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SectionD

Evenifyougetworkdoneandgenerallygetalongwithco-workers,youcouldhavehabitsthatbugyourboss(nottomentionyourofficemates).Whilethesequirksmaynotnecessarilygetyoufired,theycertainlycankeepyoufromclimbingthecorporateladder.We’veuncoveredanumberofhabitsthatbugyourbossandoffertipsonhowtoavoidthem.

AccordingtoLaRhondaEdwards,ahumanresourcesmanagerwiththirteenyearsofHRexperience,tardinessisoneofthebiggestconcernsformanagers.“Ifthenormalworkdaystartsat8o’clock,thentheexpectationisthatyou’reintheofficereadytostartyourday,”sheexplains.Heradvicetothechronicallylate?“Planahead,”sheurges.“Ifyoulive50minutesaway,youdon’tleave50minutesearly.Tagonextratimeandanticipateroadblocks.”Somepeopleevensettheirclocksafewminutesearlytoensurethatthey’reontime.Differentbossespreferdifferentmodesofcommunication.LindseyPollak,aworkplaceexpertandauthorofGettingfromCollegetoCareer,saysifyoutextyourbossandsheprefersin-personmeetings,“eitheryourinformationwon’tgetacrossoryou’llirritate[her].”Fortunately,there’sasimplefix:askyourbosshowandwhentosendupdates.Ifyou’retooshytoaskoutright,thenPollaksuggestsobservinghowtheycommunicatewithyou.“Ifyouhaveabosswhocommunicatesonceadaybyemail,that’stheboss’preferredfrequencyandmethodofcommunication,”explainsPollak.

Acluttered,messyworkspacecangiveyourbosstheimpressionthatyou’relazyordisorganized,sotrytokeepyourdeskneat.“Neverputmoreonyourdeskthanyou’regoingtoworkonfortheday,”recommendsEdwards.“Attheendoftheday,makesureyousetupforthenextday.Imaybeworkingonfivethingsatonce,butattheendoftheday,they’regone,andIsetupforthenextday.”Mostmanagerswouldratheryouaskaquestionthanmakeamistake,butmanyquestionscanbeansweredonyourown.“IsthissomethingyoucouldGoogleoraskacolleague?”wondersPollak.“Theinternetissovastthatalotofinformationyoucangetyourself.”Ifyoumustapproachyourbosswithaquestionorissue,thenPollakrecommendsbrainstormingbeforehand.“Ratherthansaying‘Thisclientisterrible.WhatshouldIdo?’thinkaboutpotentialsolutions,”shesays.

Cellphonesarepracticallyubiquitousintheworkplacethesedays,butit’sstilldisruptiveanddisrespectfulwhentheygooffduringameeting.Edwardssaysthatyoushould,“putyourcellphoneonvibrateorleaveitinyourownofficesoit’snotadistraction.”Thatwayyouwon’tbetemptedtotexteither

()6.Accordingtothearticle,howmanypiecesofadviceareofferedhere?.

A.TwoB.ThreeC.FourD.Five(B)

()7.Whatisthisarticleabout?.

A.Howtobesuccessfulintheworkplace.

B.Howtocommunicatewithyourboss.

C.Howtoavoidquirksthatannoyyourboss.

D.Howtoutilizeyourmobilephonesatwork.

()8.Whatdoesthephrase“togetacross”inthesentence“…sheprefersin-personmeetings,“eitheryourinformationwon’tgetacrossoryou’llirritate…”ofthesecondparagraphmean?.

A.TobecommunicatedB.Tobepassed

C.TobepromotedD.Tobeanticipated(A)

()9.Accordingtothearticle,whichofthefollowingmodesofcommunicationisthebestwhencommunicatingwithyourboss?.

A.Anywaysyouthinkareappropriate.

B.In-personmeetings.

C.Correspondence.

D.Thewayyourbosscommunicateswithyou.(D)

()10.Whichofthefollowingstatementsisnotmentioned?

A.Employeesshouldpayrespecttotheirbossesanytime.

B.Employeesshouldplanbeforehandsoastoshowupatworkontime.

C.Employeesshouldnotlettheirmobilephonesgooffduringmeetings.

D.Employeesshouldkeeptheirdesksneatandorganized.

SectionC

WhatalovelyplaceXeroxistoworkKimMoloney,aclientservicesexecutive,can’tsayenoughnicethingsaboutheremployer.‘It’saveryspecialenvironment,’shesays.‘PeopledescribeXeroxasafamilyandIwasamazedatthenumberofpeoplewhohaveworkedhereforsolong.’It’stemptingtotakeMoloney’scommentswithapinchofsalt,especiallyconsideringthatwhenyou’vebeenworkingsomewhereforonlytwoyears,asshehasatXerox,everyoneseemsoldandestablished.Butthere’struthbehindherenthusiasm.

