Passage Four
Those who work in the Netherlands often feel that a lot of time is wasted in discussions that lead to nothing. There are often meetings with documents, an agenda and a chairman. All those present will have their say, after which their remarks are discussed. He who decides to skip a meeting though he has nothing more urgent to attend to, will find it unwise. The interacting that takes place during a meeting is very important for the general process. He who does not appear is saying that he does not think the subject is suffi- ciently important mportant, or that he apparently does not take his colleagues seriously. Furthermore, he e might miss some of the essential information that may become evident during the meeting.
Those who are present show an interest in the problems of their colleagues. They supply ques- tions, rather than commands, and thus declare themselves"co-responsible". The Dutch, in their final conclusions, like to use such metaphors as"We are all in one line" or"Our noses are pointing in the same direction again."
If you present a decision, you will find that everyone has something to say about it and has questions to ask. This is why the Dutch will not be quick to present something as the only correct solution. The advantage to this approach is that such a meeting will often lead to genu- ine suggestions for improvement on certain aspects of a plan. As a result, the plan will be a joint approach.
This timeconsuming and seemingly useless process helps colleagues become team.The amount of time that is lost around the table is more than what made up for inefficiency, once everyone goes back to work. Statistics show Dutch employees are among the world leaders when it comes to work productivity.
The author's attitude towards the Dutch meeting is quite ____
A、unclear
B、 negative
C、positive
D、 neutral
【正确答案】：C
【题目解析】：主旨题。作者对荷兰人的会议的态度可从全文大意中获悉。第一段作者提出通常人们对会议的看法。第二段列举出不参加会议的弊端。第三段讲述了会议耗时的原因及好处。最后一段是总结。总而言之,作者是积极支持参加会议的所以,选CPartⅢ Vocabulary and Structure(20 points)
