题目
Over the past decade， the growth in highskilled jobs has largely been limited to Australia's biggest cities． Meanwhile， in rural and regional Australia lowerskilled jobs have been growing fastest． This skills gap is increasing regional differences in income and employment opportunities， despite the promises of technology and infrastructure as solutions to the tyranny of remoteness． Our research finds that jobs， particularly the highly skilled， whitecollar kind， are becoming increasingly collaborative（协作的）． Complex tasks and rapidly changing work environments have increased the need for workers who can collaborate with others to solve problems and who are open to continuous learning． Roles for highly skilled workers are becoming more specialized． This specialization means more collaboration with other specialists and greater space for market positioning． The productive advantages of cities are selfreinforcing． Skilled workers benefit from the opportunity to learn from and add value with other skilled workers． The coordination（协调） costs of this collaborative work are reduced when team members are colocated． Employers also benefit from proximity（接近） to similar firms because there is a larger pool of skilled candidates for new jobs and better access to potential business partners． All these advantages encourage further specialization and productivity gains， with the result that workers and business continue to concentrate around large city centers． The growing skills divide between urban and rural Australia reflects a paradox（悖论） of the digital economy． While digital technology represents a channel for bridging geographic distance， highly skilled workers are increasingly crowding into cities． The latest census（人口普查） data shows no change in the rate of working from home， despite muchimproved digital infrastructure in some areas． In time this may change， perhaps as video confferencing technology improves． However， while better technology might allow regional workers to interact with colleagues and clients in cities， it will also make it easier for citybased professionals to service regional areas． Employment is still growing in regional Australia． But the fact that cities make highly skilled workers more productive means the gap in skilled employment is likely to continue to widen． Attempts to swim against this tide by moving skilled jobs to the country will be expensive． Currently， subsidies（补助金） are needed to attract and retain（保留） highly skilled health professionals to regional communities． Despite this， our analysis of the latest census data shows that the skills gap between regions and cities is still growing． So these subsidies are not translating into sustainable， collaborative communities of highskilled regional workers． Instead， regions need to focus on their strengths， and foster the entrepreneurship that can create new sources of gainful employment． The government's move towards more individualised funding arrangements in the aged care and disability care sectors will increasingly become a resilient（有弹性的） source of income for workers and businesses in regional communities． Demand for aged care services is expected to increase dramatically in the coming decades， such that by 2050 some 3.5 million Australians will require aged care． Adding to this， regional communities are experiencing population ageing at a faster rate than the large capital cities． These are important jobs which should be recognised as such． There will be opportunities for regional businesses to provide the technology and services （ranging from personalised transport to food services） which allow older people and Australians with disability to remain active and healthy． Currently people from the regions who are eager for professional careers typically move to the city to study． In many cases they do not return． Here， technology may be part of the solution． Combining specialised online educational resources with good local support teachers could enable students to access a much wider range of courses from regional areas． Regional communities will also need entrepreneurs（企业家） to develop the future industries and microbusinesses which improve the diversity and resilience of the local economy． However， startups and existing businesses are more likely to survive and expand when there is a supportive entrepreneurship ecosystem， including access to relevant skills development opportunities．（1）Workers and business continue to concentrate around large city centers in that ____ ．