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.
16（）
A.dropping
B.carrying
C.bouncing
D.opening
参考答案：A
解析：
固定搭配题。题目给出的4个动词和ball搭配，是4个短语，意思分别是：drop the ball，“放弃努力”； carrying the ball“承担主要任务”；bouncing the ball“(对公众舆论、股票市场等)预作试探”；opening the ball“开始行动，开个头”。本句话的意思是“但为什么许多公司一提到管理培训时，就放弃呢”根据下文关于不送女性接受培训的解释可知此空选A。