大学英语2 快速阅读.docx

大学英语2 快速阅读Test for Unit 1, Book2 Skimming and Scanning Directions: In this part, you are required to answer the questions on your Answer Sheet. For questions1-4, mark Y (for YES) if the statement agrees with the information given in the passage, N (for NO) if the statement contradicts the information given in the passage, NG (for NOT GIVEN) if the information is not given in the passage. For questions 5-10, complete the sentences with the information given in the passage. New Proposals on Youth Employment The unemployment rate in Japan continues to hover at around 5% level, but the number of unemployed youths is exceptionally high compared to other age groups. The fluid situation is gradually taking root in society, with an increasing number of youths making a living as “freeters” (as young job-hoppers are called in Japan) or leaving and changing jobs even after they find employment. This youth employment problem is essentially a cause of many companies guarded stance (姿态) on employment and the narrowing of employment opportunities for those seeking to work as regular employees. To deal with the youth employment problem, the government and relevant institutions have already presented various proposals for specific policies, such as to strengthen policies that can turn economic recovery into a vigorous increase of labor demand; while expanding job openings for regular employees, also to promote equal treatment of non-regular employees and secure opportunities for them to become regular employees so that the working styles of non-regular employees are not disadvantaged; from the earliest stage as possible, systematically to provide job preparatory education with a long-range outlook on career development. Some of these policies are actually being implemented, but they are not necessarily producing adequate results. For this reason, the following three new measures should be considered in addition to other measures being deliberated. Reform of employment and recruitment practices It is important that high school graduates are given as many opportunities as possible to select an occupation. While completely abolishing the one-person-one-company system on one hand, on the other hand, employment and career guidance should begin when students enter high school so they are well able to select an occupation on their own judgment. Also, the year after graduation should be regarded as a period of joint follow-up by schools and employment agencies. Especially in regard to unemployed graduates and freeters, each party should assess the situation and support the employment of those young people. With respect to college students, internship opportunities, career counseling, and other guidance schemes should be implemented soon after they enter college to eventually enable them to make independent career decisions. Companies should give due consideration to the academic accomplishment of students when screening job applicants, as that is the primary function of students. Universities should draw upon Frances baccalaureate system, for example, and introduce a system of university graduation examination or college academic certification test. Finally, as a measure to expand employment opportunities, companies should amend their traditional practice of recruiting only prospective new graduates and open their doors to those who have already graduated. Enhancing career education and the role of industries Career education aiming to cultivate work values should be a consecutive (连续的) program provided over an ample amount of time beginning in the primary, junior high, and high school compulsory education stage. In addition to teaching students about the significance of working and about occupations in general, career education should also include a course on “work and daily living” as a comprehensive course aiming to prepare students to become working members of society. The course should deal with a broad range of topics relating to the work concept, such as rights and obligations stipulated in labor laws, as well as with the mechanics of the pension system and other social security institutions and with such immediate issues as the environment and energy. Such a course would help youths to select their own lifestyles, including how to achieve a good balance between work and private life. The industrial community should form organizations of companies (such as NPOs) to address career education from a cross-cutting perspective and actively engage in activities to support the development of human resources for the next generation. For example, they are expected to develop and provide educational programs based on their unique technology and know-how, send personnel to schools, and offer funds and equipment. In regional areas in Japan, activities to revitalize regional industries and promote new industries should be linked to model projects that incorporate regional characteristics and aim to foster and retain young people as future leaders of the region. For example, local governments could utilize the 500 or so young workers centers throughout Japan as the bases of such projects with the cooperation of regional businesses and schools. Proposal of a “career passport” The “career passport” would function as a record of ones career and as a certification for the utilization of various support measures. It would be issued to all youths over the age of 18 and would be a passport to continuous support valid up to the age of 30 to 35. The passport would contain a record of job changes, part-time experiences, studies, certifications and self-development efforts, in addition to accomplishments achieved through participation in volunteer and NPO activities. In this respect, it would take the form of an electronic card to allow the input and accumulation of information through a digital format that can be accessed by the individual whenever necessary. The passport would enable young workers to receive career counseling regularly or as necessary at job cafes that are being newly established or at the more than 500 young workers centers throughout Japan. They would also have the opportunity to check and evaluate their own careers, including part-time experiences, and effectively utilize various support programs for employment, capacity development and other areas necessary for developing their careers. In addition to the above, a vocational scholarship system should be created to provide financial support for educational courses and school expenses to all young people who have graduated schoolincluding the unemployed, freeters, and displaced workersso that they may voluntarily prepare themselves for a job or develop their working capacities. ( ) 1. The youth frequent job changes result in many companies guarded stance on their employment. ( ) 2. The government and relevant institutions have already presented various proposals, including offering different job opportunities to both youth regular and non-regular employees. ( ) 3. Employment and career guidance should be part of high school curriculum. ( ) 4. Companies should revise their policies to recruit both new and old graduates. ( ) 5. The school course should deal with a broad range of topics relating to the work concept such as job hunting and hopping. ( ) 6. There are about 500 youth centers in some local areas. ( )7.The career passport contains part-time experiences, studies, certificate and self-development except job-hopping. 