1、BEC商务英语（中级）阅读模拟试卷 88及答案与解析 一、 PART ONE 0 A A company does not function in a vacuum, but rather as part of a society. That society consists of the people who work for it, the people and companies that do business with it, the public at large, and the government that regulates and taxes it, these grou
2、ps are known as a companys “publics“. In order for a company to deal with these publics effectively, a relationship of trust must exist. Employees will not cooperate with or put forth their best efforts for a company that they do not trust or that they feel is taking advantage of them. The public wi
3、ll not buy products or services from a company that, in their view, is not responsible or trustworthy. B The government, as the protector of the society it governs、 is especially cautious in dealing with a company that it regards as not operating in the public interest. Given these circumstances, ev
4、ery business, whether it is a giant corporation or a small factory, a five-star hotel or a roadside tavern, needs to give some thought to the relationship it has with all the various publics it interacts with, and the techniques that a company uses to imp rove these relationships are known as “publi
5、c relations“, also called PR. C A classic example of public relations at work is McDonalds. It has always been important to McDonalds to be known as a company that values cleanliness, Indeed, the founder Ray Kroc emphasised cleanliness along with quality, service, and value as being the four most im
6、portant things in any McDonalds operation. For that reason, Kroc instructed the first McDonalds franchisees to pick up all litter within a two-block radius of their stores, whether it was McDonalds litter or not. D McDonalds has always been socially responsible and extremely concerned about its imag
7、e. These two facts are part and parcel of its public relationships. To McDonalds, public relations activities go much deeper than simply sending out press releases and having corporate officers serve on various charitable boards. The company understands that real public relations means taking signif
8、icant action first, then announcing them to the public. Without the first step, the second would be meaningless. 1 All businesses are involved in public relations. 2 Local government believes in a company just because it operates in accordance with public interest. 3 McDonalds regarded social respon
9、sibility as an important part in its public relations. 4 A company needs to get on well with the surrounding publics. 5 McDonalds developed a good image of valuing cleanliness even by keeping clean in the neighbourhood. 6 McDonalds valued quality, service, cleanliness and value in its daily operatio
10、n. 7 No matter what kind of business a company does, it needs to pay attention to public relations. 二、 PART TWO 7 Read the article below about the role of executive recruitment agencies. Choose the best sentence from the opposite page to fill each of the gaps. Do not use any letter more than once. I
11、ssues in the recruitment world In the competitive world of investment banking, good senior executives are not easy to find. So what should the industrys hard-pressed directors do when they need to find senior staff? Increasingly, they decide to call in the headhunters. These are busy and profitable
12、times for the recruitment agencies that dominate the world of executive search and selection. They needed new people to revitalise their operations, and the result has been a boom in the recruitment market. Pinnacle, a leading recruitment agency, has helped various UK investment banks to rebuild the
13、ir entire senior management teams. It is hard to overstate the significance of this. (8) But now everything has changed, and Pinnacle is not the only major player in the field. Some analysts believe that rival recruitment specialists ALT Associates has a larger share of the market. However, there is
14、 little doubt that over its 13-year history, Pinnacle and its chairman, Matthew Edwards, have built up an impressive reputation. Edwards estimates that his company controls between 10 and 15 per cent of the headhunting market for senior investment banking jobs in the UK. (9) Rather, it is the high-c
15、alibre jobs and people that Pinnacle deals with that define the companys success. For example, the company was recently commissioned to find a new chairman for NBS Bank, a vacancy that was one of the most talked about in the banking world. Most HR directors recognise that headhunters such as Pinnacl
16、e play a valuable role in the recruitment process. (10) Some are concerned that a few companies, including Pinnacle, have too much power over high-level recruitment. (11) As Tim Davidson, HR Director at Cawfield Bank, explains, They can be kingmakers. These are the people who decide who gets a futur
