1、BEC商务英语（高级）阅读模拟试卷 120及答案与解析 一、 PART ONE 0 Look at the statements below and at the five newspaper items about different companies on the opposite page. Which company (A, B, C, D or E) does each statement (1-8) refer to? For each statement (1-8), mark one letter (A, B, C, D or E) on your Answer Sheet.
2、 You will need to use some of these letters more than once. There is an example at the beginning (0).Example:0 This company has sold off some of its brands. AAngusSince coming to the market five years ago, Angus has enjoyed great respect, considerably more than its peers in construction and building
3、 materials. This has been well deserved, with its initial profits now four times as great. However, the companys recent warning that such growth is unlikely to be maintained has caused a levelling off in its share price. Investors apparently want to see evidence that the current expansion into North
4、 America is paying off and paying for the large workforce, before pushing Angus shares any higher.BJohnsonsSteven Green, chairman of the ailing furniture manufacturer Johnsons, has produced his long-awaited turnaround plan for the company, comprising aggressive cost savings targets and some optimist
5、ic-looking profit forecasts. Further reducing the cost of raw materials by 15% is perhaps over-ambitious, given the resistance to the 5% cut the company imposed last year. Remaining savings should be more easily achievable through improving manufacturing efficiency, including job cuts and plant clos
6、ures. Should Johnsons miss those targets, including returning to an operating profit as early as next year, Greens job could rapidly be in danger.CHora ProductsFour years ago, the shares of Hora Products, the watches and handbags distributor and retailer, stood at 405p. At that time, Hora revealed p
7、rofits up by a third to 22m, but warned that growth was unlikely to continue at such a pace. The shares immediately dropped 11% and kept on falling, until they hit a trough of 64p. Last year Hora decided to concentrate on its volume divisions, which include the Lagoon and Horato watch brands, and di
8、sposed of all its luxury marques, a strategy that will be watched with interest by its rivals.DForYouA 2% drop in UK like-for-like sales in the last 3 months has forced healthcare retailers ForYou to issue a profit warning, with a suggestion that earnings for the year are likely to be cut by 10-15%.
9、 Management has been accused of over-optimism in believing it could deliver 40% new product growth annually. The turmoil resulting from this strategy will increase stock-carrying costs by 3m, and has resulted in the resignation of the director responsible for product and marketing. The shares closed
10、 on Friday at 76p, down 29% in the past year.ED&KConsumer goods giant D&K has already abandoned the targets it set only six months ago. At the time, the new chief executive Gerald Lansbury made much of his move away from his predecessors goals for growth in sales and earnings to more realistic figur
11、es. Clearly, though, his more modest ambitions are still not modest enough: D&K has real problems with losses in market share, and faces stagnating sales. Yesterday, sure enough, Lansbury set his sights even lower, blaming market conditions for the companys poor performance. 1 Shares in this company
12、 have stopped rising in value. 2 This company has again revised its growth targets downwards. 3 A problem experienced by this company has led to a change of personnel. 4 Suppliers may refuse to charge this company less for their goods. 5 A period of rapid growth immediately preceded a fall in this c
13、ompanys share price. 6 This companys reputation differs from that of its competitors. 7 This company is planning to operate from fewer sites. 8 A rise in the value of this companys shares appears to depend on the success of its present strategy. 二、 PART TWO 8 Read this advice about responding to que
14、stions from the audience while giving presentations. Choose the best sentence from the opposite page to fill each of the gaps. For each gap (9-14), mark one letter (A-H) on your Answer Sheet. Do not use any letter more than once. There is an example at the beginning (0). Taking QuestionsWhen giving
15、presentations, it is common practice to encourage audience involvement and this often takes the form of questions from the floor. A good deal has been written recently discussing the pros and cons of various approaches to handling these. (0)_H_One approach is to take questions as and when they arise
16、. Usually there are only a few points from the floor but in the event of receiving too many, the presenter may move the presentation on by reminding the audience of the time, and offering to continue the discussion later. 【 P1】 _.Those who arent will simply have to wait.Another approach is to ask fo
17、r questions after each main point has been addressed. A danger here is that too much time may be sacrificed to questions and, as a consequence, important parts of the message have to be edited out. The audience may also confuse the presenter by asking about points that he or she intends to cover lat
