第一篇
Could youreproduce Silicon Valley elsewhere, or is there something unique about it?
It wouldn’t besurprising if it were hard to reproduce in other countries, because youcouldn’t reproduce it in most of the US either. What does it take to make aSilicon Valley?
It’s the rightpeople. If you could get the right ten thousand people to move from SiliconValley to Buffalo, Buffalo would become Silicon Valley.
You only needtwo kinds of people to create a technology hub (中心):rich people and nerds (痴迷科研的人).
Observationbears this out. Within the US, towns have become startup hubs if and only ifthey have both rich people and nerds. Few startups happen in Miami, forexample, because although it’s full of rich people, it has few nerds. It’s notthe kind of place nerds like.
WhereasPittsburg has the opposite problem: plenty of nerds, but no rich people. Thetop US Computer Science departments are said to be MIT, Stanford, Berkeley, andCarnegie-Mellon. MIT yielded Route 128. Stanford and Berkeley yielded SiliconValley. But what did Carnegie-Mellon yield in Pittsburgh? And whathappened in Ithaca, home of Cornell University, which is also high on the list.
I grew up inPittsburgh and went to college at Cornell, so I can answer for both. Theweather is terrible, particularly in winter, and there’s no interesting oldcity to make up for it, as there is in Boston. Rich people don’t want to livein Pittsburgh or Ithaca. So while there are plenty of hackers (電腦迷)who could start startups, there’s no one to invest in them.
Do you reallyneed the rich people? Wouldn’t it work to have the government invest the nerds?No, it would not. Startup investors are a distinct type of rich people. Theytend to have a lot of experience themselves in the technology business. Thishelps them pick the right startups, and means they can supply advice andconnections as well as money. And the fact that they have a personal stake inthe outcome makes them really pay attention.
56. What do welearn about Silicon Valley from the passage?
A) Its success is hard to copy any where else.
B) It is the biggest technology hub in the US.
C) Its fame in high technology is incomparable.
D) It leads the world in information technology.
57. What makesMiami unfit to produce a Silicon Valley?
A) Lack of incentive for investments.
B) Lack of the right kind of talents.
C) Lack of government support.
D) Lack of famous universities.
58. In that wayis Carnegie-Mellon different from Stanford, Berkeley and MIT?
A) Its location is not as attractive to rich people
B) Its science department are not nearly as good
C) It does not produce computer hackers and nerds
D) It does not pay much attention to business startups
59. What doesthe author imply about Boston?
A) It has pleasant weather all year round.
B) It produces wealth as well as high-tech
C) It is not likely to attract lots of investor and nerds.
D) It is an old city with many sites of historical interest.
60. What doesthe author say about startup investors?
A) They are especially wise in making investments.
B) They have good connections in the government.
C) They can do more than providing money.
D) They are enough to invest in nerds.
參考答案：
56. A
此題難度不大，根據題幹中的“Silicon Valley”可定位第一段，第一段尾句“is there something unique about it?”直接把答案引向第二段。精讀第二段“it wouldn’t be surprising if it were hard to reproduce in othercountries”，可知該句與A選項“Its success is hard to copy anywhere else.”為同義替換關係，故選A，其他三項均為無中生有。
57. B
此題難度不大，根據題幹中“Miami”可定位至原文第五段，該段表明邁阿密只有有錢人，而缺少“痴迷於技術的人”，所以無法成為科技中心，該含義對應B選項，為統一替換關係，選項中的“the right kind oftalents”替換了原文的“nerds”。
58. A
此題難度不高，根據題幹中的“Carnegie-Mellon”和“Stanford”，“Berkeley”，“MIT”容易定位到原文第六段，第六段段位丟擲問題，所以順勢往第七段找答案。第七段中詳細描述了卡內基梅隆大學所在的匹茲堡的不同之處：“The weather is terrible”，“rich people don’t want to live in Pittsburgh or Ithaca”，這些資訊都指向了A選項，為高度概括關係。
59. D
該題難度較高，根據題幹中的“Boston”可定位至原文的第七段。原文提到Boston的句子為“as there is in Boston”，as在這裡表對比，意為“波士頓卻有”，那麼前文一定指出了匹茲堡沒有某物，所以關鍵句在於具體是什麼，故往前文查詢，發現前文提到的是“and there’s no interesting old city to make up for it”，意思是匹茲堡不僅天氣惡劣，而且也沒有有趣的老城區，但是波士頓卻與之相反，固選擇D，表示“波士頓有著很多歷史古蹟”。
60. C
本題難度不高，根據核心名詞概念“startup investors”可定位到原文最後一段，原文清晰地表述了，startup investors不僅能夠提供資金幫助，還能提供很多建議，所以C選項“他們不僅能提供資金”是最好的.答案，和原文關係為高度概括。
第二篇
It’s nice to have people of like mindaround. Agreeable people boost your confidence and allow you to relax and feelcomfortable. Unfortunately, that comfort can hinder the very learning that canexpand your company and your career.
