1、剑桥商务英语中级口语-2 及答案解析(总分：100.00，做题时间：90 分钟)一、SPEAKING(总题数：1，分数：100.00)Secrets of Effective Office HumorMargot Carmichael Lester loves making good-natured jokes at work. As owner of The Word Factory, a Carrboro, N. C., content-creation company, she looks for employees with a sense of humor. “I only want
2、 to work with people who can take a joke.“Sometimes, though, her jokes fall flat. Last month, at a meeting with insurance-industry clients, she poked fungentlyat how people often view their insurers: “I mean, who really expects to hear, Im calling from your insurance company and Im here to help?“ Th
3、e joke died amid a few titters, she says. While she recovered and completed the client project successfully, the memory lingers. “If you are funny and putting yourself out there, making yourself vulnerable, and people dont respond? That hurts.“Employers like to hire people with a sense of humor, res
4、earch shows. And mixing laughter and fun into a company culture can attract skilled workers, according to a study last year in the journal Human Relations. A 2011 study at Pennsylvania State University found that a good laugh activates the same regions of the brain that light up over a fat bonus che
5、ck.But the office can be a comedic minefield. Making colleagues laugh takes timing, self-confidenceand the ability to rebound from a blooper.“People will like you better if they find you funny. They will also think you are smarter.“ says Scott Adams, creator of the popular syndicated cartoon Dilbert
6、. But if youve never been funny before, trying to start in the workplacethe most important place youll ever be in your lifeis a terrible idea, says Mr. Adams, author of a new book, How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big.Fred Kilbourne says his knack for funny banter has helped his career
7、 as an actuary, making him a sought-after speaker and participant in professional groups. “Actuarial work can be pretty dull and deadly, and Im always looking for a way to make it a little lighter.“ says Mr. Kilbourne, of San Diego. “People say, I cant tell when youre kidding. My usual answer is, “I
8、f my lips are moving, Im kidding.“Not that he hasnt had a few missteps. He once cracked a joke in the middle of a serious discussion by a committee on auto-insurance risk, prompting a fellow participant to say, “You know, were trying to get something serious done here, and this is not helpful.“ reca
9、lls Mr. Kilbourne. “He was right.“ he says. “I was a serious contributor for the rest of the meeting.“Office jokesters must be ready with a funny comeback if they drop a clunker, making sure to deliver it in a warm, non-sarcastic tone, says Michael Kerr, a Calgary, Alberta, speaker, author and consu
10、ltant on humor at work. Turn the joke on yourself. For example: “It takes a special human being to do what I just did.“ or, “This is great. I was feeling a little under-stressed today.“ Mr. Kerr says.It is also important to read the nuances of co-workers moods and attitudes and pick the right contex
11、t for jokes, says Andrew Tarvin, a New York City humor coach. Mr. Adams says he watches listeners body language. If they tense up, or they avert their gaze or narrow their eyes, it isnt a good time to crack wise.Most people know the taboos: Divisive racist, ethnic or sexist jokes, are out. Beyond th
12、ose boundaries, a jokester should consider the ramifications if a joke showed up on Twitter or Facebook.One way to keep humor positive is to apply the “yes-and“ technique used in improvisational comedy, says Zach Ward, managing director of ImprovBoston, a Cambridge, Mass., theater and humor-training
13、 school. (Many students come there, he says, to build interpersonal skills they can use in the workplace.) A co-worker who hears a joke might “actively add to what you have you have said.“ he says. If the sound system crashes during a presentation, for example, the speaker might say, “Was it somethi
14、ng I said?“ while other employees might play off and extend the witticism with, “It must have been your electrifying humor.“ or “Whose turn was it to pay the electrical bill?“The best office humor brings people together, often through shared pranks or inside jokes, Mr. Tarvin says. For nearly three
15、years, employees at Silver Lining Ltd. held monthly “corporate jargon days“ when they tried to use as much vague, bureaucratic language as possible, says Carissa Reiniger, founder and chief executive of the New York City-based small-business management consulting firm.The goal: to goad the group to
16、break the buzzword habit. Before going to lunch, she says, “Wed joke about having a three-hour strategy session to do a SWAT analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of Subway vs. McDonalds, considering how we could all get into alignment and move forward together as a team.“ After the lesson was ab
