培力英語能力檢定測驗

本題組主要評量考生是否可讀懂長篇文章大意、理解關鍵資訊，並根據文章脈絡 (例如因果關係、作者立場、先後順序等) 和圖文資訊整合，進行內容的相關推測、分析、詮釋。

長篇文章探討2022年第一季美國勞動生產力下降至-7%的可能成因和連帶問題。作者推測疫情導致企業縮編，在職員工業務增加，造成心理倦怠，出現得過且過、「無聲辭職」的消極工作態度，挑戰企業應對之道。然而勞動生產力下降尚有其他可能成因，如週期波盪、供應鏈問題等，未有定論。

U.S. productivity fell to negative seven percent in the first quarter of 2022, the sharpest fall since 1947. An indicator of the amount of goods or services that a worker can produce in one hour, productivity is a key force driving the economy. Lower productivity raises prices and leads to inflation. This is why economists and business leaders are now urgently looking for answers.

It has surprised researchers studying the trend that the fall began just as the global economy was starting to recover from COVID. What they overlooked seems to have been psychology; many employees now feel "burned out" after the pandemic. ➊Twenty million were laid off in the U.S. alone at the beginning of the outbreak, regardless of their performance or loyalty to their company. Those that remained had to work harder to mitigate the shortage of labor, with little monetary incentive. For both sets of employees, the result has been the same: frustration. Many now feel that there is no connection between hard work and reward.

➋This situation has led to a growing phenomenon somewhat misleadingly termed "quiet quitting" in recent years. While workers do not leave their jobs, they nevertheless do only the minimum required to remain there. To employers, this shows a lack of interest and commitment to the company, yet many employees say that they are simply "doing what they are paid for." The experience of living with COVID – either working from home or being laid off – has led them to a new evaluation of their work-life balance, one in which work is a poor second.

Experts point to a number of measures that companies can take. In the first place, employers need to learn what motivates their employees. Entry and exit interviews are good ways to discover what new employees' expectations are and what has driven old employees to quit. Secondly, workers need to feel genuinely appreciated and supported. Bosses should encourage their staff to take regular breaks, not to respond to emails outside of work, and to use up paid leave. To ensure that workers follow these policies, bosses must adopt these new habits themselves.

Aside from the psychological reasons, analysts see other, more concrete impacts at play. ➌Some view the latest decline as merely a phase in the natural one- to two-year cycle governing the rise and fall of productivity. ➍Others believe the war in Ukraine and continuing supply chain problems after the virus will push productivity even lower than ever.

With other countries such as France, Germany, and Canada also experiencing a productivity slowdown, it is still unclear how serious and long-lasting the effect will be. Only time will tell.

題目1

What word is "mitigate" in the second paragraph closest in meaning to?

1. hook
2. ease
3. vary
4. ascend

解析

本題詢問 mitigate 一字在第二段文中的意義。考生須從文章上下文推測詞彙意義。

文章第二段提到美國在疫情初始經歷裁員潮，在職員工在勞動力短缺情況 (shortage of labor) 下須加倍工作 (work harder)，mitigate一字介於「加倍工作」和「勞動力短缺」之間，可推出要表達「以加倍工作減輕或緩解勞動力短缺」之意。因此，與mitigate意思最接近的為選項B：ease (緩解)。

題目2

Based on the information in this article, which two points can be inferred? Choose 2 answers.

1. The problem would have been avoidable without COVID.
2. The crisis will spread to other regions pretty soon.
3. Attempts to mediate are likely doomed to failure.
4. Many employees have revised their priorities.
5. Companies' actions led to disappointment.

解析

本題詢問可從文章歸納出哪兩個重點。考生須掌握文章論述的脈絡，整合及分析內容，作出適當的詮釋。

文章第二段提到疫情帶動裁員潮，未遭裁員的員工工作量增加，但卻幾乎沒有足以鼓舞他們加倍工作的金錢誘因 (Those that remained had to work harder . . . with little monetary incentive.)，勞力與報酬不相稱 (no connection between hard work and reward) 造成和被裁員不相上下的挫敗感 (The result has been the same: frustration.)，由此可見公司從裁員到未能調薪一連串舉措挫傷員工士氣，與此相符的為選項E：Companies' actions led to disappointment (公司的行動引起了失望)。

另，文章第三段提到士氣不振產生「無聲辭職」現象 (quiet quitting，quit有辭職或放棄之意)，員工凡事只求達到最低要求 (do only the minimum)，疫情期間員工不是被裁員就是在家工作，天天上班的常軌不再理所當然，不少人遂開始重新衡量工作和生活比重 (a new evaluation of their work-life balance)，生活躍居首位，工作則遠居其次 (work is a poor second)，由此可見員工對於人生首重為何看法出現改變，與此相符的為選項D：Many employees have revised their priorities. (許多員工調整了他們人生的優先順序)。

題目3

What does the article recommend to managers?

