2021年湖南省湘潭市公共英語五級(筆試)學校:________班級:________姓名:________考號:________

一、1.ListeningComprehension(15題)1.WhatdoesthespeakersayaboutLowTillFarming?

A.It'sanewwayofapplyingchemicalfertilizer.

B.It'sanimprovedmethodofharvestingcrops.

C.It'sacreativetechniqueforsavinglabor.

D.It'safanningprocesslimitingtheuseofplows.

2.聽力原文：M:Doyouthinkwomenaregenerallybetteratcertainthingsthanmen?

W:Well,itseemstomewomenaremuchbetteratdealingwithmorethanonethingatatime.Idon'tknowwhetherthishastodowiththedifferenceintheirbrainorwhetherit'sjusthowtheyhavetocopemoreoftenwithmorethanonething.Forexample,itisusuallywomenwhowork,havebabies,lookafterthebabiesandtakethemainresponsibilityforlookingafterthehome.Andmaybeit'spracticingallthatmakeswomenbebetterabletodomorethanonethingatatime.Men,itseemstome,canonlyconcentrateononethingatatime,includingboringdomesticthingslikewashingthedishes.Ifafriendofminewhoisamanwashesthedisheshe'llfinditquitedifficulttoconductaconversationatthesametime,whereasifI'mdoingthedishesI'malwaystalkingtosomeone,probablycookingsomethingaswell,andfindingthatnottoostressful.

M:Doyouthinkwomenaremoreinterestedinpersonalrelationshipsthanmen?

W:Generally,yes,thoughagainIdon'tknowifthisisbecausethatfromanearlyagetheyaretaughttopleaseotherpeople,whereasmenarealwaystaughttopleasethemselves.Ithinkrelationshipsaremorecentraltomostwomen'slives.Forexample,Ithinkmendon'thaveverygoodconversationswitheachother,whereaswomendo.Ifyoulistentowomentalking,oftentheywillbehaving,afterarelativelyshorttimeofknowingeachother,fairlypersonalandtruthfulconversations,whereasmenhaveconversationsnotaboutwhatI'dcallrealthings.Theywilltalkabouttheirworkinaverysuperficialway,ortheirinterestsinaverysuperficialway,forexample,andfootballisthe—um—justasortofwayformentorelatetoeachotherwithoutactuallysayinganythingimportant,itappearstome.

Accordingtothewoman,whywomenaremuchbetteratdealingwithmorethanonethingatatime?

A.Shedoesn'tknowthereasonexactly.

B.Becausewomenaresmarterthanmen.

C.Becausewomenhavemorethingstodealwiththanmen.

D.Becausemenalwaysrefusetodealwithmorethanonethingatthesametime.

3.PartA

Directions:Youwillhearatalk.Asyoulisten,answerQuestions1-10bycirclingTRUEorFALSE.YouwillhearthetalkONLYONCE.Younowhave1minutetoreadQuestions1-10.

聽力原文：Thereareseveralplacesintheworldthatarefamousforpeoplewholiveforaverylongtime．Thesesplacesareusuallymountainousareas，farawayfrommodemcities．Doctors，scientistsandpublichealthexpertsoftentraveltotheseregionstosolveamysteriouslonghealthylife；theexpertshopetobringtothemodemworldthesecretsoflongevity．

HunzaishighintheHymalayanMountainsofAsia．There，manypeopleoveronehundredyearsofagearestillinphysicalhealth．Menofninetyarenewfathers．andwomenoffiftystillhavebabies．Whatarethereasonsforthisgoodhealth?ScientistsbelievethatthepeopleofHunzahavethesethreebenefits：first，physicalwork，usuallyinthefieldsorwithanimals；second，ahealthenvironmentwithcleanairandwater：andwhat'smore,asimplediethighinvitaminsandnutritionbutlowinfat，cholesterol，sugarandchemicals．

PeopleintheCaucasusMountaininRussiaarealsofamousfortheirlongevity．Inthisarea，thereareamazingexamplesofverylong-livedpeople．Birthrecordsarenotusuallyavailable．butawomancalledTsurbaprobablyliveduntilage160;amancalledShiraliprobablyliveduntil168．Hiswidowwas120yearsold．Ingeneral，peoplenotonlylivealongtime，buttheyalsolivewell．Theyarealmostneversick，andwhentheydie，theyhavenotonlytheirownteethbutalsoafullheadofhairandgoodeyesight．