A． highly skilled workers increase the coordination costsB． potential business partners live close to large city centersC． they encourage selfdependence and increase differencesD． they benefit from specialization and productive advantages（2）What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 5 mean？ ____ A． Digital infrastructure in some areas have been greatly improved．B． The lowerskilled workers are likely to have a considerable income．C． Digital technology doesn't necessarily bridge the gap in skilled employment．D． The government will have more support and preferential policies for business．（3）The author mentions "aged care services" to indicate that ____ ．A． they lack proper managementB． they can bring new jobs to regionsC． they focus on their technical strengthsD． they help regions' funding arrangements（4）What does the passage mainly talk about？ ____ A． Lowskilled jobs have been growing fast in regional Australia．B． Regional Australia is committed to the development of local economy．C． The skill jobs gap is increasing between cities and regions in Australia．D． Highly skilled workers crowd into cities to pursue career development．
Over the past decade， the growth in highskilled jobs has largely been limited to Australia's biggest cities． Meanwhile， in rural and regional Australia lowerskilled jobs have been growing fastest． This skills gap is increasing regional differences in income and employment opportunities， despite the promises of technology and infrastructure as solutions to the tyranny of remoteness．
Our research finds that jobs， particularly the highly skilled， whitecollar kind， are becoming increasingly collaborative（协作的）． Complex tasks and rapidly changing work environments have increased the need for workers who can collaborate with others to solve problems and who are open to continuous learning． Roles for highly skilled workers are becoming more specialized． This specialization means more collaboration with other specialists and greater space for market positioning．
The productive advantages of cities are selfreinforcing． Skilled workers benefit from the opportunity to learn from and add value with other skilled workers． The coordination（协调） costs of this collaborative work are reduced when team members are colocated．
Employers also benefit from proximity（接近） to similar firms because there is a larger pool of skilled candidates for new jobs and better access to potential business partners． All these advantages encourage further specialization and productivity gains， with the result that workers and business continue to concentrate around large city centers．
The growing skills divide between urban and rural Australia reflects a paradox（悖论） of the digital economy． While digital technology represents a channel for bridging geographic distance， highly skilled workers are increasingly crowding into cities．
The latest census（人口普查） data shows no change in the rate of working from home， despite muchimproved digital infrastructure in some areas． In time this may change， perhaps as video confferencing technology improves． However， while better technology might allow regional workers to interact with colleagues and clients in cities， it will also make it easier for citybased professionals to service regional areas．
Employment is still growing in regional Australia． But the fact that cities make highly skilled workers more productive means the gap in skilled employment is likely to continue to widen．
Attempts to swim against this tide by moving skilled jobs to the country will be expensive． Currently， subsidies（补助金） are needed to attract and retain（保留） highly skilled health professionals to regional communities． Despite this， our analysis of the latest census data shows that the skills gap between regions and cities is still growing．
So these subsidies are not translating into sustainable， collaborative communities of highskilled regional workers． Instead， regions need to focus on their strengths， and foster the entrepreneurship that can create new sources of gainful employment．
The government's move towards more individualised funding arrangements in the aged care and disability care sectors will increasingly become a resilient（有弹性的） source of income for workers and businesses in regional communities． Demand for aged care services is expected to increase dramatically in the coming decades， such that by 2050 some 3.5 million Australians will require aged care． Adding to this， regional communities are experiencing population ageing at a faster rate than the large capital cities．
These are important jobs which should be recognised as such． There will be opportunities for regional businesses to provide the technology and services （ranging from personalised transport to food services） which allow older people and Australians with disability to remain active and healthy．
