1、BEC商务英语（中级）阅读模拟试卷 42及答案与解析 一、 PART ONE 0 Read the following passage consisting of four paragraphs (A-D). Which paragraph (A, B, C or D) does each statement (1-7) refer to? For each sentence, mark one letter (A, B, C or D) on your Answer Sheet. You will need to use some of these letters marc than onc
2、e. Conversations Can Be the Key to a Managers Success A. Retaining top talent is one of the greatest challenges in todays corporate world. And managers play a critical role in influencing an employees decision to stay with, or leave, a company. So what can managers do to help? They should listen. Sm
3、art managers realize they have to make listening a priority. If they dont, team members may become disgruntled and Use other channels to communicate their messages which can send ripples throughout an organization. Managers who lack opportunities to listen, really listen, to the issues expressed by
4、team members, can create opportunities through regular conversations. B. How often should you have conversations? Depending on the size of your team, have at least one or two uninterrupted conversations a month with each team member. Having regular conversations will go a tong way to establish trust
5、 and build healthy relationships between you and your team members. These informal meetings typically last half an hour or so. They allow you to stay on top of important issues, to be more attuned to the individuals needs and goals and to offer ongoing support. Frequent one-on-one meetings can also
6、help to eliminate any surprises to you or the other person. C. With so much going on in the workplace, it may be challenging, to concentrate on the issue that needs the most attention. Avoid tangential issues. As a manager, your time is limited, so make the most of it. Being clear about the objectiv
7、e of the conversation will help to keep the discussion on track. Remember what may be an important issue to a team member may be less so to you: however, the individual may need your support working through that issue to focus on more important goals. D. Keep the discussion focused on the future wha
8、t needs to happen and what is likely to happen. This is not the time to get bogged down in what has happened in the past or to review performance history. Instead the conversation should be designed to help the ream member move forward and take action on specific issues that are most relevant. Take
9、a collaborative approach to exploring possibilities. 1 A manager should have a clear goal before talking to employees. 2 People in management positions can listen to employees through regular conversations. 3 Regular conversations enable managers to understand employees needs and goals. 4 The conver
10、sation should be specific and relevant to employees issues. 5 Intelligent managers are aware of the great importance of listening to employees. 6 Conversations should not dwell on the past. 7 Trust can be built through frequent conversations, but it may take a long time. 二、 PART TWO 7 Read the artic
11、le below about career planning. Choose the best sentence from below the passage to fill each of the blanks. For each gap (8-12), mark one letter (A-G) on your Answer Sheet. Do not use arty letter more than once. Advice on Staff Career Development For many employees, automatic promotion up the ranks
12、of a company is becoming increasingly rare. A new study suggests that, in response, employers need to consider how they can help staff develop their careers. Employers need to rethink their approach to career management completely, according to the latest research by the Institute of Employment Stud
13、ies. The new study finds that in fact there is little opportunity for individual career development in many large organizations. The main reasons for this, it concludes, are the recent cuts in the number of middle-management posts, and the changes that have taken place in the responsibilities of per
14、sonnel departments. The Institute of Employment Studies makes it clear that it is not good practice for companies to hand over career development-to individual employees and then simply leave them to get on with it. (8) So how should employers help their staff develop a career? Most employees have c
15、ome to accept that career development is not always the same thing as upward promotion and a higher salary. (9) They must also ensure that these opportunities are extended to all their staff and not just to selected individuals. Nick Bridges, who is Director of Human Resources Policy at the Bank of
16、Eastern England, believes there is more talk than action in this area. (10) One way, he believes, for companies to show how serious they are about individual learning is lo make it an official part of company practice, as the Bank of Eastern England has done. (11) This document, he points out, has m
17、ade the role of managers clear, and the company has also invested huge amounts of money educating managers so that they can then train their staff. Another company, British Chemicals. has contracted an independent organization to help staff with confidential career advice. According to John rates, t
