单选题
Young people often wonder at the large number
of employers who do not respond to their applications for jobs. They say that
despite enclosing return envelopes they hear nothing at all or, at best, an
impersonal note is sent declaring that the post for which they applied has been
filled. Applicants often develop the suspicion that vacancies are marked for
friends and relatives and that advertisements are only put out to avert this
accusation. Many of them tire of writing around and feel that if only they could
obtain an interview with the right person their application would meet with
success. Not to acknowledge applicants letters is
impolite and there seems little excuse for this. Yet even sending brief replies
to the many who apply takes much time and money. That so-called return envelop
may not have been stamped by the sender, and a hard pressed office manager may
be reluctant to send off long letters of explanation to disappointed job
hunters. A brief note is all that can be managed and even that depends on the
policy of the firm. But this difficulty is reasonably easy to remove with a
little goodwill. The failure of an application is more
often the fault of the applicant, for many applicants do not set about their
task in the right way. They do not study the job requirements deeply enough and
dispatch applications to all and sundry in the hope that one will bear fruit.
The personnel manager of a textiles manufacturer, for example, advertised for
designers. He was willing to consider young people without working experience
provided they had good ideas. The replies contained many remarks like: "At
school I was good at art", "I like drawing things" and even "I write very
interesting stories". Only one applicant was sensible enough to enclose samples
of her designs. She got the job. Personnel managers emphasize
the need for a good letter of application. They do not look for the finest
writing paper and perfect typing, but it is reasonable to expect legible writing
on a clean sheet of paper, not a piece torn roughly from an exercise book.
As soon as the applicant is lucky enough to receive an
invitation to attend an interview, he should acknowledge the letter and say he
will attend, but the matter does not end there. The wise applicant will fill in
the interval, making himself familiar with the activities of the company he
hopes to join. Some applicants have not the faintest idea what the company does
and this puts them at a great disadvantage when they come to answer the
questions that will be put to them in the interview.
Finally, the way an applicant presents himself at the interview can sometimes
mar his chances. The applicant who arrives late is almost certain not to be
appointed, as no employer likes unpunctuality. Dress is important, too. An
interview is a rather special occasion and the wise applicant will come dressed
in a way that shows he takes it seriously.
单选题
About advertised jobs, applicants often suspect that______.
A. they are most likely not to get response from the company
B. the company would find excuses to deny their applications
C. most of the interviewers are unsympathetic
D. the posts applied may be reserved in advance
【正确答案】
D
【答案解析】[解析] 从第一段第三句“Applicants often develop the suspicion…”可知，求职者常怀疑公司已把这些空缺的职位指定给亲戚朋友了，即“reserved in advance”，故选D项。
单选题
The reason why applications are not always acknowledged may be
that______.
A. office managers are impolite
B. the return envelope may not have been stamped and to send it needs
money
C. office managers are very busy
D. both B and C
【正确答案】
D
【答案解析】[解析] 细节题。B，C两项在原文第二段中都可找到，都正确。故选D项。
单选题
According to the author, the success of a girl who applied to a
textiles manufacturer lies in that she is more intelligent than the others
because she presents______.
A. the knowledge about the routine business of the company
B. the occupation of encyclopaedia knowledge beyond her specialty
C. something new about her interest
D. something extraordinary besides her application
【正确答案】
D
【答案解析】[解析] 文中第三段末写明她得到工作是因为“to enclose samples of her designs”，即“something extraordinary”，故选D项。
单选题
A successful applicant should______.
A. write the letter of application legibly on the finest paper
B. reply immediately to the personnel department of the company on receiving
an invitation to attend an interview
C. be fully prepared for the questions that might be raised in the
interview
D. both B and C
【正确答案】
D
【答案解析】[解析] 在文中四、五两段可找到B，C的对应说法，而A项说求职信应字迹清晰(legibly)是对的，但没必要写在最好的纸上(on the finest paper)，故选D项。
单选题
In order not to mar his chances, an applicant has to pay close
attention to his
A. fluency and legibility
B. glamour and politeness
C. elegance and punctuality
D. seriousness and endurance
【正确答案】
C
【答案解析】[解析] 文中最后一段提到了dress和punctuality，与C项elegance and punctuality对应。