9．Virtual （虚拟） Teams
Virtual teams are a great way to enable teamwork in situations where people are not sitting in the same office at the same time．（51）E This is particularly so for businesses that use virtual teams to build global presence，or need less common skills or knowledge from people who are unwilling to travel．
Virtual teams are governed by the same basic principles as traditional teams．（52）A It is the way the team members communicate．They rely on special communication channels enabled by modern technologies，such as emails，faxes，and teleconferences，and alike．Due to more limited communication channels，the success of virtual teams is much more sensitive to the type of project the group works on，what people are selected，and how the team is managed．
（53）B One challenging case is the projects that rely heavily on integrated work．That is to say，when each person's work depends significantly on what someone else is doing at the same moment，like in a sports team，there is an ongoing heavy exchange of information in real time，and the tasks have to go through a strict order within a short time．
Not everyone can perform well in a virtual team environment．（54）D Another important quality is communication skills．The team members must be able to communicate clearly and positively．
Managers of virtual teams need to pay much more attention to having clear goals，performance standards，and communication rules．People have various assumptions on what to expect from each other．（55）G
One of the biggest challenges of virtual teams is building trust between the team members．Trust is important for unblocking communication between members and increasing motivation of each person in the team．The issue of trust needs special attention at any stage of team existence．
A．Yet，there is one significant difference．
B．Not every type of project is suitable for a virtual team．
C．A virtual team can choose whatever project they like to work on．
D．The members must be self-motivated and able to work independently．
E．Such teams are now widely used by companies and organizations to cut business costs．
F．Members of virtual teams communicate quite well although they never meet face-to-face．
G．To avoid misunderstanding，clear rules that everyone understands and agrees on are necessary．
分析 文章大意：当人们没有同时坐在同一间办公室时，虚拟团队是能使团队合作的一种很好的方式，这种团队现在被很多公司和组织广泛使用来降低商业成本．
解答 51．E 根据下文，虚拟团队尤其适用于用它建立国际覆盖面的公司（"This isparticularly so for businesses that use virtual teams to build globalpresence…"）．这里应该是：这样的团队现在广泛地被公司和组织使用，用它可以减少商业成本（"Such teams arenow widely used by companies and organizations to cut business costs．"）．
52．A 前面讲这种团队的管理和传统的一样，后面讲团队成员之间的交流和传统的不一样，A项"但是，有一个重要的区别"在此承上启下，符合语境．
53．B 根据下文，一种挑战情况是严重依赖于协调工作的项目（"One challengingcase is the projects that rely heavily on integrated work．"）．这里应该是：不是所有类型的项目都适合于虚拟团队（"Not every typeof project is suitable for a virtual team．．"）．
54．D 由后面的"The team members must be able to communicate clearly and positively．"可知，此处是对团队成员的要求，D项符合语境．
55．G 根据上文．关于对彼此的预期，人们有各种不同的设想（"People havevarious assumptions on what to expect from each other．"）．这里应该是：为避免误解，所有人理解、赞成的清楚的规定，这是必要的（"To avoidmisunderstanding，clear rules thateveryone understands and agrees on are necessary．"）．
点评 该题备选项可分为主旨概括句（文章整体内容）、过渡性句子（文章结构）和注释性句子（上下文逻辑意义）三类．其多余的两个干扰项也往往从这三方面进行设置，例如主旨概括句或过于宽泛或以偏概全或偏离主题，过渡性句子不能反映文章的行文结构，注释性句子与上文脱节等．
