While success is surely sweeter than failure, it seems failure is a far better teacher, and organizations that fail spectacularly often flourish more in the long run, according to a new study by Vinit Desai, assistant professor of management at the University of Colorado Denver Business School. Researchers have found that people missing their goals perform much better in the long run. That is because they gain more knowledge from their failures than their successes and the lessons are more likely to stay longer in their minds.
“We found that the knowledge gained from success was often fleeting while knowledge from failure stuck around for years,” said professor Desai, who led the study. “But companies often ignore failure. Managers may fire people or turn over the whole workforce while they should treat the failure as a learning opportunity.”
Prof Desai compared the flights of the space shuttle Atlantis and the Challenger. During the 2002 Atlantis flight, a piece of insulation (絕緣體) broke off and damaged the left solid rocket booster (助推火箭) but didn’t influence the program. There was little investigation. The Challenger was launched next and another piece of insulation broke off. This time the shuttle and its seven–person crew were destroyed. The disaster led to a major investigation resulting in 29 changes to prevent future disasters.
The difference in response in the two cases came down to this: Atlantis was considered a success and the Challenger a failure.
“Despite crowded skies, airlines are extremely reliable,” he said. “The number of failures is extremely small. And past researches have shown that older airlines, those with more experience in failure, have a lower number of accidents.”
Prof Desai doesn’t recommend finding out failure in order to learn. Instead, he advises organizations to analyze small failures to collect useful information rather than wait for major failures.
【小題1】Why did experts pay little attention to the problem of Atlantis?

A．Because it worked perfectly.
B．Because the right booster was still OK.
C．Because nothing serious happened then.
D．Because fewer people died in the flight.
【小題2】Fewer accidents happen to older airlines in that _____.
A．their planes couldn’t fly high in the sky
B．they gained much from experience in failure
C．their planes were often checked by the experts
D．they were unpopular among passengers
【小題3】The passage is written mainly to _____.
A．show failure is a better teacher than success
B．explain why Challenger failed
C．introduce something about Prof Desai
D．tell managers how to achieve success
【小題4】Which writing strategy is NOT used in developing the passage?
A．Giving definitions.B．Making comparisons.
C．Analyzing causes.D．Providing different examples.


【小題1】C
【小題2】B
【小題3】A
【小題4】A

解析

練習(xí)冊(cè)系列答案
相關(guān)習(xí)題

科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源： 題型：閱讀理解

Beauty has always been regarded as something praiseworthy. Almost everyone thinks attractive people are happier and healthier, have better marriages and have more respectable jobs. Personal ad??visors give them better advice for finding jobs. Even judges are softer on attractive defendants. But in the executive (主管的) circle, beauty can become a liability.

While attractiveness is a positive factor for a man on his. way up the executive ladder, it is harm??ful to a woman. Handsome male executives were considered having more honesty than plainer men; effort and ability were thought to lead to their success. Attractive female executives were considered to have less honesty than unattractive ones; their success was connected not with ability but with factors such as luck.

All unattractive women executives were thought to have more honesty and to be more capable than the attractive female executives. Interestingly, though, the rise of the attractive overnight succes??ses was connected more to personal relationships and less to ability than that of the unattractive over??night successes.

Why are attractive women not thought to be able? An attractive woman considered to be more feminine has an advantage in traditionally female jobs, but an attractive woman in a traditionally man??ly position appears to lack the " manly" qualities required.

This is true even in politics, “When the only clue is how he or she looks, people treat men and women differently,” says Anne Bowman, who recently published a study on the effects of attractive??ness on political candidates (候選人). She asked 125 undergraduate students to rank two groups of photographs, one of men and one of women, in order of attractiveness. The students were told the photographs were of candidates for political offices. They were asked to rank them again, in the order they would vote for them.

The results showed that attractive males completely defeated unattractive men, but the women who had ranked most attractive unchangeably received the fewest votes.

