1、BEC商务英语（高级）阅读模拟试卷 48及答案与解析 一、 PART ONE 0 A Its official: the heyday of the DVD is over. Walt Disney CEO Robert A. lger recently implied as much in an analysts call the only studio boss to suggest public that Hollywood can no longer count on a cash cow that has yielded billions in profits. DVD sales
2、slid 6.3% last year. While the economy is likely a factor, its also clear that audiences are bypassing DVDs because they have a range of other options, from watching movies and TV shows online to playing video games. As such, Hollywood executives face a conundrum familiar to many CEOs. They have to
3、prop up a product that is losing momentum, buying time while they rethink their entire business model. B Next-generation Blue-ray discs will give the DVD a lift, but studio bosses still are scrambling to shore up sales. lger may believe the DVDs best days are behind it, but he too is trying to goose
4、 disc sales. He has been pushing the studio to make more Disney-branded films. Not only are parents more likely to buy Disney DVDs than other movies, but Disney-branded films can be marketed through the companys theme parks, TV channels, and stores. “The Disney brand,“ lger says, “gives us an advant
5、age. “ C As DVD sales decline, studios are looking for ways to cut costs so they can make more money on each disc. A primary target: the so-called backend deals that give stars and directors a piece of a films revenues. Increasingly, executives are insisting that a film must break even before the st
6、udio will share proceeds. Sony Pictures Entertainment is forging such deals, “we can no longer afford to give away money when we cant be sure what the DVD sales are going to be“, says studio chief Michael Lynton. D Right now, most studios are taking baby steps. Rather than waiting weeks between the
7、release of the DVD and the online and cable versions of a movie, Warner Bros. and others are releasing a select few simultaneously. The aim is to entice teens and others who arent buying DVDs. There also are moves afoot to let TV viewers download movies after they have opened in theaters but before
8、they go on sale as DVDS. The idea, says Fox Filmed Entertainment CoChairman James Gianapulos, is to charge a premium some in the industry have said as much as $ 40 for an early viewing of a high-definition flick. E Paramount arguably has gone the furthest: Its premiering movies on the Web. Last year
9、 it streamed the comedy Jackass 2.5 on Blockbusters site for free. The 64-minute film attracted 15 million viewers. It generated word of mouth, says Paramount, helping the studio sell the movie through a variety of sites. “You can use the Internet to launch a film like you use a movie theater, “says
10、 the studios digital czar, Thomas Lesinski ,who plans to produce more low-budget flicks for the Web. 1 Studios have found new ways to make more profits without the sales of DVD. 2 Some CEOs are betting on the company brand to prop up DVD sales. 3 To change the awkward situation of DVDs, it is an eff
11、ective option for some companies to turn to the net for help. 4 Studio managers are struggling with DVD sales, even if there are some new editions. 5 The present situation of DVD sales is changing the means of profit distribution. 6 DVD sales are great influenced by some other available entertaining
12、 choices. 7 Taking advantages of website would probably promote DVD sales. 8 The great decrease of DVD sales has brought many CEOs a big headache and an alarming warn. 二、 PART TWO 8 Barriers to International Business Firms desiring to enter international business face several obstacles, some much mo
