单选题 . Work-life balance. In most corporate circles, it's the sort of phrase that gives hard-charging managers the hives, bringing to nfind candlelit meditation (沉思) sessions and—more frustratingly—rows of empty office cubicles (小隔间).
So, what if we renamed work-life balance? Let's call it something more appealing, something like Make More Money. That might lift heads off desks. A few people might show up at a meeting to discuss that women, and the way we want to work, are extremely good for business.
Let's start with the female management style. It turns out it's not soft; it's profitable. The workplace-research group Catalyst studied 353 Fortune 500 companies and found that those with the most women in senior management had a higher return on equities (资产净值).
Are the women themselves making the difference? Or are these smart firms that make smart moves, like promoting women? There is growing evidence that in today's marketplace the female management style is not only distinctly different but also essential. Studies from Cambridge University and the University of Pittsburgh suggest that women manage more cautiously than men do. They focus on the long term.
Women are also less competitive, in a good way. They're consensus builders, and they employ what is called a transformational leadership style—heavily engaged, motivational, extremely well suited for the emerging, less hierarchical workplace. Indeed, when the Chartered Management Institute in the U.K. looked ahead, it saw a work world where the demand for female management skills will be stronger than ever. Women, CMI predicts, will move rapidly up the chain of command, and their emotional-intelligence skills may become ever more essential.
That trend will accelerate with the looming talent shortage. The Employment Policy Foundation estimated that within the next decade there would be a 6 million-person gap between the number of college graduates and the number of college-educated workers needed to cover job growth. And who receives the majority of college and advanced degrees? Women. They also control 83% of all consumer purchases. Forward-looking Companies understand they need women to figure out how to market to Women.
All that—the female management style, education levels, purchasing power—is already being used, by pioneering women and insightful companies, to create a female-friendly working environment, in which the focus is on results, not on time spent in the office chair. On efficiency, not casual talking. On getting the job done, however that happens best—in a three-day week, at night after the kids go to bed.1. What is the influence of the "work-life balance" idea on office staff? ______

A、 They have more meetings to attend.
B、 They have fewer meetings to attend.
C、 They are reluctant to attend meetings.
D、 They are voluntary to attend meetings.

【正确答案】 C

【答案解析】 第1段最后一句。
第1段说work-life balance这种用语使经理们面对一排排空荡荡的办公室隔间，也就是说员工们都走了，不愿意参加下班后的会议，C正确。
第1段中的frustratingly、第2段第2句中的appealing和第3句That might lift heads off desks均在说明work-life balance这种说法对员工情绪造成的影响。这样，就可以将与“情绪”无关的A和B排除。
[参考译文] 工作与生活的平衡。在大多数公司，正是这样的用语让那些身负重责的经理们奔忙不休，总是想着晚上的加班、会议——更让人沮丧的是——对着一排排空荡荡的办公室隔音。
那么，如果我们给“工作与生活的平衡”换个名称会怎么样呢?让我们把它叫得更吸引人一些，比如叫“赚更多钱”。这可能会让人精神大振。有些人可能会在会议上讨论这样一些话题，比如女性，以及我们想要的工作方式，对企业是极为有利的。
让我们先从女性管理风格来说吧。女性管理风格并没有成为公司的软肋，反而能给公司带来赢利。一个名为Catalyst的工作场所调查机构对《财富》杂志“500强”企业中的353家公司进行了调查，发现那些在高级管理层拥有更多女性的企业在资产净值上的回报率更高。
是女性本身导致这种差异的吗?或者，是这些聪明的公司采取了聪明的举动，比如说提拔女性职工?有越来越多的证据表明，在当今职场，女性管理风格不仅明显不同于男性，而且这种风格也是必要的。英国剑桥大学和美国匹兹堡大学的研究指出，女性在管理时比男性更为慎重。她们的眼光更为长远。
女性的竞争欲望更少，这是好事。她们喜欢与人达成一致，她们使用的是所谓的转换型领导风格——积极参与，鼓励为先，极其适用于新兴的、等级不那么分明的工作场所。事实上，当英国特许管理研究所预测未来职场时就曾指出，在未来，对女性管理技能的需求会比以往任何时候都强。英国特许管理研究所预测，女性将迅速走向指挥层，其感性智能的地位也会变得越来越重要。
这一趋势将加速人才短缺的逼近。就业政策基金会估计，在未来10年里，大学毕业生数量和对受过大学教育的从业人员需求量之间的缺口将达到600万人。获得大学学位和更高学位的大部分是什么人呢?女性。她们还控制着83%的消费。有远见的公司很明白，他们需要女性来筹划如何打开女性市场。
所有这一切——女性管理风格、教育水平、购买力——都在那些具有开拓精神的女士和有见地的公司里得到了充分利用，他们尽量创造出适合女性的工作环境，在这样的环境中，注重的是工作结果，而不是在办公椅上坐了多久。关注的是办事效率，而不是信口开河；关注的是把工作完成，但最好是在每周3天的工作时间内，在孩子上床睡觉之后。