成人高等教育英语教材第四册06

UNIT 6
We Need Retraining
Integrated Skills Development

Passage Improve Communication Skills

Your work in business will involve communication—a lot of it—because communication is a major and essential part of the work of business.
Throughout a company workers send and receive information. They process information with computers, write messages, fill out forms, give and receive orders, and talk over the telephone. More specifically, salespeople¹ receive instructions and information from the home office and send back orders and weekly summaries of their activities. Executives use letters and telephone calls to initiate² business with customers and other companies and respond to incoming letters and calls. Production supervisors³ receive work orders, issue instructions, and submit production summaries. Research specialists receive problems to investigate and later communicate their findings to management. Similar activities occur in every part of the company. Everywhere workers receive and send information as they conduct their work.
Oral communication is a major part of this information flow. So, too, are various types of forms and records provided by computers. Yet another major part consists of various forms of written communication—letters, memorandums, and reports.
All of these forms of communications go on in business because communication is essential to the organized effort involved in business. Communication enables human beings to work together. In a business, it is the vehicle through which management performs its basic functions. Managers direct through communication, coordinate⁵ through communication and control through communication.
Because communication is so important in business, businesses want and need people with good communication skills. All too often they do not get them, however, because most employees, even the college trained, do not communicate well. Among the recent studies that support this observation, perhaps the most notable reports that one of the four major criticisms of today's college-trained people is their "poor communication and, especially, written communication."
The communication shortcomings of employees and the importance of communication in business explains why you should work to improve your communication skills. Whatever position you have in business, your performance will be judged largely by your ability to communicate. If you perform well, you are likely to be rewarded with advancement⁶. And the higher you advance, the more you will need your communication ability. One study reports that top level administrators⁸ spend 85 percent of their work time communicating. The evidence is clear: improving your communication skills improves your chances for success in business.

New Words and Expressions

administrator⁷
n. 管理人员，行政人员

communicate
V. 交流，表达，联络

conduct
V. 实施，处理，指挥，引导
n. 举止，行为

coordinate
V. （使）协调

criticism
n. 批评

despite
prep.不管，尽管

direct
V. 指导，指挥

enable
V. 使…能

essential
a. 必不可少的，基本的

evidence
n. 迹象，证据

executive
n.& a. 经理，执行者，行政上的

flow
n.& v. 流动

initiate
V. 开始

instruction
n. 指示，命令，指导

investigate
V. 调查，审查

issue
V. 发布，发行

judge
v. 判断，识别

major
a. 主要的

memorandum⁴
n. 备忘录

notable
a. 值得注意的，显著的

observation
n. 言论，意见；观察，观察结果

oral
a. 口头的

perform
V. 履行，执行

performance
n. 业绩；行动；演出

process
v.& n. 处理

respond
n. 回答，答复

reward
n.& v. 报答，报偿

shortcoming
n. 缺点

throughout
prep.贯穿，遍及

vehicle
n. 车辆，运载工具

all too often
太经常

be likely to
易于

consist of
由…构成，包括

go on
发生

Merry Learning

Outside the city hall, a boy selling newspapers bellowed⁹, "Extra! Extra! Read all about it! Two men swindled!" A man walked up to the boy, bought a paper, and sat down to read it. "Hey, kid," he protested a few moments later, "there's nothing in there about two men being cheated."
"Extra! Extra!" shouted the boy: "Three men swindled!"

1 salespeople   

n.售货员，店员；售货员( salesperson的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The shop usually employs additional salespeople for the Christmas toy trade. 这家商店通常雇一些临时售货员来做圣诞节玩具生意。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Under our new system, salespeople sit down with each of our dealers. 根据新的制度，销售人员应逐个地同承销商洽商。 来自辞典例句

2 initiate   

vt.开始，创始，发动；启蒙，使入门；引入

参考例句：

• A language teacher should initiate pupils into the elements of grammar.语言老师应该把基本语法教给学生。
• They wanted to initiate a discussion on economics.他们想启动一次经济学讨论。

3 supervisors   

n.监督者，管理者( supervisor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• I think the best technical people make the best supervisors. 我认为最好的技术人员可以成为最好的管理人员。 来自辞典例句
• Even the foremen or first-level supervisors have a staffing responsibility. 甚至领班或第一线的监督人员也有任用的责任。 来自辞典例句

4 memorandum   

n.备忘录，便笺

参考例句：

• The memorandum was dated 23 August,2008.备忘录上注明的日期是2008年8月23日。
• The Secretary notes down the date of the meeting in her memorandum book.秘书把会议日期都写在记事本上。

5 coordinate   

adj.同等的，协调的；n.同等者；vt.协作，协调

参考例句：

• You must coordinate what you said with what you did.你必须使你的言行一致。
• Maybe we can coordinate the relation of them.或许我们可以调和他们之间的关系。

6 advancement   

n.前进，促进，提升

参考例句：

• His new contribution to the advancement of physiology was well appreciated.他对生理学发展的新贡献获得高度赞赏。
• The aim of a university should be the advancement of learning.大学的目标应是促进学术。

7 administrator   

n.经营管理者，行政官员

参考例句：

• The role of administrator absorbed much of Ben's energy.行政职务耗掉本很多精力。
• He has proved himself capable as administrator.他表现出管理才能。

8 administrators   

n.管理者( administrator的名词复数 )；有管理（或行政）才能的人；（由遗嘱检验法庭指定的）遗产管理人；奉派暂管主教教区的牧师

参考例句：

• He had administrators under him but took the crucial decisions himself. 他手下有管理人员，但重要的决策仍由他自己来做。 来自辞典例句
• Administrators have their own methods of social intercourse. 办行政的人有他们的社交方式。 来自汉英文学 - 围城

9 bellowed   

v.发出吼叫声，咆哮（尤指因痛苦）( bellow的过去式和过去分词 )；（愤怒地）说出（某事），大叫

参考例句：

• They bellowed at her to stop. 他们吼叫着让她停下。
• He bellowed with pain when the tooth was pulled out. 当牙齿被拔掉时，他痛得大叫。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》