TakeCarolePalmer,thegroupresourcesdirector.ShejoinedXeroxin1978asatempandhasbeeninherpresentroleforsevenyears.‘Xeroxhasbeengoodtomeovertheyears,’shesays.‘Ithassupportedmethroughqualifications…andlastyearItookpartinthevice-presidentincumbentprogram.’HumanresourcesistakenseriouslyatXerox,Palmersays,andthecompanyhasapolicyofpromotingfromwithin(whichwouldexplainMoloney’samazementathercolleagues’longevity).ThecompanytakesononlyfifteentotwentygraduateseachyearandMoloneywaspartofanintakewhojoinedhavingalreadyacquiredacoupleofyears’workexperience.ShestartedasaprojectmanagerforXeroxGlobalServicesbeforemovingintosales.Nowherresponsibilityisto‘growandmaintaincustomerrelationships’.

MoloneyisbasedattheheadofficeinUxbridge.‘It’sgreatintermsofworkingenvironment,’shesays.‘We’vejustgotanewproviderinthecanteenand…wehavebrainstormingroomsandbreakoutareas.’MuchofMoloney’sroleisvisitingclients,soshedoesn’thaveapermanentdeskatheadoffice.‘I’mahot-desker,whichisgoodbecauseyougettositwithdifferentpeopleinthehot-deskareas.Andyou’regivenaplacetostoreyourthings.’Headofficestaffnumbersbetween1,200and1,500people,Palmersays.ThecompanyhasfourothermainofficesintheUK.Thenatureoftheorganization,whichencompassessalesandmarketing,globalservices(thebiggestdivision),developingmarkets,researchanddevelopmentandmanufacturing,meansthattheopportunitiesatthecompanyvaryfromserviceengineerstosalesrolesandconsultants.

Perksincludeafinal-salarypensionschemeandvariousdiscountschemes.Therewardandrecognitionschemeisalittledifferent,andrathernice:‘Eachmanagerhasabudgeteveryyeartorecognizeandrewardstaff,’Palmersays.‘Itcanbeintheformofamealfortwo,orabottleofwine.Itcanbeupto£1,000.There’stherecognition,andthenthere’sputtingmoneybehindit.’Moloney,however,likesthenon-cashrewards.‘Xeroxtakescareofallitsstaffbutitalsorecognizesthepeoplewhoputintheaddedeffort,’shesays.‘Itoffersonce-in-a-lifetimeincentivetrips,andrecentlyIorganizedasailingtripformyteam.’

Theideaofworkingabroadwiththecompanyappealstoher,andshesaysthathercareergoalistobepartoftheseniormanagementteam.Here’sanotheremployee,itwouldseem,whoisinitforthelonghaul.

()1.Thejournalistofthisarticlethinksthat.

A.staffatXeroxarenottellingthetruthabutthecompany.

B.Xeroxoffersgreatbenefitstostaff.

C.Xeroxisthebestcompanyintheworld.

D.Xeroxhasthebestworkingenvironment.

()2.Thecompanytendstofinditsnewmanager.

A.onlyformgraduatesB.ontrainingcourses

C.fromexistingstaffD.fromjobmarkets

()3.Whatdoesthephrase“totakeon”inthesentence“Thecompanytakesononlyfifteentotwentygraduateseachyearand…”ofthesecondparagraphmean?.

A.TotrainB.Toemploy

C.TointerviewD.Tomaintain(A)

()4.Aswellasrecognizingitsstaffthroughpromotion,Xerox.

A.givescashbonuses

B.givesunpaidleavetotaketripsofalifetime.

C.providesanumberofperks.

D.provideshugeend-of-yearbonuses.

()5.OnecommonfeatureofXeroxstaffisthattheytend.

A.toworkhardB.togetpromoted

C.worklongerhourseachdayD.nottochangeemployer

SectionB

Directions:Therearetenblanksinthefollowingletter.YouarerequiredtochoosethebestonefromthegivenfourchoicesmarkedA,B,C,andD.Thenwritedownthecorrectanswerinthebrackets.Thissectiontotals10points,onepointforeachblank.

DearMr.Bush

Thankyouforyour1ofJanuary5forourBeautyBrandBlouses.

