Questions are based on the following passage
information will be the greatest opportunity for business leaders in the coming years — and perhaps our biggest headache. Since the dawn of the Internet, all of us in business have been swept up by the Niagara of information that fills our daily life. Real-life updates from the Hang Seng index; photos shared around the world seconds after they9ve been taken; customized maps and directions delivered to you even as you drive. It is all breathtaking.
But for the leaders in business, the information surge has triggered its own unintended consequences, especially for- those over 40. Today new employees arrive on their first day with an alarming amount of know-it-all. They have already read about you, and the online critiques of your plans, strategies and management style. The bloggers and the twitters 一 all receiving steady streams of in-house gossip 一 analyze, assess and ridicule every business moment. In this environment, traditional management is impossible. The hierarchical, layered structures in which company information is carefully managed and then selectively passed down the line have crumbled. The online era has made command-and-control management as another dial-up Internet.
Although decision-making has always been the task of a leader, it has become harder. The online world has guaranteed that every remark about your business and every change you implement will trigger a viral frenzy of second-guessing. Borrowing from the black bag of politics， your competitors will also be spreading their version of “opposition research”， feeding the blogosphere with critiques of your leadership.
So the greatest task for leadership in business is the ability to cut through the information clutter and make clear decisions without apology. More than at any time, employees need unequivocal direction. Leaders should not only grow a thicker skin, but also understand how important they can be to their own team by interpreting both the news and the disinformation. When some CEOs spoke to an audience, they were often required to talk about their reaction to some recent press story or the latest legislative debate. These are wonderful opportunities for leadership. Employees, investors, customers and business partners are heartened by those who can sift through the flood of opinion and clearly communicate what matters 一 and what doesn't 一 to the enterprise.
Of course, communication cannot be a one-way street. The central role of information in business life has made two other much neglected leadership tasks more urgent.
The first is listening. Listening to your employees at every level is one of the best paths to new insights. Precisely because the Internet has made information so plentiful, your own team is likely to be full of ideas that should be tapped into.
The second obligation that information creates for executives is to identify and mentor thought leaders. It is pressing to find those employees who have the ability to digest and interpret information for others.
The flood of information is only going to rise. Leadership will increasingly mean leveraging that information, clarifying it, and using it to advance your strategy, engage customers and motivate employees. Business stakeholders are interested not only in your products and services， but also in your ideas.
What does the expression “the Niagara of information” underlined in Paragraph 1 refer to?
近义表述。第一段开篇即表明互联网时代的信息是一把双刃剑，然后就是本句 “ all of us in business have been swept up by the Niagara of information ”，从短语 “ sweep
up ( 横扫）” 可以判断， “ Niagara of information” 是一种隐喻，或者夸张，因为尼 亚加拉大瀑布是世界第一大跨国瀑布，在信息大爆炸的今天，信息如洪流一般倾泻而来，因此选项C正确。这一点也可以通过第八段第一句话来印证。
[知识拓展] 近义表述类似近义词（或短语）替换，需要找寻二者的语义相似处。本题的 Niagara of information里有一点背景知识 ，不知道尼亚加拉大瀑布的读者或许会遇到 问题，不过基于常识判断，信息大爆炸时代的信息轰炸是可预测的。此外，选项C 的 flooding与瀑布的隐喻有相似的本体— 喻体的映射路径，有助于选择判断。
What does Paragraph 2 mainly talk about?
段落大意。第二段第一句为主题句，其中的关键表述为“ the information surge has .triggered its own unintended consequences” ，主要的后果是公司管理信息没有秘密，即 使新入职者也know -it-all；其次是原有的信息的层层管理体系被打乱，信息管控模式成 了拨号上网模式。综合起来，对公司管理带来了新挑战，因此选项A 是正确选项。
[知识拓展] 我们一直强调主题句的作用。本题需要紧扣主题句以及支撑主题句的论述 予以概括。这个写作逻辑与上一篇类似，即论点— 论据结构。所以命题思路有其规律， 掌握这些规律有利于快速提高阅读效率。
Which of the following is NOT the unexpected result of the information surge?
正误判断。第二段中间从In this environment开始，选项A 、B 、C先后出现了 相同或相似的表达：The hierarchical, layered structures in which company information is carefully managed and then selectively passed down the line have crumbled. The online era has made command-and-control management as another dial-up Internet.只有选项D没有提 到，因此是本题的答案。
[知识拓展]需要特别留意的是题干埋设的“ 陷讲” ：NOT the unexpected result是双重否 定，意 为 “ 不是未曾预料到的结果” ，判断选择的时候需要紧扣原文的论述一一区别。
The author compares the command-and-control management to “dial-up Internet” (underlined in Paragraph 2) because________.