Currently people from the regions who are eager for professional careers typically move to the city to study． In many cases they do not return． Here， technology may be part of the solution． Combining specialised online educational resources with good local support teachers could enable students to access a much wider range of courses from regional areas．
Regional communities will also need entrepreneurs（企业家） to develop the future industries and microbusinesses which improve the diversity and resilience of the local economy． However， startups and existing businesses are more likely to survive and expand when there is a supportive entrepreneurship ecosystem， including access to relevant skills development opportunities．
（1）Workers and business continue to concentrate around large city centers in that ____ ．
A． highly skilled workers increase the coordination costs
B． potential business partners live close to large city centers
C． they encourage selfdependence and increase differences
D． they benefit from specialization and productive advantages
（2）What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 5 mean？ ____
A． Digital infrastructure in some areas have been greatly improved．
B． The lowerskilled workers are likely to have a considerable income．
C． Digital technology doesn't necessarily bridge the gap in skilled employment．
D． The government will have more support and preferential policies for business．
（3）The author mentions "aged care services" to indicate that ____ ．
A． they lack proper management
B． they can bring new jobs to regions
C． they focus on their technical strengths
D． they help regions' funding arrangements
（4）What does the passage mainly talk about？ ____
A． Lowskilled jobs have been growing fast in regional Australia．
B． Regional Australia is committed to the development of local economy．
C． The skill jobs gap is increasing between cities and regions in Australia．
D． Highly skilled workers crowd into cities to pursue career development．
Our research finds that jobs， particularly the highly skilled， whitecollar kind， are becoming increasingly collaborative（协作的）． Complex tasks and rapidly changing work environments have increased the need for workers who can collaborate with others to solve problems and who are open to continuous learning． Roles for highly skilled workers are becoming more specialized． This specialization means more collaboration with other specialists and greater space for market positioning．
The productive advantages of cities are selfreinforcing． Skilled workers benefit from the opportunity to learn from and add value with other skilled workers． The coordination（协调） costs of this collaborative work are reduced when team members are colocated．
Employers also benefit from proximity（接近） to similar firms because there is a larger pool of skilled candidates for new jobs and better access to potential business partners． All these advantages encourage further specialization and productivity gains， with the result that workers and business continue to concentrate around large city centers．
The growing skills divide between urban and rural Australia reflects a paradox（悖论） of the digital economy． While digital technology represents a channel for bridging geographic distance， highly skilled workers are increasingly crowding into cities．
The latest census（人口普查） data shows no change in the rate of working from home， despite muchimproved digital infrastructure in some areas． In time this may change， perhaps as video confferencing technology improves． However， while better technology might allow regional workers to interact with colleagues and clients in cities， it will also make it easier for citybased professionals to service regional areas．
Employment is still growing in regional Australia． But the fact that cities make highly skilled workers more productive means the gap in skilled employment is likely to continue to widen．
Attempts to swim against this tide by moving skilled jobs to the country will be expensive． Currently， subsidies（补助金） are needed to attract and retain（保留） highly skilled health professionals to regional communities． Despite this， our analysis of the latest census data shows that the skills gap between regions and cities is still growing．
So these subsidies are not translating into sustainable， collaborative communities of highskilled regional workers． Instead， regions need to focus on their strengths， and foster the entrepreneurship that can create new sources of gainful employment．
