高考英语二轮复习外刊阅读训练：大公司如何裁员

高考英语外刊阅读训练——阅读理解：大公司如何裁员【原标题】HowBigCompaniesChooseWhoIsLaidOff【原文】Soonafteracompanydecidestocutitsheadcount,thedebatebegins:Whoshouldgo?Inthecurrenteconomicenvironment,afinaldecisioncantakeweeks,accordingtoexecutivesandcorporateadvisers.Workersremaininshortsupply,raisingthestakesofdeterminingwhoisexpendableandwhoisworthkeeping.Withlayoffsthattargetcorporatestaff,departmentheadsoftentaketheleadandhumanresourcestroubleshootstheirlists,whichcanleadtointensedebateandmultiplerewrites.SeniorityonceguidedlayoffsatmanyU.S.businesses,withcompanieseliminatingjunioremployeesfirst.Todayitismorecommonforcompaniestoconductlayoffsbasedonskillsratherthantenure,accordingtohuman-resourcesexecutives.Anemployee’srecentperformancewilllikelyfactorheavilyintoanydecision.Employeeswithhighsalariesalsomightfacegreaterattention,thoughadviserssaidthoseworkersmightbeamongacompany’stopperformers.Atmanycompanies,topleaders,includingthechiefexecutiveofficerandchieffinancialofficer,oftensethigh-levelcriteriaforalayoff,mandatingthatacompanycutacertainpercentageofitsworkforce,forexample,orreachaspecifiedcostsavings.Someconfinelayoffstospecificareas.BoeingCo.earlierthisyearsaiditplannedtocut2,000jobsprimarilyinfinanceandhumanresources,whilehiringinengineering.Amazonsaiditslatestcutswouldmostlybeconcentratedinitscloud-computing,advertisingandTwitchstreamingbusinesses.Thetaskofdecidingwhoshouldbeeliminatedoftenfallstodivisionalleadersanddepartmentheads,accordingtoexecutives.Thebusiness-softwarecompanyOktaInc.inFebruarysaiditwouldcut300employees,or5%ofstaff,afterthecompanysaiditoverhiredduringthepandemic.Manydepartmentsacrossthecompanyweregivenspecificfinancialcost-cuttingtargetstomeet,saidCEOToddMcKinnon,anddidsoindifferentways.Manythinkitisthejobofhuman-resourcesstafferstoselecttheindividualemployeestoterminate,thoughitisoftenfarmorelikelythatthebusinessleadersineachareaofacompanysuggestnamesofemployeestotarget,saidKathyZwickert,aformerchiefpeopleofficeratNetSuiteandmostrecentlyadirectoratthecloud-basedsoftwareproviderAvalara.Inadditiontoreviewinganemployee’sperformancehistory,manycompaniesconsiderworkers’potentialtoadaptandtakeonnewjobsinthefuture.“It’sreallydowntoaone-on-oneassessmentofperformanceindeterminingwhoyou’regoingtokeep,”saidPaulJ.Sarvadi,CEOofInsperityInc.,ahuman-resourcesservicesandoutsourcingcompany.Debatesarefrequent.Somemanagersmightattempttojockeyforcertainemployeestoremain,anddisputescanemergebetweenleadersaboutthephilosophyofalayoff—say,whethertocutalayerofmiddlemanagement,ortofiremoreexecutivesoverfront-lineemployees,Mr.Pennsaid.Evenwhencompaniesdecidetoshutdownentirebusinessunits,executivesmightmakedecisionstokeepsomehigh-achievingemployeesandmovethemelsewhere,saidAnnaA.Tavis,aformerglobaldirectoroftalentattheinsurerAmericanInternationalGroupInc.,whonowteachesandresearcheshuman-capitalmanagementissuesatNewYorkUniversity’sSchoolofProfessionalStudies.