1、BEC商务英语（中级）阅读模拟试卷 36及答案与解析 一、 PART ONE 0 Look at the statements below and the advice given by four market experts to a holiday company 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
2、 Sheet. You will need to use some of these letters more than once. Four market experts offer advice to SunTours, the middle-market tour operator A Robert Worth Marketing to a wider audience could lead to more people buying direct from SunTours rather than going through travel agents, and the consequ
3、ent reduction in agents commissions might boost company profits. Towards the end of the season, reducing the cost of holidays would attract last-minute customers, thus avoiding any possible loss on unfilled accommodation and flights, The company could also increase profits by selling more specialise
4、d holidays here in Britain, perhaps by offering breaks at historic sites and coastal destinations. B Steven Worrel Whether its worth discounting surplus holidays is an arguable point, as it not only cuts into profits, but also results in budget-conscious holidaymakers being put next to SunTours more
5、 affluent customers, thus damaging the brand. It may seem attractive at first because of tight margins, but SunTours should think twice before taking up this option. Currently, SunTours is planning to sell higher-margin holidays to previously unmarketed destinations for which demand is greater than
6、supply. It is likely that accommodation providers in these emerging holiday destinations will be more flexible when it comes to setting terms. The firm should go ahead with this policy. C Ursula Capalbo Good risk management and higher sales can guarantee higher profits. Although SunTours has always
7、been averse to planning, the company would in fact benefit from a risk model that forecasts the impact of discounting on cash flow and profitability throughout the year. SunTours would then be able to change direction when things go wrong, as they inevitably do from time to time. Diversification can
8、 increase rather than spread risk, so caution is needed as the company enters regions where facilities for tourists are not yet fully developed. Targeting customers nearing retirement age, whose disposable income and leisure time are increasing, would be ideal. D Gillian Wilmot SunTours knows that g
9、ood relationships with customers is the key to success in the travel business. With this in mind, the company should consider that brochure mailings, unlike electronic communications, can attract customers and maximise year-round opportunity. They encourage summer tourists to take another break and
10、can even be used to send a thank-you letter to returning customers. Selling holidays at a reduced price is definitely not a sensible option. A better choice would be value-added promotions which can improve profitability and build on SunTours customers desire for high-quality service. 1 SunTours run
11、s a risk by selling similar holidays to customers in different income brackets. 2 It is worth offering holidays at a discount to increase the number of bookings. 3 SunTours needs to reflect on its marketing methods if it wants to boost repeat custom. 4 It would be a good idea to sell holidays to loc
12、ations which other promoters have ignored. 5 SunTours has been disadvantaged by its approach in the past. 6 In certain locations, SunTours may be able to negotiate more favourable contracts. 7 There is an alternative to discount holidays that would be more satisfactory for SunTours customers. 二、 PAR
13、T TWO 7 Read this text about planning for exhibitions. Choose the best sentence from A to G to fill each of the blanks. For each blank (8-12) mark one letter (A-G) on your Answer Sheet. Do not mark any letter twice. Tips for Attending a Trade Fair A trade fair is an excellent way of generating new b
14、usiness for companies both large and small, and offers many advantages, such as obtaining sales leads, competitor intelligence, and learning more about industry development and trends. A trade fair should be seen as an integral element of an overall sales and marketing campaign. Companies that fail
15、to plan their participation carefully could find exhibiting costly and unproductive A number of fundamental decisions should be taken in advance. A standing manager should be appointed from the start. If a new product launch is planned, for example, a good-sized demonstration area is needed with fac
