Teams have become the basic building — blocks of organizations. Recruitment ads routinely call for “team players“. Business schools grade their students in part on their performance in group projects. Office managers knock down walls to encourage team-building. Numerous companies were either in the middle of restructuring or about to embark on it, and restructuring meant putting more emphasis on teams. Companies are abandoning functional silos and organizing employees into cross-disciplinary teams that focus on particular products, problems or customers, with more power to run their own affairs and more time to work with each other rather than reporting upwards. A network of teams is replacing the conventional hierarchy. However, teams are not always the answer — teams may provide more insight, creativity and knowledge, but teamwork may also lead to confusion, delay and poor decision-making. It is noted that teams are hindered by problems of coordination and motivation that erode the benefits of collaboration. High-flyers forced to work in teams may be undervalued and free-riders empowered. Groupthink may be unavoidable. Less than 10% of the supposed members agree on who exactly is on the team. Agreeing on its purpose is harder. Profound changes in the workforce are making teams trickier to manage. Teams work best if their members have a strong common culture. This is hard to achieve when, as is now the case in many big firms, a large proportion of staff are temporary contractors. Teamwork improves with time: 73% of the incidents in a civil-aviation database occurred on a crew’s first day of flying together. Companies need to think harder about managing teams to keep teams small and focused. A new study finds that the best way to ensure employees are “engaged“ is to give them more control over where and how they do their work — which may mean liberating them from having to do everything in collaboration with others. However, organizations need to ask themselves whether teams are the best tools for the job. Team-building skills are in short supply: Deloitte reports that only 12% of the executives understand the way people work together in networks and only 21% feel capable of building cross-functional teams. Slackly managed teams can become hotbeds of distraction — employees routinely complain that they can’t get their work done because they are forced to spend too much time in meetings or in noisy offices. Even in the age of open-plan offices and social networks some work is best left to the individual.

6. W: Sam, have you finished your school assignment? M: Not yet. But I’ll get it done as soon as possible. W: As soon as possible? You are always making promises. Q: What does the woman mean? 7. M: Excuse me. I can’t find the dean’s office on this floor. Where is her room? W: She used to work in Room 213, but now she is in Room 303, the last room at the end of this corridor. You can find her there. M: Thanks. Bye-bye. Q: Where does the dean work now? 8. W: I have got an opportunity to study in California for two years as a visiting scholar. M: This is good news. You need to see how research is done in other countries for yourself. W: But I will have to keep myself busy conducting experiments. M: You certainly will, so be prepared for a lot of hard work, but I am sure it will be worthwhile. Q: What’s the man’s attitude to her study abroad? 9. M: Have you been to see Professor Brown in hospital? W: Yes, I have. I even talked with the doctor in charge. M: What did the doctor say? W: The doctor said our professor had turned a corner and had a good chance of recovery. Q: What can we learn about Professor Brown? She doesn’t trust the man. She needs the man’s help. The man is trust-worthy. The man is late for school.

World peace requires that the UN resolutions have to be carried out in a strict manner. behavior fashion aspect politeness

Most of the third-year students in our laboratory are occupied with experiments. are bored with are crazy about are busy with are casual about

The girl spoke at length about her experiences as a volunteer teacher at a high school in Yunnan Province. at random in detail at last for sure

A discovery into the genetic makeup of tumors may deliver therapies that are ______to individual patients. entitled affiliated tailored obliged

As the vote will be______in favor of the Democratic Party, Hillary Clinton is getting near to the presidency. deliberately overwhelmingly conscientiously crudely

It takes courage to______all the opposition to the decision to have these corrupt officials arrested. break down turn down let down shut down

Free schools are flourishing in the UK. More than 400 free schools have either opened or been approved to open across England【C1】______. These schools have been made possible by the hundreds of teachers, parents and charities working in their own time to go through a【C2】______application process to bring their【C3】______of a new school to life.【C4】______these schools proving so popular, parents and groups continue to come forward in significant numbers to set them up. The government’s commitment to expand the program with another new 500 schools is【C5】______a logical next step. Importantly these schools are already making a(n)【C6】______to the education of thousands of pupils around the country. Over 70% of those inspected have been judged good or outstanding by inspectors, and【C7】______they are being opened where they are most needed. There are far more free schools in【C8】______local communities than in wealthy neighborhoods. Obviously free schools can play a role in【C9】______the current shortage of school places. For free schools to continue to have the biggest impact, they must be allowed to bring in new ideas and challenge existing schools in areas where low【C10】______have been accepted for far too long.

