单选题 "Project gold" and "Project Nexus" sound like plans for bank robberies or military attacks. In reality, they are the names for KPMG"s ongoing attempt to squeeze its 6,700 London employees into ever smaller spaces. Since 2006 the professional-services firm has reduced the number of offices it uses in London from seven to two. By the spring of 2015 everybody will be crammed into one building in CanaryWharf.
Firms have long known that only about half of all desks are in use at any moment, as employees work odd hours or disappear to meetings, but it was difficult to fill the spares. Better IT systems now mean that people need not be tied to a particular desk. They need not even be in the office at all: as cloud computing and virtual offices take off, more people are working from home or from other places, further reducing the need for desks.
Aside from cheapness, there is a motive behind this squashing. Inspired by Silicon Valley, firms are trying to make their offices into "collaborative spaces", where people bump into each other and chat usefully. KPMG"s redesigned CanaryWharf offices will include lots of "breakout spaces" where employees can relax, and quiet rooms where people can get away from hubbub, says Alastair Young, who is planning the move. He thinks this will both improve productivity and save money.
In this happy new world, offices are not just places to work but also a way of expressing corporate identity and a means of attracting and retaining staff. At the offices of Bain & Company, a management consultancy, inspirational quotes on walls help workers to identify with Bain"s brand, explains Sam Axtell, the company"s operations director. Games rooms and relaxing spaces help them "release a waves".
Not everyone is delighted by the rise of cramped hot desks. At Broadcasting House, the BBC"s new offices in London, a shortage of good desks has led to frantic morning scrambles. A manager at a financial firm in the City complains that since his firm redesigned its office, there are only enough phones for one between two. KPMG has seen crushes at lifts and in the canteen; the crowds have also put pressure on the air-conditioning system.

单选题 It can be known that "Project gold" is a plan for ______.

【正确答案】 D

【答案解析】[解析] 细节题。根据关键词“Project gold”定位到第一段。根据第一句"Project gold" and "Project Nexus" sound like plans for bank robberies or military attacks. 可知A、B项都是干扰项。由下一句In reality, they are the names for KPMG"s ongoing attempt to squeeze its6,700 London employees into ever smaller spaces. 可知这是缩小办公空间的计划，而不是裁员计划，因此排除C项，故正确答案为D项。

单选题 Better IT systems mean that workers ______.

【正确答案】 C

【答案解析】[解析] 细节题。根据关键词Better IT systems定位到第二段。根据Better IT systems now mean that people need not be tied to a particular desk. 可知A项错误。根据They need not even be in the office at all可知B项错误。根据more people are working from home or from other places可知C项正确。根据further reducing the need for desks可知D项错误。因此C项“(人们)可以在家工作”为正确答案。

单选题 All of the following are forms of new offices behind the squashing EXCEPT ______.

单选题 Office in this happy new world is ______.

【正确答案】 B

【答案解析】[解析] 细节题。根据关键词in this happy new world定位到第四段。根据offices are not just places to work but also a way of expressing corporate identity and a means of attracting and retaining staff. 可知A项“仅仅是工作的地方”错误，B项“是吸引新员工的地方”正确，C项“是没有认同感的地方”错误。最后一句提到Games rooms and relaxing spaces help them "release a waves". 可以推断游戏室与放松空间都是帮助减轻工作压力、而不是增加工作压力的，因此D项错误。故B项为正确选项。

单选题 The examples of Broadcasting House and KPMG are used to explain that ______.

【正确答案】 C

【答案解析】[解析] 推断题。根据关键词Broadcasting House and KPMG定位到最后一段。原文只是提到frantic morning scrambles，故A项“早晨的混乱到处都是”错误。B项“所有的办公室都需要重新设计”属于过度推断，错误。C项“不是每个人都对日益拥挤的公用办公桌感到满意”与原文Not everyone is delighted by the rise of cramped hot desks相符合。D项“公司需要减少员工数量”属于无中生有，在原文没有根据，错误。因此正确答案是C。