比较判断。如第82题所述，第二段第一句为主题句，强调信息井喷时代带来的后果，紧接着列举事实给予证明，最后一句“The online era has made command and-control management as another dial-up Internet”作为总结。这一句里将“command-and-control management”和“dial-up Internet”做了比较，大意为“网络时代使得信息管控成了另一个拨号上网” ，其 中 “ 另一个” 清楚表明作者的态度，因为拨号上网现在也 过时了，那么信息管控模式面临同样的命运——不再使用。
[知识拓展]比较判断有多种形式，本题通过隐喻式比较说明新物与旧事物将殊途同 归。掌握必要的修辞知识有利于更精确理解。
The word “alarming” underlined in Paragraph 2 means________.
近义表述。原句为 “ Today new employees arrive on their first day with an alarming amount of know -it-all” ，从本句语境来看， “ alarming” 的大意是“ 大量的，令人惊惧 的” 。这里， “ awful” 有一个使用频度较低的意义， 《柯林斯词典》的解释是“ You can use awful with noun groups that refer to an amount in order to emphasize how large that amount is” ，即 “ awful” 与名词连用强调大量的。
[知识拓展]近义词替代有不少可能性。本题首先需要根据语境确定题干所涉词的准确 词义，然后与选项中的词匹配。本题难点在于考查了 awful与名词连用时特有的意思， 这一点也提醒考生，语言现象的积累、消化与准确使用是阅读理解与翻译的必备条件。
According to the passage, what is the top concern for business leadership in this environment?
主旨大意：短文最后一段中的 “ Leadership will increasingly mean leveraging that information, clarifying it, and using it to advance your strategy, engage customers and motivate employees” 可以作为全文的结论，其中核心表述为权衡这样的信息，清楚阐 明它，并为我所用。因此，符合句意的表述为A 。
[知识拓展]全文主旨大意需要在全面理解全文内容的基础上进行概括，也可以利用既 有线索，如本题所示。本题的最后一段是对全文的总结，可以从中提炼出大意来。即 读者需要利用多种线索来综合判断。
The word “those” underlined in Paragraph 4 refers to ________.
语篇衔接。those出现的语境为 “ These are wonderful opportunities for leadership. Employees, investors, customers and business partners are heartened by those who can sift through the flood of opinion ...” 上文已经提到“ leadership” 应如何处理海量信息，紧接着本句论及 “ those who can sift through the flood of opinion”，所以 “ those” 回指前面 的 “ leadership” ，即选项C所表述内容。
The phrase “sift through” underlined in Paragraph 4 means________.
近义表述。本题涉及的句子与第27题为同一句，即 “ Employees, investors, customers and business partners are heartened by those who can sift through the flood of opinion ...” “ sift through” 的本义就是 “ examine carefully” ，即仔细鉴别，筛选， 过滤。即使不认识这个词，也可以根据上下文加以推断，因为下文提到了 “ flood of opinion” 等。
A business leader in the information age needs to ________.
细节识别。本题的问题是企业领袖在信息时代需要做的事，第八段开始就提到 Leadership will increasingly mean…，其大意为“企业领袖需要在海量信息中竭力保持情绪头脑” ，即keep his head above...。
[知识拓展] 本题的细节识别需要读者在原文中定位题干所指内容，然后根据原文具体 信息提炼与选项接近的表述。
Which of the following can be the title of this passage?
补充标题。回顾每一段的主题句，第一段指出信息时代的利弊；第二段表明对 于企业领导者而言，信息时代触发了没有预料到的后果；第三段表明企业领导者在网 络世界无时无刻不在接受监督；第四段讲到商业领导者必须具备在海量信息中明辨是 非、果敢决策的能力；第五、六、七段提出商业领导者还需善于倾听、善于选拔人才；最后一段做出总结。商业领导者应能筛选信息，辨别良莠，利用信息推动自己的 战略。由此可见，整篇文章讲的是信息时代的领导力，故选择A 。
[知识拓展] 给全文补充标题需要掌握全文主旨大意。除了通读时有整体把握之外，还应学会善于利用各段落主题句，把这些主题句整合起来得出大意，然后提炼为标题。 如本文的标题，需要高度概括全文内容往往就是文章的中心论点。它具有高度的明 确性，便于读者把握全文内容的核心。