How do you design a pay plan that motivates people to do their best work? A new study by three Harvard researchers suggests a novel answer: Shortly after you hire new workers, give them a raise.
"Previous research has shown that paying people more than they expect may elicit reciprocity(相互作用) in the form of greater productivity," notes Deepak Malhotra, a Harvard business-administration professor who worked on the study. What he and his colleagues found, however, was that the connection between more pay and extra effort depends on presenting the increase "as a gift—that is, as something you've chosen to do purely as a nice gesture, with no strings attached."
Malhotra and his team studied 267 people hired by oDesk, a global online network of freelancers, to do a one-time data-entry project for four hours. All of the new hires were people in developing countries, for whom hourly wages of $3 and $4 were higher than what they had been making in previous jobs.
The researchers split the group up into three equal parts. One group was told they would earn $3 an hour. A second group was initially hired at $3 an hour but, before they started working, they got a surprise: The budget for the project had expanded unexpectedly, they were told, and they would now be paid $4 an hour. The third group was offered $4 an hour from the start and given no increase.
Even though the second and third groups were eventually paid the same amount, the second group worked harder and produced more—about 20% more—than either of the other two. People in the second group also showed the most stamina, maintaining their focus all the way through the assigned task and performing especially well toward the end of the four hours. Interestingly, the more experienced employees in the high-performing group were the most productive of all, apparently because their previous work experience led them to appreciate the rarity of an unexpected raise.
Contrary to conventional wisdom, Malhotra points out that higher pay, in and of itself, didn't promote productivity: People who made $4 an hour from the beginning worked no harder than those who were hired at $3 and were then paid $3.
To get the most impact from their pay plans, he adds, companies might consider not only what to pay new hires, but when to pay it.
"The key thing is how you present [the reason for an increase]," he says. Doling out extra money could promote productivity most "if you make it clear that the pay raise is something you're choosing to do just because you can. Our theory is that people will reciprocate. If you do something nice, they'll do something nice back." Which of the following is true about the research?
| A．None of the participants earned more than $4 an hour in previous jobs. |
| B．89 of the participants got a $1 wage raise for their high productivity. |
| C．It was so important that the budget for it was increased in the process. |
| D．Stamina shown in it was positively related to the amount of money paid. |
What does the underlined word “stamina” most probably mean?
| A．The quality of being intelligent or clever. |
| B．The quality of doing something difficult or dangerous. |
| C．The physical or mental energy needed to do a tiring activity for a long time. |
| D．A particular method of doing an activity, usually involving practical skills. |
Why did the second group produce more than the other two groups?
| A．Because they thought they were better paid than the other groups. |
| B．Because they were experienced employees from developing countries. |
| C．Because an unexpected raise reminded them of their previous work. |
| D．Because they felt they were nicely treated and tried best to repay it. |
What can we infer from this passage?
| A．No pains, no gains. |
| B．It matters not what we give but how. |
| C．Honesty is the best policy. |
| D．Actions speak louder than words. |
England will play Italy, Uruguay and Costa Rica in a tough Group D at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Roy Hodgson's men open their campaign against Italy in the Amazonian city of Manaus on 15 June in the only World Cup game which kicks off at 02:00 BST. England take on Uruguay on 19 June and play Costa Rica five days later.
Hosts Brazil are in Group A with Cameroon, Mexico and Croatia while the World Cup holders Spain open with a repeat of the 2010 final against Netherlands.
England will have to travel 1,777 miles from their chosen base in Rio for their first match in the tropical heat of Manaus.
Earlier this week Hodgson described Manaus as "the place to avoid" because of the climate—temperatures reach 30C and humidity is about 80%—although after the draw the England boss took comfort from the fact his team face a fellow European side.
"The conditions in the north will be tough, so we will both be in same boat," he said. "If we'd had three games up in the north, it would have been difficult."
Following Hodgson's initial comments, the mayor of Manaus, Arthur Virgilio, said England would not be welcome in the city.
England takes on two-time champions Uruguay in Sao Paulo and they play Costa Rica in Belo Horizonte—both cities are within 225 miles of their base.
England have never previously beaten Italy or Uruguay at a major tournament(锦标赛), while they have never faced Costa Rica.
