Question

    Can I talk about salary at work? In a word:yes.As HR company Insperity put it in a recent blog post:Can your employees discuss their salaries or wages with their co-workers? Yes.Even if you have a company policy against it? Yes.

The freedom to discuss your salary at work is a protected right under federal labor law.The National Labor Relations Act of 1935 protects your right to discuss the conditions of your employment，including issues related to safety and pay，even when you're not protected by a union.

Talking about salary with colleagues can be uncomfortable，since there's such a taboo about discussing money matters，but it's an important step towards achieving equal pay for equal work.One barrier，however，stems from how we think of our own financial worth.Too many people I talk to wrongly consider their salary a reflection of their worthiness，a statement about their skills，experience，or value.At the end of the day，if we can all separate our self-worth from our salaries a bit more，it'll become easier to talk frankly with our colleagues.

Asking about money outright can be tough，so one trick I've picked up along the way is to ask for your colleagues to confirm or deny.For instance，you might volunteer your salary first and ask“Does that sound about right to you?”by way of comparison.Or，let's say you're interviewing for a promotion to become a manager.You might ask a fellow manager about the kind of salary you should expect by saying，“I'm seeing salaries for this kind of position ranging from $65，000 to$70，000—does that seem accurate to you?”This way，even if your colleague isn't comfortable sharing their salary outright，they can help you identify if your expectations are on point or way off.

1.What makes co-workers uncomfortable to talk about salaries?

A. The safety issue.

B. The federal 1abor law.

C. The wrong idea about salaries.

D. The reflection of their worthiness.

2.What does“taboo”underlined in Paragraph 3 refer to?

A. A prohibited practice.

B. A religious belief.

C. A general agreement.

D. A social custom.

3.What is mainly talked about in Paragraph 4？

A. One of my interview experiences.

B. My way of asking about money.

C. The method of raising questions.

D. An example of getting promoted.

4.What can be the best title for the text?

A. How to Discuss Salaries at Work

B. Ways of Talking about Salaries

C. Do Salaries Stand for Self-worth?

D. Can Salaries be Talked about at Work?

Answer

1.C

2.A

3.B

4.D

【解析】

本文属于议论文，主要阐述这一个问题，是否可以工作中讨论薪水，答案是讨论薪水虽然让人不舒服，但是受法律保护，同时作者也分享了一些问别人薪水的技巧。

1.推理判断题。根据第三段Talking about salary with colleagues can be uncomfortable，since there's such a taboo about discussing money matters可知，和同事谈论薪水让人不适，因为禁忌谈论金钱问题，可以推出，对于金钱观念不恰当，故选C。

2.词义猜测题。根据本段Talking about salary with colleagues can be uncomfortable，since there’s such a taboo about discussing money matters可知，和同事谈论薪水会让人不舒服，since表示原因，人们普遍忌讳谈论金钱问题，故可以推出taboo表示“禁忌”，故选A。

3.段落大意题。根据第四段Asking about money outright can be tough，so one trick I've picked up along the way is to ask for your colleagues to confirm or deny.可知，本段主要讲述作者和同事谈论薪水问题的技巧，故选B。

4.主旨大意题。本文主要阐述这一个问题，是否可以工作中讨论薪水，答案是讨论薪水虽然让人不舒服，但是受法律保护，同时作者也分享了一些问别人薪水的技巧，故选D。