Passage One

Questions 46 to 50 are based on the following passage.

It is irrefutable that employees know the difference between right and wrong. So why don't more employees intervene when they see someone exhibiting at-risk behavior in the workplace?

There are a number of factors that influence whether people intervene. First, they need to be able to see a risky situation beginning to unfold. Second, the company's culture needs to make them feel safe to speak up. And third, they need to have the communication skills to say something effectively.

This is not strictly a workplace problem; it's a growing problem off the job too. Every day people witness things on the street and choose to stand idly by. This is known as the bystander effect— the more people who witness an event, the less likely anyone in that group is to help the victim. The psychology behind this is called diffusion of responsibility . Basically, the larger the crowd, the more people assume that someone else will take care of it— meaning no one effectively intervenes or acts in a moment of need.

This crowd mentality is strong enough for people to evade their known responsibilities. But it's not only front line workers who don't make safety interventions in the workplace. There are also instances where supervisors do not intervene either.

When a group of employees sees unsafe behavior not being addressed at a leadership level it creates the precedent that this is how these situations should be addressed, thus defining the safety culture for everyone.

Despite the fact that workers are encouraged to intervene when they observe unsafe operations, this happens less than half of the time. Fear is the ultimate factor in not intervening. There is a fear of penalty,a fear that they' ll have to do more work if they intervene. Unsuccessful attempts in the past are another strong contributing factor to why people don't intervene— they tend to prefer to defer that action to someone else for all future situations.

On many worksites, competent workers must be appointed. Part of their job is to intervene when workers perform a task without the proper equipment or if the conditions are unsafe. Competent workers are also required to stop work from continuing when there's a danger.

Supervisors also play a critical role. Even if a competent person isn't required, supervisors need a broad set of skills to not only identify and alleviate workplace hazards but also build a safety climate within their team that supports intervening and open communication among them.

Beyond competent workers and supervisors, it's important to educate everyone within the organization that they are obliged to intervene if they witness a possible unsafe act, whether you' re a designated competent person,a supervisor or a frontline worker.

46. What is one of the factors contributing to failure of intervention in face of risky behavior in the workplace?

A) Slack supervision style.

B) Unfavorable workplace culture.

C) Unforeseeable risk.

D) Blocked communication.

47. What does the author mean by“diffusion of responsibility”(Line 4, Para.3)?

A) The more people are around, the more they need to worry about their personal safety.

B) The more people who witness an event, the less likely anyone will venture to participate.

C) The more people idling around on the street, the more likely they need taking care of.

D) The more people are around, the less chance someone will step forward to intervene.

48. What happens when unsafe behavior at the workplace is not addressed by the leaders?

A) No one will intervene when they see similar behaviors.

B) Everyone will see it as the easiest way to deal with crisis.

C) Workers have to take extra caution executing their duties

D) Workers are left to take care of the emergency themselves.

49. What is the ultimate reason workers won't act when they see unsafe operations?

A) preference of deferring the action to others.

B) Anticipation of leadership intervention.

C) Fear of being isolated by coworkers.

D) Fear of having to do more work.

50. What is critical to ensuring workplace safety?

A) Workers be trained to operate their equipment properly

B) Workers exhibiting at-risk behavior be strictly disciplined.

C) Supervisors create a safety environment for timely intervention.

D) Supervisors conduct effective communication with frontline workers.

答案解析：

46. 由题干中的关键词“factors contributing to failure of intervention”定位到第二段。文中提到“the company's culture needs to make them feel safe to speak up”，即公司文化需要让员工感到安全，敢于发声，说明不利的公司文化会影响员工干预危险行为。所以选B。

47. 由题干中的关键词“diffusion of responsibility”定位到第三段。文中提到“the more people who witness an event, the less likely anyone in that group is to help the victim”，即目击事件的人越多，该群体中任何人帮助受害者的可能性就越小，说明周围人越多，越少有人会出面干预。所以选D。

48. 由题干中的关键词“unsafe behavior at the workplace is not addressed by the leaders”定位到第五段。文中提到“When a group of employees sees unsafe behavior not being addressed at a leadership level it creates the precedent that this is how these situations should be addressed”，即当员工看到领导不处理不安全行为时，就会形成这样处理情况的先例，说明当领导不处理不安全行为时，没人会干预类似行为。所以选A。

49. 由题干中的关键词“ultimate reason workers won't act”定位到第七段。文中提到“Fear is the ultimate factor in not intervening. There is a fear of penalty, a fear that they'll have to do more work if they intervene.”，即恐惧是不干预的最终因素，员工害怕惩罚，害怕干预后要做更多工作。所以选D。

50. 由题干中的关键词“critical to ensuring workplace safety”定位到最后两段。文中提到“Supervisors also play a critical role...build a safety climate within their team that supports intervening and open communication among them”以及“it's important to educate everyone within the organization that they are obliged to intervene”，说明主管创造一个有利于及时干预的安全环境对确保工作场所安全至关重要。所以选C。