Your Career Path Can Lead You AnywhereWe used to be advised to plan our careers. We were told to make a plan during the later stages of our education and continue with it through our working lives.(0)_____ some people still see careers in this way. However, to pursue a single option for life has always been unrealistic.
Planning for a single career assumes that we set out with a full understanding of our likes and dislikes and the employment opportunities open to us. (9)____ For most people this degree of certainty about the future does not exist.
Our initial choice of career path and employer is often based on inadequate knowledge and false perceptions. But with age and experience, we develop new interests and aptitudes and our priorities alter. The structure of the employment market and, indeed of employment itself, is subject to change as both new technologies and new work systems are introduced (10) _____ We must face the uncertainties of a portfolio career.
It is clear from the recent past that we cannot foresee the changes which will affect our working lives. The pace of change is accelerating , as a result of which traditional career plans will be of very limited use. (11)_____ They will need updating to reflect changes in our own interests as well as in the external work environment. Flexible workers already account for about half the workforce. (12)______ We are likely to face periods as contract workers, self-employed freelances, consultants, temps or part-timers.
Many employers encourage staff to write a personal development development (PDP) (13) Although some people use it only to review the skills needed for their job, a PDP could be the nucleus of wider career plan –setting out alternative long-term learning needs and a plan of self-development.
A report issued by the Institute of Employment Studies advises people to enhance their employability by moving from traditional technical skills towards the attainment of a range of transferable skills. (14) Instead, special schemes should be established to encourage people to examine their effectiveness and to consider a wider range of needs.
A This dual effect means that the relationship between employers and workers has evolved to such and extent that we can no longer expect a long-term relationship with one employer.
B. It carries an implicit assumption that we ourselves, and the jobs we enter, will change little during our working lives.
C. This growth suggests that a career plan should not be expressed only in terms of full-time employment but should make provision for the possibility of becoming one of the.
D this is a summary of one’s personal learning needs and an action plan to meet them.
E Consequently, they must now accommodate a number of objectives and enable us to prepare for each on a contingency basis.
F However, it warns that employers often identify training needs through formal appraisals, which take too narrow a view of development.
G Such a freelance of consultant would be constantly in demand.
H We were expected to work towards that one clear goal and to consider a career change as a bad thing.
這篇文章是關於career-planning services的，職業生涯的規劃問題。文章沒有說一些假、大、空的話，句句都很實在，認為人不可能一開始就認清自己的職業方向，不可能一開始就清楚自己喜歡什麼適合什麼，一切都有一個過程。這些對我們都是啟示。
文章第一段開頭先說了傳統的規劃職業生涯的建議。最後一句很重要，揭示了下文的方向：However, to pursue a single option for life has always been unrealistic。這一句直接和第二段的空的內容掛鉤。一生只追求一個選擇是不現實的。第九空的後面說For most people this degree of certainty about the future does not exist.。這裡的this degree of certainty是指代的前面的內容，意思很明白，說的是職業方向不會變化。選項中內容符合這一點的是B：the jobs we enter, will change little during our working lives.
第十題。這一段講隨著技術的變化和新的工作系統的引進，就業市場的結構也會跟著變化。我們必須面對職業生涯的不確定性。很明顯，第十空的內容說的是變化，關於employment的，滿足這一個條件的選項是A：僱主和員工之間的關係發生了演變，我們已經不能指望與一個僱主保持長久的關係了。
第十一題，這一段是承接上文講的變化。Change是重點，怎麼樣適應change。這一空的前面說傳統的職業計劃的用處已經非常有限（traditional career plans will be of very limited use），這一空的後面講的是具體的適應變化的方法，用的動詞非常明顯，updating。所以從邏輯上看，這裡填入一個承上啟下的表示要變化的句子是最合適的。選E，accommodate a number of objectives，適應一些目標。
第十二題，前面說flexible workers已經佔據了勞動力的一半。後面說我們已經進入了一個勞動力市場成分多樣化的時期。空格填入的內容應該是和勞動力市場的這種轉變有關。選C。C選項this growth指的是前面說的flexible workers所佔比重增加，a full time employment和flexible workers是對應的。
第十三題，這題很明顯，鼓勵員工寫個人發展計劃（PDP）,後面就是介紹這個計劃是什麼。D選項，非常明顯的答案。
第十四題，這一空前面說建議人們通過從傳統的技能轉向可轉變的技能來增強自己的受僱就業能力（employability）。空格後面的instead很關鍵，常常說明前面的意思發生了轉折。這一空的後面說consider a wider range of needs，考慮一個更廣泛的需求。一個instead，一個a wider range of needs，正好可以和F選項裡的However和too narrow相對應上。 18 Concordia’s communication process mainly relies on
