48. In matching job candidates with job openings , managers must consider not only such variables as previous work experience and educational background but also personality traits and work habits, which are more difficult to judge.
What do you consider essential in an employee or colleague? Explain, using reasons and/or examples from your work or worklike experiences, or from your observations of others.
匹配工作应聘者和工作机会时，经理不但必需考虑以前的工作经历和教育背景之类的变量也必须考虑个人特点和工作习惯，这些更难评判。
你考量一个雇员或者同事的基本点是什么?从你自身的工作经验，或你对别人的观察给出原因and/or例子来解释你的观点。
除了教育背景过去的工作经验之外确实有很多更难量化的因素需要一个公司去衡量
1. 是否诚信是否对公司忠诚是决定一个员工是否可以为公司作出贡献的基本要素。一个有很好教育背景很丰富的工作经验但对公司不忠诚不诚信的人反而可能会对公司带来更大的伤害。他很可能会利用他的经验和专业知识做一些对自己有利而损害公司利益的事情
2. 一个人的对生活的态度对他是否胜任一项工作同样重要。这直接决定了他是积极地还是消极地对待自己的工作。尽管这一指标很难判断很难量化是隐性的但是同样十分重要。
3. 评价一个员工的是否胜任某一项工作仅仅从他是否有完成某个特定任务的能力来判断是不够的。因为在一个公司里面工作，每个人都需要和其他人协同没有人可以完全独立。因此员工是否可以和别人很好的沟通是否有团队精神也是很重要的一个衡量指标。
honest honesty dishonest dishonesty loyal loyalty instead An employee with excellent expertise and a lot of previous work experience but dishonest and not loyal to the company will sometimes do no good to the company while do harm instead, because they may use their expertise and experience to do something that can benefit themselves while damage the company. optimistic pessimistic optimism pessimism negative positive index quantify recessive likewise compatible interdependent dependent independent quantifiable
Thesis sentence: in spite of work experience and education background, there are many other factors, which are difficult to judge, essential in job candidates selection.
View1: Loyalty is an important factor in determine whether a candidate will make contribution to the company.
View2: peoples attitudes towards life is also affect much on work performance. Positive ,passive, initiative, creative
View3: Communication and cooperation abilities become more and more important in todays business world. Team work, harmonious personnel environment
In the hiring process, it is more difficult to assess personality and work habits than to determine work experience and educational background. Even so, it is important to try and judge the less quantifiable characteristics of a prospective colleague or employee―such as honesty, reliability, creativity, self-motivation, and the capacity to get along and work well with others. If it doesnt seem obvious that these are important qualities in a coworker, then consider the alternatives.
First of all, dishonest or unreliable workers harm an organization in many ways. Dishonest employees impose costs on a company whether they steal on the grand or small scale; just taking a few days of unwarranted sick leave here and there can add up to significant lost productivity. And lying about progress on a project can result in missed deadlines and even lost contracts. Unreliability works the same way; if an employee cannot meet deadlines or fails to appear at important meetings, the organization will suffer accordingly.
In addition, coworkers who lack motivation or creativity take some of the life out of an organization. To the extent that employees simply plug along, the company will be less productive In contrast, employees who have imagination and the motivation to implement ideas are productive and can spark those around them to greater achievement.
Finally, employees who cannot get along with or work well with others can as well be detrimental to the organization. The mere presence of a troublemaker is disruptive; moreover, the time such people spend on petty disagreements is time away from getting the job done successfully. In addition, those who cannot smoothly coordinate their efforts with others will end up making things more difficult for everyone else.
In conclusion, it may not be easy to judge the personality traits and work habits of prospective employees, but it certainly is worth the effort to try. Having coworkers who are honest, reliable, creative, self-motivated, compatible with one another and good team players will greatly enhance everyones work life, and benefit an organization in the most significant way―with greater productivity.
57. Everywhere, it seems, there are clear and positive signs that people are becoming more respectful of one anothers differences.
