I believe in the power of science fiction, not just for its capacity to transform dreams into reality, but also for its power to bond together those who share a common vision of the future. For me, that’s true for my relationship with my dad. Some fathers and sons bond over sports, fishing or hunting, but my dad and I bond over Star Trek. We tried a trip to Disney World, but one of my earliest memories wasn’t Mickey, but a Klingon battle cruiser(巡洋舰)on the screen.
Over the years, nearly every setting and situation has become far away for my dad and me. When it’s warm at night, we’re not driving along some dark streets in Indiana, but going at a slow speed with stars dimly shining. Both of us are thinking of them, without needing to say a word. All these visions of other universes have together created a private universe for my dad and me.
Gene Rodenberry, creator of Star Trek, once said, “Science fiction is a way of thinking, a way of logic that bypasses( 绕 过 )a lot of nonsense. It allows people to look directly at important subjects.” A lifetime of science fiction has influenced more than just my relationship with my dad, but has also helped me shape my own hopes for the future. I’m now a science writer.
Yes, science fiction has made me into a “nerd” (书呆子), and it also has been a source of joy for my family, making me an optimist while enabling me to think critically about the danger of technology. Thank those authors who have shared their visions; the world and my family are better for it. Thank my dad, who is both the best storyteller and the best man I have ever known because he helped me realize the truth of Tennyson’s words, “Since I dipped into the future, I saw the vision of the world, and all the wonders that would be.”
1. What is the special bond between the author and his father?| A．Their similar dreams. |
| B．Their love for each other. |
| C．Their common interest. |
| D．Their hatred for science. |
| A．His deep impression on his dad. |
| B．His feeling of staying with his dad. |
| C．His earliest memory of his dad. |
| D．His good relationship with his dad. |
| A．It leads him to pursue a desirable career. |
| B．It brings him the courage to live better. |
| C．It helps him solve the danger of technology. |
| D．It makes him become a source of his family’s joy. |
| A．The Wonders of Science |
| B．The Power of Science Fiction |
| C．The Versions of Science Fiction |
| D．The Time together with My Father |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】Bob Stockton, my father-in-law, observed his 80th birthday in November 2019. Bob loved sports and was an enthusiastic Yankees (an American professional baseball team based in the New York City) fan, so it was no wonder that over the years, he was an avid (热切的) listener to WEAN radio and, in particular, the afternoon show hosted by Mike Francesa.
Bob had health issues in his later years that limited his mobility, and when he lost his eyesight three years ago, his attachment to his radio and Francesa became more pronounced. He just loved listening to Mike talk about sports and his Yankees each afternoon. Those hours brought him so much pleasure.
Of course, Mike will be leaving on Dec. 15,2020 after 30 years at the station. Mike lives in the same community where I work on Long Island, and I have gotten to know him over the past20 years. So when my father-in-law was approaching his special birthday last year, I asked Mike for a favor: to call Bob and wish him a happy birthday.
Mike agreed without hesitation. Two days before the special day, Mike stopped at my workplace. I called Bob at his nursing home and put Mike on the phone. It was a complete surprise to Bob. Mike spent more than 10 minutes wishing Bob a happy birthday and, of course, talking about the Yankees.
When my family celebrated Bob's birthday two days later, he couldn't stop talking about the phone call. Over his lifetime. he said it was one of the nicest things anyone had ever done for him. Unfortunately, Bob's health declined (衰退) and he passed away on July 13,2020. But even in his final months in the hospital and nursing home, he always had a radio set to WEAN to listen each afternoon to Mike Francesa. And he also had the memory of that special phone call for his80th birthday.