Everyone in the UK seems to agree that recorded crime is decreasing. This is one of the arguments the government is using to justify its savage cuts in police budgets. All we have to do now is to get the police more efficient — working smarter, making better use of IT. Reduction in crime means we don’t need so many police officers. This belief is based on a false premise. Recorded crime is declining, but that’s largely due to the fact that crime has moved from the physical world to cyberspace or the Internet: cybercrime is much safer and more appealing. The rewards are much greater, and the risks of being caught and convicted are vanishingly small. So if you’re a rational criminal with a reasonable IQ, why would you bother robbing people, breaking into houses, stealing cars and doing all the other things that old-style crooks do — and that old-style cops are good at catching them doing? Each senior police officer believes that cybercrime has been at alarming levels but none seems confident that our law enforcement system can deal with it. These views are supported by the experiences of the 5% of UK Internet users who have been the victims of various cybercrime; they report a variety of responses — almost none of them helpful — from the local police forces to whom they turn for help. One good reason is that the criminals are hard to identify or turn out to be operating abroad. Other reasons include bureaucratic inertia, lack of technical knowledge and a shortage of resources, which means that cybercrime receives lower priority than other, more urgent, responsibilities. Or simply the fact that officers often don’t take it seriously. It’s exceedingly difficult to measure accurately, for a variety of reasons — the spectrum of wrongdoing, the fact that much of it is under-reported and widely distributed, and the high cost that includes not only the actual damage done, but the costs of self-protection and the costs of clearing up after an attack. And then there are the opportunity costs: for example, security software used by online merchants typically rejects 4.3% of orders out of fear of fraud, even though many of those potential orders are in fact genuine. The reality we face is that cybercrime is vast and flourishing. But do not expect to hear much about it in the election. What we actually need are more policemen on the net.

尽管录取标准不同，但中国大多数研究生院的学生人数多得惊人。导师不仅鼓励学生尽量多读文献，也期望他们有自己的发现。有创新思想的人更有可能发表学术价值高的论文。不论你是决定读博还是就业，硕士学位决定你的未来。

1. W: John, how far away are we from the desert? M: About 300 miles. We have to get some gas. Service stations on the highway are few and far between. W: That’s a good idea. Q: What can we learn about driving along this highway? 2. M: Would you please tell me how to get to Times Square from here? W: Sure. You can take the subway or a bus. You can also get there on foot if you are not exhausted now. M: Sorry. I didn’t catch that. Q: What does the man mean? 3. W: Attention please. Our schedule for today will start by visiting the Forbidden City in the morning. After lunch at a nearby restaurant, we are going to the Summer Palace. We’ll probably return to our hotel around 7 p.m. M: Will we be free in the evening? W: Yes. We have no particular arrangement in the evening. Q: What is the woman’s job likely to be? 4. W: I was told that you have broken up with your girlfriend. Is that true? M: Yes, it’s true. She’s always been rude to me, but the last straw was when she started insulting my mother. Q: What can we learn about this man? 5. M: Hello, Jane. Haven’t seen you for ages. How are you doing? W: Not bad. I’m working as a sales representative. I travel a lot. That’s why you rarely see me. M: Why did you quit your job as the CEO’s secretary? W: I became fed up with making or answering telephone calls all day. Q: Why did the woman change her job? There are many gas stations. There are few gas stations. There are various risks. There are few cars on the road.

