We already know that gender balanced senior teams are not only better for business, the economy and society, but also crucial to women's continuing success in the workplace. The visibility of women at the top demonstrates to other women that it is possible for them to get there too. For this reason, senior women are often presented as role models to inspire others to follow in their footsteps. Having said this, I believe it is important to recognise that role models and visibility are not one and the same. Role models tend to be more personal, while visibility has a more widespread effect when it comes to changing working culture. It isn't fair to put the pressure of being a perfect role model on the women who have made it to the top of their field. Most female employees are more inspired by realistic, relatable and attainable traits—not just seniority. When women are asked to describe their ideal role model, they often reveal a wide variety of sought-after characteristics, traits and behaviours. From being decisive, intelligent and confident to warm, approachable and inclusive, what makes an ideal role model is often personal and might change over time. We must work instead to normalise gender-balanced leadership, shifting away from the preoccupation with role models. Once we achieve this, the gender of role models becomes redundant anyway: we will simply see them all around. The visible balance of power between women and men sends a clear message to women and girls of all ages that they can climb the career ladder too. This visibility of women in traditionally male-dominated roles and industries cannot be underestimated. This is beautifully illustrated by photographer Leonora Saunders in her series "10%. . . and rising" , which challenges preconceptions of what women can or can't do in the world of work. Once girls and boys see people like themselves employed in all industries, their choices in life will be much greater— and employers will benefit from their capability and talent, not their gender. We need to focus increasingly on visible, balanced leadership at the highest levels of business. This is not to say that senior level women can't be role models to other women in their organisation, but that true role models should be found at all levels, in line managers or even junior staff. Perhaps in time, when it becomes normal to see as many women as men in senior roles, the search for role models will be less about gender and will simply celebrate good leadership—whatever that may look like.

单选题 According to Para. 1, female role models______.

【正确答案】 B

【答案解析】解析：细节题。定位到文章第一句：性别平衡的高级领导团队对经济、商业以及社会更加有益，突出了男女合作的重要性，对应选项[B]“女性榜样和男性合作的时候会更有影响力”，故[B]为正确答案。选项[A]“女性榜样比男性榜样更重要”。选项[C]“女性榜样可能被其他女性取代”，文中只是强调榜样鼓舞他人走向成功的作用，并未提及被取代。选项[D]“女性榜样是女性将获得持续成功的迹象”，文中说的是男女性别平衡会促进女性的持续成功。

单选题 Role models and visibility are not the same because______.

【正确答案】 A

【答案解析】解析：推理题。答案可定位到第二段第二句：榜样的特质更具有主观性，而知名度更能产生广泛的影响力。选项[A]“知名度和名声与公众认可有更多关系”(more about fame and recognition)，为正确答案。选项[B]“知名度和里程碑式的成就关系更小”(less about monumental achievements)，文中未提及。选项[C]“榜样与领导素养有着更大的关联性”(more about leadership qualities)，文中亦未提及。选项[D]“模范榜样和独特的品质关系更小”(less about distinctive qualities)，和原文表述正好相反。

单选题 Gender-balanced leadership must be normalized so that people will______.

【正确答案】 D

【答案解析】解析：细节题。答案可定位到第三段第二句Once we achieve this(gender-balanced leadership)，the gender of role models becomes redundant anyway：we will simply see them all around倘若男性和女性之间能实现权力平衡，这就会鼓舞各年龄层的女性不断进步、出类拔萃。这正好是选项[D]的意思“人们不会太在乎是更多男性还是女性在影响着这个世界”。该选项中的短语be outnumbered by是“数量上被……超出”的意思。选项[A]“人们有信心和决心成为商界的领年人物”。选项[B]“接受男性榜样多于女生榜样的一种体制”，原文未提及。选项[C]“认为没有必要将特定个体树立为正面的榜样”，与作者的观点相反。

单选题 " 10% and rising" most probably______.

【正确答案】 D

【答案解析】解析：细节题。答案可定位到第四段第一、二句This visibility of women in traditionally male-dominated roles and industries…is beautifully illustrated…which challenges preconceptions of what women can or can't do in the world of work。由此可以推断出[D]为正确选项，即“该系列丛书展示了各行各业的杰出女性”。[A]“农业领域中成功女性的照片”和[B]“工业领域里的重要女性人物”均过于偏狭片面。[C]“发表了关于改善性别平等的研究结果”，文中没有提及。