17、sorbed, they dropped the ritual.Teasing or kidding co-workers can allow people to disagree or deliver criticism in a playful way, without arousing anger or defensiveness, says Kevin Cruthirds, an assistant professor of management at the University of Texas at Brownsville and co-author of a 2006 stud
18、y on workplace humor. A boss might joke with an employee about spending 80 on a hotel minibar during a business trip, making a point while also getting a laugh, he says. (This approach shouldnt be used in more serious situations that might affect someones performance record or compensation.)A study
19、published earlier this year in the Leadership Organization Development Journal says executives and managers who use self-deprecating humor appear more approachable and human to subordinates.Paul Spiegelman, co-founder of BerylHealth, a Bedford, Texas, medical call-center company, stars in annual off
20、ice videos. One year, he was shown applying for jobs as a short-order cook and a theater projectionist because he didnt feel valued any more at the company. Another year, in a parody of Dancing with the Stars, he donned in-line skates and a matador costume and danced with his chief operating officer
21、.Humor breaks down silos and flattens the organization, fostering employee loyalty and productivity, says Mr. Spiegelman, who recently sold the company to SteriCycle Inc., where he is chief culture officer.Any employee, however, can use self-enhancing humor to make light of failures, polish her imag
22、e or rise above stress, Dr. Cruthirds says. One study cited a team of co-workers who kidded each other almost constantly. In a meeting where one employee delivered a document with a mistake in it, a laughing co-worker accused him of failing his word-processing training. The perps comeback drew anoth
23、er laugh: “I find it really hard to be perfect at everything.“Beth Slazaks part-time job in a physicians office requires taking calls about medical records from people who are often tense and rushed. To lighten things up, Ms. Slazak, of Cowlesville, N. Y., answers the phone with fictitious job title
24、s. Her first one, “This is Beth, Office Ray of Sunshine.“ made a co-worker sitting nearby spit out her coffee, Ms. Slazak says. Others include Dragon Slayer, Narnia Tour Guide, Zombie Defender and Hope for All Mankind.Her boss and co-workers in the small office approve, she says, since theyre not th
25、e only ones who laugh: Callers almost always do, too. “If you can get somebody who sounds uptight to giggle, its totally a win.“ says Ms. Slazak.（分数：100.00）(1).Answer the following question.How to make your workspace more comfortable?（分数：50.00）_(2).Discuss the following questions with your partner.a
26、. Should employees have the right to decide how their workplace is designed?b. What measures should be taken for health and safety issues when planning office space?（分数：50.00）_剑桥商务英语中级口语-2 答案解析(总分：100.00，做题时间：90 分钟)一、SPEAKING(总题数：1，分数：100.00)Secrets of Effective Office HumorMargot Carmichael Lester
27、loves making good-natured jokes at work. As owner of The Word Factory, a Carrboro, N. C., content-creation company, she looks for employees with a sense of humor. “I only want to work with people who can take a joke.“Sometimes, though, her jokes fall flat. Last month, at a meeting with insurance-ind
28、ustry clients, she poked fungentlyat how people often view their insurers: “I mean, who really expects to hear, Im calling from your insurance company and Im here to help?“ The joke died amid a few titters, she says. While she recovered and completed the client project successfully, the memory linge
29、rs. “If you are funny and putting yourself out there, making yourself vulnerable, and people dont respond? That hurts.“Employers like to hire people with a sense of humor, research shows. And mixing laughter and fun into a company culture can attract skilled workers, according to a study last year i
30、n the journal Human Relations. A 2011 study at Pennsylvania State University found that a good laugh activates the same regions of the brain that light up over a fat bonus check.But the office can be a comedic minefield. Making colleagues laugh takes timing, self-confidenceand the ability to rebound
31、 from a blooper.“People will like you better if they find you funny. They will also think you are smarter.“ says Scott Adams, creator of the popular syndicated cartoon Dilbert. But if youve never been funny before, trying to start in the workplacethe most important place youll ever be in your lifeis
32、 a terrible idea, says Mr. Adams, author of a new book, How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big.Fred Kilbourne says his knack for funny banter has helped his career as an actuary, making him a sought-after speaker and participant in professional groups. “Actuarial work can be pretty dull
33、and deadly, and Im always looking for a way to make it a little lighter.“ says Mr. Kilbourne, of San Diego. “People say, I cant tell when youre kidding. My usual answer is, “If my lips are moving, Im kidding.“Not that he hasnt had a few missteps. He once cracked a joke in the middle of a serious dis