18、er in the presentation. If this happens, it is important to make the audience aware that any such queries will be dealt with during the course of the session. 【 P2】 _Alternatively, mid-point questions can be discouraged by signalling, during the introduction, that you would prefer questions at the e
19、nd. If you take this approach, however, it is important to bear in mind that when you get to the end, it may take a little time for people to adjust and to reflect on what they have heard and to formulate a question they want to ask. 【 P3】 _.To overcome this, it is useful to have a chairperson to di
20、rect the proceedings or a colleague planted in the audience who is prepared to ask the first question if necessary. A chairperson can also help by ensuring mat questions are taken in turn. This is particularly useful if you have an over-eager questioner who tries to monopolise attention. 【 P4】 _.Ano
21、ther potential problem is hostile questioners who ask the kind of question they know will be difficult to answer. This may be done in an attempt to destroy the presenters case and every effort must be made to limit the damage and to search out opportunities to gain advantage. It is always a good ide
22、a to be aware of the traps that this type of questioner may try to set. 【 P5】 _.Even then, it may be that you do not know the answer, in which case the safest response is to say so. The rest of the audience may appreciate your honesty. It may also be possible to move the attention away from the ques
23、tioner by asking the rest of the audience if anyone else can provide an answer. Sometimes members of the audience may attempt to put forward an alternative case or demonstrate their own competence by making a lengthy claim rather than asking questions. 【 P6】_. For example: Yes, I think we need to be
24、ar some of these points in mind. May we have the next question, please?Example: A Other members of the audience may quickly become frustrated if this means that their questions remain unanswered.B An opportunity may still arise to make the point clearer and eliminate any such ambiguity.C Acknowledgi
25、ng the statement and then seeking a question from someone else can be an effective way of moving the session on.D This approach indicates to the audience that answering their questions now might undermine the clarity and structure of the talk.E A statement such as I will come back to this point at t
26、he end should keep most people happy.F Anticipating potential weaknesses in your argument and how you might respond to questions about them is an important aspect of your preparation.G There is even the possibility that an embarrassing silence may ensue.H However, my intention here is simply to pres
27、ent the most common strategies. 9 【 P1】 10 【 P2】 11 【 P3】 12 【 P4】 13 【 P5】 14 【 P6】 三、 PART THREE 14 Read the following article about a US manufacturer of office supplies and the questions on the opposite page. For each question (15-20), mark one letter (A, B, C or D) on your Answer Sheet. In 1761
28、the German cabinet-maker Caspar Faber started a small business producing pencils. Three generations later, in the nineteenth century, the firm was run by Lothar von Faber, whose innovations included a hexagonal pencil to prevent it from rolling, and a system to designate the hardness of lead, which
29、was eventually adopted by other manufacturers in the industry. Exports to the USA began in 1843, with a New York subsidiary set up six years later to handle the US end of the business, under the management of Lothars brother Eberhard. This firm subsequently started making its own pencils, using lead
30、s imported from its German parent company, until in 1903 the two companies separated. Eberhard Faber, the US company, became a competitor of the German business, now called Faber-Castell. By the 1970s, Eberhard Faber, originator of the yellow pencil familiar to generations of North Americans, had a
31、10% share of the $100 million pencil market. The companys sales of pencils, pens, erasers, and rubber bands were increasing in developing countries, but recent US sales were essentially static. As a result, Eberhard Fabers US pencil sales accounted for less than 20% of its worldwide sales, and by th
32、e end of the decade the companys total US earnings had declined. The pencil market became particularly competitive in the early 1980s, and Eberhard Fabers top management concluded that the key to greater US profitability was marketing. At first the firm made some mistakes. For example, after produci
33、ng yellow pencils for nearly a century, the company decided to introduce a natural-looking pencil: bare cedar wood covered with a coat of clear lacquer. Eberhard Faber projected a 15% market share for the new product, thinking that the current trend toward naturalness would carry over into the penci
