Read the following article and select the best answer. Article: It is often said that politeness costs nothing.In fact,it seems that a little more courtesy could save businessesPS5 billion every year. Frequently hearing the phrase "thank you" or "well done" means the same to staff as a modest pay rise,researchers say. Praise and encouragement also makes employees more likely to work hard and stay in their jobs,saving on the cost of finding replacements. A third of 1,000 workers surveyed by consulting firm White Water Strategies said they did not get thanked at all when they did well--and a further third said they were not thanked enough. In both cases,staff said they felt undervalued,meaning they were less likely to exert themselves and were more likely to look for employment elsewhere. The net result is around PS5.2 billion in lost productivity from employees who would raise their game if they felt more appreciated,White Water claimed According to the company,praising staff has the same motivational kick as a 1 per cent pay rise--and works out much cheaper for bosses. Three out of four employees said that regular acknowledgement by their boss was important to them,but only a quarter said they were actually given as much praise as they felt they needed. The survey found that those in blue-collar and manual jobs were less likely to be given any recognition for doing well. In regional terms,Scottish staff felt most undervalued.Four out of ten workers said they were never thanked and eight out of ten said they would like more praise.However,workers in the North-East are less impressed by being buttered up by the boss,as only 69 per cent said they felt the need to be told "well done"regularly. Older employees and women need the most reassurance,according to psychologist Averil Leimon,a director of White Water Strategies.She said that words of praise did more than create a pleasant place to work--they could even boost profits. Question: The main idea of the passage is that _ . - praise and encouragement may help employees work better - workers are always demanding more praise and encouragement - bosses in prefix = st1 /Scotlandusually praise and encourage their staff enough - if undervalued employees will certainly look for employment elsewhere
praise and encouragement may help employees work better
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Read the following article and select the best answer. Article: Imagine yourself on a boat looking out at the horizon and all you can see is the water meeting the sky with no land in sight and you are sailing straight ahead to meet the world. Jesse Martin does not have to imagine: he is living in it. On Dec. 7, 1998, at 17 years old, Jesse set sail from Melbourne, Australia on his boat, attempting to become the youngest person to sail alone and nonstop around the world. He sailed south of New Zealand, through the South Pacific, around South America, north on the Atlantic, back south past Africa, through the Indian Ocean and back to Melbourne. Even as a young child, Jesse had been an adventurer who traveled all over Europe and Asia with his parents. Born in Munich, Germany in 1981, he moved to Australia with his family when he was only two years old. They moved close to a rainforest in Cow Bay, about 3500kms north of Melbourne, where they built a small house with no electricity or running water. Jesse grew up at the beach enjoying the outdoors to its fullest. At 14, he sailed for the first time with his father and brother, Beau. It was after this trip that he began to dream about sailing around the world. Jesse's family played an important role. "I was made to believe I could do anything." he says. Although, he says, there were others that were not so encouraging or supportive, "People that I looked up to, respected and trusted told me I couldn't. Thankfully, I trusted myself. There were people that said that the boat couldn't be ready by the time I had to leave." However, through perseverance and belief in himself he was able to do what many told him was impossible. On Oct.31, 1999, more than 10 months after he set sail, Jesse Martin went down in history as the youngest person to sail around the world alone, nonstop and unassisted. Question: Which of the following made Jesse decide to sail alone around the world? - His childhood adventure experiences. - His journeys to Europe. - His first sailing trip with his family. - His love for outdoor activities.
His first sailing trip with his family.
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Read the following article and select the best answer. Article: Thanks to the Web, We're Alone Together and Loving it There's a professor, Barry Wellman, at the University of Toronto in Canada who has come up with a term to describe the way a lot of us North Americans interact these days. And now a big research study confirms it. Barry Wellman's term is "networked individualism." It's not the easiest concept to grasp. In fact, the words seem to contradict each other. How can we be individualistic and networked at the same time? You need other people for networks. Here's what he means. Until the Internet and e-mail came along, our social networks involved flesh-and-blood relatives, friends, neighbors, and colleagues at work. Some of the interaction was by phone, but it was still voice to voice, person to person, in real time. But the latest study by the Pew Internet and American Life Project confirms that for a lot of people, electronic interaction through the computer has replaced a great deal of social interchange. A lot of folks Pew talked with say that's a good thing, because of concerns that the Internet was turning us into hermits who shut out other people in favor of a make-believe world on flickering computer screens. To the contrary, the Pew study discovered the Internet has put us in touch with more real people than we'd have ever imagined. Helpful people, too. We're turning to an ever-growing list of cyber friends for advice on careers, medical crises, child-rearing, and choosing a school or college. About 60 million Americans told the Pew that the Internet plays an important or crucial role in helping them deal with major life decisions. So we networked individuals are pretty tricky: We're keeping more to ourselves, while at the same time reaching out to more people, all with just the click of a computer mouse! Question: Which of the following has happened since the invention of the Internet and email? - People are talking on the phone more than ever. - Interaction through the computer has replaced a lot of person to person interaction. - Americans are turning into hermits. - Sixty million Americans have bought computers.
Interaction through the computer has replaced a lot of person to person interaction.
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