gwd4-22, 无论如何都是A

Q22 to Q25:

      Many managers are influenced by

       dangerous myths about pay that lead

       to counterproductive decisions about

Line       how their companies compensate

  (5)       employees.  One such myth is that

labor rates, the rate per hour paid to

workers, are identical with labor costs,

the money spent on labor in relation to

the productivity of the labor force.

(10)      This myth leads to the assumption that

a company can simply lower its labor

costs by cutting wages.  But labor

costs and labor rates are not in fact

the same:  one company could pay

(15)      its workers considerably more than

another and yet have lower labor

costs if that company’s productivity

were higher due to the talent of its

workforce, the efficiency of its work

(20)      processes, or other factors.  The

       confusion of costs with rates per-

       sists partly because labor rates are

a convenient target for managers who

want to make an impact on their com-

(25)      pany’s budgets.  Because labor rates

are highly visible, managers can easily

compare their company’s rates with

those of competitors.  Furthermore,

labor rates often appear to be a

(30)      company’s most malleable financial

variable:  cutting wages appears an

easier way to control costs than such

       options as reconfiguring work pro-

cesses or altering product design.

(35)           The myth that labor rates and labor

costs are equivalent is supported by

business journalists, who frequently

confound the two.  For example, prom-

inent business journals often remark on

(40)     the “high” cost of German labor, citing

as evidence the average amount paid

to German workers.  The myth is also

perpetuated by the compensation-

consulting industry, which has its own

(45)      incentives to keep such myths alive.

First, although some of these con-

sulting firms have recently broadened

their practices beyond the area of

compensation, their mainstay con-

(50)      tinues to be advising companies on

changing their compensation prac-

tices.  Suggesting that a company’s

performance can be improved in

some other way than by altering its

(55)      pay system may be empirically cor-

rect but contrary to the consultants’

interests.  Furthermore, changes

to the compensation system may

appear to be simpler to implement

(60)      than changes to other aspects of an

organization, so managers are more

likely to find such advice from con-

sultants palatable.  Finally, to the

extant that changes in compensation

(65)      create new problems, the consultants

will continue to have work solving the

problems that result from their advice.

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Q22:

The author of the passage suggests which of the following about the advice that the consulting firms discussed in the passage customarily give to companies attempting to control costs?

偶搜索过所有的帖子了，事实上是偶选不出！

应该是E "First, although some of these consulting firms have recently broadened their practices beyond the area of compensation, their mainstay continues to be advising companies on changing their compensation practices."以及之后的话都表明consulting firms只专注于compensation,因为比较容易推行等等

欧怎么看答案都应该是 A.

E. less narrowly specialized, 文中提都没提，怎么会对呢？

最明显露骨的就是最后一句了，

Finally, to the extant that changes in conpensation create new problems,

the consultants will continute to have work solving the problems that reslut from their advice.

这还不选 A ?

We can conclude the answer should be E from the sentence below:

First, although some of these consulting firms have recently broadened their practices beyond the area of compensation, their mainstay continues to be advising companies on changing their compensation practices.

偶还是倾向于选A：
即便broadened their practices beyond the area of compensation的意思是consulting firms were narrowly specialized，可这句话(their mainstay continues to be advising companies on changing their compensation practices.)的意思不正是要告诉偶们:It would be no difference even though the consulting were not narrowly specialized吗？

欢迎继续讨论。。。