1、专业英语四级-107及答案解析 (总分：100.00，做题时间：90分钟)二、Passage 1(总题数：1，分数：20.00)Its supposed to be the biggest, busiest day of the year for online shoppingand as the amount we spend online grows each year, then Christmas should bring a new record. Im spending the day in Play. corns giant warehouse where theyre madl
2、y packaging up DVDs, books, games consoles and other presents which will then be dispatched across the UK. In past years Ive visited similar giant sheds run by Amazon and Argos, and have come away with the impression that online shopping has become the way most people now deal with Christmas. But th
3、at turns out to be wrongwhats surprising is not how much online shopping there is but how little. The latest figures from the Office of National Statistics show that just 3.9% of retail sales now take place online. Theres no doubt that online shopping is growingthough there was a bit of a hiccup las
4、t yearand is particularly popular at Christmas. So last December its share of retail sales was 3.7% compared with just 2. 8% in the summer. But its still very much a minority sport. Take Play. com, which says it is the UKs second biggest online retailer. Its annual turnover is 450m, which makes it a
5、 respectable businessbut when you look at Tescos UK turnover for 2008 of 35bn, they are still just a minnow . A decade ago, as online retailing began to take off there were all sorts of outlandish predictions of how rapidly it would growif you believed some pundits, the high streets would be left de
6、serted as we all retreated to our computers to do our shopping. Some early experiments showed that it was not going to be that easyremember Boo. com or Americas Webvan? But others learned from those disasters and continued to grow, though even Amazons profits look puny when compared with those churn
7、ed out by Tesco. What weve found is that while the Internet is now the natural place for shoppers to look for books, DVDs, or gadgets, the high street remains the popular choice for a lot of other goods. Some households may choose to get their groceries online or look for designer clothesbut most fo
8、od and fashion shopping still takes place in the real world. Why people choose to brave the cold and the crowds to buy presents on the high street is something of a mystery but maybe that annual ritual of endless queues, sharp elbows and slade ringing in your ears, is still more attractive than just
9、 clicking your way through your Christmas shopping.（分数：20.00）(1).The first paragraph leaves an impression of how _ online shopping is.（分数：4.00）A.convenientB.popularC.promisingD.easy(2).The word hiccup in Paragraph Three probably means（分数：4.00）A.small problemB.big problemC.little successD.great succe
10、ss(3).The minnow in the last sentence of Paragraph Three is used figuratively to refer to _.（分数：4.00）A.Ps annual turnoverB.Tescos UK turnoverC.online retailersD.retail sales of online shopping(4).The authors attitude towards the experts prediction is one of _.（分数：4.00）A.scepticismB.disagreementC.sup
11、portD.bias(5).The most appropriate title for the passage is _.（分数：4.00）A.Online Shopping at ChristmasB.The Prospect of Christmas Online ShoppingC.Online Shopping vs. Traditional ShoppingD.Christmas Shopping: Online vs. High Street三、Passage 2(总题数：1，分数：20.00)Executive coaching is primarily concerned w
12、ith confidential one-to-one discussions between the coach and the executive. It is aimed at performance improvement. Primary needs are diagnosed and agreed upon, a developmental-action plan is drawn up, the skill base of the executive is broadened by coaching, and then the new skill sets are tested
13、in the workplace under the guidance of the coach. Sometimes, these needs involve team coaching, but individual coaching is the normal starting point. The coach needs to guide the executive outside his or her comfort zone in order to improve performance. A coaching assignment normally focuses on two
14、or three developmental needs of the individual, and lasts for 6 to 12 months. However, it sometimes involves multiple assignments aimed at bringing about cultural change in an organization. For example, a new chief executive may want to change the culture of his organization. He could then hire a co
15、ach, and brief him or her to change the mindset of his direct subordinates on a one-to-one basis. Compared with traditional management training, which is typically related to broad based organizational change, sometimes of a technical nature, executive coaching is targeted to individual and small-gr
16、oup change. The primary focus of coaching is often behavioral and leadership change, and is rarely of a technical nature. The difference between coaching and training is that coaching is one-to-one, highly confidential and over 6-12 months, whereas training is typically of a short-term, group-work-s
17、hop nature. Referring to the key ingredients for enhanced performance and team success, business coaching has a lot to learn from sports. According to sports coaches, a coach is a catalyst for change, and is not paid to preserve the status quo, but to lift people out of their comfort zone, so that t
