1、BEC商务英语（中级）阅读模拟试卷 33及答案与解析 一、 PART ONE 0 Look at the statements below and the advice of four market experts on the opposite page. Which experts advice (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. You will need to us
2、e some of these letters more than once. Flacks is a UK-based company that produces fashion accessories for women. How can it continue to grow its business? A Susan Falmer Faced with a shrinking market, cheap imports and competitive pricing, Flacks will have to work hard to increase its margins. They
3、 need to move into a more promising market, one where demand is growing and where the company can exploit existing skills and contacts. They could think about brand extension -this would not be a giant leap and the sales force would take it in its stride. Also, they wouldnt need to re-equip their fa
4、ctory and could use non-UK sourcing if facilities here are in short supply. B Mesut Guzel They have the fundamentals of a survival strategy in a market where outsourced manufacture and brand differentiation hold the key to success. I think they should initially locate some of their production in ano
5、ther country, where manufacturing quality tends to be better and it is easier to meet changing customer demands. But they should also regularly monitor production in Britain and think about outsourcing all this work abroad at some point if they need it done faster. The company should continue to wor
6、k on innovative products, and thorough market research will help to ensure any new ideas are well received. C Gary Wilmot In order to beat their rivals in a highly competitive market, Flecks should ensure their products are attractive and build on their relationships with the big stores rather than
7、trying to go it alone and market directly. They should also consider refocusing production by using their UK factory for high-specification products. They could eventually build more production overseas in a cycle of continuous development. D Michal Kaminski The demand for fashion acessories is rela
8、tively fiat and the company should consider exploiting niche markets to improve its margins. But even within these, Flacks must distinguish its goods from those of its rivals in terms of quality, performance and design. Innovative sales, marketing and PR are vital to exploit these niche products. On
9、e competitive advantage that Flacks does have is production times. Many retail chains now have two-tier supply chains and Flacks could focus on top-up orders. They might also investigate other sales channels such as mail order. 1 It would be advisable for Flacks to consult customers before developin
10、g a new product. 2 Producing goods for specialist markets might increase Flacks profits. 3 Flacks may need to change the function of one of its facilities. 4 Flacks should utilise its current expertise to enter a different market. 5 Flacks may need to consider closing its current production facility
11、. 6 Flacks should develop the connections it has established with leading retailers. 7 Expanding the product range would not be a problem for the workforce. 二、 PART TWO 7 Read the article below about the importance of staff appraisals. Choose the best sentence from the opposite page to fill each of
12、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). Staff appraisals Good preparation for staff appraisals can pay dividends in terms of staff loyalty and satisfaction Many managers, particularly
13、those running smaller companies, feel they are too busy to give their employees appraisals, and many staff clearly dread them. (0) G .They provide the opportunity for the manager to have one-to-one discussions with an employee and find out about any concerns, as well as identifying training needs an
14、d discovering career aspirations. They can make a staff member feel valued and so build loyalty. The annual appraisal can either be a rewarding or painful experience. According to research carried out among 500 employees, the standard office appraisal is far from perfect. (8) The possible outcome fo
15、r the company is even worse; up to a quarter of employees will look for a new job within two weeks of a bad appraisal and 40% within a month. The quality of the appraisal lies with how the boss decides to carry it out. When it is done well, employees are able to use the feedback they receive to impr
16、ove their performance. (9) So how should a constructive appraisal be carried out? According to Andrew Gillingham, a consultant trainer, appraisals can be manager -led. with the appraiser preparing a document and sharing it with the employee. Establishing training needs and motivating the employee to
17、wards bigger and better things are part of this process. (10) .In both cases, Gillingham believes that the effectiveness of the appraisal discussion can determine the performance of the company. Gillingham believes that anyone who thinks its just the employee who doesnt like the appraisal experience
