商務(wù)英語BEC高級閱讀題精講（3）

　　The Stars of the Future

　　A Existing management research does not tell us much about how to find and develop high-flyers, those people who have the potential to reach the top of an organisation. As a result, organisations are left to formulate their own systems. A more effective overall policy for developing future leaders is needed, which is why the London Business School has launched the Tomorrow’s Leaders Research Group (TLRG). The group contains representatives from 20 firms, and meets regularly to discuss the leadership development of the organisations’ high-flyers.

　　B TLRG recognises just how significant line managers are in the process of leadership development. Unfortunately, with today’s flat organisations, where managers have functional as well as managerial responsibilities, people development all too often falls victim to heavy workloads. One manager in the research group was unconvinced by the logic of sending his best people away on development courses, ’only to see them poached by another department or, worse still, another firm’. This fear of losing high-flyers runs deep in the organisations that make up the research group.

　　C TLRG argues that the task of management is not necessarily about employee retention, but about creating ’attraction centres’. ’We must help line managers to realise that if their companies are known as ones that develop their people, they will have a greater appeal to high-flyers,’ said one advisor. Furthermore, selecting people for, say, a leadership development programme is a sign of commitment from management to an individual. Loyalty can then be more easily demanded in return.

　　D TLRG has concluded that a company’s HR specialists need to take action and engage with line managers individually about their role in the development of high-flyers. Indeed, in order to benefit fully from training high-flyers as the senior managers of the future, firms must actually address the development of all managers who will be supporting the high-flyers. Without this, managers will not be in a position to give appropriate advice. And when eventually the high-flyers do move on, new ones will be needed to replace them. The next challenge will be to find a new generation of high-flyers.

　　首先得搞明白的是這篇文章到底講的什么。不用看具體內(nèi)容，有兩個(gè)地方直接告訴了。一個(gè)是題目說明的第一句話，另一個(gè)是正文的標(biāo)題。從這兩個(gè)地方就可以看出全文探討的是公司未來接班人——也就是潛力股——的培養(yǎng)問題。

　　A段講了TLRG這個(gè)貫穿全文的研究組織誕生的原因：現(xiàn)行的研究滿足不了需要，于是大多數(shù)公司只能自己探索發(fā)掘接班人的模式;(即第五題的答案)

　　B段講了直屬經(jīng)理(line managers)對于發(fā)掘接班人的重要性(真是干什么都要從基層抓起)，以及經(jīng)理們的一些疑慮;

　　C段講的是接班人問題對公司的重要性，并且應(yīng)該讓院線經(jīng)理們明白這種重要性;

　　D段是針對前面列出的問題，提出的解決建議，什么專家協(xié)助等等。

　　整篇文章分為四個(gè)部分，層層遞進(jìn)，有很強(qiáng)的邏輯性。拿這樣的文章來做閱讀材料應(yīng)該是相對容易把握的圖中藍(lán)色的線為答案潛伏的地方。7個(gè)題干基本是將原文中的句子用另外的詞語和句型表述出來，所以題干中的關(guān)鍵詞都能在正文里 找到與之匹配的，比如第四題題干里的expert對應(yīng)D段的specialists,第六題的too busy to對應(yīng)于B段里的heavy workloads，第七題的interest對應(yīng)于C段的appeal。

　　第一題說“經(jīng)理們必須采取措施使?jié)摿蓚兿嘈潘麄儗镜膬r(jià)值”，也就是要讓潛力股們對公司忠誠，即C段說的creating “attraction centres”和loyalty。

　　第二題說“組織必須把目光投向正在培養(yǎng)中的潛力股以外的地方”，即D段最后兩句話所說的尋找新一代的潛力股。

　　第三題和B段的最后一句話完全是一個(gè)意思：怕培養(yǎng)潛力股的投入收不回成本。

　　第四題說開發(fā)潛力股，經(jīng)理們需要在公司內(nèi)部得到專家支持。答案是D段的第一句話：公司的人力資源專家需要采取行動。HR specialists就是expert。

　　第五題說公司現(xiàn)在沒有在指導(dǎo)策略的支持下辨別潛力股。也就是說公司是依靠自己來發(fā)掘人才的。答案是A段的第一句：現(xiàn)行的研究滿足不了需要，所以公司只能形成自己的一套體系。

　　第六題，經(jīng)理們太忙了，無暇顧及潛力股的發(fā)展。答案是B段的：Unfortunately, with today’s flat organisations, where managers have functional as well as managerial responsibilities, people development all too often falls victim to heavy workloads.。不幸落在了高工作負(fù)荷的人的肩上。高工作負(fù)荷，也就是too busy。

　　第七題，看重作為雇主名聲的公司可以吸引潛力股。答案是C段的這么一句：if their companies are known as ones that develop their people, they will have a greater appeal to high-flyers。如果公司是以開發(fā)員工而著稱的話，將會對潛力股產(chǎn)生更大的吸引。以開發(fā)員工而著稱(known as ones that develop their people)，名聲很好，也就是看重自己作為雇主的名聲。

　　疑似生詞：

　　1. line managers 直屬經(jīng)理，業(yè)務(wù)經(jīng)理

　　2. flat organization 扁平化的組織，即企業(yè)中的單層管理組織對應(yīng)的單詞hierarchy 等級制的公司

　　3. poach vt. (侵入他人地界)偷獵(或捕魚), 水煮，剽竊，挖角

　　eg: A rival firm poached our best computer programmers.

　　我公司的競爭對手把我們最好的計(jì)算機(jī)程序編制員挖走了。

　　4. runs deep 純粹是想說一下那句著名的諺語：Still water runs deep靜水流深。

　　5. fall victim to 成為......的受害者

　　B段中的原話：People development all too often falls victim to heavy workloads.人員發(fā)展成為高負(fù)荷工作的受害者，也就是說經(jīng)理們因?yàn)樘Χ鵁o暇顧及潛力股的培養(yǎng)，即第六題的答案。

　　6. retention 保留，在文中指留住員工。是風(fēng)險(xiǎn)管理中常見的專業(yè)名詞。