1、BEC商务英语（中级）阅读模拟试卷 30及答案与解析 一、 PART ONE 0 Look at the statements below and the details of conference centres on the opposite page. Which conference centre (A, B, C or D) does each statement 1-7 refer to? For each sentence 1-7, mark one letter (A, B, C, or D) on your Answer Sheet. You will need to use
2、 some of the letters more than once. A. Sherwood House is only a stones throw away from the city centre and yet provides a stress-free and relaxing atmosphere for your business meetings. We have six meeting rooms, each with full conference facilities. Our reception desk is staffed round the clock, r
3、eady to deal with any calls; our highly experienced catering staff are responsible for an exciting variety of menus at affordable prices. B. The Manor Hotel is committed to giving you the perfect conference environment. As part of an extensive investment programme, all our meeting rooms have been up
4、graded to include the most up-to-date facilities. Our wide range of rooms will meet every possible need - one-to-one interviews, seminars, product lunches, major presentations etc, We also guarantee to return your fee should you be disappointed with our service. C. Broomfield Hall, a magnificent cou
5、ntry house set in 80 acres of peaceful parkland, has been completely refurbished in order to re-create the elegance and comfort of times gone by. We have extensive conference facilities and specialist staff, dedicated to the success of your business event. We also offer special deals on accommodatio
6、n for large delegations. D. The Carlton Hotel, conveniently situated just minutes from the motorway, is the ideal venue for your conference. Not only do we offer superb hospitality, but our fully equipped business centre provides a complete typing and copying service, included in the conference fee.
7、 The restaurant also enjoys an excellent reputation, offering everything from a midday sandwich to a formal dinner. 1 This conference centre is well known for the quality of its food. 2 Discounts are available for some clients. 3 There is someone on duty here at all times. 4 The very latest conferen
8、ce equipment is available here. 5 This conference centre now has a traditional atmosphere. 6 Secretarial support is available at no extra charge. 7 The centre is willing to give a refund if a client is not completely satisfied. 二、 PART TWO 7 Read the article below which reviews a new book on company
9、 planning. Choose the best sentence from the list on 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. Firms need a better way of planning Nick Field, in his book Strategy Management, offers a new approach
10、 to help companies map out their future. Many companies have lost the art of strategy-making. They spend too much time looking at process change, organisation and systems. They do not invest enough effort in determining where they want to be in their markets and how they are going to beat their comp
11、etitors They have got things out of balance. In many companies, the development of strategy is in crisis. In a recent magazine poll, only six per cent of executives rated their company highly for long-term planning skills. (8) If this figure is accurate, it is not surprising that 29% of the FTSE 100
12、 companies failed to achieve real sales growth between 1992 and 1996, when takeovers are excluded from the figures. There can be no doubt about the value of effective strategy-making. Recent research has shown that what are described as visionary companies - those with clear strategies for the futur
13、e - deliver higher shareholder returns. They are less at risk from short-term earnings pressures because they know - and they can convince others - that they will survive these. (9) Times have changed. The big company of today is not being defeated by another big company but by the small companies.
