1、BEC商务英语（高级）阅读模拟试卷 42及答案与解析 一、 PART ONE 0 Look at the statements below and at the five short summaries on the opposite page about business books on leadership management Which book summary(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 you
2、r Answer Sheet You will need to use some of these Ietters more than once PART ONE A The New Boss Taking over as thenew bossis never easy Expectations run high， you have a limited time to make a good impression and the competitive pressure is severe Peter Fischer identifiesseven building blocks of su
3、ccessful leadership transitionto help you find your way He devotes a chapter to each step， including lists of unexpected difficulties and easily-made mistakes， suggestions， questions and a summary The last part of this book contains case studies that focus on differentnew bosssituations Fischers une
4、mbeIlished， straightforward style makes his concepts easy to understand and implement B Discipline without Punishment For CEOs， human-resource staff members and anyone who influences the development of an organizations disciplinary system， this book is a must-read Managers， supervisors and smallbusi
5、ness owners also will benefit from Dick Grotes guidance on implementing a non-punitive approach to improved performance This book is highly appreciated for the thoughtfulness and detail of his suggested disciplinary system， as well as his advice on incorporating this system into your daily managemen
6、t practices C The Game-Changer This book is both intriguing and highly useful Procter Gamble CEO A G Lafley and business author Ram Charan draw examples from several large，successful organizations GE， Honey-well， and Dupont but their primary focus is Procter Gamble(PG) They explore how PG changed fr
7、om a staid giant to an organization driven by innovation and radically expanded its sales and profits along the way They are candid about PGs organizational methods and failed innovations， and they show how willing it has become to open up and connect D The Leader on the Couch When Manfred Kets de V
8、aries uses many real life stories to show how you can use psychology to understand the workplace， his points are clear and seem immediately applicable Admittedly， his discussion of the theories varies from instructive to somewhat obscure， and his classifications of personality and organizational typ
9、es may seem arbitrary， but when he explains the processes involved in change he is realistic and humare Readers who exert some conscious patience will find the authors core points about the role of the unconscious in the business world insightful and useful E The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership Pr
10、inciples are laws that apply across different cultures generations， and circumstances， John Maxwell， drawing lessons from his own experiences as well as those of other leadem， has discovered 21 principles for leadership In each chapter of the book， Maxwell describes each law as a tool that can help
11、people succeed in business， church， spots， and pemonal endeavors。 Anyone in any position， in any field， and in any culture， can learn and practice these laws to become a successful leader The learning is made richer by real life illustrations that show how the laws are practiced or violated 1 Real l
12、ife experiences of the author and some others contribute to the formation of the points illustrated in this book 2 After careful reading， readers may come to accept the authors viewpoints on the subject discussed in this book 3 This book mainly concerns the success story of a famous company 4 This b
13、ook appeals to human resources managers in that it offers them a positive way of managing people 5 In this book， the author proposes a new system and introduces some ways of applying it in practice 6 The author of this book illustrates that nowadays a new leader is often faced with great pressure 7
14、This book covers leadership in many different areas 8 Though the major points of this book are clear enough to be undetood and applied， certain parts of it can be better writen 二、 PART TWO 8 Read this text taken from an article about logistics and corporate profit performance. Choose the best senten
15、ce 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. In an uncertain economic environment, top management will be interested in asset management and flow management. H . They can represent over 50 percent of manufactures to
16、tal asset, and more than 80 percent of wholesalers and retailers total assets. When top management mandates a reduction in accounts receivable and/or inventories, its objective is to improve cash flow and reduce the companys investment in assets. (9) . But reduction in the terms of sale, or even enf
17、orcement of the stated terms of sale, in effect changes tile price component of the firms marketing mix. (10) . The arbitrary reduction of accounts receivable and/or inventories in the absence of technological change or changes in the logistics system can have a devastating impact on corporate profi
