SWT Practice

Almost 120 years ago, during the first Gilded Age, sociologist Thorstein Veblen
coined the term “conspicuous consumption”. He used it to refer to rich people
flaunting their wealth through wasteful spending. Why buy a thousand-dollar suit
when a hundred-dollar one serves the same function? The answer, Veblen said, was
power. The rich asserted their dominance by showing how much money they could
burn on things they didn’t need.

While radical at the time, Veblen’s observation seems obvious now. In the intervening
decades, conspicuous consumption has become deeply embedded in the texture of
American capitalism. Our new Gilded Age is even more Veblenian than the last.
Today’s captains of industry publicize their social position with private islands and
super yachts while the president of the United States covers nearly everything he
owns in gold.

But the acquisition of insanely expensive commodities isn’t the only way that modern
elites project power. More recently, another form of status display has emerged. In the
new Gilded Age, identifying oneself as a member of the ruling class doesn’t just
require conspicuous consumption. It requires conspicuous production.

If conspicuous consumption involves the worship of luxury, conspicuous production

involves the worship of labor. It isn’t about how much you spend. It’s about how hard
you work. Nowhere is the cult of conspicuous production more visible than among
America’s CEOs.
Almost 120 years ago, during the first Gilded Age, sociologist Thorstein Veblen
coined the term “conspicuous consumption”. He used it to refer to rich people
flaunting their wealth through wasteful spending. Why buy a thousand-dollar suit
when a hundred-dollar one serves the same function? The answer, Veblen said, was
power. The rich asserted their dominance by showing how much money they could
burn on things they didn’t need.
flaunt v. 炫耀
dominance n. 优势

While radical at the time, Veblen’s observation seems obvious now. In the intervening
decades, conspicuous consumption has become deeply embedded in the texture of
American capitalism. Our new Gilded Age is even more Veblenian than the last.
Today’s captains of industry publicize their social position with private islands and
super yachts while the president of the United States covers nearly everything he
owns in gold.
radical adj. 激进的，极端的
embed v. 根植
captain n. 首领，领导者

But the acquisition of insanely expensive commodities isn’t the only way that modern
elites project power. More recently, another form of status display has emerged. In the
new Gilded Age, identifying oneself as a member of the ruling class doesn’t just
require conspicuous consumption. It requires conspicuous production.

If conspicuous consumption involves the worship of luxury, conspicuous production

involves the worship of labor. It isn’t about how much you spend. It’s about how hard
you work. Nowhere is the cult of conspicuous production more visible than among
America’s CEOs.
cult n. 狂热
Sample Answer
Conspicuous consumption refers to rich people flaunting their wealth through
wasteful spending in the past, which demonstrated their power by showing how much
money they could burn on unnecessary things, and the idea seemed to be radical at the
time, but obvious now; however, modern elites project their power not only by
worship of luxury, but also by conspicuous production, which involves the worship of
labor. (66 words)

Until the early 1960s, newspapers published separate job listings for men and women.
The struggle for African American women was even more formidable; until the
passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, jobs specified “no Blacks need apply.”
Although we don’t see as much evidence of such blatant discrimination in access to
opportunities in the workplace today, they no doubt institutionally exist.

Women still are segregated into “pink-collar” jobs that affect their wages, according
to an AAUW report. Women comprise 87 percent of workers in the child care
industry and 86 percent of the health aide industry.

Women of color have especially endured a disproportionate lack of access to jobs in

the wake of the recession, as the Center for Social Inclusion (CSI) reports that
unemployment has risen faster for young women of color than for white women in the
same age range. Unemployment among young black women has increased by 8.6
percent to 20.4 percent this year.

Equal access is just the tip of the iceberg; those women lucky enough to break the
barrier to employment lag behind in equal pay. According to the Institute for
Women’s Policy Research, the median weekly earnings of female full-time workers in
2009 were $657, compared with male median weekly earnings of $819.
Until the early 1960s, newspapers published separate job listings for men and women.
The struggle for African American women was even more formidable; until the
passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, jobs specified “no Blacks need apply.”
Although we don’t see as much evidence of such blatant discrimination in access to
opportunities in the workplace today, they no doubt institutionally exist.
passage n. 议会的议案通过
blatant adj. 公然地
institutionally 根深蒂固地

Women still are segregated into “pink-collar” jobs that affect their wages, according
to an AAUW report. Women comprise 87 percent of workers in the child care
industry and 86 percent of the health aide industry.
segregate v. 使隔离

