Questions 31 to 35 are based on the following passage.
Clothes play a critical part in the conclusions we reach by providing clues to who people are, who they are not, and who they would like to be. They tell us a good deal about the wearer’s background, personality, status, mood, and social outlook.
Since clothes are such an important source of social information, we can use them to manipulate people’s impression of us. Our appearance assumes particular significance in the initial phases of interaction that is likely to occur. An elderly middle class man or woman may be alienated (疏远…) by a young adult who is dressed in an unconventional manner, regardless of the person’s education, background, or interests.
People tend to agree on what certain types of clothes mean. Adolescent girls can easily agree on the lifestyles of girls who wear certain outfits (套装), including the number of boyfriends they likely have had and whether they smoke or drink. Newscasters, or the announcers who read the news on TV, are considered to be more convincing, honest, and competent when they are dressed conservatively. And collage students who view themselves as taking an active role in their inter-personal relationships say they are concerned about the costumes they must wear to play these roles successfully. Moreover, many of us can relate instances in which the clothing we wore changed the way we felt about ourselves and how we act ed. Perhaps you have used clothing to gain confidence when you anticipated a stressful situation, such as a job interview, or a court appearance.
In the workplace, men have long had well defined precedents and role models for achieving success. It has been otherwise for women. A good many women in the business world are uncertain about the appropriate mixture of “masculine” and “feminine” attributes they should convey by their professional clothing. The variety of clothing alternatives to women has also been greater than that avail able for men. Male administrators tend to judge women more favorably for managerial positions when the women display less “feminine” grooming (打扮)-shorter hair, moderate use of make up, and plain tailored clothing. As one male administrator confessed, “An attractive woman is definitely going to get a longer interview, but she won’t get a job.”
31. According to the passage, the way we dress ________.
A) provides clues for people who are critical of us
B) indicates our likes and dislikes in choosing a career
C) has a direct influence on the way people regard us
D) is of particular importance when we get on in age
32. From the third paragraph of the passage, we can conclude that young adults tend to believe that certain types of clothing can ________.
A) change people’s conservative attitudes toward their lifestyle
B) help young people make friends with the opposite sex
C) make them competitive in the job market
D) help them achieve success in their interpersonal relationships
33. The word “precedent” (Line 1, Para. 4) probably refers to ________.
A) early acts for men to follow as examples
B) particular places for men to occupy especially because of their importance
C) things that men should agree upon
D) men’s beliefs that everything in the world has already been decided
34. According to the passage, many career women find themselves in difficult situations because ________.
A) the variety of professional clothing is too wide for them to choose
B) women are generally thought to be only good at being fashion models
C) men are more favorably judged for managerial positions
D) they are not sure to what extent they should display their feminine qualities through clothing
35. What is the passage mainly about?
A) Dressing for effect.
B) How to dress appropriately.
C) Managerial positions and clothing.
D) Dressing for the occasion.
Questions 36 to 40 are based on the following passage.
The more women and minorities make their way into the ranks of management, the more they seem to want to talk about things formerly judged to be best left unsaid. The newcomers also tend to see office matters with a fresh eye, in the process sometimes coming up with critical analyses of the forces that shape everyone’s experience in the organization.
Consider the novel views of Harvey Coleman of Atlanta on the subject of getting ahead. Coleman is black. He spent 11 years with IBM, half of them working in management development, and now serves as a consultant to the likes of AT&T, Coca Cola, Prudential, and Merch. Coleman says that based on what he’s seen at big companies, he weighs the different elements that make for long term career success as follows: performance counts a mere 10%, image, 30%; and exposure, a full 60%. Coleman concludes that excellent job performance is so common these days that while doing your work well may win you pay increases, it won’t secure you the big promotion. He finds that advancement more often depends on how many people know you and your work, and how high up they are.
Ridiculous beliefs? Not to many people, especially many women and members of minority races who, like Coleman, feel that the scales (障眼物) have dropped from their eyes. “Women and blacks in organizations work under false beliefs,” says Kaleel Jamison, a New York based management consultant who helps corporations deal with these issues. “They think that if you work hard, you’ll get ahead—that someone in authority will reach down and give you a promotion.” She adds, “Most women and blacks are so frightened that people will think they’ve gotten ahead because of their sex or color that they play down (使不突出) their visibility.” Her advice to those folks: learn the ways that white males have traditionally used to find their way into the spotlight.
36. According to the passage, “things formerly judged to be best left unsaid” (Line 2, Para. 1) probably refers to “________”.
A) criticisms that shape everyone’s experience
B) the opinions which contradict the established beliefs
C) the tendencies that help the newcomers to see office matters with a fresh eye
D) the ideas which usually come up with usually come up with new ways of management in the organization
37. To achieve success in your career, the most important factor, according to the passage, is to ________.
A) let your superiors know how good you are
B) project a favorable image to the people around you
C) work as a consultant to your superiors
D) perform well your tasks given by your superiors
38. The reason why women and blacks play down their visibility is that they ________.
A) know that someone in authority will reach down and give them a promotion
B) want to give people the impression that they work under false beliefs
C) don’t want people to think that their promotions were due to sex or color
D) believe they can get promoted by reason of their sex or color
39. The author is of the opinion that Coleman’s beliefs are ________.
A) biased
B) popular
C) insightful
D) superficial
40. The best title for this passage would be ________.
A) Role of Women and Minorities in Management
B) The Importance of Being Visible
C) Job Performance and Advancement
D) Sex and Career Success