18、 has got it wrong. Too many managers regard appraisals as a waste of time. (11) Managing people is a difficult matter, and without the necessary training, many managers try to avoid the uncomfortable issues that often need to be discussed at appraisals. Gillingham believes that calling the process a
19、n appraisal may be unhelpful. (12) In either case, it is important to ensure that the meeting is successful and results in better quality management. Gillingham firmly believes that the main thing is to emphasise an open communications ethos in the workplace that gives staff a chance to talk about i
20、ssues and feel valued. A. Alternatively, managers may want the employees themselves to evaluate their work performance. B. In larger companies, the people likely to do something with this information will be found in the HR department. C. Problems such as rushing through the appraisal and being appr
21、aised by a manager who doesnt understand the employees role were common concerns. D. Arguably, performance review is more appropriate since it helps create correct expectations from the meeting and indicates what will happen. E. This is mainly because they have not been shown how to carry out apprai
22、sals properly. F. But all too often, the format of the appraisal doesnt allow this. G. But this can be avoided and, given a more positive attitude from participants, appraisals can prove enormously useful for all involved. 三、 PART THREE 12 Read the article below about the management of original thin
23、kers, and the questions on the opposite page. For each question (13-18), mark one letter (A, B, C or D) on your Answer Sheet. SHEER GENIUS - OR A WASTE OF TIME? Encourage your original thinkers and live with their strange habits, says Alan Worthin If one of your research staff announced that he had
24、worked out a way to propel a vehicle on a cushion of air, would you tell him to concentrate on something practical, or suggest taking it further? If a member of your development team asked if she could come in late because she had her best ideas at 3 am would you insist that she is in the office at
25、9 am like everyone else? Current business wisdom is that companies need creative, innovative people to beat competitors. The reality is that companies have always needed new ideas to survive and progress, but in the past they werent particularly good at encouraging the people who produced them. Orig
26、inal thinkers dont always fit easily into the framework of an organisation. However, the advice from managing director, John Serrano is, Get rid of the dull people and encourage the unusual ones. Essentially, he believes that companies need to learn how to manage their original thinkers in order to
27、ensure that the business profits from their contribution. He also says, Original thinkers often find it difficult to drive change within the organisation, so they resign, feeling angry and disappointed. It is essential to avoid this. You cant recognise original thinkers by the way they look, says Ia
28、n Freeman. An apparently ordinary exterior can conceal a very creative thinker. His consultancy, IBT Personnel, has devised a structured way to identify original thinkers. We define employees as champions, free-wheelers, bystanders and weak links, and most original thinkers come into the category of
29、 free-wheelers. They may miss deadlines if they become involved in something more interesting. They are passionate and highly motivated but have little or no understanding of business directions and systems. Headhunter George Solomon also thinks original thinkers have their disadvantages. They may h
30、ave a bad influence within an organisation, especially given the current management trend for working in teams. The original thinkers them- selves may be unaware of any problem, but having them around can be disruptive to colleagues, who have to be allowed to point out when they are being driven cra
31、zy by the original thinkers behaviour. Yet, in his opinion, the dream team in any creative organisation consists of a balanced mixture of original thinkers and more practical, realistic people. So, having identified your original thinkers, how do you handle them? One well-known computer games compan
32、y has a very inventive approach. We encourage our games designers by creating an informal working environment, says director Lorna Marsh. A company cannot punish risk- takers ff it wants to encourage creativity. Management has to provide support, coaching and advice-and take the risk that new ideas
33、may not work. Our people have flexible working hours and often make no clear distinction between their jobs and their home lives. Original thinkers may fit into the culture of 21st century organisations, but more traditional organisations may have to change their approach. Business psychologist Jean
