阅读理解 When Liam McGee departed as president of Bank of America in August, his explanation was surprisingly straight up. Rather than cloaking his exit in the usual vague excuses, he came right out and said he was leaving "to pursue my goal of running a company." Broadcasting his ambition was "very much my decision," McGee says. Within two weeks, he was talking for the first time with the board of Hartford Financial Services Group, which named him CEO and chairman on September 29.
McGee says leaving without a position lined up gave him time to reflect on what kind of company he wanted to run. It also sent a clear message to the outside world about his aspirations. And McGee isn't alone. In recent weeks the No. 2 executives at Avon and American Express quit with the explanation that they were looking for a CEO post. As boards scrutinize succession plans in response to shareholder pressure, executives who don't get the nod also may wish to move on. A turbulent business environment also has senior managers cautious of letting vague pronouncements cloud their reputations.
As the first signs of recovery begin to take hold, deputy chiefs may be more willing to make the jump without a net. In the third quarter, CEO turnover was down 23% from a year ago as nervous boards stuck with the leaders they had, according to Liberum Research. As the economy picks up, opportunities will abound for aspiring leaders.
The decision to quit a senior position to look for a better one is unconventional. For years executives and headhunters have adhered to the rule that the most attractive CEO candidates are the ones who must be poached. Says Korn/Ferry senior partner Dennis Carey: "I can' t think of a single search I' ve done where a board has not instructed me to look at sitting CEOs first."
Those who jumped without a job haven't always landed in top positions quickly. Ellen Marram quit as chief of Tropicana a decade age, saying she wanted to be a CEO. It was a year before she became head of a tiny Internet-based commodities exchange. Robert Willumstad left Citigroup in 2005 with ambitions to be a CEO. He finally took that post at a major financial institution three years later.
Many recruiters say the old disgrace is fading for top performers. The financial crisis has made it more acceptable to be between jobs or to leave a bad one. "The traditional rule was it's safer to stay where you are, but that's been fundamentally inverted," says one headhunter. "The people who' ve been hurt the worst are those who' ve stayed too long."
单选题 When McGee announced his departure, his manner can best be described as being______.
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】细节题。arrogant“傲慢的”，frank“直率的”，self-centered“自我为中心的”，impulsive“冲动的”。根据第一段中的“…his explanation was surprisingly straight up．Rather than cloaking his exit in the usual vague excuses…”可知，McGee谈及离职原因时非常直白，并没有含糊其词。故选B。
单选题 According to Paragraph 2, senior executives' quitting may be spurred by______.
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】细节题。根据第二段中的“In recent weeks the No．2 executives at Avon and American Express quit with the explanation that they were looking for a CEO post”可知，辞职的高层管理人员追求CEO的职位，D项说法正确。A项中的“financial status”在本段范围内未提及；B项中的“reflect on their private life”是对文中“reflect on what kind of company he wanted to run”的严重曲解；C项是根据第二段倒数第二句编造的选项，选项内容与原文不符且不能回答本题提问。
单选题 The word "poached" (Para. 4) most probably means______.
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】词义题。approve of“赞成”，attend to“处理，参加”，hunt for“寻找”，guard against“提防”。根据第四段中的“For years executives and headhunters have adhered to the rule that the most attractive CEO candidates are the ones who must be poached．”可知，poached在此处指“挖”来CEO，与hunt for意思相近。故选C。
单选题 It can be inferred from the last paragraph that______.
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】推断题。该段第二句提到，“The financial crisis has made it more acceptable to be between jobs or to leave a bad one”，即金融危机使得跳槽更加容易被接受。后面引用一个猎头的话进一步证明这一观点，“The traditional rule was it’s safer to stay where you are，but that’s been fundamentally inverted”。A项是对文中猎头的观点的同义替换，故A项说法与原文相符。B项属于过度引申；C项原文没有提及；D项说法与原文不符。
单选题 Which of the following is the best title for the text?
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】主旨题。根据题干需从全文出发，确定文章的中心意思。第一段介绍了Liam McGee离职了，其目标是去管理一家公司；第二段介绍了McGee离任时并没有找好下一个工作，同时强调这么做的人不只他一个；第三段介绍了经济复苏出现迹象并稳定下来，“二把手”可能更愿意在没有新职位的情况下换掉目前的工作；第四段提到这并不是传统的做法；第五段举例说明，那些没有找到工作就离任的人并不是很快就能找到顶级的职位；文章末段总结高管跳槽越来越为人接受。纵观全文，C项串联全文。