It is fashionable today to criticize Big Business, and there is one issue on which the many critics agree: CEO pay. We hear that CEOs are paid too much (or too much relative to workers) , or that they control others’ pay, or that their pay is insufficiently related to positive outcomes. But the more likely truth is CEO pay is largely caused by intense competition.
It is true that CEO pay has gone up---top ones may make 300 times the pay of typical workers on average, and since the mid-1970s, CEO pay for large publicly traded American corporations has, by varying estimates, gone up by about 500%. The typical CEO of a top American corporation-from the 350 largest such companies-now makes about $18.9 million a year.
While individual cases of overpayment definitely exist, in general, the determinants of CEO pay are not so mysterious and not so trapped in corruption (腐败). In fact, overall CEO compensation for the top companies rises pretty much in line with the value of those companies on the stock market.
The best model for understanding the growth of CEO pay, though, is that of limited CEO talent in a world where business opportunities for the top firms are growing rapidly. The efforts of Americans highest-earning 1 % have been one of the more dynamic elements of the global economy.
It’s not popular to say, but one reason their pay has gone up so much is that CEOs really have upped their game relative to many other workers in the U. S. economy.
Today’s CEO, at least for major American firms, must have many more skills than simply being able to “run the company.” CEOs must have a good sense of financial markets and maybe even how the company should trade in them. They also need better public relations skills than their predecessors, as the costs of even a minor slipup can cause a bad consequence. Then there’s the fact that large American companies are much more globalized than ever before, with supply chains spread across a larger number of countries. To lead in that system requires knowledge that is fairly incredible.
There is yet another trend: virtually all major American companies are becoming tech companies, one way or another. An agribusiness company, for instance, may focus on R&D in highly IT- intensive areas such as genome sequencing (基因组序列). Similarly, it is hard to do a good job running the Walt Disney Company just by picking good movie scripts and courting stars ; you also need to build a firm capable of creating significant CGI (计算机生成图像) products for cartoon movies at the highest levels of technical sophistication and with many frontier innovations along the way.
On top of all of this, major CEOs still have to do the job they have always done- which includes motivating employees, serving as an internal role model, helping to define and extend a corporate culture, understanding the internal accounting, and presenting budgets and business plans to the board. Good CEOs are some of the world’s most powerful creators and have some of the very deepest skills of understanding.
1.Which of the following has contributed to CEO pay rise?
A.The growth in the number of cooperation
B.The general pay rise with a better economy
C.Increased business opportunities for top firms
D.Close cooperation among leading economics
2.Compared with their predecessors, today’s CEOs are required to ________.
A.foster a stronger sense of teamwork
B.finance more research and development
C.establish closer ties with tech companies
D.operate more globalized companies
3.The meaning of the underlined word “slipup” (line 5, paragraph 4) is close to ________.
A.operation B.success
C.mistake D.promotion
4.The most suitable title for this text would be ________.
A.CEOs Are Not Overpaid B.CEO Pay: Past and Present
C.CEOs’ Challenges of Today D.CEO Traits: Not Easy to Define
高三英语阅读理解困难题
It is fashionable today to criticize Big Business, and there is one issue on which the many critics agree: CEO pay. We hear that CEOs are paid too much (or too much relative to workers) , or that they control others’ pay, or that their pay is insufficiently related to positive outcomes. But the more likely truth is CEO pay is largely caused by intense competition.
It is true that CEO pay has gone up---top ones may make 300 times the pay of typical workers on average, and since the mid-1970s, CEO pay for large publicly traded American corporations has, by varying estimates, gone up by about 500%. The typical CEO of a top American corporation-from the 350 largest such companies-now makes about $18.9 million a year.
While individual cases of overpayment definitely exist, in general, the determinants of CEO pay are not so mysterious and not so trapped in corruption (腐败). In fact, overall CEO compensation for the top companies rises pretty much in line with the value of those companies on the stock market.
The best model for understanding the growth of CEO pay, though, is that of limited CEO talent in a world where business opportunities for the top firms are growing rapidly. The efforts of Americans highest-earning 1 % have been one of the more dynamic elements of the global economy.
It’s not popular to say, but one reason their pay has gone up so much is that CEOs really have upped their game relative to many other workers in the U. S. economy.
Today’s CEO, at least for major American firms, must have many more skills than simply being able to “run the company.” CEOs must have a good sense of financial markets and maybe even how the company should trade in them. They also need better public relations skills than their predecessors, as the costs of even a minor slipup can cause a bad consequence. Then there’s the fact that large American companies are much more globalized than ever before, with supply chains spread across a larger number of countries. To lead in that system requires knowledge that is fairly incredible.