“There’salotofsubjectivityinvolved,evenwithalltherulesinplace,”shesaid.【重点词汇】1.current[ˈkʌrənt]adj.现行的，当前的；通用的，流行的；最近的n.水流，气流；电流；思潮，趋势【名】（current）（英）柯伦特（人名）；currents2.economic[ˌɪːkəˈnɒmɪk]adj.经济的，经济学的；有利可图的；节约的3.accord[əˈkɔːd]n.协议，条约；符合，一致v.使受到，给予（某种待遇）；（与……）一致，符合；accords；accords；according；accorded；accorded4.executive[ɪgˈzekjətɪv]adj.行政的，有执行权的；高档的，豪华的；供主管人员使用的；（有关）经营管理的，领导的n.主管，经理；行政部门，执行委员会；executives5.stake[steɪk]n.股本，股份；桩，标桩，篱笆桩；赌注；赛马奖金（stakes）；比赛，竞赛（stakes）；利害关系；火刑柱；（制作篮子的）纵向基杆，经条；（铁匠用的）小铁砧；摩门主教管辖区v.拿…...冒险，以…...打赌；用桩支撑；资助，帮助【名】（stake）（瑞典）斯塔克（人名）；stakes；stakes；staking；staked；staked6.layoff[ˈleɪˌɔːf]n.解雇，下岗；休养，停工期；layoffs7.resource[rɪˈsɔːs]n.自然资源；资源（指钱、物、人等）；有助于实现目标的东西，资料；（对付困境所需的）个人素质（resources）；（逆境中的）出路，应付办法；谋略，智谋v.向……提供资金（或设备）；resources；resources；resourcing；resourced；ense[ɪnˈtens]adj.很大的，十分强烈的；严肃紧张的，激烈的；热情的，热切的；专注的，认真的；intenser9.eliminate[ɪˈlɪmɪneɪt]v.剔除，根除；对……不予考虑，把……排除在外；（比赛中）淘汰；铲除，杀害；（生理）排除，排泄；消去；eliminates；eliminating；eliminated；eliminated10.employee[ˌemplɔɪˈɪː,ɪmˈplɔɪɪ]n.雇员；employees11.factor[ˈfæktə]n.因素，要素；等级，系数；因数，因子；遗传因子，基因；（血液中的）凝血因子；代理公司，代理商；地产管理人，管家；测量水平v.把……作为因素计入，把……包括在内（factorin）；把……作为因素排除，不把……包括在内（factorout）；将……分解为因子；代理经营，（代管）产业；做代理商【名】（factor）（英）法克特（人名）；factors；factors；factoring；factored；factored12.financial[faɪˈnænʃəl,ˌfɪ-]adj.财政的，金融的；有钱的；（俱乐部或社团成员）已缴费的n.（组织或个人的）财务状况；金融公司股票13.criterion[kraɪˈtɪərɪən]n.尺度，标准，准则；criteria；criterions14.specify[ˈspesɪfaɪ]v.明确指出；具体说明；把……列入说明书；specifies；specifying；specified；specified15.saving[ˈseɪvɪŋ]n.（钱、时间或其他资源的）节约，节省；储蓄金，存款；保留，例外；存钱adj.节约的，节省的；节俭的，省钱的prep.除了，除……外【名】（saving）人名，（瑞典）萨温v.救援，挽救；节省；保存（sav.的现在分词形式）；savings16.confine[ˈkɒnfaɪn]v.限制，局限；防止……扩散；关押，监禁；使离不开（或受困于床、轮椅等）n.边界，范围；限制，局限；confines；confines；confining；confined；confined17.engineering[ˌendʒɪˈnɪərɪŋ]n.工程，工程学；控制，引导，管理；筹划，出谋划策v.设计，建造；策划，精心安排（engineer的现在分词形式）18.mostly[ˈməʊstlɪ]adv.多半，主要地；几乎全部，几乎所有19.compute[kəmˈpjuːt]v.估算，计算；不合情理，讲不通；用计算机计算n.计算，估计；computes；computing；computed；computed20.terminate[ˈtɜːmɪneɪt]v.（使）结束，（使）终止；到达终点站；终止妊娠，人工流产；解雇；谋杀（某人）；在……结尾，以……收尾adj.结束的；terminates；terminating；terminated；terminated21.dispute[dɪsˈpjuːt]n.争论，辩论，纠纷v.对……提出质疑，否认；争论，辩论；争夺，竞争；阻止（着陆），抵抗（进攻）；disputes；disputes；disputing；disputed；disputed22.emerge[ɪˈmɜːdʒ]v.浮现，出现；显露，知悉；恢复过来，幸存下来；形成，兴起；emerges；emerging；emerged；emerged23.philosophy[fɪˈlɒsəfɪ]n.哲学；哲学体系，思想体系；人生哲学，生活（工作）准则；（某一知识或经验领域的）理论基础研究，基本原理；philosophies24.layer[ˈleɪə]n.层；层次，等级；摆放者，铺设者，产卵者；压条v.