单选题
{{B}}Extending the workplace by means of
computer{{/B}}
Telecommuting—substituting the computer for
the trip to the job—as been hailed as a solution to all kinds of problems
related to office work.
For worker it promises freedoms from the
office, less time wasted in traffic, and help with child-care conflicts. For
management, telecommuting helps keep high per formers on board, minimizes
tardiness and absenteeism by eliminating commutes, allows periods of solitude
for high-concentration tasks, and provides scheduling flexibility. In some
areas, such as Southern California and Seattle, Washington, local governments
are encouraging companies to start telecommuting programs in order to reduce
rush—our congestion and improve air quality.
But these benefits
do not come easily. Making a telecommuting program work requires careful
planning and an understanding of the differences between telecommuting realities
and popular images.
Many workers are seduced by rosy illusions
of life as a telecommuter. A computer programmer form New York cities moves to
the tranquil Adirondack Mountains and stays in contact with her office via
computer. A manager comes into his office three days a week and works at home
the other two. An accountant stays home to care for her sick child; she hooks up
her telephone modem connections and does office work between calls to the
doctor.
These are powerful images, but they are a limited
reflection of reality. Telecommuting workers soon learn that it is almost
impossible to concentrate on work and care for a young child at the same time.
Before a certain age, young children cannot recognize, much less respect, the
necessary boundaries between work and family. Additional child support is
necessary if the parent is to get any work done.
Management,
too, must separate the myth from the reality. Although the media has paid a
great deal of attention to telecommuting, in most cases it is employee's
situation, not the availability of technology, that precipitates a telecommuting
arrangement.
That is partly why, despite the widespread press
coverage, the number of companies with work-at-home programs or policy
guidelines remains small.
【正确答案】
D
【答案解析】根据文章第二段“For worker it promises freedoms from the office, less time wasted in traffic, and help with child-care conflicts. For management, telecommuting helps keep high performers on board, minimizes tardiness and absenteeism by eliminating commutes, allows periods of solitude for high-concentration tasks”，可知选项D为正确答案。