It’s nice to have people agree, but youneed conflicting perspectives to dig out the truth. If everyone around you hassimilar views, your work will suffer from confirmation bias. (偏頗)
Take a look at your own network. Do youcontacts share your point of view on most subjects? It yes, it’s time to shakethings up. As a leader, it can be challenging to create an environment in whichpeople will freely disagree and argue, but as the saying goes: Fromconfrontation comes brilliance.
It’s not easy for most people to activelyseek conflict. Many spend their lives trying to avoid arguments. There’s noneed to go out and find people you hate, but you need to do someself-assessment to determine where you have become stale in your thinking. Youmay need to start by encouraging your current network to help you identify yourblind spots.
Passionate, energetic debate does notrequire anger and hard feelings to be effective. But it does require moralstrength. Once you have worthing opponents, set some ground rules so everyoneunderstands responsibilities and boundaries. The objective of this debatinggame is not to win but to get to the truth that will allow you to move faster,and better.
Fierce debating can hurt feelings,particularly when strong personalities are involved. Make sure your check inwith your opponents so that they are not carrying the emotion of the battlesbeyond the battlefield. Break the tension with smiles and humor to reinforcethe idea that this is friendly discourse and that all are working toward acommon goal.
Reword all those involved in the debatesufficiently when the goals are reached. Let your sparring partners (拳擊陪練) know how much you appreciate their contribution. The more theyfeel appreciated, the more they’ll be willing to get into the ring next time.
happens when you have like-mindedpeople around you all the while?
A) It will help your companyexpand more rapidly.
B) It will be create a harmoniousworking atmosphere.
C) It may prevent your businessand career from advancing.
D) It may make you fell uncertainabout your own decision.
does the author suggest leaders do?
A) Avoid arguments with businesspartners.
B) Encourage people to disagreeand argue.
C) Build a wide and strongbusiness network.
D) Seek advice from their worthycompetitors.
is the purpose of holding a debate?
A) To find out the truth about anissue.
B) To build up people’s moralstrength.
C) To remove misunderstandings.
D) To look for worthy opponents.
advice does the author give topeople engaged in a fierce debate?
A) They listen carefully to theiropponents’ views.
B) They slow due respect for eachother’s beliefs.
C) They present their viewsclearly and explicitly.
D) They take care not to hurt eachother’s feelings.
should we treat our rivals after asuccessful debate?
A) Try to make peace with them.
B) Try to make up the differences.
C) Invite them to the ring nexttime.
D) Acknowledge their contribution.
參考答案：
61. C
該題難度不大，根據“like-minded people”定位到首段，首段指出這類人可以給人資訊並令人感到舒服，後面用“unfortunately”錶轉折，後面的表述“這種舒服會讓你意識不到你可以擴大你的公司和事業”，對應C選項，同義替換。
62. B
本題不難。根據核心名詞“leaders”定位到第三段，作者給leader的建議是“雖然建立一個自由言論的環境不容易，但是俗話說靈感從爭論中迸發”，意思是領導者需要建立這樣能的環境，固選擇B項，高度概括。
63. A
本題難度不大。根據關鍵資訊“purpose of holding adebate”定位到原文倒數第三段，原文“objective”對應“purpose”，後面跟的即為答案：“isnot to win but to get the truth that will allow you to move faster, farther,and better.”，對應A選項。
64. D
該題難度較大。根據關鍵資訊“fierce debate”定位到原文倒數第二段，原文給出觀點“用微笑和幽默表明這是一個友好的討論，大家的目標都是一樣的”，對應D選項，該題強幹擾項為B，B選項中的“respect”容易讓同學們產生好感從而錯選B，而實際上B選項錯在“other’s beliefs”上，原文並沒有提到尊重他人的信念和觀點，屬於無中生有。
65. D
根據題幹“rival”對應到最後一段的“sparring partners”，原文給出“讓他們知道對他們的付出你很感激”，對應D選項“肯定他們的付出”，為同義替換關係。
