Research on absence from work

文章大意

学生Laura计划以Burcock工程公司为案例研究员工缺勤现象，导师建议她不要只关注长期缺勤，而应整体分析缺勤与工作类型的关系，并讨论了获取公司记录和设计问卷的方法。

题目与答案

1. 21 Laura chose Burcock Engineering for her research because
   • she was contacted by the managing director.
   • she knew several people who worked there.
   • she had already done a work placement there.

   答案：she was contacted by the managing director.

   原文定位：Well, I'd originally thought of asking another company, FG Engineering, because I did my placement there and I knew the staff there, but the CEO wasn't very keen. But she knows the managing director at Burcock, and she spoke to him, and then he got in touch with me. Apparently, absence is a major problem there, so he's quite interested in having it investigated

   同义替换：「was contacted by」↔「got in touch with」

2. 22 What does Laura agree to do regarding the central theme of her research?
   • check it is relevant
   • broaden the focus
   • be more specific in her aims

   答案：broaden the focus

   原文定位：So my central theme is absence, but I'm thinking of concentrating on long-term absence. I thought that might allow me to give more helpful feedback to the company;If I were you, I wouldn't be that specific. I'd look at absence as a whole. You might get more interesting results;Oh, okay

   同义替换：「broaden the focus」↔「wouldn't be that specific」

3. 23 What does Laura expect to find from her research?
   • Absence rates are related to the type of work done.
   • A lot of worker absence is actually unnecessary.
   • Employee absence rates are increasing.

   答案：Absence rates are related to the type of work done.

   原文定位：So what's the main thing you expect to find? Rises in absence rates over time;Not really. Initially, I wondered if workers often take time off without real justification, but I think that'll be hard to determine. So, well, I think I may find that it's something to do with what sort of job the employee is doing

   同义替换：「related to the type of work done」↔「it's something to do with what sort of job the employee is doing」

4. 24 What employee information does the tutor think Laura will be able to obtain from the company records?
   • dates of birth
   • details of employment
   • individual records of absence

   答案：details of employment

   原文定位：Yes. Obviously, you'll need overall absence figures, though it's unlikely they'll let you have them for individual workers. And you probably won't have access to personal information like when they were born, but you should be able to use anonymous details like the type of work they do or how long they've been with the company

   同义替换：「obtain」↔「use」

5. 25-26 Which TWO recommendations does the tutor make about Laura's questionnaire?
   • Leave a space for contact details.
   • Specify a completion date.
   • Provide a mixture of question types.
   • Keep the length to a minimum.
   • Trial it on someone before finalising it.

   答案：Provide a mixture of question types.,Trial it on someone before finalising it.

   原文定位：I think the questions should be closed questions too. I mean, where people choose an answer from a list;But then you miss the chance of getting unexpected information. So I'd include one or two open-ended questions too;Okay. And I won't ask for names or addresses or anything;No, it needs to be anonymous. And after you've drafted it, you need to give it to at least one person to check there aren't any problems. So you need to leave enough time for that and any revisions necessary

   同义替换：「Trial it on someone before finalising it」↔「after you've drafted it, you need to give it to at least one person to check there aren't any problems」，「a mixture of question types」↔「one or two open-ended questions too」

6. 27-28 Which TWO things will Laura explain in her covering letter to participants?
   • when the questionnaire should be completed
   • the fact that participation in the survey is voluntary
   • how long the questionnaire is likely to take
   • the purpose of the survey
   • the benefits of participants in the survey

   答案：how long the questionnaire is likely to take,the purpose of the survey

   原文定位：What about the covering letter that I'll send out with the questionnaire? I'll need to introduce myself and explain what the questionnaire is for, but what else should I include;I'd reassure people that the survey isn't going to be used to assess them personally. Otherwise, they might choose not to take part;Yes, I'll make that clear. And what about when they do it? Will they be allowed to use work time;That's really up to their manager, but you should say roughly how much time it'll take

   同义替换：「how long the questionnaire is likely to take」↔「you should say roughly how much time it'll take」，「the purpose of the survey」↔「explain what the questionnaire is for」

7. Which TWO activities does Laura already have definite dates for?
   • completion of her finished assignment
   • questionnaire distribution
   • collection of completed questionnaires
   • the next meeting with her tutor
   • analysis of figures from the company's database

   答案：completion of her finished assignment,the next meeting with her tutor

   原文定位：And you have to submit your assignment by the end of June. Actually, I have to get it finished by the second because I've arranged a work placement after that;So our next meeting is two weeks today. Is that still okay

   同义替换：「definite dates」↔「get it finished by the second」