CET6

工商经济类

Passage 1

In 1985 when a Japan Air Lines (JAL) jet crashed, its president, Yasumoto Takagi, called each victim’s family to apologize, and then promptly resigned. And in 1987, when a subsidiary of Toshiba sold　sensitive military technology to the former Soviet Union, the chairman of Toshiba gave up his post.

These executive actions, which Toshiba calls “the highest form of apology,” may seem bizarre to US managers. No one at Boeing resigned after the JAL crash, which may have been caused by a faulty Boeing repair.

The difference between the two business cultures centers around different definitions of delegation. While US executives give both responsibility and authority to their employees, Japanese executives delegate only authority—the responsibility is still theirs. Although the subsidiary that sold the sensitive technology to the Soviets had its own management, the Toshiba top executives said they“must take personal responsibility for not creating an atmosphere throughout the Toshiba group that would make such activity unthinkable, even in an independently run subsidiary.”

Such acceptance of community responsibility is not unique to businesses in Japan. School principals in Japan have resigned when heir students committed major crimes after school hours. Even if they do not quit, Japanese executives will often accept primary responsibility in other ways, such as taking the first pay cut when a company gets into financial trouble. Such personal sacrifices, even if they are largely symbolic, help to create the sense of community and employee loyalty that is crucial to the Japanese way of doing business.

Harvard Business School professor George Lodge calls the ritual acceptance of blame “almost a feudal (封建的) way of purging (清除) the community of dishonor,” and to some in the United States, such resignations look cowardly. However, in an era in which both business and governmental leaders seem particularly good at evading responsibility, many US managers would probably welcome an infusion (灌输) of the Japanese sense of responsibility, If, for instance, US automobile company executives offered to reduce their own salaries before they asked their workers to take pay cuts, negotiations would probably take on a very different character.

1. Why did the chairman of Toshiba resign his position in 1987?

A)In Japan, the leakage of a slate secret to Russians is a grave crime.

B)He had been under attack for shifting responsibility to his subordinates.

C)In Japan, the chief executive of a corporation is held responsible for the mistake made by its subsidiaries.

D)He had been accused of being cowardly towards crises that were taking place in his corporation.

2. According to the passage if you want to be a good manager in Japan, you have to ________.

A)apologize promptly for your subordinates' mistakes

B)be skillful in accepting blames from customers

C)make symbolic sacrifices whenever necessary

D)create a strong sense of　company　loyalty

3. What’s Professor George Lodge’s attitude towards the resignations of Japanese corporate leaders?

A) Sympathetic.　　　　B) Biased.　　　C) Critical. 　　　　　　D) Approving.

4. Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A)Boeing had nothing to do with the JAL air crash in 1985.

B)American executives consider authority and responsibility inseparable.

C)School principals bear legal responsibility for students' crimes.

D)Persuading employees to take pay cuts doesn’t help solve corporate crises.

5. The passage is mainly about ________.

A)resignation as an defective way of dealing with business crises

B)the importance of delegating responsibility to employees

C)ways of evading responsibility in times of crises

D)the difference between two business cultures

Passage 2

Bill Gates, the billionaire Microsoft chairman without a single earned university degree, is by his success raising new doubts about the worth of the business world's favorite academic title; the MBA (Master of Business Administration).

The MBA, a 20th century product, always has borne the mark of lowly commerce and greed(贪婪)on the tree-lined campuses ruled by purer disciplines such as philosophy and literature.

But even with the recession apparently cutting into the hiring of business school graduates, about 79,000 people are expected to receive MBAs in 1993.This is nearly 16 times the number of business graduates in 1960,a testimony to the widespread assumption that the MBA is vital for young men and women who want to run companies some day.

"If you are going into the corporate world it is still a disadvantage not to have one," said Donald Morrison, professor of marketing and management science. "But in the last five years or so, when someone says, `Should I attempt to get an MBA, 'the answer a lot more is: It depends."

The success of Bill Gates and other non MBAs, such as the late Sam Walton of Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has helped inspire self-conscious debates on business school campuses over the worth of a business degree and whether management skills can be taught.

The Harvard Business Review printed a lively, fictional exchange of letters to dramatize complaints about business degree holders.