There is yet another trend: virtually all major American companies are becoming tech companies, one way or another. An agribusiness company, for instance, may focus on R&D in highly IT- intensive areas such as genome sequencing (基因组序列). Similarly, it is hard to do a good job running the Walt Disney Company just by picking good movie scripts and courting stars ; you also need to build a firm capable of creating significant CGI (计算机生成图像) products for cartoon movies at the highest levels of technical sophistication and with many frontier innovations along the way.
On top of all of this, major CEOs still have to do the job they have always done- which includes motivating employees, serving as an internal role model, helping to define and extend a corporate culture, understanding the internal accounting, and presenting budgets and business plans to the board. Good CEOs are some of the world’s most powerful creators and have some of the very deepest skills of understanding.
1.Which of the following has contributed to CEO pay rise?
A.The growth in the number of cooperation
B.The general pay rise with a better economy
C.Increased business opportunities for top firms
D.Close cooperation among leading economics
2.Compared with their predecessors, today’s CEOs are required to ________.
A.foster a stronger sense of teamwork
B.finance more research and development
C.establish closer ties with tech companies
D.operate more globalized companies
3.The meaning of the underlined word “slipup” (line 5, paragraph 4) is close to ________.
A.operation B.success
C.mistake D.promotion
4.The most suitable title for this text would be ________.
A.CEOs Are Not Overpaid B.CEO Pay: Past and Present
C.CEOs’ Challenges of Today D.CEO Traits: Not Easy to Define
高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
Today, paper-making is a big business. But it is still possible to make paper by hand, since the steps are the same as using big machines.
You should use paper with small amounts of printing. Old envelopes are good for this reason. Colored paper also can be used, as well as small amounts of newspaper. Small pieces of rags or cloth can be added. These should be cut into pieces about five centimeters by five centimeters.
Everything is placed in a container, covered with water and brought to a boil. It is mixed for about two hours with some common chemicals and then allowed to cool. Then it is left until most of the water dries up. The substance left, called pulp(纸浆), can be stored until you are ready to make paper.
When you are ready, the pulp is mixed with water again. Then the pulp is poured into a mold. The mold is made of small squares of wire that hold the shape and thickness of the paper. To help dry the paper, the mold lets the water flow through the small wire squares.
After several more drying steps, the paper is carefully lifted back from the mold. It is now strong enough to be touched.
The paper is smoothed and pressed to remove trapped air. You can use a common electric iron used for pressing clothes.
1.It is suggested that we “should choose paper with small amounts of printing” to_____.
A. make paper by ourselves
B. renew the old envelopes
C. make various colored paper
D. create our own newspaper
2.Whether the paper is strong enough to be touched is determined by _____.
A. how long the pulp is stored
B. how thick the paper is
C. how much water remains
D. what type of chemicals are used
3.When the paper is lifted from the mold, it is time to _____.
A. make it smooth B. make it strong
C. decorate it D. use an iron
4.The passage is most probably intended to _____.
A. introduce the history of paper-making
B. describe the process of paper-making
C. compare the ancient with the modern paper-making
D. argue about the possibility of paper-making by hand
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Advertisers tend to think big and perhaps this is why they’re always coming in for criticism. Their critics seem to resent them because they have a flair for self-promotion and because they have so much money to throw around. ‘It’s iniquitous,’ they say, ‘that this entirely unproductive industry (if we can call it that) should absorb millions of pounds each year. It only goes to show how much profit the big companies are making. Why don’t they stop advertising and reduce the price of their goods? After all, it’s the consumer who pays…’
The poor old consumer! He’d have to pay a great deal more if advertising didn’t create mass markets for products. It is precisely because of the heavy advertising that consumer goods are so cheap. But we get the wrong idea if we think the only purpose of advertising is to sell goods. Another equally important function is to inform. A great deal of the knowledge we have about household goods derives largely from the advertisements we read. Advertisements introduce us to new products or remind us of the existence of ones we already know about. Supposing you wanted to buy a washing machine, it is more than likely you would obtain details regarding performance, price, etc., from an advertisement.
Lots of people pretend that they never read advertisements, but this claim may be seriously doubted. It is hardly possible not to read advertisements these days. And what fun they often are, too! Just think what a railway station or a newspaper would be like without advertisements. Would you enjoy gazing at a blank wall or reading railway byelaws while waiting for a train? Would you like to read only closely printed columns of news in your daily paper? A cheerful, witty advertisement makes such a difference to a drab wall or a newspaper full of the daily ration of calamities.
