When Liam McGee departed as president of Bank of America in August, his explanation was surprisingly straight up. Rather than cloaking his exit in the usual vague excuses, he came right out and said he was leaving "to pursue my goal of running a company." Broadcasting his ambition was "very much my decision," McGee said. Within two weeks, he was talking for the first time with the board of Hartford Financial Services Group, which named him CEO and chairman on September 29.
McGee said leaving without a position lined up gave him time to reflect on what kind of company he wanted to run. It also sent a clear message to the outside world about his aspirations. And McGee isn"t alone. In recent weeks the No. 2 executive at Avon and American Express quit with the explanation that they were looking for a CEO post. As boards scrutinize succession plans in response to shareholder pressure, executives who don"t get the nod also may wish to move on. A turbulent business environment also has senior managers cautious of letting vague pronouncements cloud their reputations.
As the first signs of recovery begin to take hold, deputy chiefs may be more willing to make the jump without a net. In the third quarter, CEO turnover was down 23% from a year ago as nervous boards stuck with the leaders they had, according to Liberum Research. As the economy picks up, opportunities will abound for aspiring leaders.
The decision to quit a senior position to look for a better one is unconventional. For years executives and headhunters have adhered to the rule that the most attractive CEO candidates are the ones who must be poached. Says Korn Ferry, senior partner Dennis Carey: "I can"t think of a single search I"ve done where a board has not instructed me to look at sitting CEOs first."
Those who jumped without a job haven"t always landed in top positions quickly. Ellen Marram quit as chief of Tropicana a decade ago, saying she wanted to be a CEO. It was a year before she became head of a tiny internet-based commodities exchange. Robert Willumstad left Citigroup in 2005 with ambitions to be a CEO. He finally took that post at a major financial institution three years later.
Many recruiters say the old disgrace is fading for top performers. The financial crisis has made it more acceptable to be between jobs or to leave a bad one. "The traditional rule was it"s safer to stay where you are, but that"s been fundamentally inverted," says one head-hunter. "The people who"ve been hurt the worst are those who"ve stayed too long."
单选题
When McGee announced his departure, his manner can best be described as being ______.
【正确答案】
B
【答案解析】[解析] 本题问的是哪项可以最好地描述McGee宣布离开时的态度。原文的第一句话说到，When Liam McGee departed, his explanation was surprisingly straight up. 由此可知，当Liam McGee离开时他的解释非常直率。第二句话接着说到，Rather than cloaking his exit in the usual vague excuses, he came right out and said…他不是用通常模糊的理由掩饰他的离开而是坦率地说……。B选项的frank“坦率的”是对文中straight up和right out的同义替换。由此可知，本题的正确答案为B。
单选题
According to Paragraph 2, senior executives" quitting may be spurred by ______.
【正确答案】
D
【答案解析】[解析] 本题问的是第二段中提到的驱使高级管理人员离职的可能原因。根据题干定位至原文的第二段。本段首先介绍了McGee离职的原因，并接着举了另外两个高管人员的例子：the NO. 2 executives at Ayon and American Express quit with the explanation that they were looking for a CEO post. 由此可知，高管辞职是因为他们渴望追求新的职业目标。D选项符合原文内容。因此，本题的正确答案为D。
单选题
The word "poached" (Line 3, Paragraph 4) most probably means ______.
【正确答案】
C
【答案解析】[解析] 本题问的是第四段中的poached一词的意思。根据题干定位至原文的第四段。该词出现在第四段的第二句话中，For years executives and headhunters have adhered to the rule that the most attractive CEO candidates are the ones who must be poached. 多年来高官们和猎头们一直坚持“最有吸引力的CEO候选人必须被挖走”这一原则。poach有“偷猎；窃取”之意，用在此处，联系上下文可知，be poached表示“被寻找；被挖走”之意。可见，只有C选项的hunted for“寻找”与其意思最为接近。其他选项的意思均不合适：approved of被赞成。attended to被照顾。guarded against被预防。因此，本题的正确答案为C。
单选题
It can be inferred from the last paragraph that ______.
【正确答案】
A
【答案解析】[解析] 本题问的是从原文的最后一段可推出什么信息。根据题干定位至原文的最后一段。该段的第二句话说到，The financial crisis has made it more acceptable to be between jobs or to leave a bad one. 金融危机使得跳槽或离开糟糕的岗位更可被接受。第三句话接着引用一个猎头的话说到，The traditional rule was it"s safer to stay where you are, but that"s been fundamentally inverted…传统的规则认为呆在原地更安全，但是这已经从根本上改变了。由此可知，A选项“高管过去常常坚持他们的岗位”符合原文的内容。因此，本题的正确答案为A。
单选题
Which of the following is the best title for the text?