Section C: Reading Comprehension

Directions: There are 2 passages in this section. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A), B), C) and D). You should decide on the best choice and mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre.

Passage One

Social media can be a powerful communication tool for employees, helping them to collaborate, share ideas and solve problems. Research has shown that 82% of employees think social media can improve work relationships and 60% believe it can support decision-making processes. These beliefs contribute to a majority of workers connecting with colleagues on social media, even during work hours.

Employers typically worry that social media is a productivity killer; more than half of U.S. employers reportedly block access to social media at work. In my research with 277 employees of a healthcare organization I found these concerns to be misguided. Social media doesn't reduce productivity nearly as much as it kills employee retention.

In the first part of the study I surveyed the employees about why and how they used platforms like Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn. Respondents were then asked about their work behaviors, including whether they felt motivated in their jobs and showed initiative at work. I found employees who engage in online social interactions with co-workers through social media blogs tend to be more motivated and come up with innovative ideas. But when employees interact with individuals outside the organization, they are less motivated and show less initiative.

In the second part of the study I found 76% of employees using social media for work took an interest in other organizations they found on social media. When I examined how respondents expressed openness to new careers and employers, I found that they engaged in some key activities including researching new organizations and making new work connections.

These findings present a dilemma for managers: employees using social media at work are more engaged and more productive, but they are also more likely to leave your company. Managers should implement solutions that neutralize the retention risk caused by social media.

They can create social media groups in which employees will be more likely to collaborate and less likely to share withdrawal intentions or discussions about external job opportunities. Managers can also use social media to directly reduce turnover intentions, by recognizing employees' accomplishments and giving visibility to employees' success stories.

46. What does previous research about social media reveal?

A) Most employees think positively of it.

B) It improves employees' work efficiency.

C) It enables employees to form connections.

D) Employees spend much of their work time on it.

47. What did the author's own research find about social media?

A) It influences employees' work negatively.

B) It does much harm to employee loyalty.

C) It kills employees' motivation for work.

D) It affects employers' decision-making.

48. What did the author find in his study about the effect of online social interactions?

A) It differs from employee to employee.

B) It tends to vary with the platform used.

C) It has much to do with whom employees interact with.

D) It is hard to measure when employees interact with outsiders.

49. What problem was found with employees using social media for work?

A) They seldom expressed their inner thoughts.

B) Most of them explored new job opportunities.

C) They were reluctant to collaborate with others.

D) Many of them ended with lower productivity.

50. What does the author suggest managers do to neutralize the retention risk?

A) Give promotions to employees for their accomplishments.

B) Create opportunities for employees to share success stories.

C) Acknowledge employees' achievements through social media.

D) Encourage employees to increase their visibility on social media.

Passage Two

In the coming era of budget cuts to education, distance learning could become the norm.

The temptation for those in charge of education budgets to trade teachers for technology could be so strong that they ignore the disadvantages of distance learning. School facilities are expensive to build and maintain, and teachers are expensive to employ. Online classes do not require buildings and each class can host hundreds of people simultaneously, resulting in greater savings, thus increasing the temptation of distance education for those concerned more about budgets than learning. But moving away from a traditional classroom in which a living, breathing human being teaches and interacts with students daily would be a disaster. Physically attending school has hidden benefits: getting up every morning, interacting with peers, and building relationships with teachers are essential skills to cultivate in young people. Moreover, schools should be more than simple institutions of traditional learning. They are now places that provide meals. They are places where students receive counseling and other support.

Those policy-makers are often fascinated by the latest technology in education and its potential to “transform” education overnight. But online education does not allow a teacher to keep a struggling student after class and offer help. Educational videos may deliver academic content, but they are unable to make eye contact or assess a student's level of engagement. Distance education will never match the personal teaching in a traditional classroom. In their first 18 years of life, American children spend only 9% of their time in school. Yet teachers are expected to prepare them to be responsible citizens, cultivate their social skills, encourage successful time management, and enhance their capacity to flourish in an increasingly harsh labor market. Given these expectations, schools should not become permanently “remote”.

The power of the classroom is rooted in the humanity of the people gathered in the same place, at the same time. Personal teaching is about teachers showing students a higher path, and about young people going through the process together. Technology, no matter how advanced, should simply be a tool of a good teacher.

51. What mainly accounts for the possibility that distance learning could become the norm?

A) Advances in education technology.

B) Shrinking financial resources.

C) Shortage of school facilities.

D) Lack of qualified teachers.

52. What does the author say is one possible benefit of students attending school physically?

A) Developing the habit of getting up early.

B) Eating nutritionally well-balanced meals.

C) Growing into living and breathing human beings.

D) Cultivating relationships with peers and teachers.

53. What does the author think of the latest technology in education?

A) It may have potential disadvantages.

B) It may render many teachers jobless.

C) It may add to students' financial burden.

D) It may revolutionize classroom teaching.

54. What does the author say teachers are expected to do?

A) Enhance students' leadership capacity.

B) Elevate students to managerial positions.

C) Enable students to adapt to the changes in life.

D) Prepare students to be competitive in the future.