14、So how do they do it? And where do companies that are failing in this respect turn? If a company accepts that their strategy development is not the best in the class, if they acknowledge that they need to do more to map out their future, influence rather than be influenced, shape their market instea
15、d of being shaped by it, how should they take on this strategy-making challenge? Fields book Strategy Management puts forward a new approach to help companies rediscover the power of forward planning. (10) The book is straightforward to understand and use, and offers practical and specific direction
16、s. Research and empirical testing have proved that it can be useful in all areas of industry and should be of value to any company. The approach put forward is based on two key building blocks, the first being that any company considering its future must have a commitment to win. (11) The second bui
17、lding block is competitive advantage. The author defines four prime areas that differentiate organisations and influence purchase decisions. These are the performance of the product or service, sold at the most attractive price, with extraordinary levels of service and strong emotional values. It ma
18、y require only one of these areas to produce a competitive advantage. Take Coca-Cola for example. (12) Companies can explore how to win by building on their commitment and working around this approach to identify which one or more of these four sources of advantage will lead to success. A Clear guid
19、elines are given on how to become involved with customers and build new forms of competitive advantage. B Through the brand name, the company has established a relationship with customers feelings that has made the product highly successful, C Another survey estimated that only one in ten companies
20、had the information they needed to make strategic decisions. D Lacking any debate about the future, these are typically reduced to a once-a-year form-filling exercise. E If this comes across forcefully enough rivals will see it and go elsewhere, believing the market will be taken over by another. F
21、In the past, it was generally believed that the scale of the company was the most significant factor. G They do not invest enough effort in determining where they want to be in their markets and how they are going to beat their competitors. 三、 PART THREE 12 Read the article below about managing a sm
22、all business and the questions on the opposite page. For each question 13-18, mark one letter (A, B, C or D) on your Answer Sheet, for the answer you choose. The Difficulties Of Managing A Small Business Ronald Meers asks who chief executives of entrepreneurial or small businesses can turn to for ad
23、vice. The organisational weaknesses that entrepreneurs have to deal with every day would cause the managers of a mature company to panic, Andrew Bidden wrote recently in Boston Business Review. This seems to suggest that the leaders of entrepreneurial or small businesses must be unlike other manager
24、s, or the problems faced by such leaders must be the subject of a specialised body of wisdom, or possibly both. Unfortunately, neither is true. Not much worth reading about managing the entrepreneurial or small business has been written, and the leaders of such businesses are made of flesh and blood
25、, like the rest of us. Furthermore, little has been done to address the aspects of entrepreneurial or small businesses that are so difficult to deal with and so different from the challenges faced by management in big business. In part this is because those involved in gathering expertise about busi
26、ness and in selling advice to businesses have historically been more interested in the needs of big business. In part, in the UK at least, it is also because small businesses have always preferred to adapt to changing circumstances. The organisational problems of entrepreneurial or small businesses
27、are thus forced upon the individuals who lead them. Even more so than for bigger businesses, the old saying is true - that people, particularly those who make the important decisions, are a businesss most important asset. The research that does exist shows that neither money nor the ability to acces
28、s more of it is the major factor determining growth. The main reason an entrepreneurial business stops growing is the lack of management and leadership resource available to the business when it matters. Give an entrepreneur an experienced, skilled team and he or she will find the funds every time.
29、Getting the team, though, is the difficult bit. Part of the problem for entrepreneurs is the speed of change that affects their businesses. They have to cope with continuous change yet have always been suspicious about the latest management solution. They regard the many offerings from business scho
30、ols as out of date even before they leave the planning board and have little faith in the recommendations of consultants when they arrive in the hands of young, inexperienced graduates. But such impatience with management solutions does not mean that problems can be left to solve themselves. However
31、, the leaders of growing businesses are still left with the problem of who to turn to for advice. The answer is horribly simple: leaders of small businesses can ask each other. The collective knowledge of a group of leaders can prove enormously helpful in solving the specific problems of individuals
