TPO118综合写作阅读+听力文本Word下载.docx

TPO118综合写作阅读+听力文本Word下载.docx

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Listening

Professor

Offeringemployeestheoptionofafour-dayworkweekwon'

taffectthecompanyprofits,economicconditionsorthelivesofemployeesinthewaysthereadingsuggests.

First,offeringafour-dayworkweekwillprobablyforcecompaniestospendmore,possiblyalotmore.Addingnewworkersmeansputtingmuchmoremoneyintoprovidingtrainingandmedicalbenefits.Rememberthecostsofthingslikehealthbenefitscanbethesamewhetheranemployeeworksfourdaysorfive.Andhavingmoreemployeesalsorequiresmoreofficespaceandmorecomputers.Theseadditionalcostswouldquicklycutintocompanyprofits.

Second,withrespecttooverallemployment,itdoesn'

tfollowthatoncesomeemployeeschooseafour-dayworkweek,manymorejobswillbecomeavailable.Hiringnewworkersiscostly,asIarguedamomentago.Andcompanieshaveotheroptions.Theymightjustchoosetoasktheiremployeestoworkovertimetomakeupthedifference.Worse,companiesmightraiseexpectations.Theymightstarttoexpectthattheirfour-dayemployeescandothesameamountofworktheyusedtodoinfivedays.Ifthishappens,thennoadditionaljobswillbecreatedandcurrentjobswillbecomemoreunpleasant.

Finally,whileafour-dayworkweekoffersemployeesmorefreetimetoinvestintheirpersonallives,italsopresentssomerisksthatcouldendupreducingtheirqualityoflife.Workingashorterweekcandecreaseemployees'

jobstabilityandharmtheirchancesforadvancingtheircareers.Four-dayemployeesarelikelytobethefirsttolosetheirjobsduringaneconomicdownturn.Theymayalsobepassedoverforpromotionsbecausecompaniesmightprefertohavefive-dayemployeesinmanagementpositionstoensurecontinuouscoverageandconsistentsupervisionfortheentireworkweek.

TPO2

Inmanyorganizations,perhapsthebestwaytoapproachcertainnewprojectsistoassembleagroupofpeopleintoateam.Havingateamofpeopleattackaprojectoffersseveraladvantages.Firstofall,agroupofpeoplehasawiderrangeofknowledge，expertise,andskillsthananysingleindividualislikelytopossess.Also,becauseofthenumbersofpeopleinvolvedandthegreaterresourcestheypossess,agroupcanworkmorequicklyinresponsetothetaskassignedtoitandcancomeupwithhighlycreativesolutionstoproblemsandissues.Sometimesthesecreativesolutionscomeaboutbecauseagroupismorelikelytomakeriskydecisionsthatanindividualmightnotundertake.Thisisbecausethegroupspreadsresponsibilityforadecisiontoallthemembersandthusnosingleindividualcanbeheldaccountableifthedecisionturnsouttobewrong.

Takingpartinagroupprocesscanbeveryrewardingformembersoftheteam.Teammemberswhohaveavoiceinmakingadecisionwillnodoubtfeelbetteraboutcarryingouttheworkthatisentailedbythedecisionthantheymightdoingworkthatisimposedonthembyothers.Also,theindividualteammemberhasamuchbetterchanceto“shine”,togethisorhercontributionsandideasnotonlyrecognizedbutrecognizedashighlysignificant,becauseateam’soverallresultscanbemorefar-reachingandhavegreaterimpactthanwhatmighthaveotherwisebeenpossibleforthepersontoaccomplishorcontributeworkingalone.

NowIwanttotellyouaboutwhatonecompanyfoundwhenitdecidedthatitwouldturnoversomeofitsnewprojectstoteamsofpeople,andmaketheteamresponsibleforplanningtheprojectsandgettingtheworkdone.Afteraboutsixmonths,thecompanytookalookathowwelltheteamsperformed.

Onvirtuallyeveryteam,somemembersgotalmosta"

freeride"

...theydidn'

tcontributemuchatall,butiftheirteamdidagoodjob,theyneverthelessbenefitedfromtherecognitiontheteamgot.Andwhataboutgroupmemberswhoworkedespeciallywellandwhoprovidedalotofinsightonproblemsandissues?

Well...therecognitionforajobwelldonewenttothegroupasawhole,nonameswerenamed.Soitwon'

tsurpriseyoutolearnthatwhentherealcontributorswereaskedhowtheyfeltaboutthegroupprocess,theirattitudewasjusttheoppositeofwhatthereadingpredicts.