16、ilities for taking and following up leads. Forward planning of budgets is essential. (8) A trade fair is an ideal and highly effective platform for new product launches. (9) Make sure that you plan to use your exhibition as a focus for presenting something new either about your products/services or
17、your company and ensure that you publicise any newsworthy information to maximize interests. Trade journals are keen to publicize new products and services, and often compile special preview issues prior to an exhibition. (10) (11) The guides produced by some exhibitions offer detailed information o
18、n all promotional opportunities around the show. Michael Hanks, Marketing Director of ADC Exhibitions says: “We realize how vital it is for exhibiting companies to plan ahead of an exhibition. We do our utmost to encourage our exhibitors to maximize on their participation in an event. (12) “ A. Lead
19、 times for publications can be anything from 6 to 24 weeks before publication and it is essential that details are sent in time. B. Meetings on pre-show activities should be held to ensure all personnel are clear about recent developments. C. Research by the Exhibition Marketing Group shows that 61%
20、 of visitors are attracted to exhibitions by new products and technology. D. The costs of exhibition space, transportation, and other related issues need to be considered well in advance. E. The success of any show is greatly influenced by the way exhibitors market themselves. F. A number of exhibit
21、ion organizations also provide free guides and services. G. A number of fundamental decisions should be taken in advance. 三、 PART THREE 12 Read the article below about product life cycles and the questions on tile opposite page. For each question (13-18), mark one letter (A, B, C or D) on your Answe
22、r Sheet for the answer you choose. Sales Strategies .Vary with Product Life Cycles One of the most important concepts in sales management and marketing is that of tile product life cycle. This is a historical record of the life of a product, showing the stage in its life the product has reached at a
23、 particular time. By identifying the stage that a product is in or may be heading towards, companies can formulate better marketing plans. All products have lives in as much as they are created, sell with varying profitability over a period of time, and then become obsolete and are replaced or simpl
24、y no longer produced. A products sales position and profitability can be expected to fluctuate over time and so, at each successive stage in the products cycle, it is necessary to adopt different tactics. The two main features of the product life cycle are unit sales and unit profit. The unit sales
25、figures usually jump on introduction, as a response to heavy advertising and promotion, as customers buy the product experimentally. This is generally followed by a leveling off while it is evaluated - the length of this period depending on the use to which the product is put. Then, unit sales rise
26、steadily through the growth phase to the maturity phase, when the product is widely accepted, and so on to saturation level. By this time, competitors will have entered the market with their own version and, from this point, the sales team will have to work even harder to win all additional sales. E
27、ventually, the products sales decline as better versions enter the market and competition becomes too strong. In retrospect, most firms know what happened to their products from launch to withdrawal. They can compile this information from the records of unit sales. Unfortunately, unit sales are not
28、the complete story as it is unit profit that is the decisive factor, although this is not always recorded accurately. It is this figure that sales management has to monitor, though, to ensure an effective marketing strategy and to produce effective profits. At launch, the product is costed accuratel
29、y on the basis of production costs plus selling costs. Initially these remain fairly stable, but, when the product is proving successful, competitors will bring out their own copy-cat products. With a competitor in the field, the original firm has to respond in order to maintain its market position.
