"What’s the difference between God and Larry Ellison" asks an old software industry joke. Answer: God doesn’t think he’s Larry Ellison. The boss of Oracle is hardly alone among corporate chiefs in having a reputation for being rather keen on himself. Indeed, until the bubble burst and the public turned nasty at the start of the decade, the cult of the celebrity chief executive seemed to demand bossly narcissism, as evidence that a firm was being led by an all-conquering hero.
Narcissus in Greek myth met a nasty end, of course. And in recent years, boss-worship has come to be seen as bad for business. In his management besteller, Good to Great, Jim Collins argued that the truly successful bosses were not the self-proclaimed stars who adorn the covers of Forbes and Fortune, but instead self-effacing, thoughtful, monkish sorts who lead by inspiring example.
A statistical answer may be at hand. For the first time, a new study, "It’s All About Me", to be presented next week at the annual gathering of the American Academy of Management, offers a systematic, empirical analysis of what effect narcissistic bosses have on the firms they run. The authors, Arijit Chatterjee and Donald Hambriek, of Pennsylvania State University, examined narcissism in the upper echelons of 105 firms in the computer, and software industries.
To do this, they had to solve a practical problem: studies of narcissism have hitherto relied on surveying individuals personally, something for which few chief executives are likely to have time or inclination. So the authors devised an index of narcissism using six publicly available indicators obtainable without the co-operation of the boss. These are: the prominence of the boss’s photo in the annual report; his prominence in company press releases; the length of his "Who’s Who" entry; the frequency of his use of the first person singular in interviews; and the ratios of his cash and non-cash compensation to those of the firm’s second-highest paid executive.
Narcissism naturally drives people to seek positions of power and influence, and because great self-esteem helps your professional advance, say the authors, chief executives will tend on average to be more narcissistic than the general population. How does that affect a firm Messrs Chatterjee and Hambrick found that highly narcissistic bosses tended to make bigger changes in the use of important resources, such as research and development, or in spending and leverage; they carried out more and bigger mergers and acquisitions; and their results were both more extreme (more big wins or big losses) and more volatile than those of firms run by their humbler peers. For shareholders, that could be good or bad.
The author uses the example of Larry Ellison to show that ______.

A:people conceive of the boss as an all-conquering hero. B:the chief executive is an essential person in corporation. C:lots of bosses always show their narcissistic trait. D:the truly successful bosses are those who love themselves.

"What’s the difference between God and Larry Ellison" asks an old software industry joke. Answer: God doesn’t think he’s Larry Ellison. The boss of Oracle is hardly alone among corporate chiefs in having a reputation for being rather keen on himself. Indeed, until the bubble burst and the public turned nasty at the start of the decade, the cult of the celebrity chief executive seemed to demand bossly narcissism, as evidence that a firm was being led by an all-conquering hero.
Narcissus in Greek myth met a nasty end, of course. And in recent years, boss-worship has come to be seen as bad for business. In his management besteller, Good to Great, Jim Collins argued that the truly successful bosses were not the self-proclaimed stars who adorn the covers of Forbes and Fortune, but instead self-effacing, thoughtful, monkish sorts who lead by inspiring example.
A statistical answer may be at hand. For the first time, a new study, "It’s All About Me", to be presented next week at the annual gathering of the American Academy of Management, offers a systematic, empirical analysis of what effect narcissistic bosses have on the firms they run. The authors, Arijit Chatterjee and Donald Hambriek, of Pennsylvania State University, examined narcissism in the upper echelons of 105 firms in the computer, and software industries.
To do this, they had to solve a practical problem: studies of narcissism have hitherto relied on surveying individuals personally, something for which few chief executives are likely to have time or inclination. So the authors devised an index of narcissism using six publicly available indicators obtainable without the co-operation of the boss. These are: the prominence of the boss’s photo in the annual report; his prominence in company press releases; the length of his "Who’s Who" entry; the frequency of his use of the first person singular in interviews; and the ratios of his cash and non-cash compensation to those of the firm’s second-highest paid executive.
Narcissism naturally drives people to seek positions of power and influence, and because great self-esteem helps your professional advance, say the authors, chief executives will tend on average to be more narcissistic than the general population. How does that affect a firm Messrs Chatterjee and Hambrick found that highly narcissistic bosses tended to make bigger changes in the use of important resources, such as research and development, or in spending and leverage; they carried out more and bigger mergers and acquisitions; and their results were both more extreme (more big wins or big losses) and more volatile than those of firms run by their humbler peers. For shareholders, that could be good or bad

The author uses the example of Larry Ellison to show that（）

A:people conceive of the boss as an all-conquering hero. B:the chief executive is an essential person in corporation. C:lots of bosses always show their narcissistic trait. D:the truly successful bosses are those who love themselves.

