Question

【題目】請認真閱讀下列短文，并根據(jù)所讀內(nèi)容在文章后表格中的空格里填入一個最恰當?shù)膯卧~。

注意:每個空格只填一個單詞。請將答案寫在答題卡上相應題號的橫線上。

To keep the creative juices flowing, employees should be receptive to criticism

Researchers have been curious about whether negative feedback really makes people perform better, particularly when it comes to completing creative tasks. The literature has been mixed about this. In a recent investigation, Kim, who in May will join the Cambridge Judge Business School as an assistant professor, observed –– through a field experiment and a lab experiment –– and reported on how receiving negative feedback might impact the creativity of the recipients(接受者).

In both studies, Kim found that negative feedback can inspire or prevent creative thinking. What is most important is where the criticism comes from. When creative professionals or participants received criticism from a boss or a peer, they tended to be less creative in their subsequent work. Interestingly, if an individual received negative feedback from an employee of lower rank, they benefited from it and became more creative.

Some aspects of these findings seem intuitive(憑直覺的). “It makes sense that employees might feel threatened by criticism from their managers,” says Kim. “Supervisors have a lot of influence in deciding promotions or pay raises. So negative feedback from a boss might cause career anxieties.” It also stands to reason that feedback from a co-worker might also be received as threatening because we often compete with our peers for the same promotions and opportunities.

When we feel that pressure from above or from our peers, we tend to fixate on the stressful aspects of it and end up being less creative in our future work, says Kim.

What Kim found most surprising was how negative feedback from their followers (employees that they manage) made supervisors more creative.

“It’s a bit counterintuitive(反直覺的) because we tend to believe we shouldn’t criticize the boss,” says Kim. “In reality, most supervisors are willing to receive negative feedback and learn from it. It’s not that they enjoy criticism –– rather, they are in a natural power position and can cope with the discomfort of negative feedback better.”

The key takeaways: bosses and coworkers need to be more careful when they offer negative feedback to someone they manage or to their peers. And feedback recipients need to worry less when it comes to receiving criticism, says Kim.

“The tough part of being a manager is pointing out a follower’s poor performance or weak points. But it’s a necessary part of the job,” says Kim. “If you’re a supervisor, just be aware that your negative feedback can hurt your followers’ creativity. Followers tend to receive negative feedback personally. Therefore, keep your feedback specific to tasks. Explain how the point you’re discussing relates to only their task behavior, not to aspects of the person.”

In short, anyone who wants to offer negative feedback on the job should do so attentively and sensitively and to promote creativity at work, we should all be receptive to criticism from supervisors, peers and followers.

To keep the creative juices flowing, employees should be receptive to criticism
Introduction to the topic	Experiments are conducted to find out whether negative feedback 【1】 people’s performance or not.
	Negative feedback can inspire or hold back creativity, 【2】 on where the criticism comes from.
【3】 of the study	Criticism from a boss or a peer 【4】 creativity, while negative feedback from lower rank employees will be 【5】.
	Our work is greatly influenced by our supervisors, so their criticism might bring about anxieties.
【6】 for the phenomena	We compete with our peers for the same opportunities, thus feeling 【7】 by their negative feedback.
	Supervisors are in a favourable 【8】 and can learn from their followers’ negative feedback.
Enlightenment from the study	When offering criticism to followers or peers, bosses and coworkers need to keep it 【9】 to their tasks.
	Recipients should adopt a positive 【10】 towards others’ criticism.

Answer 1

【答案】

【1】improves / betters

【2】Findings

【3】depending/based

【4】prevents/checks/hurts/reduces/lowers

【5】beneficial/inspiring/helpful

【6】Explanations /Reasons

【7】threatened

【8】position

【9】specific/limited

【10】attitude

【解析】

本文是議論文。主要講述了負面反饋對于工作創(chuàng)造力的影響并呼吁人們正確的對待批評。

【1】

理解概括題。第一段第一句Researchers have been curious about whether negative feedback really makes people perform better, particularly when it comes to completing creative tasks.可知，研究者們在研究負面的反饋能否使得人們表現(xiàn)更好，也就是提高，negative feedback是不可數(shù)名詞，故填improves/betters。

【2】

理解概括題。結合第二段的In both studies, Kim found that可知在說硏究的發(fā)現(xiàn)，故填 Findings。

【3】

題理解概括題，也考察固定搭配。第二段第二行 What is most important is where the criticism comes from可知，負面反饋對于創(chuàng)造力是引發(fā)還是抑制取決于批評的來源，也就是基于批評的來源，depend on“取決于”，based on“基于”。故填depending/based。

【4】

理解概括題。第二段的When creative professionals or participants received criticism from a boss or a peer, they tended to be less creative in their subsequent work.可知，批評來自上司或者權威人士會抑制降低創(chuàng)造力，主語是不可數(shù)名詞，故填prevents/checks/hurts/reduces/lowers。

【5】

理解概括題。第二段最后一句 Interestingly, if an individual received negative feedback from an employee of lower rank, they benefited from it and became more creative.可知，相反，從更低級別的下屬那里得到批評會從中獲益，be動詞后接形容詞做表語，故填beneficial/inspiring/ helpful。

【6】

理解概括題。6段開始到倒數(shù)第二段開始硏究為何會有這種現(xiàn)象，也就是該現(xiàn)象的原因或者解釋，故填Explanations/ Reasons。

【7】

原詞重現(xiàn)題。第三段最后一句 It also stands to reason that feedback from a co-worker might also be received as threatening because we often compete with our peers for the same promotions and opportunities.可知，人們和平級有競爭關系，因此被批評時也會產(chǎn)生威脅感，feel是系動詞，故填threatened。

【8】

原詞重現(xiàn)題。第六段最后一句…rather, they are in a natural power position and can cope with the discomfort of negative feedback better. 可知，相反，他們處于自然的權力位置，可以更好地應對負反饋的不適。因此推斷管理者處于有利的位置，可以從追隨者的負面反饋中學習。故填position。

【9】

原詞重現(xiàn)題。根據(jù)第八段倒數(shù)第二行Therefore, keep your feedback specific to tasks.可知，批評的時候要針對任務或者說局限于任務本身，用形容詞作賓語補足語，故填specific/limited。

【10】

理解概括題。最后一段最后一句…we should all be receptive to criticism from supervisors, peers and followers.說明批評的接受者對于批評要抱有一個積極的態(tài)度去接受，形容詞修飾名詞，故填attitude。