词汇注释


bluntly /ˈblʌntli/ adv. 坦率地；迟钝地

hoopla /ˈhuːplɑː/ n. 大吹大擂，喧闹；投环套物游戏

philanthropic /ˌfɪlənˈθrɔpɪk/ adj. 慈善的；博爱的

underwrite /ˌʌndəˈraɪt/ v. 同意资助；签署（保险单）；认购

stipend /ˈstaɪpend/ n. 薪水，薪金





难句突破


He is one of 110 engineers from high-tech companies who are part of a Microsoft program aimed at getting high school students hooked on computer science, so they go on to pursue careers in the field.

主体句式：He is one of 110 engineers.

结构分析：这个长句看上去结构复杂，其实主句很短。主句后面的介宾结构作engineers的后置定语，这里面包含一个由who引导的限制性定语从句，先行词是engineers，用来补充说明这110名工程师的情况，aimed at后面的动名词短语是目的状语，so引导一个结果状语从句。

句子译文：他是高科技公司派驻到中学里的110名工程师之一，是微软发起的一个项目的成员，这个项目旨在让高中学生迷上计算机科学，进而在这一领域谋求职业发展。





题目分析


1. A 推断题。B、C和D都只是现象，是文中提到的事实，而A则是在这些事实基础之上推断出来的结果。

2. D 细节题。A、B和C在文中皆有对应的信息。虽文中也提到了CS4HS项目，但该项目的参与者是high school teachers，而非学生。

3. A 语义题。由前后文语义可知，进驻学校的微软工程师们课时至少每周两小时，有的多达五小时，讲课只能获得small stipend，根据常识可推断stipend为在学校earn的是薪金。

4. D 推断题。最后一段中提出，微软推出的这一项目在西雅图地区有22所学校参与了并已经拓展到华盛顿地区和其他一些州，由此可以推出，微软这一计划已经引起了关注，但仅靠微软远远不够，它希望有更多的公司参与进来。A、C选项皆是文中表述的事实，B在文中作者并未直接表明，而D则是基于这些事实得出的结论，体现了段落主旨，故为答案。

5. D 情感态度题。本文是一篇说明文，旨在陈述客观事实，因此作者持中立态度。





参考译文


莱安德雷·恩萨比是雷尼尔海滩高中的一名高年级学生，最近他得到了一位老师极为直率而又实用的建议。他说：“我的老师告诉我，计算机科学行业能赚大钱，这门学问在将来真的能派上用场。”这位老师名叫史蒂文·爱德华。对计算机这门学科，他的确有些了解。除了自愿来这里每周花四天时间担任计算机教师之外，爱德华还在微软工作。他是高科技公司派驻到中学里的110名工程师之一，是微软发起的一个项目的成员，这个项目旨在让高中学生迷上计算机科学，进而在这一领域谋求职业发展。微软正在通过这种不寻常的方法来解决计算机专业本科毕业生不足的问题，这是美国科技行业目前面临的最严重的问题之一，也给整个美国经济带来了更大的挑战。

美国一个专业计算机研究者协会——计算机协会对联邦政府预测数据的分析表明，到2020年美国计算机行业每年可能将有15万个计算机岗位空缺。尽管Facebook首席执行官马克·扎克伯格等创业名人十分风光，但美国国家教育数据统计中心估算，2010年美国的计算机本科毕业生还不到四万人。此外，整个就业市场依然低迷。微软总法律顾问布拉德·史密斯负责监督这个无偿教育项目。他在最近的受访中表示：“有些人找不到工作，而我们有些职位却招不到人。”

多年来，美国大型科技公司一直对科技人才匮乏的局面怨声载道。他们也一直在设法解决这个问题，比如游说政府放宽移民政策以便引进更多的国外工程师，以及出资举办科技竞赛来提高学生们对这个行业的兴趣。在这些公司中，谷歌为即将上九年级的学生举办了编程夏令营活动，并同意资助一项名为CS4HS的计划。在该计划中高中教师可以通过参加当地大学主办的研习班来提升计算机技能。

然而，微软则把自己的员工派到最前线，鼓励他们到高中去，教授整整一学年的计算机课。进驻中学的微软工程师们授课只能获得很少的报酬，他们的课时至少为每周两小时，有些人的课时则多达五小时。学校会将他们的课程排在一天中的最前面，以免影响工程师们的日程安排，而他们通常也要到上午比较晚的时候才能到微软工作。

这个项目本是一项草根行动，由微软工程师凯文·王首创。他曾在哈佛大学取得教育学硕士学位。2009年，凯文·王志愿在他上班途中的一家西雅图公立高中担任计算机科学老师。微软高管得知他的做法后，为凯文·王提供了财务支持，也就是“校园科技教育与扫盲”活动，并允许他把全部时间投入到这项工作中。目前，这个项目已经在西雅图地区的22所学校展开，并且已在这个学年拓展到华盛顿、犹他州、北达科他州、加利福尼亚州和其他州的十多所学校。微软希望其他大型科技公司也能支持这项活动，这样可以扩大外部工程师的参与范围。





