①When Liam McGee departed as president of Bank of America in August, his explanation was surprisingly straight up. Rather than cloaking his exit in the usual vague excuses, he came right out and said he was leaving “to pursue my goal of running a company.” Broadcasting his ambition was “very much my decision,” McGee says. Within two weeks, he was talking for the first time with the board of Hartford Financial Services Group, which named him CEO and chairman on September 29.

②McGee says leaving without a position lined up gave him time to reflect on what kind of company he wanted to run. It also sent a clear message to the outside world about his aspirations. And McGee isn’t alone. In recent weeks the No.2 executives at Avon and American Express quit with the explanation that they were looking for a CEO post. As boards scrutinize succession plans in response to shareholder pressure, executives who don’t get the nod also may wish to move on. A turbulent business environment also has senior managers cautious of letting vague pronouncements cloud their reputations.

③As the first signs of recovery begin to take hold, deputy chiefs may be more willing to make the jump without a net. In the third quarter, CEO turnover was down 23% from a year ago as nervous boards stuck with the leaders they had, according to Liberum Research. As the economy picks up, opportunities will abound for aspiring leaders.

④The decision to quit a senior position to look for a better one is unconventional. For years executives and headhunters have adhered to the rule that the most attractive CEO candidates are the ones who must be poached. Says Korn/Ferry senior partner Dennis Carey: “I can’t think of a single search I’ve done where a board has not instructed me to look at sitting CEOs first.”

⑤Those who jumped without a job haven’t always landed in top positions quickly. Ellen Marram quit as chief of Tropicana a decade ago, saying she wanted to be a CEO. It was a year before she became head of a tiny Internet-based commodities exchange. Robert Willumstad left Citigroup in 2005 with ambitions to be a CEO. He finally took that post at a major financial institution three years later.

⑥Many recruiters say the old disgrace is fading for top performers. The financial crisis has made it more acceptable to be between jobs or to leave a bad one. “The traditional rule was it’s safer to stay where you are, but that’s been fundamentally inverted,” says one headhunter. “The people who’ve been hurt the worst are those who’ve stayed too long.”

1.When McGee announced his departure, his manner can best be described as being_______.

A arrogant

B frank

C self-centered

D impulsive

解析：选B。B 细节理解题。题干意为：当麦吉宣布离职时，他的态度是_______。根据第一段中第一二句里的“his explanation was surprisingly straight up”“he came right out and said he was leaving ‘to pursue my goal of running a company.’”可知 McGee对于离职的解释是出奇地直率，他直接说他离职“是为了去追求我经营公司的目标”，由此可知他的态度是非常坦率的，故选B。

2.According to Paragraph 2, senior executives’ quitting may be spurred by_______.

A their expectation of better financial status

B their need to reflect on their private life

C their strained relations with the boards

D their pursuit of new career goals

解析：选D。D 推理判断题。 第二段承接第一段继续补充高管离职的案例：雅芳(Avon)和美国运通(American Express)的两位高管辞职谋求CEO职位，另外还有一些高管因继任计划未获董事会首肯而希望换份工作进一步发展，也就是说高管们离职是为了追求新的事业发展目标，即D项。

3.The word “poached” (Paragraph 4) most probably means_______.

A approved of

B attended to

C hunted for

D guarded against

解析：选C。C 词义猜测题。该词所在句意为“多年来，高管和猎头公司一直坚持这样一个原则：最有吸引力的CEO候选人是那些必须被______的人。”结合后一句光辉国际公司的大股东丹尼斯·凯里说他每次招聘中都是先注意那些本就在职的CEO，也就是说他们通常会去别的公司挖人（搜寻人才），由此推断“poached”应该与hunted for（搜寻）同义，故选C。

4.It can be inferred from the last paragraph that_______.

A top performers used to cling to their posts

B loyalty of top performers is getting out-dated

C top performers care more about reputations

D it’s safer to stick to the traditional rules

解析：选A。A 推理判断题。根据最后一段中第三句The traditional rule was it’s safer to stay where you are, but that’s been fundamentally inverted（传统的规则是待在原地更安全，但这已经从根本上改变了）可知，以前的职场规则是待在原地（不换工作岗位不换工作单位）最安全，也就是说以前的高管们总是坚守自己的岗位，故选A。 B项（高管们<对公司>的忠诚已经过时了）的说法不正确，忠诚任何时候都不会过时。

5.Which of the following is the best title for the text?

A CEOs: Where to Go?

B CEOs: All the Way Up?

C Top Managers Jump without a Net

D The Only Way Out for Top Performers

解析：选C。C 文章标题题。第一段描述美国银行总裁高调裸辞事例；第二段和第三段借分析高管裸辞的内部和外部原因说明这一现象是普遍存在的；第四至六段作者评价该现象：以前这种现象是很少见的，然而如今更加普遍、更被接受。由此可知，全文都围绕着“高管裸辞”的话题展开论述，并且“高管”和“裸辞”这两个主题关键词在文中反复出现。故选C。