1. That they lead by example
2. That they increase staff salaries
3. That they raise leave allowances
4. That they endure the crisis

解析

本題詢問文章對企業主管有何建言，考生須根據上下文推測作者的看法、態度、及寫作目的。

第四段提到主管應該學習如何提振員工士氣，除了了解員工對工作的期待外，也須表達對員工的欣賞和支持，並鼓勵員工照顧身心健康，例如須定時休息、下班時間不要回覆電子郵件、有支薪假盡量請完 (to take regular breaks, not to respond to emails outside of work, and to use up paid leave)，且主管應從自身做起，帶動這些新習慣 (bosses must adopt these new habits themselves)，由此可見文章建議主管以身作則，在工作和生活間取得平衡，與此相符的為選項A：That they lead by example (他們應以身作則)。

題目4

Which of the sentences labeled one to four appears to be supported by the figures shown in the chart?

1. ➊
2. ➋
3. ➌
4. ➍

解析

本題詢問文章以➊➋➌➍標出的資訊，何者可從圖表中看出。考生須理解並整合不同類型的資訊(例如圖表、文本)，做適當的推論。

圖表為一曲線圖，從標題可看出內容與美國農場以外產業勞動生產力的波動，X軸標出2020-2022年每季 (quarter，圖中簡寫為Q)，Y軸標出平均產值，由此可見曲線為各季勞動生產力百分比走勢。➊➋➌➍標出的資訊為下：

➊ 疫情初期光在美國就有兩千萬人被裁員，他們的工作表現、公司的忠誠度皆不在考慮範圍內。
➋ 士氣低落導致了近年職場一種愈發普遍的現象，被冠上恐有誤導嫌疑的「無聲辭職」之名。
➌ 有些人認為目前勞動生產力下降僅是生產力一到兩年週期波盪的一環。
➍ 其他人則相信烏克蘭戰爭和疫情所導致的供應鏈問題也是生產力低迷的因素。

以上資訊能從曲線圖看出的只有➌因此正解為選項C。

題目5

What does the article indicate about the low productivity?

1. It induces people to immigrate.
2. It is not severe in Europe.
3. Its influence is measurable.
4. Its end cannot be foreseen.

解析

本題詢問文章針對勞動生產力低落是指向那一點，考生須根據內容具體文章中的線索，做正確的推測。

文章倒數第二段提到勞動生產力低落原因不限於心理因素，有可能與週期波盪、供應鏈問題有關，最後一段進一步說隨著法國、德國、加拿大陸續出現生產力下滑情況，暫時還看不出此現象影響的確切嚴重性和持續性 ([I]t is still unclear how serious and long-lasting the effect will be)，一切有待時間釐清 (Only time will tell.)，可見作者暗示現象仍持續開展，一時還無法預見將如何作收，與此相符的為選項D：Its end cannot be foreseen (無法預見終點)。

本題組主要評量考生是否可理解文章各段的主旨大意、關鍵資訊，並推測出適切的「段落標題」 (headings)。閱讀時可透過上下文的陳述邏輯、具體細節推測出每段主旨。

本文聚焦AI與教育的議題，提到AI工具ChatGPT因性能高強、能完成傳統課堂作業而撼動教育界，高教端憂慮評量公正性受影響，中小學端則擔憂學生以AI代勞，荒廢基本技能的學習。為此專家紛紛提出因應之道，有專家主張應防患未然，杜絕作弊，也有專家認為應樂觀其成，協助學生熟悉未來職場不可或缺的AI技術。結論為ChatGPT只是學生眾多秘密使用的AI工具之一，應制定使用AI的指導方針。

段落小標

Headings

文章內容

Artificial Intelligence, AI, offers many benefits to the human race. However, the famous English scientist Stephen Hawking knew that there was a dangerous side to AI, too, warning that humans could be harmed by it. Now, AI is evident in all spheres of human activity, but so are its associated ills. One of these is currently causing a stir in the world of education.

1.　　　　

In universities around the world, there is alarm over students' use of one certain AI tool. The software in question, created by the OpenAI organization, is called ChatGPT. The issue that ChatGPT has sparked is related to the integrity of university course assessments, which typically take the form of written papers. Worryingly, there is evidence that ChatGPT is capable of producing a university-level essay of high quality with minimal human input. Previously, such texts would not have passed careful observation; however, so sophisticated is ChatGPT that it appears to be extremely challenging to detect its hand in the creation of a particular piece of writing.

2.　　　　