Unit 29


Tanna Oldfield’s software company needed to establish rapport between some new hires and the firm’s old guard. She says the company, which is based in Austin, Texas, wanted to do something different—to “step out of the box”. So she asked her employees to step out of a plane. At 14,000 feet. Oldfield says the sky-high bonding exercise left the workers “exhilarated” and “more confident” in just one day. “If they could conquer fears about sky diving,” she says, “they could overcome work issues.”

Even in a climate of corporate cost-cutting, Oldfield’s company（she prefers that it remain unidentified） and many other New Economy survivors continue to invest money in training sessions that do not involve blackboards, computers or conference rooms. Instead, they send their employees on increasingly elaborate, and even risky, “team-building” trips. From white-water rafting to caving and rock climbing, corporate trainers are raising the difficulty level on challenges for the cubicle set.

Hard times may even persuade some companies to loosen their purse strings. Diane Katz, who has a doctoral degree in conflict resolution, says half the clients who go on her year-old Working Circle team-building exercises in Arizona are there because bosses want to reward them for good work. “People need to let off steam in harder times,” says Katz, who uses horse whisperers—who claim to speak to the animals, a practice popularized by Robert Redford’s movie “The Horse Whisperer”—as facilitators on singing trail rides in the Sonoran desert （the people sing, not the horses）.

After an office shake-up, Elizabeth Burg, a project coordinator for Visa U.S.A. in Foster City., Calif., staged a regatta to help employees learn how to work together in a new environment. A corporate training firm, Adventure Associates of El Cerrito, Calif., taught boating basics to Burg and 20 landlubber co-workers and then set them loose on 34-foot sailboats for a race on San Francisco Bay （with a professional skipper aboard each yacht, just in case）. “As adults, we don’t usually get to play in areas where we’re not experts,” Burg says. “People cooperated and interacted differently.”

After a reorganization last fall, DMR, a New Jersey-based telecommunications consulting firm, flew more than 100 employees of various ages to the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia for a four-and-a-half-day program run by the Outdoor Wilderness Leadership School. “I expected a total disaster,” recalls John Tedesco, a fifty-something sales executive. But after dangling 90 feet above the ground in a rope harness on a granite rock face, Tedesco learned to rely on much younger colleagues. “You’re taking risks you usually don’t deal with, and suddenly your co-workers are helping you,” he recalls. “Nothing has been the same since.” That’s because rugged outdoor challenges can topple rigid office hierarchies and encourage the sort of camaraderie often missing from traditional off-site work events. “You see people in a different light,” says Tedesco. And when the most junior employee turns out to be more wilderness-savvy than the CEO, everyone relaxes—except possibly the CEO.

注（1）：本文选自Newsweek；

注（2）：本文习题命题模仿对象为2004年真题Text 1。



1. What does Oldfield expect her software company to be rewarded by the trip?

A) A good spirit of confidence.

B) The ability to overcome difficulties.

C) A good relationship among the employees.

D) The courage to jump at a high height.

2. Which of the following is NOT the advantage of team-building excursions?

A) A good place to know your strong points compared with the CEO.

B) A good place to vent one’s feelings.

C) A good place to learn how to work together.

D) A good place to improve your exchange with colleagues.

3. The expression “let off steam”（Line 4, Paragraph 3） most probably means ______.

A) solving the problems

B) saving themselves

C) getting out of the difficulty

D) releasing one’s offensive feelings

4. What effect does a four-and-a-half-day program bring to John Tedesco?

A) A total disaster fell on him.

B) His ideas have been totally changed.

C) He cares about his colleagues.

D) He is dependant on his colleagues.

5. What can we infer from the text?

A) Team-building trips can solve employees’ problems.

B) Team-building trips are popular with many companies.

C) There are risks, as well as rewards in team-building trips.

D) Employees are able to overcome difficulties after the trips.