The moral high ground has always been female territory. Men, after all, lie and cheat and rob and pollute the environment and disproportionately populate the prisons, while women do their best to appreciate their good qualities. Some women, at least.
But with the rise of feminism, the assaults on men’s moral probity have become more frequent, and the belief in their arrogance and lack of concern for anything but their own selfish ends has become a truism. It’s the men who are greedy. It’s the men who are disloyal. It’s the men who will do anything for money. It’s the men who are immature.
In the world of sport, pouty male athletes are Whipping boys of talk radio. They have graced the cover of Sports Illustrate, and on the inside have been vilified for a litany d sins, among them greed, disdain for the fans who pay their exorbitant salaries, and a lack of respect for the game that the fans love and that has made them rich.
Female athletes, on the other hand, have been placed on a pedestal--but it has been a pretty easy one to climb. For one thing, there hasn’ t been enough money to get greedy about. For another, there haven’ t been any fans. And for third, those who didn’t love the game had absolutely no reason to keep playing.
But thanks to the rise of women’ s basketball, female basketball players are going to find themselves tempted by the same vanities that have seduced so many men- and though we know some will give in, we don’ t know how many.
For women’s basketball to become a major sport in America, as opposed to a profitable one like arena football, something is going to be offered other than just pure skill. That something should be, and if fact will have to be, a different attitude, a purer sense of sport, than the men deliver. It may be asking too much of women to withstand the temptations that have sucked male athletes into prima donna poses, but then again it may be true that women have occupied the high moral ground for so long because they actually are more sensitive to what’s important in the long run.
I honestly don’ t know how this drama will play out, but the process will tell us about more than just the fate of women’ s basketball. If women, who are steadily gaining more and more control in this world, ’can truly respond in a more reasoned way to the pull of power, then there is hope for the 21st century. But if women, as a gender, can do no hatter than men when given the chance, then in basketball as in life, we can only look ahead to more of the same.

There is hope for the 21st century, if（）

A:women can overcome men entirely B:women can control the world absolutely C:women can truly respond in a more reasoned way to the pull of power D:women can shoulder the fate of human beings

Earlier this year, the American College of Surgeons, the national scientific and educational organization of surgeons conducted a nationwide survey that found that the average patient devotes an hour or less to researching his or her surgery or surgeon. While prospective patients worry about the costs or complications of an operation, they don’t necessarily look for information that would address their concerns.
In fact, more than a third of patients who had an operation in the last five years never reviewed the credentials of the surgeon who operated. Patients are more likely to spend time researching a job change (on average, about 10 hours) or a new car (8 hours) than the operation they are about to submit to or the surgeon who wields (支配) the knife. And many patients are satisfied with the answers they receive from their surgeons or primary care doctors, whoever those individuals happen to be.
I felt curious about the survey, so I called Dr. Thomas Russell, executive director of the American College of Surgeons. "There is a tendency for patients not to get particularly involved and not to feel compelled to look into their surgery or surgeons." he told me.
There are consequences to that kind of blind trust. "Today, medicine and surgery are really team sports." Dr. Russell continued, "and the patient, as the ultimate decision maker, is the most important member of the team. Mistakes can happen, and patients have to be educated and must understand what is going on. "
In other words, a healthy doctor-patient relationship does not simply entail good bedside manners and responsible office management on the part of the doctor. It also requires that patients come to the relationship educated about their doctors, their illnesses and their treatment.
"If we are truly going to reform the health care system in the US," Dr. Russell said, "everybody has to participate actively and must educate themselves. That means doctors, nurses, other health care professionals, lawyers pharmaceutical companies, and insurance companies. But most of all, it means the patient."
Trust is important. But as Sir Francis Bacon, who was among the first to understand the importance of gathering data in science, once observed, knowledge is power.
It is wrong to think that a healthy doctor-patient relationship______.

A:is dependent just on the doctor B:is a goal that can be achieved C:entails any effort on the part of the patient D:is what the patient truly desires

下面有3篇短文，每篇短文后有5道题。请根据短文内容，为每题确定1个最佳选项。
{{B}}第一篇{{/B}}

It is wrong to think that a healthy doctor-patient relationship

A:is dependent just on the doctor. B:is a goal that can be achieved. C:entails any effort on the part of the patient. D:is what the patient truly desires.

