1、BEC商务英语（中级）阅读模拟试卷 148及答案与解析 一、 PART ONE 0 Look at the statements below and the comments of four experts on a survey about coaching on the opposite page. Which experts comment(A, B, C or D)does each statement(1-7)refer to? For each statement(1-7), mark one letter(A, B, C or D)on your Answer Sheet. Yo
2、u will need to use some of these letters more than once.Example:0 Most coaches believe their clients are mentally healthy. The Coaching Industry: A Work in ProgressTheres no question that future leaders will need constant coaching and the coaching industry badly needs someone to define the professio
3、n. Four experts give their comments on a survey about coaching industry.A Ram CharanAs the survey results demonstrate, what we think of coaching today is generally a service to middle managers provided by entrepreneurs with a background in consulting, psychology or human resources. This kind of coac
4、hing became popular over the past five years because companies faced a shortage of talent and were concerned about turnover among key employees. Firms wanted to signal their commitment to developing their high-potential executives, so they hired coaches. The kind of coaches I am talking about will d
5、o more than influence behaviour: they will be an essential part of the leaders learning process, providing knowledge, opinions and judgment in critical areas.B David B. PetersonIn the survey, only 3% of coaches said they were hired primarily to address non-work issues, yet more than three-quarters o
6、f coaches report having gotten into personal territories at some time. It underscores the fact that for most executives, work and life cannot be kept entirely separate. Many of them feel some strain on their personal lives. Not surprisingly, therefore, the more coaches can tap into a leaders motivat
7、ion to improve his or her home life, the greater and more lasting the impact of the coaching is likely to be at work.C Michael MaccobyThe survey shows more than half of the coaches think their clients do not become overly dependent, which is, in my view, unrealistic. Coaches have an economic incenti
8、ve to ignore the problem of dependency, creating a potential conflict of interest. Its natural for them to want to expand their business, but the best coaches, like the best therapists, put their clients interests first. What this means for the companies is that before they hire a coach, they should
9、 ask him how he handles dependency in relationships.D Anthony M. GrantAccording to the majority of coaches in our survey, coaching differs dramatically from therapy. However, the notion that candidates for coaching are mentally robust flies in the face of academic research. Im not suggesting most ex
10、ecutives who engage coaching have mental health disorders. But some might, and coaching those who have unrecognised mental health problems can be counterproductive and even dangerous. Firms should require that coaches have some training in mental health issues for example, an understanding of when t
11、o refer client to professional therapists for help. 1 The survey shows that many executive clients have consulted their coaches about personal affairs. 2 Coaches are hired because companies want to keep the capable people from leaving. 3 A coachs psychological background will make coaching more effe
12、ctive. 4 A good coach should pay attention to clients self-reliance in relationships. 5 A good coach should give executives useful information in important fields. 6 Coaches might overlook their clients interest for economic reasons. 7 A good coach should know more about a leaders desire to improve
13、family life. 二、 PART TWO 7 Read the article below about financial management. Choose the best sentence from the opposite page to fill each of the gaps. For each gap(8-12), mark one letter(A-G)on your Answer Sheet. Do not use any letter more than once. There is an example at the beginning(0). Financi
14、al Management The primary concern of financial management is the assessment rather than the techniques of financial quantification.(0)G . Managerial finance is an interdisciplinary approach that borrows from both managerial accounting and corporate finance. Some experts refer to financial management
15、 as the science of money management.【 P1】 _However, financial management is important at all levels of human existence because every entity needs to look after its finances. Broadly speaking, the process of financial management takes place at two levels. At the individual level, financial management
16、 involves tailoring expenses according to the financial resources of an individual.【 P2】 _. Else, they spend it on discretionary items. They need to be able to take the financial decisions that are intended to benefit them in the long run and help them achieve their financial goals. From an organisa
17、tional point of view, the process of financial management is associated with financial planning and financial control.【 P3】 _Financial control refers to monitoring cash flow. Inflow is the amount of money coming into a particular company, while outflow is a record of the expenditure being made by th