看来有明显和确实的迹象说明所有地方的人们都变得对彼此的不同越来越尊重。
我基本同意作者的观点
1. 一方面我们的立法越来越完善不断向着消除歧视和偏见的方向发展。这从强制的方面要求人们尊重和其他人的不同
2. 另一方面，随着技术的不断进步交流的不断深入人们对别的文化也有了更深的了解。而了解就会使得不同文化的人们提高对对方文化和行为的自发的非强制的尊重。
3. 诚然现在还有很多的种族的性别的等各个方面的歧视。但是我们很高兴地看到事情在向好的方面发展。
1. The increased globalization has provided more opportunities than ever before to contact and acknowledge cultures of other nations. 对于不同的宗教信仰和文化习俗，人们采取了更加宽容more tolerant attitude toward dissimilar culture, including religion and custom from other nations. 比方说：China had long closed itself to the outside of the world for many centuries before it opened the door in 1980s. 在那段时间里，西方文明被简单地理解为怪异和粗鲁的considered to be strange or rude. 而现在，接触了更多后，中国也认识到了不同，并且充分地接受和借鉴even learn from他们。
2. 然而，在很多领域，尽管通过legislation，已经改变了一些to some extent，但严重的discrimination and prejudice still remain severe despite of the legislation 比方说，racial, gender虽然立法规定了男女在工作一样的情况下得到一样工资，但是社会人为地perceived inequity still exist since 男和女被分为不同种类的工作。
3. 有成绩，但仍然需要努力。对不同的高度容忍体现文明的发展程度。sign of 之类。所以要一起努力。
Hearst Corporation
__celebrate differences among people and make active use of the varied perspectives that workers from different backgrounds bring to the job.
View1: our legislation and moral tend to eliminate bias and prejudice based on difference.
View2: better communication and broader cooperation teach people to respect deference
In determining whether we are becoming more respectful of one anothers differences, one must examine both overt actions and underlying motives, as well as examining whether our differences are increasing or decreasing. The issue, therefore, is quite complex, and the answer is unclear.
Disrespect for one anothers differences manifests itself in various forms of prejudice and discrimination. Since the civil rights and feminist movements of the 60s and 70s, it would seem that we have made significant progress toward eliminating racial and sexual discrimination. Anti-discriminatory laws in the areas of employment, housing , and education, now protect all significant minority groups racial minorities and women, the physically challenged and, more recently, homosexuals. Movies and television shows, which for better or worse have become the cynosure of our cultural attention, now tout the rights of minorities, encouraging acceptance of and respect for others.
However, much of this progress is forced upon us legislative. Without Title 10 and its progenies , would we voluntarily refrain from the discriminatory behavior that the laws prevent? Perhaps not. Moreover, signs of disrespect are all around us today. Extreme factions still rally around bigoted demagogues; the number of hate crimes is increasing alarmingly; and school-age children seem to flaunt a disrespect toward adults as never before. Finally, what appears to be respect for one anothers differences may in fact be an increasing global homogeneity―that is, we are becoming more and more alike.
In sum, on a societal level it is difficult to distinguish between genuine respect for one anothers differences on the one hand and legislated morality and increasing homogeneity on the other. Accordingly, the claim that we are becoming more respectful of one anothers differences is somewhat dubious.
60. Employers should have no right to obtain information about their employees health or other aspects of their personal lives without the employees permission.
没有雇员的同意时，雇主应该没有权力去了解他的雇员的健康状况和其他的私人生活方面的信息。
1， 员工的私人生活状况，很可能影响工作效率。productivity and turnover，所以雇主有理由关心。比如，健康问题，良好的健康状况显然是保障正常稳定生产的基础，雇主付出相同的钱，expect to get certain productivity. 而员工隐瞒健康状况，造成的低效率高成本，会使公司suffer。在雇佣时拥有对称的信息，很重要。
2， 同时，员工的私人状况，如果会危害到其他员工，那么应该有权得这知。比如，健康状况，犯罪的历史等等重大事件。健康，会infect other employee/ 暴力 history of crimes violence 很可能会对其他的员工造成伤害。这些都是必须要知道的。
3， 但有一些其他的私人生活，与工作效率无关，而且不是threat to others。employer 没有权力获取。比如，婚姻状况marital status, religion, race这些都应该是员工自愿提供的with permission，而不能强制获得force。
View1: as human resources is one of the most important fortunes to a company, companies should know the health conditions of their employees. Decide whether a worker is competent for a job, decide cost on medical cares, ensure productivity
View2: other aspects of employees personal life, if not directly related to work performance, are not need to expose to employers.
