题文
As anyone who has tried to lose weight knows, realistic goal-setting generally produces the best results. That’s partly because most people who set realistic goals actually work more efficiently, and put more effort, to achieve those goals.What’s far less understood by scientists, however, are the potentially harmful effects of goal-setting. Newspapers convey daily accounts of goal-setting widespread in industries and businesses up and down both Wall Street and Main Street, yet there has been surprisingly little research on how the long-advocated practice of setting goals may have contributed to the current economic crisis, and immoral behavior in general.
“Goals are widely used and promoted as having really beneficial effects. And yet, the same motivation that can push people to put more effort in a constructive way could also motivate people to be more likely to engage in immoral behaviors,” says Maurice Schweitzer, an associate professor at Penn’s Wharton School. His paper, titled “Goals Gone Wild: The Systematic Side Effects of Over-Praised Goal Setting,” appears in the February issue of the Academy of Management Perspectives.
“It turns out there’s no financial benefit to just having a goal---you just get a psychological benefit” Schweitzer says. “But in many cases, goals have financial rewards that make them more powerful.”
A major example Schweitzer and his colleagues give is the 2004 breakdown of energy-trading giant Enron( 德国安然公司), where managers used financial rewards to motivate salesmen to meet specific goals. The problem, Schweitzer says, is that the actual trades were not profitable.
Other studies have shown that burdening employees with unrealistic goals can force them to lie, cheat or steal. Such was the case in the early 1990s when Sears（西尔斯公司）placed a sales quota (销售限额) on its auto repair staff. It inspired employees to overcharge for work and to complete unnecessary repairs on a companywide basis.
Schweitzer admits his research runs counter to a very large body of literature that praises the many benefits of goal-setting. Advocates of the practice have argued with his team’s use of such evidence as news accounts to support his conclusion that goal-setting is widely over-praised.
In a rebuttal (反驳) paper, Dr. Edwin Locke writes: “Goal-setting is not going away. Organizations cannot grow without being focused on their desired end results any more than an individual can grow without goals to provide a sense of purpose.”
But Schweitzer argues the “evidence” linking goal-setting and harmful behavior should be studied to help draw attention to issues that deserve attention and further investigation. “Even a few negative effects could be so large that they outweigh many positive effects,” he says.
The debate is likely to get heated on in future papers, and the practice of setting goals no doubt will continue. For now, though, the lesson seems to be to put more thought into setting goals.
“Goal-setting does help motivate people. My idea would be to combine that with careful management, a strong organizational culture, and make sure the goals that you use are going to be constructive and not significantly harmful to the organization,” Schweitzer says.