17、e and who doesnt. If Edwards forms a view about an individual, it can affect their ability to get a particular job. That view could just have been formed on a bad day. (12) Final decisions in the selection process are always taken by his clients, he says, whoever they are. The role of headhunters sh
18、ould not be exaggerated. Many companies never use them. But as top executives are hard to find, there will always be a role for people like Matthew Edwards. A. Although others may put it lower, it is important to remember that the companys reputation is not based on market share alone. B. Their chie
19、f worry is that the headhunters can now make or break managerial careers. C. According to Edwards, this is a further indication that the way Pinnacle searches for a candidate tends to favour a certain type of manager. D. But this acceptance does not mean they are universally happy, either with the s
20、tate of the market or with Pinnacles role within it. E. Until a few years ago, even the biggest companies were unlikely to use headhunters to fill more than one or two jobs a year. F. Edwards objects to this suggestion, claiming that all he does is find candidates and encourage them to apply for a p
21、articular post. G. A number of big investment banks recently decided to make changes to their management boards after disappointing end-of-year results. 三、 PART THREE 12 Read the article below about the need for language training in the international marketplace and the questions on the opposite pag
22、e. Speaking Your Customers Language Modern international trading practices are highlighting the growing importance of language training Modern-day business really does transcend national barriers. Thanks to sophisticated IT and communications systems, businesses can now market their products on a tr
23、uly global scale. The world is indisputably becoming a smaller place, as service and manufacturing companies search the international marketplace for new suppliers and clients. Businesses must, however, be aware that once they expand the area in which they operate, they face increased competition. T
24、he standard and quality of their goods become increasingly important in keeping up with competitors. But most of all, it is the service element accompanying the goods which is crucial to a companys success in a particular market. This new philosophy has led to many companies, some of which have even
25、 offered products of a lesser quality, gaining success overseas. Although globalisation may, in some senses, have brought national economies closer together, societies around the world still have radically different expectations, processes and standards. These are not a function of economic change,
26、but are more deep-rooted and difficult to alter. They can be a major problem for businesses expanding abroad, with the greatest obstacle of all being the language barrier. If you have to deal with clients, suppliers and distributors in a range of countries, you will not only need the skills to commu
27、nicate with them, you will also need to reconcile any national biases you have with the diverse ways of doing business that exist around the globe. The value of effective communication is not to be underestimated. New technology such as video- conferencing and email has played a part in making the c
28、ommunication process easier, and it may also be possible that the introduction of language interpretation software will help with some global communications problems. But, of course, it is the human element of the communication process that is so vital in business, especially in negotiations, presen
29、tations and team-building. It is essential for managers to meet regularly with staff, customers and partners, so that issues can be discussed, messages communicated and feedback obtained. The value of well-organised language training is immense, and can bring benefits to all levels and departments w
30、ithin a multinational organisation. Unfortunately, however, many organisations have a very narrow view when it comes to training of any kind. Often, an urgent requirement has to be identified before training is authorised. Then, a training company is employed or a programme is developed in-house, th
31、e team is trained, and that is seen as the end of the matter. However, the fact remains that training programmes are effective only if they are relevant to a companys broader, long-term needs. They should be regarded as an investment rather than a cost. Changes in expectations and attitudes are cert
32、ain to continue for companies that trade globally. Although such companies are not yet faced with their international partners and clients demanding that business be conducted in their mother tongue, they realise that overseas competition is increasing fast. If these companies want to continue to ac
33、hieve success on the international trading circuit, they must be prepared to adapt to situations and speak the local language. If not, someone else will. 13 According to the first paragraph, improved communications have enabled companies to （ A） offer a wider variety of products and services. （ B） e