分层放置；把（头发）分层剪短；用压条培育（植物）；layers；layers；layering；layered；layered25.management[ˈmænɪdʒmənt]n.经营，管理，安排；管理人员，管理层；（成功的）处理手段，（有效的）处理能力；治疗，监控；欺骗，欺诈；managements26.elsewhere[ˈelsˈweə]adv.在别处，去别处pron.别处，别的地方27.global[ˈgləʊbəl]adj.全球的，全世界的；全面的，整体的；（计算机）全局的；球形的28.issue[ˈɪsjuː]n.议题，争论点；（报纸、杂志等的）期，号；发放，分配；（新股票或邮票等的）发行；子女，后嗣；流出，发出；结果，后果v.发表，颁布；分发，分配；正式发行；流出，发出；由……产生，由……得出；issues；issues；issuing；issued；issued29.involve[ɪnˈvɒlv]v.牵涉，涉及；包含，需要；使陷入，使卷入；（使）参加，加入；使承担，使面对；involves；involving；involved；involved【阅读理解练习题】1.Whatisthemaintopicofthearticle?A.Thedifficultyinlayingoffemployeesduringaneconomicdownturn.B.Thevariousmethodscompaniesusetodeterminelayoffs.C.Theroleofhumanresourcesinselectingemployeesfortermination.D.Thedebateamongcorporateexecutivesoverlayoffs.答案：B。这篇文章主要讲述了各种各样的企业裁员方式。2.Accordingtohuman-resourcesexecutives,whatisthemostcommonfactorindetermininglayoffstoday?A.SeniorityB.JobskillsC.RecentperformanceD.Salary答案：B。根据人力资源高管的说法，现在决定裁员最常见的因素是工作技能。3.Whodoesthetaskofdecidingwhoshouldbeeliminatedoftenfallto?A.Human-resourcesstaffersB.JunioremployeesC.DivisionalleadersanddepartmentheadsD.Corporateadvisers答案：C。文章提到，决定裁员的任务通常落在部门领导和部门负责人身上。4.Inadditiontoperformancehistory,whatdomanycompaniesconsiderwhenselectingemployeestokeep?A.SeniorityB.PotentialtoadaptandtakeonnewjobsC.LengthoftenureD.Employee'ssalary答案：B。文章提到，除了绩效历史记录外，许多公司在选择留下哪些员工时还会考虑员工适应能力和接受新工作的潜力。5.Whattypeofdisputesmightemergebetweenleadersaboutthephilosophyofalayoff?A.DisputesoverwhichbusinessunitstoshutdownB.DisputesoverwhethertocutmiddlemanagementorexecutivesC.DisputesovertheroleofhumanresourcesinselectingemployeesforterminationD.Disputesoverwhichdepartmentheadsshouldleadlayoffs答案：B。文章提到，关于裁员策略的哲学，比如是否裁掉中层管理或高管，领导之间可能出现争议。【长难句分析】Atmanycompanies,topleaders,includingthechiefexecutiveofficerandchieffinancialofficer,oftensethigh-levelcriteriaforalayoff,mandatingthatacompanycutacertainpercentageofitsworkforce,forexample,orreachaspecifiedcostsavings.主句是主谓宾结构（topleaderssethigh-levelcriteria）。Atmanycompanies是地点状语。includingthechiefexecutiveofficerandchieffinancialofficer是现在分词作后置定语。often是副词作频率状语。foralayoff是介宾短语作定语。mandatingthatacompanycutacertainpercentageofitsworkforce,forexample,orreachaspecifiedcostsavings是现在分词作伴随状语。that引导宾语从句。or并列cut和reach。很多企业中，包括首席执行官和首席财务官在内的高层管理者常常会为裁员设定高标准，例如规定裁员比例达到多少，或者节省的成本要达到多少。【语言点积累】学习headcount的用法。这个词有两个含义：其一，theactofcountinghowmanypeoplearepresentinaparticularplaceatonetime，点人数，例：Theteachersdidaheadcounttocheckthatnoneofthekidswasmissing.老师们清点学生人数以核实没有孩子丢失。其二，thenumberofpeopleworkingforacompany，职员总数。【全文翻译】Soonafteracompanydecidestocutitsheadcount,thedebatebegins:Whoshouldgo?在一家公司决定裁员后不久，争论就开始了：谁应该去？