Part A: Reading Comprehension
Directions: Read the following text. Answer the questions below each text by choosing A, B, C or D. Mark your answers on the ANSWER SHEET. (40 points)
Text 2
When Liam McGee departed as president of Bank of America in August, his explanation was surprisingly straight up. Rather than cloaking his exit in the usual vague excuses, he came right out and said he was leaving “to pursue my goal of running a company.” Broadcasting his ambition was “very much my decision,” McGee says. Within two weeks, he was talking for the first time with the board of Hartford Financial Services Group, which named him CEO and chairman on September 29.
McGee says leaving without a position lined up gave him time to reflect on what kind of company he wanted to run. It also sent a clear message to the outside world about his aspirations. And McGee isn’t alone. In recent weeks the No.2 executives at Avon and American Express quit with the explanation that they were looking for a CEO post. As boards scrutinize succession plans in response to shareholder pressure, executives who don’t get the nod also may wish to move on. A turbulent business environment also has senior managers cautious of letting vague pronouncements cloud their reputations.
As the first signs of recovery begin to take hold, deputy chiefs may be more willing to make the jump without a net. In the third quarter, CEO turnover was down 23% from a year ago as nervous boards stuck with the leaders they had, according to Liberum Research. As the economy picks up, opportunities will abound for aspiring leaders.
The decision to quit a senior position to look for a better one is unconventional. For years executives and headhunters have adhered to the rule that the most attractive CEO candidates are the ones who must be poached. Says Korn/Ferry senior partner Dennis Carey: “I can’t think of a single search I’ve done where a board has not instructed me to look at sitting CEOs first.”
Those who jumped without a job haven’t always landed in top positions quickly. Ellen Marram quit as chief of Tropicana a decade ago, saying she wanted to be a CEO. It was a year before she became head of a tiny Internet-based commodities exchange. Robert Willumstad left Citigroup in 2005 with ambitions to be a CEO. He finally took that post at a major financial institution three years later.
Many recruiters say the old disgrace is fading for top performers. The financial crisis has made it more acceptable to be between jobs or to leave a bad one. “The traditional rule was it’s safer to stay where you are, but that’s been fundamentally inverted,” says one headhunter. “The people who’ve been hurt the worst are those who’ve stayed too long.”
26. When McGee announced his departure, his manner can best be described as being
27. According to Paragraph 2, senior executives’ quitting may be spurred by
28. The word “poached” (Line 3, Paragraph 4) most probably means
29. It can be inferred from the last paragraph that
30. Which of the following is the best title for the text?
全文翻译
利亚姆·麦基于八月辞去美国银行总裁职务时，他的解释出人意料地直率。他没有用通常含糊的借口来掩饰自己的离职，而是直截了当地说他离开是"为了追求经营一家公司的目标"。麦基说，公开他的抱负"很大程度上是我自己的决定"。两周之内，他第一次与哈特福德金融服务集团的董事会进行了会谈，该集团于9月29日任命他为首席执行官兼董事长。
麦基说，在没有安排好下家的情况下离开，给了他时间思考自己想经营什么样的公司。这也向外界发出了关于他志向的明确信号。而且麦基并不孤单。最近几周，雅芳和美国运通的二号高管相继辞职，解释称他们正在寻找首席执行官的职位。随着董事会迫于股东压力审查继任计划，那些没有获得首肯的高管可能也希望另谋出路。动荡的商业环境也使得高级管理人员谨防让模糊的声明影响自己的声誉。
随着复苏的初步迹象开始稳固，副总裁们可能更愿意在没有安全网的情况下跳槽。根据Liberum Research的数据，第三季度首席执行官更替率比去年同期下降了23%，因为紧张不安的董事会坚持使用现有的领导者。随着经济回暖，对于有抱负的领导者来说，机会将大量涌现。
辞去高级职位去寻找更好职位的决定是非常规的。多年来，高管和猎头们一直恪守这样一条规则：最有吸引力的首席执行官候选人是那些必须被挖走的人。光辉国际的资深合伙人丹尼斯·凯里说："我想不起我经手过的哪一次猎头，董事会没有指示我首先考虑在任的首席执行官。"
那些没有工作就跳槽的人并不总能迅速获得高管职位。十年前，埃伦·马拉姆辞去Tropicana总裁职务，说自己想当首席执行官。一年后她才成为一家小型互联网大宗商品交易所的负责人。罗伯特·维卢姆斯塔德于2005年带着当首席执行官的抱负离开花旗集团。三年后他才终于在一家大型金融机构获得了那个职位。
许多招聘人员说，对于高级人才而言，过去的那种不光彩正在消退。金融危机使失业或离开糟糕的工作变得更加可以接受。一位猎头说："传统规则是待在原处更安全，但这已经被彻底颠覆。受到最大伤害的是那些待得太久的人。"
Answers & Explanations (答案与深度解析)
试题精解
26. [B] frank.
