In the center of a big city there are usually dozens of large office buildings that house big banks, corporation headquarters, and government agencies.
在大城市的中心通常有很多大型写字楼，大型银行、公司总部、政府机构都坐落于此。
Thousands of people work in these buildings.
成千上万的人在这些大楼里工作。
People who do all the office work are called white-collar workers.
做一切办公室事务的人被称为白领。
Secretaries and receptionists, bookkeepers and computer operators work for many different kinds of companies.
秘书、接待员、会计、电脑操作员……他们供职于各式各样的公司。
Many office workers dream of working their way up to the top, from clerk to president of a corporation.
许多上班族梦想能一路奋斗到公司最高层，从小职员升到公司总裁。
The way lies through middle management.
在此过程中，会经历中层管理员这一职。
Middle management includes junior executives, who may fill specialized jobs, supervise other workers in the company, recommend action to top management, or see that the company's policies are being carried out.
中层管理人员包括初级主管，会执行专业工作、监督公司的其他员工、向高层建言献策、或者确保公司政策的执行。
At the very top are the senior executives.
公司最高层是高管。
They establish the policies for their own companies, especially financial matters.
他们为公司建立政策方针，尤其是财政问题的相关政策。
The Chief Executive Officer, or CEO, of a large corporation has a great deal of power and influence.
一个公司的首席执行官，也叫CEO，他有很大的权力和影响力。
It is believed that one can start out at the bottom and go all the way to the top.
据说一个人可以从底层开始，一路打拼到高层。
Because financial matters are so important, some accountants become top executives.
由于金融事务特别重要，所以有一些会计师会成为高管。
In companies where technology is important, people with an engineering background can also rise to the top.
技术在公司至关重要，有工程师背景的职员也能升值到高层。
Nowadays, however, education plays a central part in the selection of people for management jobs.
然而现在管理层人员的筛选十分看重教育背景。
Universities in many countries offer courses in business administration.
许多国家的大学开设企业管理的课程。
The graduates of these courses often start out in middle management jobs.
这些课程的毕业生通常会从中层做起。
From there, they can easily get promoted if they show the necessary personality and ability.
在此基础上，如果他们显示出必要的个性和能力，他们就很容易得到升职。