英语第十五周练习

2021年1月24日发(作者：喘气)
【阅读理解】

Honesty in Business
Some years ago, my husband and I were selling our old Volvo 1 through
newspaper ads. The car sat idle for months as we waited for a buyer. Finally,
a struggling young couple purchased the car. Being good lawyers, we used a
contract form with the words
“
AS IS
”
printed in large red letters just above
the signature space for the young couple. Those words, a legal term of art,
meant that if the transmission and wheels fall from the car as those young
buyers drive away, the lack of wheels and functionality are their problems,
not ours.

It was the morning after the purchase that the young couple, who had
been on their way to work, called to tell us the Volvo was making a
frightening noise each time they turned the steering wheel. My husband
called me to discuss our rights and theirs. Under the law, we were fully
protected. This was their problem, not ours. But it was the compassion born
of having once been struggling young marrieds that caused us to call the
couple back and instruct them to take the car to our mechanic. We pledged to
“
make it right.
”
Our legal obligation as sellers was limited because of the
right the law affords sellers to enter into an arm
’
s-length transaction and
never again be plagued by the complaints of buyers. Yet is any transaction in
business truly arm
’
s-length? Aren
’
t we all here together? Will we not all
see one another again in the next life? And as we stand face-to- face, won
’
t
it be embarrassing to greet our arm
’
s-length buyers with these words,
“
I
’
m really sorry about selling you a car that broke down the next day. But, the
law
’
s the law.
”
For what does it profit a man if he gains the world, or saves
a few bucks on a Volvo sale, but loses his soul?

Best Results

In our experience with our young arm
’
s-length buyers, the best of all
possible results came our way. The noise had been caused by some loose
bolts on the steering column
—
a result of having the Volvo lie fallow for
months. Our mechanic tightened the bolts free of charge, our young couple
was delighted and relieved, and my husband and I avoided a sticky situation
in the next life.

Those of us who study the qualities of capitalism, business ethics,
breaches in business ethics, and the consequences of such breaches have
only begun to understand the significance of an underlying system of values
in a successful economy. The question on honesty remains a part of our
worthiness screening because we have failed to catch the vision of ethic
based business success.
“
Nice guys finish last
”
was a phrase coined by bad
guys in search of quick fixes. It is the very presence of honesty in business
that affords success. Many in business have failed to exercise faith in that
principle. Those who have failed to learn this will inevitably fall. The question
for business people is not whether we are honest in our business dealings but
whether we understand that honesty
’
s presence is our key to professional
success. There are compelling examples in business ethics that point without
equivocation to the conclusion that honesty rests at the heart of business
success.

Honesty and the Survivor Managers

Professor Frank Shipper, a management expert at Salisbury State
University in Maryland, explored the questions of why some managers had
survived the countless corporate down-sizings over the past decade. These
were managers who had not suffered a corporate loss of employment while
many like them were left unemployed for spans of up to a year.

Professor Shipper found two very important characteristics about these
managers. First, this was a diverse group of people that included women and
men of various ages, different races, and varying styles of management.
Second, both the managers themselves and their employees used one
common descriptive adjective: honest.

These managers were honest in all aspects of their work. They gave
credit to their employees for ideas taken forward to senior executives and
explained to them new rules, new strategies, and policy or procedural
changes with candor. The business urban legends of politicking,
networking,and climbing the ladder of succession on the backs of others were
foreign to these managers. These managers understood not just being honest,
but also the gospel principles of kindness and fairness are important. They
were successful because of these qualities, not despite them. Their
employment security resulted from a simple devotion to basic commandments
of honesty.

Honesty and Reputation

A Japanese proverb offers wisdom for those who would consider cheating
another: the reputation of a thousand years is determined by the conduct of
one hour. In business, the treatment we extend to others, whether customers,
suppliers, or shareholders, comes back to help us or to haunt us.

One international food production firm made the decision in 1970 to
market infant formula in developing nations. The firm was the first and only
infant formula manufacturer to enter these markets. While there was nothing
illegal about marketing infant formula in African nations, there was an issue of
honesty.

In these countries, even in situations where mothers are malnourished,
mother
’
s milk remains pediatricians
’
preferred method of nutrition for
several reasons: (1) the lack of refrigeration for unused, canned formula; (2)
the lack of pure water for mixing powdered infant formula; (3) the lack of
knowledge about the risks of diluting the richer-looking formula to the
consistency of mother
’
s milk; and (4) the lack of funds for the purchase of
formula once the free samples run out and the mother
’
s milk is no longer
flowing. Nonetheless, the company, without the disclosure of these
drawbacks, entered these nations and enjoyed great success in marketing the
formula. However, the presence of the four factors caused infant mortality
rates to skyrocket in those countries where the formula was marketed.

(1) [
单选题
] Why did the author and her husband decide to call the young
couple back to take the car to the mechanic?
A
、
Because the young couple did not know how to drive the car.
B
、
Because they felt a little guilty about the transaction.
C
、
Because they had legal responsibility for the car.
D
、
Because the young couple asked them to repair the car.
答案：
B

(2) [
单选题
] What does
“
struggling
”
(Para. 1) mean?
A
、
Experiencing difficulty in career.
B
、
Fighting against enemies.
C
、
Making efforts for a better life.
D
、
Getting in trouble.
答案：
C

(3) [
单选题
] What was the cause of the bolt coming loose on the steering
column?
A
、
Because the car had remained idle for too long.
B
、
Because the young couple were not good at driving.
C
、
Because a wrong bolt was used.
D
、
Because a second-hand car goes wrong easily.
答案：
A

(4) [
单选题
] Why did some managers survive the down-sizings?
A
、
Because they are always honest in their work.
B
、
Because they know how to please their employers and colleagues.
C
、
Because they are adept at making a profit.
D
、
Because they have developed a good personnel networking in business.
答案：
A