34、 Row believes that the first step is to check that original thinkers are worth the effort. Are the benefits they bring worth the confusion they cause? If so, give them what they want, allow plenty of space, but set clear limits. Give them extremely demanding targets. If they fall to meet them, then
35、the game is up. But if they succeed, your organisation stands only to gain. 13 It is important for a company to encourage original thinkers because （ A） this allows it to promote innovative products. （ B） this enables it to stay ahead of its rivals. （ C） they are very flexible about their working ho
36、urs. （ D） their talents are ideally suited to the market. 14 John Serrano thinks that original thinkers should be （ A） helped to develop better people management skills. （ B） asked to manage change within the organisation. （ C） supported so they can perform well for the company. （ D） encouraged to f
37、ollow company procedures. 15 What does lan Freeman say about original thinkers? （ A） They are unenthusiastic and poorly motivated. （ B） Their work standards are impossibly high. （ C） Their abilities are hard to recognise. （ D） They lack awareness of commercial processes. 16 What problems can be obse
38、rved when there are original thinkers in the workforce? （ A） They may have a negative effect on other workers, （ B） They dislike the concept of teamwork. （ C） They rush tasks through to completion. （ D） They cannot work with less creative colleagues. 17 In what way is the games companys approach to
39、original thinkers special? （ A） It allows them to work from home whenever they wish. （ B） It uses different forms of disciplinary action for them. （ C） It promotes a relaxed atmosphere in the workplace. （ D） It encourages them to reduce the risks that they take. 18 A traditional organisation wishing
40、 to employ original thinkers needs to （ A） provide them with projects they are interested in. （ B） assess whether their contribution makes up for any problems. （ C） have a flexible approach if goals are not always achieved. （ D） be prepared to handle any negative feedback from colleagues. 四、 PART FO
41、UR 18 Read the article below about a bank with a reputation for excellence. Choose the best word or phrase to fill each gap from 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. The bank with ideas with several hundred years of histor
42、y behind it, the APL Bank has few problems in convincing businesses that it is a reputable and secure (19) of a range of banking services. Now, it is demonstrating to business customers that it is flexible and responsive enough to (20) their changing needs in the 21st century. Based in London, APL o
43、ffers banking services to businesses throughout the UK via its branch (21) . Most customer service provision is (22) out by personal account managers based in local branches, together with (23) staff at company headquarters. An important (24) for APL has been to make it easy for customers to (25) bu
44、siness with the bank. They can contact their account manager by direct line or email; if the manager is on holiday, a carefully chosen colleague becomes the account contact and (26) with the customer during the managers (27) . In addition, for those who want (28) to their bank at any time of day or
45、night there is now a 24-h0ur phone-based service. In order to remain competitive and build customer loyalty, the bank guarantees to turn around urgent loan (29) within 24 hours. This focus on the customer has also been a driving (30) in APLs recruitment and development policy. For example, newly ind
46、ucted staff (31) a customer service review to find out what it is like to be on the other side of the desk, asking to borrow money. Together, these (32) in banking have achieved excellent results. The customer (33) is growing fast, and last year the bank gained 36,000 new business accounts. （ A） pro
47、ducer （ B） supplier （ C） provider （ D） giver （ A） achieve （ B） reach （ C） meet （ D） assist （ A） system （ B） web （ C） grid （ D） network （ A） taken （ B） brought （ C） carried （ D） put （ A） aid （ B） support （ C） guidance （ D） backing （ A） objective （ B） purpose （ C） direction （ D） scheme （ A） do （ B） ru
48、n （ C） make （ D） have （ A） copes （ B） arranges （ C） handles （ D） deals （ A） vacancy （ B） departure （ C） absence （ D） retirement （ A） access （ B） entrance （ C） approach （ D） opening （ A） demands （ B） applications （ C） proposals （ D） orders （ A） power （ B） strength （ C） force （ D） pressure （ A） take o
49、ver （ B） go through （ C） set down （ D） put up （ A） innovations （ B） adaptations （ C） revisions （ D） modernisations （ A） source （ B） base （ C） centre （ D） foundation 五、 PART FIVE 33 Read the article below about airport hotels. In most of the lines 34-45, there is one extra word. It is either 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 the line, write the extra wo