Vilcabamba，Ecuador，isanotherareafamousforthelongevityofitshabitants．Thisregion—likeHunzaandtheCaucasus—isalsoinhighmountains．farawayfromcities．InVilcabamba．too．thereisverylittledisease．Onereasonforthegoodhealthofthepeoplemightbetheclean，beautifulenvironment：thetemperatureisabout70Fahrenheitallyearlong；thewindalwayscomesfromthesamedirection；andtheregionisrichinflowers，fruits，vegetablesandwildlife．

Insomeways，thedietsofthehabitantsinthethreeregionsarequitedifferent．Hunzukutseatmainlyrawvegetables，fruit(especiallyapricots)，andchapattis—akindofpancake；theyeatmeatonlyafewtimesayear．TheCaucasiandietconsistsmainlyofmilk，cheese，vegetables，fruitandmeat；mostpeopletheredrinkthelocalredwinedaily．InVilcabamba，peopleeatasmallamountofmeateachweek，batthedietconsistslargelyofgrain，corns，beans，potatoesandfruit．

ExpertsfindonesurprisingfactinthemountainsofEcuador．Mostpeoplethere，eventheveryold，consumealotofcoffee，drinkalargeamountofalcohol，andsmokefortytosixtycigarettesdaily．

However，thedietsaresimilarintwogeneralways：first，thefruitsandvegetablesthattheinhabitantsofthethreeareaseatareallnatural；thatis，theycontainnochemicalsandsecond，thepeopleconsumefewercaloriesthanpeopledointheotherpartsoftheworld．AtypicalNorthAmericantakesinallaverageof3,300calorieseveryday；atypicalinhabitantofthesemountainousareasbetween1,700and2,000calories．

Inhabitantsinthethreeregionshavemoreincommoncalories,naturalfood，theirmountainsandtheirdistancefrommodemcities．becausethesepeopleliveincountrysideandaremostlyfarmers，theirlivesarephysicallyhard．Thus，theydonotneedtogotohealthclubsbecausetheygetalotofexerciseintheirdailywork．Inaddition，although，theirlivesarehard，thepeopledonotseemtohavetheworriesofcitypeople．Theirlivesarequiet．Consequently，someexpertsbelievethatphysicalexerciseandfreedomfromworrymightbethetwomostimportantsecretsoflongevity．

Somemodemcitiesareusuallyfamousforpeoplewholiveaverylongtime.

A.RightB.Wrong

4.What/Whoshouldstudentscontactiftheywanttogetasummerjob?

A.TheStucentUnion.

B.TheStudentEmploymentOffice.

C.TheWorkers'Union.

D.TheStudentPart-timeJobOffice.

5.Dr．MannisnowinCambridge，writingabookonthe______．

6.Whyshouldamanagerstudybehavioralmanagement?

7.Whatdoes"Apersonwhoisledaroundbythenose"mean?

A.Apersonwholetshisinstinctguidehim.

B.Apersonwhohasnowillofhisown.

C.Apersonwhoisdecisive.

D.Apersonwhoisfullofimaginationandcreativity.

8.HowmanypeopledependonlocalriceandfoodinSouthAsiacurrently?

A.Morethan150millionpeople.

B.Lessthan150millionpeople.

C.About100millionpeople.

D.About120millionpeople.

9.PartC

Directions:Youwillhearatalk.Asyoulisten,answerthequestionsorcompletethenotesinyourtestbookletforQuestions21-30bywritingNOTMORETHANTHREEwordsinthespaceprovidedontheright.YouwillhearthetalkTWICE.

Younowhave1minutetoreadQuestions21-30.