Uruguay, who reached the semi-finals in 2010, and Italy, who knocked Hodgson's men out of Euro 2012, are ranked sixth and seventh respectively in the Fifa rankings while Costa Rica are 31st in the world - 18 places below England.When and where will England play its third group stage match?
| A．On 24 June; in Manaus |
| B．On 24 June; in Belo Horizonte |
| C．On 19 June; in Manaus |
| D．On 19 June; in Sao Paulo |
Which of the following can England take comfort from?
| A．The place where its first match in the group stage is held. |
| B．The distance from its base to where its first match is held. |
| C．The fact that two of its group stage games are not in the north. |
| D．The fact that it is 7 places below Uruguay in the Fifa rankings. |
Which of the following is true according to the news report?
| A．Roy Hodgson is the coach of Brazil national football team. |
| B．Netherlands took the second place in the last World Cup. |
| C．The mayor of Manaus is a fan of the British soccer team. |
| D．England has never played against Uruguay in the history. |
Starting a new book is a risk, just like falling in love. You have to ____ to it. You open the pages knowing a little bit about it, maybe from the back or from a blurb（宣传信息）on the front. But who ____, right? Those bits and pieces aren’t always right.
Sometimes people ____ themselves as one thing and then when you get deep into it you realize that they’re something completely different. Either there was some good marketing ____ to a terrible book, or the story was only explained in a(n) ____ way and once you reach the middle of the book, you realize there’s so much more to this book than anyone could ever have told you.
You start off slow. The story is beginning to ____. You’re unsure. It’s a big commitment reading this tome(巨著). Maybe this book won’t be that great but you’ll feel ____ about putting it down. Maybe it’ll be so awful you’ll set it down immediately and never pick it up again. Or maybe you’ll come back to it some night, drunk or lonely—needing something to ____ the time, but it won’t be any better than it was when you first started reading it.
Maybe you’re ____. You’ve read tons of books before. Maybe you’ve taken some time off from reading because the last few books you read just weren’t ____ it. Do they even write new, great works of literature anymore? Maybe it’s a once in a lifetime feeling and you’re never going to find it again.
Or something ____ could happen. Maybe this will become your new favorite book. There’s always a possibility, right? That’s the ____ of risk. You ____ your time and your brain power in the words and what you get back is a new understanding and pure wonder.
How could someone possibly know you like this? Some stranger, some author, some character. It’s like they’re seeing inside your ____. This book existed inside some book store, on a shelf, maybe handled by other people and really it was just ____ for you to pick it up. It was waiting to speak to you. To say, “You are not ____.”
You just want more of the story. You want to keep reading, maybe everything this author has ever ____. You wish it would never end. The closer it gets to the smaller side of the pages, the ____ you read, wanting to savor(品味) it all. This book is now one of your favorites forever. You will always wish you could go back to ____ having read it and pick it up fresh again, but also you know you’re better for having this close, inside you, ____ your heart and mind.
Reading a book is just like falling in love. Once you get in deep enough, you know you could never put this book down.
A．contribute B．commit C．subscribe D．react
A．tells B．cares C．writes D．knows
A．advertise B．believe C．behave D．mistake
A．attached B．compared C．used D．related
A．artificial B．superficial C．theoretical D．confidential
A．repeat B．change C．conflict D．unfold
A．worried B．content C．guilty D．serious
A．fill B．spare C．save D．take
A．worn out B．run out C．given out D．made out
A．like B．worth C．beyond D．beneath
A．exciting B．familiar C．rare D．tough
A．price B．beauty C．danger D．style
A．balance B．waste C．harvest D．invest
A．soul B．book C．body D．eyes
A．asking B．looking C．standing D．waiting
A．alone B．yourself C．busy D．crazy
A．devoted B．agreed C．written D．enjoyed
A．slower B．faster C．more D．less
A．always B．ever C．once D．never
A．covering B．breaking C．separating D．blocking
— 2013 is a successful year for us China.
— ___________, and ________.
| A．So it is; so 2014 will | B．So is it; so 2014 will |
| C．So is it; so will 2014 | D．So it is; so will 2014 |
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