2011年考研英语一阅读 Text 2 原文翻译及答案解析

When Liam McGee departed as president of Bank of America in August, his explanation was surprisingly straight up. Rather than cloaking his exit in the usual vague excuses, he came right out and said he was leaving "to pursue my goal of running a company." Broadcasting his ambition was "very much my decision," McGee says. Within two weeks, he was talking for the first time with the board of Hartford Financial Services Group, which named him CEO and chairman on September 29.

当利亚姆·麦吉在八月辞去美国银行总裁一职时，他的解释出奇地直白。他没有像往常那样用模糊的借口掩饰自己的离职，而是直言不讳地表示离开是“为了追求我经营一家公司的目标。”麦吉说，公开自己的雄心“完全是自己的决定。”两周内，他首次与哈特福德金融服务集团的董事会进行了交谈，该公司于9月29日任命他为首席执行官兼董事长。

McGee says leaving without a position lined up gave him time to reflect on what kind of company he wanted to run. It also sent a clear message to the outside world about his aspirations. And McGee isn't alone. In recent weeks the No.2 executives at Avon and American Express quit with the explanation that they were looking for a CEO post. As boards scrutinize succession plans in response to shareholder pressure, executives who don't get the nod also may wish to move on. A turbulent business environment also has senior managers cautious of letting vague pronouncements cloud their reputations.

麦吉说，没有提前安排职位就离开，让他有时间思考自己想经营什么样的公司。这也向外界发出了关于他抱负的明确信息。麦吉并非个例。最近几周，雅芳和美国运通的二号高管辞职，解释称他们正在寻找首席执行官职位。随着董事会因股东压力而审视继任计划，未获认可的高管也可能希望另谋高就。动荡的商业环境也让高级经理们谨慎对待模糊声明，以免损害自己的声誉。

As the first signs of recovery begin to take hold, deputy chiefs may be more willing to make the jump without a net. In the third quarter, CEO turnover was down 23% from a year ago as nervous boards stuck with the leaders they had, according to Liberum Research. As the economy picks up, opportunities will abound for aspiring leaders.

随着复苏的初步迹象开始显现，副职高管可能更愿意在没有后备计划的情况下跳槽。根据利伯伦研究的数据，第三季度首席执行官更替率较去年同期下降了23%，因为紧张的董事会坚持使用现有领导者。随着经济好转，有抱负的领导者将机会众多。

The decision to quit a senior position to look for a better one is unconventional. For years executives and headhunters have adhered to the rule that the most attractive CEO candidates are the ones who must be poached. Says Korn/Ferry senior partner Dennis Carey: "I can't think of a single search I've done where a board has not instructed me to look at sitting CEOs first."

辞去高级职位去寻找更好职位的决定是非传统的。多年来，高管和猎头一直遵循这样的规则：最有吸引力的首席执行官候选人是那些必须被挖角的人。光辉国际高级合伙人丹尼斯·凯里说：“我做过的每一次搜索中，董事会都指示我首先考虑现任首席执行官。”

Those who jumped without a job haven't always landed in top positions quickly. Ellen Marram quit as chief of Tropicana a decade ago, saying she wanted to be a CEO. It was a year before she became head of a tiny Internet-based commodities exchange. Robert Willumstad left Citigroup in 2005 with ambitions to be a CEO. He finally took that post at a major financial institution three years later.

那些没有工作就跳槽的人并不总是很快就能获得顶级职位。十年前，埃伦·马拉姆辞去纯果乐公司负责人一职，说她想成为首席执行官。一年后，她才成为一家小型互联网商品交易所的负责人。罗伯特·威勒姆斯塔德于2005年离开花旗集团，怀有成为首席执行官的雄心。三年后，他终于在一家大型金融机构担任了该职位。

Many recruiters say the old disgrace is fading for top performers. The financial crisis has made it more acceptable to be between jobs or to leave a bad one. "The traditional rule was it's safer to stay where you are, but that's been fundamentally inverted," says one headhunter. "The people who've been hurt the worst are those who've stayed too long."

许多招聘人员表示，对于顶级表现者来说，旧的耻辱感正在消退。金融危机使得处于失业状态或离开糟糕工作更被接受。“传统规则是留在原地更安全，但这一点已经被根本性地颠覆了，”一位猎头说。“受伤最深的是那些停留太久的人。”

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