18、he head of Individual Learning and Development at British Chemicals. there is an important role for outside agencies to play in the career management process. He adds that it is company policy for managers to give all staff roadmaps which show possible career routes within the company structure. (12
19、) This has worked especially well. he says, for staff who are used to depending on their line managers for guidance. Many large organizations now recognize that career development cannot be regarded in isolation, and must be part of an overall business strategy. Human Resources has a real role to pl
20、ay in building a strong workforce which meets a companys long-term business needs and makes it more competitive. A. Its policy statement says that by 2006, eighty percent of its stall will have a professional qualification. B. He argues that while Human Resources managers are saying the way forward
21、is through self-managed learning and self-development, they are still failing to provide adequate learning resources. C. This change of attitude means employers need to place more emphasis on giving staff the chance to develop a range of skills through horizontal job moves. D. It points out that emp
22、loyees need to know what the overall companys vision is in order to achieve it. E. The problem that often arises is that, while they are increasingly encouraged to manage their own careers, they arc not provided with the knowledge and training to do this. F. They are able to sec that, contrary to ex
23、pectations, jobs in different fields are similar, and they can also sec how it is possible to cross over to other areas. G. The main reasons for this, it concludes, are the recent cuts in the number of middle-management posts, and the changes that have taken place in the responsibilities of personne
24、l departments. 三、 PART THREE 12 Read the text below about a European rail service and the questions below the passage. For each question (13-18), mark one letter (A, B, C or D) on your Answer sheet for the answer you choose. Success of New Rail Links in Europe The Eurostar company is now running fre
25、quent train services using the tunnel built beneath the sea between Britain and France. Millions of passengers have already travelled on Eurostar trains and there are now twenty services a day between London and Paris and nine between London and Brussels. Eurostar has already won 40% of all passenge
26、rs from the UK to Paris and Brussels but further growth will depend on the business market. The early morning departure to Paris is proving popular, especially for business people from London who need to do a full days work in the French capital. However. exactly how many of Eurostars passengers are
27、 business travellers is unknown. While first-class accommodation has been 70% fill, many of these passengers are travelling on holiday: one travel agent estimates Eurostar has only 20% of the business travel market. Meanwhile, tour operators report a sharp rise in the sale of short trips to Paris. w
28、hich, they claim, is largely due to the possibility of travelling by Eurostar. As Eurostar increases the frequency of daily journeys over the next year. it will need more business travellers than ever to fill its trains. However, business travel agents feel that some aspects of Eurostar service coul
29、d be improved. According to one large business travel agent. “Eurostars marketing has been poor and it needs to look more closely at doing commercial deals with large travel agents and corporations to become more attractive than airlines“. British travel agents alone are now spending over 1 million
30、a month with Eurostar. Naturally, they are expecting Eurostar to provide some good deals and flexible tickets. Eurostar is hoping to attract more customers as it expands its network of services. Already, train journeys between London and Paris stop at a few towns and cities enroute. There will also
31、be daytime and overnight services front eighteen other British cities to Paris and Brussels, and planning is in progress for services from London to cities in Holland and Germany. Soon, many major towns and cities in Britain and other European countries will have regular direct connections within Eu
32、rostars network. The demand for Eurostar is forcing airlines to use smaller planes on the London-Paris and London-Brussels service, two of the busiest air routes in the world. One British airline reports a 15% decline in ticket sales to both Paris and Brussels. The crucial marketing aspect in busine
33、ss travel is frequency, Rather than cut frequency, airlines have reduced the size of their aircraft to prevent further losses. However, the large airlines will find it easier to maintain their flight schedules by introducing lower capacity planes. Eurostar threatens mainly the smaller airlines, whic
34、h already have fewer services and smaller planes. 13 Which of the following statements is not true about Eurostar company? （ A） Passengers can travel on its trains through the tunnel. （ B） It offers frequent train services front London to Paris. （ C） There are many passengers traveling on Eurostar.