Employing a mode of learning known as NLP (natural language processing), ChatGPT can create computer code. It is also adept at human languages such as English. Given a short prompt, it is able to judge which vocabulary would be appropriate for a given situation and structure the words in the correct order to create a coherent piece of written text. This capability is based on the massive file of data that ChatGPT analyzes for context and usage. This database consists of 175 billion pieces of language from a variety of sources including books, newspapers, magazines, and academic journals. ChatGPT also contains a "snapshot" of the Internet from 2021.

3.　　　　

Many analysts believe that ChatGPT marks a rapid improvement in the ability of AI to produce authentic essays, and the surge in attention surrounding this is not limited to universities. It represents a problem for teachers at elementary and secondary schools, too. While their students are typically assessed by exams at the end of their course, they may come to rely on ChatGPT to complete their coursework. The worry is that, were this to happen, students would not actually learn the skills and knowledge related to the course and would be found wanting when faced with the end-of-term test.

4.　　　　

According to Dr. Thomas Lancaster, who specializes in the detection of copying in academic work, universities must react to these new developments. He believes that they must now make changes to their administrative system. Dr. Lancaster notes that, as the new AI software is easier to use, more people are likely to resort to it. Moreover, given the difficulty in detecting and proving its use, Dr. Lancaster insists that the way universities assess their students has to be adapted sooner rather than later. In his view, there are almost certainly students already submitting work actually created by ChatGPT for their university courses.

5.　　　　

Others in the field see the significance and benefits of AI. Professor Michael Draper admits that universities could try to ban the use of the software, but he thinks this would not be feasible. In his view, it would be better to embrace its use. His reasoning is that, as students will probably use similar technology in the workplace after graduation, they should develop their skills in using it while they are students. Similarly, others say AI tools like ChatGPT simply represent the latest development in useful software such as spell-checkers and grammar assistants and their use should therefore be permitted.

Be it a friend or a foe of academic institutions, ChatGPT is surely not the only AI tool being secretly used by students. As the late Steven Hawking advised so many years ago, we had better confront AI in order to develop safeguards and guidelines for its use in the field of education as well as other walks of life.

1.

本段開宗明義指出全球大學警覺到學生使用某AI工具的問題 (alarm over students' use of one certain AI tool)，此工具亦即OpenAI組織所研發的ChatGPT，段落並說明此問題主要和課堂評量的公正性相關 (integrity of university course assessments)。其後關鍵細節都在說明此重點，包含：高教端評量以書面論文 (written papers) 的評分為主，ChatGPT恰恰擅長文字內容生產，產出品質可達大學程度 (university-level)，且機器代筆處極難偵測 (extremely challenging to detect)。由此可見符合此段主旨的段落小標為F：Provoking Concern in Higher Education (引起高等教育界的擔憂)。

2.

本段闡述ChatGPT的性能，包括使用自然語言處理（NLP）寫程式和擅長多種語言，以及根據簡短指令判斷適當的詞彙，寫成連貫的文章。段落將這些性能歸結於龐大的資料庫 (massive file of data)，此資料庫包含一千七百五十億筆書籍、報紙、雜誌和學術期刊等語料，形同擁有2021年全網絡資訊的「快照」 (a "snapshot" of the Internet from 2021)，由此可見符合此段主旨的段落小標為C：Utilizing Enormous Collection of Information（運用龐大的資料庫）。

3.

本段提到ChatGPT對教育的衝擊擴及中小學，學生可能依賴它完成課程作業 (they may come to rely on ChatGPT to complete their coursework)，導致他們在期末考試發現應有的知識和技能都沒學到 (students would not actually learn the skills and knowledge related to the course and would be found wanting when faced with the end-of-term test)，ChatGPT因而可能危害中小學學生的學習，由此可見符合此段主旨的段落小標為E： Younger Age Groups Also at Risk（低年齡層也可能受到危害）。

4.

本段引述一位擅長偵測抄襲的專家Dr. Thomas Lancaster，指出大學應採取應變措施 (universities must react to these new developments)，如改革行政體系 (make changes to their administrative system)、調整評量方法 (the way universities assess their students has to be adapted)，以因應新挑戰，由此可見符合此段主旨的段落小標為A：Calls for Rapid Response to Threat（迅速應付威脅的呼籲）。

5.

此段提到也有人看到AI的重要性和好處 (Others in the field see the significance and benefits of AI)，例如Michael Draper教授認為大學應當欣然接受ChatGPT的使用 (it would be better to embrace its use)，因為學生畢業後至職場也會使用類似工具，也有人認為ChatGPT不過為眾多早已廣為使用的輔助軟體再添一筆，應予以准許。此段提出與上一段強調因應威脅不同的觀點，由此可見符合此段主旨的段落小標為B：Alternative Perspective Held by College Insider（大學內部另一派觀點）。