5. The underlined word "liability" most probably means ______.

A. disadvantage          B. advantage           C. misfortune         D. trouble

6. Bowman’s experiment shows that when it comes to politics, attractiveness ______.

A. turns out to be a disadvantage to men

B. is more of a disadvantage than an advantage to women

C. has as little effect on men as on women

D. affects men and women alike

7. It can be inferred from the passage that people’s views on beauty are often ______.

A. practical            B. supportive          C. old-fashioned         D. one-sided

8. The author writes this passage to______.

A. give advice to job-seekers who are attractive

B. discuss the disadvantages of being attractive

C. demand equal rights for women

D. state the importance of appearance

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源：2013-2014學(xué)年浙江省高三上學(xué)期第一次階段性測(cè)試英語(yǔ)試卷（解析版） 題型：閱讀理解

Justin Bieber used to be an ordinary Canadian boy, but his life totally changed in 2008. With his great musical talent, this 17-year-old boy has become a superstar in the music industry.

   Justin Bieber was born in Straford, Ontario and was raised by his single mother. Bieber learned to play musical instruments when he was very young. In 2007, he took part in a local singing competition in his hometown, and he did it just for fun. He never took singing lessons before but surprisingly he placed second in the competition. Then,with the help of his mother, he uploaded videos of him singing on a website and they successfully attracted the attention of viewers. His videos got popular through word of mouth and some of them have received up to 10,000,000 views.

   Justin Bieber would have never gotten a career in the music business without his videos. Scooter Braun, a former marketing executive of So So Def Recordings, had watched Bieber’s videos and he was impressed by the boy’s talent. Braun then contracted Bieber and he flew the boy into Atlanta 7 months after the first video was posted. Bieber showed his talent in singing as well as his ability in playing musical instruments. He then got a record deal.

   In 2009,Justin Bieber released his first single “One Time” while he was recording the debut album（首張專輯）.The single “One Time” tells a story about love. This song had success not only in Canada and the US, but also in the international market. Then he released his debut album “My World 2.0”in 2010 and the song “Baby” became the lead single. This album successfully entered the Top Ten Charts in seven countries. In June 2010, he started his first world tour in Hartford, Connecticut. One month later, he started recording his second album.

1.Justin Bieber’s career in music began to take off when ________.

A. he met with Scooter Braun   

B. he released his debut album

C. he won second place in a competition 

D. his singing videos were uploaded to a website

2.It can be inferred from the text that Justin Bieber ___________.

A. owed his success to good luck

B. showed a gift for music when he was young

C. is the youngest superstar ever in the music industry

D. released his debut album with the help of Scooter Braun

3.What do we learn about Justin Bieber’s “One Time” according to the text?

A. It is about love and was released in 2010.

B. It attracted the world’s attention after released.

C. It successfully entered the Top Ten Charts in seven countries.

D. It is the lead single of his debut album “My World 2.0”.

4.What is the best title for the text?

A. Justin Bieber’s journey to success.

B. Lucky boy-- Justin Bieber.

C. What made Justin Bieber a singer.

D. Secrets of Justin Bieber’s succes.

 

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源：2015屆四川省成都外國(guó)語(yǔ)學(xué)校高一下學(xué)期期中考試英語(yǔ)試卷（解析版） 題型：其他題

 Fill in the blanks with the given words in their proper forms. There are two extra. (10 points)

give out   put stress on    give in   come into being   cut off concern ... with

date from    come across   under the influence of  cut down contribute to

bring an end  to

1.I tried every possible means to persuade him to give up the plan with little succes, and finally my patience _________.

2. He had no choice but _________ to his wife when a quarrel broke out between them because he is a responsible and gentle man who loves his wife so much.

3. As a science student, I’d like to choose a career which _________ engineering after graduation from college.

4.____________ his mother who was born into a very poor family, the boy also formed a habit of saving.

5.While teaching how to write a formal letter, the teacher _____________ the conventions, content as well as the details including the vocabulary, grammar and accuracy of the language.

6.The Three Gorges Dam was completed in 2002, ___________ the danger of flooding .

7.Since Chairman Xi Jinpin came to power, many local governments in China ___________ the cost of all kinds of meetings greatly.

8.____________the 11th century, the old buildings of Paris including the palaces, castles and churches have attracted masses of visitors.

9.If you ___________ a monster which only existed in fictional novels or movies on the road, would you feel so frightened as to freeze?

10.From my perspective, it is poor air quality that __________ an increasing number of people getting ill.

