1、BEC商务英语（中级）阅读模拟试卷 51及答案与解析 一、 PART ONE 0 Look at the statements below and the information on the new trend in fashion industry on the opposite page. Which section (A, B, G, 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
2、need to use some of these letters more than once. A Where do you buy your clothes? Well, most of us shop at traditional retailers with increasingly frequent trios to discount stores and Internet. And most of the super-rich and trendy buy directly from designers like Gucci, Armani and Chanel. But lat
3、ely their shopping habits and ours have been converging. Bonita Carol reports that many of the fashion elite are coming out of the closet and going straight to K Mart. Take a peek inside fashion editor Christy Ferrels closet, and youll find couture side by side with K Mart. B Fashion reporter Jerry
4、Agins calls the trend “cheapskate chic“: the regent fashionable wearing Sears shoes, Wal-Mart pants and Target sweaters, proudly pairing them with designer labels. The whole trend of “cheapskate chic“ is a lot of affluent people are now shopping differently, and theyre just like everybody, theyre de
5、corating their homes, theyre spending a lot of time in stores like K Mart and Wal-Mart. And youre in there once or twice a week, so while youre in there picking up paper towels and toilet paper and toothpaste, you happen to kind of wander about the fashion aisles. C A watershed event occurred when S
6、haron Stone wore that Gap T-shirt at the Oscars. She looked terrific. Everybody wondered what she had on and later they found out that she had on that $ 22 Gap turtleneck and that really resonated with a lot of consumers. Stores like the Gap, Sears, K Mart and target are taking full advantage, offer
7、ing fashion mavens that perfect denim jacket or pair of jeans, T-shirt or little black dress or top to make them match with high fashion. D Retail Watcher said mass merchants are benefiting greatly from this “cheapskate chic“ trend. In 1998 mass retailers such as K Mart, Wal-Mart and Target accounte
8、d for 43% of all apparel sold. And thats up from 38% five years earlier. And these stores are stealing away customers from more upscale boutiques. In Targets case, or as the fashionably in crowd call it “Tarzhay“, about 80% of its customers are college educated and have a medium household income of
9、$ 47, 000. Maybe thats why Targets offering Kashmir sweaters for the first time. 1 When buying necessities, you may walk through the rows of shelves displaying fashionable articles. 2 Mass stores try to make their design closely keep up with the trend. 3 Nowadays wealthy people get into the similar
10、shopping habits to ordinaries. 4 Fashion people mix famous brand with bargained fare. 5 Famous star wearing cheap clothes to attend grand ceremony represents a new trend in fashion industry. 6 Stores like K Mart and Wal-Mart benefit a lot from the new trend in wardrobe. 7 In fashion peoples wardrobe
11、 designer labels might be put together with cheap clothes from mass retailers. 二、 PART TWO 7 Read the article below about why and how to find a good boss. 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 u
12、se any letter more than once. APPLYING FOR A NEW BOSS When I went off to college, I got one piece of advice from my father: “It doesnt matter what courses you take, just find the great professors.“ Sure enough, I soon discovered that all subjects were interesting, as long as I had good teachers. Gre
13、at teaching is not limited to school, though. An excellent boss can do the same thing, turning every day into a learning experience. He can give you confidence, making you more willing to ask a question, take on responsibility, or even suggest a change in some out-of-date company policy. (8) . My ad
14、vice, then, is not to interview for the right job. Instead, interview for the right boss-not a best friend, but someone who is willing and able to help you grow professionally. What are some signs of the wrong boss? Well, anyone who: is surrounded by the same team year after year. If youre such a go
15、od teacher, why arent these people moving on to better positions? lacks a sense of humor. Life is short. Work is hard. Lets lighten up when the mailroom loses a package, OK? (9) . loves typing, and has a hatred toward talking. (10) Who are the best bosses Ive had? Angela, my first boss out of colleg
16、e, was smart and direct-she was not afraid to call a spade a spade. She ruffled feathers around the company, but would readily let me in on what she thought and why. Shed been there 30 years but was still a busybody-I loved that. (11) Trust your instincts. Be yourself and see if he is someone you wa