18、hey grow and develop. The coach must stay in touch with the state of the art and extract from it what is relevant. All sports coaches believe passionately in the power of the team to lift performance not by just a little, but by 100%. Considerable energy is devoted to defining goals, roles, a code o
19、f conduct and to fostering group dynamics in order to optimize team productivity. Both success and failure are learning opportunities, and there is a severity in their cold-eyed, weekly analysis, which business has yet to develop. Top athletes scrutinize both success and failure with their coach to
20、extract lessons from them, but they are never distracted from longer-term goals. To be a champion athlete means developing an elitist attitudenot involving arrogance, but rather an unceasing desire to learn and improve. They never accept second best, but always strive for what has not yet been achie
21、ved. There must be a sport/life balance, so that athletes are not obsessed by their goals, and thus lack a sense of perspective to cope with inevitable failure or occasional success, or the ability to recharge their batteries outside the sporting arena.（分数：20.00）(1).According to the passage, what is
22、 the main task of executive coaching?（分数：4.00）A.Teaching executives skills they have not before.B.Assisting executives to run their businesses.C.Making a series of rules for executives to manage their subordinates.D.Improving the team work of staff in the executives organizations.(2).Which of the fo
23、llowing differences between executive coaching and traditional management training is NOT mentioned in the passage?（分数：4.00）A.The time extent.B.The object.C.The content.D.The expense.(3).Which of the following statements is INCORRECT according to Paragraph 5?（分数：4.00）A.Executive coaches update their
24、 minds constantly.B.Coaches are aimed to broaden peoples horizon.C.Its difficult to evaluate the performance of a coach.D.If a coach can not make the executive get touch with something unfamiliar, he will probably be fired.(4).Which of the following is CORRECT about team work?（分数：4.00）A.Team spirit
25、enhances individuals performances to some extent.B.Its a hard job to improve team work.C.The core to team dynamics is the capability of the leader.D.Team training is much more effective than individual coaching.(5).The following can be learnt from sports by executive coaching EXCEPT that _.（分数：4.00）
26、A.excellent person needs strong desire to achieve the topB.failure is good experience from which we can extract lessonsC.success lies on changesD.successful people should learn how to balance the career and life四、Passage 3(总题数：1，分数：20.00)In California on a business trip last month, I met a mom with
27、two kids whod graduated from business school in the late 1990s. Shed been home with the kids for five years, she explained, but was looking to go back. I assumed shed return to the field shed entered after business school. I want to go into something non-profit, she said instead. Now, I firmly belie
28、ve that nonprofit careers are tremendously rewarding, but my heart sank a bit from the expression on my new friends face . I suspected I knew what she was thinking. Over the years, Ive studied working and stay-at-home moms, yet met dozens of successful former lawyers and businesswomen in a range of
29、profitable fields who lose their confidence after staying home for a few years. They assume they cant return to their original fields, despite their successful track records. They erroneously think going into teaching, social work or nonprofit foundations will be easier. More often than not, these w
30、omen use Im thinking of entering nonprofit as code for Ive lost confidence in my ability to return to my profession so my only choice is find a less competitive field. The reality is theyd be better off staying in their original field. Teaching and social work require years of education and certific
31、ation. Due to naivety or arrogance, some former businesspeople dont realize high-level nonprofit posts are just as competitive and sought after as top business jobs. Its tougher than many women believe to convince potential employers that private sector achievements are transferable to education and
32、 nonprofit arenas, and why, suddenly in mid-life, you heard a different calling that you will take as seriously as your former career. Many stay-at-homes would be better off if they confronted the biggest obstacle preventing women from returning to their chosen industries: lack of confidence, the mo
33、st critical ingredient in any job hunt. A recent New York Times article highlighted this reality and business schools growing success teaching Confidence by helping stay-at-home morns brush up on outdated skills. The biggest issue facing them was not whether their skills were rusty; rather, it was t
34、he confidence that they had lost while not working, explained the Times article. You should never apologize for being out of the market. Does this confidence game ring true for those of you at home contemplating a return to work? Do you feel the need to apologize for or explain why you stayed home?
