Question

【题目】When e-mail first came into general use about twenty years ago, there was a lot of talk about the arrival of the paperless office. However, it seems that e-mail has yet to revolutionize office communication. According to communications analyst Richard Metcalf, some offices have actually seen an increase in paper as a result of e-mail. “Information in the form of e-mail messages now floods our computer screens. These messages can be sent so quickly that memos tend to be distributed in the hundreds. For those secretaries whose bosses ask them to print out all their e-mails and leave them in their in-trays, this means using up a great deal of paper every month,” Metcalf says.

Metcalf has found that because some e-mails get lost in cyberspace, important documents are increasingly likely to be asked by clients and colleagues to send all important documents both by e-mail and by fax. This highlights a further potential problem with e-mail in today’s offices ─ it is taking up time rather than saving it. “With e-mail, communication is much easier, but there is also more room for misunderstandings,” says psychologist Dr David Lewis. Generally, much less care is taken with e-mails than with letters or faxes and the sender will probably print the document and reread it before putting it in an envelope or sending it by fax.

More worrying is still the increasing misuse of e-mail for sending “flame-mail” ─inappropriate e-mail messages. Recent research in several companies suggests that aggressive communications like this are on the increase. E-mail has become the perfect medium for conveying workplace dissatisfaction because it is so instant.

E-mail can also be a problem in other ways. Staffs all too often make the mistake of thinking that the contents of the e-mail, like things said over the phone, are private and not permanent. But it is not only possible for an employer to read all your e-mails, it is also perfectly legal. E-mail messages can be traced back to their origin for a period of at least two years, so you might want to rethink e-mailing your dissatisfaction about your boss to your friends. The advice is to keep personal e-mails out of the office.

(Note: Answer the questions or complete the statements in NO MORE THAN 12 WORDS)

【1】The promise of paperless office has not come true in many offices mainly because many secretaries are asked to _____________.

【2】Why has e-mailing taken up time rather than saved it?

【3】There is an increasing concern that e-mails are misused by some employees to express _____________.

【4】It is advised that employees should not use company e-mails as a way of ___________.

Answer 1

【答案】

【1】print out all their bosses’ me-mails / keep paper copies of their bosses’ e-mails.

【2】Because important documents are sent both by e-mail and by fax.

【3】 workplace dissatisfaction.

【4】personal / private communication (with friends)

【解析】

试题分析:人们一直在谈论电子邮件的出现会带来无纸办公时代，然而，虽然电子邮件在一定程度上改变了人们的通讯方式，事实上办公用纸却越来越多。

【1】 print out all their bosses’ me-mails / keep paper copies of their bosses’ e-mails.细节理解题。根据第一段For those secretaries whose bosses ask them to print out all their e-mails and leave them in their in-trays, this means using up a great deal of paper every month可知无纸办公没有实现是因为秘书要打印出老板们收到的电子邮件。

【2】 Because important documents are sent both by e-mail and by fax. 细节理解题。根据第二段 important documents are increasingly likely to be asked by clients and colleagues to send all important documents both by e-mail and by fax. This highlights a further potential problem with e-mail in today’s offices ─ it is taking up time rather than saving it.可知为了保证重要的文件不丢失，同一份文件既要发电子邮件又要发一份传真，这样就浪费了时间。

【3】 workplace dissatisfaction. 细节理解题。根据第三段E-mail has become the perfect medium for conveying workplace dissatisfaction because it is so instant.可知人们通过电子邮件表达对工作场所的不满。

【4】personal / private communication (with friends) 细节理解题。根据第二段可知不要在办公室发私人聊天的电子邮件。