18、t performance. (11) . First, the change alters the manufacturers price and therefore the competitive position of its products, which may lead to decreased sales. Second, it further complicates the cash flow problems of the manufacturers customers. Forcing faster payment of invoices causes channel me
19、mbers to improve their cash flow by reducing their inventories of the manufacturers products. (12) . This situation may also result in stock-out of the manufacturers products as the wholesale or retail level of the channel, further reducing sales volume. Similarly, a manufacturers policy of arbitrar
20、ily reducing inventory level to increase inventory sums, in the absence of a system change, may escalate transportation costs and/or production setup costs as the logistics system scrambles to achieve the specified customer service levels with lower inventories (assuming the company was efficiently
21、and effectively distributing products prior to the policy change). (13) In this case, customer service levels would be eroded, and a decrease in market share might result. (14) . A However, if management concentrates on system changes that improve logistics efficiency and/or effectiveness, it may be
22、 able to satisfy all of the firms objectives. B Usually, management assumes that revenues and other costs will remain the same. C They do so by placing smaller, more frequent orders, which may increase total logistics cost for both the manufacturer and its customers. D In either set of circumstances
23、, the increased cost of transportation and/or production or the lost sales contribution could far exceed the savings in inventory carrying cost. E If a manufacturer changes its terms of sale, for example, the effect on wholesalers and retailers will be twofold. F In addition, simply reducing the lev
24、el of inventory can significantly increase the cost of logistics if current inventories have been set at a level that allows the firm to achieve least total cost logistics for a desired level of customer service. G Alternatively, pressure to reduce expenses may preclude the use of premium transporta
25、tion or increased production setups to achieve the desired customer service levels with smaller inventory. H The two most common strategies used to improve cash flow and return on assets are= (1)reducing accounts receivable and(2)reducing the investment in inventory, as inventories and accounts rece
26、ivable are a major portion of corporate assets. 三、 PART THREE 14 Read the following extract from an article about Over-Capacity in the Car Business. For each question 15 20, mark one letter (A, B, C, or D) on your Answer Sheet for the answer you choose. Since the days of Henry Fords dominance of the
27、 car market in the 1920s up to the present day, the car industry has continued to grow. Some companies, such as British Leyland, failed to survive the turbulent business world of the 1970s despite being government-owned. During the 1960s and 1970s, as growth in profit became more difficult to achiev
28、e due to increased competition, mainly from the Japanese, the industry turned to efficient production methods in order to create a competitive advantage. However, once all the major players in the industry had become as efficient as possible, developing a cost advantage was more difficult to achieve
29、. In addition, car companies from Asia, such as Daewoo, Samsung and Kia, have developed cheaper, more affordable alternatives for the discerning western buyers. Such car companies are part-funded by their respective governments but enjoy considerably lower labor costs. Increasing productive capacity
30、 has led to car companies aiming to use economies of scale as the main way of reducing cost, although this has unfortunately led to businesses having surplus capacity. This spare capacity occurs when the industry as a whole expands ahead of, or in anticipation of, a growth in customer demand. Such g
31、rowth in capacity has meant that supply outstrips demand by some 30%, i.e., car companies could cut back on their capacity levels by 30%, and still meet all customer demands. The result has been a series of joint agreements and mergers between car companies, with a view to either using capacity, or
32、losing capacity altogether by selling off parts of a business. The other problem is the high cost of developing new vehicles: the standard response to the high cost is to either rejuvenate or re-launch old vehicles with new technology. But there are enough companies developing new models that any bu
33、siness, which does not, stands to lose out. The main fear in the car industry is over-capacityexperts predict that by 2001, the industry may produce 23 million cars more than it can sell! In 1998 there was a spate of company mergers e.g. In January 1999, Ford paid 4 billion for Volvos car division;
