Text 2

When Liam McGee departed as president of Bank of America in August, his explanation was surprisingly straight up. Rather than cloaking his exit in the usual vague excuses, he came right out and said he was leaving “to pursue my goal of running a company.” Broadcasting his ambition was “very much my decision,” McGee says. Within two weeks, he was talking for the first time with the board of Hartford Financial Services Group, which named him CEO and chairman on September 29.

McGee says leaving without a position lined up gave him time to reflect on what kind of company he wanted to run. It also sent a clear message to the outside world about his aspirations. And McGee isn’t alone. In recent weeks the No. 2 executives at Avon and American Express quit with the explanation that they were looking for a CEO post. As boards scrutinize succession plans in response to shareholder pressure, executives who don’t get the nod also may wish to move on. A turbulent business environment also has senior managers cautious of letting vague pronouncements cloud their reputations.

As the first signs of recovery begin to take hold, deputy chiefs may be more willing to make the jump without a net. In the third quarter, CEO turnover was down 23% from a year ago as nervous boards stuck with the leaders they had, according to Liberum Research. As the economy picks up, opportunities will abound for aspiring leaders.

The decision to quit a senior position to look for a better one is unconventional. For years executives and headhunters have adhered to the rule that the most attractive CEO candidates are the ones who must be poached. Says Korn/Ferry senior partner Dennis Carey: “I can’t think of a single search I’ve done where a board has not instructed me to look at sitting CEOs first.”

Those who jumped without a job haven’t always landed in top positions quickly. Ellen Marram quit as chief of Tropicana a decade ago, saying she wanted to be a CEO. It was a year before she became head of a tiny Internet-based commodities exchange. Robert Willumstad left Citigroup in 2005 with ambitions to be a CEO. He finally took that post at a major financial institution three years later.

Many recruiters say the old disgrace is fading for top performers. The financial crisis has made it more acceptable to be between jobs or to leave a bad one. “The traditional rule was it’s safer to stay where you are, but that’s been fundamentally inverted,” says one headhunter. “The people who’ve been hurt the worst are those who’ve stayed too long.”

26. When McGee announced his departure, his manner can best be described as being

[A] arrogant.    [B] frank.     [C] self-centered.          [D] impulsive.

27. According to Paragraph 2, senior executives’ quitting may be spurred by

[A] their expectation of better financial status.                  

[B] their need to reflect on their private life.

[C] their strained relations with the boards.                      

[D] their pursuit of new career goals.

28. The word “poached” (Line 3, Paragraph 4) most probably means

[A] approved of.    [B] attended to.    [C] hunted for.[D] guarded against.

29. It can be inferred from the last paragraph that

[A] top performers used to cling to their posts.                 

[B] loyalty of top performers is getting out-dated.

[C] top performers care more about reputations.               

[D] it’s safer to stick to the traditional rules.

30. Which of the following is the best title for the text?

[A] CEOs: Where to Go?                                               

[B] CEOs: All the Way Up?

[C] Top Managers Jump without a Net                            

[D] The Only Way Out for Top Performers

26.B

解析：细节题。题目问到“当McGee宣布他离开时，对他的态度可以最好的描述为    。”文章首段首句提到，“When Liam McGee departed …, his explanation was surprisingly straight up。”，即“当Liam McGee离开时，他的解释是直率的”，后文具体描述时还提到，“Rather than cloaking his exit in the usual vague excuses, he came right out and said …”，即“他不是用通常模糊的理由掩饰他的离开，而是坦率地说……”，所以正确答案为[B]项frank(坦率的)，是对文中“straight up”和“right out”的同义替换。

27.D

解析：细节题。本题问驱使高级管理人员离职的可能原因。文章第二段首先谈到，McGee思考他想要经营什么样的公司，他的离职给外界传递了他的aspirations(渴望)。第三句And McGee isn’t alone。谈到不光McGee是这种情况，言外之意是“很多高级管理人员是同样的情况”，下面举例谈到“… the No. 2 executives at Avon and American Express … quit with the explanation that they were looking for a CEO post”，即高管辞职是因为他们有新的渴望，追求新的职业目标。故[D]项their pursuit of new career goals(他们追求新的职业目标)为正确答案。

28.C

解析：词义题。第四段首句是该段中心句，谈到辞去高级职位寻找更好职位的决定不是常规的。后文围绕该中心句论述。要推断的词poached出现在该段第二句中：For years executives and headhunters have adhered to the rule that the most attractive CEO candidates are the ones who must be poached。意思是“多年来高官们和猎头坚持这一原则：最新吸引人的CEO候选人一定会……”，从含义上我们可以推断出be poached的含义为“被寻找、被注意到、被重视”的意思。故从[B]项和[C]项中选答案。考虑到[C]项中的hunted for含义正确，且是文中出现的headhunters和search的同义替换，证据确凿，故为正确答案。干扰项：[A]项approved of(被赞成)、[B]项attended of(被照顾、被看护)含义不准确。[D]项guarded against(被预防)与原文意思相反。

29.A

解析：推断题。该段第二句提到，The financial crisis has made it more acceptable to be between jobs or to leave a bad one，意思是金融危机使得跳槽或离开糟糕的岗位更可被接受。后面引用一个猎头的话进一步证明这一观点，猎头说：传统的规则认为呆在原地更安全，但是这已经从根本上改变了。那些最受伤的人们是那些呆最长时间的人。[A]项top performers used to cling to their posts(高管过去常常坚持他们的岗位)是对文中“The traditional rule was it’s safer to say where you are, but that’s been fundamentally inverted”的同义替换。

30.C

解析：本文以Liam McGee的故事开头，他宣布离职的方式非常坦率，两周后找到了新职位。第二段继续谈到，McGee在没有找到新职位的情况下离开，这给了他思考未来的时间，同他一样，高管们离职的原因是要去追求新的职业目标。第三段中心是，高管们更愿意在没有新职位的情况下跳槽。第四段的中心是辞去高级职位然后去寻找更好的工作不是常规做法。第五段谈到没有工作就跳槽的那些人并不总是很快就有高职位。第六段讲如今跳槽或离开不好的工作更为可取。文章一直在重复一个主题“高管们辞职后再去找新工作”，故[C]项Top Managers Jump without a Net(高管们在没有新工作的情况下辞职)为正确答案。文中的“McGee leaving without a position lined up，deputy chiefs may be more willing to make the jump without a net，to quit a position to look for a better one，jump without a job”都在重复这个主题。