35、（ D） It offers a variety of services on the train every day. 14 At present, Eurostars customers are mainly （ A） commuters from the UK to Paris and Brussels. （ B） passengers travelling on holiday. （ C） people who need to do a full days work in Paris. （ D） business travellers. 15 Among the Eurostars p
36、assengers, the number of business travellers is （ A） 70 percent of the total. （ B） 20 percent of the total. （ C） 30 percent of the total. （ D） unknown. 16 All of the following are travel agents suggestions to Eurostar except （ A） marketing its service so it can be more competitive than airlines. （ B
37、） increasing the frequency of daily journey. （ C） updating its image and doing more commercial deals. （ D） providing flexible tickets to travel agents. 17 In order to attract more customers, Eurostars trains have already （ A） stopped at a few towns and cities between London and Paris. （ B） increased
38、 both daytime and overnight services. （ C） increased service front UK to cities in Holland and Germany. （ D） connected UK and other European countries directly. 18 To compete with Eurostar, airlines should （ A） use lower capacity planes. （ B） cut frequency. （ C） offer cheaper tickets. （ D） maintain
39、the flight schedule. 四、 PART FOUR 18 Read the fax below. Choose the best word 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. There is an example at the beginning, (0). LTC AUSTRALIA 618 823777 25 Apr. 1999 P. 02 Dear
40、 Mr. Lin Thank you for your fax, which we received on 21 April. However, I have been away at a conference for a few days and I have only just had the (19) to read it. I apologize for the consequent delay in (20) to you. It appears that you were not completely (21) with the training videos that we se
41、nt you. However, there seems to be some confusion, and I would just like to (22) a couple of points. First of all, I would like to (23) what I said in my original letter: if you (24) the videos unusable we will be quite prepared to (25) all your money. However, it was not clear from your fax whether
42、 you had (26) all the videos, or just one or two. We have received favorable (27) about the videos from a number of our customers. In particular, the “Safety at Work“ and First Aid “videos are extremely“ (28) I would be grateful, therefore, if you could (29) that all ten videos are checked. Please (
43、30) out the ones that you find most (31) or your needs, and return the (32) cassettes. I will then be able to (33) the amount payable to you. I look forward to hearing from you. Yours sincerely, (Signature ) John Peters (Customer Services) （ A） pause （ B） opportunity （ C） moment （ D） break （ A） answ
44、ering （ B） rewriting （ C） replying （ D） corresponding （ A） satisfied （ B） glad （ C） convinced （ D） sure （ A） show （ B） mark （ C） take （ D） make （ A） reproduce （ B） repeat （ C） recycle （ D） return （ A） find （ B） discover （ C） notice （ D） observe （ A） offer （ B） provide （ C） replace （ D） refund （ A） r
45、ecognized （ B） glanced （ C） viewed （ D） locked （ A） stories （ B） reports （ C） documents （ D） sayings （ A） favorite （ B） common （ C） popular （ D） typical （ A） recommend （ B） trust （ C） comment （ D） ensure （ A） put （ B） pick （ C） place （ D） give （ A） suitable （ B） close （ C） right （ D） convenient （ A）
46、 unnecessary （ B） incorrect （ C） unrequested （ D） unwanted （ A） calculate （ B） measure （ C） count （ D） value 五、 PART FIVE 33 Read the text below about redundancies in the insurance industry. In most of the lines 34-45 there is one extra word. It is either grammatically incorrect or does not fit in w
47、ith the sense 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 CAPITAL LETTERS on your answer sheet. The exercise begins with two examples, (0) and (00). Redundancies Threatened in
48、Insurance Takeover Hundreds of insurance workers were facing redundancy last night after two companies announced as they were joining forces. The redundancies 34 are under threatened by a 4 billion takeover of Bastion Insurance 35 which has been a 17,500-strong workforce, by overseas rival Sunshine
49、36 Provincial, which employs a staff of 20,000. A spokesperson for 37 Bastion workers who accepted there would be rationalization of the two 38 companies operations, causing redundancies. However, since there was 39 relief when workers heard the job losses would be nowhere near the 40 5,000 level initially were feared. These bigger cuts would have resulted if 41 Bastion had accepted that a bid from Total Insurance two weeks ago. It opted 42 instead of for joining up with Sunshine, whose employees are mostly based 43
