E

　　A different sort of generation gap is developing in the workplace.Someone-specifically the father­daughter team of Larry and Meagan Johnson-has figured out that on some American job sites，five generations are working side by side.

　　In their new book about generations in the workplace the pair argue that while such an age difference adds a lot of texture and a variety of life experiences，it can also bring tensions and conflicts.

　　The Johnsons are human­resource trainers and public speakers.Dad Larry is a former health­care executive;daughter Meagan is a onetime high­level sales manager.

　　Here are the oldest and youngest of the five generations they identify：

　　They call the oldest group Traditionals，born before 1945.They were heavily influenced by the lessons of the Great Depression and World War Ⅱ.They respect authority, set a high standard of workmanship，and communicate easily and confidently.But they're also stubbornly independent.They want their opinions heard.

　　At the other extreme are what the Johnsons call Linksters，born after 1995 into today's more complicated，multimedia world.They live and breathe technology and are often social activists.

　　You won't find many 15­year olds in the offices of large companies，except as volunteers，of course，but quite old and quite young workers do come together in sales environments like bike shops and ice cream stores.

　　The Johnsons，Larry and Meagan，represent a generation gap themselves in their work with jobsite issues.The Johnsons' point is that as the average lifespan continues to rise and retirement dates get delayed because of the tight economy，people of different generations are working side by side，more often bringing with them very different ideas about company loyalty and work values.

　　The five generations are heavily influenced by quite different events，social trends，and the cultural phenomena of their times.Their experiences shape their behavior and make it difficult，sometimes，for managers to achieve a strong and efficient workplace.

　　Larry and Meagan Johnson discuss all this in greater detail in a new book，“Generations，Inc.：From Boomers to Linksters-Managing the Friction Between Generations at Work.”published by Amacom Press，which is available in all good bookstores from this Friday.

　　【語篇解讀】 本文通過介紹一對父女出版的新書向我們解釋了現代社會出現的一種新現象：不同的幾代人可能在同一個公司上班，而他們之間的這種“代溝”導致了他們在工作時觀點不一……

　　51.The type of generation gap in Paragraph 1 refers to the difference in beliefs________.

　　A.between managers and workers

　　B.among family members

　　C.among employees

　　D.between older and newer companies

　　解析　推理判斷題。根據文章第一段第一句話中的in the workplace和該段最后一句話中的five generations are working side by side，可知文章中討論的generation gap是有關在同一公司上班的員工之間的不同觀念。因此C項正確。

　　答案　C

　　52.Which of the following statements is NOT true about Traditionals?

　　A.They've learned much from war and economic disaster.

　　B.They're difficult to work with as they are stubborn.

　　C.They respect their boss and hope to be respected.

　　D.They're independent workers with great confidence.

　　解析　細節(jié)理解題。根據文章第五段內容可知，所謂的Traditionals是指1945年以前出生的人。根據這一段有關這類人的描述可知，A、C、D三項都是正確的，只有B項與原文內容不符。

　　答案　B

　　53.According to the passage，the Linksters are usually________.

　　A.found working in the offices of large companies

　　B.influenced by multimedia and technology

　　C.enthusiastic multimedia activists

　　D.ice cream sellers

　　解析　細節(jié)理解題。根據第六段內容可知B項正確。

　　答案　 B

　　54.According to the passage，modern workforces are more diverse because________.

　　A.people want to increase their average lifespan

　　B.many young people are entering the workforce

　　C.employees with different values can benefit their companies

　　D.retirement dates are being delayed for economic reasons

　　解析　細節(jié)理解題。根據文章倒數第三段最后一句話可知D項正確，即由于經濟的原因，退休年齡推遲，進而導致不同時代的人在一起上班。

　　答案　D

　　55.What's the main purpose of the passage?

　　A.To promote a new book by Larry and Meagan Johnson.

　　B.To describe the five different workplace generations.

　　C.To introduce the Johnsons' research about diverse workforces.

　　D.To identify a major problem in modern workforces.

　　解析　推理判斷題。文章最后一段的大意是：Larry和Meagan Johnson在他們的新書里仔細討論了這個問題，由Amacom出版社出版，從本周五在所有書店里都能買到。由這段的內容可知，本文的寫作目的是介紹一本新書。另外，第二段中的In their new book about generations也是答案提示。由此可知，A項正確。

　　答案　A