UNIT 10: A Secretary's Job
Integrated Skills Development
Passage The Secretarial Field
Although the secretary is most often thought of as "she" and the executive as "he", it isn't always necessarily so! In the early days of office work, most secretaries were male because women were considered too weak for such hard activities.
Now there is an increase in the number of men coming into the secretarial field. And more women are moving into executive positions. Jobs and careers are no longer decided by sex, but by ability. As long as the person has the quality of being a good secretary, he or she will be able to get the job. Good secretaries are always in demand.
A good secretary should be excellent in office duties. For example, when the boss has an urgent budget meeting, the secretary should not disturb him. If the boss is going to give a dinner party, he or she should make the reservation ahead of time in an appropriate restaurant.
Good secretaries should also pay attention to their appearance and dress fashionably and neatly. They must be able to speak at least one foreign language fluently. If a secretary is very skilled in typing and using a computer, she is more likely to be recommended for promotion.
New Words and Expressions
ability
n. 能力
appearance
n. 外貌,样子
budget
n. 预算
career
n. 职业,事业
consider
V. 考虑,认为
demand
n. & v.要求,需求
disturb
V. 打扰,干扰
dress
n.& v.衣服,穿衣服
excellent
a. 卓越的,优秀的
fashionably
ad. 时髦地
fluently
ad. 流利地