A printed communication
B departmental heads
C personal communication
D a separate, specialized unit
19 According to the writer, what is the guiding principle about giving information within an organization?
A Never make promises about future developments
B Give people an overall view at the earliest possible stage
C always include plenty of hard information
D Hold back until all the details can be provided
20 which of the following would be the most suitable title for the article?
A employee attitudes to company communication
B making company communication more effective
C Researching company commmucation
D Making employees feel less powerless
文章取材自一本管理手冊，說的是一個組織裡的有效溝通問題。這套題目有些特別，不像之前的閱讀的第三部分，六道題目分別依次對應文章的六個段落，這題的答案稍微分散了些。
15題，答案很明顯，但是選項很有迷惑性。答案是第二段的最後一句：In the last eight years, Concordia has reduced its workforce by more than 80.000 people?- or 35% -on a voluntary basis, with further downsizing anticipated.減少了80000員工（或者說減少了35%的員工），預期還會減少更多。A選項是對的，made redundant是前面某套題目閱讀的第五部分考過的片語；B不對，沒有完成（completed），因為預期還會裁減更多（with further downsizing anticipated）；C也不對，迷惑性最大，reduced its workforce of 80.000，用了介詞of，所以這句的意思是一共就80000員工，而實際情況是減少了80000員工；D不對，35%的員工被裁減，都是在自願的基礎上的，而不是離開的人中有35%是自願的。
16題，問根據此人的觀點，溝通的角色是什麼。也就是問溝通的目的或者作用是什麼。答案在第三段。溝通是為了幫助人樹立自信，說服他們雖然要面臨一些變化，但是同樣也會擁有一些新的機會。說白了，就是鼓勵這些被裁的人。答案選C，強調變化的積極方面。這裡的positive aspects是對前面說的bring with them new opportunities的一個概括。（想起了電影《在雲端》，up in the air，裡面那個老男人的工作就是職業裁員專家，專門對被裁的人說些這樣的話。）
17題，問調查顯示大多數人對change的反應是什麼。這題在答案中也很明顯，但是選項很糾結。都有點似是而非。The second category, usually the majority, may respond to threatened changes with a feeling of having been let down.,and even feel anger at the company for what they see as changing the terms of their employment.大多數員工的.反應就是很失望，甚至會很憤怒。個人覺得這題出的不夠嚴謹，沒有哪個選項能嚴格從原文中提煉出來。對比下D要好點，因為對公司失望和憤怒，就是覺得受到了不公正的待遇。此題有待高手補充更完美的理由。
18題，問溝通過程主要依賴於什麼。答案是第五段的這句：people prefer to get their information face-to-face from their line managers。喜歡面對面的從直屬經理那裡獲取資訊。所以選C，個人的交流。
19題，問組織內部提供資訊的指導準則是什麼。最後一段的第一句就是：The general rule in company communication is to tell employees as much as you can as soon as you can。儘可能的快，儘可能的多。不能提供細節的，至少給個大致的背景訊息（put the news in context）。時機成熟了，再告知更多。選B：在可能的最早的階段讓人有個總體的印象。
20題，給文章選標題。這種題在BEC的閱讀裡還真不多見。選標題，就是要挑選文章的最主要意思，從整體上把握文章的main ideas。這篇文章通篇說的就是communication，前面介紹了溝通的背景：裁員；接著說了員工對裁員的反應；然後最後兩段，一段說員工喜歡什麼樣的溝通方式，一段說溝通的原則是什麼。綜合起來，就是關於怎樣進行有效溝通的問題。選B。A不對，片面了，只是文中某部分的內容，並且這部分內容是為後面做背景介紹，不是主要的；C不對，不是簡單的research，research僅僅是介紹狀況，文章還有關於實現措施的。