1. What habit did Bob keep for years?| A．Playing baseball. | B．Listening to a sports program. |
| C．Checking his eyesight regularly. | D．Leading organized cheering for the Yankees. |
| A．Obvious. | B．Confused. | C．Important. | D．Ordinary. |
| A．Honest. | B．Caring. | C．Patient. | D．Independent. |
| A．A Special Gift | B．The Call Finally Arrived |
| C．The Big Dream Came True | D．An Unforgettable Birthday Party |
【推荐2】Bert Kate, my grandfather, celebrated his 90th birthday in November 2016. Bert loved sports and was an enthusiastic Yankees (an American professional baseball team based in the New York City) fan, so it was no wonder that over the years, he was an avid (热切的) listener to WFAN radio and, in particular, the afternoon show hosted by Mike Francesa.
Bert had health issues in his later years that limited his mobility, and when he lost his vision three years ago, his attachment to his radio and Francesa became more pronounced. He just loved listening to Mike talk about sports and his Yankees each afternoon. Those hours brought him so much pleasure.
Of course, Mike will be leaving Dec.15,2017 after 30 years at the station. Mike lives in the same community where I work on Long Island, and I have gotten to know him over the past 20 years. So when my grandfather was approaching his special birthday the year before last year, I asked Mike for a favor: to call Bert and wish him a happy birthday.
Mike agreed without hesitation. Two days before the special day, Mike stopped at my workplace. I called Bert at his nursing home and put Mike on the phone. It was a complete surprise to Bert. Mike spent more than 10 minutes wishing Bert a happy birthday and, of course, talking about the Yankees.
When my family celebrated Bert’s birthday two days later, he couldn’t stop talking about the phone call. Over his lifetime, he said it was one of the nicest things anyone had ever done for him.
Unfortunately, Ben’s health declined last year and he passed away July 13,2017. But even in his final months in the hospital and nursing home,he always had a radio set to WFAN to listen each afternoon to Mike Francesa.And he also had the memory of that special phone call for his 90th birthday.
1. Why did Bert listen to WFAN radio for many years? ( no more than 10 words)__________________________________________________
2. What does the underlined word mean in Paragraph2? (1 word)
__________________________________________________
3. What happened two days before Bert’s birthday? ( no more than 10 words)
__________________________________________________
4. What is the best title for the text? (no more than 5 words)
__________________________________________________
5. What do you think of the author? Please explain. (no more than 20 words)
___________________________________________________
【推荐3】It’s hard to talk to Dad sometimes. His silence about his feelings and thoughts made him mysterious and hard to see through. You could never break his hard shell and get to know him. And he seemed to want to stay that way too.
But a year ago when my relationship with my wife and career took a hit, I needed my dad to pull back the curtain so that I could see him as real and accessible. I was facing serious problems and I wanted to know whether he had faced them before and how he had found his way, because I felt like I had lost mine. In desperation, it occurred to me that sending an email might be the key, so I wrote him one , telling him about my regrets and fears, and I asked him to answer, if he felt like it.
Two weeks later, it showed up in my inbox: a much-thought, three page litter. Dad, a 68 -year old retired technologist and grandfather of four, had carefully considered my message, and crafted a response. He mentioned his lost love, the foolish mistake he made in career and the stupid pride he had between him and his parents. He comforted me that “life will still find its right track despite many of its twists and turns”.
I closed the email and started to cry, because I wished I had opened up earlier but was grateful it wasn’t too late. I cried because at 33, in the midst of my own struggles, his letter instantly put me at ease. And I cried because in the end, it was so simple: I just had to hit “Send”.
We’ve since had many email exchanges. This increasing communication opened a door into his world. My problems haven’t been magically solved, but getting to know my dad better has made the tough thing more manageable and life sweeter. It’s hard to tall to Dad sometimes, but I’m glad I found a way to talk to mine.
1. Which of the following best describes the author’s father?| A．Quiet and caring. | B．Optimistic but careless. |
| C．Selfish and lonely. | D．Simple but proud. |
| A．To make an apology. | B．To express thanks. |
| C．To turn to him. | D．To blame him. |
| A．The author regretted not writing to Dad earlier. | B．Dad’s letter of reply is simple. |
| C．Dad helped settle the author’s problems. | D．The author can talk to Dad easily. |
| A．My Mysterious Dad. | B．Emails from My Dad. |
| C．A Retired Technologist. | D．Means of Communication. |
【推荐1】At the start of 2012, I set myself the challenge of trying to read a book from every country in a year to find out what I was missing.