Women of color have especially endured a disproportionate lack of access to jobs in

the wake of the recession, as the Center for Social Inclusion (CSI) reports that
unemployment has risen faster for young women of color than for white women in the
same age range. Unemployment among young black women has increased by 8.6
percent to 20.4 percent this year.
in the wake of 尾随的

Equal access is just the tip of the iceberg; those women lucky enough to break the
barrier to employment lag behind in equal pay. According to the Institute for
Women’s Policy Research, the median weekly earnings of female full-time workers in
2009 were $657, compared with male median weekly earnings of $819.
the tip of the iceberg 冰山一角

Sample Answer
Although people do not see much evidence of blatant discrimination in access to
opportunities in the workplace today, they no doubt exist; moreover, woman still are
segregated into “pink-collar” jobs that affect their wages, and research shows that
median weekly earning for females is much lower than males, while women of colour
have especially endured a disproportionate lack of access to jobs. (64 words)

Despite the growth of social media, the internet and their central role in modern
childhood, traditional bullying-such as name-calling or being excluded by others-
remains considerably more common than cyberbullying, according to the largest
study of its kind published in The Lancet Child and Adolescent Health journal.

The study estimates that less than 1% of 15-year-olds in England report only being
bullied online regularly, while more than one in four (27%) experience only face-to-
face bullying methods.

With nine out of 10 of the teenagers who are bullied online also facing regular
traditional bullying, the researchers suggest that cyberbullying is an additional tactic
in the bullies’ arsenal, and that both forms must be tackled together to prevent
bullying and improve teenagers’ resilience.

Concerns have been raised that cyberbullying has the potential to cause more harm
than traditional bullying due to the relative anonymity of perpetrators in many cases,
larger audiences, increasing prevalence, and permanence of posted messages.
However, in the study, the experience of only cyberbullying was found to have a very
small association with well-being and life satisfaction when compared with traditional
bullying alone.
Despite the growth of social media, the internet and their central role in modern
childhood, traditional bullying-such as name-calling or being excluded by others-
remains considerably more common than cyberbullying, according to the largest
study of its kind published in The Lancet Child and Adolescent Health journal.

The study estimates that less than 1% of 15-year-olds in England report only being
bullied online regularly, while more than one in four (27%) experience only face-to-
face bullying methods.

With nine out of 10 of the teenagers who are bullied online also facing regular
traditional bullying, the researchers suggest that cyberbullying is an additional tactic
in the bullies’ arsenal, and that both forms must be tackled together to prevent
bullying and improve teenagers’ resilience.
tactic n. 策略，手段
arsenal n. 武器

Concerns have been raised that cyberbullying has the potential to cause more harm
than traditional bullying due to the relative anonymity of perpetrators in many cases,
larger audiences, increasing prevalence, and permanence of posted messages.
However, in the study, the experience of only cyberbullying was found to have a very
small association with well-being and life satisfaction when compared with traditional
bullying alone.
anonymity n. 匿名
perpetrator n. 行凶者

Sample Answer
A study has found that traditional bullying is still more regular than cyberbullying,
and both forms must be tackled together to prevent bullying and improve teenagers’
resilience; furthermore, people concern that online bullying may cause more harm
than traditional bullying, but it is found that the experience of only cyberbullying has
a very small association with well-being and life satisfaction when compared with
traditional bullying alone. (67 words)

Hypothermia occurs when the body’s temperature falls below 35℃. The human body
has a number of systems that maintain a constant core temperature of around 37℃. A
person doesn’t have to be in sub-zero temperatures to risk hypothermia-it only
requires the environmental temperature to be less than the body temperature and a
person will “donate” heat to the atmosphere.

If the heat generated by the body-and people are constantly generating heat through
metabolic processes and muscle movements-is less than that lost to the environment,
then their temperature will begin to fall.

The four ways that the human body loses heat include:
conduction-by direct transfer from the body to an object that is cooler than the body
(for example, lying on a cold surface will pass body warmth to the surface away from
the body);
convection-air or liquid flow across the skin drawing off heat (for example, the wind
will increase heat loss, as will water that is cooler than body temperature);
radiation-electromagnetic waves distribute heat into the ambient environment (for
example, exposed skin will allow heat to be drawn off if the air temperature is less
than the body-the exposed head of a person is a strong source of heat loss, particularly
in children);
evaporation-fluid on the skin turns to vapor, drawing off heat (moist skin will lose
heat more rapidly, such as in someone who is wet, clammy or has exposed moist skin,
such as burns).
Hypothermia occurs when the body’s temperature falls below 35℃. The human body
has a number of systems that maintain a constant core temperature of around 37℃. A
person doesn’t have to be in sub-zero temperatures to risk hypothermia-it only
requires the environmental temperature to be less than the body temperature and a
person will “donate” heat to the atmosphere.