8. College education should enable students to make _. 9. Companies should provide educational program and send personnel to schools and offer _. 10. In order to provide young people with financial support, we should create _. 1.Y 2. N 3. Y 4. Y 5. NG 6 . N 7. N 8. their independence career decision 9. funds and equipment 10. a vocational scholarship system Test for Unit 2, Book2 Skimming and Scanning Directions: In this part, you are required to answer the questions on your Answer Sheet. For questions1-7, mark Y (for YES) if the statement agrees with the information given in the passage, N (for NO) if the statement contradicts the information given in the passage, NG (for NOT GIVEN) if the information is not given in the passage. For questions 8-10, complete the sentences with the information given in the passage. Overcoming Multicultural Clashes in Global Joint Ventures As trade liberalization opens new markets to foreign competition, executives everywhere are embarking on extensive, ambitious ventures that involve forging joint ventures among a variety of companies, a variety of national origins. The logic behind such ventures is compelling: usually the various partners each offer such benefits as new technologies, stable international financing, local-market expertise, and cost-effective human resources. Very often, management focuses only on such business needs as raising capital, procuring (采办) equipment, establishing operational plans, and providing technical training. Absorbed with those complexities, senior managers ignore or overlook the vital cultural issues that influence the day-to-day operations of their joint venture. To their disappointment, they eventually learn that the inability to manage culturally diverse workforce usually affects every process in the chain, from development to marketing. Take for example, the case of Mike Burgess, a Texas-born program manager who recently came to Indonesia to manage a multicultural venture. When Mike arranged his first Friday meeting with team members of various nationalities, he expected everyone to appear at 9 a.m. But three of the six Indonesian members did not arrive until 9:20 a.m. Worse, the three Indonesians brought along three uninvited members from their own staffs. Meanwhile, the four Japanese members of the team reorganized their seats so that they could sit together. When the meeting finally got underway at 9:45 a.m., Mike moved from discussing the agenda (议事日程) and objectives to inviting his guests to pose questions. No one volunteered a question until Mike remembered that Mr. Budi, as the senior Indonesian, had been invited to present his comments before anyone else could pose a question. During the discussion that followed, Mike became annoyed by the tendency of Indonesian members to lead their conversations down sidetracks rather than discussions of results and objectives. Then, Mike and Robert, the American technical director, became engaged in a heated, open disagreement that surprised both the Indonesian and Japanese teams. During the break that followed, the Indonesians were offended that Mike had ordered coffee, but no snacks. When the meeting reconvened (再次召集), and Mike tried to call the participants to a democratic vote on a key decision, Mr. Yamaguchi, the Japanese-team leader, asked for a delay of a week, so that he could consult with his headquarters in Tokyo. Mike openly expressed his frustration at this further delay, and Yamaguchi seized the opportunity to criticize Mike for an annoying workplace habit: Why, Yamaguchi asked, did Mike send so many e-mail messages to Yamaguchi, even though he worked only twenty-five feet away? At the core of all these clashes are the widely diverse values and habits of the American, Japanese, and Indonesian teams. These sets of competing values can be contrasted as follows. The American managers valued individualism, directness, and time-consciousness, while the Japanese stressed face-to-face discussion and consensus (一致) building. The Americans strove to come to business meetings well-informed and focused, expecting an open-dialogue that would lead to action-oriented decisions and the assigning of responsibilities. The Japanese partners placed great emphasis on group harmony, consensus, and the absolute requirement that proposals and actions be thoroughly discussed by all members of the group. For their part, the Indonesians had their own unique concerns. They expected that a senior member would open and close every important meeting. They also expected frequent breaks, not only for coffee and snacks, but also with enough time to conduct their daily prayers. They considered it normal to invite other members of their staff to attend business meetings, and didnt mind pursuing off-the-point conversations that clarified an important point. Considering the extraordinary cultural complexities of these new multinational ventures, its not surprising that most management teams fail to plan for these pitfalls (隐患). After all, no one can accurately predict exactly what kinds of troubles will ensue, only that there will be plenty of friction if no preparations are made. What to do? Happily, there are many ways in which managers can minimize, if not entirely eliminate the explosive, counter-productive potential. Activities such as brief lectures, group discussions, sharing of experience, video and multimedia presentations, all employing the most advanced research results, can help focus management on the dangers ahead, from the outset of any venture. Before problems explode, seminar participants should be encouraged to point out strengths and weaknesses of the joint venture. Then, members of each nationality should be asked to identify their individual core values. These core values should then be compared publicly with the value of participants from other cultures. In common, the various cultures will more willingly accept this sort of openness when it is part of a formalized process. Thus, Mr. Budi, the Indonesian manager, revealed that he placed greatest value on group harmony, personal relationships, cooperation, family, and seniority. That was hardly surprising, because these values are keys to success in Indonesia. Conversely, Mike Burgess, the American engineer, noted that his priorities (重点) were individuality, openness, risk-taking, and freedom. And Suzuki, the Japanese manager, predictably revealed that group harmony, consensus, and achievement are most important to him. To run a multicultural company successfully, the following pointers (点子、线索) are worth keeping in mind: Do not assume that capital, technology, and market-access are the only competitive edges. Provide each member of your team with preliminary cross-cultural orientation and training about the national and corporate cultures of the other team members. Establish a forum in which your employees can begin the process of creating and building a new corporate culture common to all new members. Find and stress common values. Encourage members to compromise and accept values that are not stressed in their culture. Use a facilitator, either a professional or an employee, to coach your top leaders in the critical task of developing a dialogue among the me