The necktie looks set to follow the top hat in being handed over to the fashion museum by office workers within the next 50 years, according to research.
Nearly three quarters (74%) think the tie will not survive within British firms beyond the next half a century with the popularity of the open-collared shirt. Its
demise is being blamed on the boom in creative businesses, such as Facebook and Google, and online trading companies where formal dress codes tend to be avoided in favour of a more casual approach.
Once considered an important part of business dress, the tie has become a victim of the spread of "casual Fridays" into other weekdays, according to researchers.
The poll, by Deal Jungle. com, which helps small and medium enterprises, found more than half (51% ) thought the tie would die out in offices within the next 20 years and almost a quarter (22%) believed it would last less than 10 years.
A spokesman for the site, which has 20, 000 registered members, said: "Ties have been around seemingly forever but increasing numbers of office workers are telling them to get away."
"The success of businesses such as Facebook and Google, where even the CEO turns up wearing jeans and a hoodie, also seems to have had a corrosive (侵蚀性) effect on the idea of dressing formally for work."
"Many of our members keep their expenses to a minimum by working from home so they feel no need to dress up to go to work. We know that when they meet with clients, they still put on a business suit, but a tie is no longer seen as an essential part of the suited-and-booted look."
"Instead, many businessmen and increasing numbers of executives choose a suit and shirt with an open collar. The tie-less suit creates an impression of a more approachable deal maker, someone who is still business-minded, yet creative and technology-sensible, too. "
小题1:Why are ties expected to disappear in offices?
| A．CEOs in creative businesses set a rule to forbid wearing ties. |
| B．The idea of casual weekdays is increasingly accepted. |
| C．Office workers are tired of wearing ties daily. |
| D．The tie-less look appears more modern. |
小题2:According to the spokesman, how are their members dressed before clients?
| A．Business suits and casual jeans. |
| B．Formal suits and a shirt with a tie. |
| C．Casual suits and buttoned-up shirt. |
| D．Business suits and an open-collared shirt. |
小题3:What kind of image does the tie-less suit create?
| A．Accessible in business. | B．Professional in fashion. |
| C．Casual in working. | D．Creative in dressing. |
小题4:What does the underlined word "demise" mean in Para.2?
| A．popularity | B．survival | C．disappearance | D．development |