35、Do you fear your talent and skills have atrophied (萎缩的)? What advice can we share with each otherthose of us at work and those of us at home?（分数：20.00）(1).About the morn mentioned in the first paragraph, the following statements are all true EXCEPT that _.（分数：4.00）A.she majored in business back at s
36、choolB.she would like to start a non-profit careerC.she decided to move back to her own homeD.she had stayed home without working for 5 years(2). The expression on my new friends face in Paragraph 2 probably means _.（分数：4.00）A.overconfidenceB.reliefC.regretD.discouragement(3).It is difficult for for
37、mer business women to convince non-profit employers that _.（分数：4.00）A.they have great confidence in themselvesB.they will take the nonprofit posts seriouslyC.they were successful in the profitable fieldsD.they had years of education and certification(4).The New York Times articles point out that the
38、 stay-at-homes _.（分数：4.00）A.dont have to feel sorry for being not workingB.dont have to feel sorry for their rusty skillsC.should always keep updating their skillsD.should seek help from business schools(5).The passage is most likely to be intended for _.（分数：4.00）A.diffident job huntersB.stay-at-hom
39、e housewivesC.women who used to work in profitable fieldsD.women who would like to restart a career五、Passage 4(总题数：1，分数：20.00)More and more young athletes are taking part in risky, adventurous activities called extreme sports, or X-sports. Its philosophy is to get as close to the edge as possible. I
40、n the past, young athletes would play hockey or baseball. Today, they want risk and excitementthe closer to the edge the better. They snowboard over cliffs and mountain-bike down steep mountains. They windsurf near hurricanes, go white-water rafting through rapids, and bungee-jump from towers. Extre
41、me sports started as an alternative to more expensive sports. A city kid who didnt have the money to buy expensive sports equipment could get a skateboard and have fun. But now it has become a whole new area of sports, with specialized equipment and high levels of skill. Theres even a special Olympi
42、cs for extreme sports, called the Winter X-Games, which includes snow mountain biking and ice climbing. An Extreme Games competition is held each summer in Rhode Island. It features sports such as sky surfing, where people jump from airplanes with surfboards attached to their feet. What makes extrem
43、e sports so popular? People love the excitement, says Murray Nussbaum, who sells sports equipment. City people want to be outdoors on the weekend and do something challenging. The new equipment is so much better that people can take more risks without getting hurt. An athlete adds, Sure theres a ris
44、k, but thats part of the appeal. Once you go mountain biking or snowboarding, its impossible to go back to bike riding or skiing. Its just too boring. Now even the older crowd is starting to join in. Every weekend a group of friends in their early 30s get together. During the week they work as compu
45、ter programmers in the same office. On Sundays they rent mountain bikes that cost $2,000 each and ride down steep mountains together. Extreme sports are certainly not for everyone. Most people still prefer to play baseball or basketball or watch sports on TV. But extreme sports are definitely gainin
46、g in popularity.（分数：20.00）(1).X-sports usually refer to _.（分数：4.00）A.non-traditional activitiesB.dangerous but challenging activitiesC.sports played by young peopleD.sports played in rivers or mountains(2).The first extreme sports were created _.（分数：4.00）A.by a city kidB.as expensive sportsC.without
47、 specialized equipmentD.for people who enjoyed taking risks(3).What do we know about Murray Nussbaums attitude towards extreme sports?（分数：4.00）A.He finds them challenging.B.He is excited about them.C.He finds them risky.D.He is being neutral.(4).The author writes the fifth paragraph to support his i
48、dea that extreme games are _.（分数：4.00）A.popularB.excitingC.expensiveD.risky(5).Which of the following is NOT true about extreme sports according to the passage?（分数：4.00）A.Extreme sports are not as popular as baseball or basketball.B.Extreme sports are principally popular among young people.C.Extreme sports will have a more and more prosperous market.D.Extreme sports require more skills