Inthecurrenteconomicenvironment,afinaldecisioncantakeweeks,accordingtoexecutivesandcorporateadvisers.Workersremaininshortsupply,raisingthestakesofdeterminingwhoisexpendableandwhoisworthkeeping.Withlayoffsthattargetcorporatestaff,departmentheadsoftentaketheleadandhumanresourcestroubleshootstheirlists,whichcanleadtointensedebateandmultiplerewrites.高管和企业顾问表示，在当前的经济环境下，最终决定可能需要数周时间。工人仍然供不应求，这增加了决定谁是可消耗的，谁值得保留的风险。随着针对公司员工的裁员，部门负责人往往会带头，人力资源部门会对他们的名单进行故障排除，这可能会导致激烈的辩论和多次重写。SeniorityonceguidedlayoffsatmanyU.S.businesses,withcompanieseliminatingjunioremployeesfirst.Todayitismorecommonforcompaniestoconductlayoffsbasedonskillsratherthantenure,accordingtohuman-resourcesexecutives.Anemployee’srecentperformancewilllikelyfactorheavilyintoanydecision.Employeeswithhighsalariesalsomightfacegreaterattention,thoughadviserssaidthoseworkersmightbeamongacompany’stopperformers.资历曾经引导许多美国企业裁员，公司首先淘汰初级员工。人力资源主管表示，如今，公司基于技能而非任期进行裁员的情况更为普遍。员工最近的表现可能会对任何决策产生重大影响。高薪员工也可能面临更大的关注，尽管顾问们表示，这些员工可能是公司表现最好的员工之一。Atmanycompanies,topleaders,includingthechiefexecutiveofficerandchieffinancialofficer,oftensethigh-levelcriteriaforalayoff,mandatingthatacompanycutacertainpercentageofitsworkforce,forexample,orreachaspecifiedcostsavings.Someconfinelayoffstospecificareas.BoeingCo.earlierthisyearsaiditplannedtocut2,000jobsprimarilyinfinanceandhumanresources,whilehiringinengineering.Amazonsaiditslatestcutswouldmostlybeconcentratedinitscloud-computing,advertisingandTwitchstreamingbusinesses.在许多公司，包括首席执行官和首席财务官在内的高层领导通常会为裁员制定高标准，例如，要求公司裁员一定比例，或达到特定的成本节约。有些公司将裁员限制在特定领域。波音公司（BoeingCo.）今年早些时候表示，计划裁员2000人，主要是在财务和人力资源领域，同时在工程领域招聘。亚马逊表示，其最新的削减将主要集中在其云计算、广告和Twitch流媒体业务上。Thetaskofdecidingwhoshouldbeeliminatedoftenfallstodivisionalleadersanddepartmentheads,accordingtoexecutives.Thebusiness-softwarecompanyOktaInc.inFebruarysaiditwouldcut300employees,or5%ofstaff,afterthecompanysaiditoverhiredduringthepandemic.Manydepartmentsacrossthecompanyweregivenspecificfinancialcost-cuttingtargetstomeet,saidCEOToddMcKinnon,anddidsoindifferentways.高管们表示，决定谁应该被淘汰的任务往往落在部门领导和部门负责人身上。商业软件公司奥卡股份有限公司（OktaInc.）2月份表示，将裁减300名员工，即5%的员工，此前该公司表示在疫情期间过度雇佣员工。首席执行官ToddMcKinnon表示，公司的许多部门都被赋予了具体的财务成本削减目标，并以不同的方式实现。Manythinkitisthejobofhuman-resourcesstafferstoselecttheindividualemployeestoterminate,thoughitisoftenfarmorelikelythatthebusinessleadersineachareaofacompanysuggestnamesofemployeestotarget,saidKathyZwickert,aformerchiefpeopleofficeratNetSuiteandmostrecentlyadirectoratthecloud-basedsoftwareproviderAvalara.NetSuite前首席人事官、最近担任云计算软件提供商Avalara董事的KathyZwickert表示，许多人认为，选择要解雇的员工是人力资源员工的工作，尽管公司每个领域的商业领袖建议目标员工的名字的可能性往往要大得多。Inadditiontoreviewinganemployee’sperformancehistory,manycompaniesconsiderworkers’potentialtoadaptandtakeonnewjobsinthefuture.“It’sreallydowntoaone-on-oneassessmentofperfo