myice

110. “All personnel evaluations at a company should be multi-directional — that is, people at every level of the organization should review not only those working ‘under’ them but also those working ‘over’ them.”
Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion stated above. Support your views with reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.
“一个公司里所有的个人评价都应该是多方面的，即组织内各个层面的人员不但应该评价他们的下属也应该评价他们的上司。”

1，        只有上对下容易产生腐败和上层的官僚主义 bureaucratism
2，        过程会耗时和繁杂
3，         设计一种好的高效的评价体系

The speaker asserts that employees at all levels in an organization should review one another, including those working “over” them as well as “under” them. I agree in part. Often companies will conduct two different kinds of periodic review, one to justify decisions regarding promotion and pay, and another to increase overall efficiency by assessing employee performance. Multi-directional evaluation should never be part of the first kind of review; however, it can be valuable in the second kind and, therefore, should be used there.
On the one hand, lower-level employees have too much organizational power if their evaluations are used in decisions about the pay or promotions of their superiors. Employees can intimidate superiors with the threat of bad review. Also employees can use the review process to retaliate against those at higher levels. In either case, the authority of a manager or an executive can be seriously compromised, and productivity is lost in the process.
On the other hand, the most revealing criticisms of a superior’s style often come from those subject to it. In a process of review that isn’t connected to promotion or pay, employees at all levels can be more comfortable and forthright about sharing concerns. In turn, every employee is more likely to get accurate feedback, including constructive criticism, that will help each nurture strengths and improve areas of weakness. In this way (adv. 这样), multi-directional evaluation can greatly enhance organizational efficiency.
Furthermore, multi-directional evaluation in this context helps prevent worker alienation and subsequent lowered productivity. Widening the performance review process will very likely foster a greater sense of personal involvement in one’s work, especially among lower-level employees. Recent studies have shown that people who feel more invested in their jobs tend to work more cooperatively and productively.
In conclusion, there is an important role for multi-directional personnel evaluation in the workplace. While it should be clearly separate from issues of promotion and pay, as part of the performance review process it can encourage better employee relations and higher productivity.

myice

111. “The most effective business leaders are those who maintain the highest ethical standards.”
“最有效率的企业领导是保持最高道德标准的人。”
1，        支持者会认为, 高道德会赢得reputation and trust; 第一, 高道德生产高质量的产品以及service,顾客稳定stable share of the market; 第二, 高道德会让员工满意度提高(公平，平等). 从而attract those applicants with high ability and keep the employees loyal to the company---最终导致高的productivity.
例子：Bayer, one of the largest pharmaceutic companies in the world, announced that the company would cease production of one of its major products, because of the hazardous ingredients it contained. By doing so, the company suffers great loss on profitability, but gains strong public support and understanding, which can contribute to the long-term success of the company.
2，        但在更多的情况下, 高道德也许不equal to maximal profit. 比如,a, 如果把道德放在第一位的话,企业的executive很可能无法执行裁员活动complete the normal administration, such as raising the price, reducing the superabundant staff…  b, 高道德的话，很可能采用最高标准的环保生产——这样很不是cost-effective.   总之，Following such undue concern about ethics, the company may find it impossible to survive in the radical competitive market, let alone to gain large profit.

View1: the definition of highest standards of ethics vary from person to person and time to time. Therefore, it is impractical to find and then stick to the highest standards of ethics. At some circumstance, violation of ethics may generate immediate efficiency and productivity. Examples: ??
View2: the regulations and laws of authorities are more feasible and suitable standards to follow.
View3: while waiting for government regulations may draw back the processes of eliminating the ill actions, we can count on the authorities to speed up the process of refining the laws and regulations.

