Everyone wants some degree of success. Many people believe that they deserve (值得)success simply because they believe that they deserve success. But there is a widespread belief that people who get on in life may be successful not because they deserve it, but because of influential (有影响的) friends or the right background. Sometimes it may just be a forting and harmless belief, while at the other extreme it can be very destructive. I once met a brilliant young engineer who worked in a chemical plant. Because of her knowledge and experience, she should have been promoted（升职） to Production Manager. Instead, the job went to a man who was totally unsuited for the post. Everyone knew that he only got it because he was politically acceptable to his superiors (上司). This injustice discouraged the young engineer and many of her colleagues（同事）. It also meant that the factory was much less efficient than it could have been.
At the same, we should not be pessimistic (悲观的). More and more then modern world depends on having people who are in the job because they are good enough, not just because their faces fit. There is a story of a factory owner who sent for an engineer to see to a machine which would not go. He examined it, then took out a hammer and tapped, once. The machine started up immediately. When he presented his bill, the owner protested, “This can’t be right! $ 100 just for tapping（敲打） a machine with a hammer ?” The engineer wrote out a new bill: “For tapping a machine, $1; for knowing where to tap. $99.”
【小题1】The engineer at the chemical plant was not promoted because .A．it was politically less good for the boss to accept her than the manB．her boss did not think she had the right qualifications for the jobC．the man who got the promotion was more experienced than she wasD．it is more difficult for a woman to get a promotion than for her male colleague【小题2】The engineer who repaired the machine was right in charging $ 100 because .A．he hit the machine to get it started againB．the factory owner could not have repaired it himselfC．he was charging for his knowledge and expert skillsD．he was the only person who could find out what was wrong with it【小题3】What can we learn about the author’s attitude toward the widespread belief that “people get on in life may be successful not because they deserve it”?A．He quite agrees with it.B．He doesn’t express his opinion his opinion at it.C．He pletely disagrees with it.D．He doesn’t quite agree with it.【小题4】 According to the text, which of the following is NOT true?A．Having influential friends or right background seems helpful sometimes.B．The engineer had good reason to overcharge the factory owner.C．Not all those who are good in their jobs have the chance to be promoted.D．Those who are good in their jobs are still largely needed by the modern society.A
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(答案→)A
解析：
【小题1】细节理解题。根据第二段倒数第三句“Everyone knew that he only got it because he was politically acceptable.”可知贝提拔者的特点是政治观点，所以正确答案是A。
【小题2】综合推断题。根据第三段第二句“because theya re good enough ”可知the manager 开100美元的账单的理由就是自己的粗涩技艺，所以选择C。
【小题3】观点态度题。第三段开头“all the same ”意为“even so ”即“即使如此”，可见作者对这一观点不完全赞同。
【小题4】辨别正误题。 B 项“overcharge”意为“讨价过高“，与原文意思不一致，因为讨价过高只是the factory owner一人的观点，而作者认为这一收费合理