Wearenowexporting2ofvariousbrands,amongwhichBeautyBrandisthemostfamous.Theyareingreat3abroadandourstocksarerunning4quickly.Theyarepopularnotonlyfortheirnoveldesign,butalsoforthereasonableprices.Weareconfidentthatonceyouhavetriedourblouses,youwillplacerepeatorderswithus5largequantities.

Asyourequested,wearenow6asfollows:

Price:US$600perdozenCIFNewYork

TermsofPayment:BysightL/Ctobeopenedthroughabanktobe7bytheSellers.

Shipment:InMarch2007.

Pleasenotethatwedonotallowanycommission8ourblouses,butadiscountof5%maybe9ifthequantityismorethan1,000dozen.

Theaboveofferismadewithout10andissubjecttoourfinalconfirmation.

Wehopethatyouwillplaceanorderwithusatanearlydate.

Sincerelyyours

()1.A.requestB.enquiryC.acquisitionD.requirement

()2.A.blousesB.womanblousesC.womanshirtsD.ladyshirts

()3.A.needB.wantC.requireD.demand

()4.A.upB.offC.downD.away

()5.A.atB.forC.inD.with

()6.A.orderingB.offeringC.placingD.advising

()7.A.agreedB.approvedC.acceptableD.covered

()8.A.onB.inC.ofD.at

()9.A.providedB.suppliedC.furnishedD.granted

()10.A.promiseB.dutyC.engagementD.onus

ReadingComprehension

SectionA

Directions:Therearetenincompletesentencesinthissection.ForeachsentencetherearefourchoicesmarkedA,B,CandD.ChoosetheONEthatbestcompletesthesentence.Thenwritedowntherightanswerinthebracketsforeachsentence.Thissectiontotals10points,onepointforeachsentence.

()1.Wecansupplyallthebicyclesyourequired____________stockandarearrangingshipmentbyM.V.Mermaid.

A.forB.from　C.to　D.against

()2.Wewouldliketoremindyouthatthe__________L/CmustreachusbeforeMarch10

sothatwecanmakeshipmentingoodtime.

A.coveringB.cover　C.coveredD.beingcovered

()3.Wehavereceivedyourletterof28March,___________ustomodifythepreviousarrangementsfortheshipmentofthecaptionedorder.

A.askedB.toask　C.beingaskedD.asking

()4.InourletterofMay5,wemade__________clearthatshipmentistobeeffectedinJune.

A.youB.them　C.thatD.it

()5.Wealwaysdeal_______________paymentbysightL/C.

A.with　B.in　C.at　D.on

()6.Thisofferis_____________toyourreplyreachingusbeforethe20thofFebruary.

A.subjectingB.subject　C.subjectedDtosubject

()7.____________weareappreciatingthegoodqualityofyourblacktea,weregretthatyourpriceappearstobeonthehighside.

A.WhileB.When　C.HoweverD.Therefore

()8.Weherebyauthorizeyouto___________onusat60daysaftersighttotheextentofUSD20,000.00.

A.open　B.establish　C.draw　D.build

()9.Ifpartiestoacontractdesiretosettledisputes,anarbitrationclauseisusuallymadeinthecontractwellbeforeadispute_____________.

A.risesB.arisesC.lookD.appear

()10.Somecustomersrequestedusto_____________ourpricebecausetheyconsideredit

toohigh.

A.putdownB.getdownC.takedown　D.bringdown

TheImportanceofGoodCommunications

Effectivecommunicationisessentialforallorganizations.Itlinkstheactivitiesofthevariouspartsoftheorganizationandensuresthateveryoneisworkingtowardsacommongoal.Itisalsoextremelyimportantformotivatingemployees.Staffneedtoknowhowtheyaregettingon,whattheyaredoingrightandinwhichareastheycouldimprove.Workingalonecanbeextremelydifficultanditismucheasierifsomeonetakesaninterestandprovidessupport.Employeesneedtounderstandwhytheirjobisimportantandhowitcontributestotheoverallsuccessofthefirm.Personalcommunicationshouldalsoincludetargetsetting.Peopleusuallyrespondwelltogoals,providedtheseareagreedbetweenthemanagerandsubordinateandnotimposed.

However,firmsoftenhavecommunicationproblemsthatcanunderminetheirperformance.Inmanycases,theseproblemsoccurbecausemessagesarepassedoninaninappropriateway.Thereare,ofcourse,severalwaysofconveyinginformationtoothersintheorganizationwhichincludespeakingtothemdirectly,e-mailing,telephoningorsendingamemo.Themostappropriatemethoddependsonwhatexactlyitisyouarecommunicating.Forexample,anythingthatisparticularlysensitiveorconfidential,suchasanemployee'sappraisal,shouldbedoneface-to-face.