18、e company. Managing this movement of funds in relation to the budget is essential for a business. At the corporate level, the main aim of the process of managing finances is to achieve the various goals a company sets at a given point of time.【 P4】 _Financial managers aim to boost the levels of reso
19、urces at their disposal.【 P5】 _Providing investors with sufficient amount of returns on their investments is one of the goals that every company tries to achieve. Efficient financial management ensures that this becomes possible.Example:A Individuals with surplus cash or access to funding invest the
20、ir money to make up for the impact of taxation and inflation.B The new understanding of how businesses would respond under a variety of economic conditions is well-accepted.C Financial planning seeks to quantify various financial resources available and plan the size and timing of expenditures.D The
21、 primary usage of this term is in the world of financing business activities.E Besides, they control the functioning on money put in by external investors.F Businesses also seek to generate substantial amounts of profits, following a particular set of financial processes.G A financial manager looks
22、at the available data to judge the performance of enterprises. 8 【 P1】 9 【 P2】 10 【 P3】 11 【 P4】 12 【 P5】 三 、 PART THREE 12 Read the article below about mining mergers and the questions on the opposite page. For each question(13-18), mark one letter(A, B, C or D)on your Answer Sheet. Three middling
23、mining firms bet on scale and scarcity In May prices for copper, nickel and other metals rose to record levels, although they have since fallen a bit. Now three mining firms are proposing the most expensive merger in the industrys history. The $40 billion deal, in which an American company, Phelps D
24、odge, plans to take over two Canadian ones, Inco and Falconbridge, would create the worlds biggest producer of nickel, the number two in copper, and the fifth-ranked mining firm overall. The records may not stop there: two other mining firms, Xstrata and Teck Cominco, had previously bid for Falconbr
25、idge and Inco respectively, and could make further offers. Soaring commodities prices have left mining firms flush with cash and keen to expand. One way would be to search for more metal in the ground, instead of on the stockmarket. But organic growth is expensive at the moment: as firms rush to inc
26、rease their output to take advantage of high prices, every conceivable input, from engineers to mining truckshuge tyres, is in desperately short supply. Developing new mines is also slow. Mining executives worry that projects that get the go-ahead when prices are high will not look so attractive whe
27、n the next recession comes. That could be true of the proposed merger too. Phelps Dodge offered a premium of 23% over the price of Incos shares and 12% over Falconbridges. Those shares, in turn, have been rising for several years along with the firms wares nickel, for the most part, at Inco, and nic
28、kel and copper at Falconbridge. The bosses of the firms insist that the mark-up is justified, for several reasons. For one thing, they reckon they can squeeze savings of $900m a year out of the combined entity by 2008, by sharing equipment and personnel among adjacent mines, for example, and pooling
29、 their marketing staff. More importantly, they argue that the size and diversity of the new company will make it less vulnerable to minings painful cycles, and so more attractive to investors. The biggest and most diversified mining companies, such as BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto, do boast higher shar
30、e valuations. They produce everything from aluminium to zircon, and so are less susceptible to fluctuations in the price of any particular metal. By the same logic, the more mines a firm is running or developing, and the more countries it operates in, the less risk each individual project poses to p
31、rofits. The merged trio will certainly have a broader geographical spread, with mines in five continents. But its main projects, in stable places like the United States, Canada and Chile, never seemed that risky in the first place. Furthermore, despite having sidelines in cobalt and molybdenum, the
32、new firms fortunes will depend chiefly on the price of copper and nickel two of most volatile metals in recent years. Some analysts mutter that Phelps Dodge embarked on the merger chiefly to save itself from being taken over. Investors seem to share their doubts: Phelps Dodges shares fell by 8% afte
33、r it announced the deal, despite a simultaneous pledge to spend $5 billion on a share buy-back scheme once the merger is concluded. On the other hand, the price of nickel and copper jumped on the news. Traders seem to have assumed that the companies would have contemplated such an expensive deal onl