So I created a blog called “A Year of Reading the World” and asked for suggestions of titles that I could read in English.
The response was amazing. Before I knew it, people all over the planet were suggesting ideas and offering to help. Some posted titles of books from their books countries. Others did hours of research on my behalf. In addition, several writers, like Panama’s Juan David Morgan, sent me unpublished translations of their novels, giving me a rare opportunity to read works otherwise unavailable to the 62 percent of Britons who only speak English. Even with such an extraordinary team of bibliophiles (蒙书家) behind me, however, sourcing books was no easy task.
This was particularly true for Portuguese-speaking African countries, There’s precious little to offer as far as states such as the Comoros, Madagascar and Mozambique -I had to rely on unpublished manuscripts (手稿) for several of these.
Then here were places where stories are rarely written down. If you’re after a good yam (故事) in the Marshall lslands, for example, you’re more likely to go and hear one of the local storytellers than you are to pick up a book.
All in all, tracking down stories like these took as much time as the reading. It was a tall order to fit it all in around work and many were the nights when I sat bleary-eyed (困倦而视线模糊的) into the small hours to make sure I stuck to my target of reading one book every 1.87 days.
But the effort was worth it. As I made my way through the planet’s literary landscapes, extraordinary things started to happen. Far from simply armchair traveling, I found I was inhabiting the mental space of the storytellers. It took me inside the thoughts of individuals living far away and showed me the world through their eyes. These stories not only opened my mind to the nuts and bolts (具体情况) of life in other places, but opened my heart to the way people there might feel.
One by one, the country names on the list that had begun as an intellectual (智力的) exercise at the start of the year transformed into vibrant places filled with laughter, love, anger, hope and fear. Lands that had once seemed exotic and remote became close and familiar to me — places I could identify with. At its best, I learned, fiction makes the world real.
1. What can we learn about readers of the blog “A Year of Reading the World”?| A．They should feel free to upload their book reviews. |
| B．They are asked to give advice on what book to read about their country. |
| C．They have to send a list of their favorite books of other countries to the author. |
| D．They are welcome to share their storytelling skills. |
| A．Most of its literature is written in Portuguese. |
| B．Writers there are unwilling to publish their manuscripts. |
| C．The country’s literature is mostly in the form of oral stories. |
| D．The quality of literature there is very poor. |
| A．She spent far more time searching for books than reading them. |
| B．Reading foreign books would spare her the trouble of traveling there. |
| C．Book researchers overseas could help her with her challenge. |
| D．She found the reading challenge both exhausting and rewarding. |
【推荐2】The day I heard that Rainbow Bookstore was closing after 50 years of business, I was heartbroken. The bookstore, which was a landmark in the neighbourhood, was a place where anyone could drop in and read books.
When I hurried to the store, I saw that the books were already packed into boxes. I had a long chat with Casey, the store’s elderly owner. Sighing deeply, he told me how it was becoming difficult to run his bookstore. Most young people preferred reading e-books on tablets and more customers were attracted by low price of online stores. I tried to think of some words to comfort him, but I knew Rainbow Bookstore couldn't stay in business much longer.
A few months later, I was back in the neighbourhood during my spring break and was surprised to see that the bookstore was still there and opened for business. Its old brick walls hadn't been decorated, but inside it was like a different world.
I was told that the community had decided to work together on a program to save Rainbow Bookstore. The program was led by Jennifer Oakley, a saleswoman who had grown up in the neighbourhood and who had now taken over the bookstore from Casey. Under Jennifer's leadership, the bookstore was being turned into a place for literature-loving members of the community to get together. It had a cafe selling food and there were now more community events such as book readings, poetry recitings and even jazz concerts and movie nights, where people could gather to share an experience that couldn't be downloaded online.
