【文章內(nèi)容簡(jiǎn)介】 rashed, its president, Yasumoto Takagi, called each victim’s family to apologize, and then promptly resigned. And in 1987, when a subsidiary of Toshiba sold sensitive military technology to the former Soviet Union, the chairman of Toshiba gave up his post. These executive actions, which Toshiba calls “the highest form of apology,” may seem bizarre to US managers. No one at Boeing resigned after the JAL crash, which may have been caused by a faulty Boeing repair. The difference between the two business cultures centers around different definitions of delegation. While US executives give both responsibility and authority to their employees, Japanese executives delegate only authority—the responsibility is still theirs. Although the subsidiary that sold the sensitive technology to the Soviets had its own management, the Toshiba top executives said they “must take personal responsibility for not creating an atmosphere throughout the Toshiba group that would make such activity unthinkable, even in an independently run subsidiary.” Such acceptance of munity responsibility is not unique to businesses in Japan. School principals in Japan have resigned when their students mitted major crimes after school hours. Even if they do not quit, Japanese executives will often accept primary responsibility in other ways, such as taking the first pay cut when a pany gets into financial trouble. Such personal sacrifices, even if they are largely symbolic, help to create the sense of munity and employee loyalty that is crucial to the Japanese way of doing business. Harvard Business School professor George Lodge calls the ritual acceptance of blame “almost a feudal (封建的) way of purging (清除) the munity of dishonor,” and to some in the United States, such resignations look cowardly. However, in an era in which both business and governmental leaders seem particularly good at evading responsibility, many US managers would probably wele an infusion (灌輸) of the Japanese sense of responsibility, If, for instance, US automobile pany executives offered to reduce their own salaries before they asked their workers to take pay cuts, negotiations would probably take on a very different character. 31. Why did the chairman of Toshiba resign his position in 1987? A. In Japan, the leakage of a state secret to Russians is a grave crime. B. He had been under attack for shifting responsibility to his subordinates. C. In Japan, the chief executive of a corporation is held responsible for the mistake made by its subsidiaries. D. He had been accused of being cowardly towards crises that were taking place in his corporation. 32. According to the passage if you want to be a good manager in Japan, you have to ________. A. apologize promptly for your subordinates39。 mistakes B. be skillful in accepting blames from customers C. make symbolic sacrifices whenever necessary D. create a strong sense of pany loyalty 33. What’s Professor George Lodge’s attitude towards the resignations of Japanese corporate leaders? A. sympatheticB. biased C. critical D. approving. 34. Which of the following statements is TRUE? A. Boeing had nothing to do with the JAL air crash in 1985. B. American executives consider authority and responsibility inseparable. C. School principals bear legal responsibility for students39。 crimes. D. Persuading employees to take pay cuts doesn’t help solve corporate crises. 35. The passage is mainly about ______________. A. resignation as an effective way of dealing with business crises B. the importance of delegating responsibility to employees C. ways of evading responsibility in times of crises D. the difference between two business cultures Text 4The end of the nineteenth century and the early years of the twentieth century were marked by the development of an international Art Nouveau style, characterized by sinuous lines, floral and vegetable motifs, and soft evanescent coloration. The Art Nouveau style was an eclectic one, bringing together elements of Japanese art, motifs of ancient cultures, and natural forms. The glass objects of this style were elegant in outline, although often deliberately distorted, with pale or iridescent surfaces. A favored device of the style was to imitate the iridescent surface seen on ancient glass that had been buried. Much of the Art Nouveau glass produced during the years of its greatest popularity had been generically termed “art glass.” Art glass was intended for decorative purposes and relied for its effect upon carefully chosen color binations and innovative techniques.France produced a number of outstanding exponents of the Art Nouveau style。 among the most celebrated was Emile Galle (18461904). In the United States, Louis Comfort Tiffany (18481933) was the most noted exponent of this style, producing a great variety of glass forms and surfaces, which were widely copied in their time and are highly prized today. Tiffany was a brilliant designer, successfully bining ancient Egyptian, Japanese, and Persian motifs.The Art Nouveau style was a major force in the decorative arts from 1895 until 1915, although its influence continued throughout the mid1920’s. It was eventually to be overtaken by a new school of thought known as Functionalism that had been present since the turn of the century. At first restricted to a small avantgarde group of architects and designers, Functionalism emerged as the dominant influence upon designers after the First World War