13、re severe than others. The most common barriers to international business are: cultural, social, and political barriers, and tariffs and trade restrictions. A nations culture and social forces can restrict international business activities. Culture consists of a countrys general ideas and values and
14、 tangible items such as food, clothing, and buildings. Social forces include family, education, religion, and customs. (9) Some countries also have different values about spending than do Americans. The Japanese have long been a nation that believes in paying cash for the products they buy, although
15、 the use of credit cards has soared in Japan over the last few years. The Japanese still save nearly 20 percent of individual income, compared to about 4 percent saved by people in the United States. (10) In some countries, purchasing items as basic as food and clothing can be influenced by religion
16、. And some societies simply do not value material possessions to the same degree that Americans do. Most firms know the importance of understanding the cultural and social differences between selling and buying countries. (11) For instance, a business deal in Japan can fall through if a foreign busi
17、nessman refuses a cup of green tea during a visit to a native Japanese firm. The political climate of a country can have a major impact on international business. Nations experiencing intense political unrest may change their attitude toward foreign firms at any time; this instability creates an unf
18、avourable atmosphere for international trade. Tariffs and trade restrictions are also barriers to international business. A nation can restrict trade through import tariffs, quotas and embargoes, and exchange controls. Import tariffs: a duty, or tax, levied against goods brought into a country is an
19、 import tariff. (12) The risk in importing tariff is that the other country could take the same action. Quotas and embargoes: a quota is a limit on the amount of a product that can leave or enter a country. Some quotas are established on a voluntary basis. (13) For instance, Japanese automobile manu
20、facturers have voluntarily reduced the number of cars shipped from the United States to five automakers here the time they need to modernise their factories. An embargo is a total ban on certain imports and exports. Many embargoes are politically caused. Exchange controls: restrictions on the amount
21、 of a certain currency that can be bought or sold are called exchange controls. (14) A Tariff can be used to discourage foreign competitors from entering a domestic market. B A government can use exchange controls to limit the amount of products that importers can purchase with a particular currency
22、. C The voluntary quota reduced the quantity of products for exportation. D Selling products from one country to another is sometimes difficult when the cultures of the two countries differ significantly. E Generally, a voluntary quota fosters goodwill and protects a country from foreign competition
23、. F However, managers still make costly mistakes when conducting business internationally simply because they do not understand such differences. G The most common barriers to international business are: cultural, social, and political barriers, and tariffs and trade restrictions. H Social forces wh
24、ich are universal in peoples daily life can create obstacles to international trade. 三、 PART THREE 14 SHOPPERS on Black Friday, the traditional start of the holiday shopping season in America, which falls on November 27th this year, are notoriously aggressive. Some even start queuing outside stores
25、before dawn to be the first to lay their hands on heavily discounted merchandise. Last year berserk bargain-hunters in the suburbs of New York City trampled a WalMart employee to death. Despite the frenzy at many stores, however, the recession appears to have accelerated the pace at which shoppers a
