2024年专四阅读练习：高层薪酬

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　　高层薪酬

　　Business has slowed, layoffs mount, but executivepay continues to roar-at least so far. BusinessWeek's annual survey finds that chief executiveofficers (CEOs) at 365 0f the largest US companiesgot compensation last year averaging $3.1 million-up l.3 percent from 1994.

　　Why are the top bosses getting an estimated 485 times the pay of a typical factory worker? That is up from 475 times in 1999 and a mere 42 times in 1980. One reason may be whatexperts call the "Lake Wobegon effect". Corporate boards tend to reckon that "all CEOs areabove average"-a play on Garrison Keillor's famous line in his public radio show, A Prairie HomeCompanion, that all the town's children arc "above average". Consultants provide boards withsurveys of corporate CEO compensation. Since directors are reluctant to regard their CEOsas below average, the compensation committees of boards tend to set pay at an above-average level. The result; Pay levels get ratcheted up.

　　Defenders of lavish CEO pay argue there is such a strong demand for experienced CEOs thatthe free market forces their pay up. They further maintain most boards structure pay packagesto reflect an executive's performance. They get paid more if their companies and their stockdo well. So companies with high-paid CEOs generate great wealth for their shareholders.

　　But the supposed cream-of-the-crop executives did surprisingly poorly for their shareholders in1999, says Scott Klinger, author of this report by a Bostonbased Organization United for a FairEconomy. If an investor had put $10,000 apiece at the end of 1999 into the stock of thosecompanies with the 10 highest-paid CEOs, by year-end 2000 the investment would have shrunkto $8.132. If $10,000 had been put into the Standard & Poor's 500 stocks, it would havebeen worth $9,090. To Mr. Klinger, these findings suggest that the theory that one person, theCEO, is responsible for creating most of a corporation's value is dead wrong. "It takes manyemployees to make a corporation profitable."

　　With profits down, corporate boards may make more effort to tame executivecompensation. And executives are making greater efforts to avoid pay cut. Since CEOs, seeing their options "under water" or worthless because of falling stock prices, are seekingmore pay in cash or in restricted stock.

　　1.Which of the following statements is trueabout Garrison Keillor?

　　A) His idea on the CEOs was recognized bycor[,orate boards.

　　B) One of his lines had been modified to describethe CEOs.

　　C) His play pointed out that "all CEOs are above average".

　　D) His radio program aroused the "Lake Wobegon effect".

　　2.According to the second paragraph. CEOs' pay keeps soaring mainlybecause___________.

　　A) surveys indicate that CEOs deserve higher pay

　　B) consultants tend to believe CEOs are above average

　　C) directors' belief greatly influences the pay standard

　　D) compensation committees seldom evaluate the CEOs' ability

　　3.Scott Klinger most probably tends to agree Chat____________.

　　A) most people lose money in the investment into the stocks

　　B) the CEOs performance can't be reflected by the value of stocks

　　C) the CEOs are not the only factor that prospers a corporation

　　D) the pay of the CEOs greatly influences the profit of' a company

　　4."Cream-of-the-crop" is closest in meaning to____________.

　　A) competent

　　B) courageous

　　C) disappointing

　　D) hard-working

　　5.Which of the following is the biggest concern of the corporate boards?

　　A)The free market.

　　B)The CEOs’ performance.

　　C) The corporations' profit.

　　D)The CEOs’ pay.

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