【解析】态度题。第一段指出 McGee 离职时的解释是 surprisingly straight up（出人意料地直截了当），而不是掩盖（cloaking）在模糊的借口中。straight up 是 frank（坦率的）的完美同义替换。arrogant（傲慢）、self-centered（自我中心）、impulsive（冲动）均不符合原文。
27. [D] their pursuit of new career goals.
【解析】细节题。第二段提到 McGee 离职是为了“寻找首席执行官职位（looking for a CEO post）”，随后提到其他高管离职的原因也类似。这说明他们是为了追求新的职业目标（pursuit of new career goals）。
28. [C] hunted for.
【解析】词义题。定位到第四段。文章讨论猎头（headhunters）的规则：最有吸引力的候选人是那些必须被 poached 的人。下文提到董事会要求看“现任 CEO（sitting CEOs）”。在招聘语境下，把现任高管“挖走”就是 hunt for（搜寻/猎取）。
29. [A] top performers used to cling to their posts.
【解析】推理题。最后一段提到：传统规则是“留在原处更安全（safer to stay where you are）”，但现在这一规则被“颠倒（inverted）”了。由此推断，在过去，顶级表现者往往会坚守/紧握（cling to）自己的岗位。选项 B 干扰性强，但文中说的是“跳槽变得可接受”，而非“忠诚过时”。
30. [C] Top Managers Jump without a Net.
【解析】主旨题。全文围绕“顶级高管在没有找好下家的情况下裸辞（jump without a net/position lined up）以寻求更好发展”这一现象展开。McGee 的例子和后文的行业趋势分析都契合 C 选项。A、B 选项太宽泛，D 选项 “Only Way Out” 太绝对。
考研核心句型与长难句
【长难句剖析】
1. 习惯表达：jump without a net
"As the first signs of recovery begin to take hold, deputy chiefs may be more willing to make the jump without a net."
【解析】without a net 是个生动的比喻，原指马戏团表演者在没有防护网的情况下跳跃，在职场语境下指“裸辞/没有后路地离职”。
"As the first signs of recovery begin to take hold, deputy chiefs may be more willing to make the jump without a net."
【解析】without a net 是个生动的比喻，原指马戏团表演者在没有防护网的情况下跳跃，在职场语境下指“裸辞/没有后路地离职”。
2. 否定结构：I can’t think of... not...
"I can’t think of a single search I’ve done where a board has not instructed me to look at sitting CEOs first."
【解析】双重否定表示肯定。意为“在我所做的每一次搜寻中，董事会都指示我首先关注现任 CEO”。这强调了过去猎头行业的普遍规则。
"I can’t think of a single search I’ve done where a board has not instructed me to look at sitting CEOs first."
【解析】双重否定表示肯定。意为“在我所做的每一次搜寻中，董事会都指示我首先关注现任 CEO”。这强调了过去猎头行业的普遍规则。