1. Until a strategic plan is ___________, it has no real value.

   A.ut into effect

   B.ut into use

   C.ut into production

2.If it ______up to me, I’d love for everyone to come in at noon.

   A.was

   B.is

   C.were

3._______ you don’t complete tasks, you won’t get promoted.

   A.Whether

   B.If

   C.Although

4.You _____ build teamwork by “retreating” as a group for a couple of days each year, instead you need to think of team building as something you do every single day.

   A.will not

   B.are not

   C.are

5.Sometimes, members of teams _____ obstacles by focusing on solely their own pursuits and goals.

   A.create

   B.creates

   C.creating

6.Employees have ________ to all company information, adding a sense of trust, and employees and leaders work together to solve problems.

   A.accident

   B.accent

   C.access

7.The world largest search engine company provides a free search service ________ users can get relevant results in an instant.

   A.with that

   B.in which

   C.with which

8. class="MsoNormal">Passage 2

The meaning of “communication” goes a lot deeper than people often think. Communication is about conceiving, sending, receiving, and interpreting messages as well as confirming reception of these messages. A failure at any point in this chain can result in ineffective communication.

Ineffective communication can be disastrous. There is a famous story of a British Army Commander who sent the message “Send reinforcements, we’re going to advance.” back to his Command Center, through a long chain of subordinates. When the message finally reached the Command Center, it had “mutated” to become—“Send three and four-pence, we’re going to a dance.” The reinforcements never arrived.

You can demonstrate this same principle, albeit on a less dramatic scale, by trying to play Chinese Whispers with more than 20 people. It is highly unlikely the same message you started with will be the one you end with.

In a business, there are three main types of communication failure. Each has its own indicative signs.

The first type is known as allocative failure. This occurs when a firm is not gathering enough intelligence about its market or (most often), the information is not reaching the right points. The firm will not be allocating resources in step with the shifts in demand. If demand is rising but the firm is suffering from allocative communication failure, then stocks will fall and there will be understaffing. If the inverse happens, there will be a surplus of stocks and overstaffing.

The second type is executive failure, where communication to trigger specific events/actions is either late, lacking, or in error. The symptoms of this are a general loss of direction in the company or departments, a loss of co-ordination and an increase in complaints from customers as things happen late or not at all.

The final type is human failure. This occurs when the general culture of a business or the relationships between particular individuals or departments do not foster effective communication. This leads to alienated staff, an increase in staff turnover, an increase in absenteeism, and general frustration among staff. Creativity, especially that which takes place across departmental boundaries, is likely to suffer hugely as team synergy slips.

1. What does the phrase “confirming reception of the sent messages” mean in Paragraph 1?   (1)   

A. To make sure that the messages are sent to the right receivers.

B. To make sure that the messages are fully understood.

C. To make sure that the messages are correctly understood by the right receivers.

2. In the famous British Army Commander story, which step probably was right in the communication chain?   (2)   

 A. Conceiving.

 B. Sending.

 C. Receiving.

3. What is Chinese whispers?   (3)   

A. Who whispers in Chinese.

B. A game to pass messages around in a whisper.

C. Chinese people who don’t normally talk very loudly. 

4. When does “allocative success” happen?   (4)   

A. The right information goes to the right place.

B. A company gathers information from understaffing departments.

C. The correct information will be sent by the right department. 

5. According to the last paragraph, what result will be caused by human failure?   (5)   

A. Increasing creativity across departments. 

B. Inadequate communication between departments.

C. Increasing customer complaints.

9. class="MsoNormal">Passage 8

How to Handle a Bad Performance Review

Getting a bad performance review can make you feel angry, unappreciated, defeated, and hopeless. But it’s not the end of the world. Remember that the way you respond to this appraisal can make all the difference in the next one. Even if you believe that the review is inaccurate and that your boss is completely wrong, you will benefit by reacting in a mature, adult manner. Here are some suggestions:

