新視野大學英語視聽說教程第四冊 Unit 4 Task1: A small misstep can become a big career trap.

Script

George Adams, a market researcher at a Midwestern firm, finally printed his marketingreport. After months of research, hundreds of surveys, and several boring drafts, his report was complete, and just in time. He was going away for the weekend, and he wanted to relax knowing his report was a success. He carefully proofread his document and then delivered copies to all the executives on his distribution list.

When he returned to his desk, he discovered his boss, the department manager, was livid. At first he did not realize he had accidentally gone over his head. Anyway, she had given him the contribution list in the first place. So he thought he was just following orders. But the boss was furious that she hadn’t seen the final document.

The boss asked Adams to get back the copies, but it was too late. When Adams got to the CEO’s office, he was already reading the report.

Adams had felt friction with his boss before. She was overbearing and tended to find fault with his work after he’d broken his back to meet deadlines. In this instance, however, he realized he had made a serious error. His boss was extremely upset, for his mistake made her look as though she wasn’t in control of her department.

From the boss’s point of view, Adams was usurping her authority. The result was simple and natural: Adams left his job soon afterward.

Adams’s story illustrates a fundamental truth about the workplace: small, seemingly innocent missteps can sometimes become a big career trap.

1. To whom did Adams deliver copies of the report?

2. What did Adams discover after he delivered the copies?

3. What happened when the boss asked Adams to get back the copies of the report?

4. According to the passage, why was his boss extremely upset?

5. What conclusion can we draw from the passage?

Keys: 1.B 2.B 3.C 4.A 5.C