1、BEC商务英语（高级）阅读模拟试卷 3及答案与解析 一、 PART ONE 0 How to approach Reading Test Part One In this part of the Reading Test you match eight statements with five short texts. First read each short text and then read the sentences to see which ones refer to the text. Make sure you read each text for overall meanin
2、g, Do not choose an answer just because you can see the same words in the text. Look at the sentences below and at the five sections from an article about benchmarking on the opposite page. Which section of the article does each sentence refer to? For each sentence 18, mark one letter (A, B, C, D or
3、 E) on your Answer Sheet. You will need to use some of these letters more than once. A Benchmarking involves establishing minimum standards of performance and quality, based on identifying the best method and practice followed in other organisations. These standards can then be used as yardsticks to
4、 measure the organisations current costs, production, management and customer focus, and identify areas where they fall short of norms. According to its supporters, benchmarking raises awareness of innovations and best practice, thus helping all companies taking part in benchmarking exercises to inc
5、rease their competitiveness: by imitating best practice they may be able to reduce their costs or improve their customer service. B There are a number of approaches to benchmarking. Typically, exercises are carried out by companies working within the same field or sector, as in the International Mot
6、or Vehicle Programme. Between 1985 and 1990 this brought together car manufacturers from Europe, the USA and Japan with the aim of introducing the western companies to Japanese production methods. As benchmarking by competitors can be very sensitive, in some cases data is mediated through a neutral
7、body, such as a business school, to protect confidentiality and make sure that no trade secrets are revealed. C There are also instances of companies in widely different industries comparing their management practices, to see how others have dealt with difficulties in internal communications, supply
8、 chain management, and other areas where practice is transferable from company to company without affecting competition between rivals, in other words, topics where confidentiality is not at issue. To a certain degree this practice has been aided by the development of internet websites dedicated to
9、the sharing of information, sites which, being in the public domain, are universally accessible. Of course, this means that only certain types of data are provided. D Unlike benchmarking exercises with competitors, which run the risk that participants may want to take what they can and give away as
10、little as possible, benchmarking between the divisions or business units of a single company is far less likely to lead to the withholding of information. As a by-product, co-operation among different sections of the company may well be enhanced, both through increased understanding of how others op
11、erate, and by simply being able to put a face to a name, and know who to talk to about a particular work-related problem. E learning from the successes and failures of others can of course be very valuable. On the other hand, critics claim that by concentrating on existing best practice, companies s
12、imply seek to emulate other businesses. Content to achieve the best of what is being done at the moment, they do not attempt to move beyond it to reach the best possible. However this ignores the creative aspect of the process: learning about other organisations operations may well spark off fresh i
13、deas, as in a brainstorming session, and lead into the realm of true innovation. 1 Ideas that emerge from a benchmarking exercise may be better than any current practice. 2 In some cases companies receive information without knowing which organisation produced it, 3 Certain methods of benchmarking g
14、enerally do not impose restrictions on the kinds of knowledge that can be shared openly. 4 One goal of benchmarking is to solve problems common to companies in a variety of fields. 5 Benchmarking exercises can enable all participants to make improvements in their operations. 6 Benchmarking exercises
15、 may lead to an improvement in contacts with other people. 7 It may be a weakness of benchmarking that organisations imitate others, 8 Some forms of benchmarking do not restrict the availability of data to those organisations taking part. 二、 PART TWO 8 How to approach Reading Test Part Two In this p
16、art of the Reading Test you read a text with gaps in it, and choose the best sentence to fill each gap from a set of eight sentences. First read the text for overall meaning, then go back and look for the best sentence for each gap. Make sure the sentence fits both the meaning and the grammar of the
17、 text around the gap. Read the article on the opposite page about management buyouts of companies. Choose the best sentence from below 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. Management buy-outs Involving staf
18、f in management buy-out (MBO) negotiations can help smooth the path for the future Employees are becoming increasingly familiar with the fluctuations and instability that their working environments can present. Its not just mergers and acquisitions that can upset the situation. Internal MBOs can als
19、o be particularly unsettling for employees In some cases, the MBO takes place to save an ailing company. In others, it is the result of senior management and board disagreements, or is to prevent a hostile takeover bid. (9) This insecurity can be very damaging. One of the most important factors, oft
20、en not considered during the process of an MBO, is the reaction of the workforce, yet it is those employees who more often than not can make or break the future success of any new management team. (10) By maintaining channels of communication across the floor, new management teams could find the ran
21、k and file a useful ally in the bid to take over. Showing those employees that a buy-out could be to their advantage, creating new opportunities for promotion or career development, will in the long-term be advantageous to the entire company. The challenge for new management teams should be to reins
22、pire employees. (11) If the new team doesnt engage old employees in future plans or consider the contribution they can make, the idea that the MBO was meant to save everyone is lost. In this situation, long-term employees begin to see the new management team and shareholders as the only beneficiarie
23、s in the buy-out and feel in the end that the only people saved are those at the top of the corporate ladder. (12) This will mean that the rescue will fail before it has really started. It is depressingly common for new MBO teams not to learn from the past. (13) If the new team can find innovative w
24、ays to involve staff actively in various aspects of the buy-out process, the benefits are manifold, (14) A package with such components can gain their support and be invaluable in building success for the venture, and is one that enlightened MBO teams tend to adopt. A Including them in any buy-out d
25、iscussions can improve the new companys future prospects. B In such circumstances it is easy for the new board to make the same mistakes as the old. C Possibilities for realising these include decision-making, setting goals, and offering the chance of a future stake in the new company. D Whatever it
26、s origins, those lower down the corporate ranks can often be left out of the equation, wondering what is to become of them. E Nobody benefits if the company fails to meet its objectives. F Yet the new start represents a golden opportunity. G This requirement is particularly relevant when a company h
27、as failed or when staff have lost faith in the previous management. H Internal MBOs can also be particularly unsettling for employees. 三、 PART THREE 14 How to approach Reading Test Part Three In this part of the Reading Test you read a longer text and answer six questions. First read the questions.