32、. One leaders problems have certainly been solved already by someone else. There is an organisation called KITE which enables those responsible for small businesses to meet. Its members, all of whom are chief executives, go through a demanding selection process, and then join a small group of other
33、chief executives. They come from a range of business sectors and each offers a different corporate history Each group is led by a moderator, an independently selected businessman or woman who has been specially trained to head the group. Each member takes it in turn tu host a meeting at his or her b
34、usiness premises and, most important of all, group discussions are kept strictly confidential. This encourages a free sharing of problems and increases the possibility of solutions being discovered. 13 What does the writer say about entrepreneurs in the first paragraph? （ A） It is wrong to assume th
35、at they are different from other managers. （ B） The problems they have to cope with are specific to small businesses, （ C） They find it difficult to attract staff with sufficient expertise. （ D） They could learn from the organisational skills of managers in large companies. 14 According to the secon
36、d paragraph, what has led to a lack of support for entrepreneurs? （ A） Entrepreneurs have always preferred to act independently, （ B） The requirements of big businesses have always taken priority. （ C） it is difficult to find solutions to the problems faced by entrepreneurs. （ D） Entrepreneurs are r
37、eluctant to provide information about their businesses. 15 What does the writer say about the expansion of small businesses? （ A） Many small businesses do not produce enough profits to finance growth. （ B） Many employees in small businesses have problems working as part of a team. （ C） Being able to
38、 recruit the right people is the most important factor affecting growth. （ D） Leaders of small businesses lack the experience to make their companies a success, 16 What does the writer say is an additional problem for entrepreneurs in the fourth paragraph? （ A） They rely on management systems that a
39、re out of date, （ B） They will not adopt measures that provide long-term solutions. （ C） They have little confidence in the business advice that is available. （ D） They do not take market changes into account when drawing up business plans. 17 What does the writer say the members of the KITE organis
40、ation provide? （ A） Advice on how to select suitable staff. （ B） A means of contacting potential clients. （ C） A simple checklist for analysing problems. （ D） Direct experience of a number of industries. 18 The writer says that KITE groups are likely to succeed because （ A） members are able to elect
41、 their leader. （ B） the leaders have received extensive training. （ C） members are encouraged to adopt a critical approach. （ D） information is not passed on to non-members. 四、 PART FOUR 18 Read the article below about plans for a new telephone banking centre, Choose the best word to fill each gap f
42、rom A, B, C or D on the opposite page. For each question (19-33), mark one letter (A, B, C or D) on your Answer Sheet. Promise of Jobs with Telephone Banking Centre An 80-million telephone banking centre is to open in Scotland, with the situation of about 500 new jobs. Grand Union Group, which owns
43、the Dundee and Western Bank, said today it hopes to have the (19) fully operational by next August. It will be based at the new Caledonian Industrial Estate currently being built near Edinburgh. The centre is being (20) through a joint partnership (21) global telecommunications firm Concept and cust
44、omer care specialists Businesslink. Sara Grimaldi, chief executive of the Dundee and Western Bank, said, Im delighted we will be working in (22) with Concept and Businesslink and Im confident we will (23) from their considerable experience. The new centre will make (24) use of innovative business pr
45、ocedures which will (25) to an improved service and experience for our valued customers. Callum Martin, president of global accounts for Grand Union Group, added that he was very pleased his company will play a key role in such an important development employing state-of the-art technology. The loca
46、l council said new jobs were (26) of the efforts made to (27) investment to the region. Council leader Hugh MacArthur said, Its good news for Grand Union, but it will also (28) us to promote Edinburgh to companies considering a (29) to Scotland. The council will continue to work hard to ensure that
47、todays (30) is just the latest (31) in our attempt to create high quality jobs in the area. Scotland has become a European leader in terms of telephone banking centres and has (32) itself an excellent reputation. The call centre sector as a whole employs more than 28,000 people at more than 170 site
48、s in Scotland. Taking this into (33) , it seems likely that this new centre will be another success story. 19 facility 19 plant （ A） function （ B） situation （ D） A 20 assisted 20 invested （ A） funded （ B） paid （ D） C 21 consisting 21 engaging （ A） containing （ B） involving （ D） D 22 venture 22 teamw
49、ork （ A） enterprise （ B） collaboration （ D） D 23 benefit 23 improve （ A） grow （ B） advance （ D） A 24 inclusive 24 uniform （ A） extensive （ B） universal （ D） C 25 help 25 Contribute （ A） provide （ B） combine （ D） B 26 facts 26 reasons （ A） data （ B） evidence （ D） D 27 acquire 27 gain （ A） attract （ B） win （ D） C 28 necessitate 28 ease （ A） support （ B） enable （ D） D 29 reorganisation 29 reassignment （ A） relocation （ B） replacement （ D） C 30 announcement 30 publication （ A） notice （ B） acknowledgement （ D） A 31 method 31 step （ A） point （ B） a
