歷年考研英語(yǔ)閱讀理解1996年03

[00:03.79]1996 Passage3 [00:07.62]In the last half of the nineteenth century "capital" [00:11.05]and "labour" were enlarging and perfecting [00:14.17]their rival organizations on modern lines. [00:17.63]Many an old firm was replaced by a limited liability company [00:22.49]with a bureaucracy of salaried managers. [00:26.12]The change met the technical requirements [00:28.39]of the new age by engaging a large professional element [00:32.83]and prevented the decline in efficiency [00:35.24]that so commonly spoiled the fortunes of family firms [00:38.78]in the second and third generation [00:40.85]after the energetic founders. [00:43.95]It was moreover a step away from individual initiative, [00:47.78]towards collectivism and municipal [00:50.20]and state-owned business. [00:52.62]The railway companies, though still private business managed [00:56.32]for the benefit of shareholders, [00:58.44]were very unlike old family business. [01:01.77]At the same time the great municipalities [01:04.59]went into business to supply lighting, [01:07.31]trams and other services to the taxpayers. [01:11.35]The growth of the limited liability company [01:14.65]and municipal business had important consequences. [01:19.26]Such large, impersonal manipulation of capital [01:22.80]and industry greatly increased the numbers [01:25.82]and importance of shareholders as a class, [01:28.75]an element in national life representing [01:31.47]irresponsible wealth detached from the land [01:34.60]and the duties of the landowners; [01:37.13]and almost equally detached [01:38.94]from the responsible management of business. [01:42.17]All through the nineteenth century, [01:43.92]America, Africa, India, Australia and parts of Europe [01:49.56]were being developed by British capital, [01:52.69]and British shareholders were thus enriched [01:55.11]by the world's movement towards industrialization. [01:58.93]Towns like Bournemouth and Eastbourne [02:01.96]sprang up to house large "comfortable" classes [02:05.19]who had retired on their incomes, [02:07.71]and who had no relation to the rest of the community [02:10.93]except that of drawing dividends and occasionally [02:14.26]attending a shareholders' meeting to dictate [02:16.19]their orders to the management. [02:18.90]On the other hand "shareholding" meant leisure and freedom [02:22.89]which was used by many of the later Victorians [02:25.82]for the highest purpose of a great civilization. [02:29.95]The "shareholders" as such had no knowledge of the lives, [02:33.98]thoughts or needs of the workmen employed [02:36.10]by the company in which he held shares, [02:39.23]and his influence on the relations of capital [02:41.74]and labour was not good. [02:44.47]The paid manager acting for the company [02:47.29]was in more direct relation [02:49.00]with the men and their demands, [02:51.32]but even he had seldom [02:52.69]that familiar personal knowledge of the workmen [02:56.21]which the employer had often had under [02:58.74]the more patriarchal system of [03:00.29]the old family business now passing away. [03:04.12]Indeed the mere size of operations [03:07.15]and the numbers of workmen involved rendered [03:09.47]such personal relations impossible. [03:13.21]Fortunately, however, the increasing power [03:15.83]and organization of the trade unions, [03:18.35]at least in all skilled trades, [03:20.68]enabled the workmen to meet on equal terms [03:23.39]the managers of the companies who employed them. [03:26.72]The cruel discipline of the strike and lockout [03:29.95]taught the two parties to respect each other's strength [03:33.05]and understand the value of fair negotiation.

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