26、re abandoning bricks and mortar in favour of online retailers- e-tailers, in the jargon. So this year Black Friday (so named because it is supposed to put shops into profit for the year) also marks the start of many conventional retailers attempts to regain the initiative. E-commerce holds particula
27、r appeal in straitened times as it enables people to compare prices across retailers quickly and easily. Buyers can sometimes avoid local sales taxes online, and shipping is often free. No wonder, then, that online shopping continues to grow even as the offline sort shrinks. In 2008 retail sales gre
28、w by a feeble 1% in America and are expected to decline by more than 3% this year, according to the National Retail Federation, a trade body. In contrast, online sales grew by 13% in 2008 to over $141 billion and are predicted to grow by 11% in 2009, according to Forrester, a consultancy. Online-onl
29、y shopping sites such as Amazon and eBay, two e-commerce giants, have thrived in the downturn. Amazons sales rose to around $ 5.5 billion in the third quarter of the year. up by almost 30% from a year before. Listings, chiefly from commercial vendors, have surged so rapidly on eBay that its website
30、briefly crashed on November 21st. The range of items available online is also growing. Amazon has started selling groceries. Consumer-goods companies such as Procter in some cases, (26) the combination a “merger“ rather than an acquisition is done purely for political or marketing reasons. An acquis
31、ition, also known as a takeover or a buyout, is the buying of one company by another. An acquisition may be friendly or hostile. In the (27) case, the companies cooperate in negotiations; in the latter case, the takeover target is (28) to be bought or the targets board has no prior knowledge of the
32、offer. Acquisition usually refers to a purchase of a smaller firm by a larger one. Sometimes, (29) a smaller firm will acquire management control of a larger or longer established company and keep its name for the combined entity. The acquisition process is very complex, with many dimensions influen
33、cing its (30) . （ A） rapidly （ B） slowly （ C） confidently （ D） steadily （ A） formation （ B） alliance （ C） combination （ D） separation （ A） profitable （ B） voluntary （ C） accidental （ D） compulsory （ A） predict （ B） manage （ C） run （ D） share （ A） in （ B） on （ C） of （ D） at （ A） terming （ B） identify
34、ing （ C） ascertaining （ D） classifying （ A） earlier （ B） later （ C） former （ D） latter （ A） hesitant （ B） unwilling （ C） inclined （ D） forced （ A） instead （ B） however （ C） also （ D） still （ A） outcome （ B） course （ C） conclusion （ D） process 五、 PART FIVE 30 ToyLearn is an exciting start-up company
35、that has developed a line of educational tools for children (31) are fun and engaging. The company has been founded by the husband and wife team of David and Jen Funster and is registered (32) an Ohio S-Corp. ToyLearn will be profitable (33) the end of year one and will have a steep increase in sale
36、s for the first several years. The company is initially offering three different educational toys. The first is NumberToy, a fun toy that teaches children number skills. The (34) product is LetterToy which has the name hints, and helps children quickly conquer the (35) The third product is PhonicToy
37、, a device that resembles a mini PC and teaches phonic and math skills. While all the products are educational tools that develop core skills (36) the youngster users, they are fun to play with, thereby encouraging tots to use them often. New products are currently in development by the in-house dep
