The existence of both racial and sexual discrimination in employment is well documented，and policymakers and responsible employers are particularly sensitive to the plight of the black female employee on the theory that she is doubly the victim of discrimination.That there exist differences in income between whites and blacks is clear，but it is not so clear that these differences are solely the result of racial discrimination in employment.The two groups differ in productivity，so basic economics dictates that their incomes will differ.

　　To obtain a true measure of the effect of racial discrimination in employment it is necessary to adjust the gross black/white income ratio for these productivity factors.White women in urban areas have a higher educational level than black women and can be expected to receive larger incomes.Moreover，State distribution of residence is important because blacks are overrepresented in the South，where wage rates are typically lower than elsewhere and where racial differentials in income are greater.Also，blacks are over-represented in large cities，and incomes of blacks would be greater if blacks were distributed among cities of different sizes in the same manner as whites.

　　After standardization for the productivity factors，the income of black urban women is estimated to be between 108 and 125 percent of the income of white women.This indicates that productivity factors more than account for the actual white/black income differential for women.Despite their greater education，white women’s actual average income is only 2 to 5 percent higher than that of black women in the North.Unlike the situation of men，the evidence indicates that the money income of black urban women was as great as，or greater than，that of whites of similar productivity in the North，and probably in the United States as a whole.

　　At least two possible hypotheses may explain why the adjustment for productivity more than accounts for the observed income differential for women.First，there may be more discrimination against black men than against black women.The different occupational structures for men and women give some indication why this could be the case.Second，the data are consistent with the hypothesis that the intensity of discrimination against women differs little between whites and blacks.Therefore，racial discrimination adds little to effects of existing sex discrimination.These findings suggest that a black woman does not necessarily suffer relatively more discrimination in the labor market than does a white woman.Rather，for women，the effects of sexual discrimination are so pervasive that the effects of racial discrimination are negligible.

　　1.The primary purpose of the passage is to____.

　　[A] explain the reasons for the existence of income differentials between men and women

　　[B] show that racial discrimination against black women in employment is less important than sexual discrimination

　　[C] explore the ways in which productivity factors influence the earning power of black workers

　　[D] sketch a history of racial and sexual discrimination against black and female workers in the labor market

　　2.The difference between income levels for black and white women is____.

　　[A] less than that for black and white men

　　[B] greater than that for black and white men

　　[C] greater since black women are subject to more discrimination

　　[D] smaller since women can only do low-paying jobs

　　3.Which of the following best describes the logical relationship between the two hypotheses presented in the fourth paragraph?

　　[A] They may both be true since each phenomenon could contribute to the observed differential.

　　[B] They are contradictory，and if one is proved to be correct，the other is proved incorrect.

　　[C] They are independent of each other，and it is hard to establish any relationship between them.

　　[D] The two hypotheses are logically connected so that it is impossible to prove either one to be true without also proving the other to be true.

　　4.If the second hypothesis mentioned by the author is correct，a general lessening of discrimination against women should lead to a(n) ____.

　　[A] higher white/black income ratio for women

　　[B] lower white/black income ratio for women

　　[C] lower female/male income ratio

　　[D] increase in the productivity of women

　　5.The author’s attitude toward racial and sexual discrimination in employment is one of____.

　　[A] apology [B] concern [C] indifference [D] indignation

　　參考答案：

　　1.[B] 文章最后一段是作者的結論，這段提到兩個假設，一是對男性黑人的歧視可能比對女性黑人的歧視更嚴重;二是對婦女的歧視在黑人和白人之間沒有多大區別。因此作者的結論是：就黑人婦女而言，種族歧視并沒有使性別歧視加重——黑人婦女并沒有受雙重歧視，由于對任何種族的婦女的歧視占主導地位，種族歧視的影響幾乎可以忽略不計了。

　　2.[A] 最后一段提到，有數據顯示支持如下假設：對婦女的歧視在白人和黑人之間差別不大，因此，種族歧視在性別歧視之外幾乎沒有再添加影響。這些發現表明：在勞動力市場上，黑人婦女不一定比白人婦女遭受更多的歧視，更確切地說，對婦女來說，性別歧視是如此廣泛存在，以至于種族歧視的影響可以忽略不計。

　　3.[A] 參閱第1題題解。

　　4.[A] 參閱第l題題解。

　　5.[B] 意為：關注。作者對黑人婦女在就業上可能存在的受歧視現象進行了實事求是的分析，并借助于數據進行了說明。作者的目的當然是找出根本原因，以便切實解決問題。從這個角度來看，作者對黑人婦女在工作中的地位是關心的。

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