The assertion at issue is that business people who uphold the highest ethical standards are the most effective leader. I strongly agree with this statement. For a while, unethical behavior might seem effective. But a few examples from the investment banking industry keenly illustrate how dishonesty and corruption in leadership can bring a business to its knees, shattering the trust of its employees and ruining its reputation with clients.
Consider the cases of Michael Milken, former head of junk bond trading at Drexel Burnham Lambert, and Paul Mozer, formerly in charge of Salomon Brothers’ government bonds trading. Each of these men engaged in double-dealing and other illegal acts, reaping tremendous profits for their companies, and winning the admiration of subordinates and superiors alike. However, their successes were relatively short-lived. Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) investigations in each case revealed massive wrongdoing. As a result, Drexel went out of business. And Salomon Brothers barely recovered, after suffering the forced resignations of its top executives, a financially devastating loss of reputation, and the exodus of many valued employees.
Moreover, Salomon’s survival is probably owing entirely to its subsequent leadership under Warren Buffett. Buffett, who was on the Salomon Brother board of directors at the time of the scandal, was brought in to save the beleaguered company. His success in keeping it afloat at all can be directly tied to his sterling ethical reputation in the international business community at the time. Buffett’s reputation restored at least some lost confidence among clients and investors, and probably prompted some employees to reconsider their decisions to leave the company.
While not every case of unethical leadership is quite so public or devastating as these, they do illustrate an important point. In any business, once corruption at the top becomes known, the predictable outcome will be damaged reputation, lower worker morale, and, along with them, lost productivity.
In conclusion, unethical conduct at the leadership level in a company might go unnoticed and serve one’s interests in the short-term. However, in the long run it will work against one’s effectiveness and may even prove ruinous.

myice

112. “The overall quality of life in most societies has never been better than at the present time because of recent advancements in such areas as business and technology.”
“因为最近商业和技术方面的发展，大多数社会的总体社会质量前所未有的好。”
1，        物质生活更丰富，生活更便利，不受天灾威胁
2，        节奏太快，远离自然
3，        进步是双刃剑要好好利用double-edged sword

1.        progress in technology and business确实给人们的生活带来了considerable improvement. a, in the material life，提供了unprecedented diversity of service and products。supermarket：hundreds and thousands of products for people to choose；——三月份就可以吃到新鲜的草莓fresh strawberry   b, 方便。高效率in the convenience of our own homes ：得到信息在网上，订餐order a dinner via internet； c, 人们的健康状况更好了，很多曾经可以威胁人生命的病现在只要简单的医疗手段就可以解决。
2.        但是，也不是说全都是好处，同时也有消极的影响。比如a, 人们spend more time on television and internet, 忽略了overlook the necessary communication in the family。造成了alienation between the family members. b, 再比如，fast communication on-line 剥夺了人们深入思考的可能。deprive people of deep and comprehensive thinking.
3.        使人们更加忙碌，疲劳。a, 人们的效率提高了，却被要求做更多的事了，实际上，人们更加忙碌了。比如the invention of laptops provide the possibility for people to continue their work after they leave the company. even on holiday. b, 新技术发展很快，demand changes every day. 这样accelerate the job obsolescence。造成人们suffer more pressure and anxiety.


The stated opinion is that recent advancements in business and technology have made overall quality of life better than ever. I disagree somewhat with the speaker’s viewpoint. For although such advancements have improved our lives in many respects, they have also diminished our quality of life in other ways.
Clearly, progress in business and technology has produced many benefits. For example, we can research problems and their solutions in minutes on the Internet; productivity is at an all-time high. And we can get more done in less time, leaving more time for hobbies, entertainment or other leisure activities. We can even mix a little work into our leisure time, by taking our laptops and cell phones on vacation. This way, we can stay one step ahead on projects at work, anticipating deadlines and staying in touch with co-workers and important clients.
In addition, leisure time has itself been enhanced by business and technology. Never before have we had so many spectacular diversions available, or so many leisure- and entertainment-related businesses vying for our attention. Moreover, we can obtain everything form airline tickets to a language course and holiday wardrobe via the Internet, in the convenience of our own homes.
Nevertheless, advances in business and technology have compromised our quality of life as well. For all the wonders of computers, they have spawned their own special illnesses and ailments, like severe eyestrain, back and neck problems, and carpal tunnel syndrome. And though we now have a world of information available in a keystroke, some of this information—like pornography, hate group diatribes and bomb-building instructions—are harming our society, especially our children. Even apparently harmless material, like direct mail advertising and telephone soliciting, is endlessly annoying. Finally, family life is sometimes a casualty of all this progress, with parents and children spending more time transfixed before their computer monitors and less time together.
In conclusion, advances in business and technology are a mixed blessing. For while we enjoy many benefits of this so-called progress, in many ways it has changed our lives for the worse.

