Q22 to Q25:

Many managers are influenced by

dangerous myths about pay that lead

to counterproductive decisions about

Line how their companies compensate

(5) employees. One such myth is that

labor rates, the rate per hour paid to

workers, are identical with labor costs,

the money spent on labor in relation to

the productivity of the labor force.

(10) This myth leads to the assumption that

a company can simply lower its labor

costs by cutting wages. But labor

costs and labor rates are not in fact

the same: one company could pay

(15) its workers considerably more than

another and yet have lower labor

costs if that company’s productivity

were higher due to the talent of its

workforce, the efficiency of its work

(20) processes, or other factors. The

confusion of costs with rates per-

sists partly because labor rates are

a convenient target for managers who

want to make an impact on their com-

(25) pany’s budgets. Because labor rates

are highly visible, managers can easily

compare their company’s rates with

those of competitors. Furthermore,

labor rates often appear to be a

(30) company’s most malleable financial

variable: cutting wages appears an

easier way to control costs than such

options as reconfiguring work pro-

cesses or altering product design.

(35) The myth that labor rates and labor

costs are equivalent is supported by

business journalists, who frequently

confound the two. For example, prom-

inent business journals often remark on

(40) the “high” cost of German labor, citing

as evidence the average amount paid

to German workers. The myth is also

perpetuated by the compensation-

consulting industry, which has its own

(45) incentives to keep such myths alive.

First, although some of these con-

sulting firms have recently broadened

their practices beyond the area of

compensation, their mainstay con-

(50) tinues to be advising companies on

changing their compensation prac-

tices. Suggesting that a company’s

performance can be improved in

some other way than by altering its

(55) pay system may be empirically cor-

rect but contrary to the consultants’

interests. Furthermore, changes

to the compensation system may

appear to be simpler to implement

(60) than changes to other aspects of an

organization, so managers are more

likely to find such advice from con-

sultants palatable. Finally, to the

extant that changes in compensation

(65) create new problems, the consultants

will continue to have work solving the

problems that result from their advice.

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Q22:

The author of the passage suggests which of the following about the advice that the consulting firms discussed in the passage customarily give to companies attempting to control costs?

Q23:

The author of the passage mentions business journals (line 39) primarily in order to

我觉得好像C，D都对啊？根据The myth that labor rates and labor

costs are equivalent is supported by

business journalists, who frequently

confound the two. For example, prom-

inent business journals often remark on

(40) the “high” cost of German labor, citing

as evidence the average amount paid

to German workers和The myth is also

perpetuated by the compensation-

consulting industry,

C不是也对吗？

我不知道我的理解对不对

就算是Many managers are influenced bydangerous myths about pay that lead to counterproductive decisions about how their companies compensate

你也不好说a view common among business managers

文章journalist的稀里糊涂使这一myth得到加强，没有主观的意思，说不好听是journalist无知。C说有interest，这个是臆断。

而且我觉得做这种目的题，不光要看选项说得和原文是否一致，更重要是看他说得是不是作者的目的。显然作者是要点出造成这个myth的几个源头，其中就包括journalist，而不是要暗示什么。

明白了，谢谢

确认一下，这道题的参考答案是 D 吧？！

GWD-4-Q23:
The author of the passage mentions business journals (line 39) primarily in order to
  
A. demonstrate how a particular kind of evidence can be used to support two different conclusions
B. cast doubt on a particular view about the average amount paid to German workers
C. suggest that business journalists may have a vested interest in perpetuating a particular view
D. identify one source of support for a view common among business managers
E. indicate a way in which a particular myth could be dispelled