你和同事們相處融洽、合作愉快嗎？企業為了營造公司良好的氛圍，打造氣勢高昂的團隊，積極地讓高管人員參加各種鮮活而有趣的營地培訓。不過這些團隊培訓新招兒有效嗎？《隨身英語》和大家一起探討。

課文內容

詞匯: work 工作

We hear a lot about team building these days. Team-building gurus are hired by some corporations to lecture us on how to work more effectively with each other. And they organise awaydays - a time employees spend together away from their usual workplace.

Here in the UK, employees can take part in activities such as Zombie boot camps where military instructors train you how to fight walking 'dead people'. For the brainier office workers amongst us there are crime investigations modelled on popular TV dramas like Sherlock Holmes and CSI.

Stressed-out city workers might have ukulele lessons made available to them. Why is that a good team-building exercise? Ukulele teacher Lorraine Bow says: "The fact that they can play a musical instrument within an hour is quite a fulfilling thing, really. It's not competitive – it's quite easy to do and a bit less intimidating than a guitar…"

Actually, a horse might be a bit more intimidating than an instrument. The animals are used by a company in Abu Dhabi which teaches leadership through horse training. Basically, you have to go in a yard with a horse and persuade it that you're the boss by using body language.

Kelly Eide, co-founder of True Leadership, says: "The horses don't care if your hair is purple, if you're a man or a woman, if you're old or young... It transcends all of those cultural boundaries – age, gender, religion, tradition etc. – so that's a perfect fit. And in an organization where you really need groups of people to gel, who come from backgrounds which have no common norms, you can teach that most efficiently with a horse."

And the horse feels instinctively whether or not you are a natural leader. So if after you've done a good presentation your boss offers you a carrot, you'll know where he might have learnt it from.

詞匯表

team building      團隊建設
guru      領袖，權威
corporation      公司，企業
effectively      有效地
awayday      息工日
workplace      工作地點，工作場所
boot camp      訓練營
brainier (brainy)      更為精明的
stressed-out      （因精神壓力）精疲力盡的
ukulele      尤克里里琴
fulfilling      充實的，令人滿意的
competitive      競爭的
leadership      領導能力
to persuade       說服
body language      肢體語言
to transcend      超越
to gel      （團隊成員）相互磨合

測驗與練習

1. 閱讀課文并回答問題。

1. What are awaydays for?
2.  Which of the awaydays mentioned is more physically demanding?
3.  True or false? Ukulele lessons are designed for people who are highly intelligent.
4.  How long does it take for you to learn how to play the ukulele?
5.  How can a horse understand what a company manager wants? 

2. 請你在不參考課文的情況下完成下列練習。選擇一個意思合適的單詞填入句子的空格處。

1. I'm too fat at the moment. I'm going to spend a week in a __________ in which they offer dieting and intense exercise.

awayday     boot camp       workplace      yard    

2. My boss is a very impatient man. I find him very __________.

intimidating         competitive          brainier       a natural leader 

3. My colleagues' __________ indicated that my presentation was successful! They looked very excited as I showed them my ideas.

leadership        fulfilment          body language         ukulele

4. Don't be shy. It will not help you to __________ with your new colleagues.

persuade        intimidate          transcend          gel

5. A good atmosphere in __________ can increase productivity.

the boot camp        the workplace         the leadership          Abu Dhabi

答案

1. 閱讀課文并回答問題。

1. What are awaydays for?
To building team spirit among people who work for the same company.

2.  Which of the awaydays mentioned is more physically demanding?
The one in which you learn to 'kill' Zombies.

3.  True or false? Ukulele lessons are designed for people who are highly intelligent.
False. According to the article the brainier amongst us would feel more attracted to awaydays modelled on crime investigations – the ones in which you play the detective.

4.  How long does it take for you to learn how to play the ukulele?
According to ukulele teacher Lorraine Bow, it takes about one hour.

5.  How can a horse understand what a company manager wants?
By the manager's body language.

2. 請你在不參考課文的情況下完成下列練習。選擇一個意思合適的單詞填入句子的空格處 。

1. I'm too fat at the moment. I'm going to spend a week in a boot camp in which they offer dieting and intense exercise.

2. My boss is a very impatient man. I find him very intimidating.

3. My colleagues' body language indicated that my presentation was successful! They looked very excited as I showed them my ideas.

4. Don't be shy. It will not help you to gel with your new colleagues.

5. A good atmosphere in the workplace can increase productivity.