阅读理解。
Last year more than one million Filipinos worked abroad as servants, nurses, sailors and in other difficult
but low-paid jobs. Southeast Asians leave their poorer countries for their richer neighbours.
Many of these wage-earners return in the end. In the meantime, they send home huge amounts of money-
in the Philippines' case, over 10% of its GDP. Between January and November, the amount was up 18% on
the same period of 2005, Poverty and unemployment are still high in the Philippines and other labour-exporting
(劳务输出) countries. They would be far worse but for this outflow of bodies and inflow of dollars. As for
those Asian countries that import (输入) labour, as in Europe, falling birth rates mean they are going to need
more foreign workers.
On January 13th leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) signed an agreement to
help migrant (流动的) workers-with the realization that the flow of labour between their countries is a growing
problem that they cannot blame on outsiders. A 2005 study showed that 8.4 million Southeast Asians worked
outside their home countries, but this did not include the huge numbers of Indonesians doing so without papers.
So the true total is probably rather higher.
Of the ten ASEAN countries, the Philippines, Indonesia, Myanmar, Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos export
labour, Singapore and Brunei import it, and Thailand and Malaysia do both. Sziraczki of the UN's International
Labour Organization points out that, in the next ten years, the total labour force of the worker exporting
countries should grow by about a third. It makes sense to work on the problem before it gets out of control.
People in the receiving countries seem to be worried about competition for their jobs. Most Thais said their
government should admit (准入) no more foreign workers, and a few thought otherwise. Even in Singapore,
just over ball of people are against admitting more foreign workers. Malaysians think that the increase in foreign
workers has worsened crime rates (犯罪率).
1. It can be inferred from the case of the Philippines that _____.
A. the country is Asia's main source of migrant workers
B. labour exports lead to a 10% growth of its GDP
C. the outflow of labour helps solve its social problems
D. the country both exports and imports labour force
2. The flow of labour is a growing problem because _____.
A. there is a greater flow of labour than reported
B. more Indonesians work abroad without papers
C. some countries suffer from low birth rates
D. the ASEAN is against admitting foreign workers
3. For the labour-importing countries, the flow of labour may lead to _____.
A. higher birth rates
B. lower crime rates
C. greater money inflows
D. stronger job competition
4. The writer of the text seems to _____.
A. support the flow of labour between countries
B. report fairly on the question of labour flow
C. express his worries over the ASEAN's decision
D. regard the outflow of labour as a serious problem