Oneofthemainproblemsforseniorexecutivesisthattheydonothavethetimeorresourcesneededtocommunicateeffectively.Inlargecompanies,forexample,itisimpossibleforseniormanagerstomeetanddiscussprogresswitheachemployeeindividually.Obviouslythistaskcanbedelegatedbutatthecostofcreatingagapbetweenseniormanagementandstaff.Asaresult,managersareoftenforcedtouseothermethodsofcommunication,likememosornotes,eveniftheyknowthesearenotnecessarilythemostsuitablemeansofpassingonmessages.

Theuseoftechnology,suchase-mail,mobilephonesandnetworksystems,isspeedingupcommunicationimmensely.However,thisdoesnotmeanthatmoreinvestmentintechnologyautomaticallyprovesbeneficial:systemscanbecomeoutdatedoremployeesmaylackappropriatetraining.Therearemanycommunicationstoolsnowavailablebutafirmcannotaffordallofthem.Evenifitcould,itdoesnotactuallyneedthemall.Thepotentialgainsmustbeweighedupagainstthecosts,andfirmsshouldrealizethatmorecommunicationdoesnotnecessarilymeanbettercommunication."

Asthenumberofpeopleinvolvedinanorganizationincrease,theuseofwrittencommunicationrisesevenfaster.Insteadofaquickconversationtosortsomethingoutnumerousmessagescanbepassedbackwardsandforwards.Thiscanleadtoatremendousamountofpaperworkandisoftenlesseffectivethanface-to-facecommunication.Whenyouareactuallytalkingtosomeoneyoucandiscussthingsuntilyouarehappythattheyhaveunderstoodandfeedbackisimmediate.Withwrittenmessages,however,youareneverquitesurehowitwillbereceivedwhatyouthinkyouhavesaidandwhattheotherpersonthinksyouhavesaidcanbeverydifferent.

Theamountofwritteninformationgeneratedinlargeorganizationstodaycanleadtocommunicationoverload.Somuchinformationisgatheredthatitgetsinthewayofmakingdecisions.Takealookattheaveragemanager'sdeskandyouwillseetheproblem--itisoftencoveredwithletters,reportsandmemos.Thisoverloadcanleadtoinefficiencies.Forexample,managersmaynotbeabletofindtheinformationtheywantwhentheyneedit.Communicationisalsobecomingmoredifficultwiththechangesoccurringinemploymentpatterns.Withmorepeopleworkingpart-timeandworkingathome,managingcommunicationisbecomingincreasinglycomplex.

1.InthefirstparagraphthewriterrecommendsthatcommunicationwithstaffshouldincludeA.somefeedbackontheirjobperformance.

B.anexplanationofhowcompanytargetshavebeenset.

C.informationonpromotionprospectswithinthecompany.

D.anindicationofwhichdutiestheycanexpectassistancewith.areastheycouldimprove

2.Accordingtothewriter,thebestwayofachievingeffectivecommunicationistoA.adaptthemessagetosuitaparticularaudience.

B.makethecontentofmessagesbriefanddirect.

C.selectthemostsuitablemeansofconveyingaparticularmessage.

D.ensurethatinformationistargetedattheappropriategroupofpeople.

3.Whatdoesthewritersayaboutthecommunicationoptionsavailabletoseniormanagers?A.Sendingmemostostaffisoneofthemostefficientmethods.

B.Itisimportanttofindthetimetodiscusscertainmatterswithstaff.

C.Theyshouldincreasetherangeofoptionsthattheyuse.

D.Gettingjuniormanagerstotalktostaffcancreatedifferentproblems.

4.Whatadviceisgivenaboutthecommunicationtoolsmadeavailablebytechnology?A.Aimtolimitstaffuseofcertaincommunicationtools.

B.Evaluatethemintermsoftheexpenditureinvolved.

C.Selectthemonthebasisofthefacilitiestheyoffer.

D.Encouragemorestafftoattendtrainingcoursesintheiruse.

5.Accordingtothewriter,aproblemwithwrittencommunicationisthatA.themessagecanbeinterpreteddifferentlytowhatwasintended.

B.itcanbeeasyforpeopletoignorethecontentsofawrittenmessage.

C.mostpeoplearemorecomfortablewithface-to-facecommunication.

D.itispossibleforcorrespondencetogetlostwithinalargeorganization.

6.Accordingtothearticle,whatistheeffectofreceivinglargeamountsofwritteninformation?A.Itiscounter-productive."

B.Itcausesconflictinacompany.

C.Itleadstochangesinworkpatterns.

D.Itmakesthemainpointsmoredifficulttoidentify.