Business has slowed， layoffs mount， but executive pay continues to roar——at least so far. Business Week’s annual survey finds that chief executive officers（CEOs） at 365 of the largest US companies compensation last year averaging $3.1 million-up 1.3 percent from 1994.
Why are the top bosses getting an estimated 485 times the pay of a typical factory worker？ That is up from 475 times in 1999 and a mere 42 times in 1980. One reason may be what experts call the “Lake Wobegon effect”. Corporate boards tend to reckon that “all CEOs are above average”—a play on Garrison Keillor’s famous line in his public radio show，A Prairie Home Companion，that all the town’s children are “above average”. Consultants provide boards with surveys of corporate compensation. Since directors are reluctant to regard their CEOs as below average，committees of boards tend to set pay at an above-average level. The result：Pay levels get ratcheted up.
Defenders of lavish CEO pay argue there is such a strong demand for experienced CEOs that the free market forces their pay up. They further maintain most boards structure pay packages to reflect an executive's performance. They get paid more if companies and their stock do well. So companies with high-paid GEOs generate great wealth for their shareholders.
But the supposed cream-of-the-crop executives did surprisingly poorly for their shareholders in 1999，says Scott Klinger，author of this report by a Boston-based Organization United for a Fair Economy. If an investor had put $10,000 apiece at the end of 1999 into the stock of companies with the 10 highest-paid CEOs，by year-end 2000 the investment would have shrunk to $8,132.If $10,000 had been put into the Standard & Poor’s 500 stocks，it would have been worth $9,090.To Mr.Klinger， these findings suggest that the theory that one person， the CEO， is responsible for creating most of a corporation’s value is dead wrong.“It takes many employees to make a corporation profitable.”
With profits down，corporate boards may make more effort to tame compensation. And executives are making greater efforts to avoid pay cut. Since CEOs，seeing their options “under water” or worthless because of falling stock prices，are seeking more pay in cash or in restricted stock.
Which of the following statements is true about Garrison Keillor？（ ）
本题句意为“关于Garrison Keillor，下列哪种说法是正确的?”
A选项：他的有关CEO的想法为公司董事会所认可；B选项：他的一句台词经过修改后用来描述CE0的情况；C选项：他在节目中指出“所有的CEO都是高人一等的”；D选项：他的电台节目引发了“瓦伯格湖效应”。根据第二段Corporate boards tend to reckon that “all CEOs are above average”—a play on Garrison Keillor’s famous line in his public radio show…可知Garrison Keillor在其著名的公共电台系列节目中的一句话被用来描述CEO，原句是说镇上的所有孩子都是“平均水平之上”。故选B。
According to the second paragraph，CEOs' pay keeps soaring mainly because___________.
本题句意为“根据第二段的内容，CEO的薪酬不断上涨。这主要是因为······”
A选项：调查显示，CEO值得获得更高的薪酬；B选项：顾问们都倾向于相信CEO是高人一等的；C选项：董事们的想法对薪酬标准影响很大；D选项：薪酬委员会极少衡量CEO的能力。根据第二段Since directors are reluctant to regard their CEOs as below average，committees of boards tend to set pay at an above-average level. The result：Pay levels get ratcheted up.可知，因为董事们不愿意承认他们的首席执行官是平均水平之下，董事会的薪酬委员会就会把他们的薪酬定在平均水平之上。结果就是，首席执行官得到的薪酬节节上升。由此可推断首席执行官的报酬不断上涨主要是受到董事们的想法的影响的原因。故选C。
“Cream-of-the-crop”（Line 1，Para.4） is closest in meaning to____________ .
本题句意为：“Cream-of-the-crop”的意思最接近的是······
A选项：有能力的；B选项：令人鼓舞的；C选项：令人失望的；D选项：工作努力的。根据第四段But the supposed cream-of-the-crop executives did surprisingly poorly for their shareholders in 1999可知，对于股东来说，那些本应表现相当杰出的首席执行官们1999年的业绩却相当糟糕，令人颇为吃惊。But表示转折，可推断cream-of-the-crop与did poorly意思相反，故选A。
Scott Klinger most probably tends to agree that ______________.
本题句意为“Scott Klinger最可能会同意下列哪一种说法？”
A选项：大部分人在投资股票时是亏钱的；B选项：CEO的表现不能从股票的价值中体现出来；C选项：CEO并不是使公司发展强盛的唯一因素；D选项：CEO的薪酬在很大程度上影响公司的利润。根据第四段To Mr.Klinger， these findings suggest that the theory that one person， the CEO， is responsible for creating most of a corporation’s value is dead wrong.“It takes many employees to make a corporation profitable.”可知，以Scott Klinger而言，这些发现表明，“公司的大部分价值是由首席执行官一个人创造的”这一理论是十分错误的，“公司赚钱，应该归功于众多雇员的共同努力。”故选C。
Which of the following is the biggest concern of the corporate boards？（ ）
本题句意为“以下哪一点是公司董事会最关心的因素？”
A选项：自由市场；B选项：CEO的表现；C选项：公司利润；D选项：CEO的薪酬。根据文章最后一段With profits down，corporate boards may make more effort to tame compensation.可知，随着利润的下降，公司董事会可能会花更大力气削减首席执行官的薪酬。由此可推断，董事会最关心的应该是公司利润。故选D。