① The art of persuasion means convincing others to agree with your point of view or to follow your course of action. For some of  us, persuasion is an instinctive quality and the power of influencing  comes  naturally.  For  the  rest  of us,  persuasion  skills  can  be  learned  and developed over time.

② Employers place a great value on employees with persuasion skills because they can impact several aspects of  job performance. Besides, teamwork and leadership rely heavily on the power of  persuasion to get things done. Without persuasion skills, employees may not be as committed to or convinced of the importance of an organization’s vision and long-term mission. Effective use of persuasion skills will not only help get your coworkers excited about your ideas, it’ll also help you motivate them to achieve a common goal.

③ In order to learn the art of persuasion at the workplace, you need to understand how to handle conflicts and reach agreements. Good communication is the first  step in effective persuasion, but logic and reasoning are just as important. Before you can get somebody on-board with your goal, you should help them understand why they should pursue it. Using visual aids to back up your ideas can help communicate your ideas better and make compelling arguments so your listeners will come to a logical choice and become fully committed to your ideas and plans.

④ Successful persuasion skills are based on your ability to have positive interactions and maintain meaningful relationships with people. In order to sustain those relationships, you must be able to work in their best interests as well. Your coworkers are more likely to agree with you when they succeed alongside you. The more they achieve and the greater progress they make, the more they trust your judgement and strength.

⑤ We persuade and get persuaded every day—we’re either convincing or being convinced. A vast majority of people prefer collaboration and teamwork over traditional organizational structures; no one likes to be told what to do or to be pushed around. Therefore, organizations and leaders should adopt powerful persuasion skills to bring about necessary changes.

1.1. What does the author say about the ability to be persuasive in the first paragraph?

A People may either be born with it or be able to cultivate it.

B It proves crucial in making others follow one’s course of action.

C It refers to the natural and instinctive power of influencing one’s coworkers.

D People may view it as both a means to convince others and an art of communication.

解析：选A。A 细节理解题。根据题干关键词the ability to be persuasive in the first paragraph可以将答案定位到第一段第二、三句。第一段第一句指出什么是说服的艺术。接着，第二、三句指出，对一些人来说，说服是一种本能的特质,对于其他人来说，说服的技巧是可以随着时间的推移而学习和发展的。由此可知，选项A正确，说服力既有可能与生俱来，也有可能后天培养。选项中的cultivate(培养)与原文中的learned and developed属于同义替换。其他三项虽然包括原文中的词汇，但是表达的意思都不准确，可以排除。

2.2. Why are persuasion skills greatly valued in the workplace?

A They enable employees to be convinced of their long-term gains.

B They enable employees to trust their leaders unconditionally.

C They help motivate coworkers to strive for a common goal.

D They help an organization to broaden its vision effectively.

解析：选C。C 细节理解题。根据题干关键词persuasion skills greatly valued in the workplace可以将答案定位到第二段最后一句。第二段讲的是在工作场所说服力为什么很重要。首先，有说服力的员工可以影响工作表现的几个方面。其次，团队合作和领导力在很大程度上依赖于说服力。第三，说服技巧可以让员工为组织的愿景和长期使命全心投人，且深信不疑。第四，有效使用说服技巧不仅可以让你的同事对你的想法感到兴奋，还可以帮你激励他们实现共同的目标。对比四个选项，只有选项C与第四点符合，故为正确答案。其他三项均与原文不符，故排除。

3.3. What should people do to learn the art of persuasion at the workplace?

A Acquire effective communication skills.

B Avoid getting involved in conflicts with others.

C Understand the reason for pursuing their goals.

D Commit themselves fully to their ideas and plans.

解析：选A。A 细节理解题。根据题干关键词learn the art of persuasion at the workplace可以将答案定位到第三段第三句。第三段讲的是人们应如何学习说服的艺术。首先，在工作场所学会说服的艺术，你需要了解如何处理冲突并达成一致。其次，需要良好的沟通、逻辑和推理。第三，在让别人支持你的目标之前，你应该帮他们理解为什么要追求这个目标。第四，使用视觉辅助工具来支持你的想法。对比四个选项，可知选项A“获得有效的沟通技巧”，与原文第二点“需要良好的沟通”相符，为正确答案。选项B错在应该是了解如何解决冲突，选项C错在应该是让支持你的人理解为什么追求这个目标，故排除。选项D原文没有提及，故排除。

4.4. When are you more likely to succeed in persuading your coworkers?

A When they are convinced you work in their interests while sacrificing your own.

B When they become aware of the potential strength of the judgements you make.

C When they become aware of the meaningful relationships you keep with them.

D When they are convinced they will make achievements together with you.

解析：选D。D 细节理解题。根据题干关键词more likely to succeed in persuading your coworkers可以将答案定位到第四段第三句。第四段第三句指出，当你的同事和你一起取得成功时，他们更有可能同意你的观点。由此可知，当同事们确信跟你一起会取得成就时，你更有可能说服他们，故选项D正确。选项A错在原文没有提到牺牲自己的利益;选项B用原文词汇混淆视听，表达的意思与原文不符;原文没有提到同事们意识到你与他们保持着有意义的关系，故排除选项C。

5.5. Why are organizations and leaders advised to adopt powerful persuasion skills to bring about necessary changes?

A To convince employees of the value of collaboration.

B To allow for the preferences of most people of today.

C To improve on traditional organizational structures.

D To adapt to employees’ ever-changing working styles.

解析：选B。B 细节理解题。根据题干关键词adopt powerful persuasion skills to bring about necessary changes可以将答案定位到最后一段后两句。最后一段后两句指出，与传统的组织结构相比，绝大多数人更喜欢协作和团队合作;没有人喜欢被人告之应该做什么或被人摆布。因此，组织和领导者应该采用强有力的说服技巧，以促成必要的变革，也就是说，考虑到大多数人更喜欢协作，不喜欢被摆布，所以组织和领导者需要用强有力的说服技巧以促成必要的变革，故选项B正确。其他三个选项都与原文不符，可以排除。