28、Try to get an idea of what the text will be about Then read the text for general understanding. Then read the text and questions more carefully, choosing the best answer to each question. Do not choose an answer just because you can see the same words in the text. Read the article on the opposite pa
29、ge about a food groups event for its managers and the following questions, Each question has four suggested answers or ways of finishing the sentence (A - D). Mark one letter (A, B, C or D) on your Answer Sheet for the answer you choose. Chadwicks, the struggling high street food retailer, has been
30、having a horrible time. Not only did its recent takeover of cash-and-carry chain DeeDee create more problems than it solved, but its risky move into organic-only, own-label frozen vegetables nudged prices up and alienated traditional customers. Sales fell sharply, with dire effects on suppliers who
31、had geared up to meet Chadwicks much larger orders not to mention the groups profits. As a result investors lost their initial confidence in the plan and the share price tumbled. The architect of this policy, the former Chief Executive, abruptly departed last January, and Carl Hammond was brought in
32、 to pick up the pieces. Mr Hammond sees the corporate culture as a major barrier to a revival in the groups fortunes, and is making strenuous efforts to change it. Todays event is one part of the process: the delegates - over a thousand of them - are all managers, whose attitude to company policy is
33、 crucial to its implementation. By setting out his recovery strategy face to face, he hopes to get the managers on board, and equip them to carry the right messages back to the groups 20,000 employees. He believes this is essential if the group is to turn around its declining sales. The format he ha
34、s chosen is one that Mr Hammond has no experience of. Normally I use traditional conference-style presentations with speeches, or television studio arrangements with well-known TV journalists to tease out the issues, he says. These are quite easy to organise but they are net participatory. Todays ev
35、ent is much less predictable, but ironically its been a nightmare to choreograph everything in such a way as to encourage spontaneity. First, delegates are sent to booths around the hall to learn from senior managers about the effects of the takeover on each part of the business, and why some functi
36、ons, such as finance and logistics, are being integrated at group level. The senior managers then fire questions at the delegates to reinforce the learning process. Done at breakneck speed, it keeps everyone on their toes, and theres a definite buzz in the hall. Several other activities follow, and
37、after lunch comes the main event, a 2g-minute session in which Mr Hammond answers questions from delegates, covering pay scales, investors attitudes, to the recovery strategy, possible job losses, and so on. The reaction of one store manager, Carol Brinkley, sums it up: It was quite demanding, with
38、lots of people eager to ask questions, so he didnt always go into as much depth as perhaps he should have done. But at least everything that I was hoping to find out was touched on, and he came across as being quite approachable and willing to accept criticism. Mr Hammond believes the event was effe
39、ctive in getting important messages across to a large number of people, and in raising their morale, which had been appallingly low. The questions that he was asked confirmed his belief that many managers were unhappy with what had been going on in the group and were optimistic about the new strateg
40、y - though few of the suggestions which they made took the broader picture into account. He admits that the novel format pushed him outside his comfort zone. Im a control freak, like most chief executives, he says. But now I realise that the group depends on the managers to keep it going: my role is
41、 to provide them with the tools. For a control freak it is a remarkably hands-off message. 15 Why were there troubles with the policy mentioned in the first paragraph? （ A） Profit margins were set at too low a level. （ B） There were difficulties with getting enough supplies. （ C） Investors doubted w
42、hether it would lead to long-term success. （ D） The group misjudged the attitude of its customers. 16 The main purpose of the event which is described in the second paragraph is to （ A） devise methods for achieving an improvement in sales. （ B） gain the managers commitment to company plans. （ C） ask
43、 for feedback from managers on company policy. （ D） give managers a chance to learn from each other 17 For Mr Hammond, what is unusual about this event? （ A） the amount of active involvement by delegates （ B） the participation of television presenters （ C） the large number of speeches being made （ D
44、） the small amount of planning which is required 18 The purpose of the first part of the event is to （ A） explain how the group intends to expand. （ B） outline changes in the organisation of the group. （ C） show the relevance of certain functions to the managers. （ D） allow managers to find out how
45、their responsibilities will change. 19 What does Carol Brinkley say about the question and answer session? （ A） She felt that Mr Hammond performed well in difficult circumstances. （ B） She learnt more than she expected about the companys goals. （ C） She would have liked to hear more on some subjects
46、. （ D） She changed her attitude towards Mr Hammond. 20 What did Mr Hammond learn from the event? （ A） He needs to change his normal management style. （ B） Morale in the group was lower than he had realised. （ C） There was more opposition to his plans than he expected, （ D） The managers can contribut
47、e many effective new ideas. 四、 PART FOUR 20 Read the article below about the impact of technology on the environment. Choose the best word to fill each gap from A, B, C or D on the opposite page. For each question 21-30, mark one letter (A, B, C or D) on your Answer Sheet. Business and the environme
48、nt These days in business, people have to face many challenging questions when designing , and implementing new projects in undeveloped areas of the countryside. One issue which has to be faced is whether it is possible to introduce new technology without destroying the local environment. Economic (
49、21) and environmental conservation are often seen as natural enemies. It is unfortunate that in the past this has often been true, and it has been necessary to choose between (22) the project or protecting the environment. However, by taking environmental considerations (23) at an early stage in a project, companies can significantly reduce any impact on local plants and animals. For example, in southern Africa, a company called CEL was asked to put up 410 km of a power transmission line without disturbing
