GWD2-Q5-Q8:

[agk99]

GWD2-Q5 – Q8:

This passage is based on an article written in 2000.
The traditional model of employer-employee relations in the United States was a
“psychological contract” in which employees made long-term commitments to
organizations in exchange for long-term job security, training and development, and
internal opportunities for promotion. Beginning mainly with the recession in the early
1970’s, this paradigm began to unravel. Organizations began using extensive downsizing
and outsourcing to decrease the number of permanent employees in the workforce. Among
employees this situation has resulted in a decided shift in desire: in stead of working their
way up in an organization, many now prefer to work their way out. Entrepreneurship at
the small business administration are now the fastest-growing majors in business schools.
企業嘗試使用新的方式去降低成本，導致大家都想換工作，商學院更是掀起創業風潮

Several factors have generated movement from the old paradigm to the new one.
Organizations have had legitimate and pressing reasons to shift to a new paradigm of (11)
employer-employee relations. Large numbers of permanent employees make it difficult
for organizations to respond quickly to downturns in demand by decreasing payroll costs.
The enormous rights in wrongful discharge suites has created incentives for organizations
to use temporary, contract, and leased employees in order to distance themselves from
potential litigation problems. Moreover, top management is under increased pressure
from shareholders to generate higher and higher levels of return on investment in the
short run, resulting in declines in hiring, increases in layoffs, and shortage of funds for
employee development.
擁有眾多員工的企業根本面對員工被遺散的訴訟成本，都傾向使用短期且暫時的合約維持運作，目的還是降低員工成本

At the same time, a lack of forthrightness on the part of organizations has led to (20
increased cynicism among employees about management’s motivation and competence.
Employees are now working 15 percent more hours per week than they were 20 years ago,
but organizations acknowledge this fact only by running stress-management workshops
to help employees to cope. Sales people are being asked to increase sales at the same time
organizations have cut travel, phone, and advertising budgets. Employees could probably
cope effectively with changes in the psychological contract if organizations were more
forthright about how they were changing it. But the euphemistic jargon used by executives
to justify the changes they were implementing frequently backfires; rather than
engendering sympathy for management’s position, it sparks employees’ desire to be
free of the organization all together. In a recent study of employees’ attitudes about (30
management, 49 percent of the sample strongly agreed that “management will take
advantage of you if given the chance.”

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[agk99]

請教各位第七題

Question 5:
The primary purpose of the passage is to

A. discuss the financial implications of a recent shift in attitudes among workers
B. propose a new approach for businesses to increase loyalty among their employees
C. defend certain business practices in light of criticism of corporations, actions
in a recent past
D. speculate about possible long term benefits of a recent change in the general
business climate
E. consider some of the factors contributing to a major shift in employer-employee
relationships
當然是選E最好，包羅最廣
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Question 6:
The passage suggests that which of the following is a legitimate reason for
organizations’ shift to the new model of employer-employee relations?

A. Organizations tend to operate more effectively when they have a high manager-
to-employee ratio. 肯定錯，文章沒說
B. Organizations can move their operations to less expensive locations more easily
when they have fewer permanent employees. 無關
C. Organizations have found that they often receive higher quality work when they
engage in outsourcing. 錯在quality
D. Organizations with large pools of permanent workers risk significant financial losses
if the demand for their product or service decreases.
E. Organizations are under increasing pressure to adopt new technologies that often
obviate the need for certain workers. 沒有科技的問題
選D囉
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Question 7:
Which of the following best characterizes the function of the final sentence of the
passage (lines 30-32)?

A. It is such as an alternative explanation for phenomenon discussed earlier in the passage.
B. It provides data intended to correct a common misconception.
C. It further weakens an argument that is being challenged by the author.
D. It introduces a specific piece of evidence in support of a claim made at beginning
of the final paragraph (lines 20-21).
E. It answers a question that is implicit in the preceding sentence (lines 27-30).

Answer: 看來就是E最好，結果是D，請教各位
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Question 8:
The passage suggests that organizations’ movement to the “new paradigm” (line 11) is
based in part on the expectation that wrongful discharge suites against employers are?

A. less likely to be filed by non-managerial employees than by managers
B. less likely to be filed by leased employees than by contract employees
C. less likely to be filed by contract employees than by permanent employees
D. more likely to be filed by employees with a long history in the organization than
by newer hirers
E. more likely to be filed in small organizations than in large ones
選C對照第15行

[魚]

[color=red]Question 7:
Which of the following best characterizes the function of the final sentence of the passage (lines 30-32)?

D.It introduces a specific piece of evidence in support of a claim made at beginning
of the final paragraph (lines 20-21).
E. It answers a question that is implicit in the preceding sentence (lines 27-30).

Answer: 看來就是E最好，結果是D，請教各位[/colo

(E)選項 It answers a question that is implicit in the preceding sentence
我的作題習慣可能看到 It answers a question 就會打住然後把這個答案槓掉. 因為lines 27-30 是接續前文 ,點出作者立論的陳述句 . 不知道AGK認為L27-30中有啥隱射?

D 選項我不認為有何不當 , 不知您不選的原因是?
附帶一提的是 , D選項的設計我到認為是GWD中很愛出的類型, 例子出現在段落的中 / 後半,卻緊緊扣回段落主題. 當初考試的時候有發現這個特性, 建議AGK不妨做個歸納

[agk99]

我正是你說的這個問題受害者
看看到最後這一句，就直接往前推，看到E就選了
事實上，implict這個字很"曖昧"，這個字不用還好，一用反而讓人覺得很怪

D的概念我會深切體會，也就是句子出現在後半段，但文章都是在問你有沒有能力讀出，其實這句是緊扣著文意繞，謝謝

[FionaV]

請教各位第七題
Question 8:
The passage suggests that organizations’ movement to the “new paradigm” (line 11) is
based in part on the expectation that wrongful discharge suites against employers are?

A. less likely to be filed by non-managerial employees than by managers
B. less likely to be filed by leased employees than by contract employees
C. less likely to be filed by contract employees than by permanent employees
D. more likely to be filed by employees with a long history in the organization than
by newer hirers
E. more likely to be filed in small organizations than in large ones
選C對照第15行

請問這題到底是在問什麼?
不怕大家笑 這題我居然選D
會讓organization shift到"new paradigm"的原因就是太常被告 我這樣的理解有錯嗎?

[superruby]

引用agk大哥對第二段的summary: 擁有眾多員工的企業根本面對員工被遺散的訴訟成本，都傾向使用短期且暫時的合約維持運作，目的還是降低員工成本

D的意思是資深的員工比新進的員工更容易有 wrongful discharge suites against employer.
文章只比較"正式員工" 跟 "contractor" ,並沒有比較不同年資的正式員工

[pimi]

in stead of working their way up in an organization, many now prefer to work their way out.
請問這句話怎翻譯呢？？

[Huang Hsin-Yi]

in stead of working their way up in an organization, many now prefer to work their way out.

與其在組織工作往上爬,許多人寧可出去外面創業
請問這句話怎翻譯呢？？