Determining whether employers should have access to personal information about employees requires that the interests of businesses in ensuring productivity and stability be weighed against concerns about equity and privacy interests. On balance , my view is that employers should not have the right to obtain personal information about current employees without their consent.
A business interest in maintaining a stable, productive workforce clearly justifies right of access to certain personal information about prospective employees. Job applicants can easily conceal personal information that might adversely affect job performance, thereby damaging the employer in terms of low productivity and high turnover. During employment, however, the employees interests are far more compelling than those of the employer, for three reasons.
First, the employer has every opportunity to monitor ongoing job performance and to replace workers who fail to meet standards, regardless of the reason for that failure. Second, allowing free access to personal information about employees might open the floodgates to discriminatory promotions and salary adjustments. Current federal laws―which protect employees from unfair treatment based on gender, race, and marital status, may not adequately guard against an employers searching for an excuse to treat certain employees unfairly. Third, access to personal information without consent raises serious privacy concerns, especially where multiple individuals have access to the information. Heightening this concern is the ease of access to information which our burgeoning electronic Intranets make possible.
In sum, ready access to certain personal information about prospective employees is necessary to protect businesses; however, once hired, an employees interest in equitable treatment and privacy far outweighs the employers interest in ensuring a productive and stable workforce.
62. What education fails to teach us is to see the human community as one. Rather than focus on the unique differences that separate one nation from another, education should focus on the similarities among all people and places on Earth.
教育没有教会我们的是把人类社会看成一个整体。与其把焦点集中在区分一个国家和另一个的独特不同点上，教育应该集中焦点于地球上所有人类和所有地方的相似之处。
1. It is important for the education to teach us the unity. It is important for us to identify with others since no one can live without others.
2. While it is also important for the education to teach us the diverstity for us to better understand and respect others.
3. Which is more important is hard to say. Both the unity and the diversity should be taught.
View1: It is very important for education to teach us unity. Since all nations interact with each other more and more thoroughly, no one is an island in the world.
Evidence: unify citizens from diverse backgrounds, reduced ethnic, religious or political factions and wars. Improve cooperation, mutual altruism and finally harmonious humanity
View2: While it is also important for education to teach us diversity in order to improve understanding and respect between nations.
Evidence: democratic ideal of tolerance, educating people about diversity might even produce a unifying effect―by promoting understanding and appreciation among people from all backgrounds.
This view of education seems to recommend that schools stress the unity of all people instead of their diversity. While I agree that education should include teaching students about characteristics that we all share, doing so need not necessarily entail shifting focus away from our differences. Education can and should include both.
On the one hand, we are in the midst of an evolving global community where it is increasingly important for people to recognize our common humanity, as well as specific hopes and goals we all share. People universally prefer health to disease, being nourished to starving, safe communities to crime-riddled ones, and peace to war. Focusing on our unity will help us realize these hopes and goals. Moreover, in our pluralistic democracy it is crucial to find ways to unify citizens from diverse backgrounds. Otherwise, we risk being reduced to ethnic, religious or political factions at war with one another, as witnessed recently in the former Yugoslavia . Our own diverse society can forestall such horrors only if citizens are educated about the democratic ideals, heritage, rights and obligations we all have in common.
On the other hand, our schools should not attempt to erase, ignore, or even play down religious, ethnic or cultural diversity. First of all, schools have the obligation to teach the democratic ideal of tolerance, and the best way to teach tolerance is to educate people about different religions, cultures and so on. Moreover, educating people about diversity might even produce a unifying effect―by promoting understanding and appreciation among people from all backgrounds.
In conclusion, while it may appear paradoxical to recommend that education stress both unity and diversity, it is not. Understanding our common humanity will help us achieve a better, more peaceful world. Toward the same end, we need to understand our differences in order to better tolerate them, and perhaps even appreciate them. Our schools can and should promote both kinds of understanding by way of a balanced approach.
65. The rise of multinational corporations is leading to global homogeneity. Because people everywhere are beginning to want the same products and services, regional differences are rapidly disappearing.
homogeneity: sameness, similarity
Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion expressed above. Support your point of view with reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.
跨国公司的兴起导致全球一体化。因为所有地方的人们都开始需要同样的服务和产品，地区差异正迅速消失。
1. The so-called cultural innovation does exists. Lets take KFC as an example. Its standard design, decoration and food supplied in every chain all around the world influence people consume its product and service.
