托福考试听力部分：练习二_第2页

　　第二部分 中英对照

　　请解释一下什么是集体思维，以及集体思维的作用。请举一些电脑公司的例子。

　　Explain groupthink and its effects. Using the example of the computer company.

　　现在，请阅读一篇关于集体思维的文章。你一共有45秒的时间阅读这篇文章，计时开始。

　　Now read the passage about Groupthink. You will have 45 seconds to read the passage. Begin reading now.

　　现在，请听某商业管理课上关于该话题的部分讲课内容。

　　Now listen to part of a lecture on this topic in a business management class.

　　那么，现在让我来说说自己的一些经历吧。几年前，我供职于一家电脑公司。

　　Male professor: So, let me tell you about my own experiences when I was working for a computer company a couple of years ago.

　　所以呢，有一天我的一位同事和我建议应该对电脑外观重新整改设计：让它们更加具有时代的气息。

　　So, one day a co-worker and I suggested we should give our computers a design make-over: make them look more up-to-date.

　　市场调查显示：如果我们的电脑看起来更炫酷的话，新顾客会更加有兴趣，会更加愿意购买。

　　Market research was showing that new customers said they would be more interested in buying our computers if they looked cooler.

　　我们的技术是进步了，但是电脑的外部设计看起来真是落后。

　　Our technology was advanced but the outside design looked really old-fashioned.

　　起初呢，组里有超过一半的人是支持我们的。

　　At first, more than half the group supported us.

　　但有一些高级经理不支持设计的变动。

　　There were a few senior managers there though who didn't support the design change.

　　其中一位高级经理说：“我们的重心永远是要放在技术上，改变外观是不必要的花费。”

　　One of the senior manager said, "Our focus has always been on technology, changing the look is an unnecessary cost."

　　基本上就在那一瞬间，我们的一些支持者们就改变主意了。甚至我那位同事都改变想法了!

　　Almost immediately, some of our supporters changed their minds! Even my co-worker changed his mind!

　　散会后，我问他为什么呀，他说自己不想给高级经理留下坏印象。

　　When I asked him why after the meeting, he told me he didn't want to make a bad impression on the senior managers.

　　他觉得和他们意见不统一，会影响到自己的升迁机会，因为持反对意见的话会让自己看起来不善于团队合作。

　　He thought that disagreeing with them might jeopardize his chances of getting a promotion by not looking like a team-player.

　　那么我是怎么想的呢?我很讨厌承认这一点，但是，经过几个小时的讨论后，

　　What about me? I hate to admit it, but, after a few hours of discussion,

　　我开始怀疑大家是否值得花时间去讨论这件事?

　　I started wondering if it was worth everyone's time to argue about this?

　　随着越来越多的人站在高级经理那边，我开始觉得只有自己一个人支持整改设计的投票。

　　As more people sided with the senior management, I started to feel that I was the only one holding up the vote.

　　似乎大家都觉得没有改变的必要。所以，最后我投了反对票，反对了自己的观点。

　　Everyone else seemed to think change wasn't necessary. So I voted against my own idea in the end.

　　所以呢，我们全体一致认为要保持现有的老外观设计。

　　So we unanimously decided to stay with the current old-looking design.

　　但是这个决定让我们付出了惨痛的代价，让公司损失了很多钱。

　　But this decision ended up costing us a lot of money.

　　就在同一年，我们的竞争对手推出了新设计，吸引了我们的一些客户，

　　That same year, our competitor came out with a new design that attracted some of our customers

　　也让我们失去了从潜在客户获利的机会。

　　and prevented us from profiting on potential new customers.