I also met old Casey, who was looking up at readers' comments that kept popping up on the screen. "I remember readers' comments used to appear on a big board here.” I pointed at the comer. Casey smiled, "Well, as you can see, business knowledge combined with creativity has brought my old bookstore into the 21st century! I'm so pleased to see that everything I wanted to offer to the community is still here."
（以下前4题是A种题型，后4题是B种题型）
1. Why did Rainbow Bookstore face closedown?
| A．Because it had a long history. |
| B．Because people no longer loved reading. |
| C．Because it was affected by e-books and online stores. |
| D．Because there were fewer residents in the neighbourhood. |
| A．New books. |
| B．Lower price. |
| C．Inside decorations. |
| D．Creative management. |
| A．Flashing up. | B．Looking up. |
| C．Putting down. | D．Handing in. |
| A．Jennifer' s books couldn't be downloaded online. |
| B．Casey couldn't accept the new style of the bookstore. |
| C．Many bookstores will have success in the 21st century. |
| D．The new bookstore creates a literary bond between readers. |
6. What made it difficult to run the bookstore?
7. What activities can people enjoy in the new bookstore?
8. What did Casey think made the bookstore come to life?
【推荐3】Great Places to Enjoy Books
Sinan Books，ChinaSinan Books offers a space for learning and thinking to the general public living in the city. Its door has red decoration, showing Sinan Books’ attitude of openness, and its reading space is beautifully decorated with yellow lights. The color green sets off the exhibition spaces. Spaces on the fourth floor are decorated with black and white colors to encourage readers to face themselves.
Paju Book City，South KoreaAs the name suggests, it’s a city of books. The bookstores make lots of book lovers come here. In particular, the yearly Booksori book festival attracts nearly one million visitors. At the festival, the organizers present Paju Book Awards to the great Asian writers, editors, and designers. Besides, you can give your old books in return for those books you want to read in these bookstores. The most popular bookstore is Bomulseom, which carries a quality selection (挑选) of Korean, English, and Japanese books, as well as magazines and albums.
Bonjinsha，JapanBonjinsha is a bookstore dedicated to (致力于) the teaching and learning of the Japanese language. The store in Tokyo has a wide variety of teaching materials for all levels, from beginners to advanced learners. If you are studying or living in Japan and need to improve your Japanese language skills, then Bonjinsha will be a good place to start. Not only is Bonjinsha an established bookstore, but it’s also a famous publishing house in Japan.
College Street，IndiaAlthough it is only 0.9 km long, there is a range of bookstores and publishers right on the street. Perhaps the most well-known bookstores in this neighborhood are Dasgupta & Co., the first bookstore on College Street founded in 1886 with a large number of rare books, and the Bani Library, a family-run business for five generations housing all kinds of textbooks related to all things academic.
1. What is unique about Sinan Books?| A．It’s more popular with teenagers. |
| B．It uses colors to create a better reading atmosphere. |
| C．It often introduces the latest good books to readers. |
| D．It often holds colorful reading festivals. |
| A．communicate with some famous writers |
| B．visit many bookstores with particular themes |
| C．get a special discount on books in Korean |
| D．exchange used books in the bookstores |
| A．Both have a small space. | B．Both encourage guests to buy used books. |
| C．Both have a long history. | D．Both offer rare books at affordable prices. |
【推荐1】During the first half of the year 2020, Australia experienced an extreme drought followed by disastrous bushfires and heavy rainfall that brought massive flooding. Next came the pandemic（流行病）. With people not coming in to the lab or staying only long enough to conduct their experiments, we lost our sense of interpersonal connection. Then, in July, our director shared that she had been diagnosed with a rare and aggressive cancer.
In the wake of that shocking announcement, one of the center’s group leaders suggested we send our director weekly good news to keep her informed and to try to lift her spirits. One week later, we sent the first email.
The effect of this simple newsletter — which went to our director and all the group members as well as leaders — was significant. “I love good news time,” a colleague wrote, “It really is uplifting.”