myice

115. “Technology ultimately separates and alienates people more than it serves to bring them together.”
Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion stated above. Support your position with reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.
从根本上说，科技使人们疏远远甚于使人们聚合在一起。
1.        不能交流的可以交流了，不容易交流的变得容易拉
2.        增进交流也就加强了理解使得交流有更深的层次
3.        当然有些工具的产生确实也使得交流变得肤浅但是综合来看不支持作者的观点

I believe there is some truth to the speaker’s claim that technology separates and alienates people. However, there is certainly at least as much evidence that technology serves best to bring people together.
The most obvious way that technology separates and alienates people from one another is symbolized by the computer nerd sitting glazed-eyed before his computer screen in a basement, attic, bedroom, or office cubicle. While this scene is a caricature, of course, it’s true that practically everybody who uses email or surfs the Internet does so alone, with only his or her computer for company. And, to the extent that computer use increases the amount of time we collectively spend in solitary activities, it increases the amount of time we spend separated from our fellow humans.
On the other hand, technology has been a wonderful aid in bringing people together, or, in many cases, back together. Speaking for myself, I can say that I have become connected with quite a number of people via email with whom I might never have spoken otherwise. These include old friends with whom I had fallen out of the habit of writing regular letters but with whom I now correspond regularly because of the ease with which email can be sent and delivered.
A second way in which the new technology has brought people together is by allowing individuals who have common interests to make contact with one another. It is possible to find people who share one’s interest in nearly anything, from aardvarks to zippers. Such contacts may be ephemeral, but they can be a great source of information and amusement as well. I would hazard a guess that for each person who sits neurotically at home, eschewing personal contacts with others in favor of an exclusive relationship with his computer, there are hundreds of others who have parleyed their email capacity and their access to the Web into a continuous succession of new acquaintances.
In sum, it seems clear to me that technology has done more to bring people together than to isolate them.

myice

缺117,129, 130, 131, 132,A12

myice

117. “A government should provide funding for the arts, but only for those artistic works that reflect the values and attitudes of the majority of the population.”
Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion stated above. Support your views with reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.
“一个政府应该提供艺术基金，但只是针对那些作品反映了主流人群的价值和观念的艺术家。”
1.        If let the market operates solely can let the efficiency be achieved, it is meaningless for the government to exist. The reason that the government should be established is that there are externalities, either positive or negative. For those phenomena that can cause negative externalities such as the pollution from the chemical factories, the government should do something to eliminate or at least reduce them. For the positive counterparts such as art, the government should do its best to support them, no matter provide funding or something else.
2.        However, I can not agree with the second half of the author's idea. As far as I am concerned, the government should support all kinds of art. The function of the government is to best serve the public's interest. Each kind of art has its own appreciators who will get pleasure from it.
3.        Moreover, the diversity of culture is also a reason that the government should consider that will be in favor of the support of all kinds of art rather than the support of the ones represent the values and attitudes of the majority population.

myice

129. “Instead of relying on the advice of outside experts, organizations should place greater value on the advice that can come only from their own highly experienced employees.”
Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion stated above. Support your views with reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.
“与其依赖外部专家的建议，一个组织更应该看重那些只能来自它的内部的资深员工的建议。”
1，        公司内部员工的意见非常重要：首先，公司内部员工更有动力关心公司的情况，从而更加主动积极地思考。第二，公司内部员工更加了解公司的情况，从而可能找到问题所在。比如说生产力下降可能有很多原因，比如技术、比如员工morale，比如组织的管理。这些由外部的专家来研究可能没有那么直接。
2，        但是，外部的专家也有不能忽视的优势。首先，更加专业,可以提供professional advice。第二，外部的人可以更加客观地衡量一个企业的经营情况operating condition。from a more objective sight. 第三，外部的人可以看到全面的公司，从而给出综合的意见integrated opinion about the whole company.
3，        需要结合在一起。比如外部的人员充分地听取内部的意见，作为判断的根据base their judgment on information from the experienced employees.

