German Chancellor Otto Von Bismarck may be most famous for his military and diplomatic talent, but his legacy includes many of today's social insurance programs. During the middle of the 19th century, Germany, along with other European nations, experienced an unprecedented rash of workplace deaths and accidents as a result of growing industrialization. Motivated in part by Christian compassion for the helpless as well as a practical political impulse to undercut the support of the socialist labor movement, Chancellor Bismarck created the world's first worker's compensation law in 1884.
By 1908, the United States was the only industrial nation in the world that lacked workers' compensation insurance. America's injured workers could sue for damages in a court of law, but they still faced a number of tough legal barriers. For example, employees had to prove that their injuries directly resulted from employer negligence and that they themselves were ignorant about potential hazards in the workplace. The first state worker's compensation law in this country was passed in 1911, and the program soon spread throughout the nation.
After World War Ⅱ, benefit payments to American workers did not keep up with the cost of living. In fact, real benefit levels were lower in the 1970s than they were in the 1940s, and in most states the maximum benefit was below the poverty level for a family of four. In 1970, President Richard Nixon set up a national commission to study the problems of workers' compensation. Two years later, the commission issued 19 key recommendations, including one that called for increasing compensation benefit levels to 100 percent of the states' average weekly wages.
In fact, the average compensation benefit in America has climbed from 55 percent of the states' average weekly wages in 1972 to 97 percent today. But, as most studies show, every 10 percent increase in compensation benefits results in a 5 percent increase in the numbers of workers who file for claims. And with so much more money floating in the workers' compensation system, it's not surprising that doctors, and lawyers have helped themselves to a large slice of the growing pie.
1.The world's first workers' compensation law was introduced by Bismarck _______.
A.for fear of losing the support of the socialist labor movement
B.out of religious and political considerations
C.to speed up the pace of industrialization
D.to make industrial production safer
2.We learn from the passage that the process of industrialization in Europe _______.
A.met growing resistance from laborers working at machines
B.resulted in the development of popular social insurance programs
C.was accompanied by an increased number of workshop accidents
D.required workers to be aware of the potential dangers at the workplace
3.One of the problems the American injured workers faced in getting compensation in the early 19th century was that _______.
A.they had to produce evidence that their employers were responsible for the accident
B.America's average compensation benefit was much lower than the cost of living
C.different states in the U.S. had totally different compensation programs
D.they had to have the courage to sue for damages in a court of law
4.After 1972, workers' compensation insurance in the U.S. became more favorable to workers so that _______.
A.the poverty level for a family of four went up drastically
B.more money was allocated to their compensation system
C.there were fewer legal barriers when they filed for claims
D.the number of workers suing for damages increased
5.The author ends the passage with the implication that _______.
A.compensation benefits in America are soaring to new heights
B.people from all walks of life can benefit from the compensations system
C.the workers are not the only ones to benefit from the compensation system
D.money floating in the compensation system is a huge drain on the U.S. economy
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1.【答案】B。
【解析】推论题。本题出处在文章第一段最后一句。A项是对该句中“undercut the support of the socialist labor movement（削弱社会主义工人运动的支持力量）”的曲解：社会主义工人运动危及俾斯麦的资产阶级政府，俾斯麦要通过社会保障法案来减少民众对工人运动的支持，而不是像A项所说的“以防（政府）失去工人运动的支持”。文章中motivated（为……所驱动）表示原因、动机。
2.【答案】C。
【解析】推论题。A项意为“工人日益反对使用机器生产”，B项意为“导致了社会保障制度的发展”，C项意为“伴随着工伤事故的增加”，D项意为“要求工人知道工厂中潜在的危险”。文中没有A项意思；B项错误在于，是工业发展中工伤事故的增加导致了社会保险制度的产生与发展。而非工业发展导致了社会保险制度的发展；C项与文章中“experienced an unprecedented rash of growing industrialization”相符；D项是根据第二段倒数第二句设计的干扰项。
3.【答案】A。
【解析】细节题。A项是文章第二段“employees had to prove that their injuries directly resulted from employer negligence...”的改写；B项是After World WarⅡ的情况，而题目问的是in the early 19th century的事；C项属“无中生有”的干扰项，文章中没有C项的内容；D项是根据第二段第二句设计的干扰项，D项中的have the courage≠文中的face a number of tough legal barriers。
4.【答案】D。
【解析】细节理解题。A是根据第三段中“and in most states the maximum benefit levels were lower...”设计的；B项干扰性较强，因为它本身是一个事实，但是它不是“worker's compensation insurance in the U.S.become more favorable to workers”的结果，注意题干中so that表示结果；同样的，C项也不是题干所问的结果，尽管它本身可能并没有错；D项与最后一段第二句话相符。本题有不少人误选B项。
5.【答案】C。
【解析】推论题。文章最后一句话的意思是：“这么多的资金漂浮在工人社会保障体系内，医生和律师也从这块大蛋糕中设法为自己分得一块也就不算奇怪了。”其言下之意就是C项内容。D项中的drain意为“排水管”。