The article called MBA hires "extremely disappointing "and said "MBAs wants to move up too fast, they don't understand politics and people, and they aren't able to function as part of a team until their third year. But by then they're out looking for other jobs. "

The problem, most participants in the debate acknowledge, is that the MBA has acquired an aura(光环)of future riches and power for beyond its actual importance and usefulness.

Enrollment in business schools exploded in the 1970s and 1980s and created the assumption that no one who pursued a business career could do with out one. The growth was fueled by a backlash(反冲)against the anti-business values of the 1960s and by the women's movement.

Business people who have hired or worked with MBAs say those with the degrees often know how to analyze systems but are not so skillful at motivating people. "They don't get a lot of grounding in the people side of the business, "said James Shaffer, vice-president and principal of the Towers Perrin management consulting firm.

1.According to Paragraph 2, what is the general attitude towards business on campuses dominated by purer disciplines?

A) Envious. B) Scornful. C) Realistic. D) Appreciative.

2.It seems that the controversy over the values of MBA degrees has been fueled mainly by .

A)the success of many non MBAs

B)the complaints from various employers

C)the performance of MBAs at work

D)the criticism from the scientists of purer disciplines

3.What is the major weakness of MBA holders according to The Harvard Business Review?

A)They are not good at dealing with people.

B)They keep complaining about their jobs.

C)They are usually self-centered.

D)They are aggressive and greedy.

4.From the passage we know that most MBAs .

A)can climb the corporate ladder fairly quickly

B)cherish unrealistic expectations about their future

C)quit their jobs once they are familiar with their workmates

D)receive salaries that do not match their professional training

5.What is the passage mainly about?

A)A debate held recently on university campuses.

B)Doubts about the worth of holding an MBA degree.

C)Why there is an increased enrollment in MBA programs.

D)The necessity of reforming MBA programs in business schools.

Passage 3

To understand the marketing concept, it is only necessary to understand the difference between marketing and selling. Not too many years ago, most industries concentrated primarily on the efficient production of goods, and then relied on "persuasive salesmanship" to move as much of these goods as possible. Such production and selling focuses on the needs of the seller to produce goods and then converts them into money.

Marketing, on the other hand, focuses on the wants of consumers. It begins with first analyzing the preferences and demands of consumers and then producing goods that will satisfy them. This eye-on-the-consumer approach is known as the marketing concept, which simply means that instead of trying to sell whatever is easiest to produce or buy for resale, the makers and dealers first endeavor to find out what the consumer wants to buy and then go about making it available for purchase.

This concept does not imply that business is benevolent(慈善的)or that consumer satisfaction is given priority over profit in a company. There are always two sides to every business transaction—the firm and the customer—and each must be satisfied before trade occurs. Successful merchants and producers, however, recognize that the surest route to profit is through understanding and catering to customers. A striking example of the importance of catering to the consumer presented itself in mid-1985, when Coca Cola changed the flavor of its drink. The non-acceptance of the new flavor by a significant portion of the public brought about a prompt restoration of the Classic Coke, which was then marketed alongside the new. King Customer ruled!

1. The marketing concept discussed in the passage is, in essence, .

A)he practice of turning goods into money B)making goods available for purchase

C)the customer-centered approach D)a form of persuasive salesmanship

2. What was the main concern of industrialists before the marketing concept was widely accepted?

A)The needs of the market. B)The efficiency of production.

C)The satisfaction of the user. D)The preferences of the dealer.

3. According to the passage, "to move as much of these goods as possible"(Para.1) means " ".

A)to sell the largest possible amount of goods

B)to transport goods as efficiently as possible

C)to dispose of these goods in large quantities

D)to redesign these goods for large - scale production

4. What does the restoration of the Classic Coke best illustrate?

A)Traditional goods have a stronger appeal to the majority of people.

B)It takes time for a new product to be accepted by the public.

C)Consumers with conservative tastes are often difficult to please.

D)Products must be designed to suit the taste of the consumer.

5. In discussing the marketing concept, the author focuses on .

A)its main characteristic B)its social impact

C)its possible consequence D)its theoretical basis

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2016年英语六级考试阅读理解技巧训练：社会科学类

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