阅读理解The financial climate for charities is worsening, with more than half hit by the economic downturn, a survey reveals today. Over half of those affected report a decline in income triggered by the recession at a time when one fifth of charities are seeing an increase in demand for their services. Despite the success of Comic Relief, which raised £60m for anti-poverty charity projects last weekend, the overall financial picture for the voluntary sector is gloomier than it was six months ago, says the Charity Commission report.Dame Suzi Leather, the Chairwoman of the Charity Commission, said, “Clearly the impact of the financial downturn on charities is widening and deepening. Some charities still face that double chances of a drop in income as well as an increased demand for services. The research tells us that the number of charities taking steps to reduce the risks that the financial downturn brings has risen since we conducted our first research. However, not all charities are putting measures in place to protect their work and their funds. It is very surprising that more charities are not considering collaboration with others, as this can help them share expertise and costs.”In September the commission found that 38% of charities had been affected by the downturn, with 16% describing the impact had been “very significant or significant.” The latest report shows those proportions have increased, to 58% and 25% respectively. Bigger charities — those with an annual income of more than £ 1 million — were less likely to have been hit by income reductions. But almost two-thirds of that group were concerned that the downturn would affect their work in future.The commission surveyed a random sample of 1,000 charities of varying sizes in England and Wales during January and February. It found the collapse in the value of stocks and shares — for many charities the single most important source of income — has impacted hard on the sector, which is also hurting from a falloff in corporate donations and private legacies.Charities that delivered services overseas reported they had been badly affected by the fall in the value of sterling. The survey suggests there is little sign that charities overall are preparing to make big cutbacks in jobs or capital investments. Only a tiny proportion of those surveyed said they were facing problems meeting pension commitments. (1) According to the passage, the proportion of charities suffered from income reduction is _________.______ A. more than half of all the charities B. one fifth of all the charities C. over half of charities affected by the recession D. one fifth of charities affected by the recession (2) It can be inferred from the passage that the best solution to fighting financial downturn for charities is _________.______ A. to raise money from corporations B. to cooperate with other charities C. to reduce the number of employees D. to increase their demand for service (3) Which of the following statements about bigger charities is TRUE?______ A. They are those with an annual income of more than $ 1 million.B. They are more likely to be affected by income reductions.C. Most of them are concerned about their work in future.D. Many of them are likely to have their employees’ income increased. (4) The most important source of income for many charities is from _______.______ A. stocks and shares B. corporate donations C. private legacies D. overseas service (5) It can be concluded from the passage that _______.______ A. charities are preparing to reduce their jobs and capital investmentsB. it is less likely for charities to reduce their jobs and capital investmentsC. many charities are facing problems such as paying pensionsD. charities are preparing to expand their demand for service overseas
阅读理解Over the past decade, American companies have tried hard to find ways to discourage senior managers from feathering their own nests at the expense of their shareholders. The three most popular reforms have been recruiting more outside directors in order to make boards more independent, linking bosses pay to various performance measure, and giving bosses share options so that they have the same long-term interests as their shareholders.These reforms have been widely adopted by America’s larger companies, and surveys suggest that many more companies are thinking of following their lead. But have they done any good? Three papers presented at the annual meeting of the Academy of Management in Boston this week suggest not. As is usually the case with boardroom tinkering, the consequences have differed from those intended.Start with those independent boards. On the face of it, dismissing the boss’s friends from the board and replacing them with outsiders looks a perfect way to make senior managers more accountable. But that is not the conclusion of a study by Professor James Westphal. Instead, he found that bosses with a boardroom full of outsiders spend much of their time building alliances, doing personal favors and generally pleasing the outsiders.All too often, these seductions succeed. Mr. Westphal found that, to a remarkable degree, “independent” boards pursue strategies that are likely to favor senior managers rather than shareholders. Such companies diversify their business, increase the pay of executives and weaken the link between pay and performance.To assess the impact of performance related pay, Mr. Westphal asked the bosses of 103 companies with sales of over $ 1 billion what measurements were used to determine their pay. The measurements varied widely, ranging from sales to earnings per share. But the researcher’s big discovery was that bosses attend to measures that affect their own incomes and ignore or play down other factors that affect a company’s overall success.In short, bosses are quick to turn every imaginable system of corporate government to their advantage which is probably why they are the people who are put in charge of things. Here is a paradox for the management theorists: any boss who cannot beat a system designed to keep him under control is probably not worth having.