As a track star in high school, Sallie Krawcheck ranked among her state's best at the high jump. But she hasn't jumped for anyone since, and her unshakable independence has propelled her career on Wall Street to heights unimaginable to a girl coming of age in Charleston, S.C., in the 1970s. Then, Krawcheck--always an outstanding student--thought mostly of cheerleading and "dating the coolest boy," she acknowledges. "She was in danger of becoming terminally cute," recalls her high school guidance counselor, Nancy Wise, who recognized Krawcheck's potential early and stoked her business ambitions. Today Krawcheck, 37, is one of the most powerful women in the corporate world and a rising star.

 

How far she climbs depends on how well she meets her latest challenge: closing the credibility gap at financial-services giant Citigroup, after government inquiries put a cloud over the firm's reputation--and its stock. Krawcheck was hired in October from the independent stock-research firm Sanford C. Bernstein (where she was CEO) to be Citi's designated savior. Citigroup's proud CEO, Sanford Weill, personally wooed her, reorganizing a large chunk of Citi around her. Krawcheck is now CEO of a reconstituted Smith Barney, which encompasses Citi's stock-research and retail-brokerage operations.

 

This large stage leaves Krawcheck outwardly undaunted. She's relaxed and confident, with a self-deprecating sense of humor. She says she's "incredibly insecure," and has had nightmares in which she fails to win the respect of her new colleagues. But this soft-spoken humility belies a toughness present from the start. Daughter of a lawyer and sister of three more, Krawcheck learned early on to substantiate her assertions--or keep quiet.

 

"It used to get quite interesting around the dinner table," says her father Lenny, who practices law in Charleston. "Politics, relationships--you name it. It was every man for himself and awful tough to make your point." Jokes Sallie: "None of us could get a friend to come over for dinner."

 

Krawcheck earned a journalism degree from the University of North Carolina and an M.B.A. from Columbia University. She went to work at Salomon Brothers but soon moved to Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette, where she met her husband Gary Appel. In 1994 Krawcheck moved to Bernstein and dived into stock research. She began covering financial-services firms in 1997 and immediately became the most influential analyst in that field. During those years, Krawcheck earned Weill's ire--and respect when she was later proved correct--by dwelling on the pitfalls of Weill's acquisition of Salomon

 

注（1）：本文选自Time; 12/2/2002, p52, 1/2p, 1c；

注（2）：本文习题命题模仿对象2003年真题Text 2；

 

 

[A]making a comparison

[B]posing a contrast

[C]justifying an assumption

[D]explaining a phenomenon

 

 

[A]the CEO of the Citigroup trusted her

[B]she was thought to be able to save Citigroup out of trouble

[C]she has wonderful experience in this field

[D]she is the new rising star

 

[A]how well she can regain the firm’s reputation

[B]how well she can save the firm’s credibility crisis

[C]how well she can raise the firm’s stock

[D]how well she can fulfill her own plan and aim

 

 

[A] Krawcheck knows well how to prove her ideas

[B] family members are always on different sides.

[C]there is an air of freedom at Krawcheck’s home

[D]they have a variety of topics at dinner

 

 

[A]humorous

[B]soft-hearted

[C]sensitive

[D]strong-minded

 

答案：ABBAD

 

本文记述了萨利•克劳切克成功的职业生涯。第一段指出中学时代的克劳切克就相当出色，今天的她更是出类拔萃；第二段指出她临危授命，担任花旗集团（Citigroup）新组建的史密斯•巴尼公司首席执行官；第三段和第四段介绍了她的性格以及家庭对她的影响；第五段介绍了她辉煌的从业经历。

 

stoke vt. 给(火或火炉)添加燃料，拨旺(火或火炉)；照管(火炉等); 司(炉)

credibility gap 信用差距

cast (put) a cloud on [upon] 在...上投下一层阴影

woo vt. 向...求婚, 求爱；恳求，请求；劝说, 拉拢(人)(做某事, 投入某项行动等)

belie [bI5laI] vt. 使对…产生错觉；使人对…误解；掩饰；显示(希望、诺言等)不真实(是虚假的)；使失望; 辜负

early on在早期

substantiate vt.证明，使...具体化，使成为现实

assertion [E5sE:FEn] n. 主张, 要求, 断言

stand to one’s assertion 坚持已见

for oneself 为自己; 代表自己; 独力地; 亲自地

ire [5aIE(r)] n. 忿怒，愤怒，怒火

dwell on v. 细想, 详述，详评，如：

pitfall [5pitfC:l] n. 陷阱, 圈套, 诱惑；易犯的错误；(由疏忽而出的)毛病, 缺陷, 失误

 

主体句式：she hasn't jumped for anyone since, and her independence has propelled her to heights …

结构分析：本句是and引导的两个并列句。在这个句子中，注意propel的用法：“propel sb. to do sth”，意思是“促使、推动某人做某事”；“unimaginable to a girl”做后置定语来修饰“heights”；“coming of age”做后置定语修饰“a girl”，其中“age”的意思是“成年”。

句子译文：但她从那以后再也没有为任何人跳过，而她那不可动摇的独立性把她在华尔街的职业生涯推向一个在二十世纪七十年代对一个来自南卡罗来纳州查尔斯顿正在步入成年之列的少女来说不可思议的高度。

主体句式：How far she climbs depends on how well she meets her latest challenge …

结构分析：从句“how far she climbs”做句子的主语；从句“how well she meets”做动词短语“depend on”的宾语；“closing the credibility gap”做伴随状语，其中“credibility gap”的意思是“信用差距”，“put a cloud over”的意思是“在...上投下一层阴影”。

句子译文: 她能取得多大的成就取决于她如何迎接她的最新挑战：在政府的调查使公司的名誉——及其股票——罩上一层阴影之后，缩小财政服务巨人Citigroup集团的信用差距。

 

1.答案为A，属事实细节题。文章中提到中学时代的克劳切克和今天的克劳切克都是相当成功的。

2.答案为B，属事实细节题。原文对应信息是“Krawcheck was hired in October from the independent stock-research firm Sanford C. Bernstein (where she was CEO) to be Citi's designated savior.”。

3.答案为B ，属推理判断题。原文对应信息是：“How far she climbs depends on how well she meets her latest challenge: clos