聽力原文：Todaywetakeitforgrantedthatthemailwillbedelivereddailyatourdoor．Butmanyyearsagoitmighthavebeenplacedinatreetrunkorunderneatharock．Intheearlydaysofthemailnoonecouldbesureaboutwhereorwhenitwouldarrive．

AtthesoutherntipofAfricatherewasonceapostofficeunderarock．IntheolddaystheroutefromEnglandtoIndiawasaroundtheCapeofGoodHope．Thejourneywasstormyanddangerous．Ittooksixlongmonths．Sailorsoftenwishedtosendmailhome．buttheyseldommetshipsboundbacktoEngland．Soatthecapethesailorswouldgoashore．Theyheadedforacertainlargestone．Onthestonewerescratchedthewords“Lookhereunderforletters．”Theywouldleavetheirlettersthere．knowingthatthenexthomeward-boundshipwouldstopandpickthemup．

TherewasanotherpostofficelikethisatthesoutherntipofSouthAmerica．Duringthegoldrushdays，boatssailedaroundCapeHorntoCalifornia．AtCapeHornwasakegnailedtoapost．Boatscomingfromtheeastcoastwouldsendasmallboatashoretothispostoffice．Theypickedupanylettersinthekeg．Atthesametimetheymailedlettershomethatboatssailingeastcouldpickup．

InthestateofWashingtonstandsthestumpofahugecedar．It，too，wasonceapostoffice．Settlersneededaplaceforthemailcarrierstoleavetheirletters．Theirhousesweresowidelyscatteredthatthemailcarriercouldnotreachallofthem．andthepostofficewasfarawayoverroughroads．Sothesettlersfoundatreethatstoodwhereseveraltrailscrossed．Theycutthetreedowntenfeetfromtheground．holloweditout．andcovereditwitharoof．Inside,theynailedarowofwoodenboxes．Eachboxwasmarkedwithafamily'sname．Themailcarriercouldleavelettersthereforeveryoneformilesaround．

ForthefirstfewyearsaftertheEnglishcolonistscarnetoAmerica，therewasnoregularpostalservice．Peoplegavetheirletterstoanytravelerwhohappenedtobegoingintherightdirection．Oftentheygavethemtoapeddleroratravelingshoemaker．Whenthetravelerreachedthetownwheretheletterwasgoing，hemightstopataninn．Hewouldleavethelettersthere．Buttheretheystayeduntilthepersontheywereaddressedtohappenedtocomebyandstoppedattheinn．

WhataboutplaceslikeVirginiawheretherewereveryfewinns?Peoplewhowishedtosendletterswouldleavethematoneofthelargeplantations．Theownersoftheplantationwouldthensendthelettersontoaneighbor．Theneighborwoulddothesame．Itwasaslowmailsystem．

Aftermanyyears，regularmailcarriersonhorsebackwerehired．Theywentfromonebigtowntoanother．BetweenNewYorkandBoston，forexample．therewasone“postrider”amonth．Hetraveledonlybydayandtooktwoweeksforthetrip．Oftenthepostriderleftallthemailforawholetownatacrossroadsstore．ItstilltookmanyweeksforalettertoreachthepersonItwasaddressedto．

Finally，abouttwohundredyearsago，BenjaminFranklinwasmadepostmasterforallthecolonies．Hisfirstactwastomakealongjourneytofindoutthebestroutesforcarryingthemail．Thenhesetupalineofpoststationbetweenthenorthernandsoutherncolonies．Heorderedhispostriderstotravelbynightaswellasbyday．

Franklin'spostriderscouldcarrymorelettersinashortertimefromonecolonytoanother．TheletterservicehelpedtheyoungAmericancolonieslearnmoreabouteachother．Theylearnedthattheywereallinterestedinthesamethings．Thisgavethemthefeelingofunitythatlaterhelpedthemwintheirindependence．

10.Itsoundsabitunscientificthatagoodmanageris______ratherthan______.

11.WhichofthefollowingrecordsoftheUSfootballteamistrue?

A.Firstplaceinthe3rdworldCup.

B.Secondplaceinthe4thWorldCup.

C.Thirdplaceinthe1stWorldCup.

D.Fourthplaceinthe2ndWorldCup.

12.PartA

Directions:Youwillhearatalk.Asyoulisten,answerQuestions1-10bycirclingTRUEorFALSE.YouwillhearthetalkONLYONCE.Younowhave1minutetoreadQuestions1-10.

聽力原文：W:Comein,please.

M:Goodmorning,Dr.Wilson.