(1) What is the purpose of the large companies recruiting more outside directors?______ A. To diversify the business of the corporations. B. To increase the cooperation between the senior managers and the board directors. C. To introduce effective reforms in business management. D. To protect the benefit of the shareholders. (2) What does Professor James Westphal’s study suggest?______ A. Boardroom reforms have failed to achieve the desired result. B. Outside board directors tend to be more independent. C. Senior managers work more conscientiously with a boardroom full of outsiders. D. Cooperation between senior managers and board directors suffered from the reforms. (3) The word “seductions” (Para. 4) probably means _________.______ A. efforts to conquer B. attempts to win over C. endeavors to increase profits D. exertions to understand (4) Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?______ A. In general corporate executives are worth the high pay they receive.B. The income of corporate executives is proportional to the growth of corporate profits.C. Corporate executives tend to take advantage of their position to enrich themselves.D. The performance of corporate executives affects their own interests more than those of the shareholders. (5) How does the author feel about the efforts to control senior executives?______ A. Doubtful. B. Indifferent. C. Positive. D. Approving.
阅读理解Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky has said it’s his primary reference book on management techniques. Twitter co-founder Evan Williams is said to have recommended it to employees. Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg is reportedly a huge fan.It is High Output Management, a business book first published in 1983, when many of today’s startup CEOs weren’t out of diapers or even born, when the Web didn’t exist and when social media meant a group of people sitting around watching the evening news together.Though it has a famous author, former Intel CEO Andy Grove, it’s far less known outside Silicon Valley than one of his other management books, Only the Paranoid Survive. A cult classic within tech circles, it never reached the best-seller lists and has never had the name-recognition other business book hits of the 1980s and 1990s enjoyed, such as In Search of Excellence, Built to Last and The Innovator’s Dilemma. Its popularity has taken off in recent years among members of a new generation of the technorati, helped by a wave of startup founders who have stayed on as CEOs rather than be replaced by professional managers.“It really gets into the mechanics of how you do various things at a really practical level,” Horowitz, a well-known venture capitalist, says in an interview. “At the time it was written, the management stuff that was popular kind of made management seem easier — it didn’t get into the really nitty gritty.”That seems to be why it’s so well liked. Void of the pop theory and formulaic fads that make up so much of the genre, it’s written by an iconic CEO who has a PhD in electrical engineering and a lifetime of experience rather than merely a consultant’s shingle. It takes on the day-to-day stuff of management — meetings, performance appraisals, interviews, compensation—and deconstructs the process and goals of being a manager.Grove uses simple metaphors and describes the nuts and bolts of management — comparing production management to delivering breakfast as a waiter, for instance, or talking about how to get the most information out of an interview with a potential employee’s reference. Yet it has also been hugely influential. The management by objective approach he describes, also known as objective and key results, is widely used at many companies today.Horowitz says that part of what makes the book so beloved is how much Grove’s personality comes through. As Horowitz said in a recent speech honoring Grove, “reading it, you could just feel what he wanted you to learn, and he did it by exposing — even as the most important guy in the whole industry — his own vulnerabilities. You could see that he knew what was hard about it.”(1)When High Output Management was first published, ________. ______ A. Evan Williams recommended it to employees B. Mark Zuckerberg became a fan of the author C. modem social media hadn’t come into beingD. today’s CEOs hadn’t entered the industry yet(2) Which of the following is right about the author Grove? ______ A. He is only famous in Silicon Valley. B. He has written several management books. C. He is also the author of many book hits.D. He helped startup founders stay on as CEOs.(3) Which words can best describe the characteristics of the book? ______ A. Penetrating and vivid. B. Profound and formulaic. C. Stylized and practical.D. Superficial and interesting.(4) Which of the following is closest in meaning to “nuts and bolts”? ______ A. Typical cases.B. Basic elements. C. Core notions.D. The highest objectives.(5) Which of the statements may Horowitz most agree with? ______ A. Grove’s extroversive personality is much liked. B. Grove’s masterpiece should be greatly honored. C. Grove’s vulnerability is very hard to be found.D. Grove’s sincerity has made his book favourable.
