Question

  It looked like a typical business meeting. Six men, neatly dressed in white shirts and ties filed into the boardroom of a small Jakarta company and sat down at a long table. But instead of consulting files or hearing reports, they closed their eyes and began to meditate, consulting the spirits of ancient Javanese kings. Mysticism touches almost every aspect of life in Indonesia and business is no exception. One of the meditators said his weekly meditation sessions are aimed mainly at bringing the peace of mind that makes for good decision-making. But the insight gained from mystic communication with spirits of wise kings has also helped boost the profits of his five companies.

  Mysticism and profits have come together since the 13th century introduction of Islam to Indonesia by Indian Moslem merchants. Those devout traders, called ‘Wali Ullah’ or ‘those close to God, ’ energetically spread both trade and religion by adapting their appeals to the native mysticism of Java. Legends attribute magic power of foreknowledge to the Wali Ullah. These powers were believed to be gained through meditation and fasting.

  Businessman Hadisiko said his group fasts and meditates all night every Thursday to become closer to God and to contact the spirits of the great men of the past. ‘If we want to employ someone at the managerial level, we meditate together and often the message comes that this man can’t hole onto money or he is untrustworthy. Or maybe the spirits will tell us he should be hired.’  Hadiziko hastened to add that his companies also hold modern personnel management systems and that formal qualifications are essential for a candidate even to be considered. Perspective investments also are considered through mystic meditation. ‘With the mind relaxed and open, it is easier to be objective in judging the risk of a new venture. Meditation and contact with the wisdom of the old leaders sharpens your own insight and intuition. Then you have to apply that intuition to the information you have and work hard to be successful. ’ Mystic meditation helped reverse a business slide his companies experienced in the mid-1980. Operating with normal business procedures, he lost more than $ 3 millions in that year alone. Meditation brought back his peace of mind. Putting the right persons in the right jobs and gaining confidence in his business decisions were the keys to a turning around that has brought expansion and profitability. The mysticism in Handspike’s boardroom is part of a growing movement in Indonesia called Kebatinan – the ‘search for the inner self.’

  One of his managers, Yusuf Soemado, who studied business administration at Harvard University, compared the idea of mystic management to western system of positive thinking. ‘Willpower and subconscious mind are recognized as important factors in business. Such approaches as psycho-cybernetics, Carnegie’s think and growth rates, or the power of positive thinking are western attempts to tap the same higher intelligence that we contact through meditation,’ he said.

 

1.What is the most important factor in their doing business?

[A] Mysticism.

Religion.

[C] Meditation.

[D] Investment.

2.Whom do they consult?

[A] The spirits of ancient Javanese kings.

Wali Ullah.

[C] Old Kings.

[D] Carnegie.

3.Why did Hadisike hasten to add ‘his companies also hold modern personnel management systems…’?

[A] He thought Mysticism was not so good as expected.

To show they too focused on qualifications.

[C] To show they hired qualified persons.

[D] To show the possibility of combination of the scientific management with religion.

4.According to the passage, the function of the meditation is

[A] to gain profit from the god.

to gain peace of mind to make decision.

[C] to gain foreknowledge.

[D] to gain objective conclusion.

5.What does ‘operating with normal business procedures’ refer to?

[A] Adopting the western way of doing business.

Ordinary way of doing business without meditation and fasting.

[C] Contact with God.

[D] Putting right persons in the right jobs.

 

Vocabulary

file into                  魚貫而入，排隊進去

Jakarta                  雅加達

meditate                  沉思，冥想，反省

Java                  爪哇

Javanese                  爪哇的

mysticism                  神秘主義

boost                  促進，增加，提高

devout                  虔誠的，熱誠的

appeal (to)            向……呼吁，求助于，魅力

legend                  傳說，神話

fasting                  禁食，齋戒

hold onto                  抓緊，保住

personnel management system      人事管理制度

perspective investment      遠景投資

venture                  （商業）投機，風險

sharpen                  使……敏銳/尖銳，磨尖

business slide            買賣/企業滑坡，下滑

turn around            （生意）好轉，轉變

subconscious            下意識的，潛意識的

cybernetics            控制論

Carnegie                  卡耐基

tap                  開拓，選擇

 

Answer 1

1.C

2.A

3.B

4.B

5.B

【解析】難句譯注

Mysticism touches almost every aspect of life in Indonesia and business is no exception.