篇章剖析


本文采用提出问题—分析问题的模式，指出“团队建设”的旅行项目尽管有一定的危险，但是带给旅行者的收益却很大。第一段和第二段指出奥德菲尔德软件公司和其他新经济的幸存者进行的形式多样的旅行项目；第三段至第五段分别指出旅行者在不同形式的旅行中的收获和启示。





词汇注释


rapport /ræˈpɔː(r)/ n. 友好；和睦；友好关系

sky-high /ˈskaɪˈhaɪ/ adv./adj. 极高地（的）

sky diving 尽量延缓张伞的跳伞运动；天空蹦极

white-water rafting 急流漂筏；滑水

caving /ˈkeɪvɪŋ/ n. 洞穴探险

cubicle /ˈkjuːbɪk(ə)l/ n. 隔间，小卧室

hard times 市况萧条，不景气

purse string 系钱袋口上的细绳；金钱

loosen the purse strings放松对钱的控制

hold (control, tighten) the purse strings 控制（节省）开支

working circle 林区（按照特别经营计划建立的森林区域）

let off steam散发多余的精力；发泄郁积的情感

shake-up /ˈʃeɪkˈʌp/ n. 〈俚〉机构大改组；人员大变动

regatta /rɪˈɡætə/ n. 赛船大会，划船比赛，赛舟会

landlubber /ˈlændlʌbə(r)/ n. “旱鸭子”（指新水手，不习惯航海、乘船的人）

set loose 释放；把…放出来；（使）开始（做某事）

skipper /ˈskɪpə/ n. 【海】船长；运动队队长

take (run) risks 冒险

topple /ˈtɒpl/ vt. 推翻；颠覆 vi. 倒塌

camaraderie /kɑːməˈrɑːdəriː/ n. 〈法〉同志间的友谊；友爱

off-site /ˌɒfˈsaɪt/ adj. 不在现场的，离开事发地点的

light /laɪt/ n. 见解，见识，眼光

savvy /ˈsævi/ n. 〈俚〉见识；智慧 adj. 精明的；能干的；有见识的





背景注释


Visa U.S.A（维萨美国）：Visa U.S.A是一家业界领先的支付公司，拥有美国最大的支付系统，在发展新的支付手段和技术方面起着至关重要的作用。它为14,000家成员金融机构和持卡人提供服务，并为电子商务提供安全的在线处理方式。





难句突破


After a reorganization last fall, DMR, a New Jersey-based telecommunications consulting firm, flew more than 100 employees of various ages to the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia for a four-and-a-half-day program run by the Outdoor Wilderness Leadership School.

主体句式：DMR flew...employees...

结构分析：DMR是本句的主语，a New Jersey-based telecommunications consulting firm是DMR的同位语；flew是句子的谓语，需要注意的是flew在句子里用作及物动词，意思是“用飞机或飞行器运载、运输、运送”；run之前省去了which is。

句子译文：总部设在新泽西州的电信咨询公司——DMR在去年秋天重组以后，安排一百多名不同年龄的员工乘飞机到弗吉尼亚兰岭山参加由野外领导能力培训学校开办的为期四天半的培训课程。





题目分析


1. C 细节题。作者在文章开头就提出Tanna Oldfield’s software company needed to establish rapport between some new hires and the firm’s old guard.，正是出于想要融洽新、老员工关系的原因，奥德菲尔德才做出这件与众不同的事情。至于员工们感到exhilarated and more confident，那是这次旅行所带来的意想不到的收获。

2. A 细节题。选项B对应的信息在第三段：People need to let off steam in harder times；选项C对应的信息在第四段：...staged a regatta to help employees learn how to work together in a new environment；选项D对应的信息在倒数第一段：That’s because rugged outdoor challenges can topple rigid office hierarchies and encourage the sort of camaraderie...文章末尾提到在野外训练中CEO在某些方面还不如普通员工的现象是客观结果，但不是培训项目的主旨，所以选A。

3. D 语义题。本题主要是考查对习语let off steam的掌握。时世艰难，市况萧条，人们进行singing trail rides是要来“发泄他们郁积的情感”。

4. B 细节题。原文对应信息在倒数第一段：Nothing has been the same since.

5. C 推理题。文章第二段末提到这种野外活动even risky，接下来用实例证明了团队成员从中受益匪浅，故选C。





参考译文


塔纳·奥德菲尔德的软件公司坐落在得克萨斯州奥斯汀。该公司有意促进新员工和老员工之间和睦融洽关系的形成，按照她的说法，就是想要在此方面做些与众不同的事情——“走出小隔间”。于是在她的要求下，她的员工走出了飞机。奥德菲尔德说，在14,000英尺的高度进行这种高空蹦极，只需一天时间就能使员工“精神振奋”、“倍感自信”。她说：“如果他们能征服高空跳伞的恐惧，那么，他们也就能够克服工作中的难题。”

即使在公司费用削减的大环境下，奥德菲尔德的公司（她希望不透漏公司名称）和其他许多新经济的幸存者还继续在培训课程上投资。不过这些培训课程不使用黑板、计算机或会议室，而是一场精心安排的、有时甚至具有危险性的“团队建设”旅行。从急流漂筏到洞穴探险、攀岩，公司培训人员正在给这些在小隔间工作的人逐渐增加训练难度。