34、cussion by a committee on auto-insurance risk, prompting a fellow participant to say, “You know, were trying to get something serious done here, and this is not helpful.“ recalls Mr. Kilbourne. “He was right.“ he says. “I was a serious contributor for the rest of the meeting.“Office jokesters must b
35、e ready with a funny comeback if they drop a clunker, making sure to deliver it in a warm, non-sarcastic tone, says Michael Kerr, a Calgary, Alberta, speaker, author and consultant on humor at work. Turn the joke on yourself. For example: “It takes a special human being to do what I just did.“ or, “
36、This is great. I was feeling a little under-stressed today.“ Mr. Kerr says.It is also important to read the nuances of co-workers moods and attitudes and pick the right context for jokes, says Andrew Tarvin, a New York City humor coach. Mr. Adams says he watches listeners body language. If they tens
37、e up, or they avert their gaze or narrow their eyes, it isnt a good time to crack wise.Most people know the taboos: Divisive racist, ethnic or sexist jokes, are out. Beyond those boundaries, a jokester should consider the ramifications if a joke showed up on Twitter or Facebook.One way to keep humor
38、 positive is to apply the “yes-and“ technique used in improvisational comedy, says Zach Ward, managing director of ImprovBoston, a Cambridge, Mass., theater and humor-training school. (Many students come there, he says, to build interpersonal skills they can use in the workplace.) A co-worker who he
39、ars a joke might “actively add to what you have you have said.“ he says. If the sound system crashes during a presentation, for example, the speaker might say, “Was it something I said?“ while other employees might play off and extend the witticism with, “It must have been your electrifying humor.“
40、or “Whose turn was it to pay the electrical bill?“The best office humor brings people together, often through shared pranks or inside jokes, Mr. Tarvin says. For nearly three years, employees at Silver Lining Ltd. held monthly “corporate jargon days“ when they tried to use as much vague, bureaucrati
41、c language as possible, says Carissa Reiniger, founder and chief executive of the New York City-based small-business management consulting firm.The goal: to goad the group to break the buzzword habit. Before going to lunch, she says, “Wed joke about having a three-hour strategy session to do a SWAT
42、analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of Subway vs. McDonalds, considering how we could all get into alignment and move forward together as a team.“ After the lesson was absorbed, they dropped the ritual.Teasing or kidding co-workers can allow people to disagree or deliver criticism in a playful
43、way, without arousing anger or defensiveness, says Kevin Cruthirds, an assistant professor of management at the University of Texas at Brownsville and co-author of a 2006 study on workplace humor. A boss might joke with an employee about spending 80 on a hotel minibar during a business trip, making
44、a point while also getting a laugh, he says. (This approach shouldnt be used in more serious situations that might affect someones performance record or compensation.)A study published earlier this year in the Leadership Organization Development Journal says executives and managers who use self-depr
45、ecating humor appear more approachable and human to subordinates.Paul Spiegelman, co-founder of BerylHealth, a Bedford, Texas, medical call-center company, stars in annual office videos. One year, he was shown applying for jobs as a short-order cook and a theater projectionist because he didnt feel
46、valued any more at the company. Another year, in a parody of Dancing with the Stars, he donned in-line skates and a matador costume and danced with his chief operating officer.Humor breaks down silos and flattens the organization, fostering employee loyalty and productivity, says Mr. Spiegelman, who
47、 recently sold the company to SteriCycle Inc., where he is chief culture officer.Any employee, however, can use self-enhancing humor to make light of failures, polish her image or rise above stress, Dr. Cruthirds says. One study cited a team of co-workers who kidded each other almost constantly. In
48、a meeting where one employee delivered a document with a mistake in it, a laughing co-worker accused him of failing his word-processing training. The perps comeback drew another laugh: “I find it really hard to be perfect at everything.“Beth Slazaks part-time job in a physicians office requires taki
49、ng calls about medical records from people who are often tense and rushed. To lighten things up, Ms. Slazak, of Cowlesville, N. Y., answers the phone with fictitious job titles. Her first one, “This is Beth, Office Ray of Sunshine.“ made a co-worker sitting nearby spit out her coffee, Ms. Slazak says. Others include Dragon Slayer, Narnia Tour Guide, Zombie D