17、nt to learn from for a couple of years. If that person is dull, distant, or passive in an interview, guess what theyre going to be like Monday through Friday. Interviewees are on their best behavior in that type of climate, but so are interviewers. You dont like what you see? The power is yours-go a
18、nd check out other bosses before you jump aboard for the long run. Churchill divided people into two groups-those for whom work is work and pleasure is pleasure, and those for whom work is pleasure. (12) If youre in the same group, then he could very well be just the teacher for you. A But how do yo
19、u know when youve found the right boss? B Theres no reason to get your nose out of joint. C Why are you continually emailing me when I sit across the hall? D Great teaching is not limited to school, though. E In short, a great boss knows how to teach. F Whichever you are, my recommendation is to mak
20、e sure you know where both you and your boss belong. G A great boss both gives and earns respect. 三、 PART THREE 12 Read the article below about American consumers borrowing styles, and the questions on the opposite page. For each question 13-18, mark one letter (A, B, C, or D) on your Answer Sheet f
21、or the answer you choose. HOW DO AMERICAN CONSUMERS BORROW? Young consumers often have not established their credit ratings. Many do not have steady incomes. They might have difficulty borrowing money from an agency in business to make loan. Parents or relatives are usually their best source of loan
22、s. Of course, the parents or relatives would have money available and be willing to lend it. You might even get an interest-free loan. For most consumers the cheapest place to borrow is at the commercial bank. Banks are a good source of installment loan which may run for 12 months up to 30. Most of
23、banks also make single-payment loans to consumers for short periods-30, 60, or 90 days. The newest type of bank loan is one that a depositor can get simply by writing a check. It works like this. A depositor is given a limited amount of credit, usually between $ 500 and $1, 000. He or she may write
24、checks up to the amount allowed. Once a check has been written, the amount of the check becomes a loan. Usually no charge is made for interest until the loan is made. A typical interest rate is 3 cents per $100 per day, or just under 1% a month. Suppose that you used $100 of your credit and repaid i
25、t in 30 days. The cost would be 90 cents. If you repaid it in 10 days, the cost would be only 30 cents. There is another source of consumer loans that may be even cheaper than a bank. It is a credit union. But you have to be a member to borrow from one. A credit union is a cooperative. You remember
26、that a cooperative is a business organized to provide its owners, or members, with goods or services at a saving. Like a bank, a credit union is both a savings and a lending organization. Its members deposit their savings in the credit union and are paid interest in return. These savings are used to
27、 make loans to members at low rates. Members of a credit union are people with a common bond. They may work for the same firm or belong to the same church, lodge, or labor union. Consumer loans are small in amount compared to those made to business firms. Companies that specialize in making loans to
28、 consumers, therefore, are sometimes called small-loan companies. These companies operate under state laws which regulate both the maximum amount that can be loaned and the rates charged. Regulations vary from one state to another. In general, however, the rates charged by small-loan companies are h
29、igher than those of other legal lenders except pawnbrokers. The following facts should tell you why. Half or more of the loans made by small-loan companies are signature of character loans. Practically all loans are paid in installments. In some states, small-loan companies will lend as little as $
30、25 or $ 50. Many of their customers are persons whose credit ratings are so poor that they cannot borrow elsewhere. Another possible source of loans is a life insurance policy. Life insurance loans are easy to obtain. The rate charged is less than that for almost any other type of loan available to
31、consumers. This is because the lender takes no risk. Also, borrowers may take as long as they want to repay their loans. Although that may seem like an advantage, it can also be a disadvantage. When a borrower is not required to repay a loan within a certain time, it is easy to let it run on and on.
