1、BEC商务英语（高级）阅读模拟试卷 20及答案与解析 一、 PART ONE 0 Look at the statements below and the article divided into five extracts about setting customer expectations on the opposite page. Which extract (A, B, C , D or E ) docs each statement 1-8 refer to? For each statement 1-8, mark one letter (A, B, C , D or E ) o
2、n your Answer Sheet. You will need to use some of these letters more than once. A Extract 1 You are not providing product or service to yourself, so even if you are convinced that you have your finger on the pulse of the buying public, you must remain objective in your view of how others see you. Ho
3、w do you do this? Simply ask your customers and prospects! Most of them will be happy to tell you how they feel about dealing with your business. However, if you cant find the time or wherewithal to ask customers directly, then enlist the assistance of a third patty to collect this information for y
4、ou. But once you have this information, turn it into knowledge by using it to improve your customer interactions! B Extract 2 If there are any difficult but necessary policies or procedures that your customers must navigate through in order to do business with you, dont sugarcoat it by pretending th
5、at its simple or nonexistent. Instead, take some time to come up with a well thought-out explanation of the issue, and provide clear, detailed, and easy to find directions for addressing the issue. Usability testing for any automated system is a must! C Extract 3 Not to be condescending, but many ti
6、mes we axe so familiar with our product or service that we unconsciously feel that everyone has the same understanding we do. Assume that explanations and definitions are necessary, and then provide customers the option of passing them by when they are not needed. Web sites am great for this, as ter
7、ms and phrases can be presented in hypertext, where a user can click on the text and a definition or example can pop up in a new window. Dont make your customers have to seek out understanding of your product or service. Many of them will not pother with the effort, and simply move on to a competito
8、r who provides a clearer presentation of what they do, and the benefits therein. D Extract 4 You and your competition are going after the same market. Obviously, some of that market is choosing a competitor instead of you. Why is that? What is it that the competitor is doing to present itself, its b
9、usiness, and its benefits, which appeals to certain segments of the market? Identify, understand, and utilize these things to your advantage. If there are aspects of your competitors business that can improve your offerings, then borrow them and make them your own. If you can do them better, by all
10、means, do them and let customers and prospects know. You are never the only game in town; your market knows that, and you need to know it, too. E Extract 5 Be specific when you promise something, and by all means, deliver on that promise. If something prohibits you from delivering on that promise, y
11、ou need to notify the customer as soon as possible, be upfront about why you cannot deliver, and inquire as to what you can do to make amends. Your businesss credibility is at stake, so do not take this lightly. Otherwise, the expectations that youve set for your customers will be one of disappointm
12、ents, which is a surefire way to kill your business. 1 Use simple language to describe your products. 2 In this way, customer expectations will be set more realistically. 3 You can make use of others strengths. 4 Your corporate image will be damaged if you fail to do it. 5 You have a couple of ways
13、to get it. 6 You must either keep your word or clarify the situation. 7 It is essential to make these things clear to the party involved. 8 You are supposed to be considerate so as to let your customers have a choice. 二、 PART TWO 8 Read the article below about ways to motivate employees. Choose the
14、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. Let Workers Work In these difficult economic times, lots of companies are cutting benefits to maintain profits. So when Fortune magazine
15、 recently published its list of the “100 best companies to work for,“ I couldnt help but notice that lots of these companies are maintaining or even improving benefits such as medical care, onsite child care, fitness facilities, and so forth. Moreover, it turns out that firms that have made the list
16、 in the past have on average also done well in the stock market. So they must be doing something right. Are those on the list compiled by Fortune simply examples of successful companies that can afford to be nice? Or is there some link between generous benefits and an organizations performance? Obvi
17、ously, there is a link. (9) For starters, it seems perfectly sensible that companies with generous benefits and employee-friendly policies attract a more motivated, higher-quality workforce. (10) . Consider health care and health insurance. (11) For example, Definity Health, a recent entrant in the
