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?
47. What did the author's own research find about social media?
48. What did the author find in his study about the effect of online social interactions?
49. What problem was found with employees using social media for work?
50. What does the author suggest managers do to neutralize the retention risk?
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?
52. What does the author say is one possible benefit of students attending school physically?
53. What does the author think of the latest technology in education?
54. What does the author say teachers are expected to do?
55. Why couldn't technology replace a good teacher?
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)。
全文翻译
社交媒体可以成为员工强大的沟通工具，帮助他们协作、分享想法和解决问题。研究表明，82%的员工认为社交媒体可以改善工作关系，60%的人相信它能够支持决策过程。这些信念促使大多数员工在社交媒体上与同事联系，即使在工作时间也不例外。雇主们通常担心社交媒体是生产力的杀手；据报道，超过一半的美国雇主在工作场所屏蔽了对社交媒体的访问。在我对一家医疗机构的277名员工的研究中，我发现这些担忧是错误的。社交媒体降低生产力的影响远不如它降低员工留存率的影响大。在研究的第一部分，我调查了员工为什么以及如何使用像Facebook、Twitter或LinkedIn这样的平台。然后受访者被问及他们的工作行为，包括他们在工作中是否感到有动力以及是否表现出主动性。我发现，通过社交媒体博客与同事进行在线社交互动的员工往往更具动力，并能提出创新想法。但当员工与组织外的个人互动时，他们的动力较弱，表现出来的主动性也较低。在研究的第二部分，我发现76%在工作中使用社交媒体的员工对他们在社交媒体上发现的其他组织产生了兴趣。当我研究受访者如何表达对新职业和新雇主的开放性时，我发现他们参与了一些关键活动，包括研究新组织和建立新的工作联系。这些发现给管理者带来了一个两难境地：在工作中使用社交媒体的员工更投入、更有生产力，但同时也更有可能离开你的公司。管理者应该实施解决方案，以消除社交媒体带来的留存风险。他们可以创建社交媒体群组，员工在其中更有可能协作，而不太可能分享离职意图或讨论外部工作机会。管理者还可以利用社交媒体直接减少离职意图，通过认可员工的成就和展示员工的成功故事。
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)。
全文翻译
在教育预算削减即将到来的时代，远程学习可能成为常态。那些负责教育预算的人用技术取代教师的诱惑可能如此之大，以至于他们忽视了远程学习的弊端。学校设施建设和维护成本高昂，雇佣教师也很昂贵。在线课程不需要建筑，每个课堂可以同时容纳数百人，从而带来更大的节省，因此增加了对更关心预算而非学习的人来说远程教育的诱惑。但是，远离一个有生命、会呼吸的人每天教学并与学生互动的传统课堂将是一场灾难。亲身到校上课有着隐藏的好处：每天早起、与同伴互动、与教师建立关系，这些都是年轻人需要培养的基本技能。此外，学校应该不仅仅是传统学习的简单机构。它们现在也是提供膳食的地方。它们是学生接受咨询和其他支持的地方。那些政策制定者往往对教育中的最新技术及其「一夜之间改造」教育的潜力着迷。但在线教育不能让老师在课后留下一个学习困难的学生并提供帮助。教学视频可能传递学术内容，但它们无法进行眼神交流或评估学生的参与程度。远程教育永远比不上传统课堂中的亲自教学。在美国儿童生命的前18年中，他们只有9%的时间在学校度过。然而，人们期望老师将他们培养成负责任的公民，培养他们的社交技能，鼓励成功的时间管理，并提升他们在日益严酷的劳动力市场中蓬勃发展的能力。考虑到这些期望，学校不应永久「远程化」。课堂的力量植根于在同一时间、同一地点聚集的人们的人性。亲自教学是关于教师向学生展示一条更高的道路，以及年轻人共同经历这个过程。技术，无论多么先进，都应该仅仅是一个好老师的工具。
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。