阅读理解
Top management roles at multinational corporations in Asia are typically held by Westerners. But not just any type of Westerner-regional directors and CEOs are also predominantly men.
There are "some big challenges" in Asia when it comes to women's efforts to break through the glass ceiling, said Nick Marsh of executive-search firm Harvey Nash. Whereas in the States and Europe there are board development programs, they were not prevalent in Asia. In Hong Kong, just 2% of CEOs are women, according to McKinsey & Company's Women Matter report. The leadership trend mirrors the reality across the region more broadly, where women in Asia occupy just 1.1% of CEO, CFO, country head and related positions, according to a 2012 Catalyst study.
"Women in the workforce have challenges that are different from men," said Sylvia Lee, who heads Oracle Hong Kong. This has often resulted in women leaving the workforce midway through their career. We need to recognize that, and provide a good support network for them to encourage and motivate each other. Women lacking confidence in their leadership ability may also be a driving factor in the gender disparity. "Women do not put themselves forward at the same rate, and may exclude themselves from opportunities if they don't think they have 100% of the skills required," said Mr. Marsh, "whereas men may be more likely to put themselves forward if they think they've got at least 50% of the skills."
Even at multinational corporations, the progress of women in senior leadership roles can be likened to an hourglass, said Mr. Marsh. You see a better pool of people at the top but it really thins out a level or two down from the CEO or board of directors. Women make up a large number of entry-level positions, but often see waning representation at management levels. Top executives will have to recognize that a more balanced management team could help drive success in business, said Mr. Marsh.
Brad Adams, human resources research director at advisory firm CEB, said many top companies are looking beyond the notion of diversity to the concept of "inclusion management," which emphasizes broad thinking, openness to new ideas, deeper understanding of customers or supply chains, and the diversity of markets. But ending the gender disparity will require conscious effort.
There are "some big challenges" in Asia when it comes to women's efforts to break through the glass ceiling, said Nick Marsh of executive-search firm Harvey Nash. Whereas in the States and Europe there are board development programs, they were not prevalent in Asia. In Hong Kong, just 2% of CEOs are women, according to McKinsey & Company's Women Matter report. The leadership trend mirrors the reality across the region more broadly, where women in Asia occupy just 1.1% of CEO, CFO, country head and related positions, according to a 2012 Catalyst study.
"Women in the workforce have challenges that are different from men," said Sylvia Lee, who heads Oracle Hong Kong. This has often resulted in women leaving the workforce midway through their career. We need to recognize that, and provide a good support network for them to encourage and motivate each other. Women lacking confidence in their leadership ability may also be a driving factor in the gender disparity. "Women do not put themselves forward at the same rate, and may exclude themselves from opportunities if they don't think they have 100% of the skills required," said Mr. Marsh, "whereas men may be more likely to put themselves forward if they think they've got at least 50% of the skills."
Even at multinational corporations, the progress of women in senior leadership roles can be likened to an hourglass, said Mr. Marsh. You see a better pool of people at the top but it really thins out a level or two down from the CEO or board of directors. Women make up a large number of entry-level positions, but often see waning representation at management levels. Top executives will have to recognize that a more balanced management team could help drive success in business, said Mr. Marsh.
Brad Adams, human resources research director at advisory firm CEB, said many top companies are looking beyond the notion of diversity to the concept of "inclusion management," which emphasizes broad thinking, openness to new ideas, deeper understanding of customers or supply chains, and the diversity of markets. But ending the gender disparity will require conscious effort.
单选题
6.By saying "the leadership trend mirrors the reality across the region more broadly"- in Paragraph 2, the author wants to convey the message that______.
【正确答案】
B
【答案解析】细节题。根据题干关键词定位到第二段。该段主要在讲述女性在事业发展中占据劣势地位，尤其是亚洲女性，位居高管者寥寥无几。本段最后一句意为“这种领导者构成趋势更广泛地反映了亚洲地区的现实。非营利组织Catalyst 2012年进行的研究结果显示，在亚洲的行政总裁、财务总监和国家元首等相关职位中，女性占比仅为1．1％”。由此可知，B项“女性CEO在许多地区仅占少数”符合题意，为正确答案。
单选题
7.According to Paragraph 3, all of the following statements are true EXCEPT that______.
【正确答案】
D
【答案解析】细节题。根据题干关键词定位到第三段。第三段以甲骨文香港公司负责人Sylvia Lee的话开头，指出男女在职场中面对的挑战不同，女性更需要鼓励和支持，女性由于缺乏自信而失去了很多机会，这加剧了性别歧视。D项“男性比女性更爱冒险”属于过度推断，原文只是说“男性觉得如果具备了至少一半的技能，便很可能跃跃欲试”，只是说明男性比女性更自信，D项说到冒险，属于过度猜测。故D项符合题意，为正确答案。
单选题
8.The phrase "thins out" (Para. 4) probably means______.
【正确答案】
A
【答案解析】含义题。根据题干关键词定位到第四段第二句。but it really thins out a level or two down from the CEO or board of directors，其中“thin out”为一个动词词组，原意为“变弱，减少”，此处意为“降低”。整句话是在讲最高管理层的确比较优秀，但从CEO或董事会往下，真的会低一两个档次。由此可知A项“减少，降低”符合题意，为正确答案。
单选题
9.According to Brad Adams, which of the following is NOT true?
【正确答案】
D
【答案解析】细节题。根据题干关键词定位到最后一段。D项“多元化管理更注重新观点”属于偷换概念，原文是说“包容管理更注重新观点”，故D项为正确答案。
单选题
10.What is the passage mainly about?
【正确答案】
C
【答案解析】主旨题。答对此题需要考生对全文有一个清晰的认识和理解。文章开篇点题，表明亚洲地区的高管多是由男性把持，女性高管占据极少数。接着作者分析了亚洲女性在工作中遇到的挑战及占据劣势的原因。最后作者指出尽管有些公司力求改变这种领导格局，但消除性别歧视，仍是一件困难的事情。由此可知C项“为什么亚洲女性进入高管层是困难的”符合题意，为正确答案。