单选题
{{B}}Passage Three {{/B}} Young people
often wonder at the large number of employers who do not respond to their
applications for jobs. They say that despite enclosing return envelopes they
hear nothing at all or, at best, an impersonal note is sent declaring that the
post for which they applied has been filled. Applicants often develop the
suspicion that vacancies are marked for friends and relatives and that
advertisements are only put out to avert this accusation. Many of them tire of
writing around and feel that if only they could obtain an interview with the
right person their application would meet with success.
Not to acknowledge applicants letters is impolite and there seems little excuse
for this. Yet even sending brief replies to the many who apply takes much time
and money. That so-called return envelop may not have been stamped by the
sender, and a hard pressed office manager may be reluctant to send off long
letters of explanation to disappointed job hunters. A brief note is all that can
be managed and even that depends on the policy of the firm. But this difficulty
is reasonably easy to remove with a little goodwill.
The failure of an application is more often the fault of the applicant, for many
applicants do not set about their task in the right way. They do not study the
job requirements deeply enough and dispatch applications to all and sundry in
the hope that one will bear fruit. The personnel manager of a textiles
manufacturer, for example, advertised for designers. He was willing to consider
young people without working experience provided they had good ideas. The
replies contained many remarks like: "At school I was good at art", "I like
drawing things" and even "I write very interesting stories". Only one
applicant was sensible enough to enclose samples of her designs. She got the
job. Personnel managers emphasize the need for a good letter
of application. They do not look for the finest writing paper and perfect
typing, but it is reasonable to expect legible writing on a clean sheet of
paper, not a piece torn roughly from an exercise book.
As soon as the applicant is lucky enough to receive an invitation to attend an
interview, he should acknowledge the letter and say he will attend, but the
matter does not end there. The wise applicant will fill in the interval, making
himself familiar with the activities of the company he hopes to join. Some
applicants have not the faintest idea what the company does and this puts them
at a great disadvantage when they come to answer the questions that will be put
to them in the interview. Finally, the way an applicant
presents himself at the interview can sometimes mar his chances. The applicant
who arrives late is almost certain not to be appointed, as no employer likes
unpunctuality. Dress is important, too. An interview is a rather special
occasion and the wise applicant will come dressed in a way that shows he takes
it seriously.
单选题
About advertised jobs, applicants often suspect that______.
A. they are most likely not to get response from the company
B. the company would find excuses to deny their applications
C. most of the interviewers are unsympathetic
D. the posts applied may be reserved in advance
【正确答案】
D
【答案解析】[解析] 从第一段第三句“Applicants often develop the suspicion…”可知，求职者常怀疑公司已把这些空缺的职位指定给亲戚朋友了，即“reserved in advance”，故选D项。
单选题
The reason why applications are not always acknowledged may be
that______.
A. office managers are impolite
B. the return envelope may not have been stamped and to send it needs
money
C. office managers are very busy
D. both B and C
【正确答案】
D
【答案解析】[解析] 细节题。B，C两项在原文第二段中都可找到，都正确。故选D项。
单选题
According to the author, the success of a girl who applied to a
textiles manufacturer lies in that she is more intelligent than the others
because she presents______.
A. the knowledge about the routine business of the company
B. the occupation of encyclopaedia knowledge beyond her specialty
C. something new about her interest
D. something extraordinary besides her application
【正确答案】
D
【答案解析】[解析] 文中第三段末写明她得到工作是因为“to enclose samples of her designs”，即“something extraordinary”，故选D项。
单选题
A successful applicant should______.
A. write the letter of application legibly on the finest paper
B. reply immediately to the personnel department of the company on receiving
an invitation to attend an interview
C. be fully prepared for the questions that might be raised in the
interview
D. both B and C
【正确答案】
D
【答案解析】[解析] 在文中四、五两段可找到B，C的对应说法，而A项说求职信应字迹清晰(legibly)是对的，但没必要写在最好的纸上(on the finest paper)，故选D项。
单选题
In order not to mar his chances, an applicant has to pay close
attention to his
A. fluency and legibility
B. glamour and politeness
C. elegance and punctuality
D. seriousness and endurance
【正确答案】
C
【答案解析】[解析] 文中最后一段提到了dress和punctuality，与C项elegance and punctuality对应。