D
“Pay has little to do with motivation in the workplace”.That’s the argument put forward by best-selling author Daniel Pink in his new book, Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us.“Pay for performance is supposed to be a folk tale,” he says.
Daniel argues that, if employees receive a basic level of payment, three other factors matter more than money: a sense of independence, of mastery over one’s labor, and of serving a purpose larger than oneself.For example, in 2008 at the offices of Best Buy’s Richfield, salaried workers there were allowed to organize their own work day, putting in only as many hours as they felt necessary to get their jobs done.Productivity increased by 35% according to The Harvard Business Review.
But the managers at Goldman Sachs aren’t exactly making some efforts to adjust.Like others on Wall Street, the banking giant argues that fat bonuses (extra rewards) are essential to make its numbers.“That’s exactly the attitude that leads to the recent financial crisis in the United States,” responds Daniel, “as managers always focus on short-term rewards that encourage cheating, shortcuts, and dishonest behavior.”
Moreover, the 45-year-old author and former Al Gore speechwriter refers to social-science experiments and experiences at such workplaces as Google and 3M.In one 2005 experiment he describes, economists working for the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston tested the power of incentives (激励) by offering cash rewards to those who did well in games that included reciting a series of numbers and throwing tennis balls at a target.The researchers’ finding: Over and over, higher incentives led to worse performance --- and those given the highest incentives did the poorest job.
From this and other cases, Daniel draws a conclusion that monetary incentives remove the element of play and creativity, transforming “an interesting task into a dull one.” It’s even possible, he adds, for oversized rewards to have dangerous side effects, like those of a drug dependency in which an addicted requires ever larger amounts.He refers to scientific testing that shows the promise of cash rewards increase a chemical in the brain similar to that brought on by cocaine or nicotine.
Daniel, however, is also aware that his company examples --- no GE, no IBM, no Microsoft --- hardly represent the commanding heights of the economy.But he thinks his approach will catch on, even in the biggest companies.“Managers tend to be realistic, and in time they will respond,” he says.
53.In his book, Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us, Daniel Pink is promoting the idea that _____.
A.it is a money-driven society    B.all workers are not driven by money
C.money plays a key role in management  D.pay has nothing to do with workplaces
54.In Daniel’s point of view, many Wall Street managers are _______.
A.dishonest      B.considerate   C.short-sighted       D.ridiculous
55.In paragraph 5, the example of drug-taking is given to show _______.
A.money is as addictive as cocaine or nicotine
B.big rewards bring about dangerous side effect
C.nicotine and money bring the same chemical
D.workers do not need the incentives of money at all
56.We can learn from the last paragraph that _______.
A.Daniel’s approach will be popular in a wider field
B.realistic managers will first consider Daniel’s approach
C.Daniel’s approach meets the demand of economic crisis
D.GE, IBM and Microsoft will join in Daniel’s approach next

When Callie Rogers won almost 1.9 million pounds on the lottery(彩票) at 16, she hoped it would help her put her troubles behind her. The teenager came from a broken home, had dropped out of school and was living in local authority care.
Rogers, from Cumbria, England, won the National Lottery in 2003. Then she began spending her money wildlly, buying four homes for her family, flash cars and designer clothes, partying and having some cosmetic (整容的) surgery. Two weeks after her win, she married and had two children. But then she spent 250, 000 pounds on cocaine (可卡因) and suffered depression. Earlier this year she lost the right to take care of her children because of her mental state.
She became addicted to drugs and attempted suicide three times as her life unraveled. She says the money brought her only misery. Now she is down to her last 100 000 pounds, but she has never been happier.
Now 22, she said:“Just a few months ago I was taking too many drugs and hated myself. I simply did not want to live any more. But now I have a new man and am finally becoming the woman I want to be. And it's only after I've spent most of my fortune that this has finally happened.”
“I need to get my act together and make my kids proud, and for the first time I really do think that's possible.” She credits her new boyfriend with giving her the stable home life she has always longed for and she now hopes to go to college and eventually become a counselor. “After all I've experienced, I think I have a lot of advice to offer,” she said.
【小题1】Why was Rogers not allowed to look after her children?

A.She was in a bad mental state.B.She was addicted to using drugs.
C.She was not responsible for them. D.She was too poor to support them.
【小题2】What can we learn about Rogers from Paragraph 3?
A.Being addicted to drugs cost her everything.
B.Money didn't bring her happiness as expected.
C.Rogers felt much happier with her money gone.
D.Too much money allowed her to do what she wanted.
【小题3】What caused Rogers to change and start a new life?
A.The loss of money.B.Her bitter past.
C.Her husband and children.D.Her new boyfriend.
【小题4】Why does Rogers hope to go to college?
A.She intends to find a good job.B.She expects to become a professor.
C.She longs to improve her situation.D.She wants to offer advice for others.

Nobody Benefits

NEW YORK—America has been experiencing the longest economic increase in its history.Incomes have risen, unemployment has fallen, and cities such as New York are bursting with new office buildings.

But just a short walk from Manhattan's skyscrapers, George Brown sits on the side-walk, cooking a lunch of rice and bits of fish over a can of cooking fuel.

Brown is homeless — one of the 2.3 million people in the US who end up on the street.

During the day, Brown collects aluminium cans and sells them for five cents a piece.At night, he sleeps on the street.

"I have been on the street about eight or nine years, something like that," said the 62-year-old former construction worker.

Brown admits he's had problems with alcohol and has smoked cocaine.But he said he still wants a more stable housing arrangement.He could afford it just with the money he earns by collecting cans and small pieces of metal, if only truly low-income housing were available.

However, he sees no hope of finding affordable housing in New York.

With the strong economy and unemployment down, beautiful housing is being built to meet demand.

A US report shows rents in New York city rose more than 27 percent between 1984 and 1999, from US $549 to US $700 a month.

One of the side effects of the strong economy is that rents have been going up.

The majority of people who experience homelessness really just need some affordable housing help.

But few housing companies have been built for the poor.Many small apartments in the city now rent for US $1,500 a month or more.

Brown, the homeless New Yorker, said he has a daughter who lives in the city but he rarely sees her.She is angry about his drinking and won't allow it in her house.

Smiling, he said he also has seven grandchildren whom he'd like to see more often.

"All I've got to do is clean up my act," he said.

1.What kind of life does George Brown lead?

A.Homeless and dangerous

B.Homeless and childish

C.Homeless and miserable (痛苦的)

D.Homeless and sleepless

2.From George Brown's life we can find that ______.

A.old Americans lead a hard life

B.old Americans want to live alone

C.American cities are crowded with poor people

D.bad habits play a role in some poor people's Life

3.It can be inferred from this passage that ______.

A.America is short of housing companies

B.the poor can't benefit from the increasing economy

C.poor people in America will become rich

D.housing companies will build more houses for the poor

4.If this passage comes from a paper, on which page would it be?

A.Society.   B.Science.  C.Economy.D.Business

 

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