These days, we solicit good news every Wednesday and send out an email every Friday. The process and format are simple and no-frills, making the newsletter sustainable. Good news includes securing grants and fellowships, much-needed new computers arriving, a student submitting their thesis, publishing papers, becoming parents, turning 40, and — of course — growing roses on one’s balcony.
Last month, one group leader’s good news was that, after breaking his arm, he finally had his cast（石膏）removed. The next week, he reported that his daughter broke her arm, saying that the number of broken bones in his family is a conserved quantity. It wasn’t exactly good news, but it did make me laugh quietly. Equally important, sharing it helps us stay connected in these difficult times.
Regardless of what the future holds, we plan to continue to share our good news.
1. In which respect do the author and his members benefit from the news in the text?| A．Improving working efficiency. | B．Creating a competitive atmosphere. |
| C．Strengthening each other’s bond. | D．Being reminded of positive things. |
| A．To lay the foundation for academic research. |
| B．To describe how unlucky they were in 2020. |
| C．To provide background for sharing good news. |
| D．To stress the necessity of cheering up the unfortunate. |
| A．No good news is too small to share. | B．Good news helps sweep away tragedies. |
| C．News making you laugh is good news. | D．Never ignore the positive side in bad news. |
| A．Humorous. | B．Easy-going. | C．Sympathetic. | D．Open-minded. |
【推荐2】Nine kids were trapped inside their own home as fire surrounded their bedrooms on Saturday. Then a man risked everything to save them.
Several people were injured in the fire. On Monday, one of those kids remains in a very serious way and another is stable. Curtis Jewett, the man who saved them, finally woke up on Monday and is breathing on his own.
Two moms were very grateful for him when he brought their kids out of the burning house.
“He ran in there and grabbed Philip, who is my baby, and he was on fire. He handed me Philip, and I patted(轻拍) Philip down to prevent him from being burnt. Fortunately, he wasn’t badly hurt,” mom Stormy Farmer said.
“He ran into the fire and saved the babies that were in the actual fire,” she added.
The fire started after what the family said was a tablet that caught fire in one of the kid’s rooms. Large flames (火焰) along the wires quickly spread through the house inside.
But Curtis Jewett risked his own life so that those nine kids could live. He was successful with all the children making it out alive.
“He’s suffered burns and smoke inhalation (吸入) from doing it, and even after getting burned, he was still trying to put the fire in the house out,” said mom Kristina Jewett, who lost her home in the fire.
“These babies wouldn’t be here if he didn’t do that. None of them,” she added.
The house on the outside is still standing, but everything on the inside is gone. The only things that remain are toys left in the grass, shoes that fell off while the families escaped, and their lives, which they’re the most grateful to still have.
Now they’re rebuilding, trying to move on and slowly pick up the pieces of what they have left.
1. What happened to Curtis Jewett?| A．He only saved two kids’ lives. |
| B．He put out the fire alone. |
| C．He was unconscious for a while. |
| D．He was dying. |
| A．One of the kids. | B．A tablet. |
| C．A broken wire. | D．Unknown. |
| A．To punish him. |
| B．To put out the fire on his clothing. |
| C．To calm him down. |
| D．To make him wake up. |
| A．Hardworking. | B．Careful. |
| C．Professional. | D．Selfless. |
【推荐3】On Friday March 3, 18-year-old Jordan Stolz became the youngest person ever to win a world speed skating gold medal.
Stolz is from Kewaskum, Wisconsin. He began skating on a small pond in his family’s backyard. When he was five years old, he saw speed skaters at the 2010 Winter Olympics on TV. He suddenly became very interested in learning to skate fast.
By the time he was in fifth grade, Stolz had won national championships. In high school, he went to school online so that he could train for up to six hours a day.
Last November, Stolz earned two gold medals during the 2022-23 ISU Speed Skating World Cup, making him the youngest male to win a World Cup race. Then, in February, Stolz won four gold medals at the 2023 World Junior Speed Skating Championships. The medals were for 500-meter, 1,000-meter, and 5,000-meter races, and the team sprint.
