Selection to participate in a top executive-education program is an important rung on the ladder to top corporate jobs. U. S. corporations (1) billions of dollars in this form of management development -- and use it to (2) and train fast-track managers. Yet one (3) of executive education found that less than 5% of the managers (4) to these high-profile programs are women -- and minorities are terribly (5) as well.
The numbers are (6) . In regular business (7) usually paid for by the participant, not an employer -- there are plenty of women and minorities. Women, for example, (8) for about 30% of MBA candidates. Yet in the (9) programs paid for by corporations that round out a manager’s credentials at a (10) career point, usually at age 40 or 45, companies are making only a (11) investment in developing female and minority executives. A case (12) point: Only about 30% of the 180 executives in Stanford’s recent (13) management program were women.
Most companies say these days they are (14) hiring and promoting women and minorities-- and there are some (15) trends in overall employment and pay levels so why are companies (16) the ball when it (17) executive education The schools (18) that they are neither the cause of nor the cure for the problem. A Harvard Business School dean figures that companies are (19) of sending their female executives (20) they don’t want to lose them to competitors.
12（）
A. beside
B. up to
C. in
D. to
参考答案：C
解析：
固定搭配题。本句举了与本句论点相关的实例。各项与point搭配分别表示beside the point“离题的，不相关的”；up to a point“在一定程度上，有一点”；in point“有关系的，相关的”；to the point“切题的”。根据固定搭配与句子意思判断，正确答案是C。