34、Volvo claimed that it needed economies of scale, allowing it to focus on buses, engines and aerospace and to acquire shares in two major truck-making businesses. Ford intended to distribute Volvos with its own cars and hoped to use Volvos reputation for technological excellence to develop new cars,
35、using common research platforms to save money. Renault, on the other hand, announced a joint agreement with Nissan, the debt-ridden Japanese company, to purchase a 37% stake. For Renault, the problem was not over-capacity, but rather the lack of product range. Renault was 44% owned by the French gov
36、ernment, which obviously wanted to protect one of its major companies and wealth creators. However, Renault had concentrated its major marketing effort on domestic demand in France; as the domestic market fell, profit tumbled. The expiry in 1999 of the “gentlemens agreement“ which limited car sales
37、from Japan was probably the main reason for teaming up with Nissan. Nissan, however, had borrowed approximately 15 billion in order to expand its productive capacity and had lost money in six of the last seven years. One estimate put 1998s losses at nearly 1 billion. The cost savings for both compan
38、ies are not likely to occur until 2002, resulting mainly from purchasing economies of scale. Renault seems to have got caught between the large manufacturers who achieve economies of scale and the smaller specialist manufacturers. 15 During the 1960s and 1970s, in order to create a competitive advan
39、tage, the car industry turned to （ A） economies of scale. （ B） efficient production methods. （ C） surplus capacity. （ D） joint agreement and mergers. 16 Once all the major companies in the car industry had become as efficient as possible, （ A） they turned to use economies of scales as the main way o
40、f reducing cost. （ B） there came increased productive capacity. （ C） there was no way to reduce cost. （ D） the main fear in the car industry became over-capacity. 17 What was the result of businesses having surplus capacity? （ A） Many companies aimed to developing new vehicles. （ B） Some companies r
41、e-launched old vehicles with new technology. （ C） Some companies lose capacity by selling off parts of a business. （ D） There came a series of joint agreements and mergers between car companies. 18 Why did Volvo sell its car division according to Volvo companys claim? （ A） Because it had not the com
42、mon research platform to save money. （ B） Because it suffered a lot from surplus capacity. （ C） Because it needed economies of scale. （ D） Because it wanted to use its reputation to develop new vehicles. 19 What was the problem for Renault? （ A） It had the problem of over-capacity. （ B） It had the p
43、roblem of the lack of product range. （ C） It was debt-ridden. （ D） As domestic market fell, profit tumbled. 20 What is the main reason for Renaults joint agreement with Nissan? （ A） The expiry of the “gentlemens agreement“. （ B） Because Renault wanted to help Nissan out of the hard situation. （ C） B
44、ecause Nissan had very good reputation for technological excellence. （ D） Because Renault was 44% owned by the French government. 四、 PART FOUR 20 Read the article below about job market. Choose the correct word or phrase to fill each gap from A, B, C, or D. For each question 21 30, mark one letter (
45、A, B, C, or D) on your Answer Sheet. In just eight years, by 2010, there will be 58 million jobs in the United States, D the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The bureau (21) between now and 2010 some 22 million new jobs will be created. And 36 million more (22) will result from retirements and others who
46、 drop out of the workforce. Nearly all that job (23) , incidentally, will come in the service sector. Manufacturing jobs will grow at only (24) of a percent annually. Thats not because those jobs are going overseas, by the way. Blame the slow growth in manufacturing (25) the fast growth in manufactu
47、ring productivity. Ed Potter, president of the Employment Policy Foundations in Washington, said the foundations analysis of job growth and wharfs (26) happening in education show there could be as (27) as 3.5 million professionals at the end of this decade. Despite the current recession and layoffs
48、, a (28) of employers by the National Association of Manufacturers found 80 percent of companies say a severe shortage of qualified job (29) already exists. And 60 percent of those companies said the lack of skilled workers is (30) their ability to produce. （ A） persists （ B） predicts （ C） distingui
49、shes （ D） extinguishes （ A） openings （ B） people （ C） employees （ D） occupations （ A） seekers （ B） growth （ C） application （ D） application （ A） three-tenths （ B） third-ten （ C） third-tenths （ D） above （ A） for （ B） with （ C） on （ D） above （ A） reliably （ B） currently （ C） fortunately （ D） definitely （ A） many （ B） strong （ C） confident （ D） short （ A） survey （ B） lot （ C） show （ D） group （ A） increase （ B） candidates （ C） decline （ D）