We must not forget, either, that advertising makes a positive contribution to our pockets. Newspapers, commercial radio and television companies could not subsist without this source of revenue. The fact that we pay so little for our daily paper, or can enjoy so many broadcast programmes is due entirely to the money spent by advertisers. Just think what a newspaper would cost if we had to pay its full price!
Another thing we mustn’t forget is the ‘small ads.’ which are in virtually every newspaper and magazine. What a tremendously useful service they perform for the community! Just about anything can be accomplished through these columns. For instance, you can find a job, buy or sell a house, announce a birth, marriage or death in what used to be called the ‘hatch, match and dispatch’ column but by far the most fascinating section is the personal or ‘agony’ column. No other item in a newspaper provides such entertaining reading or offers such a deep insight into human nature. It’s the best advertisement for advertising there is!
1.What is main idea of this passage?
A. Advertisement.
B. The benefits of advertisement.
C. Advertisers perform a useful service to communities.
D. The costs of advertisement.
2.The attitude of the author toward advertisers is
A. appreciative.
B. trustworthy.
C. critical.
D. dissatisfactory.
3.Why do the critics criticize advertisers?
A. Because advertisers often brag.
B. Because critics think advertisement is a “waste of money”.
C. Because customers are encouraged to buy more than necessary.
D. Because customers pay more.
4.Which of the following is Not True?
A. Advertisement makes contribution to our pockets and we may know everything.
B. We can buy what we want.
C. Good quality products don’t need to be advertised.
D. Advertisement makes our life colorful.
5.The passage is
A. Narration.
B. Description.
C. Criticism.
D. Argumentation.
Vocabulary
come in for ( sth. ) 是某事物的对象,吸引(某事物),获得
flair 天资,天分
iniquitous 极邪恶的,极不公正的
drab 单调的,乏味的
subsist 活下去,生存下去,维持下去
hatch 孵化(指生孩子)
match 匹配,婚姻
dispatch 派遣,发送
agony 极大痛苦,煎熬
agony column (报刊中关于个人疑难问题征询意见的)读者来信专栏
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
The dress is really fashionable and eye-catching, but it is ______ too big for me.
A.fairly | B.rather | C.quite | D.pretty |
高三英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析
The dress is really fashionable and eye-catching, but it is ________ too big for me.
A. fairly B. rather C. quite D. pretty
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
Public speaking and critical thinking
What is critical thinking ? to a certain degree ,it’s a matter of logic (逻辑)—of being able to spot weaknesses in other people ‘s argument and to avoid them in your own ,it also includes related skills such as distinguishing fact from opinion and assessing the soundness of evidence .
In the broad sense ,critical thinking is focused ,organized thinking –the ability to see clearly
their lationships among ideas. 1 the greatest thinkers ,scientists ,and inventors have often taken information that was readily available and put it together differently to produce new ideas.that,too,is critical thinking.
2 As the class goes on, for example, you will probably spend a good deal of time organizing your speeches. While this may seem like a purely mechanical(机械的)exercise, it is closely connected with critical thinking. If the structure of your speech is loose and confused, chances are that your thinking. If the stucture of your speech is loose and confused, chances are that your thinking is also discovered and confused. If, on the other hand ,the stucture is clear, there is a good chance your thinking is too. Organizing a speech is not a matter of arraging the ideas your already have.3
What is true of organization is true of many aspects of public speaking.4 As you work on expressing your ideas in clear, accurate language, you will Improve your ability to think clearly and accutately.5 As you learn to listen critically to speeches in class. You will be better able to assess the ideas of speakers in a variety of situations.
If you take full advantage of your speech class, you will be able to develop your skills as critical thinker in many circumstances. This is one reason public speaking has been regarded as a vital part of education since the days of ancient Greece.
A. Rather, it is an important part of shaping the ideas themselves
B. This may seem like a lot of time, but the rewards are well worth it.
C. It may also help you to know that there is no such thing as a perfect speech
D. It has often been said that there are few new ideas in the world, only reorganized ideas.
E. If you are wondering what this has to do with your public speaking class, the answer is quite a lot.
F. The skills you learn in your speech class can help you become a more effective thinker in a number of ways
G. As you study the role of evidence and reasoning in speech making ,you will see how they can be used in other forms of communication as well.
高三英语信息匹配中等难度题查看答案及解析
Criticism and self-criticism _____ necessary _____ it helps us to correct mistakes.