Stolz's coach, Bob Corby, says one of Stolz's greatest talents is the way he is able to take the corners in the curving (弯曲的) track at high speeds. "Everyone is extremely impressed with the way he goes around corners," says Mr Corby.
That ability helped him out at the speed skating championships in early March. In the 500-meter race, Stolz passed his opponent, Yuma Murakami, on the final curve. It only took him 34.10 seconds to cover a distance longer than five football fields.
The win made Stolz the youngest person ever to win a world speed skating gold medal. In the 1,000-meter race, he defeated Thomas Krol of the Netherlands, who won the Olympic gold medal for the race in 2022. In the 1,500-meter race, he defeated both Krol and Kjeld Nuis, who won the Olympic gold medal for the event in 2018 and 2022.
Stolz's speed and strength have amazed many people. One of his opponents, Canadian skater Laurent Dubreuil, says he has been trying to imitate the way Stolz goes around corners. Laurent took second place in the 500-meter race. He says Stolz's skating style is "just something that I don't think I’ve seen in a speed skater before".
1. What aroused Stolz’s interest in speed skating?| A．A small icy pond. |
| B．A sports TV program. |
| C．A winter skating game. |
| D．An encounter with a special skater. |
| A．He can skate past others on the final curve. |
| B．He can cover a distance of five football fields. |
| C．He can go around the corner at high speeds. |
| D．He is skilled at skating in the curving track. |
| A．His pleasure to connect with Stolz. |
| B．His doubt about Stolz's skating style. |
| C．His determination to defeat Stolz. |
| D．His strong admiration for Stolz. |
| A．The world’s youngest speed skating champion |
| B．The gifted boy to compete in speed skating |
| C．The youngest winner who won three world gold medals |
| D．The 2022-23 ISU Speed Skating World Cup |
【推荐1】“Be proud of what you do,” my father always told me, “whether you are a boss or a cleaner.” When I was 15, I got a summer job in a hospital. I was told that my duties would include sweeping floors. I smiled and remembered Dad's words. Even though my job was the lowest, it made me feel excited. I saw it as a challenge because it was my first job. I learned to be on time and tried to do everything well. In return, I was treated with respect by doctors, nurses and patients. Each morning I imagined that the dirty dishes would make patients more sick if I were not there to wash them clean. After breakfast was done, I started sweeping the floors of all patient rooms and cleaning the toilets. Though I was tired, I wanted the job to be done well. Hearing people say “That young boy really does a good job”, I was filled with pride.
Working in the hospital taught me that being proud of one's job is important. It does not matter whether the job is sweeping floors or managing a large business. Through every job I have ever had, my father's words have always stayed with me. I was a good cleaner, and now I'm a good manager. I think Dad would be proud of me all the time.
1. The writer's first job was a ________.| A．boss | B．manager |
| C．cleaner | D．doctor |
| A．Washing dishes. | B．Looking after patients. |
| C．Cleaning toilets. | D．Sweeping the floor. |
| A．worked hard | B．wasn't tired |
| C．made the patients sick | D．did everything |
| A．the writer's father always stayed with him |
| B．the father didn't like the writer's first job |
| C．the writer wasn't proud of his first job |
| D．the father's words encouraged the writer to do everything well |
“...This season is all I have left to give. My heart can take the pounding(重击).My mind can han-dle the grind(苦差事)but my body knows it's time to say goodbye-.-"
“Kobe Bryant is one of the greatest players in the history of our game. Whether competing in the Fi-nals or hoisting jump shots after midnight in an empty gym, Kobe has an unconditional love for the game.
I join Kobe's millions of' fans around the world in congratulating him on an outstanding NBA career and thank him for so many thrilling memories.”
——Adam Silver, NBA commissioner(总裁)
“We're all sad. This era of Lakers basketball has been one of the most fun, exciting prosperous eras we could imagine. We're in full support of him. But it's still very sad.”
——Jeanie Buss, Lakers president
“I know his purpose is to finish out this season and play. It's always sad when greatness decides to hang it up" 'I thought he had at least another year in him.”
