单选题
单选题 According to Brian, what is the most important factor to being a good manager?
A. To be honest.
B. To be fair.
C. Respect others.
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】[听力原文]
F: Good afternoon and welcome to our Business. Today we have Brian Williams in this studio, head of the management unit of Lawson & Fowles Publishing. Brian is here to discuss successful staff management. Brian. what makes a good manager?
M: Well, it's a combination of things, but at the top of the list I think I'd put being truthful. Staff have certain expectations of how they should be treated and they want their managers to be fair. Not telling your staff what's happening is a sure way of losing their respect. You need to concentrate on solving problems, not hiding them.
F: But not all problems can be solved, can they?
M: Most can, actually, but that's not the point. The thing is, instead of reacting after the damage is done, you should be talking to staff about how things are going and avoiding a situation where they come to see you about the problems after the event. The trick is to decide what problems might arise before they actually happen.
F: What about having staff work together? How should that be managed?
M: Well, some people appear to tike working on their own, but in most companies, people who work on their own do so because they have been neglected. They have been given a task and their boss is not interested in how it is being done. This makes their sense of achievements smaller no matter how hard they work. People who work in teams have clearer overall picture of the work they are involved in. They have a role to play, and they know that if they do not perform well, it is not only the business is going to suffer but also the other members of their team. So it is up to managers to create teams within their organization and encourage this team spirit. It raises performance.
F: How is this best done?
M: Well, it's important to identify certain key employees among your staff and give them particular support and attention. If these key people are encouraged in their work, they would perform better themselves, and more importantly raise the general level of performance of all the others in their area.
F: Isn't it also a question of recruitment?
M: Yes, yes, lots of difficulties in staff management arise because managers genuinely don't know how to select the right person. Sometimes interviewees are chosen on the basis of written personality tests which bear no relation with the work they'll actually be doing. Many managers admit that they sometimes ignore the lack of appropriate skills in recruiting the staff. I'd say that in the vast majority of cases they simply opt for the candidates who's made the best impression in half an hour or so.
F: So, what should we have instead?
M: Well, the selection procedure should involve matching the skills and knowledge of the applicant to the actual job. And they should be done in the most immediate and relevant way possible, for example, if you try to recruit a trainer for your company, an important part of the interview should involve the applicant being given a prepared training session. Training is what they'll be doing, so you should see them in operation before employing them.
F: That sounds sensible. The final question, Brian, is about discipline, which is perhaps the hardest factor to get it right. What is the latest thinking?
M: Umm, well, the issues are: should you be a hard, unfriendly boss, making sure everyone obey your orders without question, or should you be more sympathetic and listen to your employees' difficulties? There will be times when you have to discipline someone who's done something wrong. It can be difficult if you are on very friendly terms with them. So a certain distance is necessary. On the other hand, if you are too unapproachable, you may not be made aware of important problems.
F: Well, thank you, Brian. I'm sure plenty of managers out there will find our talk very interesting.

本文谈论了有关公司管理的一些经验,比如团队意识,坦诚带人,如何选用人,和老板与下属如何相处的一些原则。

[解析] 本文谈论了关于公司管理的一些经验,其中男士说到:“but at the top of the list I think I'd put being truthful.”说明了作为一名管理者,应该坦诚。与选项A说法一致,其中honest是“诚实”的意思。
单选题 In order to solve problems, a manager has to
A. predict what will happen.
B. react after the damage.
C. wait to talk with the staff who come to office.
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】[解析] 男士说:“The trick is to decide what problems might arise before they actually happen.”与选项A的说法相近。
单选题 Some people work on their own because
A. they don't like to work with others.
B. they feel they are not important.
C. the task is simple.
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】[解析] 从文中的部分可知,员工不愿意参加团体合作的工作是因为他们觉得被忽略了,即是B选项中的观点,故选B。
单选题 In a team, if someone doesn't work well, he will feel that
A. his partners' work will be affected.
B. the deadline will be postponed.
C. he is unsuccessful.
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】[解析] “and they know that if they don't perform well, it is not only the business is going to suffer but also the other member of their team.”从这句可知,在团体合作的工作中如果一个人的工作做得不好,受到影响的不仅是整体业务,也会影响小组内其他人的工作,故选A。
单选题 What is the manager's role in a team?
A. Join in the team to work with them.
B. Encourage staff to work with energy.
C. Supervise people working.
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】[解析] “So it is up to managers to create teams within their organization and encourage this team spirit.”可知经理的作用是给团队提供精神动力。
单选题 People who affect the efficiency of the team are:
A. all the staff.
B. just the skilled ones.
C. the managers.
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】[解析] 文中可知,那些能力强的人能够影响整个团队工作的进程,“they would perform better themselves, and more importantly raise the general level of performance of all the others in their area”。因此可知答案为B。
单选题 The main problem faced when employing is
A. deciding which person is suitable for the job.
B. hiring people who can't pass the test.
C. the fact that the managers are too busy to choose the proper people.
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】[解析] “Sometimes interviewees are chosen on the basis of written personality tests which bear no relation with the work they'll be actually doing.” 这句可知,对与招聘员工来说最困难的就是发现很多人的实际能力与他们在考试时候的表现并不相符。因此找到合适的人选是关键,故选A选项。
单选题 What does a boss have to pay attention to?
A. keeping the right distance with staff
B. being tough to the staff
C. listening to the staff
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】[解析] 从文中最后一段可知,作为一名老板,与员工太近或太紧张的距离都是不合适的,因此选A。