Passage Five

      本文讲述的是几年前互联网兴起的年代美国白领阶级和企业高层管理者在上班着装上发生了变化,从保守的西装转为身着休闲装,而现在西装又再度流行,这一转变一方面由是出于工作环境要求,着正装有利于创造工作气氛，另一方面是因为员工所接触的客户日益增多，树立良好企业和个人形象有助拓展业务。

Several years ago during the dot-com passion, Manhattan lawyer John Kennedy sometimes wore a dark blue suit to meet potential Internet clients.① But he soon realized that his conservative clothes were a strike against him before he even shook hands. So he began to do business in casual, open-shirt clothes.

But now the tables have turned. Today Silicon Valley executives are the ones often coming out in suits. No wonder that Fortune 500 executives are dusting off their silk ties and pants.” ②I would say there is a trend now toward a little more business dress,” said Kennedy. “I find myself wearing suits more.”

While there isn’t a rush toward formal office wear, clothiers and executives say the workplace uniform is heading that way. In many offices, men are wearing jackets, ties and pants more frequently than a year age. Top women executives never went as casual as men, so the shift doesn’t affect them as dramatically.③

“Business casual” took several years to catch on. It started with casual Fridays, evolved to casual summers, then became casual everyday. ④A return to the button-down look also will take time, observers say. Lehman Brothers is one of the few major firms that has officially returned to a formal dress policy, at least for offices that clients visit. Men were told to wear suits and ties and women to wear suits or dresses. The shift is due to a rethinking of work environments and more contacts with clients as the firm has grown.

Observers mention many factors driving the trend. Internet companies helped lead the dress-down movement and other industries followed suit to attract workers. But with the collapse of many dot-coms, the relaxed look is becoming a style to avoid.⑤ Moreover, as the economy stumbles, more people are hunting for jobs or trying to keep the ones they have, and appearance counts.

US President Bush wears a coat and tie in the White House office and expects his staff to dress “professionally,” which some say sets a tome for the nation.

Chuck Wardell, managing director of a recruiting firm, believes a lot of employees like a stiffer uniform. “They’re going to work. They don’t want to feel like they’re going to a picnic.”

Notes：

① dot-com passion 互联网热。几年前互联网事业蓬勃发展的时候，曼哈顿律师John Kennedy

② Fortune 500美国《财富》杂志每年评选出的世界排名前500名的跨国企业。dust off 抹去灰尘，引申意思是把衣服收拾到衣柜中。怪不得《财富》500强的执行官们开始把他们的丝绸领带和短裤束之高阁了。

③高级女执行官从没像男人一样穿着休闲装上班，因此她们的着装风格并没有受到什么影响。

④最开始人们只是在周五休闲日才穿休闲装，后来发展到在休闲夏日，最后竟然成了每天都穿着很休闲的服装。

⑤随着许多互联网公司的倒闭，无拘束的装扮不再成为一种时尚。

51.”Business casual” was prevalent several years ago because _____________.

A. the Manhattan law business grew very quickly

B. shaking hands with clients became popular

C. the country was fighting the conservatives

D. the Internet companies boomed then

52. When the “business casual” prevailed, ______________.

A. businessmen wore ties only in workplace

B. businessmen didn’t wear ties at all

C. businesswomen didn’t wear formally in workplace

D. businesswomen still wore formally everywhere

53. The Fortune 500 executives__________.

A. set the trend toward more casual wear

B. are particular about what they wear

C. begin to wear suits more often than before

D. are usually indifferent to fashion trend

54. At the beginning of the “business casual” trend, business people wore casually___________.

A. when meeting clients

B. on weekends

C. in summer

D. almost every day

55. It is implied in the passage that the change of business dress from the casual to the formal reflects_____.

A. the changed of people’s taste in fashion

B. the ups and downs of the fashion industry

C. the ups and downs of the Internet companies

D. people’s different preference in business dress

答案:DDCBC

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