30、 It can run special sales promotions, improve deliveries, make more frequent sales calls and so on. Often the extra expenditure is not accurately charged to the product and the result is that, long before unit sales are noticeably falling, the unit profit has already fallen. The product life cycle,
31、then, presents a picture of what happened in the products lifetime, so how can this be used as all ongoing aid to management decision- making? Every sales manager has a chart on which the progress of sales is plotted and this can be used as a guide to the stage of development each product is current
32、ly in. An essential management skill is being able to interpret sales results and draw in the stages as they occur. Deciding where each stage begins and ends can be a random exercise, though usually the stages are based on where the rate of sales growth or decline becomes pronounced. 13 According to
33、 the text, the end of a products life cycle is marked by （ A） a sharp rise in production costs. （ B） the product becoming outdated. （ C） an increase in customer complaints. （ D） less support from sales management. 14 What does the writer say about sales management in the first paragraph? （ A） Compan
34、ies should spend more time on their sales planning. （ B） There are many managers who need to improve their sales performance. （ C） Most sales managers fail to recognise which stage a product has reached. （ D） The sales approach should change with each phase of the product life cycle. 15 According to
35、 the text, a greater sales effort is required for a product when （ A） it is particularly innovative. （ B） the advertising budget has been cut. （ C） rival companies start to produce something similar. （ D） consumer interest switches to a new product category. 16 According to the text, a good marketin
36、g strategy must primarily be concerned with （ A） sales statistics. （ B） product details. （ C） consumer data. （ D） profit information. 17 According to the text, profit levels may fail to correspond to the volume of sales because （ A） the full selling costs have not been taken into account. （ B） the p
37、roduction costs were not estimated correctly. （ C） there are unforeseen problems with distribution. （ D） there has been a lack of economic stability. 18 What does the writer say about the charts that show sales progress? （ A） It is a matter of judgment where one sales phase finishes and another begi
38、ns. （ B） Managers should review policy when a sharp fall in sales is indicated. （ C） It is difficult to see how sales charts can provide a sufficient guidance to managers. （ D） Managers should get confirmation of the data they plot on the sales charts. 四、 PART FOUR 18 Read this letter about giving p
39、resentations. Choose the best word to fill each gap. For each question (19 -33) , mark one letter (A, B, C or D) on your Answer Sheet. One answer has been given as an example. Most presentations today depend on the use of some sort of technology, such as a laptop computer linked to a projector. Whil
40、e this technology can help to (19) presentations better, it also has a (20) of getting in the way. As a general (21) . it is better to (22) on the content of a presentation as a means of (23) your audiences attention, rather than relying on sophisticated equipment. Bear in mind that when an organiza
41、tion invites (24) for a contract, they may (25) four or five presentations from different companies on the same day. Each of these companies will probably be using the same computer graphics (26) and the same equipment. The chances are the presentations will be similar too. Thats why the content and
42、 (27) of what you say are important. Think about what you want to say and how to say it as clearly as possible. As a first step, you need to (28) the main points you want to get across. Audiences are easily bored and (29) to remember only the most entertaining, exciting or unusual ideas. Next create
43、 your materials, choosing the images for your presentation carefully. Remember you do not want to stop your audience from listening to you, nor do you want to (30) . them. Finally, make all the necessary (31) for the equipment you need. If technology is to be an important (32) of your presentation,
44、make sure you know how to use it (33) and test it out beforehand. （ A） produce （ B） make （ C） construct （ D） build （ A） behavior （ B） habit （ C） practice （ D） routine （ A） method （ B） law （ C） rule （ D） course （ A） focus （ B） define （ C） target （ D） direct （ A） gaining （ B） acquiring （ C） collecting
45、 （ D） taking （ A） requests （ B） calls （ C） bids （ D） commands （ A） appoint （ B） program （ C） schedule （ D） catalogue （ A） parcels （ B） packets （ C） bundles （ D） packages （ A） formation （ B） design （ C） structure （ D） system （ A） catalogue （ B） label （ C） mark （ D） identify （ A） point （ B） tend （ C）
46、lead （ D） move （ A） disorder （ B） mistake （ C） confuse （ D） complicate （ A） appointments （ B） procedures （ C） arrangements （ D） organizations （ A） share （ B） role （ C） function （ D） element （ A） precisely （ B） suitably （ C） properly （ D） accurately 五、 PART FIVE 33 Read the salary offer negotiation.
47、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 word in CAPI
48、TAL LETTERS on your Answer Sheet. Know your market, and know your marketability. Always keep a minimum salary requirement in the mind. With a little research, you can determine a realistic and 34 satisfactory salary. Decide what you need, want. and can survive on before you 35 walk into for an inter
49、view. Wait for an offer dont just announce your minimum 36 to the interviewer. And never respond too immediately take time to think things 37 over. If you feel the package is unsatisfactory, figure out what you would make 38 the package more palatable. Dont just wait to see what the employer has to offer. 39 Get your offer in the writing. This includes the salary you agree upon, details on 40 potential increases, and any unusual terms regarding to your benefits or vacation 41 time. For example, if you need immediate leave b