1.        Admittedly, the insiders are more  familiar with the detailed routine of the of the company. They are experts of their own field and they are in charge of the daily activities of the company. All the above-mentioned factors contribute to their competence to make decisions for the company.
2.        However, the outsiders also have their advantages. They can judge the performance of a company from an objective angle.
3.        Moreover, they can overlook a company, thus providing a perspective to analyze the overall situation.

View1: advices from inner highly experienced employees are good resources to improve the performance of the company.
Evidence: they are familiar with the circumstance therefore can develop exact perception of the problems.
View2: However outside experts have their own advantages in dealing with organizational problems.
But outside experts add a wide spectrum of judgment, outlook, and state-of-the-art experience to problems confronting organizations.
Conclusion: they are not mutually exclusive alternatives, which one to adopt depend on the specific situations.

myice

130. “When judging the qualifications of potential employees, business employers should rely primarily on objective information, such as a candidate’s résumé and education. Personal interviews are much too subjective and are therefore not a valid basis on which to judge a person’s qualifications for a job.”
Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion stated above. Support your views with reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.
“当评价一个潜在雇员的条件的时候，企业雇主应该主要依赖诸如推荐信和教育程度之类的客观信息。个人鉴定太过主观因此不是评判一个人是否对一份工作称职的有效依靠。”
1.        objective information such as candidate's resume and education is really very important for judging the potential employees. This kind of information can serve as the solid evidence to testify a potential employee's quality.
2.        Personal interview is too short a period of time to comprehensively reflect a potential employee's overall qualities. Therefore, personal interview can not be a valid basis on which to judge a person's qualification. What is more, just as the author points out, the personal interviews to which the interviewees' favor can be added are much too subjective.
3.        However, it is also too imprudent to eliminate the personal interview. In my opinion, personal interview can supplement the objecive information in judging a potential employee.

1.        客观信息很有用：首先，有很多候选人的情况，客观信息可以很大地帮助企业作出最初的筛选。the initial filtration of candidates. 第二，有时客观信息比interview更加可信solid resource of information.
2.        但是客观信息也不能完全取代interview的作用。首先, 面试时面对面可以看出一个人的性格character，公司可以挑选中适合企业要求的character。比如广告advertising公司，要求创新creative and originality能力，大胆，又有些auditing company，需要严谨preciseness。这些特点显然在简历中看不出来。第二，面试时可以通过具体的task来让面试中perform——这样可以直观地看出他们是否有能力胜任have enough skill to handle the specific job and then to take over the job.
3.        应该结合使用，比如用基本资料先choose candidates to attend the interview，之后用interview中反映出的信息来决定是否录用.

View1: there are much more information comes from personal interviews other than form objective judgments.
Resume and education background can not demonstrate the capability and character of the candidates thoroughly.
Social ability: cooperate with others
Attitude toward life and work: optimistic or passive, passionate or lazy
Characters: loyalty, honest
View2: employment is a two way choice, interviews give candidates the opportunity to get more information about the employer and the job requirements.

myice

131. “We can learn more about a society by observing how its people spend their leisure time than by observing them at work.”
Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion stated above. Support your views with reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.
“我们可以通过观察一个社会的人们如何打发他们的休闲时间而非观察他们的工作来更多的了解这个社会。”
1.        1What people do at work indicates the level of the society's civilizition including the how developed the productivity is, how efficient a society it is, and so on so forth.
2.        2What people do to spend their leisure time reflect the society's civilzition from anthoer perspective. From the literacy of that society we can interpret the citizens' spirit wolrd; from the sports they do we can tell the conditions of their bodies, even from the pure entertainment activities of a society, we can also get some information such as what are the in-things of the society.
3.        3The author's assertion which allege that we can know better of a society from what people do to spend leisure time than from what people do at work is imprudent and groundless. It is obvious that the author overestimate the importance of the understanding of what do people do at work in the comprehensive interpretation of a society.