 

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源：2010屆福建省高二上學(xué)期期末考試 題型：閱讀理解

 

 Beauty has always been regarded as something praiseworthy. Almost everyone thinks attractive people are happier and healthier, have better marriages and have more respectable jobs.      

Personal ad­visors give them better advice for finding jobs. Even judges are softer on attractive defendants. But in the executive (主管的) circle, beauty can become a liability. While attractiveness is a positive factor for a man on his way up the executive ladder, it is harm­ful to a woman. Handsome male executives were considered having more honesty than plainer men; effort and ability were thought to lead to their success. Attractive female executives were considered to have less honesty than unattractive ones; their success was connected not with ability but with factors such as luck. All unattractive women executives were thought to have more honesty and to be more capable than the attractive female executives. Interestingly, though, the rise of the attractive overnight succes­ses was connected more with personal relationships and less to ability than that of the unattractive over­night successes. Why are attractive women not thought to be able? An attractive woman considered to be more womanish has an advantage in traditionally female jobs, but an attractive woman in a traditionally man­ly position appears to lack the “manly” qualities. This is true even in politics, “When the only clue is how he or she looks, people treat men and women differently,” says Anne Bowman, who recently published a study on the effects of attractive­ness on political candidates. She asked 125 undergraduate students to rank two groups of photographs, one of men and one of women, in order of attractiveness. The students were told the photographs were of candidates for political offices. They were asked to rank them again, in the order they would vote for them. The results showed that attractive males completely defeated unattractive men, but the women who had ranked most attractive unchangeably received the fewest votes.

73. The underlined word "liability" most probably means ______.

   A. disadvantage     B. advantage   C. misfortune         D. trouble

74. Bowman’s experiment shows that when it comes to politics, attractiveness ______.

  A. turns out to be a disadvantage to both men and women

  B. is more of a disadvantage than an advantage to women

  C. has as little effect on men as on women

  D. slightly affects both men and women

75. It can be inferred from the passage that people’s views on beauty are often ______.

  A. practical              B. supportive          C. old-fashioned        D. one-sided

 

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源： 題型：閱讀理解

 Beauty has always been regarded as something praiseworthy. Almost everyone thinks attractive people are happier and healthier, have better marriages and have more respectable jobs.      

Personal ad??visors give them better advice for finding jobs. Even judges are softer on attractive defendants. But in the executive (主管的) circle, beauty can become a liability. While attractiveness is a positive factor for a man on his way up the executive ladder, it is harm??ful to a woman. Handsome male executives were considered having more honesty than plainer men; effort and ability were thought to lead to their success. Attractive female executives were considered to have less honesty than unattractive ones; their success was connected not with ability but with factors such as luck. All unattractive women executives were thought to have more honesty and to be more capable than the attractive female executives. Interestingly, though, the rise of the attractive overnight succes??ses was connected more with personal relationships and less to ability than that of the unattractive over??night successes. Why are attractive women not thought to be able? An attractive woman considered to be more womanish has an advantage in traditionally female jobs, but an attractive woman in a traditionally man??ly position appears to lack the “manly” qualities. This is true even in politics, “When the only clue is how he or she looks, people treat men and women differently,” says Anne Bowman, who recently published a study on the effects of attractive??ness on political candidates. She asked 125 undergraduate students to rank two groups of photographs, one of men and one of women, in order of attractiveness. The students were told the photographs were of candidates for political offices. They were asked to rank them again, in the order they would vote for them. The results showed that attractive males completely defeated unattractive men, but the women who had ranked most attractive unchangeably received the fewest votes.

73. The underlined word "liability" most probably means ______.

   A. disadvantage     B. advantage   C. misfortune         D. trouble

74. Bowman’s experiment shows that when it comes to politics, attractiveness ______.

  A. turns out to be a disadvantage to both men and women

  B. is more of a disadvantage than an advantage to women

  C. has as little effect on men as on women

  D. slightly affects both men and women

75. It can be inferred from the passage that people’s views on beauty are often ______.

  A. practical              B. supportive          C. old-fashioned        D. one-sided

查看答案和解析>>

同步練習(xí)冊(cè)答案