W:Goodmorning,Wang.Hownicetomeetyouagain.Takeaseat...whydon'tyou,please.Whendidyougettotheuniversity?

M:Iarrivedyesterday.

W:Well...areyoulivinginthecollege?

M:No,IamwithanEnglishfamily...actually...becauseIwanttoimprovemyspeaking.

W:Oh,fine.Right,didyoutakealanguageproficiencytestbeforeyoucame?

M:Yes.Uhh...myOverallBandis6,but...unfortunatelymyspeakingscoreisonly5.

W:OK,youknow,hereinthisuniversity,youhavetotakeourownEnglishtestbeforeyouattendanylectures.So,firstofall,whatwe'vegottodois,wehavetomakeanarrangementforthetestdate.Umm...willtomorrowbeallrightforyou?

M:Yeah,Ihavetimetomorrowmorning.

W:Good,then.Tomorrowatten.Idon'tthinkthetestwillbeanyproblemforyou.Now,let'smakesureyoumakegooduseofyourtimehere.Let'sputitlikethis.Whatexactlydoyouwanttoaccomplishinthenext12months?

M:I'minterestedincomputerlanguagetranslation,Imean,fromEnglishtoChineseandChinesetoEnglish.I'lltry,ifpossible,toproducesoftwareoradevicewhichcanserveasaninterpreter.

W:Yes,couldyoubeabitmorespecificabout...er...thedevice?

M:Forinstance,whenyoutalktothedeviceinEnglishitwilltranslateyourwordsintoChineseandviceversa.

W:Uhuh...doyoumeanit'llbeascompetentas...er...ahumaninterpreter?

M:Yes...well,I'llletitdealwithgeneralsituations,atleast.

W:Fascinating...andhowbigwillthedeviceitselfbe,doyouthink?

M:Thesizeofacigarettepack,Ithink.Sopeoplecanputitintheirpocket.

W:Really?Well,thatcouldbeaPh.Dproject.Tellmewhatyouhavedonesofar.

M:Inmyfouryearsofundergraduatestudy,Istudiedelectronics,advancedmathematics,hardwaredesigning,somecomputerlanguagesandprogramwriting.

W:Yes,buthaveyoudoneanypracticaljobs?Imean,haveyouwrittenanyprogramsforpracticaluse?

M:IhadbeeninvolvedinaprojectforCADinashipyard.

W:Computeraideddesign.Thatwasprobablyagoodexperience,but,unfortunately,itmaynothelpyourpresentprojectmuch.AreyoufamiliarwiththeC-language?

M:No.

W:Uhuh...thephoneticprocessingsystem,doyouknowhowsuchasystemworks?

M:Whatdoyoumeanby"phoneticprocessingsystem"?

W:Well,youknow,Englishisspokenbydifferentpeoplewithdifferentaccents.YourEnglishaccentisdifferentfrommine,andofcoursemineisnotthesameasmycolleagues'.SoasIseeit,yourdevicewouldhavetobeabletorecogniseandunderstanddifferentaccents.

M:Oh,Isee.IthinkIcanlearntheC-languageandthephoneticprocessingsystemhere.

W:Well,that'sprobablytrue,butyou'vegotonlytwelvemonthsandyouwantadegree,don'tyou?M:Yes.

W:OK,sothere'retwowaysofstudyingforadegreehere.Youeithertakesixcourses,passtheirexamsandhaveyourdissertationacceptedortheotherwayisyoudosomeresearchworkandsubmityourprojectreport.M:IthinkI'lltakethesecondway,

W:Fine,butareyousureyoucanfinishyourprojectintwelvemonths?

M:Idon'tknow,butIcanworktwelvehoursperdayandsevendaysperweek.

W:Well,I'dsuggestyouspendsometimeinourlibrary,tryingtofindoutwhatotherstudentshavedonebeforeandperhapsreconsideryourownproject,tosomeextent.Youmightnarrowyourresearcharea,concentratingonsolvingoneortwomajorproblems.And,it'dbeagoodideatotalktoyourcolleaguesinthelab,first.Anyway,I'msurewecanworkoutsomethinggood.ShallIseeyouagaininthreedays'time?

