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 stand 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_________
2. take advantage of the division of labor     B. introduce the division of labor into England
3. understand the effects of the division of labor D. explain the causes of the division of labor
4.  Adam Smith saw that the division of labor__________
5. enabled each worker to make pins more quickly and more cheaply
6. increased the possible output per worker
7. increased the number of people employed in factories
8. improved the quality of pins produced
9.  Adam Smith mentioned the number 4,800 in order to ________
10. show the advantages of the division of labor
11. show the advantages of the old craft system
12. emphasize how powerful the individual worker was
13. emphasize the importance of increased production
14.  According to the writer, Adam Smith's mistake was in believing that division of labor ________
15. was an efficient way of organizing work
16. was an important development in methods of production
17. certainly led to economic development     D. increased the production of existing goods
18.  Which of the following could serve as an appropriate title for the passage
19. Adam Smith, the English Economist     B. The Theory of Division of Labor
20. Division of Labor, an Efficient Way of Organizing Work
21. Adam Smith, the Last Discoverer of Division of Labor

核心词汇注释

division        n．分开，分割，区分；  除法；公司；(军事)师；分配；分界线

pin            n．钉，销，栓，大头针，别针：腿

              vt．钉住，别住；阻止，扣牢，止住，牵制

strengthen      v．加强，巩固

point          n．点，尖端；分数；要点

vt．削尖，指向，指出，瞄准，加标点于      vi．指，指向，表明

grind          v．磨(碎)，碾(碎)，折磨

polish         n．磨光，光泽；上光剂：  优雅，精良

              vt．擦亮，发亮，磨光，推敲         vi．发亮，变光滑

divide          v．分，划分，分开，隔开

separately      adj．个别地，分离地

still            n．寂静，剧照，照片         adj．静止的，静寂的

              adv．还，仍，更，还要，尽管如此，依然

enable          vt．使能够，授予权利或  方法

长难句剖析

    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 stand still.

[结构分析]本句是两个并列句。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，主语是division of labor，系动词是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，谓语动词是accounts for，宾语是the difference，between expanding economies and those that stand still作后置定语，其中还有一个修饰those的由that引导的定语从句。

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

    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是作表语，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]劳动分工无疑是组织工作的一种有效方式。

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部分优点的人。他举出英国大头针的生产过程这个例子来进行说明。

    “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。制作针头需要两或三个工序。把头安上是一个单独的工序，磨光这些针是另一个工序。照这样，制作大头针的重要工作被分成大约18个工序，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个工序。”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4,800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。

劳动分工无疑是组织工作的一种有效方式。更少的人可以制作更多的大头针。亚当·斯密看到这一些，但他杨当然地认为劳动分工是经济增长和发展的根本原因，而且可以解释扩张的经济和停滞不前的经济之间存在不同。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的原有产品来。

1． 按照本篇文章，亚当·斯密是第一个________ 的人。    [答案]C

A．利用劳动分工              B．把劳动分工引入英国

    C．理解劳动分工的作用        D．解释劳动分工的由来

    [解析]本题的依据是文章第1段的第1句话…was the first person to see the imponance of the division of labor and to explain part of its advantages。C项中的understand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_______。    [答案]B

    A．使工人们生产大头针速度更快，成本更低     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．提高了大头针的生产质量

    [解析]本题可参照文章的第3段。从中可知，通过分工合作工人们能极大地提高产量。 因此正确答案为B项。

3． 亚当·斯密说起4,800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________。    [答案]C

    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

    [解析]本题的依据是文章最后一段的第3句话Adam Smith saw this but he also took it for granted that和文章的最后一句话But division of labor adds nothing new：it only enables people to produce more of what they already have。因此C项是正确答案。

5． 下面哪一个题目最适合本篇文章    [答案]C

    A．亚当·斯密，英国经济学家            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

[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Adam smith出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。

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