18、health-care-plan in business, supplies consumers with loads of information that it claims “empowers employees with greater control over health and wellness decisions,“ thus limiting costs to employers. The typical Definity Health plan, in fact, carries a high deductible to encourage patients to beco
19、me cost-conscious health-care shoppers. Whats wrong with greater employee involvement and cost-consciousness? (12) Having individual employees more actively manage their medical benefits and, for that matter, 401 (k) and even flexible spending accounts overlooks the advantages of specialization and
20、the division of labor. Do you really want your people to spend their time becoming medical or financial experts, all while theyre also engaged in a constant hunt to find quality child care? Wouldnt it be nice and maybe even efficient if someone with both knowledge and your employees best interests i
21、n mind relieved them of those burdens? (13) Health Advocate, a firm that hunched in January 2002, charges companies about $2 a month per employee to help their people deal with their health insurers. It has already signed up 122 firms. Companies that successfully capture the motivation and energy of
22、 their workers operate under a simple premise: (14) When their folks are at work, they want them to focus their energy on being productive. A In an effort to control rising medical costs, many companies are experimenting with insurance plans that make employees more “cost-conscious“ by having them t
23、ake an active role in their health care. B Clearly, some companies are beginning to realize that this is a problem. However, most CEOs and top executives dont have a clue how important that connection is. D Heres a novel thought: Most employees want the same thing. E Remove from employees as many ex
24、traneous burdens and worries as possible. F But there is another, more important issue here: Were working our employees to the bone with all sorts of tasks unrelated to their jobs. G Nothing, unless you think about the inevitable trade-offs in a workers time and attention. H Moreover, it turns out t
25、hat firms that have made the list in the past have on average also done well in the stock market. 三、 PART THREE 14 Read the following article about a companys program and the questions on the opposite page. For each question 15-20, mark one letter (A, B, C or D ) on your Answer Sheet for the answer
26、you choose. Caught in the spotlight of hostile scrutiny, global companies from the Gap to McDonalds to Wal-Mart have launched so-called social-compliance programs to fend off critics of their supply chain practices. These new programs frequently require company suppliers to meet basic labor-practice
27、 standards. That compliance is all excellent first step, but it requires strategic thinking, not just-in-time tactical responses. Starbucks has charted a course that suggests a new strategic template, one that other brand-driven multinationals might want to explore. When anti-globalization activists
28、 singled out Starbucks for having exploited third-world farmers, the company saw the attack as a direct threat to the brand and to its public commitments to social responsibility. But rather than assume a purely defensive posture, Starbucks launched a pilot program to fundamentally change its relati
29、onship with its suppliers. The company began to actively cultivate and reward environmentally and socially responsible suppliers a strategic gamble it calls sustainable sourcing. Not only could sustainable sourcing defend against Starbuckss critics, company executives reasoned, but it could build th
30、e brand and even drive the companys growth. This spring, Starbucks announced that it was making sustainable sourcing a cornerstone of its global strategy. With annual growth in the late 1990s at about 20%, Starbucks executives were confident the demand was them to sustain this rate of growth. But th
31、ey knew their supply chains future was less predictable and reliable. If the flow of specialty beans from around the globe fell short, both its growth plans and the quality of its coffee would be at risk. To protect its coffee supply, Starbucks realized it had to identify and nurture partners that c
32、ould meet its quality standards and keep pace with its increasing demand. Moreover, to protect its brand, the company had to be certain that these suppliers shared its commitment to corporate citizenship. In 2001, the company launched a pilot called the preferred supplier program to attract and rewa
33、rd farmers committed to socially and environmentally responsible farming. The company reasoned that the farms that took the best care of their employees and land would be the most sophisticated, responsive, and responsible suppliers just the sort to help Starbucks fulfill its aggressive growth plan.