M:A11rig

A.TrueB.Fasle

13.聽力原文：Normallyastudentmustparticipateinacertainnumberofcoursesinordertograduate，andeachcoursewhichheattendsgiveshimacreditwhichhemaycounttowardsadegree．InmanyAmericanuniversitiesthetotalworkforadegreeismadeupofthirty-sixcourseseachlastingforonesemester．Atypicalcourseconsistsofthreeclassesperweekforfifteenweeks；whileattendingauniversityastudentwillprobablyattendfourorfivecoursesduringeachsemester．Normallyastudentwouldexpecttotakefouryearsattendingtwosemesterseachyear．Itispossibletospreadtheperiodofworkforthedegreeoveralongerperiod．Itisalsopossibleforastudenttomovebetweenoneuniversityandanotherduringhisdegreecourse，thoughthisisnotinfactdoneasaregularpractice．

Foreverycoursethathefollowsastudentisgivenagrade．whichisrecorded，andtherecordisavailableforthestudenttoshowtoprospectiveemployers．Allthisimposesaconstantpressureandstrainofwork，butinspiteofthissomestudentsstillfindtimeforgreatactivityinstudentaffairs．Electionstopositionsinstudentorganizationsarousemuchenthusiasm．Theeffectiveworkofmaintainingdisciplineisusuallyperformedbystudentswhoadvisetheacademicauthorities．Anystudentwhoisthoughttohavebrokentherules，forexample，bycheatinghastoappearbeforeastudentcourt．Withtheenormousnumbersofstudents，theoperationofthesystemdoesincludeacertainamountofactivity．Astudentwhohasheldoneofthesepositionsofauthorityismuchrespectedanditwillbeofbenefittohimlaterinhiscareer．

What'sthemainobjectiveofastudentwhoattendsacertainnumberofcourses?

A.Tograduateandobtainadegree.

B.Tolearnsomethingheisinterestedin.

C.Toavoidworking.

D.Toobeyhisparents'order.

14.Physicalexercisesandfreedomfromworrymightbethetwomostimportantsecretsoflongevity.

A.TrueB.Fasle

15.Accordingtothefigureoftheacademicyear1995/96,wheredothelargestnumberofforeignstudentscomefrom?

二、2.UseofEnglish(10題)16.(39)

17.

【C16】

18.(49)

19.(34)

20.(46)

21.

【C3】

22.RecentsurveysshowthatJapaneseyouthhavebecomea"MeGeneration"thatrejectstraditionalvalues.

"Around1980manyJapanese,【31】______youngpeopleabandonedthevaluesofeconomicsuccessandbegan【32】______fornewsetsofvaluesto【33】______themhappiness,"writessociologistYasuhiroinComparativeCivilizationsReview.Japaneseyouthareplacingmoreimportanceontheindividual'spursuitof【34】______andlessonthevaluesofwork,family,andsociety.

Japanesestudentsseemtobelosingpatiencewithwork,【35】______theircounterpartsintheUnitedStatesandKorea.Ina1993【36】______ofcollegestudentsinthethreecountries,only10%oftheJapaneseregarded【37】______asaprimaryvaluecomparedwith47%ofKoreanstudentsand27%ofAmericanstudents.Agreater【38】______ofJapaneseaged18—24alsopreferredeasyjobs【39】______heavyresponsibility.

TheyoungerJapaneseare.showinglessconcernforfamilyvaluesastheypursueaninnerworldofprivatesatisfaction.Datacollected【40】______theJapanesegovernmentin1993showsthatonly23%ofJapaneseyoutharethinkingaboutsupportingtheiragedparents,incontrast【41】______63%ofyoungAmericans.Itappearsthatmanyyounger-generationJapaneseare【42】______bothrespectfortheirparents【43】______asenseofresponsibilitytothefamily.AuthorYoshizakiattributesthechange【44】______Japaneseparents'over-indulgenceoftheirchildren,materialaffluence,andgrowing【45】______forprivatematters.

Theshift【46】______individualismamongJapaneseismostpronouncedamong【47】______veryyoung.

