Passage 2 Directions: Listen to a short passage three times. When the passage is read for the first time, listen for its general idea. When the passage is read for the second time, fill in the blanks with the exact words you hear. When the passage is read for the third time, check what you have written. In the center of a big city there are usually dozens of large office buildings that house big banks, corporation headquarters, and government agencies. Thousands of people work in these buildings. People who do all the office work are called white-collar workers. (1) __________ and receptionists, bookkeepers and computer operators work for many different kinds of companies. Many office workers dream of working their way up to the top, from clerk to (2) __________ of a corporation. The way lies through middle management. Middle management includes junior executives, who may fill (3) __________ jobs, supervise other workers in the company, (4) __________ action to top management, or see that the company’s policies are (5) __________. At the very top are the senior executives. They (6) __________ the policies for their own companies, especially (7) __________. The Chief Executive Officer, or CEO, of a large (8) __________ has a great deal of power and influence. It is believed that one can start out at the bottom and go all the way to the top. Because financial matters are so important, some accountants become top executives. In companies where technology is important, people with an engineering background can also rise to the top. Nowadays, however, education (9) __________ in the selection of people for management jobs. Universities in many countries offer courses in business administration. The graduates of these courses often start out in middle management jobs. From there, they can easily get promoted if they show the necessary (10) __________ and ability.