38、artment. The company has identified three keys to success that are instrumental in the sustainability of the business. Number one is the need to develop creative, educational, engaging toys. The second key is (37) adopt strict financial controls. The last key to success is the need to listen to cust
39、omers, effectively creating a feedback mechanism for product improvement. We have identified two customer segments that we will go (38) The first group is individual. These are parents or grandparents who are purchasing the product for their children. The segment is growing (39) 8% per year and curr
40、ently has 3,354,430 perspective customers. The second market segment that will be addressed is wholesale purchasers, typically organisations that are purchasing the products for their clients to use. These organisations are typically some sort (40) care centre or nursery/pre-school. The segment is g
41、rowing annually at 10% with 702,335 possible customers. 六、 PART SIX 40 Suzanne Smith, a regional sales manager at Cure-All, suggested I will write to you regarding a possible full-time staff position in your sales department. 41 I have heard a great deal about Cure-All over the few years and know it
42、 is a 42 well-respected and innovative leader in the pharmaceuticals industry. I would love the 43 opportunity to begin with my professional career at such an organisation. I am 44 graduating from the Saint Michaels College in May with a major in Economics. 45 Through my academic training, I have be
43、en acquired a firm understanding 46 of which business practices and the business applications of computers. 47 My previous employment has involved in extensive customer service and retail sales. 48 In addition, for the past two years when I have been employed at Dale Associates 49 in Burlington, Ver
44、mont, as a research assistant, a position that has made me most 50 familiar with a wide variety of resources and research tools. As a result 51 of these experiences, I have developed on the technical, organisational and 52 interpersonal skills being necessary to succeed in a major pharmaceutical com
45、pany. BEC商务英语（高级）阅读模拟试卷 48答案与解析 一、 PART ONE 1 【正确答案】 D 【试题解析】 与该段内容相匹配的选项句只有一个，即第 1句。该句意为 “各个电影公司正竞相采取新的举措，以期在 DVD销售之外谋取利润。 ”这与该段前三句内容相符，故为正确选项。 2 【正确答案】 B 【试题解析】 与该段内容相匹配的选项句有两个，即第 2句和第 4句。第 2句指出 “一些公司的 CEO正寄希望于依靠公司的品牌来增加 DVD的销售。 ”正是与该段第三句中的内容相符，故此句为正确选项。第 4句指出 “尽管已经出现了 DVD之外的其他升级的电影承载和传播形式，许多电影公司老
46、板仍然在绞尽脑汁寻求促销 DVD的有 效方法。 ”正是该段第一句和第三句所讲的内容，故此句为正确选项。 3 【正确答案】 E 【试题解析】 与该段内容相匹配的选项句有两个，即第 3句和第 7句。第 3句指出 “为改变 DVD销售所面临的尴尬局面，求助于网络对电影公司来讲不失为一个有效的方法。 ”这与该段的第二至四句表达的意思相符，故该句为正确选项。第 7句指出 “充分利用网络极有可能促进 DVD的销售。 ”这正与该段第三句所讲内容相符，故为正确选项。 4 【正确答案】 B 【试题解析】 与该段内容相匹配的选项句有两个，即第 2句和第 4句。第 2句 指出 “一些公司的 CEO正寄希望于依靠公司
47、的品牌来增加 DVD的销售。 ”正是与该段第三句中的内容相符，故此句为正确选项。第 4句指出 “尽管已经出现了 DVD之外的其他升级的电影承载和传播形式，许多电影公司老板仍然在绞尽脑汁寻求促销 DVD的有效方法。 ”正是该段第一句和第三句所讲的内容，故此句为正确选项。 5 【正确答案】 C 【试题解析】 与该段内容相匹配的选项句只有一个，即第 5句。该句意为 “目前DVD销售的颓势正在改变电影利润的分配方式。 ”这与该段的第二句所表达内容相符，故为正确选项。 6 【正确 答案】 A 【试题解析】 与该段内容相匹配的选项句有两个，即第 6句和第 8句。第 6句指出 “DVD的销售正面临被其他可选
48、的娱乐方式严重影响的局面。 ”正是该段第四句所述内容，故此句为正确选项。第 8句指出 “DVD销售大幅下滑令许多 CEO十分头疼并且唤起了他们的警觉。 ”正是该段最后一句所表达的内容，故此句为正确选项。 7 【正确答案】 E 【试题解析】 与该段内容相匹配的选项句有两个，即第 3句和第 7句。第 3句指出 “为改变 DVD销售所面临的尴尬局面，求助于网络对电影公司来讲不失为一个有效的方法。 ”这与 该段的第二至四句表达的意思相符，故该句为正确选项。第 7句指出 “充分利用网络极有可能促进 DVD的销售。 ”这正与该段第三句所讲内容相符，故为正确选项。 8 【正确答案】 A 【试题解析】 与该段
49、内容相匹配的选项句有两个，即第 6句和第 8句。第 6句指出 “DVD的销售正面临被其他可选的娱乐方式严重影响的局面。 ”正是该段第四句所述内容，故此句为正确选项。第 8句指出 “DVD销售大幅下滑令许多 CEO十分头疼并且唤起了他们的警觉。 ”正是该段最后一句所表达的内容，故此句为正确选项。 二、 PART TWO 9 【正确答案】 D 【试题解析】 前四段提到五种因素会成为国际贸易壁垒，而后文主要对这五种壁垒逐一进行了介绍。所缺句子的前三句话分别介绍了什么是文化和社会影响力。综合分析，可推断出所缺句子是关于文化与社会影响力对国与国之间的贸易产生的影响。而 D项意为：当两个国家的文化差异很大时，将产品从一个国家卖到另一个国家，有时候是困难的。这句话既承接前半段对于文化和社会影响力的介绍，又转入到国与国间的贸易上，且自然地引出下段的例子。故应选 D。 10 【正确答案】 H 【试题解析】 文中第二段提到一个国 家的文化和社会影响力能够限制国际贸易活动，且第二、三段阐述了文化对该方面的影响，即可推断第四段应是就社会影响力对贸易的影响所做的进一步阐述。同时，第四段提到 “在一些国家，人们购买诸如食品和衣物这样的基本生活消费品时要受到宗
