Women who apply for jobs in middle or senior management have a higher success rate than men, according to an employment survey. But of course far fewer of them apply for these positions. The study, by recruitment (征召新成員) consultants NB Selection, shows that while one in six men who appear on interview shortlist get jobs, the figure rises to one in four for women.

　　Reasons for higher success rates among women are difficult to isolate. One explanation suggested is that if a woman candidate manages to get on a shortlist, then she has probably already proved herself to be an exceptional candidate. Dr. Marx said that when women apply for positions they tend to be better qualified than their male counterparts but are more selective and conservative in their job search. Women tend to research thoroughly before applying for positions or attending interviews. Men, on the other hand, seem to rely on their ability to sell themselves and to convince employers that any shortcomings they have will not prevent them from doing a good job.

　　Managerial and executive progress made by women is confirmed by the annual survey of boards of directors carried out by Korn International. This year the survey shows a doubling of the number of women serving as non-executive directors compared with the previous year. However, progress remains painfully slow and there were still only 18 posts filled by women out of a total of 354 non-executive positions surveyed.

　　In Europe a recent feature of corporate life in the recession has been the de-layering of management structures. Hilary Sears said that this has halted progress for women in as much as de-layering has taken place either where women are working or in layers they aspire to. Sears also noted a positive trend from the recession, which has been the growing number of women who have started up on their own.

　　In business as a whole, there are a number of factors encouraging the prospect of greater equality in the workforce. Demographic trends suggest that the number of women going into employment is steadily increasing. In addition a far greater number of women are now passing through higher education, making them better qualified to move into management positions. Organizations such as the European Women's Management Development Network provide a range of opportunities for women to enhance their skills and contacts.

　　However, Ariane Antal, director of the International Institute for Organization Change for Archamps in France, said that there is only anecdotal evidence of changes in recruitment patterns. And she said: "It's still so hard for women to even get on to shortlists -there are so many hurdles and barriers." She agreed that there have been some positive signs but said: "Until there is a belief among employers, until they value the difference, nothing will change."

　　47. From the passage, we can see that males applicants ______ female applicants for top posts.

　　48. Women are more ______ than men when they apply for positions or attending interviews.

　　49. What aspect of company structuring has disadvantaged women in getting management positions?

　　50. According to Sears; the number of female-run business is ______.

　　51. Which group of people should change their attitude to recruitment so as to have a greater equality in the workforce?

　　47. exceed/are more than

　　48. well-prepared/better qualified

　　49. De-layering.

　　50. increasing/on the increase

　　51. The employers. /Employers.

　　Part Ⅳ Reading Comprehension(Reading in Depth)

　　Section A

　　47.第一段第一句說女性在應聘中、高管理職位的時候成功率比男性高。緊接著作者又補充了“But of course far fewer of them apply for these positions.”，可見應聘中、高管理職位的女性要比男性少。這也是她們成功率高的原因之一。因此，應該填寫的答案是“超過”的意思，可以填“exceed”或者“are more than”。

　　48.第二段在分析女性管理職位申請者成功率高的時候，提及“Women tend to research thoroughly before applying for positions or attending interviews.”，可見在應聘或者面試前，女性會做充分而徹底的調研，以對公司和工作有所了解，使自己成為“exceptional candidate”，因此女性比男性準備更充分。所以我們可以概括為“well-prepared”。另外，從第二段第三句“Dr. Marx said that when women apply for positions they tend to be better qualified than their male counterparts but are more selective and conservative in their job search.”可見女性考慮周到、準備充分使自己更為合格。因此，我們電可以填寫“better qualified”。

　　49.第四段第一句說歐洲最近經濟不景氣，公司出現管理結構等級減少的特點。“de-layering”的意思和“layering”相反，是指公司在經濟蕭條的時候，精減原有的管理機構，使等級變少，人員減少。作者接著補充了“...this has halted progress for women in as much as de-layering has taken place either where women are working or in layers they aspire to.”可見管理機構的精簡使女性獲得管理職位的希望變小了。因此，答案為“De-layering.”。

　　50.根據第四段最后一句“Sears also noted a positive trend from the recession，which has been the growing number of women who have started up on their own.”可知Sears還注意到在蕭條時期的一個積極的趨勢：越來越多的女性自己開辦企業。因此，正確答案是“increasing”或者含義相似的表達。

　　51.由文章最后一句“Until there is a belief among employers，until they value the difference， nothing will change.”可見要改變態度的是雇主們。因此，答案為“The employers./ Employers.”。

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