What Makes a Soccer Player Great
Soccer is played by millions of people all over the world, but there have only been few players who were truly great. How did these players get that way—was it through training and practice, or are great players "born, not made" First, these players came from places that have had famous stars in the past—players that a young boy can look up to and try to imitate (效仿). In the history of soccer, only six countries have ever won the World Cup—three from South America and three from Western Europe. There has never been a great national team—or a really great player from North America or from Asia. Second, these players have all had years of practice in’ the game. Alfredo Di Stefano was the son of a soccer player, as was Pele. Most players begin playing the game at the age of three or four.
Finally, many great players come from the same kind of neighbourhood (聚居区)—a poor, crowded area where a boy’s dream is not to be a doctor, lawyer, or businessman, but to become a rich, famous athlete or entertainer. For example, Liverpool, which produced the Beatles (甲壳虫乐队.), had one of the best English soccer teams in recent years. Pele practiced in the street with a "ball" made of rags (破布). And George Best learned the tricks that made him famous by bouncing the ball off a wall in the slums (贫民窟) of Belfast.
All great players have a lot in common, but that doesn’t explain why they are great. Hundreds of boys played in those Brazilian streets, but only one became Pele. The greatest players are born with some unique quality that sets them apart from all the ethers.

According to the author, which of the following statements is true（　）.

A:Great soccer players are born, not made. B:Truly great players are rare. C:Only six countries have ever had famous soccer stars. D:Soccer is the least popular sport in North America and Asia.

Soccer is played by millions of people all over the world, but there have only been few players who were truly great. How did these players get that way—was it through training and practice, or are great players’ born, not made" First, these players came from places that have had famous stars in the past---players that a young boy can look up to and try to imitate(效仿). In the history of soccer, only six countries have ever won the World Cup—three from South America and three from Western Europe. There has never been a great national team—or a really great player—from North America or from Asia. Second, these players have all had years of practice in the game. Alfredo Di Stefano was the son of a soccer player, as was Pele. Most players begin playing the game at game at the age of three or four.
Finally, many great players come from the same kind of neighbourhood(聚居区)—a poor, crowded area where a boy’s dream is not to be a doctor, lawyer, or businessman, but to become a rich, famous athlete or entertainer. For example, Liverpool which produced the Beatles(甲壳虫乐队)，had one of the best English soccer teams in recent years. Pele practiced in the street with a "ball" made of rags(破布). And George Best learned the tricks that made him famous by bouncing the ball off a wall in the slums(贫民窟)of Belfast.
All great players have a lot in common, but that doesn’t explain why they are great. Hundreds of boys played in those Brazilian streets, but only one became Pele. The greatest players are born with some unique quality that sets them apart from all the others.
According to the author, which of the following statements is true

A:Great soccer players are born, not made. B:Truly great players are rare. C:Only six countries have ever had famous soccer stars. D:Soccer is the least popular sport in North America and Asia

? ?下面有3篇短文，每篇短文后有5道题，每道题后面有4个选项。请根据文章的内容，从每题所给的4个选项中选择1个最佳答案。
{{B}}第一篇{{/B}}

According to the author, which of the following statements is true?

A:Great soccer players are born, not made. B:Truly great players are rare. C:Only six countries have ever had famous soccer stars. D:Soccer is the least popular sport in North America and Asia.

第一篇 what Makes a Soccer Player Great? Soccer is played by millions of people all over the world, but there have only been few players who were truly great. How did these players get that way-was it through training and practice, or are great players’ born, not made"? First, these players came from places that have had famous stars in the past---players that a young boy can look up to and try to imitate（效仿）.In the history of soccer, only six countries have ever won the World Cup-three from South America and three from Western Europe. There has never been a great national team-or a really great player-from North America or from Asia. Second, these players have all had years of practice in the game. Alfredo Di Stefano was the son of a soccer player, as was Pele. Most players begin playing the game at game at the age of three or four. Finally, many great players come from the same kind of neighbourhood(聚居区)-a poor, crowded area where a boy’s dream is not to be a doctor, lawyer, or businessman, but to become a rich, famous athlete or entertainer. For example, Liverpool which produced the Beatles(甲壳虫乐队)，had one of the best English soccer teams in recent years. Pele practiced in the street with a "ball" made of rags(破布). And George Best learned the tricks that made him famous by bouncing the ball off a wall in the slums(贫民窟)of Belfast. All great players have a lot in common, but that doesn’t explain why they are great. Hundreds of boys played in those Brazilian streets, but only one became Pele. The greatest players are born with some unique quality that sets them apart from all the others. According to the author, which of the following statements is true?

A:Great soccer players are born, not made. B:Truly great players are rare. C:Only six countries have ever had famous soccer stars. D:Soccer is the least popular sport in North America and Asia