評論
打印
【真題再現(xiàn)】
Questions 11 to 15 are based on the following passage.
You may be all these things at the office, and more. But when it comes to getting ahead, experts say, the ABCs of business should include a P, for politics, as in office politics.
Dale Carnegie suggested as much more than 50 years ago: Hard work alone doesn’t ensure career advancement. You have to be able to sell yourself and your ideas, both publicly and behind the scenes. Yet, despite the obvious rewards of engaging in office politics—a better job, a raise, praise—many people are still unable—or unwilling—to “play the game.”
“People assume that office politics involves some manipulative (工于心計的) behavior,” says Deborah Comer, an assistant professor of management at Hofstra University. “But politics derives from the word ‘polite’. It can mean lobbying and forming associations. It can mean being kind and helpful, or even trying to please your superior, and then expecting something in return.”
In fact, today, experts define office politics as proper behavior used to pursue one’s own self-interest in the workplace. In many cases, this involves some form Of Socializing within the office environment—not just in large companies, but in small workplaces as well.
“The first thing people are usually judged on is their ability to perform well on a consistent basis,’” says Neil P Lewis, a management psychologist. “But if two or three candidates are up for a promotion, each of whom has reasonably similar ability, a manager is going to promote the person he or she likes best. It’s simple human nature.”
Yet, psychologists say, many employees and employers have trouble with the concept of politics in the office. Some people, they say, have an idealistic vision of work and what it takes to succeed. Still others associate politics with flattery (奉承), fearful that, if they speak up for themselves, they may appear to be flattering their boss for favors.
Experts suggest altering this negative picture by recognizing the need for some self-promotion.
11. “Office politics” (Line 2, Para. 4) is used in the passage to refer to ________.
A) the code of behavior for company staff
B) the political views and beliefs of office workers
C) the interpersonal relationships within a company
D) the various qualities required for a successful career(C)
12. To get promoted, one must not only be competent but ________.
A) give his boss a good impression
B) honest and loyal to his company
C) get along well with his colleagues
D) avoid being too outstanding(D)
13. Why are many people unwilling to “play the game” (Line 4, Para. 5)?
A) They believe that doing so is impractical.
B) They feel that such behavior is unprincipled.
C) They are not good at manipulating colleagues.
D) They think the effort will get them nowhere.(B)
14. The author considers office politics to be ________.
A) unwelcome at the workplace
B) bad for interpersonal relationships
C) indispensable to the development of company culture
D) an important factor for personal advancement(D)
15. It is the author’s view that ________.
A) speaking up for oneself is part of human nature
B) self-promotion does not necessarily mean flattery
C) hard work contributes very little to one’s promotion
D) many employees fail to recognize the need of flattery(B)
【精講】
這篇材料的主要內(nèi)容是辦公室政治(office politics)，從介紹辦公室政治的含義、好處開始，講到現(xiàn)實生活中人們不愿進行辦公室政治的現(xiàn)象及其原因，最后給出了改變這種情況的建議。
前面的幾段主要是介紹辦公室政治的含義及其所能帶來的好處。前三個句子以A、B、C打頭列出了辦公室生存的基本原則，而后把辦公室政治作為它們的補充自然地提了出來(為了與ABC相搭配，簡稱為P)。作者引用Carnegie的話對辦公室政治做了初步的定義，也就是be able to sell yourself and your ideas, both publicly and behind the scenes，無論公開非公開場合，都要能夠推銷你自己和你自己的想法。后面緊接著的一句話一箭雙雕，既說出了辦公室政治的好處(a better job, a raise, praise)，也指出人們不愿搞辦公室政治的事實，為下文分析原因、提出建議鋪好了道路。
后面的幾段主要是來分析辦公室政治在一些人那里不受歡迎*考試&大的原因。首先人們把它看做是工于心計的行為(manipulative behavior)，而后作者對這一原因做了評析，指出辦公室政治實際上并不如此(反而源于polite，禮貌)。下一段介紹專家的觀點，進一步解釋辦公室政治的含義和應(yīng)用的正當性，而后引用Neil P Lewis的話對此做了強調(diào)(It’s simple human nature，辦公室政治是人類的天性而已)。
最后一段簡單地給出了建議：承認自我的推銷的需要(recognizing the need for some self-promotion)。