34、l market. But stationers avoided the new product, preferring to stick with a proven seller. Another strategic miscalculation involved the companys redoubled efforts in art supplies, a market that yields greater profit margins than the highly competitive office supplies market. Because Eberhard Faber
35、s design markers were already successful, the company acquired several art supply firms. At the same time, however, it began to put less emphasis in the commercial office supplies field that accounted for two-thirds of its total sales. In this market, which included sales to corporations under own-b
36、rand labels as well as the Eberhard Faber name, the firm found itself gaining a reputation for non-competitive pricing and sluggish new-product development, despite the consistently good quality and service it actually offered. Later in the 1980s new executives tried to revamp every aspect of the co
37、mpanys ineffective marketing operation. They also developed new products, such as five-sided erasers in stylish colours. Nearly every product package was updated. Such moves benefited the companys image, but despite its efforts Eberhard Faber was still struggling, and began seeking a buyer. Faber-Ca
38、stell, seeing an opportunity to increase market share and protect the Faber trade name, made the landmark acquisition of Eberhard Faber in 1987, reuniting the two firms. After further major changes, in 1996 a new Faber-Castell was once again established as a wholly-owned US company. The new Faber-Ca
39、stell USA concentrated on high end markets, and soon launched an exclusive collection of premium writing instruments and accessories, intended to bring back the handwriting culture that had been thrown aside by modern technology. According to Till Quante, the companys marketing manager for fine writ
40、ing instruments, when the calculator and later the personal computer were introduced, those in love with technology predicted the pencil companies would die, but, Just the opposite happened, says Quante. Faber-Castell is confident of a bright future. 15 The US company run by Eberhard Faber was set u
41、p in order to （ A） trade in pencils from a variety of sources. （ B） manufacture pencils using imported leads. （ C） compete with German pencil manufacturers. （ D） find customers for its parent companys products. 16 What are we told about Eberhard Fabers situation in the 1970s? （ A） Sales in one of it
42、s markets were not matching rises elsewhere. （ B） Its main product line was generating a declining share of its income. （ C） Attempts to diversify into new products were proving unsuccessful. （ D） It was losing market share to a number of competitors. 17 What problem did Eberhard Faber face when it
43、introduced cedar wood pencils? （ A） Customers demanded the reintroduction of yellow pencils. （ B） Stockists felt it was too risky to try to sell them. （ C） Consumers objected to the materials that were used. （ D） Marketing of the products proved too expensive. 18 According to the fourth paragraph, w
44、hat strategic mistake did Eberhard Faber make? （ A） It moved into a market with which it was unfamiliar. （ B） It allowed the quality of its products to fall. （ C） It neglected volume sales in favour of profit margins. （ D） It concentrated on selling products to be sold under own-brand labels. 19 Acc
45、ording to the fifth paragraph, in the 1980s Eberhard Faber was failing to （ A） achieve financial security. （ B） retain its senior managers. （ C） improve its public image. （ D） revise its product range. 20 According to the last paragraph, Faber-Castell USA is implementing a strategy of （ A） reviving
46、traditional forms of advertising. （ B） targeting a specific type of customer. （ C） using technology in product development. （ D） relaunching previously discontinued products. 四、 PART FOUR 20 Read the article below about pricing policies. Choose the correct word to fill each gap from A, B, C or D on
47、the opposite page. For each question (21-30), mark one letter (A, B, C or D) on your Answer Sheet. There is an example at the beginning (0). Pricing policiesWhenever a product or service is made (0)_for sale, one of the most important 【 C1】 _to be made is the one related to the price to be charged.
48、To have no coherent policy 【 C2】 _price - merely to think of a number - is to 【 C3】_trouble.The basic point as far as pricing is 【 C4】 _is to answer the question, 【 C5】 _what level should we pitch our prices? A relatively high price (in comparison to the competition) 【 C6】 _that the product has some
49、thing special about it not found in the other products. In other words, the customer is expected to pay a 【 C7】 _for the extra-special qualities to be found in the product. This also applies to services like any form of maintenance or repair work. Unfortunately, it is a well-established economic law that the higher the price, the lower the 【 C8】 _sold. Nonetheless, both ends of the market can be equally profitable.The question of discounts is important too. Some organisation