——Byron Scott, Lakers coach, and Bryant's teammate during the 1996-97 season
¨He pushed me to be better more than any player I've faced. Kobe is the greatest competitor I have ever faced. I am glad he has found peace. I don't know if we'll see another one like him.”
——Shane Battier, of the Miami Heat
“Hard to believe @ kobe bryant is finally going to hang it up. One of the NBA's great champions. En-joy the rest of this season, my friend.”
——Scottie Pippen, retired NBA All-Star
1. What can we learn from Kobe Bryant's letter?
| A．He has lost passion for basketball. |
| B．He'll return to basketball court soon. . |
| C．He'll finish this season before he retires. |
| D．He'll retire immediately after the letter. |
| A．Kobe has an unconditional love for basketball |
| B．Kobe is supposed to play at least for another year |
| C．Lakers team has played very well this year |
| D．it is difficult to find another player like Kobe |
| A．From an Internet page. | B．In a newspaper. |
| C．In a sports magazine. | D．In a TV program. |
【推荐3】Put five, eight, twelve or more people together in a room, and it’s a game of luck as to how well they’ll function as a team. The larger the group, the more difficult it becomes. It’s a lot like dining out with a bunch of friends. Where to go? Italian? Vegetarian? Steakhouse? Each person has their own appetite, which can make creating a “shared-interest” extremely challenging.
Shared-interest is the lifeblood of teams, and only the most successful companies know how to foster it. But how?
“Project Aristotle”, an experiment led by Abeer Dubey, a manager in Google’s People Analytics division was conducted in 2012 to discover how to build the “perfect team.” After years of analyzing data and interviews from more than 180 teams across the company, Google found that the individual personalities in a team are not so relevant.
“We had lots of data, but there was nothing showing that a mix of specific personality types or skills or backgrounds made any difference. The ‘who’ part of the equation didn’t seem to matter,” Dubey said in an interview with The New York Times. Instead, the researchers found that there were five key characteristics of enhanced teams:
Psychological safety: Everyone feels safe in taking risks, and that they won’t be embarrassed or punished for doing so.
Dependability: Everyone completes quality work on time.
Structure and clarity: Everyone knows what their specific expectations are. These expectations must be challenging yet attainable.
Meaning: Everyone has a sense of purpose in their work, for example, supporting family.
Impact: Everyone sees that the result of their work actually contributes to the organization’s overall goals.
While Google’s findings may be true to some extent, a large number of scientific studies have caused researchers outside of Google’s lab to shockingly disagree. Thomas Chamorro-Premuzic, a professor of business psychology at Columbia University and author of the book “Why Do So Many Incompetent Men Become Leaders?” and psychologist Dave Winsborough are among them. They both claim that personality, in particular, heavily affects the role of an individual within a team and is indeed a significant factor in what makes a team successful.
Researchers found that the poorest-performing teams were 100 percent “pragmatic” (讲求实效的 ) and had 0 percent ‘relationship-building’ traits. “Too often, organizations focus merely on the functional role and hope that good team performance somehow follows,” Chamorro-Premuzic and Winsborough co-wrote in a Harvard Business Review article. “This is why even the most expensive professional sports teams often fail to perform according to the individual talents of each player: There is no psychological synergy (协作). A more effective approach focuses as much on people’s personalities as on their skills.”
1. Why does the author mention the example of “dining out”?| A．To emphasize the challenges of creating a common interest. |
| B．To cater for the different tastes of people from all walks of life. |
| C．To stress the importance of different individuals in teams. |
| D．To get more different people involved in building a team. |
| A．Dependability. | B．A sense of purpose. |
| C．Psychological safety. | D．Individual personalities. |
| A．Because they care more about the result. | B．Because they are not talented enough. |
| C．Because they lack relationship building. | D．Because they are vague about their roles. |
| A．By making basic assumptions. | B．By giving a lot of detailed examples. |
| C．By analyzing causes and effects. | D．By presenting contradictory findings. |
