Importance of Services
The United States has moved beyond the industrial economy stage to the point where it has become the world’s first service economy. Almost three-fourths of the nonfarm labor force is employed in service industries, and over two-thirds of the nation’s gross national product is accounted for by services. Also, service jobs typically hold up better during a recession than do jobs in industries producing tangible goods.
During the 20-year period of 1966 to 1986, about 36 million new jobs were created in the United States—far more than in Japan and Western Europe combined. About 90 percent of these jobs were in service industries. During this same time span, some 22 million women joined the labor force—and 97 percent of these women went to work in the service sector. These employment trends are expected to continue at least until the year 2000. For the period 1986-2000, the Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that over 21 million new jobs will be created and 93 percent of them will be in service industries.
Moreover, most of this explosive growth in services employment is not in low-paying jobs, contrary to the beliefs of many economists, business and labor leaders, and politicians. These people argue that manufacturing jobs, which have been the economic foundation of America's middle class, are vanishing. They claim that factory workers are being replaced with a host of low-wage earners. It is true that manufacturing jobs have declined, with many of them going to foreign countries. It is also true that there has been growth in some low-paying service jobs. Yet cooks and counter people still represent only 1 percent of the U. S. labor force today: Furthermore, for many years the fastest-growing occupational category has been “professional, technical, and related work.” These jobs pay well above the average, and most are in service industries.
About one-half of consumer expenditures are for the purchase of services. Projections to the year 2000 indicate that services will attract an even larger share of consumer spending. A drawback of the service economy boom is that the prices of most services have been going up at a considerably faster rate than the prices of most tangible products. You are undoubtedly aware of this if you have had your car or TV set repaired, had your shoes half-soled, or paid a medical bill in recent years.
When we say that services account for close to one-half of consumer expenditures, we still grossly understate the economic importance of services. These figures do not include the vast amounts spent for business services. By all indications, spending for business services has increased even more rapidly than spending for consumer services.
词汇：
gross national product 国民生产总值，略作GNP
drawback 缺点，不利条件；退款；退税
tangible goods 有形商品
understate 没有充分表达实情地陈述，打折扣地报道
注释：
1.The United States has moved beyond the industrial economy stage to the point where it has become the world’s first service economy. 美国已经跨越了工业经济的阶段，成为世界上第一个服务型经济的国家。
2.…service jobs typically hold up better during a recession than do jobs in industries producing tangible goods. ：……服务业的工作往往要比从事生产有形商品的工作更能经受经济萧条的打击。
3.contrary to the beliefs of many economists…：……这与许多经济学家的观点相反……
4.a host of：一大群
5.projections to the year 2000…：……到2000年的规划……
6.account for close to one-half of consumer expenditures…：……占了将近一半的消费开支……close to的意思是“接近……”。例如：We have a parking lot close to our street.在街道附近我们有一个停车场。
7.by all indications…：根据所有的迹象来看……
练习：
1. The first paragraph intends to tell us that
A. services are more important than industries producing tangible goods.
B. services are important.
C. service jobs make more money than other jobs.
D. services are more comfortable than other jobs.
2. Between 1966 and 1986, the United States created about
A. 32.4 million service jobs.
B. 32.4 million jobs.
C. 22 million service jobs.
D. 198 million service jobs.
3. Many economists, business and labor leaders and politicians believe that
A. most of the explosive growth in service employment is not in low-paying jobs.
B. most of the fast growth in the service sector is in low-paying jobs.
C. manufacturing jobs are disappearing because they are to longer attractive.
D. most of the fast growth in the service sector is in high-paying jobs.
4. The importance of services can be shown
A. only by consumer expenditure.
B. only by money spent on business services.
C. by money spent on business services as well as on consumer services.
D. only by money spent on food and housing.
5. What does the writer of this passage disapprove of regarding services now?
A. Their fast growth.
B. Their decline.
C. Their prices.
D. Their quality.
答案与题解：
1.B 第一段指明了文章的大意，即标题表达的意思。因此B是明显的答案。
2.A 通过计算便知。而选项BCD均是错的。
3.B 从第三段的短语contrary to可看出B是正确的答案。
4.C 主要根据最后一段的第一句和第二句：When we say that services account for close to one-half of consumer expenditures, we still grossly understate …These figures do not include the vast amounts spent for business services.便可知道答案。
5.从倒数第二段可看出作者对价格上涨不满。作者说，A drawback of the service economy boom is that the prices of most services have been going up at a considerably faster rate than the prices of most tangible products. You are undoubtedly aware of this if you have had your car or TV set repaired, had your shoes half-soled, or paid a medical bill…因此C是正确的答案。
译文：服务业的重要性
美国已经跨越了工业经济的阶段，成为世界上第一个服务型经济的国家。几乎3/4的非农业 劳动力受雇于服务业。服务业的产值在国民生产总值中所占比例已超过2/3。而且，服务业的工 作往往要比从事生产有形商品的工作更能经受经济萧条的打击。
从1966年至1986年这20年间，美国新增加了大约3 600万个工作，比日本和西欧合起来还 多。这些工作约有90%是服务性行业。在这同一时期，有2 200万妇女也加入到劳动大军中来， 其中有97%在服务业工作。这种就业趋势可望持续到2000年。美国劳动统计局预测，在1986年 至2000年期间，大约将增加2 100万个工作，其中93%在服务业。
而且，服务行业就业率的这种爆炸性增长大部分并不是低薪的工作。这与许多经济学家、商 人、工会首脑和政界人士的观点相反。这些人争论说，已经是美国中产阶级经济基础的生产性工 作正在消失。他们声称，产业工人正被一大群低工资的打工仔所代替。的确，生产性工作已经减 少，有些生产性工作流向了茵外。也确实有一些低报酬的服务型工作巳经有所增长。然而像厨师 和售货员仍然仅占美国当今劳工队伍的1%。而且多年来发展最快的职业种类一直是“职业性的、 技术性的以及有关的工作”。这些工作的报酬高于平均工资，而它们大部分都在服务业。
消费开支大约有1/2是以购买服务为目的的。到2000年的规划表明，服务业将吸引一个更大 的消费开支份额。服务型公司繁荣发展的一个缺点是，大部分服务的价格比大部分有形商品的价 格上涨要快得多。如果近年来你的汽车或彩电修理过，你的鞋子打过后掌或者你支付过医药费， 毫无疑问你会清楚这一点。
如果我们说服务几乎占了消费开支的一半时，我们仍然没能充分表明服务业的经济重要性。 这些数字没有包括大量的用于商业性服务的开支。根据所有的迹象来看，商业性服务的开支比消 费服务的开支增长得更快些。
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