2. However, to say the multinational corporations do no good to promote and improve the unique culture of the nations where their branches are located is very imprudent.
3. Ideally, the multinational corporations should incorporate the culture of the target countrys cultrue with the corporate culture and the culture it belongs to.
反对。
1， 首先，前提是错误的。因为各地差异不同，所以全球化的大公司，想在所有地方都提供一样的产品服务是不现实的。empirical evidence: 很多成功的大企业，往往是那些充分认识到不同，从而采用不同的策略的。不能保持完全一致的策略，let alone 更不用说完全一样的产品和服务。比如：KFC等fast food，在中国都针对口味偏好开发了很多新产品。
2， Moreover, 地区差异不会消失，有更深层次的原因on much deeper level。第一，文化的差异，信仰的不同，很难靠产品和服务改变。比如，即使使用最先进的日本Panasonic产的电视，美国人用来传播transmit democratic principles, while中国人可能用来publicize the thoughts of Mao, or Confucius 第二，习俗的差异，custom。比如，尽管很多年轻人在中国开始celebrate the Valentines Day, 但是在所有中国人心中，最重要的节日仍然是Spring Festival。这是什么样的产品都不能改变的。
Optional words:
Homogeneity/ homogeneous/ homogenize/
Difference/ divergence/ deviation/ variance/ disagreement/ conflict
Thesis sentence:
View1: the development of multinational corporations does enhance global unity by bringing the same methods of business administration as well as products and services throughout the world.
Evidence: western fast food bring by global chain express such us McDonaldsand KFC have change our diet habits a lot
View2: however, the effect of multinational corporations is far from eliminating regional deference. The corporations itself is blend in the regional features.
Evidence: Lays, one of the most successful multinational food manufacturers, add some flavor of traditional Asian dishes to its potato chips in order to attract foreign customers.
Although global homogeneity in a broader sense may not be as inexorable as the speaker here suggests, I agree that multinational corporations are indeed creating global sameness in consumer preferences. This homogeneity is manifested in two concurrent megatrends : the embracing of American popular culture throughout the world, and a synthesis of cultures, as reflected in consumer preferences.
The first trend is toward Americanization of popular culture throughout the world. In food and fashion, once a nations denizens fall into the Gap or get a taste of a Coke or Big Mac, their preferences are forever Westernized. The ubiquitous Nike swoosh, which nearly every soccer player in the world will soon don, epitomizes this phenomenon. In media, the cultural agendas of giants such as Time-Warner now drive the worlds entertainment preferences. The Rolling Stones and the stars of Americas prime-time television shows are revered among young people worldwide, while Mozarts music, Shakespeares prose, and Ghandis ideology are largely ignored.
A second megatrend is toward a synthesis of cultures into a homogenous stew. The popularity of world music and of the New Age health care and leisure-time activities aptly illustrate this blending of Eastern, Western and third-world cultures. Perhaps nowhere is the cultural-stew paradigm more striking, and more bland , than at the international food courts now featured in malls throughout the developed world.
These trends appear inexorable. Counter-attacks, such as Ebonies, rap music, and bilingual education, promote the distinct culture of minority groups, but not of nations. Further homogenization of consumer preferences is all but ensured by failing trade barriers, coupled with the global billboard that satellite communications and the Internet provide.
In sum, American multinationals have indeed instigated a homogeneous global, yet American-style, consumerism―one which in all likelihood will grow in extent along with free-market capitalism and global connectivity.
66. Manufacturers are responsible for ensuring that their products are safe. If a product injures someone, for whatever reason, the manufacturer should be held legally and financially accountable for the injury.
Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion expressed above. Support your point of view with reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.
制造商对保证他们的产品的安全负责。如果一个产品伤害了某人，不论什么原因，制造商都应该对伤害负法律和经济责任。
1. Manufactures are resposible for providing the consumers with safe and reliable products and they are also responsible for supplying clear and detailed instrctions. That is the basic requirement for a qualified manufacture.
2. To satisfy the need of the consumers for convenient and user-friendly product will benefit the manufacture at the same time. Because during the process in pursue of the consumers satisfaction the manufactures have to make innovations and a lot of PD, which will enhance the manufactures and make them competetive in the rival with others.
