Question

The phone is ringing at the other end of the line and it clicks as it is being answered．A voice says quickly, “Hello, will you hold, please?” then there is another click, followed by silence．It seems like hours before someone comes back on the line—that is, if you don’t hang up first．

Office calls are, perhaps, the most difficult and the most important part of a secretary’s work．The first impression that a client（顾客）receives about a business is often through a telephone contact．A caller who is left hanging on “hold” will get the feeling that he or she has been forgotten or ignored．If a call is answered rudely, the caller may become angry．And if the call is not routed directly to the right person, the caller may feel that he or she is getting the “run-around”．

Laura Needham is a secretary in the executive offices of a large manufacturing company．As a good office secretary, Laura knows that all phone calls must be answered quickly and handled efficiently．She knows that a secretary must be pleasant and helpful, no matter how busy she is or what kind of mood she may be in．she knows she must keep calm if a caller gets impatient or becomes angry; also, of course, she knows she can never allow herself to lose her temper．If she does not have the information the caller asks for, she must know who does have the information．Finally, she knows that one of her most important responsibilities is to “screen” telephone calls and to know which calls to refer to her boss, which calls to refer to other people, and which calls to handle herself．

A well-handled telephone call will give the caller a good impression of the company he or she is dealing with．For this reason, an office secretary who can handle telephone calls cheerfully, tactfully（机敏）, and efficiently is a valuable asset（财富）to any organization．

1．The underlined phrase “run-around” probably means         ．

A．a strange experience                           B．a flat refusal

C．a not-so-warm welcome                        D．a cold response

2．Laura knows quite well that a secretary must be         ．

A．quick and busy   B．pleasant and helpful    C．calm and patient         D．both B and C

3．The underlined word “screen”  means         ．

A．give an answer to                              B．show something on a piece of cloth

C．separate things of one sort from those of another      D．watch something on the screen

4．According to this passage a secretary can never be a good one unless she     ．

A．knows how to please her clients(委托人)

B．often asks her boss how to deal with telephone calls

C．has the information her clients need

D．can keep calm and never loses her temper

5．This passage is mainly about        ．

A．well-handled telephone calls          

B．the importance of handling office calls

C．a good secretary called Laura Needham

D．a secretary being a valuable asset to her company

Answer 1

1.D  2.D  3.C  4.D  5.B