34、xpand beyond their domestic markets. （ C） perform better than their international competitors. （ D） open more manufacturing facilities abroad. 14 Some companies have succeeded at an international level even though they have （ A） produced inferior goods. （ B） failed to adapt products for local market
35、s. （ C） ignored the standards set by their competitors. （ D） reduced the standard of the service they offer. 15 Approaches to doing business vary between countries because of （ A） local economic considerations. （ B） the existence of cultural differences. （ C） strong wishes to remain independent. （ D
36、） regulations about business practices. 16 The writer thinks that the use of modern technology will （ A） speed up the process of language interpretation. （ B） never replace the need for face-to-face interaction. （ C） help solve the problems involved in maintaining strong teams. （ D） not lead to grea
37、ter communication between companies and clients. 17 A common weakness of training courses is that they （ A） are developed by the wrong team. （ B） do not give good value for money. （ C） are provided only if there is an immediate need. （ D） do not deal with a companys specific requirements. 18 Why sho
38、uld companies do business in the language of the countries they are operating in? （ A） to prevent other companies taking their business （ B） to help them find new international partners （ C） to meet clients current expectations （ D） to become more aware of their competitors activities 四、 PART FOUR 1
39、8 Read the news item below about a company that runs health and fitness clubs. Choose the best word to fill each gap from A, B, C or D on the opposite page. Fighting Fit Fine Fitness, the health and fitness club operator, an impressive set of results yesterday. (19) a 38-per-cent jump in annual pre-
40、tax profits, the company claimed that it had (20) none of the problems (21) last week by its rival, Top Fit. According to Samantha Collier, the chief executive, Fine Fitness (22) strong and is on (23) to reach its target of 100 clubs within three years, its strategy unaffected by the apparent (24) d
41、own of the economy. The company opened 12 new clubs in the past year, (25) its total to 51. They have (26) to be highly successful, with people joining in large numbers, especially in the 25-to-40 age range. Even the more (27) clubs are still seeing sales growth, along with rising retention (28) of
42、more than 70 per cent. This can be seen as clear (29) of the appeal of Fine Fitness. Ms Collier admitted that as there were (31) too many companies competing with one another, there would almost certainly be (31) in the health-and-fitness-club sector of the market. She predicted that, within a relat
43、ively short time, there might be only about three major companies still in (32) However, she declined to say which these were likely to be. Profits rose by 6.3 million, although there was a fall in gross margins from 31 per cent to 28.6 per cent because of higher insurance premiums, extra management
44、 costs and start-up expenses for the companys new (33) in Spain. （ A） Stating （ B） Reporting （ C） Remarking （ D） Informing （ A） taken （ B） felt （ C） experienced （ D） caught （ A） released （ B） issued （ C） opened （ D） revealed （ A） stays （ B） remains （ C） maintains （ D） keeps （ A） track （ B） direction
45、 （ C） way （ D） line （ A） falling （ B） breaking （ C） cutting （ D） slowing （ A） bringing （ B） putting （ C） getting （ D） mounting （ A） shown （ B） resulted （ C） proved （ D） demonstrated （ A） installed （ B） formed （ C） established （ D） confirmed （ A） rates （ B） standards （ C） proportions （ D） volumes （ A
46、） witness （ B） sign （ C） display （ D） evidence （ A） purely （ B） merely （ C） simply （ D） barely （ A） union （ B） consolidation （ C） alliance （ D） combination （ A） trade （ B） office （ C） commerce （ D） business （ A） trial （ B） venture （ C） proposal （ D） speculation 五、 PART FIVE 33 Read the following ad
47、on cultural awareness programme. In most of the lines (34-45), there is one extra word. It either is 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 l
48、ine, write the extra word in CAPITAL LETTERS on your Answer Sheet. Cultural Awareness Programme 34 familiarise themselves with any of differences in the legal system or in the procedures 35 used in the day-to-day business of import and export. Modern trade, however, demands more. 36 Today the compan
49、y seeking in international success must also understand the people 37 who live and work in countries it deals with how they think about, behave, and 38 do business. In short, todays market leaders must acquire a greater cultural awareness. 39 Business people operating in foreign market often fail to consider that cultural differences 40 can result in a variety of approaches to everyday business activities such as the way in that 41 the cross-cultural team cooperates or how it conducts its meetings. The one of the main 42 benefits of investing
