12. Hypnotism can slow the action of part of the brain.
13. More doctors are learning the technique of hypnotism.
第六课时
READING PASSAGE 1
You are advised to spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1 - 14 which are based on Reading Passage 1.
Conflict: Good Or Bad For An Organisation?
A We have made considerable progress in the last 25 years toward overcoming the negative stereotype given to conflict. Most behavioural scientists and an increasing number of practicing managers now accept that the goal of effective management is not to eliminate conflict. Rather, it's to create the right intensity of conflict, so as to realize its functional benefits. Since conflict can be good for an organisation, it is only logical to acknowledge that there may be times when managers will purposely want to increase its intensity. Let's briefly review how stimulating conflict can provide benefits for an organisation.
B Conflict is a means by which to bring about radical change. It's an effective device by which management can drastically change the existing power structure, current interaction patterns, and entrenched attitudes. Conflict facilitates group cohesiveness. While conflict increases hostility between groups, external threats tend to cause a group to pull together as a unit. Intergroup conflicts raise the extent to which members identify with their group and increase feelings of solidarity, while, at the same time, internal differences and irritations dissolve. Conflict improves group and organizational effectiveness. The stimulation of conflict initiates the search for new means and goals, and clears the way for innovation. The successful solution of a conflict leads to greater effectiveness, to more trust and openness, to greater attraction of members for each other, and to depersonalization for each other. In fact, it has been found that as the number of minor disagreement increases, the number of major clashes decreases. Conflicts brings about a slightly higher, more constructive level of tension. This enhances the chances of solving the conflicts in a way satisfactory to all parties concerned. When the level of tension is very low, the parties are not sufficiently motivated to do something about a conflict.
C Groups or organisations devoid of conflict are likely to suffer from apathy, stagnation, group think, and other debilitating diseases. In fact, more organisations probably fail because they have too little conflict, not because they have too much. Take a look at a list of large organisations that have failed or suffered serious financial setbacks over the past decade or two. You see names like E. F. Hutton, General Motors, Western Union, Gimbel's, K-mart, Morrison Knudsen, Eastern Airlines, Greyhound, and Digital Computer. The common thread running through these companies is that they stagnated. Their management became complacent and unable or unwilling to facilitate change. These organisations could have benefited by having had more conflict — the functional kind.
D It may be true that conflict is an inherent part of any group or organisation. It may not be possible to eliminate it completely. However, just because conflicts exist is no reason to defy them. Some conflict is dysfunctional, and it is one of management's major responsibilities to keep some kind of conflict intensity as low as humanly possible. The negative consequences of conflict can be devastating. The list of negatives associated with conflict is awesome. The most obvious are increased turnover, decreased employee satisfaction, inefficiencies between work units, sabotage, labour grievances and strikes, and physical aggression.
E The effect it could have on teamwork. A good manager builds a coordinated team. Conflict works against such an objective. A successful work group is like a successful sports team; each member knows his or her role and supports his or her teammates. When a team works well, the whole becomes greater than the sum of the parts. Management sometimes creates teamwork by minimizing internal conflicts and facilitating internal coordination. Competition is not the same as conflict. Competition and conflict should not be confused with each other. Conflict is behavior directed against another party, whereas competition is behavior aimed at obtaining a goal without interference from another party. Competition is healthy; it's the source of organizational vitality. Conflict, on the other hand, can be destructive.
F Managers who accept and stimulate conflicts sometimes don't survive in the organisations. The whole argument about the value of conflict may be moot if the majority of senior executives in an organisation view conflict traditionally. In the traditional view, any conflict will be seen as bad. Since the evaluation of a manager's performance is made by higher-level executives, those managers who do not succeed in eliminating conflicts are likely to be appraised negatively. This, in turn, will reduce opportunities for advancement. Any manager who aspires to move up in such an environment will be wise to follow the traditional view and eliminate any outward signs of conflict. Failure to follow this advice might result in the premature departure of the manager.
Questions 1 - 5
Reading Passage 1 has six paragraphs. Choose the most suitable headings for paragraph A - F from the list of headings below. Write the appropriate numbers (i - x) in boxes 1 - 5.
NB There are more headings than paragraphs, so you will not use all of them. You may use any of the headings more than once.
List of Heading
i. The Motivating Effects Of Conflict
ii. Our Changing Views Of Conflict
iii. The Dangers Of No Conflict
iv. The Dangers Of Conflict To Teamwork
v. Career Dangers Of Conflict To A Manager
vi. The Negative Side Of Conflict
vii. Conflict Destroys Teamwork
viii. Searching For Solution Through Tension
ix. Conflict And Change
x. Benefits Of Conflict
Example Answer
Paragraph A ii
1. Paragraph B
2. Paragraph C
3. Paragraph D
4. Paragraph E
5. Paragraph F
Questions 6 - 8
USE NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS to answer the following questions. Write your answers in boxes 6 - 8 on your answer sheet.
6. The author believes that the right view of conflict is to try and create the right ________.
7. The number of major conflicts will often become less when the number of minor ________.
8. The political danger of not managing conflict is great for managers because their performance is judged by ________.
Questions 9 - 14
Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 1? Write your answers in boxes 9 - 14 on your answer sheet.
YES if the statement agrees with the information
NO if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this in the passage
9. Conflict increases efficiency.
10. There was not enough conflict at K-mart so it stagnated.
11. The author thinks more conflict is always better.
12. The author feels that modern academics are still viewing conflict in the wrong way.
13. Teamwork, on the whole, is one area that may be negatively affected by conflict.
14. The author feels that low tension and low motivation may be related at times.
READING PASSAGE 2
You are advised to spend about 20 minutes on Questions 16 - 28 which are based on Reading Passage 2.