34、 To become a preferred supplier, farmers must apply to the program. Reviewers evaluate applicants on 20 measures to determine how well they adhere to sustainable environmental practices (procedures that protect the scarce real estate on which high-quality coffee can grow ) and responsible social pra
35、ctices (methods, for example, that reduce the risk that deliveries will be compromised by labor unrest, corruption, or legal violations ). Suppliers accepted into the program are awarded points for meeting environmental, social, and economic criteria; the more points they earn, the more Starbucks pa
36、ys them for their coffee. Preferred providers will typically receive a 5% premium on each pound of beans they sell. They can also win long-term contracts to reduce market risk and receive credit to fund improvements that promote sustainability. With the recent expansion of the pilot program to all o
37、f its supply chain, Starbucks expects that in five years 60% of its coffee will come from preferred suppliers. Starbuckss idea is innovative and refreshingly proactive. But its clearly a gamble. Its uncertain whether sourcing this way will pay off, either by satisfying the companys critics or by ass
38、uring adequate supplies. While the jurys still out, brand-driven companies may want to try this experiment: Put your brand managers and supply chain people in a room together and have them jointly develop a sourcing strategy thats directly tied to growth. You might just hit on your next big idea. 15
39、 According to the writer, why have global companies made social-compliance programs? （ A） They are being criticized for what they have done. （ B） The programs are part of their long-term strategy. （ C） They want to be operating in accordance with relevant standards. （ D） Their supply chain practices
40、 have lagged behind modem development. 16 The writer says the main purpose of Starbucks sustainable sourcing is to （ A） encourage responsible suppliers. （ B） build a new-type relationship with its suppliers. （ C） enhance its brand. （ D） promote the companys growth. 17 Executives of Starbuck realized
41、 that annual growth （ A） would keep growing due to great demand. （ B） was hard to predict. （ C） would be the same as that of the previous year. （ D） depended on the supply of raw materials it needed. 18 Who can become Starbucks preferred suppliers? （ A） Farmers producing high-quality coffee. （ B） Fa
42、rmers in common with their policies. （ C） Environmental protectionists. （ D） Socially responsible farmers. 19 What benefit can preferred suppliers get from Starbuck? （ A） They neednt worry about their products. （ B） They will become more productive. （ C） They can earn more money. （ D） They can get s
43、ponsorship. 20 What is the writers view toward Starbucks idea? （ A） It is pioneering but risky. （ B） It will play an active part in the operations. （ C） It will cease negative views on the company. （ D） It is costly but worthwhile. 四、 PART FOUR 20 Read the article below about the employee turnover i
44、n a company employees three different kinds of ways of moving in their company. Choose the correct word or phrase to fill each gap from A, B, C, or D. For each question 21 30, mark one letter (A, B, C, or D) on your Answer Sheet. Promotions, Transfers, and Separations In the past, employees stayed w
45、ith a company for most or all of their working life. Todays employees, however, are more likely to change jobs several times as they search for better opportunities. In the United States, most organizations experience (21) , costly employee (22) as employees leave for one reason or another. Turnover
46、 occurs because of promotions, transfers, and separations. A promotion is an advancement, or (23) movement within an organization to a position with increased authority, responsibility, and salary. In some companies, (24) the length of time a person has been with the company is the key issue in dete
47、rmining who should be promoted. A transfer is a horizontal move from one job to another within a company. Transfers allow workers to obtain new skills or to find a new (25) within an organization when their old position has been (26) because of automation, decreased sales, or some other factors. A s
48、eparation is the departure of the employee from the organization. Separations occur because of resignation, layoff, and retirement. Resignation is giving up ones job (27) . A layoff is (28) of employment due to slow business conditions, the elimination of specific jobs, or the closing of work facili
49、ties. Retirement is separation because of age or after a specified number of years of service. A well-organized human resources department strives to (29) losses due to separations and transfers because recruiting and training new employees is very expensive. A high turnover (30) in an organization may signal problems with the selection or training process or with the compensation program. （ A） considerable （ B） considerate （ C） consolable （ D） comp
