The modem open office was originally designed for team building but now it is mostly distinguished by its high noise levels and lack of privacy.
The noise of the open office is one of employees’ chief complaints, and research shows that the constant noise can actually destroy our motivation. In a study published in the Journal of Applied Psychology, 40 female workers suffered from open - plan office noise for three hours. Another group experienced three hours of blessed quiet. Afterwards, both groups were given puzzles which had no solution. The participants who’d been treated to a quiet work setting kept working hard at the puzzles, while the participants who’d stood the noisy conditions gave up after fewer attempts.
Look around any open - plan office today and you will see that many workers deal with this problem by wearing earplugs or headphones. Although it might seem that importing one’s own noise wouldn’t be much of a solution, experts say that this approach could be effective in at least one aspect.
Another frequent complaint is the lack of privacy in an open office. Designers and managers believed that workers would be more likely to have casual conversations that can inspire new ideas. However, research shows conversations among employees in open offices tend to be short and skin - deep.
The original promoters also hoped that the setting would make co - workers available to help one other. That’s great for the help seeker; not so great for the help giver who has her own work to do.
29. What was the original purpose of open - plan offices?
A. To spare more room. B. To promote cooperation.
C. To reduce work stress. D. To save office expenses.
30. What’s experts’ opinion about wearing earplugs?
A. It will make more noise. B. It destroy workers’ motivation.
C. It is helpful in a way. D. It will fix the problem completely.
31. What can we learn about open offices?
A. Conversations seldom lead to creativity.
B. They create more sincere communicating opportunities.
C. Help seekers are disturbed too much.
D. Help givers enjoy more respect.
BCA
A. Profits enlarging B. Technology developing C. Education investing D. Benefits transferring E. Dominance disappearing F. A nation rising |
The following is an imaginary diary entry written by US president. This diary is part of Global Trends 2025, which was written by the US National Intelligence Council
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The
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Global wealth and economic power will shift from West to East.
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The transition from old fuels to new will be slow, as will the development of new technologies that present feasible alternatives to fossil fuels or help eliminate food and water problems. All current technologies are inadequate, and new ones will probably not be commercially possible by 2025