市况萧条甚至会使一些公司对财政的控制有所松动。持有平息冲突专业方向博士学位的黛安·卡茨说，她的“林区”团队建设训练项目设在亚利桑那州，至今已运行了一年时间。在她的客户当中，有一半的人来这儿参加培训是因为他们的老板以此作为对他们出色工作的奖赏。“在市况萧条时期，人们需要发泄郁积的情感。”卡茨如是说。在培训中，她利用马语者——这些人宣称能同动物交流，随着罗伯特·里德福德的电影《马语者》得到广为流传——来推动索诺兰沙漠骑马游歌活动的进行（当然是人唱，不是马唱）。

维萨美国（Visa U.S.A.）公司加州福斯特城项目协调员伊丽莎白·伯格在大规模重组办公室人员以后，发起了一次赛舟会以帮助公司员工学会如何在一个新环境里合作共事。一家培训公司——设在加州埃尔塞里托的冒险联合公司——对伯格和另外20名“旱鸭子”同事进行了划船的基本训练，然后让他们分别乘34英尺长的帆船（每艘船上配一名专业船长，以防万一）参加在旧金山海湾举行的赛艇比赛。“作为成年人，我们一般不习惯在我们不懂行的领域里玩”，伯格说，“每个人的合作和反应也都不一样。”

总部设在新泽西州的电信咨询公司——DMR在去年秋天重组以后，安排一百多名不同年龄的员工乘飞机到弗吉尼亚兰岭山参加由野外领导能力培训学校开办的为期四天半的培训课程。“我当时以为这绝对是一场灾难。”年逾半百的销售经理约翰·特戴斯克回忆道，但自从有了被岩壁上的绳索吊在离地面90英尺高的半空中晃来晃去的经历后，特戴斯克学会了如何依靠年轻的同事。“突然间，你遇到了你从未经历过的风险，而恰在此时，你的同事及时来帮你。”他回忆说，“打那以后一切都改变了。这是因为艰难的野外挑战可以消除严格的办公室等级制度，鼓励那种在办公室以外的传统活动中常缺乏的同事友情。特戴斯克说：“通常你都是以不同的眼光看待别人。”而当得知大多数低职位员工原来比首席执行官更精于野外生存时，每个人——可能除了首席执行官以外——都感到轻松了许多。





Unit 30


At the end of last week, Bodega Aurrerá, a Mexican subsidiary of the world’s biggest retailer, Wal-Mart, opened a new store in the village of San Juan Teotihuacán, just north of Mexico City. Normally, such an event would cause little stir. Wal-Mart is already Mexico’s biggest retailer too. And its shops seem to go down very well with its millions of bargain-hungry customers. ① But this particular opening was, in fact, the culmination of months of protests, legal actions, hunger strikes and hyperbole by those determined to stop it.

The reason is the location. Just 2.5km（1.6 miles）away is the ancient city of Teotihuacán, probably Mexico’s most famous archaeological site. Amongst other attractions, it boasts the third-largest（by volume）pyramid in the world.② For many Mexicans, the ancient site, abandoned by its mysterious inhabitants centuries before the Spanish conquerors arrived, remains the ultimate symbol of Mexican identity and nationhood. Thousands troop up to the top of the Pyramid of the Sun to celebrate the summer solstice.

To them, the idea of having a Wal-Mart next door is abhorrent. In the words of Homero Aridjis, a writer and one of the leading opponents, “it is like driving the stake of globalisation into the heart of old Mexico.” The controversy is only the latest in a string of protesters’ attempts to save Mexican culture from what they see as a creeping menace. They won a famous victory by blocking a McDonalds restaurant from opening in the main square of the pretty southern colonial town of Oaxaca.

But this time they were on much thinner ground. For a start, Wal-Mart went through all the appropriate regulatory hoops, even getting permission from the Paris-based International Council on Monuments and Sites, which judged that the store would cause no harm to the nearby ruins. A small stone platform was indeed found during construction of the new car park, but was preserved.

Just as importantly, the claim that the new store spoils the famous view from the top of the Pyramid of the Sun is clearly bogus, as anyone who cares to get to the top can testify. The problem is not so much that you can see the Wal-Mart, but one of trying to distinguish it from the 30-odd other ugly, squat buildings that litter the surrounding countryside—to say nothing of the car parks, the electricity pylons and the large power station. Sadly, unrestricted building long ago ruined this particular view, as well as many others in Mexico.

To the diehards, the issue counts more than the view. But neither mattered much to the hundreds of locals who queued up for the opening, delighted to be freed of the small and expensive local shops. Despite a legal case pending against Wal-Mart and local officials, brought by an irate local left-wing politician, this is one battle that the American retailer has probably won.

注（1）：本文选自Economist；

注（2）：本文习题命题模仿对象为2001年真题Text 4（由于此部分真题只有4个题目，所以本文第4题模仿对象为2003年真题Text 1的第4题）。