3. However, if the manufacture has already done well to provide excellent and safe product plus clear and detailed instructions and it is the consumers misconduct that should be blamed for the incidence, then the manufacture is not responsible for the injury.
View1: safe is one of the most important features of products
View2: the extremely strict standard of safe liability is costly and unfair to the manufacturers.
Evidence: this standard force manufactures to do excessive safety testing, and defending liability law suits, Consumers are then damaged by ultimately bearing these costs in the form of higher prices.
nothing can be absolutely safe if used inappropriately. while manufacturers have given clear guide on how to keep and use their product, it is still impossible for manufactures to ensure their products being under proper use. More over, a large number of victims are not direct customers but second-hand users, who can not receive all instructions and guidance.
In determining whether manufacturers should be accountable for all injuries resulting from the use of their products, one must weigh the interests of consumers against those of manufacturers. On balance, holding manufacturers strictly liable for such injuries is unjustifiable.
Admittedly, protecting consumers from defective and dangerous products is an important and worthwhile goal. No doubt nearly all of us would agree that health and safety should rank highly as an objective of public policy. Also, compelling a high level of safety forces manufacturers to become more innovative in design, use of materials, and so forth. Consumers and manufacturers alike benefit, of course, from innovation.
However, the arguments against a strict-liability standard are more compelling. First, the standard is costly. It forces manufacturers to incur undue expenses for overbuilding, excessive safety testing, and defending liability law suits. Consumers are then damaged by ultimately bearing these costs in the form of higher prices. Second, the standard can be unfair. It can assign fault to the wrong party; where a product is distributed through a wholesaler and/or retailer, one of these parties may have actually caused, or at least contributed to, the injury. The standard can also misplace fault where the injured party is not the original consumer. Manufacturers cannot ensure that second-hand users receive safe products or adequate instructions and warnings. Finally, where the injured consumer uses the product for a purpose or in a manner other than the intended one, or where there were patent dangers that the user should have been aware of, it seems the user, not the manufacturer, should assume the risk of injury.
In sum, despite compelling interests in consumer safety and product innovation, holding manufacturers accountable for all injuries caused by their products is unjustifiably costly to society and unfair to manufacturers.
68. Since the physical work environment affects employee productivity and morale, the employees themselves should have the right to decide how their workplace is designed.
由于物理工作环境影响雇员的生产力和士气，雇员自身应该有权决定如何设计他们的工作场所。
1. brings creativity and coziness
2. makes colleagues more closely and companionate
3. Admittedly, some companies such as consulting/consultant? company must avoid too much decoration.
However, no matter the employee or the employer, as for the environment is considered, compromise should be made from time to time.
View1:work character have great influence on the design of workplace.
Evidence: consulting company must avoid too much decoration in order to appear professionally and dependably. To some creative work such as AD agency and fashion design, the decorating of workplace is important not only for simulating inspirations but also for showing creative abilities.
View2: also, the designment of workplace should be compromise to company culture.
Evidence: Consider the influence it has done to co-workers and the harmony in work place.
I agree that physical workspace can affect morale and productivity and that, as a result, employees should have a significant voice in how their work areas are designed. However, the speaker suggests that each employee should have full autonomy over his or her immediate workspace, I think this view is too extreme, for it ignores two important problems that allowing too much freedom over workspace can create.
On the one hand, I agree that some aspects of workspace design are best left to the individual preferences of each worker. Location of personal tools and materials, style and size of desk chair, and even desk lighting and decorative desk items, can each play an important role in a workers comfort, psychological wellbeing, concentration, and efficiency. Moreover, these features involve highly subjective preferences, so it would be inappropriate for anyone but the worker to make such choices.
On the other hand, control over ones immediate workspace should not go unchecked, for two reasons. First, one employees workspace design may inconvenience , annoy, or even offend nearby coworkers. For example, pornographic pinups may distract some coworkers and offend others, thereby impeding productivity, fostering ill-will and resentment, and increasing attrition―all to the detriment of the company. Admittedly, the consequences of most workspace choices would not be so far-reaching. Still, in my observation many people adhere, consciously or not, to the adage that one persons rights extend only so far as the next persons nose . A second problem with affording too much workspace autonomy occurs when workspaces are not clearly delineated―by walls and doors―or when workers share an immediate workspace. In such cases, giving all workers concurrent authority would perpetuate conflict and undermine productivity.
