Question

请认真阅读下列短文,并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填入一个最恰当的单词。

注意:请将答案写在答题卡上相应题号的横线上。每个空格只填一个单词。

Reputation of the corporate kind is a ''strategic asset(资产) '' that can be employed to gain ''competitive advantage'', a ''safety buffer(缓冲) '' that can be called upon to protect you against ''negative news''.

The Reputation Institute has offices in 30 countries. Plenty of other organizations offer firms advice on improving their reputations, such as Perception Partners in the United States or specialized divisions within many big consultancies. And a rapidly growing number of consultancies, like Reputation Defender, give people advice on managing their reputations online. For example, they offer tips on how to push positive items up the Google ranking and neutralize(抵消)negative ones.

It's easy to see why so many bosses are such eager consumers of this kind of advice. The market value of companies is increasingly determined by the things you cannot touch: their brands and their intellectual capital, for example, rather than their factories or fleets of trucks. Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) can turn on a company in an instant and accuse it of racism or crimes against the environment. Customers can trash its products on Twitter. Corporate giants such as Toyota and BP have seen their reputations collapse in the blink of an eye.

Nevertheless, there're three objections to the reputation-management industry. The first is that it conflates(混合)many different things-from the quality of a company's products to its relationship with NGOs-into a single notion of ''reputation''. It also seems to be divided between public-relations specialists (who want to put the best possible information on the news) and corporate-social-responsibility types (who want the company to improve the world and be thanked for it).

The second objection is that the industry depends on a naive(天真的)view of the power of reputation: that companies with positive reputations will find it easier to attract customers and survive crises. It's not hard to think of counter-examples. Tobacco companies make vast profits despite their awful reputations. Everybody strongly criticizes Ryanair for its bad service and the Daily Mail for its mean-spirited journalism. But both firms are highly successful.

The biggest problem with the reputation industry, however, is that the way to deal with potential threats to your reputation is to work harder at managing your reputation. The opposite is more likely: the best strategy may be to think less about managing your reputation and concentrate more on producing the best products and services you can. Many successful companies, such as Amazon, Costco Southwest Airlines and Zappos, have been notable for their intense focus on their businesses, not for their fancy marketing. If you do your job well, customers will say nice things about you and your products.

What's in a name?
Values of managing reputation	● Companies can get1. in competition through the use of strategies to manage reputation. ● Positive reputations tend to reduce the influence of negative news.
Popularity of consultancies	● Many organizations provide companies with advice on how to 2.up their reputations. ● Online reputation-management consultancies are on the sharp3..
Reasons for bosses being eager for advice about managing reputation	● The market value of companies increasingly4. on untouchable things. ● Reputation is getting even5. to manage.
6. to the reputation-management industry	● It is a(n)7. of too many things, and it seems that opinions about it are8. between public-relations and corporate-social-responsibility specialists. ● The reputation-management industry naively 9. the success of a company to its positive reputation. ● The reputation industry wrongly thinks that the strategy to handle potential threats to a company is to 10. more on its reputation instead of its product quality and services.

Answer

1.advantage(s)

2.polish

3.increase/rise

4.depends/relies

5.harder

6.Objections

7.combination

8.divided

9.owes/attributes/credits

10.concentrate/focus

【解析】

这是一篇议论文。现在声誉管理公司如雨后春笋一般出现在全国各地，他们教公司和个人如何管理自己名誉。但这种名誉管理真的可行吗？对此，文章提出了三个异议。

1.考查名词。根据第一段的Reputation of the corporate kind is a ''strategic asset(资产) '' that can be employed to gain ''competitive advantage'',可知，公司的声誉是一个“战略资产”，可以用来获得竞争优势。故填advantage(s)。

2.考查动词。根据第二段的Plenty of other organizations offer firms advice on improving their reputations可知，许多其它这样的组织为公司提供改进的建议。即让他们的名声更好，锦上添花，故填polish。

3.考查名词。根据第二段的And a rapidly growing number of consultancies, like Reputation Defender, give people advice on managing their reputations online.(越来越多像“名誉后卫”这样的咨询公司在线给人们提供管理他们声誉的建议。)可知，维护名誉的咨询公司正在不断增加。故填increase/rise。

4.考查动词。根据第三段的The market value of companies is increasingly determined by the things you cannot touch: their brands and their intellectual capital, for example, rather than their factories or fleets of trucks.(公司的市场价值越来越取决于无法触及的东西：例如，他们的品牌和智力资本，而不是他们的工厂和车队)可知，公司的市场价值越来越依靠无法触及的东西。故填depends/relies。

5.考查形容词。根据第三段的Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) can turn on a company in an instant and accuse it of racism or crimes against the environment. Customers can trash its products on Twitter. Corporate giants such as Toyota and BP have seen their reputations collapse in the blink of an eye.(非政府组织可以在瞬间指控一家公司种族主义或者对环境犯罪。顾客可以在推特上吐槽产品。巨头公司，例如丰田和英国石油公司的声誉在眨眼之间一落千丈)可知，现在公司的声誉变得越来越难管理。故填harder。

6.考查名词。根据第四段的Nevertheless, there're three objections to the reputation-management industry.(然而对于声誉管理有三个异议。)及下文内容可知，下文主要陈述对声誉管理的三个异议。故填Objections 。

7.考查名词。根据第四段的The first is that it conflates(混合)many different things-from the quality of a company's products to its relationship with NGOs-into a single notion of ''reputation''.(首先，它将很多不同的东西混合成了一个单一的概念“声誉”——从一个公司产品的质量到非政府组织的关系)可知，第一个异议是认为声誉是很多东西的结合。故填combination。

8.考查动词。根据第四段的It also seems to be divided between public-relations specialists and corporate-social-responsibility types可知，名誉似乎被分成了公共关系专家和社会责任企业两种类型。由are判断此处是被动语态，故填divided。

9.考查动词。根据倒数第二段的The second objection is that the industry depends on a naive(天真的)view of the power of reputation: that companies with positive reputations will find it easier to attract customers and survive crises.(第二个异议是，名誉公司依靠一个天真的观点——名誉力量，即公司具有积极的声誉会更容易吸引顾客，和在危机中幸存)可知，名誉公司把一个企业的成功天真地归功于它积极的名声。此处考查短语“归功于……”故填owes/attributes/credits 。

10.考查动词。根据最后一段的The biggest problem with the reputation industry, however, is that the way to deal with potential threats to your reputation is to work harder at managing your reputation.(然而，声誉行业最大的问题是，应对声誉问题的潜在方法是更努力地管理自己的声誉)可知，声誉行业认为当声誉出现问题时，应该更加集中精力管理声誉。此处考查短语“集中在……上”。故填concentrate/focus。