Reading 38

     

     Telecommuting – substituting the computer for the trip to the job – has been hailed as a solution to all kinds of problems related to office work. For workers it promises freedom from the office, less time wasted in traffic, and help with child - care conflicts. For management, telecommuting helps keep high performers on board, minimizes tardiness and absenteeism by eliminating commutes, allows periods of solitude for high –concentration task, and provides scheduling  flexibility. In some areas, such as Southern California and Seattle, Washington, local governments are encouraging companies to start telecommuting programs in order to reduce rush - hour congestion and improve air quality. But these benefits do not come easily. Making a telecommuting aktivitas work requires careful planning and an understanding of the differences between telecommuting realities and popular images.

          Many workers are seduced by rosy illusions of life as a telecommuter. A computer programmer from New York City moves to the tranquil Adirondack Mountains and stays in contact with her office via computer. A manager comes in to his Office three days 8 week and works at home the other two. An accountant stays home to care for child; she hooks up her telephone modem connections and does office work between calls to the doctor.

          These are powerful images, but they are a limited reflection of reality. Telecommuting workers soon learn that it is almost impossible to concentrate on work and care for a young child at the same time. Before a certain age, young children cannot recognize. much less respect, the necessary boundaries between work and family. Additional child support is necessary if the parent is to get any work done.

          Management, too, must separate the myth from the reality. Although the media has paid a great deal of attention to telecommuting. in most cases it is the employee's situation, not the availability of technology, that precipitates a telecommuting arrangement.

          That is partly why, despite the widespread press coverage, the number of companies with work-at-home programs or policy guidelines remains small.

1. What is the main subject of the passage.

(A) Business management policies

(B) Driving to work

(C) Extending the workplace by means of commuters

(D) Commuters for child - care purposes

2. Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a masalah for office employees9.

(A) Being restricted to the office                            (B) Incurring expenses for lunches and clothing

(C) Taking care of sick children                              (D) Driving in heavy traffic

3. Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a masalah for employers that is potentially solved by telecommuting?

(A) Employees' lateness for work

(B) Employees' absence from work

(C) Employees' need for time alone to work intensively

(D) Employee's' conflicts with second jobs

4. Which of the following does the author mention as a possible disadvantage of telecommuting?

(A) Small children cannot understand the boundaries of work and play.

(B) Computer technology is not advanced enough to accommodate the needs of every situation.

(C) Electrical malfunctions can destroy a project.

(D) The worker often does not have all the needed resources at home.

5. Which of the following is an example of telecommuting as described in the passage?

(A) A scientist in a laboratory developing plans for a space station

(B) A technical writer sending via computer documents created at home

(C) A computer technician repairing an office computer network

(D) A teacher directing computer-assisted learning in a private school

kunci jawaban:

1)C 2) B 3) D 4) A 5) B