55. Why couldn't technology replace a good teacher?

A) It lacks humanity.

B) It is still immature.

C) It cannot track students' growth.

D) It cannot cater to personal needs.

Answers & Explanations

Passage One: Social Media in the Workplace

46. A。解析：题干问之前的研究关于社交媒体揭示了什么。第一段指出：Research has shown that 82% of employees think social media can improve work relationships... 这说明大多数员工对社交媒体持积极态度，对应选项 A (Most employees think positively of it)。

47. B。解析：题干问作者自己的研究关于社交媒体发现了什么。第二段末尾指出：Social media doesn't reduce productivity nearly as much as it kills employee retention（社交媒体降低生产力的程度远不及它破坏员工留任率的程度），也就是说它对员工的忠诚度/留任率伤害很大，对应选项 B (It does much harm to employee loyalty 它对员工忠诚度造成很大伤害)。

48. C。解析：题干问关于在线互动的效果，作者在研究中发现了什么。第三段指出：与同事互动（interact with co-workers）的员工更有动力，但与组织外的人互动（interact with individuals outside the organization）的员工动力较少。这说明效果与互动对象有关，对应选项 C (It has much to do with whom employees interact with 这很大程度上与员工和谁互动有关)。

49. B。解析：题干问员工在工作中使用社交媒体存在什么问题。第四段指出：employees... took an interest in other organizations... engaged in... researching new organizations and making new work connections（员工对其他组织产生兴趣...参与研究新组织和建立新工作联系），即他们在寻找新工作，对应选项 B (Most of them explored new job opportunities 他们中的大多数人都在探索新的工作机会)。

50. C。解析：题干问作者建议管理者做什么来中和留任风险。最后一段指出：Managers can also use social media to directly reduce turnover intentions, by recognizing employees' accomplishments...（管理者可以通过认可员工的成就...来降低离职意向），对应选项 C (Acknowledge employees' achievements through social media 通过社交媒体承认员工的成就)。

Passage Two: The Hidden Benefits of Physical Schools

51. B。解析：题干问是什么主要导致了远程学习可能成为常态。第一段首句直接点明背景：In the coming era of budget cuts to education, distance learning could become the norm（在即将到来的削减教育预算的时代...）。第二段也解释了远程教育可以带来 greater savings (更多的节省)，对应选项 B (Shrinking financial resources 萎缩的财政资源)。

52. D。解析：题干问作者认为学生亲自上学的一个可能的好处是什么。第二段指出：Physically attending school has hidden benefits: ... interacting with peers, and building relationships with teachers...（亲自上学有隐藏的好处：与同龄人互动，建立与老师的关系...），对应选项 D (Cultivating relationships with peers and teachers 培养与同龄人和老师的关系)。

53. A。解析：题干问作者对教育中最新技术的看法。第三段指出，决策者对新技术着迷，But online education does not allow a teacher to keep a struggling student after class and offer help... unable to make eye contact or assess...（但在线教育不允许老师课后留住挣扎的学生并提供帮助...无法进行眼神交流或评估...），这说明新技术有缺陷，对应选项 A (It may have potential disadvantages 它可能有潜在的缺点)。

54. D。解析：题干问老师被期望做什么。第三段后半部分指出：Yet teachers are expected to prepare them to be responsible citizens... enhance their capacity to flourish in an increasingly harsh labor market（然而，老师被期望...增强他们在日益严酷的劳动力市场中繁荣发展的能力），即在未来有竞争力，对应选项 D (Prepare students to be competitive in the future 准备学生在未来具有竞争力)。

55. A。解析：题干问为什么技术不能取代好老师。最后一段指出：The power of the classroom is rooted in the humanity of the people...（课堂的力量根植于人们的人性/人情味...），说明人与人之间的交流是技术无法替代的，对应选项 A (It lacks humanity 它缺乏人性/人情味)。

核心搭配与高分句型

【核心搭配与高频短语】

• employee retention：员工留任率（kills employee retention）
• come up with：提出，想出（come up with innovative ideas）
• take an interest in：对...产生兴趣
• turnover intentions：离职意向（reduce turnover intentions）
• budget cuts：预算削减（budget cuts to education）
• in charge of：负责，主管（those in charge of education budgets）
• trade... for...：用...换取...（trade teachers for technology）
• move away from：离开，放弃（moving away from a traditional classroom）
• make eye contact：进行眼神交流
• be rooted in：根植于，来源于（is rooted in the humanity）

【亮点句型解析】

• Not... nearly as much as... 结构 (比较级表示强调)：
  "Social media doesn't reduce productivity nearly as much as it kills employee retention."
  （社交媒体降低生产力的程度，远不及它破坏员工留任率的程度。）使用 `not nearly as much as` 清晰地对比了两种负面影响的程度，强调后者（破坏留任率）才是更核心的问题。
• Given... (介词短语作状语，表示“鉴于/考虑到”)：
  "Given these expectations, schools should not become permanently 'remote'."
  （考虑到这些期望，学校不应该永久地变成“远程的”。）`Given` 引导背景条件或原因，是四级写作中非常高级的过渡词，显得论述非常有理有据。