In conclusion, although employees should have the freedom to arrange their work areas, this freedom is not absolute. Managers would be well-advised to arbitrate workspace disputes and, if needed, assume authority to make final decisions about workspace design.
75. There are essentially two forces that motivate people: self-interest and fear.
有两种驱使人们的基本力量：自私和恐惧。
Self-interest an fear are two important forces that motivate people. But I can not totally agree with the authors assertion that the above-mentioned two forces are the only forces that motivate people.
1. Fear and other survival instinctions can motivate people to do some basic and essential activities such as eating, drinking, living with others, and so on so forth.
2. Self interest is the initiative for people to do some further explortions. That is the motivation for us to study, to hold a certain type of expertise or technology, etc.
3. However, the author ignore the other aspect of mankind other than the selfish nature--altruism.
1. 不能否认的是，人们做很多行为都出自这两种天性。a, 人们努力工作，为了赚足够的钱养活自己，support the family，人们接受education and training to make sure that he or she can grasp the up to date knowledge and skills for the purpose to avoid being supplanted by others. 因为恐惧。b, 人们遵守社会规范，有时也是为了赢得reputation。
2. 但是，如果说人的一切行为都root in these only two factors, 这就过于one-sided的说法。忽略了other aspects of the natural humanity。比如人性中的很多美德，都表现了人们克服了selfishness and fear取得的成就。a, 科学家为了address the problem of starvation, 花一生的精力去研究the better rice breed. b, anonymous charitarian donate huge amount of money to the school and hospitalpeople can hardly be persuaded to believe that the anonymous charitarian doing so are only motivated by the intention of gaining reputation.
3. 过于片面。
Optional words:
Motivate/ provoke/ stimulate/ excite/ prompt/ arouse/ encourage/ incite/ inspire
Fear/dread/ alarm/ terror/ scare
Thesis sentence: While self-interest and fear are two important forces that motivate people, they are not the only forces that motivate people. the speaker oversimplifies human nature, ignoring the important motivating force of altruism.
View1: On the one hand, I agree that most of our actions result in large part from self-
interest and from our survival instincts, such as fear.
Evidence: educational and vocational lives are motivated by interest in ensuring our livelihood, safety, health and so on.
View2: On the other hand, the assertion that all of our actions are essentially motivated by self-interest and fear is based on the belief that human beings are essentially selfish, or egoistic. Thus, overemphasize one aspect of human nature. Humans are also altruistic―that is, we act to benefit others, even though doing so may not in be in our own interest.
Evidence:
The speaker claims that people are motivated only by fear and self-interest. This claim relies on the belief that human beings are essentially selfish, or egoistic. In my view, the speaker oversimplifies human nature, ignoring the important motivating force of altruism.
On the one hand, I agree that most of our actions result in large part from self-interest and from our survival instincts, such as fear. For example, our educational and vocational lives are to a great extent motivated by our interest in ensuring our own livelihood, safety, health, and so on. We might perpetuate bad personal relationships because we are insecure―or afraid―of what will happen to us if we change course. Even providing for our own children may to some extent be motivated by selfishness―satisfying a need for fulfillment or easing our fear that we will be alone in our old age.
On the other hand, to assert that all of our actions are essentially motivated by self-interest and fear is to overemphasize one aspect of human nature. Humans are also altruistic―that is, we act to benefit others, even though doing so may not be in our own interest. The speaker might claim that altruistic acts are just egoistic ones in disguise―done to avoid unpleasant feelings of guilt, to give oneself pleasure, or to obligate another person. However, this counter argument suffers from three critical problems. First, some examples of altruism are difficult to describe in terms of self-interest alone. Consider the soldier who falls on a grenade to save his companions. It would be nonsensical to assert that this soldier is acting selfishly when he knows his action will certainly result in his own immediate death. Second, the argument offends our intuition that human motivation is far more complex. Third, it relies on a poor assumption; just because we feel good about helping others, it does not follow that the only reason we help is in order to feel good.
In sum, the speaker oversimplifies human nature. All human motivation cannot be reduced to fear and self-interest. We can also be motivated by altruism, and the pleasure we might take in helping others is not necessarily an indication that our actions are selfish.