Anotherfindingwasthatsomeprojectsjustdidn'

tmoveveryquickly.Why?

Becauseittooksolongtoreachconsensus;

ittookmany,manymeetingstobuildtheagreementamonggroupmembersabouthowtheywouldmovetheprojectalong.Ontheotherhand,therewereotherinstanceswhereoneortwopeoplemanagedtobecomeveryinfluentialoverwhattheirgroupdid.Sometimeswhenthoseinfluencerssaid"

Thatwillneverwork"

aboutanideathegroupwasdeveloping,theideawasquicklydroppedinsteadofbeingfurtherdiscussed.Andthentherewasanotheroccasionwhenacoupleinfluencersconvincedthegroupthataplanoftheirswas"

highlycreative."

Andeventhoughsomememberstriedtowarntherestofthegroupthattheprojectwasmovingindirectionsthatmightnotwork,theywerebasicallyignoredbyothergroupmembers.Canyouguesstheendingtothisstory?

Whentheprojectfailed,theblamewasplacedonallthemembersofthegroup.

TPO3

Rembrandtisthemostfamousoftheseventeenth-centuryDutchpainters.However,therearedoubtswhethersomepaintingsattributedtoRembrandtwereactuallypaintedbyhim.OnesuchpaintingisknownasattributedtoRembrandtbecauseofitsstyle,andindeedtherepresentationofthewoman’sfaceisverymuchlikethatofportraitsknowntobebyRembrandt.ButthereareproblemswiththepaintingthatsuggestitcouldnotbeaworkbyRembrandt.

First,thereissomethinginconsistentaboutthewaythewomanintheportraitisdressed.Sheiswearingawhitelinencapofakindthatonlyservantswouldwear-yetthecoatsheiswearinghasaluxuriousfurcollarthatnoservantcouldafford.Rembrandt,whowasknownforhisattentiontothedetailsofhissubjects’clothing,wouldnothavebeenguiltyofsuchaninconsistency.

Second,Rembrandtwasamasterofpaintinglightandshadow,butinthispaintingtheseelementsdonotfittogether.Thefaceappearstobeilluminatedbylightreflectedontoitfrombelow.Butbelowthefaceisthedarkfurcollar,whichwouldabsorblightratherthanreflectit.Sothefaceshouldappearpartiallyinshadow-whichisnothowitappears.Rembrandtwouldneverhavemadesuchanerror.

Finally,examinationofthebackofthepaintingrevealsthatitwaspaintedonapanelmadeofseveralpiecesofwoodgluedtogether.AlthoughRembrandtoftenpaintedonwoodpanels,nopaintingknowntobebyRembrandtusesapanelgluedtogetherinthiswayfromseveralpiecesofwood.

ForthesereasonsthepaintingwasremovedfromtheofficialcatalogofRembrandt’spaintingsinthe1930s.

Professor:

Everythingyoujustreadabout"

PortraitofanElderlyWomaninaWhiteBonnet"

istrue,andyetafterathoroughre-examinationofthepainting,apanelofexpertshasrecentlyconcludedthatit'

sindeedaworkbyRembrandt.Hereiswhy.

First,thefurcollar.X-raysandanalysisofthepigmentsinthepainthaveshownthatthefurcollarwasn'

tpartoftheoriginalpainting.Thefurcollarwaspaintedoverthetopoftheoriginalpaintingaboutahundredyearsafterthepaintingwasmade.Why?

Someoneprobablywantedtoincreasethevalueofthepaintingbymakingitlooklikeaformalportraitofanaristocraticlady.

Second,thesupposederrorwithlightandshadow.Oncethepaintoftheaddedfurcolorwasremoved,theoriginalcouldbeseen,intheoriginalpainting,thewomaniswearingasimplecollaroflight-coloredcloth.Thelight-coloredclothofthiscollarreflectslightthatilluminatespartofthewoman'

sface.That'

swhythefaceisnotinpartialshadow.Sointheoriginalpainting,lightandshadowareveryrealisticandjustwhatwewouldexpectfromRembrandt.

Finally,thewoodpanel.Itturnsoutthatwhenthefurcollarwasadded,thewoodpanelwasalsoenlargedwithextrawoodpiecesgluedtothesidesandthetoptomakethepaintingmoregrandandmorevaluable.Sotheoriginalpaintingisactuallypaintedonasing