英语四级阅读200篇: Unit 42 passage 1_大学英语阅读

英语四级阅读200篇: Unit 42 passage 1

　　As factories have grown and multiplied, the type of work has changed. Before the days of mass production the individual worker might make a manufactured product all by himself, perhaps at his own forge . He could take pride in what he had accomplished. When factories were built and the idea of interchangeable parts was introduced, he made only a part of the finished product himself. He could take less pride than before in what he had accomplished. As factories grew even larger the various parts of the manufactured product were made in different factories, sometimes in various cities. The role that he played as an individual worker became less and less until, in many cases, his work seemed unimportant to him. He found difficulty in feeling pride in a finished automobile if he tightened only a few bolts. The work became boring and monotonous.

　　Before the rise of industry the worker was often his own boss. If he did not work for himself, he was one of only a few workers who worked directly with or under their employer. The worker and the employer could understand each others problems. The rise of industry led to a widening chasm between industrialists and labor. The time came when the worker and his employer did not know each other. Sometimes the people who owned the factory lived in faraway cities and their only interest was in profits. In such situations the main concern of the workers was often the size of their paychecks without regard to the welfare of the company. Sometimes the struggle between workers and industrialists led not only to friction but to violence, which frequently harmed the general public as well as it did labor and industry. On the other hand there have been many occasions when workers and industrialists have learned that they need each other and have clasped hands across the chasm. Where there has been harmony between workers and industrialists, there have been generally uninterrupted paychecks and profits.