Accordingto1991data【48】______theBunkaCenterofJapan,50%ofJapaneseyouthaged16—19canbelabeled"self-centered"comparedwith33%among【49】______aged25-29.Toearntheself-centeredlabel,theyoungpeoplerespondedpositivelyto【50】______ideasas"Iwouldliketomakedecisionswithoutconsideringtraditionalvalues"and"Idon'twanttodoanythingIcan'tenjoydoing."

(31)

23.

【C4】

24.

【C10】

25.

【C20】

三、3.ReadingComprehension(15題)26.(77)

27.PartB

Directions:Inthefollowingarticlesomeparagraphshavebeenremoved.ForQuestions66-70,choosethemostsuitableparagraphfromthelistA-Ftofitintoeachofthenumberedgaps.Thereisoneparagraphwhichdoesnotfitinanyofthegaps.MarkyouranswersonANSWERSHEET1.

Withunfamiliarhumanbeings,whenweacknowledgetheirhumanness,wemustavoidstaringatthem,andyetwemustalsoavoidignoringthem.Tomakethemintopeopleratherthanobjects,weuseadeliberateandpoliteinattention.Welookatthemlongenoughto,makeitquiteclearthatweseethem,andthenweimmediatelylookaway.

66.______

Theimportantthinginsuchanexchangeisthatwedonotcatchtheeyeofonewhomwearerecognizingasaperson.Welookathimwithoutlockingglances,andthenweimmediatelylookaway.Recognitionisnotpermitted.

67.______

Ifyoupasssomeoneinthestreet,youmayeyetheoncomingpersonuntilyouareabouteightfeetapart,thenyoumustlookawayasyoupass.Beforetheeight-footdistanceisreached,eachwillsignalinwhichdirectionhewillpass.Thisisdonewithabrieflookinthatdirection.Eachwillveerslightlyandthepassingisdonesmoothly.

68.______

Tostrengthenthissignal,youlookdirectlyattheother'sfacebeforelookingaway.69.______

Itbecomesimpossibletodiscoverjustwhattheyaredoing.Aretheylookingatyoutoolong,toointently?Aretheylookingatyouatall?Thepersonwearingtheglassesfeelsprotectedandassumesthathecanstarewithoutbeingnoticedinhisstaring.However,thisisaself-deception.Totheotherperson,darkglassesseemtoindicatethatthewearerisalwaysstaringathim.

Weoftenusethislook-awaytechniquewhenwemeetfamouspeople.Wewanttoassurethemwearerespectingtheirprivacyandthatwewouldnotdreamofstaringatthem.Thesameistrueofthecrippledorphysicallyhandicapped.Welookbriefandthenlookawaybeforethestarecanbesaidtobeastare.

70.______

Ofcourse,theoppositeisalsotrue.Ifwewishtoputapersondown,wemaydosobystaringlongerthanisacceptablypolite.Insteadofdroppingourgazeswhenwelockglances,wecontinuetostare.Thepersonwhodisapprovesofinterracialmarriagesordatingwillstarerudelyattheinterracialcouple.Ifhedislikeslonghair,shortdresses,orbeards,hemayshowitwithalonger-than-acceptablestare.

A.Therearedifferentformulasfortheexchangeofglancesdependingonwherethemeetingtakesplace.

B.Inthesubwayorbuswherelongridesinveryclosecircumstancesareanecessity,wemaybehardputtofindsomewayofnotstaring.Wesneakglances,butlookawaybeforeoureyescanlock.Ifwelookwithanunfocusedglancethatmissestheeyesandsettlesonthehead,themouth,thebodyforanyplacebuttheeyesisanacceptablelookingspotfortheunfocusedglance.

C.Actuallyinthiswaywearesaying,inbodylanguage,"Iknowyouarethere,"andamomentlaterweadd,"ButIwouldnotdreamofintrudingonyourprivacy."

D.Itisthetechniqueweuseforanyunusualsituationwheretoolongastarewouldbeembarrassing.Whenweseeaninterracialcouple,wealsousethistechnique.Wemightuseitwhenweseeamanwithanunusualbeard,withextralonghair,withoutlandishclothes,oragirlwithaminimalminiskirtmayattractthislook-and-away.

E.ForthispassingencounterDr.ErvingGoffmaninbehavior.inpublicplacessaysthatthequicklookandtheloweringoftheeyesisbodylanguagefor,"Itrustyou.Iamnotafraidofyou."

