单选题

The Management of Change

Today, change is a permanent characteristic of business activity. In some cases it is expected and planned for. In others it is not. Some changes may be impossible to forecast and therefore pose the greatest danger. The effect will be heightened when the factors driving change fall beyond the control of the business. New consumer tastes, the rise of competitors, new legislation and economic fluctuations are all examples of this.
People bring about change, but they are also the most important barrier to its success. Individuals may resist change to protect pay, for example. It often takes time for workers to adapt. and if payment is based on output, they may, to begin with, earn less. They may also, since change can endanger a person's authority, regard change as a threat to their status. In addition, the wish to maintain group membership can be strong, and workers may resist change because they are worried about what others may think if they do not.
There are two key ways in which managers can help individuals overcome their natural resistance to change. The first is to involve those affected at every stage of the process so they understand why a new approach is necessary and have an interest in its success. To achieve this, when a decision is to be made, a proposal should pass between all employees who have an interest in the outcome. They are then asked to comment on the idea: in this way agreement about the best way forward gradually emerges and a final plan can be developed.
Of course, this is much less useful if rapid change is needed in response to a crisis. An alternative is to keep all those people affected by a change informed of what is happening at each stage of the process. Make sure everyone is aware of the options available. Many of the difficulties caused by a new situation are the result of fear of the unknown, but by informing those involved, some of the uncertainty can be removed.
When change is actually introduced, the process must be controlled. The final outcome of the programme should be the situation that was identified as 'where we want to be' in the initial planning phase. Targets should be set for each stage to ensure that progress is focused and does not slow down. It is essential that each target is measurable and that people recognise what is involved. If the outcome of each stage is well defined, action can be taken if the process shows any sign of moving out of control.
One individual experienced at managing change is Martin Chambers, CEO of a North American computer firm. He says, "The secret is to build an organisation that isn't afraid to make changes while it's still on top, when it's not a matter of survival, " He also encourages his management team to learn from competitors. "It's important to understand how the market works, to know what products are available, and to always be thinking ahead." His approach signals that failure to constantly adapt to market conditions is why companies fall from positions of market dominance.

单选题 What is said in the first paragraph about business responses to change?

【正确答案】 A

【答案解析】[题目考查点] 细节理解题，考查公司对变革的反应。
[解题关键句] 题目意为：“第一段中有关公司对变革的反应是怎样说的?”文中第一段首先指出，变革是现在公司活动中一个常见的特点。有些变革是可以预料到的，而且是做了计划的(如销售额的迅速增长)，但有些则不能。如果能够为变革做准备，就能够有效地管理变革。继而指出“…some changes may be impossible to forecast and therefore pose the greatest danger. The effect will be heightened when the factors driving change fall beyond the control of the bushiness.”即：……有些变革无法预测，从而带来最大的威胁。当造成变革的因素超出了公司的控制范围，就会更加危险。A项意为外部变化是对公司最大的威胁，与文中意思相符。文中的factors driving change fall beyond the control of the business对应选项中的External changes;文中的the greatest danger对应选项中的the biggest threat。而B、C、D项在文中均找不出对应文字。

单选题 According to the text, the attitude of staff towards change can be influenced by

【正确答案】 B

【答案解析】[题目考查点] 事实细节题，考查影响员工对待变革态度的因素。
[解题关键句] 题目意为：“根据本文作者的观点，员工对变革的态度受什么影响?”文中第二段列出一些人们抗拒变革的原因，例如，不愿意降薪，不希望自己的权威或地位受到威胁等。此外，文中指出“the wish to maintain group membership can be strong, and workers may resist change because they are worried about what others may think if they do not.”即：成为集体中的一员这种意愿会很强烈，员工可能会因为担心如果自己对变革不持抗拒态度，别人会有不好的看法。由此可见，B项“同事的看法”为正确选项。

单选题 Why does the author say employees should be included in decisions about change?

【正确答案】 A

【答案解析】[题目考查点] 推理判断题，考查员工参与变革决策的原因。
[解题关键句] 题目意为：“为什么作者说员工应当参与到变革的决策中来?”文中第三段指出：让员工对变革不产生抗拒的办法之一就是让员工参与到这个过程之中，让他们明白为什么需要新的方式，从而希望变革取得成功。这就需要在做决定时，所有关心变革结果的员工都要听取一下提案。接下来指出“They are then asked to comment on the idea; in this way agreement about the best way forward gradually emerges and a final plan can be developed.”即：他们都要对提案中的想法发表评论，这样可以逐渐得出大家都认同的最好的办法，最终制定出一个计划来。因此A项“员工可能会有更好的提议”与文中意思相符。

单选题 What reason is given for staff not always being involved in decisions about change?

【正确答案】 D

【答案解析】[题目考查点] 事实细节题，考查员工不能参与变革决策的原因。
[解题关键句] 题目意为：“为什么员工不一定总是可以参与有关变革的决策?”文中第三段阐述了员工参与变革决策的原因和方式。在第四段的第一句，作为承上启下的一句话，指出“Of course, this is much less useful if rapid change is needed in response to a crisis.”即：当然，当紧急情况出现，需要快速做出变革时，这(相关员工参与决策)就不是那么可行了。由此可见，D项“情况紧急，不允许长时间的商讨”与文意相符。其中选项中的“urgency of the situation”与文中的“crisis”对应。

单选题 According to the fifth paragraph, what is important when carrying out a process of change?

【正确答案】 C

【答案解析】[题目考查点] 推理判断题，考查对文章第五段的理解。
[解题关键句] 题目意为：“根据第五段内容，在实施变革的过程中重要的是什么?”文中第五段首先指出，开始实施变革后，要对过程进行控制。变革的最终结果应当与计划最初确立的目标是一样的。接着指出“Targets should be set for each stage to ensure that progress is focused and does not slow down. It is essential that each target is measurable and…If the outcome of each stage is well defined, action can be taken if the process shows any sign of moving out of control.”即：每一阶段都应当树立目标，以确保变革的进展是有中心的，速度没有放慢。关键的是每一个目标(是否完成)都是可以衡量的……如果每个阶段的目标都非常明确，一旦发现任何失控的迹象，就可以采取行动。由此可以判断出，实施变革的过程中，重要的是明确每一阶段的目标，以确保变革过程的每一步都保证可以实现最终的目标。因此C项“要清楚变革讨程中的每一阶段是否已经完成”与文中意思相符。

单选题 Martin Chambers believes that his company is successful because

【正确答案】 B

【答案解析】[题目考查点] 细节理解题，考查对Martin chambers所说的话的理解。
[解题关键句] 题目意为：“Martin chambers认为他的公司之所以能够成功是因为什么?”文中最后一段首先说明：Martin Chambers的公司在变革管理方面比较有经验。Martin Chambers是这样评价自己成功的原因的：“The secret is to build an organisation that isn't afraid to make changes while it's still on top, when it's not a matter of survival.”即：(成功的)秘诀是建立一个不惧怕变革的团队，即便居于领先位置，变革不关乎生死存亡时也敢于变革。可见，B项“不是无可选择的时候才进行变革”与文中意思相符。