26. Which of the following has contributed to CEO pay rise?
- A. The growth in the number of corporations.
- B. The general pay rise with a better economy.
- C. Increased business opportunities for top firms.
- D. Close cooperation among leading economies.
答案：C
答案句：The best model for understanding the growth of CEO pay is that of limited CEO talent in a world where business opportunities for the top firms are growing rapidly.
参考译文：理解CEO薪酬增长的最佳模型是：在顶级公司商业机会迅速增长的世界里，CEO人才有限。
定位线索：题干“contributed to CEO pay rise”→答案句“business opportunities for the top firms are growing rapidly”；文中“growing rapidly”对应选项C“Increased business opportunities”。
解析：题干问什么导致了CEO薪酬上涨，答案句明确指出“business opportunities for the top firms are growing rapidly”是原因，对应选项C“Increased business opportunities for top firms”。选项A“公司数量增长”、B“经济好转带来的普遍加薪”、D“主要经济体间的紧密合作”在原文中均未提及，属于无中生有。
27. Compared with their predecessors, today’ s CEOs are required to.
- A. foster a stronger sense of teamwork
- B. finance more research and development
- C. establish closer ties with tech companies
- D. operate more globalized companies
答案：D
答案句：Then there’s the fact that large American companies are much more globalized than ever before, with supply chains spread across a larger number of countries. To lead in that system requires knowledge that is fairly mind-boggling.
参考译文：此外，美国大公司比以往任何时候都更加全球化，供应链分布在更多国家。要在这样的体系中领导，需要相当惊人的知识。
定位线索：题干“Compared with their predecessors”→答案句“much more globalized than ever before”；文中“globalized”对应选项D“operate more globalized companies”。
解析：题干问今天的CEO相比前任需要做什么，答案句指出公司“much more globalized than ever before”，且“To lead in that system requires knowledge”，说明CEO需要运营更全球化的公司，对应选项D。选项A“团队合作意识”、B“资助更多研发”、C“与科技公司建立更紧密联系”在原文中未提及，属于无中生有。
28. CEO pay has been rising since the 1970s despite ..
- A. continual internal opposition
- B. strict corporate governance
- C. conservative business strategies
- D. repeated government warnings
答案：B
答案句：By most measures, corporate governance has become a lot tighter and more rigorous since the 1970s. Yet it is principally during this period of stronger governance that CEO pay has been high and rising.
参考译文：从大多数衡量标准来看，自20世纪70年代以来，公司治理变得更加严格和严密。然而，CEO薪酬正是在这个治理更严格的时期居高不下并持续上涨。
定位线索：题干“since the 1970s despite”→答案句“since the 1970s”和“Yet it is principally during this period of stronger governance”；文中“tighter and more rigorous”对应选项B“strict corporate governance”。
解析：题干问CEO薪酬自1970年代以来持续上涨，尽管什么？答案句先提到公司治理“tighter and more rigorous”，然后用“Yet”转折指出CEO薪酬正是在此期间上涨，说明尽管治理严格，薪酬仍上涨，对应选项B。选项A“持续的内部反对”、C“保守的商业策略”、D“反复的政府警告”在原文中均未提及，属于无中生有。
29. High CEO pay can be justified by the fact that it helps.
- A. confirm the status of CEOs
- B. motive inside candidates
- C. boost the efficiency of CEOs
- D. increase corporate value
答案：D
答案句：And the stock market reacts positively when companies tie CEO pay to, say, stock prices, a sign that those practices build up corporate value not just for the CEO.
参考译文：当公司将CEO薪酬与股价等挂钩时，股市反应积极，这表明这些做法不仅为CEO，也为公司创造了价值。
定位线索：题干“High CEO pay can be justified by the fact that it helps”→答案句“build up corporate value”；文中“build up corporate value”对应选项D“increase corporate value”。
解析：题干问高CEO薪酬的合理性在于它有助于什么，答案句指出将薪酬与股价挂钩的做法“build up corporate value not just for the CEO”，说明有助于增加公司价值，对应选项D。选项A“确认CEO地位”、B“激励内部候选人”、C“提高CEO效率”在原文中未提及，属于无中生有。
30. The most suitable title for this text would be.
- A. CEOs Are Not Overpaid
- B. CEO Pay: Past and Present
- C. CEOs’ Challenges of Today
- D. CEO Traits: Not Easy to Define
答案：A
答案句：It is true that CEO pay has gone up—top ones may make 300 times the pay of typical workers on average, and since the mid-1970s, CEO pay for large publicly traded American corporations has, by varying estimates, gone up by about 500%. … The best model for understanding the growth of CEO pay is that of limited CEO talent in a world where business opportunities for the top firms are growing rapidly. … The common idea that high CEO pay is mainly about ripping people off doesn't explain history very well. … Furthermore, the highest CEO salaries are paid to outside candidates, not to the cozy insider picks, another sign that high CEO pay is not some kind of depredation at the expense of the rest of the company. And the stock market reacts positively when companies tie CEO pay to, say, stock prices, a sign that those practices build up corporate value not just for the CEO.
参考译文：CEO薪酬确实上涨了——顶尖CEO的平均收入可能是普通员工的300倍，而且自20世纪70年代中期以来，美国大型上市公司的CEO薪酬，根据不同的估计，上涨了约500%。 … 理解CEO薪酬增长的最佳模型是：在顶级公司商业机会迅速增长的世界里，CEO人才有限。 … 认为CEO高薪主要是为了剥削人们的普遍观点并不能很好地解释历史。 … 此外，最高的CEO薪水是付给外部候选人的，而不是付给关系密切的内部人选，这再次表明CEO高薪并不是以牺牲公司其他人为代价的某种掠夺。而且当公司将CEO薪酬与股价等挂钩时，股市反应积极，这表明这些做法不仅为CEO，也为公司创造了价值。
定位线索：题干“most suitable title”→全文主旨；文中“CEO pay has gone up”与“high CEO pay is not some kind of depredation”对应选项A“CEOs Are Not Overpaid”；文中“doesn't explain history very well”和“build up corporate value”支持“不过高”观点。
解析：本题为主旨题。文章首段承认CEO薪酬上涨，但第二段提出“limited CEO talent”解释其合理性，第三段强调CEO技能要求提高，第四段反驳“ripping people off”观点，末段用外部候选人及股市反应证明高薪合理。综合各段，作者旨在论证CEO薪酬并非过高，选项A正确。选项B“过去与现在”仅涉及首段，范围过窄；选项C“今日挑战”只是第三段内容，以偏概全；选项D“特质”文中未系统讨论，无中生有。