题型:任务型阅读 题类:真题 难易度:困难
2013年高考英语真题试卷(江苏卷)
Quiet Virtue: The Conscientious
The everyday signs of conscientiousness (认真尽责)—being punctual, careful in doing work, self-disciplined, and scrupulous (一丝不苟的) in attending to responsibilities—are typical characteristics of the model organizational citizen, the people who keep things running as they should. They follow the rules, help out, and are concerned about the people they work with. It's the conscientious worker who helps newcomers or updates people who return after an absence, who gets to work on time and never abuses sick leaves, who always gets things done on deadline.
Conscientiousness is a key to success in any field. In studies of job performance, outstanding effectiveness for almost all jobs, from semi-skilled labor to sales and management, depends on conscientiousness. It is particularly important for outstanding performance in jobs at the lower levels of an organization: the secretary whose message taking is perfect, the delivery truck driver who is always on time.
Among sales representatives for a large American car manufacturer, those who were most conscientious had the largest volume of sales. Conscientiousness also offers a buffer (缓冲) against the threat of job loss in today's constantly changing market, because employees with this quality are among the most valued. For the sales representatives, their level of conscientiousness mattered almost as much as their sales in determining who stayed on.
There is an air around highly conscientious people that makes them seem even better than they actually are. Their reputation for dependability influences managers' evaluations of their work, giving them higher evaluations than objective measures of their performance would predict.
But conscientiousness in the absence of social skills can lead to problems. Since conscientious people demand so much of themselves, they can hold other people to their own standards, and so be overly judgmental when others don't show the same high levels of model behavior. Factory workers in Great Britain and the United States who were extremely conscientious, for example, tended to criticize co-workers even about failures that seemed unimportant to those they criticized, which damaged their relationships.
When conscientiousness takes the form of living up to expectations, it can discourage creativity. In creative professions like art or advertising, openness to wild ideas and spontaneity (自发性) are scarce and in demand. Success in such occupations calls for a balance, however; without enough conscientiousness to follow through, people become mere dreamers, with nothing to show for their imaginativeness.
Have you ever kept your eyes groundward while otherwise presenting yourself well at a job interview? People who do often wonder why they fail to get the job despite having made full preparations and taken into consideration every possible interview question. To a large degree, the problem is not about your verbal preparation but rather your body language at an interview, Preparing your body language for an interview is crucial (至关重要的),because it has various meanings in different cultures.
And how does the language of gestures vary between Chinese and Western society? Instead of examining the theory, let's focus on handshake, the most practical gesture that easily escapes our attention. Patti Wood once said, “Most of the hiring decisions are made in the first 10 seconds of an interview.” The way you shake the interviewer's hand could create the first impression you make. A weak handshake implies lack of confidence. But is it wise to use a powerful handshake? It depends. This would not be a problem if you were shaking hands with a Westerner as they appreciate a firm handshake. But for Asian people a gentler handshake is better, as an over-powerful grip might seem offensive.
Hand gestures are another major difference. Western prospective employers are likely to appreciate interviewees who use their hands expressively, and to assume that those who keep their hands hidden are either distrustful or lacking in confidence. The opposite applies in Asia. Be sure, therefore, to keep your hand gestures to a minimum at interviews with local companies in China.
There are, apart from these two differences, other elements of body language that could ruin your interview wherever you are. You should make eye contact with your interviewer. That doesn't mean you should glare directly into the interviewer's eyes. The best point of focus would be a little lower than the middle point. Secondly, you shouldn't touch your nose, lips or forehead. This tells the interviewer that you are either extremely nervous or lying. Lastly, never jiggle (抖动)your legs or fold your arms. Leg jiggling delivers clearly the message that you feel uneasy and want to escape as quickly as possible. Likewise, crossing your arms implies that you are either defensive or bored.
A research entitled “Non-Verbal Clues in Job Interviews” found that interviewers spotted a high connection between motivation, social skills and employment. Job seekers hence communicate their motivation and social skills through their body language. This crucial factor determines your fate in any job interview, which is why I cannot overemphasize (过分强调)the significance of body language and gestures. If you now recall your last failed interview, perhaps it is easier to understand why you didn't get the job.
Don't let body language {#blank#}1{#/blank#}your job interview |
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Introduction |
It is getting your body language well {#blank#}2{#/blank#}that matters in an interview. |
Major {#blank#}3{#/blank#} between Chinese and Western society |
Handshake, the most practical gesture, can easily be {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. Westerners appreciate a firm handshake, which might {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Asian people. |
To westerners, expressive hand gestures show you are {#blank#}6{#/blank#}and confident. In China, you'd better {#blank#}7{#/blank#}your hand gestures. |
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Other elements of body language |
Make {#blank#}8{#/blank#}eye contact with your interviewer. {#blank#}9{#/blank#}touching your nose, lips or forehead. Never jiggle your legs or fold your arms. |
Conclusion |
Your fate in any job interview {#blank#}10{#/blank#}on your body language. |
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