A. is, in that B. are, in that C. is, in which D. are, at that
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
Criticism and self-criticism _____ necessary _____ it helps us to correct mistakes.
A.is, in that | B.are, in that | C.is, in which | D.are, at that |
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
三、阅读理【解析】
It is natural for young people to be critical of their parents at times and to blame them for most of the misunderstandings between them. They have always complained, more or less justly, that their parents are out of touch with modern ways; that they are possessive and dominant; that they do not trust their children to deal with crises; that they talk too much about certain problems and that they have no sense of humor, at least in parent-child relationships.
I think it is true that parents often underestimate their teenage children and also forget how they themselves felt when young.
Young people often irritate their parents with their choices in clothes and hairstyles, in entertainers and music. This is not their motive. They feel cut off from the adult world into which they have not yet been accepted. So they create a culture and society of their own. Then, if it turns out that their music or entertainers or vocabulary or clothes or hairstyles irritate their parents, this gives them additional enjoyment. They feel they are superior, at least in a small way, and that they are superior, at least in a small way, and that they are leaders in style and taste.
Sometimes you are resistant and proud because you do not want your parents to approve of what you do. If they did approve, it looks as if you are betraying your own age group. But in that case, you are assuming that you are the underdog: you can’t win but at least you can keep your honor. This is a passive way of looking at things. It is natural enough after long years of childhood, when you were completely under your parents’ control. But it ignores the fact that you are now beginning to be responsible for yourself.
If you plan to control your life, co-operation can be part of that plan. You can charm others, especially parents, into doing things the way you want. You can impress others with your sense of responsibility and initiative, so that they will give you the authority to do what you want to do.
36. The author is primarily addressing _______.
A. parents of teenagers B. newspaper readers.
C. those who give advice to teenagers D. teenagers
37. The first paragraph is mainly about _______.
A. the teenagers’ criticism of their parents.
B. misunderstanding between teenagers and their parents.
C. the dominance of the parents over their children
D. the teenagers’ ability to deal with crises.
38. Teenagers tend to have strange clothes and hairstyles because they ______.
A. want to show their existence by creating a culture of their own.
B. have a strong desire to be leaders in style and taste.
C. have no other way to enjoy themselves better.
D. want to irritate their parents.
39. To improve parent-child relationships, teenagers are advised to be _____.
A. obedient B. responsible C. co-operative D. independent.
高三英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析
It is natural for young people to be critical of their parents at times and to blame them for most of the misunderstandings between them. They have always complained, more or less justly, that their parents are out of touch with modern ways; that they are possessive and dominant; that they do not trust their children to deal with problems; that they talk too much about certain problems—and that they have no sense of humor, at least in parent—child relationships. I think it is true that parents often underestimate their teenage children and also forget how they themselves felt when young.
Young people often make their parents angry at their choices in clothes and hairstyles, in entertainers and music. This is not their motive. They feel cut off from the adult world into which they have not yet been accepted. So they create a culture and society of their own. Then, if it turns out that their music or entertainers or vocabulary or clothes or hairstyles make their parents angry, this gives them extra enjoyment. They feel they are superior, at least in a small way, and that they are leaders in style and taste.
Sometimes you are resistant, and proud because you do not want your parents to agree what you do. If they agree, it looks as if you are betraying your own age group. But in that case, you are supposing that you are the underdog; you cannot win but at least you keep your honor. This is a passive way of looking at things. It is natural enough after long years of childhood, when you were completely under your parents' contro1. But it ignores the fact that you are now beginning to be responsible for yourself. If you plan to control your life, cooperation can be part of that plan. You can attract others, especially your parents, into doing things the way you want. You can impress others with your sense of responsibility, so that they will let you choose what you want to do.
1.The first paragraph is mainly about_________.
A. the teenagers' criticism of their parents
B. misunderstandings between teenagers and their parents
C. the control of the parents over their children
D. the teenagers' ability to deal will problems
2.Teenagers tend to have strange clothes and hairstyles mainly because they________.
A. want to show their existence by creating a culture of their own
B. have a strong desire to be leaders in style and taste
C. have no other way to enjoy themselves better
D. want to make their Parents angry
3.Teenagers do not want their parents to agree whatever they do because they_______.
A. have already been accepted into the adult world
B. feel that they are superior to the adults
C. are not likely to win over the adults
D. have a desire to be independent
4.To improve parent—child relationships,teenagers are advised to be_________.
A. attractive B. positive C. cooperative D. productive
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析