Stay calm. Relax. Breathe. Do not overreact and be objective. Especially, do not say things that will likely be regretted later. Besides, the person giving the performance review may or may not be the one who has written the bad review.

l What to Do When Receiving a Bad Performance Review

It’s best to listen attentively. And make comments or remarks only when asked for them. Besides, during the performance review, you will be given the chance to respond and may disagree.

l What to Do After Receiving a Bad Performance Review

Don’t be intimidated by the bad performance review and want to quit the job; instead, learn from it. Also, if the organization allows their employees to make a written statement on their own behalf, do make one. It is important for the worker to show why she does not agree with the bad performance review; for instance, an employee may express their different understanding and, at the same time, a willingness to comply with any constructive suggestions.

l Ways to Improve a Bad Performance Review

A way to improve a bad performance review is to set self-reviews, that is, establish performance standards. Another way to improve a bad review is to learn more about what the manager, supervisor, or boss wants or expects from his/her employees. Learning what it was that caused a bad performance review helps to improve professional growth and encourages as well as motivates the worker to do better in order to receive a good review next time.

1. What should you do when you are given a bad performance review?   (1)   

A. Argue with your boss.

B. Make immediate remarks.

C. Stay calm and listen carefully. 

2. What should you do after you are given a bad performance review?   (2)   

 A. Quit your job immediately.

 B. Insist on making comments.

 C. Learn from the review.

3. What should you do if you disagree with the bad performance review?   (3)   

A. Tell the boss directly that you do not agree with the review.

B. Make a written statement on your own behalf if it is allowed.

C. Do not express your different understanding in a written statement. 

4. How do you improve a bad performance review?   (4)   

A. Understand the established performance standards.

B. Learn more about what the employee wants or expects.

C. Learn what the person who gives the review may think. 

5. Why should we understand the cause of a bad performance review?   (5)   

A. Because it helps the employee to get promoted immediately. 

B. Because it encourages and motivates the worker to do better.

C. Because it prevents the employee from professional growth.

10. class="MsoNormal">Passage 13

Jack Welch Leading Organizational Change at GE

When Jack Welch, the Chairman and CEO at General Electric (GE) retired in 2001, he could look back at a very successful career. He became CEO in 1981 at the age of 45. At that time, GE had a very complex organizational structure with considerably bureaucratic rules.

One of his first changes was to initiate a strategy formulation process with the guideline that each of the businesses should be number 1 or 2 in their respective areas. If this was not the case, managers had the options of fixing the problem, selling their particular business, or closing it. In an effort to streamline the organization, Welch removed the sector level and eliminated thousands of salaried and hourly employee positions.

The restructuring was followed by changing the organizational culture and the managerial styles of GE’s managers. One such program was the Work-Out（群策群力）. Groups of managers were assembled to share their views openly in three-day sessions. At the beginning of the meetings, the superior presented the challenges for his or her organizational unit. Then the superior had to leave, requesting the groups to find solutions to the problems. Facilitators (会议主持人) helped these discussions. On the last day, the superior was presented with proposed solutions. He or she then had three choices: to accept the proposal, not to accept it, or to collect more information. This process put great pressure on the superior to make decisions.

Another program to improve effectiveness and efficiency was Best Practices. The aim was to learn from other companies how they obtained customer satisfaction, how they related to their suppliers, and in what ways they developed new products. This helped the GE people to focus on the processes in their operations that would improve the company’s performance.

Jack Welch was personally involved in developing managers at GE’s training center in Crotonville. Leaders, Welch suggested, are not only those who achieve results but also those who share the values of the company.

1. Jack Welch retired at the age of 65.   (1)   

A.T

B.F

2. Jack Welch insisted that each of the businesses should be at least top 5 in their respective area.   (2)   

A.T

B.F

3. If the business could not meet Welch’s change requirements, its manager had 3choices.   (3)   

A.T

B.F

4. The restructuring went before changing the organizational culture and the managerial styles of GE’s managers.   (4)   

A.T

B.F

5. The Work Out lasted a week.   (5)   

A.T

B.F