34、y if they thought that metals would remain in short supply for some time. The more money that mining firms spend buying one another, rather than exploring for and developing new mines, the likelier that is. 13 According to the author, three mining firms （ A） are cutting the price of metals. （ B） hav
35、e problems in their operation. （ C） are seeking new acquisition targets. （ D） are unwilling to stop the records. 14 The author suggests that if the prices of the metal fall, （ A） the firms will suddenly have plenty of money for a short time. （ B） it will be difficult for the firms to grow larger in
36、size. （ C） the firms will try to increase their production. （ D） people will not focus on the projects that are given permission. 15 In the authors opinion, the price of the firms metals rises because （ A） companies offer an additional amount of money to buy others shares. （ B） wares are increasing
37、along with the merger. （ C） Nickel and copper makes up the most part of the firm. （ D） shares of the companies are increasing. 16 In the fourth paragraph, the bosses believed that it is reasonable to give an increase in the price because （ A） the bosses can save a large amount of money each year. （
38、B） the firms may have more profit and consequently they will appeal to investors. （ C） they can share other firms facilities. （ D） they believe the firms will be steadier after the merger. 17 According to the author, why will some companies boast higher share valuations? （ A） They take less risk on
39、prices in the market. （ B） They will easily get the mine source all over the world. （ C） Their firms would be operated smoothly. （ D） They produce copper and nickel. 18 What problem do investors think Phelps Dodge is facing? （ A） The price of nickel and copper are also falling. （ B） Its shares fell
40、as a result of the merger. （ C） It promises to buy the shares back in the wake of the merger. （ D） It was under the pressure of being taken over. 四、 PART FOUR 18 Read the article below about the importance of the division of labour. Choose the best word or phrase to fill each gap from A, B, C or D o
41、n the opposite page. For each question(19-33), mark one letter(A, B, C or D)on your Answer Sheet. There is an example at the beginning(0). The Significance of the Division of Labour The significance of the division of labour was first found by Adam Smith in the 1770s. He(0)A part of its advantages.
42、He gives as an example the process【 C1】 _which pins were made in England. “One man draws【 C2】 _the wire: another strengthens it: a third cuts it: a fourth points it: a fifth grinds it at the top to prepare it to receive the head. To make the head【 C3】 _two or three operations. To put it on is a【 C4】
43、 _operation, to polish the pins is another. And the important business of making pins is,【 C5】_this manner,【 C6】 _into about eighteen operations, which in some factories are all performed by different people,【 C7】 _in others the same man will sometimes perform two or three of them. “ Ten men, Smith
44、said, in this way, turned【 C8】 _twelve pounds of pins a day or about 4,800 pins per worker. But if all of them had worked separately and【 C9】 _without division of labour, none of them could have made twenty pins in a day and perhaps not even one. There can be no doubt that division of labour is a/an
45、【 C10】 _way of 【 C11】 _work. Fewer people can make more pins. Adam Smith saw this but he also took it for granted that division of labour is in itself responsible for economic 【 C12】 _and development and that it【 C13】 _for the difference between【 C14】 _economies and those that【 C15】 _still but divis
46、ion of labour adds nothing new: it only enables people to produce more of what they already have.Example:A described B made C illustrated D explained 19 【 C1】 （ A） in （ B） on （ C） by （ D） through 20 【 C2】 （ A） out （ B） up （ C） off （ D） in 21 【 C3】 （ A） demands （ B） requests （ C） requires （ D） inquir
47、es 22 【 C4】 （ A） one （ B） separate （ C） different （ D） definite 23 【 C5】 （ A） with （ B） by （ C） through （ D） in 24 【 C6】 （ A） separated （ B） divided （ C） classified （ D） cut 25 【 C7】 （ A） though （ B） and （ C） which （ D） however 26 【 C8】 （ A） up （ B） on （ C） in （ D） out 27 【 C9】 （ A） individually （ B
48、） alone （ C） apart （ D） independently 28 【 C10】 （ A） efficient （ B） important （ C） effective （ D） excellent 29 【 C11】 （ A） giving （ B） organising （ C） finishing （ D） performing 30 【 C12】 （ A） rise （ B） progress （ C） growth （ D） roaring 31 【 C13】 （ A） accounts （ B） makes （ C） counts （ D） looks 32 【 C
49、14】 （ A） raising （ B） expanding （ C） extending （ D） inflating 33 【 C15】 （ A） keep （ B） reserve （ C） hold （ D） stand 五、 PART FIVE 33 Read the article below about choosing the best online advertising campaign. In most of the lines(34-45), there is one extra word. It either is grammatically incorrect or does not fit in with the meaning of the text. Some lines, however, are correct. If a line is correct, write CORRECT on your Answer Sheet. If there is an extra word in th