【參考譯文】在印尼神秘主義似乎涉及到印尼生活的各個方面，商業也不例外。

Those devout traders, called ‘Wali Ullah’ or ‘those close to God, ’ energetically spread both trade and religion by adapting their appeals to the native mysticism of Java.

【參考譯文】這些虔誠的商人，叫做Wali Ullah，或者“接近主的人”，把他們的祈求呼吁跟爪哇當地的神秘主義相結合。他們通過這一途徑積極熱情地拓展商業買賣和宗教信仰。

Putting the right persons in the right jobs and gaining confidence in his business decisions were the keys to a turning around that has brought expansion and profitability.

【參考譯文】恰當的工作崗位使用合適的人選，對企業決策具有信心使形式好轉的關鍵。它給你帶來拓展和利潤。（或任人唯賢，指揮若定使扭虧增盈，大展宏圖的關鍵。）

Search for the inner self.

【參考譯文】探索內心的自我。

Such approaches as psycho-cybernetics, Carnegie’s think and growth rates, or the power of positive thinking are western attempts to tap the same higher intelligence that we contact through meditation.

【參考譯文】類似心理控制論、卡耐基思想、增長率、或者積極思考能力等觀點是西方開拓高智能的辦法，而我們是通過沉思冥想來和高智能聯系的。

寫作方法與文章大意

這是一篇新聞報導，講述印度尼西亞商人如何經營公司。主要采用一般到具體寫作手法。一開始就點明他們以獨特的方式――不看文件，不聽匯報，而是閉上眼睛沉思，向古代帝王的精靈請示來經營。這種神秘主義幾乎涉及印尼生活的各個領域，商業也不例外。后面每段都圍繞這一主題而寫。第二段寫來源。第三段，應用于商業方面的具體例子，第四段，和西方管理方法對比。

1.C 沉思。這在第一斷已有說明。

A. 神秘主義。是個總的概念，籠罩生活各方面。而不是具體的做法和重要因素。 B. 宗教。 D. 投資。

2.A 爪哇古代帝王之精靈。答案在第一段。

B. Wali Ullah是指印度穆斯林商人。這些虔誠的商人叫做Wali Ullah或者成為接近主的人。傳說神話也把先知的力量歸功于Wali Ullah。C. 老帝王。D. 卡耐基，1835-1919是生于蘇格蘭的美國鋼鐵工業家和慈善家。他有一套管理企業的辦法，稱為卡耐基思想（管理法）。

3.B 他們也重視資歷、才能。這在第三段中第二行起，商人 Hadisiko講話清楚說明“如果我們要雇傭管理人員，我們就一起沉思，常常會有這種信息來臨：這個人不能管理錢財或者他不可靠。也可能神靈告訴我們應當雇傭他。接著他匆忙補充說他的公司也采用現代人事管理系統，即要考慮雇傭的人員最根本的條件仍是正式資歷”。

A. 他認為神秘主義不像想象中那么好。C. 表明他們雇傭人才。上下文說明，他所以補充是說明他們也重視資格。D. 表明科學管理和宗教結合的可能性。Hadisike語中沒有這種意思。但不能說他們雇傭人才不管宗教。

4.B 得到冷靜頭腦來決策。這在第三段后半部分講到。“遠景的投資也是通過神秘的沉思加以考慮。有著放松和開放的頭腦，易于客觀地判斷新投資的風險。沉思和過去領袖的接觸會是你的洞察力和感官變得敏銳。”第一段第五行“其中一位沉思者說每星期的沉思會主要目標是帶來一個平靜的頭腦，作出好決策。”

A. 從上帝那里得到利潤。 C. 取得先知。不對，先知的能力歸于Wali Ullah。D. 得到客觀的結論。文內只提到，頭腦放松容易客觀地判斷投資風險與否，并不是客觀的結論。

5.B 沒有沉思和齋戒的常規作生意。見第三段中，神秘的沉思幫助扭轉公司生意滑坡而正常買賣步驟，這一年就損失了300萬美元。這兩句對比的話說明B項內容。

A. 采用西方買賣方式（交易方式）。文內沒有點明正常就是西方方式。C. 和上帝接觸。D. 知人善任。