F.Sometimestherulesarehardtofollow,particularlyifoneofthetwopeoplewearsdarkglasses.

(66)

28.PaulStraussmann,retiredvicepresidentofXerox,,indicatesinhisbookInformationPay-offthat"almosthalfoftheU.S.informationworkersareinexecutive,managerial,administrativeandprofessionalpositions."Hefurtherstatesthat"managersandprofessionalsspendmorethanhalfoftheirtimeincommunicatingwitheachother."

Inotherwords,peopleareacorporation'smostexpensiveresource.Foratypicaloffice,over90percentoftheoperatingbudgetisforsalaries,benefitsandoverhead.Withthisinvestment,isitanywonderthatmanagersarefocusingmoreandmoreattentiononemployeeproductivity?Theyrealizethatthepaperjunglecannotbetamedsimplybyhiringmorepeople.Toreceiveareturnontheirinvestment,wisecorporateexecutiveofficersarerealizingwhatindustrialistsandagriculturistslearnedlongago--efficienttoolsareessentialforincreasedproductivity.

Adirectrelationshipexistsbetweenefficientflowofinformationandthequalityandspeedoftheoutputoftheendproduct.Forthosecompaniesusingtechnology,theperdocumentcostofinformationprocessingisonlyafractionofwhatitwasafewyearsago.Thedecreasingcostofcomputersandperipherals(equipmenttiedtothecomputer)willcontinuetomaketechnologyacost-effectivetoolinthefuture.AnexampleofthistypeofsavingisillustratedinthecaseoftheWesternDivisionofGeneralTelephoneandElectronicsCompany(GTE).Bymakingaone-timeinvestmentof$10milliontoautomateitsfacilities,managementestimatesanannualsavingof$8.5millionforthecompany.Thissavingsisgainedmainlythroughtheeliminationofsupportpeopleonceneededforproposalprojects.Throughatelecommunicationsnetworkthatsupports150computerterminalswithgoodgraphicscapabilities,theengineerswhoconceptualizetheprojectsarenowdirectparticipants.Theyusethegraphicscapacitiesofthecomputerratherthanrelyondrafterstopreparedrawings,theyentertheirowntextratherthanemploytypists,andtheyusethenetworktotrackprojectprogressratherthanconductingmeetings.

Inthefirstparagraph,theauthorquotesStraussmann'swordsinordertomakeclear

A.theimportanceofcommunicativecapabilityinbusiness

B.theneedforpeopleofhigherpositionsinacompany

C.theimportanceofassigningpeopletoproperpositions

D.thenecessityforpeopleinhigherpositionstoknowinformationscience

29.(74)

30.Insuranceissupposedtoprovideprotectionagainstfinancialrisks,andwhiledyingtoosoonisonemajorriskweface,anotherriskmoreandmorepeoplefearisoutlivingtheirmoney.Asaresult,agrowingarrayoflifeinsuranceproductsmakeitpossibletoprotectagainstbothofthoserisks.

Inmanyoftoday'slifeinsuranceproducts,MacDonaldnotes,"Thedeathbenefitportionreallyhasbecomeacommoditytypeproduct,soifsomeoneisreallyconcernedaboutthefinancialimpactofdyingyoung,thentheycangetaprettygooddealbybuyingterminsuranceonacommoditybasis—findthecheapestpolicyandbuyit."But,hesays,"Theothersideofthecoinisthatinsurancecompanieshavedevelopedproductsthatcanbeverycreative,andverycompetitivetootheralternatives,includinginvestments.Theycanfillaveryimportantroleinanyoverallinvestmentplan."

Diverseanduniversalpoliciesofferpeoplechoicesinhowmuchtheywanttoputintotheirpoliciesandhowtheywanttheirfundsinvested.Thesefundscanthenbetappedlaterontoprovidealumpsumforpurchasingaretirementhomeorastreamofretirementincome.Lifeinsuranceisanattractiveinvestmentvehicle,becausethe"insidebuildup",theaccumulationoffundsinsideapolicystructrue,isnotsubjecttotaxes,incontrasttootherpersonalinvestments.

However,