BEC商务英语中级阅读真题精讲：团队合作的麻烦

2013-05-23 00:00:00来源：网络

　　距离2013年上半年BEC商务英语考试还有短短几天的时间，在这个阶段同学们主要的复习资料是BEC商务英语历年真题。因此新东方在线BEC商务英语调研组老师给同学们提供一系列BEC商务英语考试历年真题集。帮助同学们分析答案，更加清晰明白的去答题。

　　下面的题型有点和英语四六级中的完形填空相似，同学们不仅要有扎实的词汇基础还要对复杂的句型了如指掌。

　　Trouble with Teamwork

　　Mary Owen examines the role and efficiency of teams

　　Recruiters say that candidates who can give examples of work they have done as members of a successful team are in as strong a position as those who can point to significant individual achievement. Indeed, too much of the latter may suggest that the person concerned is not a 'team player' - one of the more serious failings in the book of management.

　　The importance of being a team player is a side effect of the increasing interaction across departments and functional divides. Instead of pushing reports, paperwork and decisions around the organisation, 'teams provide a dynamic meeting place where ideas can be shared and expertise more carefully targeted at important business issues,' says Steve Gardner, in his book Key Management Concepts. He adds, 'Globalisation has added a further dimension to teamwork. Multinational teams now study policy decisions in the light of their impact on the local market.'

　　But is teamworking being overdone? 'Some managers are on as many as seven or eight different teams', says Dr Cathy Bandy, a psychologist who recently ran a conference on the subject. 'They take up so much time that managers can't get on with core tasks.' Forming teams and having meetings has, she says, become an end in itself, almost regardless of purpose. There is also the danger of an unhealthy desire to keep the team going after the work has been done. 'People feel the need to belong, and team membership can provide a kind of psychological support.'

　　The idea behind teamworking is that, when the right group of people is brought together, a 'force' develops which is greater than the sum of their individual talents. This is often true in sport, where good players can reach unexpected heights as members of an international team. However, few business situations have as clear a set of objectives, or as clear criteria of success or failure, as winning a match.

　　'　　In business, everyone needs to be clear about what the challenge is and whether a team is the right way of approaching it', says Steve Gardner. 'Unfortunately, people focus instead on who the members of the team should be and what roles they are to play' Dr Bandy agrees. 'There is always a danger that teams can turn into committees,' she says. 'In a lot of situations, one or two individuals would be much more effective.'

　　So what makes a successful team? There are some general qualities that have been identified. Steve Gardnerrecommends that in every team there should be someone who is good at researching ideas and another who is good at shooting down impractical ones. There should be those who can resolve the tensions that naturally occur in a team and others who are focused on getting the job done. Also, providing a clear and achievable target at the outset is the best way of ensuring that the team will move on to greater things.

　　13 What point does the writer make about teamworking at the beginning of the article?

　　A It is the most successful form of management.

　　B It has changed the recruitment procedure in companies.

　　C Well-run teams still allow individuals to demonstrate their talents.

　　D Being a team player is now considered an essential management skill.

　　14 According to the article, teamwork developed within companies as a response to

　　A modern office design.

　　B changing work practices.

　　C a reduction in administrative tasks.

　　D the expansion of international business.

　　15 In the third paragraph, Dr Bandy suggests that

　　A many employees do not enjoy working in teams.