1、BEC商务英语（中级）阅读模拟试卷 8及答案与解析 一、 PART ONE 1 Look at the statements and the short news below. Which news does each statement 1-7 refer to. For each sentence, mark one letter A, B, C or D oh your Answer Sheet. You will need to some of the letters more than once. A The Santa Cruz Operation Incorporate (SCO
2、), a US-based software developer, opened a representative office in Beijing yesterday. Founded in 1979, SCO has become the worlds leading developer and supplier of software for UNIX systems. The new office in Beijing will bring SCO closer to Chinese customers and help it understand the massive Chine
3、se market better, said Lars Turndal, SCOS president and chief executive officer. SCO will mainly target government, departments, key industries and service institutions. B US computer giant International Business Machines (IBM) last week announced that it will invest at least $100 million in informa
4、tion technology projects in China. This makes IBM the first foreign company to become involved in the countrys top information infrastructure project, C Coca-Cola has been voted the top international company in Asia, according to a recent survey published by the Far Eastern Economic Review, a major
5、Asian magazine. Readers of this and other prominent Asian economic magazines choose Coca-Cola from among 500 large international companies in Asia. Cola-Cola is now the worlds largest beverage company serving 685 million drinks per day in more than 195 countries. D GRD, the manufacturing giant, plan
6、s to cut 1,500 jobs at its Portland factory over the next five years after union refusal to increase productivity. As a result, GRD have been forced to downsize the Portland plant. 1 One of the purposes of entering China is to have a better idea of Chinese market. 2 Its products are sold to over 195
7、 countries. 3 One hundred million dollars will be invested. 4 Government departments are one of its major consumers. 5 This company is going to invest heavily in China to develop its information technology. 6 It is an American company devoted to the development of computer software. 7 It has been vo
8、ted the best multinational company in Asia. 二、 PART TWO 8 Read the article on the opposite page about a club for company chairmen and women. Choose the best sentence from below to fill each of the gaps. For each gap 8-12, mark one letter (A-G) on your Answer Sheet. Do not use any letter more than on
9、ce. There is an example at the beginning, (0). A forum for chairmen and women to exchange ideas When Cadbury Schweppes was considering selling its food and health products businesses in the mid-1980s, Sir Adrian Cadbury, chairman at the time, called a board meeting and told the directors not to make
10、 up their minds, but simply to talk about selling the businesses. (0) At that first meeting, everyone spoke up. Opinion was divided. The second meeting was different. We had a very large degree of agreement, Sir Adrian says. 【 8】 _ He had feared that attempting to deal with the matter just in one me
11、eting would inhibit open discussion. How to chair a company has been a long-time preoccupation of Sir Adrians. The committee he headed in the early 1990s - set up by the British government to investigate corporate governance - produced the Cadbury report. 【 9】 _ This was just one of its many recomme
12、ndations, which had a major impact on how companies are managed. Being chairman is a difficult job, Sir Adrian says. 【 10】 _ For that reason, he has helped set up the Chairmens Forum, a club of like- minded people who get together to exchange ideas and learn how to chair companies. As well as hostin
13、g dinners, addressed by major players in the business world, the forum has held seminars to discuss issues such as how to get the best out of the board and how to respond to a crisis. James Watson, head of the forums steering committee, believes the organisation should do more to publicise its exist
14、ence. One of the reasons is that he wants to attract a more diverse group of chairmen and women as the forum increases its size to the 100 members he regards as optimal. 【 11】 _ But all are UK-based and the vast majority are male. The forum wants to attract more women and more non-British members to
15、 what it believes is the worlds only chairmens club. Most chairmen of the biggest UK companies have stayed away. 【 12】 _ Sir Adrian is more charitable: he believes chairmen of large groups do not have time for forum meetings. But he argues that one should not underestimate how difficult the job is.