1.        人们业余生活的方式，可以很大程度地反映一个社会：a, 可以反映人们的生活态度。 一种更加积极乐观的心态，会使人们更加活跃地energetically participate in various kinds of activities after work。反之，则不同。b, 具体业余生活的种类，可以帮助人们了解社会的偏好preference，比如健身，体现了对健康的关注；比如文学，可以了解社会的精神丰富程度。c, 最后，与谁一起度过业余生活，更可以反映整个社会人与人之间的亲密程度。to which degree are people correlated with each other.
2.        但是，也不能忽视工作对社会的反映作用。首先，工作占用最大the time that people spend on work amounts to the greatest fraction of total life. 在工作中表现出来的特点，是人们生活的重要部分。第二，工作的状态可以反映出一个社会的生产力水平，重视效率的程度。第三，工作的种类可以反映社会对于不同product and service的demand。从另一个角度反映社会的价值取向。reflect the values of the community from a different sight.
3.        这两个不能分开，要合理地结合在一起，才能understand one community more accurately and comprehensively.

View1: leisure time represent the society culture changes, vacation and holiday for different nations.
Evidence: In china, popular songs that express the emotions of lovers as well as pubs and clubs were strictly forbidden until 1980s, the time that china began its reformation and opening.
View2: leisure time is tied to the economic root of the society.
Evidence: once viewed as noble exercise, golf has become more and more commonplace and available for more Chinese people.
International tour/ travel abroad
View3: work does not vary too much, but how to spend the leisure time change greatly from country to country.

myice

132. “Governments should not be responsible for regulating businesses and other organizations. Instead, society would benefit if the organizations themselves assumed responsibility for establishing and enforcing their own standards and regulations.”
Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion stated above. Support your views with reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.
“政府不应该对规范企业和其他组织负责。相反，如果组织自身承担建立和执行他们自己的标准和规范的责任，那么社会会得利。”
1.        Admittedly, the goveronment should not regulate the business or other organizations too much. Too much supervision will harm the development of the business or an organization.
2.        Let the business alone to regulate itself will also cause problems. The ultimate goal of the business is to gain benefit, therefore all the activities will serve this pivotal goal even at the expense of the social benefit.
3.        The ideal combination can be the midst.

1.        too much interference from the government would undoubtedly impede the development of businesses and organizations. 1, 政府干涉过多可能或扼杀企业的积极性positivity. 显然如果没有自主决定the power of independently making decisions, 那么eventually, lead to the less active economy. 2, 政府过度的exorbitant干涉可能会打乱市场发展的自然规律disturb the natural order of the market. 比如regulation on the type of product 可能市场上的excessive demand or supply.
2.        但是也不是说政府should assume no necessary supervision over the business. 首先, 毕竟,企业的一切行为都是为了利益最大化. 缺乏管理,很可能产生很多negative results.政府有义务确保keep the national market in healthy condition. 如果缺乏suitable regulation, 有可能会出现恶性的竞争inordinate competition. 又比如Enron cheat on the financial condition. 第二, 政府有时要帮助企业度过recession.依靠企业自身的力量, 可能不能overcome the huge destroy of the recession.
3.        要有适当的regulation, 同时adequate freedom. 才能健康地发展.

View1: if organizations are allowed to establish their own regulations, the enforcement of regulations will be enhanced and the governmental burden of organizations will be released.
View2: however, the lack of authoritative and uniform regulations will ultimately do harm to both organizations and entire society.
Evidence: disturb of market order, monopoly, unfair competition.
To society: Unqualified products, high prices, environmental pollution, waste of resources
Do harm to international trade because the lack of uniform standards and the assurance of credit.