1 . In the 1950s, British historian Northeaster Parkinson came up with a concept which was later known as Parkinson’s Law of Triviality. It states that the amount of time spent discussing an issue in an organization is oppositely associated with its actual importance.
Parkinson’s Law of Triviality is also known as “bike-shedding (车棚)”, after the story Parkinson uses to illustrate it. He asks readers to imagine a financial committee meeting to discuss a three-point agenda. The points are as follows: A proposal for a f10 million nuclear power plant; A proposal for a f350 bike shed; A proposal for a f21 annual coffee budget.
What happens? The committee ends up running through the nuclear power plant proposal in little time. It’s too advanced for anyone to really dig into the details. The discussion soon moves to the bike shed. Here, everyone’s an expert. In the end, the committee runs out of time and decides to meet again to complete their analysis.
Bike-shedding happens because the smaller a matter is, the more people will have an opinion on it, even when there is no real value to add. When something is outside of our circle of competence, like a nuclear power plant, we don’t even try to express an opinion. But when something is understandable everyone wants to show that they know about the topic at hand.
How can we avoid bike-shedding? The main thing you can do is to have a clear purpose. Priya Parker, the author of The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters, says that any successful gathering needs to have a focused purpose. “Specificity,” she says, “is a key element.”
When it comes to choosing your list of invitees, Parker writes, “if the purpose of your meeting is to make a decision, you may want to consider having fewer cooks in the kitchen.” Getting the result you want—a thoughtful, educated discussion about that power plant—depends on having the right people in the room.
1. What is Parkinson’s purpose of presenting the imaginary meeting?| A．To state a fact. | B．To clarify a concept. | C．To make a prediction. | D．To introduce a new point. |
| A．The more you know, the less you speak. |
| B．What is simple for you may be tough for others. |
| C．What requires more work may get less attention. |
| D．The more you put in, the better your result will be. |
| A．Planning before the meeting. | B．Getting the right people to the table. |
| C．Spending less time on the minor issues. | D．Taking different opinions into account. |
| A．Purpose: The Key to an Effective Meeting |
| B．Talent: A Crucial Element in Organizations |
| C．The Bike Shed Effect: Avoiding Small Matters |
| D．Nuclear Power Plant: The Less-known Proposal |
2 . Miss Marquis was my mentor (导师) when I was 12 and she’s my mentor now as a teacher.
My family moved to the UK from Saudi Arabia in 2017. When I started school there, I didn’t have a great understanding of the English language. Thankfully, I had an amazing teacher called Miss Marquis who helped me get through it. She pushed me all the way and gave me the right guidance.
During my teacher training with ARK, I was given a place at Globe Academy in London as a math teacher. When I saw the head of the English department was Miss Marquis, my jaw (下巴) dropped. It was unbelievable.
I still can’t call her by her first name. The respect I have for her is still there. In one of the lessons I observed she was reading the same book we used in our GCSEs and it took me back to the days when I was being taught by her. You knew you could go to her and share your problems. At the same time, you would never mess about in her lesson. Misbehaving was simply not done.
My aim as a teacher is affected by her. Teaching is about the mark you make on other people’s lives. I’ve worked in a few different schools during my training but I chose ARK because it gives opportunities to children who may not be from wealthy backgrounds. I am trying to have an impact on these people.
It doesn’t matter how many books you read, and nothing can prepare you for your first lesson. I have read all the theories about how to manage behavior but a lot of them just go out of my head when I walk into the classroom because they’re not robots. They’re all unique individuals and you can’t control them. You need to put the work in and build relationships with the students.
1. When did the author get to know Miss Marquis?| A．When he began school in a totally new place. |
| B．When he worked as a guide at an English school. |
| C．When he experienced difficult situations in ARK. |
| D．When he arrived in Saudi Arabia with his family. |
| A．Embarrassed. | B．Puzzled. | C．Amused. | D．Shocked. |
| A．Cold and selfish. | B．Kind but strict. |
| C．Gentle but careless. | D．Energetic and friendly. |
| A．To be devoted to his/her teaching career. |
| B．To be equipped with enough knowledge. |
| C．To respect and encourage his/her students. |
| D．To be well prepared for his/her first lesson. |
