§ 1. Working as a
manager in the head office of a bank, as I do, clothes can be a real nightmare.
In New York, where I worked for a time last summer, you have to brave the
sticky heat every time you venture outside, yet freeze once you arrive in a
meeting with the air-conditioner turned up full blast. I struggled to know what
to wear. The problem was compounded by the office dress code for the month of
July and August, which was 'dress-down'. The dress-down phenomenon seems to have
originated in places where staff work through the oppressive heat of summer
whilst their families take refuge at the coast or in the hills. Dress-down,
restricted to Fridays, allowed staff to head straight for their out-of-town
retreats on Friday evenings without going home to change.
§2. For me, dress-down
is a nuisance for two reasons. The first is that it actually requires a whole
new wardrobe. For my male colleagues in the US, it seemed to mean a switch from
one uniform (single-breasted suits, silk ties) to another (designer shirts,
chinos and blazers). I basically only own two types of clothes; suits for
working in and truly casual gear for relaxing weekends in the countryside.
§3. Returning to
London, I was therefore rather upset to discover that my employers had
instituted summer dress-down. Here too, though its relevance to the climate is
far from immediately apparent. Initially, I tried to sidestep it by simply
turning up in my suit as usual, but my staff complained that they then felt
pressured into doing the same. So, I found myself having to buy 'smart casual'
clothes specifically to wear to work; a ridiculous expense.
§4. Even more irritating
is the fact that I'm still obliged to have a suit hanging up in my office in
case I'm suddenly called to a meeting on our conference floor, where dress-down
is banned lest a client should witness it. One of my
colleagues started to accumulate more and more very smart suits in her office,
explaining that she was having her flat renovated and that the in-office
wardrobe was a necessity as she was staying at a different friend's place each
night. We weren't convinced.
§5. However, the clothes hanging
in my office are now finding a second use. I have suddenly become the
target
for several 'headhunters', people employed by other companies to try and tempt
employees away with offers of better pay and conditions. I've barely had time
to go to the hairdresser's between overseas trips, let alone attend a job
interview. However, as the financial rewards offered have reached breathtaking
amounts, I've been forced to take an interest. The only problem with this is
that I have just one suit at the office. As a series of spontaneous interviews
with one prospective employer progresses,
I'm having to bring in additional clothes. I can hardly present myself as a
highly-paid investment banker, requiring a vast salary, if they only ever see
me in one suit. At this rate, I shall have to tell my staff that I, too, have
decided to have my flat done up. I just hope that none of them offers me the
use of their spare room.
Выберите один из предложенных вариантов ответа в соответствии с содержанием приведенного выше текста.
A15. According to the
writer, 'dress-down' in New York began as a way of
