申请人而言,青年会更有优势。A,C,D选项均不符合题意,故选B。
43. 客观细节题。定位在第五段的最后两句The number of discrimination lawsuits increases during times of high unemployment, but this finding by itself does not indicate an increased level of age discrimination. In times of higher unemployment, the opportunity cost to a lawsuit is lower than it is when times are good.(在高失业率时期,歧视诉讼的数量会增加,但这一发现本身并不意味着年龄歧视的水平会增加。在失业率较高的时期,打官司的机会成本比经济好的时候要低。)由此可知高失业率时期诉讼机会成本较低会导致诉讼案件增加。因此C选项“诉讼机会成本的降低”正确,符合题意。A选项“年龄歧视加剧”,B选项“年龄歧视的减少”,D选项“诉讼机会成本的增加”,均不符合题意,故选C。
44. 客观细节题。定位在最后一段的第一句Not many people would suggest that we go back to a world prior to the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, in which advertisements specify the specific ages of people they are willing to hire.(没有多少人会建议我们回到《就业年龄歧视法》颁布之前的世界,在《就业年龄歧视法》颁布之前,广告会明确规定他们愿意雇佣的人的具体年龄。)由此可知,以前的雇主会明确规定求职者的年龄。因此A选项“在过去,雇主可以指定他们想要雇佣的人的年龄”正确,符合题意。B选项“过去所有的雇主都通过广告招聘工人”,说法过于绝对,错误。C选项“立法禁止歧视并不能使老工人免于年龄歧视”,根据原文legislation prohibiting discrimination is no panaceas.(立法禁止歧视并不是万灵药)年龄歧视应该是老人在应聘过程中会遇到的,《歧视法》不是万能药,至少也能够对一部分人适用,故可排除。D选项“最近提出的国会立法问题”,表面信息,不需要推理,可排除。故选A。
45. 观点态度题。本文讲述了工作中的年龄歧视问题。第一段引出话题,第二三段用数据说明,最后得出结论用立法来解决年龄歧视的问题并不是万能的,最近的提案也可能有其利弊。作者在整篇文章中都没有带自己的主观色彩,由此可知作者对年龄歧视问题的分析是客观的。因此C选项“客观的”正确,符合题意。A选项“悲观的”,B选项“部分的;不公平的”,D选项“可疑的”,均不符合题意,故选C。