The government's move towards more individualised funding arrangements in the aged care and disability care sectors will increasingly become a resilient（有弹性的） source of income for workers and businesses in regional communities． Demand for aged care services is expected to increase dramatically in the coming decades， such that by 2050 some 3.5 million Australians will require aged care． Adding to this， regional communities are experiencing population ageing at a faster rate than the large capital cities．
These are important jobs which should be recognised as such． There will be opportunities for regional businesses to provide the technology and services （ranging from personalised transport to food services） which allow older people and Australians with disability to remain active and healthy．
Currently people from the regions who are eager for professional careers typically move to the city to study． In many cases they do not return． Here， technology may be part of the solution． Combining specialised online educational resources with good local support teachers could enable students to access a much wider range of courses from regional areas．
Regional communities will also need entrepreneurs（企业家） to develop the future industries and microbusinesses which improve the diversity and resilience of the local economy． However， startups and existing businesses are more likely to survive and expand when there is a supportive entrepreneurship ecosystem， including access to relevant skills development opportunities．
（1）Workers and business continue to concentrate around large city centers in that ____ ．
A． highly skilled workers increase the coordination costs
B． potential business partners live close to large city centers
C． they encourage selfdependence and increase differences
D． they benefit from specialization and productive advantages
（2）What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 5 mean？ ____
A． Digital infrastructure in some areas have been greatly improved．
B． The lowerskilled workers are likely to have a considerable income．
C． Digital technology doesn't necessarily bridge the gap in skilled employment．
D． The government will have more support and preferential policies for business．
（3）The author mentions "aged care services" to indicate that ____ ．
A． they lack proper management
B． they can bring new jobs to regions
C． they focus on their technical strengths
D． they help regions' funding arrangements
（4）What does the passage mainly talk about？ ____
A． Lowskilled jobs have been growing fast in regional Australia．
B． Regional Australia is committed to the development of local economy．
C． The skill jobs gap is increasing between cities and regions in Australia．
D． Highly skilled workers crowd into cities to pursue career development．
题目解答
答案
1．D．细节理解题．根据文章 This specialization means more collaboration with other specialists and greater space for market positioning可知工人和企业继续集中在大城市中心得益于专业化和生产优势；故选D．
2．C．细节理解题．根据文章The growing skills divide between urban and rural Australia reflects a paradox（悖论）of thedigital economy可知数字技术不一定能弥补熟练就业的缺口；故选C．
3．B． 细节理解题．根据文章Demand for aged care services is expected to increase dramatically in the coming decades， such that by 2050 some 3.5 million Australians will require aged care可知作者提到"老年护理服务"以说明他们可以给地区带来新的就业机会；故选B．
4．C．细节理解题．根据文章 Despite this， our analysis of the latest census data shows that the skills gap between regions and cities is still growing可知这篇文章主要讲的是澳大利亚城市和地区的技能就业差距正在增加；故选C．
2．C．细节理解题．根据文章The growing skills divide between urban and rural Australia reflects a paradox（悖论）of thedigital economy可知数字技术不一定能弥补熟练就业的缺口；故选C．
3．B． 细节理解题．根据文章Demand for aged care services is expected to increase dramatically in the coming decades， such that by 2050 some 3.5 million Australians will require aged care可知作者提到"老年护理服务"以说明他们可以给地区带来新的就业机会；故选B．
4．C．细节理解题．根据文章 Despite this， our analysis of the latest census data shows that the skills gap between regions and cities is still growing可知这篇文章主要讲的是澳大利亚城市和地区的技能就业差距正在增加；故选C．
解析
步骤 1：理解问题背景
文章讨论了澳大利亚城市和农村地区之间高技能和低技能工作的增长差异，以及这种差异如何影响收入和就业机会。文章还探讨了数字技术在缩小地理距离方面的作用，以及城市和农村地区之间技能差距的持续扩大。
步骤 2：分析问题
问题（1）询问为什么工人和企业继续集中在大城市中心。问题（2）询问第五段中划线句子的含义。问题（3）询问作者提到“老年护理服务”的目的。问题（4）询问文章的主要内容。
步骤 3：解答问题
（1）根据文章内容，工人和企业继续集中在大城市中心是因为他们从专业化和生产优势中受益。选项D正确。
（2）第五段中划线句子的含义是数字技术不一定能弥补熟练就业的缺口。选项C正确。
（3）作者提到“老年护理服务”是为了说明它们可以给地区带来新的就业机会。选项B正确。
（4）文章的主要内容是澳大利亚城市和地区的技能就业差距正在增加。选项C正确。
文章讨论了澳大利亚城市和农村地区之间高技能和低技能工作的增长差异，以及这种差异如何影响收入和就业机会。文章还探讨了数字技术在缩小地理距离方面的作用，以及城市和农村地区之间技能差距的持续扩大。
步骤 2：分析问题
问题（1）询问为什么工人和企业继续集中在大城市中心。问题（2）询问第五段中划线句子的含义。问题（3）询问作者提到“老年护理服务”的目的。问题（4）询问文章的主要内容。
步骤 3：解答问题
（1）根据文章内容，工人和企业继续集中在大城市中心是因为他们从专业化和生产优势中受益。选项D正确。
（2）第五段中划线句子的含义是数字技术不一定能弥补熟练就业的缺口。选项C正确。
（3）作者提到“老年护理服务”是为了说明它们可以给地区带来新的就业机会。选项B正确。
（4）文章的主要内容是澳大利亚城市和地区的技能就业差距正在增加。选项C正确。