Our forefather had no idea that human population would increase faster than the supplies of raw materials; most of them, even until very recently, had the foolish idea that the treasures were “limitless” and “inexhaustible”

　　But one thing is certain: information and knowledge will become even more vital, and the people who possess it, whether they work in manufacturing or services, will have the advantage and produce the wealth.

　　They appear to do everything in a rush, with an eye on the clock, as if they had a short time to live.

　　要点分析和参考译文

　　要点：分号前后为两个并列句。在第二个分句中，even until very recently 时间状语插入在主语 most of them和谓语had之间。Them指代前一句的forefathers.
　　参考译文：我们前辈不知道人口会比原材料供应增长得要快；甚至到最近以前大多数人还错误得认为自然资源是无限的，永远不会消耗尽。

　　要点：并列句and 之后的主语 the people和谓语will have之间插入whether引导的状语从句。
　　参考译文：可是有一点是肯定的：信息和知识将变得更加重要。拥有信息和知识的人无论是在生产行业还是在服务行业工作，都会有优势并能创造财富。

　　要点：介词短语“with an eye on the clock”为插入语，在句子中做状语。“as if”引出方式状语从句，谓语动词是虚拟语气。
　　参考译文：他们看上去做每件事都匆匆忙忙，眼睛盯着时钟，仿佛他们的有生之年极其短暂似的。