The subject of automation and its role in our economy has taken hold in American public discourse. Technology broadly and automation specifically are dramatically reshaping the way we work. And we need to have a plan for what’s still to come.

        We don’t have to look further than our own communities to see the devastating impact of automation. From automated warehouses to cashierless grocery stores to neighborhood libraries that offer self-checkout lanes instead of employing real people—automation is increasingly replacing jobs and leaving too few good new jobs behind.

        The statistics in manufacturing are staggering. Despite the widespread fears about trade, a recent report showed that just 13 percent of jobs lost in manufacturing are due to trade—the rest of the losses have been due to advances in technology.

        That is why more people are criticizing the ever-increasing role of technology in our economy. Our country is manufacturing more than ever before, but we are doing it with fewer workers. However, it’s not just factories that are seeing losses—software and information technology are also having a dramatic impact on jobs most people think are secure from the forces of a rapidly-changing economy. Something transformative is happening in America that is having an adverse effect on American families. Whether policymakers and politicians admit it or not, workers have made clear their feelings about their economic insecurity and desire to keep good jobs in America.

        So why are people so insistent on ignoring the perils of automation? They are failing to look ahead at a time when planning for the future is more important than ever. Resisting automation is futile: it is as inevitable as industrialization was before it. I sincerely hope that those who assert that automation will make us more effective and pave the way for new occupations are right, but the reality of automation’s detrimental effects on workers makes me skeptical. No one can currently say where the new jobs are coming from or when, and any sensible company or country should prepare for all alternatives.

        I’m not overstating the danger: look at what’s happened to the labor force. According to economic research, one in six working-age men, 25-54, doesn’t have a job. Fifty years ago, nearly 100 percent of men that age were working. Women’s labor force participation, meanwhile, has slipped back to the level it was at in the late 1980s.

        American families and prominent business leaders are aware that there’s a big problem with automation. The value of a college degree is diminishing, and our upward mobility is declining. If we want an economy that allows everyone to be economically secure, we need to start thinking about how we can rightfully address automation.

解析：C。文中多次出现automation，但根据题干中的the author和automation可定位至原文第五段倒数第二句，该句中的I sincerely hope对应题干中的the author。该句说道：我真诚地希望，那些断言自动化将使我们更有效率，并为新职业铺平道路的人是正确的，但自动化对工人产生不利影响的现实却让我怀疑。C项与此内容相符，其中positive effects对应该句中的more effective和new occupations，doubtful是对该句中skeptical的同义替换，故C项为正确答案。

错项排除：A项利用第五段第三句的industrialization进行干扰，但原文说的是自动化和工业化一样不可避免，并不是说自动化和工业化的影响一样，故A项排除。B项利用第五段最后一句的sensible company和alternatives进行拼凑，但原文是说任何明智的公司或国家都应该有所准备做好替代方案，并没有说是自动化为其提供了替代方案，故B项排除。D项利用第五段中的perils和inevitable进行相关干扰，但文中是说自动化不可避免，并不是说其有害影响不可避免，故D项排除。