Question

【题目】请认真阅读下列短文，并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填入一个最恰当的单词。

注意:每个空格只填一个单词。请将答案写在答题卡上相应题号的横线上。

To keep the creative juices flowing, employees should be receptive to criticism

Researchers have been curious about whether negative feedback really makes people perform better, particularly when it comes to completing creative tasks. The literature has been mixed about this. In a recent investigation, Kim, who in May will join the Cambridge Judge Business School as an assistant professor, observed –– through a field experiment and a lab experiment –– and reported on how receiving negative feedback might impact the creativity of the recipients(接受者).

In both studies, Kim found that negative feedback can inspire or prevent creative thinking. What is most important is where the criticism comes from. When creative professionals or participants received criticism from a boss or a peer, they tended to be less creative in their subsequent work. Interestingly, if an individual received negative feedback from an employee of lower rank, they benefited from it and became more creative.

Some aspects of these findings seem intuitive(凭直觉的). “It makes sense that employees might feel threatened by criticism from their managers,” says Kim. “Supervisors have a lot of influence in deciding promotions or pay raises. So negative feedback from a boss might cause career anxieties.” It also stands to reason that feedback from a co-worker might also be received as threatening because we often compete with our peers for the same promotions and opportunities.

When we feel that pressure from above or from our peers, we tend to fixate on the stressful aspects of it and end up being less creative in our future work, says Kim.

What Kim found most surprising was how negative feedback from their followers (employees that they manage) made supervisors more creative.

“It’s a bit counterintuitive(反直觉的) because we tend to believe we shouldn’t criticize the boss,” says Kim. “In reality, most supervisors are willing to receive negative feedback and learn from it. It’s not that they enjoy criticism –– rather, they are in a natural power position and can cope with the discomfort of negative feedback better.”

The key takeaways: bosses and coworkers need to be more careful when they offer negative feedback to someone they manage or to their peers. And feedback recipients need to worry less when it comes to receiving criticism, says Kim.

“The tough part of being a manager is pointing out a follower’s poor performance or weak points. But it’s a necessary part of the job,” says Kim. “If you’re a supervisor, just be aware that your negative feedback can hurt your followers’ creativity. Followers tend to receive negative feedback personally. Therefore, keep your feedback specific to tasks. Explain how the point you’re discussing relates to only their task behavior, not to aspects of the person.”

In short, anyone who wants to offer negative feedback on the job should do so attentively and sensitively and to promote creativity at work, we should all be receptive to criticism from supervisors, peers and followers.

To keep the creative juices flowing, employees should be receptive to criticism
Introduction to the topic	Experiments are conducted to find out whether negative feedback 【1】 people’s performance or not.
	Negative feedback can inspire or hold back creativity, 【2】 on where the criticism comes from.
【3】 of the study	Criticism from a boss or a peer 【4】 creativity, while negative feedback from lower rank employees will be 【5】.
	Our work is greatly influenced by our supervisors, so their criticism might bring about anxieties.
【6】 for the phenomena	We compete with our peers for the same opportunities, thus feeling 【7】 by their negative feedback.
	Supervisors are in a favourable 【8】 and can learn from their followers’ negative feedback.
Enlightenment from the study	When offering criticism to followers or peers, bosses and coworkers need to keep it 【9】 to their tasks.
	Recipients should adopt a positive 【10】 towards others’ criticism.

Answer 1

【答案】

【1】improves / betters

【2】Findings

【3】depending/based

【4】prevents/checks/hurts/reduces/lowers

【5】beneficial/inspiring/helpful

【6】Explanations /Reasons

【7】threatened

【8】position

【9】specific/limited

【10】attitude

【解析】

本文是议论文。主要讲述了负面反馈对于工作创造力的影响并呼吁人们正确的对待批评。

【1】

理解概括题。第一段第一句Researchers have been curious about whether negative feedback really makes people perform better, particularly when it comes to completing creative tasks.可知，研究者们在研究负面的反馈能否使得人们表现更好，也就是提高，negative feedback是不可数名词，故填improves/betters。

【2】

理解概括题。结合第二段的In both studies, Kim found that可知在说硏究的发现，故填 Findings。

【3】

题理解概括题，也考察固定搭配。第二段第二行 What is most important is where the criticism comes from可知，负面反馈对于创造力是引发还是抑制取决于批评的来源，也就是基于批评的来源，depend on“取决于”，based on“基于”。故填depending/based。

【4】

理解概括题。第二段的When creative professionals or participants received criticism from a boss or a peer, they tended to be less creative in their subsequent work.可知，批评来自上司或者权威人士会抑制降低创造力，主语是不可数名词，故填prevents/checks/hurts/reduces/lowers。

【5】

理解概括题。第二段最后一句 Interestingly, if an individual received negative feedback from an employee of lower rank, they benefited from it and became more creative.可知，相反，从更低级别的下属那里得到批评会从中获益，be动词后接形容词做表语，故填beneficial/inspiring/ helpful。

【6】

理解概括题。6段开始到倒数第二段开始硏究为何会有这种现象，也就是该现象的原因或者解释，故填Explanations/ Reasons。

【7】

原词重现题。第三段最后一句 It also stands to reason that feedback from a co-worker might also be received as threatening because we often compete with our peers for the same promotions and opportunities.可知，人们和平级有竞争关系，因此被批评时也会产生威胁感，feel是系动词，故填threatened。

【8】

原词重现题。第六段最后一句…rather, they are in a natural power position and can cope with the discomfort of negative feedback better. 可知，相反，他们处于自然的权力位置，可以更好地应对负反馈的不适。因此推断管理者处于有利的位置，可以从追随者的负面反馈中学习。故填position。

【9】

原词重现题。根据第八段倒数第二行Therefore, keep your feedback specific to tasks.可知，批评的时候要针对任务或者说局限于任务本身，用形容词作宾语补足语，故填specific/limited。

【10】

理解概括题。最后一段最后一句…we should all be receptive to criticism from supervisors, peers and followers.说明批评的接受者对于批评要抱有一个积极的态度去接受，形容词修饰名词，故填attitude。