阅读理解In 30 years, your shoes will be smarter than you. That’s not meant to be an insult but rather what Masayoshi Son believes will be the case as robots outnumber humans and exceed their intelligence in just three decades. “One of the chips in our shoes in the next 30 years will be smarter than our brain. We will be less than our shoes. And we are stepping on them,” the chairman and CEO of Japan’s SoftBank Group chuckled.Son was talking up the concept of “singularity,” that is when the artificial intelligence built into computers, connected Internet of Things objects and the cloud will surpass that of the human brain.As robots gain that same level of intelligence, the societal impact is likely to be profound. Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban recently tweeted that “Automation is going to cause unemployment and we need to prepare for it.” And Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates recently said in an interview that robots that take over a job formerly done by a real live person should be taxed at the same level as that human.SoftBank’s Son notes that today, an average IQ for a person is around 100. If you’re an Einstein or Da Vinci your IQ is around 200 marks, and you’re considered a genius. In contrast, Son believes AI-infused computers will eventually have an IQ of 10,000. “This burst of superintelligence, he says, “is going to become a reality.” And this intelligence will make its way into all sorts of IOT devices, robots, cars and up in the cloud.According to Son, a population of smart robots will exceed the population of mankind over this 30-year timeframe. Such brainy robots will make up all sizes and shapes. Some will fly, some will swim, some will have two legs, and some will have hundreds of legs.SoftBank is also spending a lot of time focused on security. There were 128 billion cyberattacks last year, 4.5 times the year before. “The number (of hacks) is exponentially (以指数方式)growing, so we have to be very careful,” Son says. He played a video during his remarks demonstrating how hackers could steer a connected vehicle or prevent the brakes from working. To combat such threats, the company recently announced that it is putting new encrypted (加密的) security features into the microcontroller chips that go into cars and IOT devices.Some scholars at Oxford came up with 12 risks that threaten human intelligence, such things as nuclear war, global pandemics and so forth. Artificial intelligence made the list too. But AI can also be the solution for the other crises, Son says. “If we misuse it, it’s a risk. If we use it in good spirit, it will be our partner for a better life.”(1) In what way can your shoes become smarter than you in a near future? ______ A. By implanting more chips. B. By trying to lead our steps. C. By connecting to computers.D. By applying AI technology.(2) The remarks of Mark Cuban and Bill Gates demonstrate that _______. ______ A. social reforms are in urgent need in response to AIB. automation and Al are likely to fuel social conflictsC. new technology poses threats to human labor forceD. automation opens up broader ways of tax revenue(3) Which of the following is true of the smart robots as Son depicts? ______ A. They reproduce much faster than humans do.B. They can change their appearances as they wish.C. They are endowed with a large variety of functions.D. They will overtake humans in all aspects of life.(4) What does the author imply about the artificial intelligence? ______ A. It may bring about more threats to the society.B. It may turn out to be a double-edged sword.C. It will be the answer to other social problems.D. It will prove to substitute human intelligence.(5) What may be the main theme of this passage? ______ A. Shoes will become much smarter in a short period.B. AI may reduce the risks posed by human activities.C. The development of AI may trigger new social risks.D. Robots will overall surpass humans in 30 years.