单选题

Getting the Most out of Meetings

One aspect of business life which many managers are unhappy with is the need to attend meetings. Research indicates that managers will spend between a third and a half of their working lives in meetings. Although most managers would agree that it is hard to think of an alternative to meetings, as a means of considering information and making collective decisions, their length and frequency can cause problems with the workload of even the best-organized executives.
Meetings work best if they take place only when necessary and not as a matter of routine. One example of this is the discussion of personal or career matters between members of staff and their line and personnel managers. Another is during the early stages of a project when the team managing it needs to learn to understand and trust one another.
Once it has been decided that a meeting is necessary, decisions need to be taken about who will attend and about the location and length of the meeting. People should only be invited to attend if they are directly involved in the matters under discussion and the agenda should be distributed well in advance. An agenda is vital because it acts as a road map to keep discussion focused and within the time limit allocated. This is also the responsibility of the person chairing the meeting, who should encourage those who say little to speak and stop those who have a great deal to say from talking too much.
At the end of a well organized meeting, people will feel that the meeting has been a success and be pleased they were invited. They will know not only what decisions were made but also the reasons for these decisions. Unfortunately, at the end of a badly organized meeting those present will leave feeling that they have wasted their time and that nothing worthwhile has been achieved.
Much thought has been given over the years to ways of keeping meetings short. One man who has no intention of spending half his working life in meetings is Roland Winterson, chief executive of a large manufacturing company. He believes that meetings should be short, sharp and infrequent. "I try to hold no more than two or three meetings a week, attended by a maximum of three people for no longer than half an hour," he says. "They are clearly aimed at achieving a specific objective, such as making a decision or planning a statement, and are based on careful preparation. I draw up the agenda for every meeting and circulate it in advance; those amending are expected to study it carefully and should be prepared to both ask and answer questions. Managers are best employed carrying out tasks directly connected with their jobs not attending endless meetings. In business, time is money and spending it in needless meetings that don"t achieve anything can be very costly. Executives should follow the example of lawyers and put a cost on each hour of their time and then decide whether attending a long meeting really is the best way to spend their time."

单选题 What do most managers think about meetings?

【正确答案】 D

【答案解析】[解析] 大多数经理对于会议的看法：
定位段落第一段，定位句为“most managers would agree that it is hard to think of an alternative to meetings, as a means of considering information and making collective decisions.”即：大多数经理都认为会议作为一种搜集信息和做一系列决定的途径很难被替代。
原文定位句中most managers would agree that对应题干中most managers think about；原文定位句中hard to think of an alternative to meetings对应选项D中Meetings are the only way；原文定位句中considering information and making collective decisions是选项D中achieving certain objectives具体要实现的目标。

单选题 According to the writer, an example of a valuable meeting is one which ______.

【正确答案】 A

【答案解析】[解析] 什么样的会议是有价值的会议：
定位段落第二段，定位句为“Meetings work best if they take place only when necessary and not as a matter of routine. One example of this is the discussion of personal or career matters between members of staff and their line and personnel managers. Another is during the early stages of a project when the team managing it needs to learn to understand and trust one another.”即：最有效的会议是要发生在必要的时刻而不是当作一个例行公事。以下两种会议均可看作是有价值的会议：第一种是员工、他们的上司和人事经理之间讨论员工的个人或职业发展问题；另一种是在一个项目实施的初期，使团队中的每个人都相互理解、相互信任。
原文定位句中meetings work best对应题干中a valuable meeting；原文定位句中learn to understand and trust one another与选项A中colleagues to achieve a better working relationship表达的意思近似。

单选题 According to the writer, the agenda is important because it ______.

单选题 The writer says that people leaving a well organized meeting will understand ______.

【正确答案】 D

【答案解析】[解析] 人们开完一个组织较好的会议会得到哪些信息：
定位段落第四段，定位句为“At the end of a well organised meeting, people will feel that the meeting has been a success and be pleased they were invited. They will know not only what decisions were made but also the reasons for these decisions.”即：在一场组织较好的会议结束后，人们会感觉非常高兴来参加这场成功的会议。他们不仅会知道通过了哪些决定，而且还会知道为什么做这些决定。
原文定位句中at the end of a well organised meeting对应题干中leaving a well organised meeting；原文定位句中the reasons for these decisions与选项D中why certain courses of action were agreed upon的意思相近。

单选题 What does Roland Winterson say about the meetings that he organizes?

【正确答案】 B

【答案解析】[解析] Roland Winterson对于他自己组织的会议的看法：
定位段落第五段，定位句为“Roland Winterson, chief executive of a large manufacturing company. He believes that meetings should be short, sharp and infrequent. "I try to hold no more than two or three meetings a week, attended by a maximum of three people for no longer than half an hour," he says. "They are clearly aimed at achieving a specific objective.”即：Roland Winterson是一家制造业公司的首席执行官，他认为会议需要简短、有针对性、不经常开。“我试着让会议控制在一周2～3次，每次会议最多三人参加，最长半个小时；参会人员要有明确的会议实现目标。
原文定位句中they are clearly aimed at achieving a specific objective对应选项B中He ensures they have a definite purpose。