Question

    “If they hated me they didn’t talk to me about it,” says a young German manager at a media firm in Frankfurt. Still, he says it was noticeable that when an employee 20 years older than him thanked him for buying lunch he had to swallow twice before adding the word “boss”.

Older workers sometimes envy being managed by a younger colleague. Precocious (老成的) youngsters, too, can feel awkward about bossing their elders around. But in Germany a shortage of skilled workers means that such situations are becoming even more common.

The country’s population is projected to shrink. As more Germans retire，fewer youngsters are entering the work-place to replace them. As a share of the working population the number of

15-to-24-year-olds has fallen by ten percent since the 1980s, says the German Federal Employment Agency. Firms competing to hire young talent have to promote them earlier as a result. A paper by professors at the university of Cambridge and WHU, a German business school, to be published in the Journal of Organizational Behavior, suggests this could be a problem.

As in many countries, German work-places are legally obliged to overlook age when deciding whom to promote. Yet according to Jochen Menges, one of the authors, when an ordinary worker leap-frogs a more experienced one it can leave the latter with feelings of “anger, fear and disgust.” People tend to judge their own standing by the success of their peers, and to see failure in being bossed about by someone younger. The relationship between feelings of anxiety and the age of the boss is clear, according to Mr Menges. A manager who is younger by one year is somewhat unsettling; a gap of 20 years is far more discouraging.

German firms certainly shouldn’t return to a system in which age equals to rank. But young people tend to be sensitive about managing upwards. And older workers should be encouraged to see the bright side of learning new skills. Daimler, a big German car firm, says it promotes age- mixed teams, so that knowledge can be transferred between generations. It also supports young managers by asking retired employees to provide temporary support.

1.For what does the author mention a young German manager and his experience in Paragraph 1?

A.To introduce the topic. B.To present an argument.

C.To attract readers’ interest. D.To describe his own idea.

2.Why are some precocious youngsters bossing their elders around in Germany？

A.Precocious youngsters are all skilled workers.

B.Such situations are becoming more common.

C.Fewer youngsters would like to do hard work.

D.Companies compete fiercely to hire young talent.

3.In which of the following situations might an employee regard himself as a failure according to the passage?

A.When he has to decide whom to promote.

B.When he leap-frogs a more experienced worker.

C.When he is being bossed about by someone younger.

D.When he experiences feelings of anger, fear and disgust.

4.What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 4 mean?

A.A younger boss is more likely to be nervous and anxious.

B.An employee with a younger boss tends to suffer from anxiety.

C.There is a connection between anxiety and the age of promotion.

D.The age of the boss and anxiety are closely related.

5.What can we learn from the passage?

A.Qualified workers should be promoted to boss.

B.Older workers should support younger managers.

C.Older workers are no better than younger colleagues.

D.You are never too old to learn, or too young to mange.

Answer

1.A

2.D

3.C

4.B

5.D

【解析】

这是一篇说明文。文章主要说明了由于德国年轻人数量下降，竞相雇佣年轻人才的公司不得不更早地提拔年轻人来做管理人员，拥有一位年轻的老板对员工无形中也产生了焦虑感。就此应该鼓励老员工看到学习新技能的光明面，以及组建年龄混合的团队。

1.推理判断题。根据第一段中Still, he says it was noticeable that when an employee 20 years older than him thanked him for buying lunch he had to swallow twice before adding the word “boss”.（不过，他说，值得注意的是，当一名比他大20岁的员工感谢他买了午餐时，他不得不吞下两口，然后才加上“老板”一词。）提到的事例以及第二段内容Older workers sometimes envy being managed by a younger colleague. Precocious youngsters, too, can feel awkward about bossing their elders around. But in Germany a shortage of skilled workers means that such situations are becoming even more common.（年长的员工有时会羡慕被年轻的同事管理。早熟的年轻人也会因为对长辈颐指气使而感到尴尬。但在德国，熟练工人的短缺意味着这种情况变得更加普遍。）对第一段的现象进行解释说明，可知作者在第一段中提到了一个年轻的德国经理和他的经历是为了引入主题。故选A。

2.推理判断题。根据第四段中15-to-24-year-olds has fallen by ten percent since the 1980s, says the German Federal Employment Agency. Firms competing to hire young talent have to promote them earlier as a result.（德国联邦职业介绍所表示，自上世纪80年代以来，15至24岁的年轻人数量下降了10%。因此，竞相雇佣年轻人才的公司不得不更早地提拔他们。）可知在德国有些早熟的年轻人对长辈颐指气使，这是因为公司为雇佣年轻人才的激烈竞争，导致年轻人更早地被提拔为管理人员。故选D。

3.细节理解题。根据倒数第二段中People tend to judge their own standing by the success of their peers, and to see failure in being bossed about by someone younger.（人们倾向于根据同龄人的成功来判断自己的地位，并认为被年轻人左右是失败的。）可知当员工被更年轻的人颐指气使的时候，他会认为自己是失败的。故选C。

4.词义猜测题。根据下文A manager who is younger by one year is somewhat unsettling; a gap of 20 years is far more discouraging. 一个年轻一岁的经理有点让人不安；20年的差距更让人沮丧。可推知老板年龄越年轻，员工的焦虑感越明显，故可推知划线句子意思是：拥有年轻老板的员工往往会感到焦虑。故选B。

5.主旨大意题。根据文章最后一段But young people tend to be sensitive about managing upwards. And older workers should be encouraged to see the bright side of learning new skills. Daimler, a big German car firm, says it promotes age- mixed teams, so that knowledge can be transferred between generations. It also supports young managers by asking retired employees to provide temporary support.（但年轻人往往对向上管理很敏感。应该鼓励老员工看到学习新技能的光明面。德国大型汽车公司戴姆勒表示，他们提倡年龄混合的团队，这样知识就可以在几代人之间传递。它还通过要求退休员工提供临时支持来支持年轻的管理者。）结合文章主要内容围绕着德国管理者倾向年轻化的问题，主要是说明了人们应当活到老学到老，永远不会因为太年轻而无法管理。故选D。