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

[A]

arrogant. 

[B]

frank. 

[C]

self-centered. 

[D]

impulsive. 

27. According to Paragraph 2, senior executives’ quitting may be spurred by

[A]

their expectation of better financial status. 

[B]

their need to reflect on their private life. 

[C]

their strained relations with the boards. 

[D]

their pursuit of new career goals. 

28. The word “poached” (Line 3, Paragraph 4) most probably means

[A]

approved of. 

[B]

attended to. 

[C]

hunted for. 

[D]

guarded against. 

29. It can be inferred from the last paragraph that

[A]

top performers used to cling to their posts. 

[B]

loyalty of top performers is getting out-dated. 

[C]

top performers care more about reputations. 

[D]

it’s safer to stick to the traditional rules. 

30. Which of the following is the best title for the text?

[A]

CEOs: Where to Go? 

[B]

CEOs: All the Way Up? 

[C]

Top Managers Jump without a Net 

[D]

The Only Way Out for Top Performers 

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”。

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。