Play with mother is key to children's success (Mothers who did badly at school can still boost their young children's academic performance with stimulating activities at home). Mothers' (rather than fathers') own educational achievements have long been thought to be the key to children's progress at school. But government-funded research suggests that mothers can compensate for their lack of exam success if they offer their under-fives activities linked to literacy and numeracy.
Researchers from Oxford, Cardiff and London universities, who measured the attainments of more than 2,000 children at the ages of three and five, found that their mothers' education is important in accounting for differences between children. But what the mother did with the child was even more important. Those who talked frequently to their children, who played games with numbers and letters, read to them, took them to the library and taught them songs and nursery rhymes had a significant effect on their attainment both at the ages of three and five. Professor Pam Sammons, of London University's Institute of Education, said:"Children's progress is not completely determined by social disadvantage. What parents do with children is critically important. Parents who have no educational qualifications can still do many things to help their children. We need to encourage parents, particularly younger ones, to play with children and to talk to them."
Sammons said the findings emphasized the importance of policies for supporting families of under-threes, for example the government's Sure Start programme. MPs on the Select Committee for Education are investigating early years education. Ministers have provided a nursery, playgroup or school place for every four-year-old, but critics say that too many children are now in school reception classes, which are not equipped for them. There are more staff workers for each child in nurseries than in reception classes. The researchers, comparing children's achievements in math and literacy, found that playgroups and private day nurseries tended to do much less well than nursery schools, which combined education, day care and reception classes.
This research is consistent with previous studies that show the benefit of mother play in other areas such as in a child's creativity and social development using other devices such as music and toys. Music helps children connect the outer world of movement and sound with the inner world of feelings and observations. Children learn music the same way they learn language — by listening and imitating. Finger play promotes language development, motor skills and coordination, as well as self-esteem. Young children are proud when they sing a song and can do the accompanying finger movements. Listening to music also teaches important pre-reading skills. As youngsters use small drums or other percussion instruments (homemade or store-bought), they can play the rhythmic pattern of words.
Babies become social beings through watching their parents, and through interacting with them and the rest of the family and later with others. It is a crucial time to begin teaching by example how people should behave toward one another. Toys that help babies with social development are stuffed animals, animal mobiles and dolls. Even very small babies can socialize with them. The infant will often converse with animals prancing on the crib bumpers or revolving on mobile. Later, books and opportunities for make-believe and dress-up play also help children to develop social skills.
In the beginning, babies' hand movements are totally random. But within a few months those tiny hands will move with more purpose and control. A mother has a particularly important role in the development of purposeful movement by giving her baby's hands plenty of freedom; rather than keeping them swaddled or tucked under a blanket (except outdoor in cold weather). researchers suggest providing a variety of objects that are easy for small hands to pick up and manipulate, and that don't require fine dexterity. And since young babies usually won't grasp objects that are directly in front of them, a mother should offer these objects from the side.
Researchers suggest that mothers give babies ample of opportunity for "hands-on" experience with the following:
* Rattles that fit small hands comfortably. Those with two handles or grasping surfaces allow a baby to pass them from hand to hand, an important skill, and those that baby can put their mouth on will help bring relief when teething begins.
* They also suggest mothers use cradle gyms (they fit across a carriage, playpen or crib) that have a variety of parts for baby to grab hold of, spin, pull and poke. Beware of those, however, with strings more than 6 inches long, and take any gym down once your baby is able to sit up.
* Another useful play device is an activity board that requires a wide range of hand movements to operate, many of which your baby won't be able to intentionally maneuver for a while, but some of which even a young infant can set in motion accidentally with a swipe of a hand or foot. Besides the spinning, dialing, pushing, and pressing skills these toys encourage, they also teach the concept of cause and effect.
Questions 16 - 19
Complete the table below. Use NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage for each answer. Write your answers in boxes 16 - 19 on your answer sheet.
A play device that helps children to understand the cause and effect of movement is the (16) .
Babies learn how to develop social behaviour by playing with (17) .
Research shows that learning music and a language are similar in that they both involve (18) .
Make believe (19) .
Questions 20 - 24
Choose one phrase A - H from the list of phrases to complete each key point below. Write the appropriate letters A - H in boxes 20 - 24 on your answer sheet.
NB There are more phrases A - H than sentences, so you will not use them all.
List of Phrases
A. Offer it from the side of the baby
B. Improve a child's imagination
C. Have strings more than six inches long
D. Teach cause and effect
E. Play and talk with your child
F. Require fine dexterity skills
G. Build social skills
H. Build pre-reading skills
20. Listening to music can help...
21. Researchers suggest mothers provide objects that do not ...
22. It is important that cradle gyms do not ...
23. Even if you have no educational qualifications, you should ...
24. If you give an object to a baby you should ...
Questions 25 - 28
Do the following statements reflect the claims in Reading Passage 2? In boxes 25 - 28 write:
YES if the statement reflects the writer's claims
NO if the statement contradicts the writer
NOT GIVEN if there is no in formation about this in the passage
25. The research lends support to the benefit of private day nurseries.
26. There is no shortage of nurseries, playgroup or school places.
27. Young babies at all ages benefit from mothers who talk and play games with them.
28. The text suggests one key problem with reception classes is lack of staff per child.
