Section BDirections: There are 2 passages in this section. Each passage is followed by som

Section B

Directions: There are 2 passages in this section. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A, B, C and D. You should decide on the best choice.

A new era is upon U.S. Call it what you will: the service economy, the information age, the knowledge society, In all translates to a fundamental change in the way we work. Already We're partly there. The percentage of people who earn their living by making things has fallen dramatically in the western world. Today the majority of jobs in America, Europe and Japan (two thirds or more in many d these countries)are in the service industry, and the number is on the rise. More women are in the work force than ever before. There are more part-time jobs. More people are self-employed. But the breadth of the economic transformation can't he measured by numbers alone, because it also is giving rise to radical new way of thinking about the nature of work itself, Long-held notions about jobs and careers, the skills needed to succeed, even the relation between individuals and employers—all these are challenged.

We have only to look behind us to get some sense of what may lie ahead. No one looking ahead 20 years possibly could have foreseen the way in which a single invention, the chip, would transform. our world thanks to its applications in personal computers, digital communication and factory robots. Tomorrow's achievements in biotechnology, artificial intelligence or even some still unimagined technology could produce a similar wave of dramatic changes. But one thing is certain: information and knowledge will become even more vital, and the people who possess it, whether they work in manufacturing or services, will have the advantage and produce the wealth. Computer knowledge will become as basic a requirement as the ability to read and write. The ability to solve problem by applying information instead of performing routine tasks will be valued above all else. If you east your mind ahead 10 years, information services will be predominant. It will be the way you do your job.

A characteristic of the information age is that ______.

A．the service industry is relying more and more on the female work force

B．manufacturing industries are steadily increasing

C．people find it harder and harder to earn a living by working in factories

D．most of the job opportunities can now be found in service industry