16、Chairing any meeting is a challenge. And as Jane Kelly, the first woman to join the organisation; says, leading is often a solitary task. The higher up you move in any organisation, the lonelier you can be. At each level, the number of people you can talk to is smaller. Hence the value of a club lik
17、e the Chairmens Forum. A. Currently almost all of them head listed companies - although generally not the biggest - and some come from private companies and the public sector B. Among other things, it came down in favour of companies separating the roles of chairman and chief executive. C. Many also
18、 regard the opportunity to test new thinking as a major benefit. D. Some forum members suspect that many of those in powerful positions think they know it all already. E. Dividing the decision-making process into parts, each with its own focus, achieved the desired outcome. F. There are no clear gui
19、delines. G. His plan. was to hold another one at which the issue would be resolved. 三、 PART THREE 13 Read the article about managing a small business and the questions below. For each question 13-18,mark one letter (A, B, C or D)on your Answer Sheet, for the answer you choose. The Hardships of Opera
20、ting A Small Business The organisational weaknesses that entrepreneurs have to cope with every day would cause the managers of a mature company to panic, Bill Wilson wrote recently in Times. This seems to suggest that the leaders of entrepreneurial or small businesses must be unlike other managers,
21、or the problems faced by such leaders must be the subject of a specialised body of wisdom, or possibly both, Unfortunately, neither is true. Not much worth reading about managing the entrepreneurial or small business has been written, and the leaders of such businesses are made of flesh and blood, l
22、ike the rest of us. Furthermore, little has been done to address the aspects of entrepreneurial or small businesses that are so difficult to deal with and so different from the challenges faced by management in big business. In part this is because those involved in gathering expertise about busines
23、s and in selling advice to businesses have historically been more interested in the needs of big business. In part, in the UK at least, it is also because small businesses have always preferred to adapt to changing circumstances. The organisational problems of entrepreneurial or small businesses are
24、 thus forced upon the individuals who lead them. Even more so than for bigger businesses, the old saying is true that people, particularly those who make the important decisions, are a businesss most important asset. The research that does exist shows that neither money nor the ability to access mor
25、e of it is the major factor determining growth. The main reason an entrepreneurial business stops growing is the lack of management and leadership resource available to the business when it matters. Give an entrepreneur an experienced, skilled team and he or she will find the funds every time. Getti
26、ng the team, though, is the difficult bit. Part of the problem for entrepreneurs is the speed of change that affects their businesses. They have to cope with continuous change yet have always been suspicious about the latest management solution. They regard the many offerings from business schools a
27、s out of date even before they leave the planning board and have little faith in the recommendations of consultants when they arrive in the hands of young, inexperienced graduates. But such impatience with management solutions does not mean that problems can be left to solve themselves. However, the
28、 leaders of growing businesses are still left with the problem of who to turn to for advice. The answer is horribly simple: leaders of small businesses can ask each other. The collective knowledge of a group of leaders can prove enormously helpful in solving the specific problems of individuals. One
29、 leaders problems have certainly been solved already by someone else. This is an organisation called ZERO which enables those responsible for small businesses to meet. Its members, all of whom are chief executives, go through a demanding selection process, and then join a small group of other chief
30、executives. They come from a range of business sectors and each offers a different corporate history. Each group is led by a moderator, an independently selected businessman or woman who has been specially trained to head the group. Each member takes it in turn to host a meeting at his or her busine
31、ss premises and, most important of all, group discussions are kept strictly confidential. This spurs a free sharing of problems and increases the possibility of solutions being unveiled. 13 According to the second paragraph, what has led to a lack of support for entrepreneurs? （ A） Entrepreneurs hav
32、e always preferred to act independently. （ B） The requirements of big businesses have always taken priority. （ C） It is difficult to find solutions to the problems faced by entrepreneurs. （ D） Entrepreneurs are reluctant to provide information about their businesses. 14 What does the writer say abou