If the heat generated by the body-and people are constantly generating heat through
metabolic processes and muscle movements-is less than that lost to the environment,
then their temperature will begin to fall.

The four ways that the human body loses heat include:
conduction-by direct transfer from the body to an object that is cooler than the body
(for example, lying on a cold surface will pass body warmth to the surface away from
the body);
convection-air or liquid flow across the skin drawing off heat (for example, the wind
will increase heat loss, as will water that is cooler than body temperature);
radiation-electromagnetic waves distribute heat into the ambient environment (for
example, exposed skin will allow heat to be drawn off if the air temperature is less
than the body-the exposed head of a person is a strong source of heat loss, particularly
in children);
evaporation-fluid on the skin turns to vapor, drawing off heat (moist skin will lose
heat more rapidly, such as in someone who is wet, clammy or has exposed moist skin,
such as burns).

Sample Answer
Human’s body has many systems to maintain relatively constant temperature around
37 degree, but hypothermia occurs when the body’s temperature falls below 35
degree, and human body loses heat in four ways, including conduction, convection,
radiation and evaporation. (42 words)
Hyper growth. If you have not yet heard of the term, it means company growth
accelerated far beyond normal expectations. There are companies that grow quickly,
but a company undergoing hyper growth will see rapid increases in demand for
products and services. This is very common in Chinese markets because of their
global economic power and the massive size of their population.

While hyper growth may seem both profitable and exciting, such rapid growth causes
a number of problems that are not easily managed. The first is customer satisfaction
and responsiveness. With skyrocketing growth, the pressure not only to deliver but to
address legitimate customer concerns greatly increases. A company may gain
customers, but if it loses them through subpar service or product quality, the
momentum can quickly be lost.

Unexpected growth also places extreme pressure on hiring enough people to do the
essential tasks. It is not just a numbers game. The quality must be there as well, as the
hiring of employees who fail to meet company and product standards will cause
system wide problems. If new hires are found to be substandard, then they will have
to be replaced, which requires more time and reduced short-term productivity.

The new hire problem is an issue, but an equally important issue is retaining key
people. There will be enormous expectations placed on managers and employees alike
during rapid expansion, but the rewards will normally be down the road. This means
that your best talent will be strained, yet the company will be depending on these key
people to adjust to the hyper growth. It is likely you will have some turnover, and
replacing their experience and knowledge will not be easy.
Hyper growth. If you have not yet heard of the term, it means company growth
accelerated far beyond normal expectations. There are companies that grow quickly,
but a company undergoing hyper growth will see rapid increases in demand for
products and services. This is very common in Chinese markets because of their
global economic power and the massive size of their population.

While hyper growth may seem both profitable and exciting, such rapid growth causes
a number of problems that are not easily managed. The first is customer satisfaction
and responsiveness. With skyrocketing growth, the pressure not only to deliver but to
address legitimate customer concerns greatly increases. A company may gain
customers, but if it loses them through subpar service or product quality, the
momentum can quickly be lost.

Unexpected growth also places extreme pressure on hiring enough people to do the
essential tasks. It is not just a numbers game. The quality must be there as well, as the
hiring of employees who fail to meet company and product standards will cause
system wide problems. If new hires are found to be substandard, then they will have
to be replaced, which requires more time and reduced short-term productivity.

The new hire problem is an issue, but an equally important issue is retaining key
people. There will be enormous expectations placed on managers and employees alike
during rapid expansion, but the rewards will normally be down the road. This means
that your best talent will be strained, yet the company will be depending on these key
people to adjust to the hyper growth. It is likely you will have some turnover, and
replacing their experience and knowledge will not be easy.

Sample Answer
Hyper growth, companies’ growth accelerating far beyond normal expectations, is
very common in Chinese markets and is both profitable and exciting, but it also
causes a number of problems, such as customer satisfaction and responsiveness，
pressure on hiring new people and retaining key people, so there will be enormous
expectations placed on managers and employees, but rewards will be down the road
during the rapid expansion.