2010年6月英語六級考試閱讀理解訓練題(3)

　　While there is some common ground between the encyclopedic and cultural entries for the Oxford and Longman dictionaries, there is a clear difference. Oxford lays claim to being encyclopedic on content whereas Longman distinctly concentrates on the language and culture of the English-speaking world. The Oxford dictionary can therefore stand more vigorous scrutiny for cultural bias than the Longman publication because the latter does not hesitate about viewing the rest of the world from the cultural perspectives of the English-speaking world. The cultural objectives of the BBC dictionary are in turn more distinct still. Based on an analysis of over 70 million words recorded from the BBC World Service and National Public Radio of Washington over a period of four years, their 1,000 brief encyclopedic entries are based on people and places that have featured in the news recently. The intended user they have in mind is a regular listener to the World Service who will have a reasonable standard of English and a developed skill in listening comprehension.

　　In reality, though, the BBC dictionary will be purchased by a far wider range of language learners, as will the other two dictionaries. We will be faced with a situation where many of the users of these dictionaries will at the very least have distinct socio-cultural perspectives and may have world views which are totally opposed and even hostile to those of the West. Advanced learners from this kind of background will not only evaluate a dictionary on how user-friendly it is but will also have definite views about the scope and appropriateness of the various sociocultural entries.

　　35. What is the passage mainly about?

　　A) Dressing for effect.

　　B) How to dress appropriately.

　　C) Managerial positions and clothing.

　　D) Dressing for the occasion.

　　Clothes play a critical part in the conclusions we reach by providing clues to who people are, who they are not, and who they would like to be. They tell us a good deal about the wearer's background, personality, status, mood, and social outlook.

　　注：critical重要的

　　Since clothes are such an important source of social information, we can use them to manipulate people's impression of us. Our appearance assumes particular significance in the initial phases of interaction that is likely to occur. An elderly middle-class man or woman may be alienated(疏遠……) by a young adult who is dressed in an unconventional manner, regardless of the person's education, background, or interests.

　　注：manipulate控制，操縱

　　People tend to agree on what certain types of clothes mean. Adolescent girls can easily agree on the lifestyles of girls who wear certain outfits(套裝), including the number of boyfriends they likely have had and whether they smoke or d rink. Newscasters, or the announcers who read the news on TV, are considered to be more convincing, honest, and competent when they are dressed conservatively. And collage students who view themselves as taking an active role in their inter personal relationships say they are concerned about the costumes they must wear to play these roles successfully. Moreover, many of us can relate instances in which the clothing we wore changed the way we felt about ourselves and how we act ed. Perhaps you have used clothing to gain confidence when you anticipated a stressful situation, such as a job interview, or a court appearance.

　　In the workplace, men have long had well defined precedents and role models for achieving success. It has been otherwise for women. A good many women in the business world are uncertain about the appropriate mixture of "masculine" an d "feminine" attributes they should convey by their professional clothing. The variety of clothing alternatives to women has also been greater than that avail able for men. Male administrators tend to judge women more favorably for managerial positions when the women display less "feminine" grooming(打扮)-shorter hair, moderate use of make�瞮p, and plain tailored clothing. As one male administrator confessed, "An attractive woman is definitely going to get a longer interview, but she won't get a job."

　　[方法例外]

　　40. The best title for this passage would be __________.

　　A) Role of Women and Minorities in Management

　　B) The Importance of Being Visible

　　C) Job Performance and Advancement

　　D) Sex and Career Success

　　注：關鍵句在concludes that那句。本題也可通過文中漢語解釋蒙出來。

　　怎么蒙?看給出的解釋--重要詞匯才給出解釋

　　看前面細節(jié)題--把提干關鍵詞加起來

　　The more women and minorities make their way into the ranks of management, the more they seem to want to talk about things formerly judged to be best left unsaid. The newcomers also tend to see office matters with a fresh eye, in the process sometimes coming up with critical analyses of the forces that shape everyone’s experience in the organization.

　　Consider the novel views of Harvey Coleman of Atlanta on the subject of getting ahead. Coleman is black. He spent 11 years with IBM, half of them working in management development, and now serves as a consultant to the likes of AT&T, CocaCola, Prudential, and Merch. Coleman says that based on what he's seen at big companies, he weighs the different elements that make for long-term career success as follows: performance counts a mere 10%, image, 30%; and exposure, a full 60%. Coleman concludes that excellent job performance is so common these days that while doing your work well may win you pay increases, it won't secure you the big promotion. He finds that advancement more often depends on how many people know you and your work, and how high up they are.

　　Ridiculous beliefs? Not to many people, especially many women and members of minority races who, like Coleman, feel that the scales(障眼物) have dropped from their eyes. "Women and blacks in organizations work under false beliefs," says Kaleel Jamison, a New York based management consultant who helps corporation s deal with these issues. "They think that if you work hard, you'll get ahead-t hat someone in authority will reach down and give you a promotion." She adds, "Most women and blacks are so frightened that people will think they've gotten ahead because of their sex or color that they play down(使不突出) their visibility." Her advice to those folks: learn the ways that white males have traditionally used to find their way into the spotlight.

　　25. The author is critical mainly of _________.

　　A) inferior packaging

　　B) dishonest packaging

　　C) the changes in package size

　　D) exaggerated illustrations on packages

　　It is said that the public and Congressional concern about deceptive (欺騙性的) packaging rumpus (喧囂) started because Senator Hart discovered that the boxes of cereals consumed by him, Mrs. Hart, and their children were becoming higher and narrower, with a decline of net weight from 12 to 10. 5 ounces, without any reduction in price. There were still twelve biscuits, but they had been reduced in size. Later, the Senator rightly complained of a store-bought pie in a handsomely illustrated box that pictured, in a single slice, almost as many cherries as there were in the whole pie.