33、t entrepreneurs in the first paragraph? （ A） It is wrong to assume that they are different from other managers. （ B） The problems they have to cope with are specific to small businesses. （ C） They find it difficult to attract staff with sufficient expertise. （ D） They could learn from the organisati
34、onal skills of managers in large companies. 15 What does the writer say is an additional problem for entrepreneurs in the fourth paragraph? （ A） They rely on management systems that are out of date. （ B） They will not adopt measures that provide long-term solutions, （ C） They have little confidence
35、in the business advice that is available. （ D） They do not take market changes into account when drawing up business plans. 16 What does the writer say about the expansion of small businesses? （ A） Many small businesses do not produce enough profits to finance growth, （ B） Many employees in small bu
36、sinesses have problems working as part of a team. （ C） Being able to recruit the right people is the most important factor affecting growth. （ D） Leaders of small businesses lack the experience to make their companies a success. 17 The writer says that ZERO groups are likely to succeed because _. （
37、A） members are able to elect their leader. （ B） the leaders have received extensive training. （ C） members are encouraged to adopt a critical approach. （ D） information is not passed on to non-members. 18 What does the writer say the members of the ZERO organisation provide? （ A） Advice on how to se
38、lect suitable staff. （ B） A means of contacting potential clients. （ C） A simple checklist for analysing problems. （ D） Direct experience of a number of industries. 四、 PART FOUR 19 Read the advice about cooperation. Choose the best word to fill each gap, from A, B, C or D on the opposite page. For e
39、ach question 19-33 mark one letter (A, B, C or D) on your Answer Sheet. One answer has been given as an example at the beginning. CATSA Gia Andina de Triconos (CATSA), a Bolivian joint venture of the U. S. Dresser Industries and local investors, which had based its investment (19)_ an allocation und
40、er the metalworking program, closed its doors after (20)_ to penetrate the Andean market after more than two years in operation. The prospect of (21)_ access to the Andean market, plus protection provided by a 55 percent “ad valorem“ common outer tariff on bits sourced from outside the bloc, made th
41、e sales outlook seem (22)_. However, CATSAs “monopoly“ position in Ancom proved specious. (23)_ the plant went on stream in 1974, the company was never able to export a single drill bit to the Andean market, and its local sales were (24)_ a state-owned petroleum company. This market was clearly (25)
42、_ , since the operation had been based on exporting the bulk of the plants 200-unit-per-month capacity to the Andean area. CATSA could not penetrate the Ancom market for several reasons: Although Ancom (26)_ a 55 percent common outer tariff on third-country imports, some Ancom countries had previous
43、ly (27)_ LAFTA (Latin American Free Trade Association) tariff concessions, which take precedence over the Ancom tariffs. Ancom members simply did not (28)_ the spirit of the metalworking agreement. After the installation of the CATSA facility, plants producing tricorne bits (29)_ in Peru and Venezue
44、la. Under the metalworking program, participating (30)_ were committed to prohibiting new foreign investment in allocations of other Ancom countries. But on the question of new investment by local industry, the obligation was only not to encourage it, with no requirement to prevent it. (31)_ Venezue
45、la, it has no commitment to limit local production or to honour the outer tariff, because it was not yet a member of Ancom when the metalworking agreement was signed and was thus not a (32)_ to the pact. Also, according to Bolivia, Colombia and Ecuador employed (33)_ obstacles to avoid applying the
46、common outer tariff. The withdrawal of Chile from Ancom cost Bolivia a lucrative potential market, too. （ A） in （ B） to （ C） under （ D） on （ A） fail （ B） to fail （ C） failing （ D） succeeding （ A） no duty （ B） no-duty （ C） duty-bound （ D） duty-free （ A） good （ B） well （ C） bad （ D） badly （ A） So （ B）
47、 Although （ C） But （ D） Therefore （ A） confined to （ B） confined in （ C） expanded to （ D） exported to （ A） big enough （ B） sufficient （ C） too big （ D） insufficient （ A） has got （ B） got （ C） has imposed （ D） has imposed on （ A） admitted （ B） admitting （ C） granting （ D） granted （ A） learn （ B） hono
48、ur （ C） take （ D） give （ A） are put （ B） are established （ C） were set up （ D） had set Up （ A） member government （ B） members government （ C） member governments （ D） members governments （ A） In case of （ B） In the case of （ C） In case （ D） On case （ A） party （ B） member （ C） person （ D） partner （ A）
49、 a series of （ B） a great deal of （ C） a large amount of （ D） a great number 五、 PART FIVE 34 Read the article on the opposite page about organising events. 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, w
