阅读理解 It often happens that a number of applicants with almost identical qualifications and experience all apply for the same position. In their educational background, special skills and work experience, there is little, if anything, to choose between half a dozen candidates. How then does the employer make a choice? Usually on the basis of an interview. There are many arguments for and against the interview as a selection procedure. The main argument against it is that it results in a wholly subjective decision. As often as not, employers do not choose the best candidate, they choose the candidate who makes a good first impression on them. Some employers, of course, reply to this argument by saying that they have become so experienced in interviewing staff that they are able to make a sound assessment of each candidate''s likely performance. The main argument in favour of the interview — and it is, perhaps, a good argument — is that an employer is concerned not only with a candidate''s ability, but with the suitability of his or her personality for the particular work situation. Many employers, for example, will overlook occasional inefficiencies from their secretary provided she has a pleasant personality. It is perhaps true to say, therefore, that the real purpose of an interview is not to assess the assessable aspects of each candidate but to make a guess at the more intangible things, such as personality, character and social ability. Unfortunately, both for the employers and applicants for jobs, there are many people of great ability who simply do not interview well. There are also, of course, people who interview extremely well, but are later found to be very unsatisfactory employees. Candidates who interview well tend to be quietly confident, but never boastful; direct and straightforward in their questions and answers; cheerful and friendly, but never over-familiar; and sincerely enthusiastic and optimistic. Candidates who interview badly tend to be at either end of the spectrum of human behaviour. They are either very shy or over-confident. They show either a lack of enthusiasm or an excess of it. They either talk too little or never stop talking. They are either over-polite or rudely abrupt.

单选题 The sentence "In their educational background, special skills and work experience, there is little, if anything, to choose between half a dozen candidates" in Paragraph 1 means________.

【正确答案】 B

【答案解析】难句理解题。该句的主要结构是：There is little to choose…in their educational background…理解该句关键在于找choose的主语。在面试中，应该是employer做选择．而本段的上一句a number of applicants with almost identical qualifications and experience all apply for the same position指出面试者往往资历雷同，所以这一句话的意思应该是：他们的学历背景、技能和工作经历非常相似，在这十多个候选人中根据这些条件几乎无法筛选。答案是B。

单选题 According to the passage, people argue over the interview as a selection procedure mainly because they have________.

【正确答案】 B

【答案解析】分析判断题。文章的第二段提到了支持面试方的主要原因是：an employer is concerned not only with a candidate''s ability，but with the suitability of his or her personality for the particular work situation”(雇主考虑的不仅仅是候选人的能力，还有他，她的为人处事是否适合该单位特定的工作环境)，所以面试的目的不一定是考察能力，也可以是了解品性，答案是B。

单选题 We can infer from the passage that an employer might tolerate his secretary''s occasional mistakes, if the latter________.

【正确答案】 B

【答案解析】分析推理题。题目中的老板原谅秘书一例出现在第二段，主要说明pleasant personality”在特定的工作环境能起到能力和资历起不到的作用。至于什么样的表现可以认定是具有pleasant personality，第三段中作者通过举例说明，包括quietly confident，but never boastful；direct and straight-forward in their questions and answers；cheerful and friendly，but never over-familiar；and sincerely enthusiastic and optimistic(充分的自信，但不自负；提问和回答问题是应该直接坦荡；友善开朗，但不要过于自来熟；还要真诚热情乐观)，所以我们可以推断friendly and cheerful属于pleasant personality，能够让老板原谅秘书的疏忽。答案是B。

单选题 The purpose of the last paragraph is to indicate________.

【正确答案】 A

【答案解析】段落主旨题。最后一段的主题句是：the real purpose of an interview is not to assess the assessable aspects of each candidate but to make a guess at the more intangible things，such as personality，character and social ability．(面试的真正意义不是衡量候选人的可测试性能力，而是对于一些难以触摸的方面做出判断，例如：人品、性格和社交能力)，后面的例子正是说明在品性和社交能力方面的表现对于面试成绩的影响。所以答案是A。