小题1:What does Maurice Schweitzer want to show by mentioning the example of Enron?A．Setting realistic goals can turn a failing business into success.B．Businesses are likely to succeed without realistic goals.C．Companies are certain to meet specific goals with financial rewards.D．Goals with financial rewards have strong motivational power.小题2:How did Sears’ goal-setting affect its employees?A．They had to work more hours to increase their sales.B．They competed with one another to attract more customers.C．They turned to immoral practice to reach their goals.D．They improved their customer service on a companywide basis.小题3:The underlined words “runs counter to” (Paragraph 7) can be replaced by ________.A．agrees withB．goes againstC．fits in withD．applies to小题4:What is Edwin Locke’s argument against Schweitzer?A．The practice of setting goals only helps people to develop.B．Goal-setting is of no use motivating people to accomplish their tasks.C．The positive effects of goal-setting outweigh its negative effects.D．Studying goal-setting can contribute to successful business practices.小题5:According to the passage, the author tries to convey ___________. A．the goals that most people set are unrealistic.B．all people can improve their work quality by setting goals.C．setting goals can provide people with a sense of purpose.D．people should not ignore the negative effects of goal-setting. 题型：未知 难度：其他题型
答案
小题1: D
小题2: C
小题3: B
小题4:D
小题5:D
解析
本文讲述了不同的人对于设立目标对人生的影响持有不同的观点，有人认为这样做很好，有很好的作用。也有人持有反对的观点。
小题1:D 推理题。根据文章第四段“It turns out there’s no financial benefit to just having a goal---you just get a psychological benefit” Schweitzer says. “But in many cases, goals have financial rewards that make them more powerful.”说明带有经济奖励的目标会有很好的驱动作用。故D正确。
小题2:C 细节题。根据第6段1,2行Other studies have shown that burdening employees with unrealistic goals can force them to lie, cheat or steal.说明为了实现目标有些人采用了说谎，欺骗，盗窃等不好的手段，故C正确。
小题3:B 推理题。根据Schweitzer admits his research runs counter to a very large body of literature that praises the many benefits of goal-setting.说明他认为他的研究和很多人的看法可能是不一样的，故B项正确。
小题4:D 推理题。根据文章第7段Advocates of the practice have argued with his team’s use of such evidence as news accounts to support his conclusion that goal-setting is widely over-praised.In a rebuttal (反驳) paper, Dr. Edwin Locke writes: “Goal-setting is not going away.说明他们争论的焦点就是D项内容设立目标是否能够有利于成功的商业行为。
小题5:D 推理题。根据文章最后一段说明我们不能忽视goal-setting的负面作用。故D正确。
点评：本文讲述了不同的人对于设立目标对人生的影响持有不同的观点。要求考生读懂文章中的每个句子的意思还要推理它们之间的关系，结合自己的生活常识和经验，再通过逻辑推理和判断，理解文章的言外之意，从而揭示文章的深层涵义。任何一篇文章都有其特定的写作目的，读者应当知道如何去做或按照某种方式传递思考问题。推理判断题的答案不可能在文章中直接找到，因此推理时我们务必要忠于原文，在文章中寻找并确定可推论的依据，即：已知部分－推论的前提，从中推测出未知部分－推理的结论，切忌妄加评论，把自己的观点当成作者的观点。
考点
据考高分专家说，试题“As anyone who has tr.....”主要考查你对 [社会现象类阅读 ]考点的理解。社会现象类阅读
社会现象类阅读概念：
这类文章通过写人记事来揭示文章的主题，显示其社会意义，一般采用顺序或倒叙来叙述。题目经常是一些细节问题。考查的方面可以是原因和其中引发的思考。
社会现象类阅读解题技巧：
这类文章通过写人记事来揭示文章的主题，显示其社会意义，一般采用顺序或倒叙来叙述。题目经常是一些细节问题。考查的方面可以是原因和其中引发的思考。阅读这类文章要理清思路。
1、浏览试题，明确要求。
在阅读文章前，最好先浏览一下文章后面的题干和选项。知道了问题后再去看文章，可使思路更敏捷，而且也便于阅读时留意文中出现的与选项有关的信息。
2、通读全文，抓住主要内容。
在不影响理解的前提下，尽可能地阅读以便在尽可能短的时间内理解文章或段落的内容。阅读时，如遇到不熟悉的单词、词组或一时看不懂的句子，不要停下来苦思冥想，继续读下去，通过上下文的词语和句子可能就理解了。
3、抓住中心思想和段落大意。
通读全文时，要特别注意主题句。每篇文章或每个段落都有与文章有关的句子，尤其是科技、政论性文章的主题句一般都在文章的开头或结尾，插在中间的很少。所以，文章的第一段或开头的第一、二个句子往往包含着文章的中心思想、作者的意图或全文的概述，因此要特别注意，彻底理解。
4、有针对性地仔细阅读，找寻所需信息。
在前面的基础上，可进行有针对性地阅读了。把与问题无关的内容一扫而过，而对于和问题有关的内容认真阅读，还可以用笔在下面做出记号。再把这些信息与问题的要求结合起来，逐条分析，综合判断，找出正确答案。
5、进行合理的推理判断。
对文章有了全面的了解之后，可以按照文章要求以及上下文之间的关系，做出推理判断。在进行推理判断的时候，需要综合考虑句型、语法、句子之间的逻辑关系、文化背景等方面的因素。
6、认真复读，验证答案。
要用全文的中心思想统帅各个题目，研究其内在联系和逻辑关系，并依次审核那些还未打上的题目，确保理解无误。