We love music as much as we like eating. It brings joy and peace. But research has also discovered music plays a powerful role in the intellectual development of children. Music inspires creativity, imagination, self-expression and self-esteem. According to one study, musical training improves the way the brain processes spoken words. Musical experience can help the brain improve its ability to distinguish between rapidly changing sounds, which is a key skill in understanding and using language. Children who had music lessons had better memories, as well as higher literacy and math levels. Another study in the United States showed that children who had been poor in school performance caught up with their classmates in reading and were ahead of them in math after just seven months of music lessons. Research shows it’s not that smart kids play music, but that music makes kids smarter. Many people have felt the need to make music a standard part of the school curriculum. Music is everywhere, but not at 75 percent of public schools in Australia, where a dedicated music teacher is lacking. It’s very sad that many children don’t have access to formal musical education. Involving our children in music doesn’t have to be expensive. We can give our kids musical exposure through singing or the radio. The Internet also has a lot of free videos that teach you how to play musical instruments. To conclude, music builds relationships, unifies people and, most importantly, it’s fun. Music should be an essential part of a child’s education. Q10: Where does music play an important role? Q11: What is lacking in most of the public schools in Australia? Q12: What does this passage talk about? In designing a perfect school curriculum. In promoting the physical health of kids. In reading classical literary works. In the intellectual development of kids.

Cheating is academic dishonesty on the part of students. It is on the rise and less likely to be punished than in the past. During a nationwide survey of 3, 600 American students, it was found that 60 percent admitted to cheating on tests and assignments. 900 college students in China were surveyed about their involvement in dishonest testing practices. The results indicated that 83 percent had cheated. No one really knows why cheating keeps rising. Possibly it’s due to a general decline of moral values among youth. Others have pointed to the fact that today’s youth have become more practical. In the 1960s, students were filled with visions about changing the world, but today’s students feel great pressure to succeed or excel. Some suggested they did it out of contempt for teachers they did not respect. Others looked at it as a game. They would not feel guilty unless they were caught. There’s a fear that if you don’t do well, your life is going to be ruined. The pressure to succeed is not only from parents and friends but from oneself. Some people blame the rise in cheating on the reluctance of schools to take action. Some mention the way students are evaluated. Teachers prefer to give short-answer tests instead of essay questions. They rate students by the number of facts they can memorize rather than by how well they can put information together, which is why students will try to beat the system. We might wonder if honesty and truthfulness, the two most important values to students, still count. Q13: What’s the percentage of students in China who admitted to cheating? Q14: What’s one possible reason for the rise in cheating among young students? Q15: Why are teachers considered responsible for the rise in cheating? 36%. 60%. 83%. 90%.

You should look for day care centers that provide..., along with a safe and ______ (2 words).In today’s world, more parents work away from home, so they need suitable day care centers for their children. These early stages are very important to a child’s growth and development. You should look for day care centers that provide learning programs and playtime for your child, along with a safe and healthy environment. There are many different types of day care centers. Some specialize in a specific age range, while others are more open. When you’re considering placing your child in a day care center, you should visit each one with your child. In this way, you can see how your child reacts to the other children there. You want your child to be happy and comfortable, which is your first priority. While some day care centers provide a greater variety of activities than others, any good day care center is going to encourage positive interactions between the children. They will also have rules that promote good behavior, learning, manners, and child development. You certainly don’t want to worry that your child is going to develop bad habits from day care. Whatever your option, make sure that you know who you are leaving your child with. Meet them, get to know them, and let your child do the same. Do some research on the Internet to make sure that no one has had negative experiences with this day-care center. Check to see if they are legally licensed. Once you have done all this, you can feel more confident and secure in knowing that you have chosen the right day care center for your child.

Studies on cats have helped illuminate some of the abilities of our mysterious housemates. lighten obscure explain cherish

The government of China has been backing up the resumption of the six-party talk on DPRK. relocating condemning supporting pledging

Some stereotypes of the Chinese persist in the United States because of the large number of negative reports. endure vanish insist deteriorate

After the marathon race, some athletes are too fatigued to answer the reporter’s questions. wiped out figured out laid out worn out

A year ago there were slightly more______than jobseekers, but now there are twice as many openings. vacuums vacancies vacations vocations

Dogs seem to experience separation anxiety, which also indicates that they feel______to their owners. hostility objection reliance attachment

It can be concluded from the first paragraph that______.

According to this passage, teams are characterized by______.

All the following statements are problems with teams except______.

The main idea of Paragraph Five is that______.

The author argues in the last paragraph that______.

This passage is primarily concerned with______.