32、 This increases the dollar cost of the loan because interest must be paid for as long as the loan continues. 13 Why is it difficult for young consumers to borrow money from bank? （ A） Because they have no steady work and cant register a credit card. （ B） Because they drag out the loan. （ C） Because
33、they are unlikely to pay the things purchased by credit. （ D） Because they are unwilling to pay interest. 14 According to the passage, what does single-payment loan refer to? （ A） You may run loans from 30 to 60, or 90 days. （ B） You must repay debts once in 30, 60, or 90 days. （ C） It is the newest
34、 type of bank loan. （ D） It refers to the loan provided for only one depositor. 15 According to paragraph 2, if you use $100 of your credit and repay it in 20 days, how much interest will you pay? （ A） 70 cents. （ B） 60 cents. （ C） 80 cents. （ D） 50 cents. 16 What is the requirement to borrow from a
35、 credit union? （ A） Consumers must be the members of a credit union. （ B） Consumers must have steady income. （ C） The organization must lend money at low rates of interest. （ D） Consumers must deposit their savings in the credit union. 17 Which is not mentioned on borrowing from a small-loan company
36、? （ A） These companies operate differently under state laws. （ B） These companies charged lower than pawnbrokers. （ C） Most of the loans made by these companies have no guarantee. （ D） Customers must repay the loans in installment. 18 What is both an advantage and disadvantage of borrowing on life i
37、nsurance? （ A） Life insurance loans are available to everyone. （ B） Some types of insurance have a cash value. （ C） Customers will let a loan run on and on. （ D） The deadline of repaying the loans is flexible. 四、 PART FOUR 18 Read the article below about a business technique called benchmarking. Cho
38、ose 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. Benchmarking The expression benchmarking has become one of the fashionable words in current management discussion. The (19) first appea
39、red in the United States in the 1970s, but has now (20) world-wide recognition. But what (21) does it mean and should your company be practicing it? Benchmarking (22) learning about your own practices, learning about the best practices of others, and then making (23) for improvement that will enable
40、 you to meet or beat the beast in the world. The essential element is not (24) imitating what other companies do but being able to (25) the best of other firms practices to your own (26) . Instead of aiming to improve only against previous performance and scores, companies can use benchmarking to in
41、ject an element of imagination and common (27) into their search for progress. It is a process which forces companies to look closely at those activities which they may have been taking for granted and (28) them with the activities of other, world-beating companies. Self-criticism is at the (29) of
42、process, although in some cases this may (30) managers who are reluctant to question long-established practices. The process of identifying best practice in other companies does not just mean looking closely at your (31) . It might also include (32) companies which use similar processes to your own,
43、 even though they are producing different goods. The point is to look at the process (33) than the product. （ A） term （ B） definition （ C） contract （ D） system （ A） gave （ B） gained （ C） stored （ D） filled （ A） exactly （ B） nearly （ C） really （ D） completely （ A） connects （ B） contains （ C） involves
44、 （ D） researches （ A） rules （ B） decisions （ C） steps （ D） changes （ A） mainly （ B） simply （ C） always （ D） totally （ A） adapt （ B） relate （ C） learn （ D） expect （ A） standard （ B） assignment （ C） situation （ D） understanding （ A） notion （ B） sense （ C） concept （ D） feeling （ A） comparing （ B） outli
45、ning （ C） providing （ D） supplying （ A） bottom （ B） list （ C） line （ D） heart （ A） interest （ B） upset （ C） excite （ D） scare （ A） friends （ B） partners （ C） competitors （ D） leaders （ A） searching （ B） sending （ C） studying （ D） hoping （ A） rather （ B） other （ C） more （ D） longer 五、 PART FIVE 33 Re
46、ad the text below about opinions on local group business. 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
47、an extra word in the line, write the extra word in CAPITAL LETTERS on your Answer Sheet. Shop-local Group Offers Economic Impact Figures Can If consumers in Hillsborough County can limited their spending on one Saturday Correct to independent, locally owned businesses instead of chain stores, more t
48、han 34 17 million would even remain in the local economy instead of being shipped to 35 outside corporations as overnight deposits. So it say representatives of the 36 Tampa Independent Business Alliance, who base their calculation on studies that 37 made by the American Independent Business Allianc
49、e. The national study found 38 that since locally owned businesses began to use goods and services of other 39 businesses in the community, a consumers spending circulates 3 up to 31/2 40 times longer locally than if it is spent on at a chain. On Saturday, the local group 41 will be working with the national organization and more than all 25 other 42 communities across the country to broadcast the benefits coming of the 43 shop-local movement. The educational event, “American Unchained“, will be 44 pr
