1、BEC商务英语（高级）阅读模拟试卷 49及答案与解析 一、 PART ONE 0 A The CPI surged 8.7 percent in February year on year, the highest rise for this key inflation figure in over a decade. The February figure was 1.6 percentage points higher than that of January. Normally, a 3-percent growth of CPI is regarded as inflation. Th
2、e CPI growth rate cast a shadow over the Chinese economy and put the government in a tight spot. The government could continue to take monetary measures such as jnterest rate hikes， but it would be against the international trend of interest rate cuts since the global economy has been on the recessi
3、on track due to the U.S. subprime mortgage crisis. Further rate hikes would draw in speculative currency, which might lead to problems such as liquidity. B The consumer price index(CPI), the barometer for inflation, grew 7.7 percent in May year on year, 0.8 percentage points lower than that in April
4、, according to the National Bureau of Statistics(NBS). It came as no surprise for financial institutions that the CPI dropped in May month on month, as food price, a major trigger for this round of inflation, dropped considerably thanks to an abundant summer supply. There is no quick fix yet to cure
5、 inflation. But Song Guoqing, economics professor of Peking University, stated the most efficient and simple way to control inflation is to control money supply. He called on the central bank to strictly reinforce stringent monetary policy to resolve inflation pressure. C The consumer price index(CP
6、I), the barometer for inflation at the retail level, grew 6.3 percent in July year on year. The year-on-year growth rate slowed compared with the CPIs 7.1-percent growth rate in June. But month-on-month growth accelerated 0.1 percentage point from June to July. Inflation pressure also gained momentu
7、m after dropping in May and June. Food prices, which account for one third of the CPI basket and are considered as a major trigger of this round of inflation, rose 14.4 percent in July. D “Combating inflation“ ceased to be the governments priority as the consumer price index (CPI)growth rate continu
8、ed to drop. Instead, the government has switched the focus of the countrys macro-control policies to “maintain growth“ against the backdrop of the global economic downturn. In September, the CPI grew 4.6 percent year on year. but fell 0.3 percent. age points compared with that of August. The CPI gro
9、wth rate dropped for five consecutive months, demonstrating that government efforts to cap runaway inflation were paying off. Economists expect inflationary pressure to continue to ease in the fourth quarter. E The consumer price index(CPI), the barometer of inflation, was down 0.3 percent in Octobe
10、r compared with that of September. The National Bureau of Statistics(NBS)said the CPIs year-on-year growth in October was 4 percent, the lowest growth rate in 17 months. The government has made “reinina in infiation“ its top economic priority since the middle of last year, when citizens were hit wit
11、h soaring costs of living. Afterwards, six rounds of interest rate hikes and other measures to cool the economy paid off as economic growth slowed amid the global financial turmoil. 1 CPI growth rate in this month is the lowest in seventeen months. 2 CPI growth rate in this month puts the Chinese go
12、vernment in a dilemma. 3 By this month, CPI growth rate has dropped for five months. 4 CPI growth rate drops 0.8 percent on the basis of the previous month. 5 Monetary policies such as continuous interest rate increase have been put into practice. 6 Lots of countries in the world have cut interest r
13、ate because of the global economic recession. 7 Stringent monetary policy was suggested to carry out to respond to inflation pressure. 8 Chinese governments priority has been changed to respond to inflation pressure. 二、 PART TWO 8 The Four-Day Workweek Is Winning Fans In an era when most of us seem
14、to be working more hours than ever (provided were still lucky enough to have jobs), 17, 000 people in Utah have embarked on an unusual experiment. A year ago, the Beehive State became the first in the U. S. to mandate a four-day workweek for most state employees, closing offices on Fridays in an eff
15、ort to reduce energy costs. The move is different from a furlough in that salaries were not cut; nor was the total amount of time employees work. (9) But on that fifth (glorious) day, they dont have to commute, and their offices dont need to be heated, cooled or lit. After 12 months, Utahs experimen
16、t has been deemed so successful that a new acronym could catch on: TGIT (thank God its Thursday). (10) Altogether, the initiative will cut the states greenhouse-gas emissions by more than 12, 000 metric tons a year. (11) “Its beneficial for the environment and beneficial for workers,“ says Lori Wads
17、worth, a professor at Brigham Young University who helped survey state employees. “People loved it.“ Those who didnt tended to have young children and difficulty finding extended day care. (12) Private industry is interested as well General Motors has just instituted a workweek of four 10-hour days
18、at several of its plants. “There is a sense that this is ready to take off,“ says R. Michael Fischl, an associate dean at the University of Connecticuts law school, which is organizing a symposium on four-day weeks. The advantages of a so-called 4-10 schedule are clear: less commuting, lower utility
19、 bills. (13) By staying open for more hours most days of the week, Utahs government offices have become accessible to people who in the past had to miss work to get there in time. (14) Plus, fears that working 10-hour days would lead to burnout turned out to be unfounded Wadsworth says workers took
20、fewer sick days and reported exercising more on Fridays. “This can really make a difference for work-life balance,“ says Jeff Herring, Utahs executive director for human resources. Of course, in the age of the BlackBerry, fewer days in the office may not make much of a difference in terms of workloa
21、d. But as energy prices start rising again, it makes sense to be flexible and find savings where we can. A The disadvantage of 4-10 schedule is clear. B And perhaps not surprisingly, 82 % of state workers say they want to keep the new. C The state found that its compressed workweek resulted in a 13%
22、 reduction in energy use and estimated that employees saved as much as $ 6 million in gasoline costs. D And there have been unexpected benefits as well, even for people who arent state employees. E They pack in 40 hours by starting earlier and staying later four days a week. F Managers from around t
23、he world have gotten in touch with Utah officials, and cities and towns including El Paso, Texas, and Melbourne Beach, Fla., are following the states lead. G With the new 4-10 policy, lines at the department of motor vehicles actually got shorter. H A year ago, the Beehive State became the first in
24、the U. S. to mandate a four-day workweek for most state employees, closing offices on Fridays in an effort to reduce energy costs. 三、 PART THREE 14 Haier is well on the way towards achieving its goal of being a mainstream brand in the US. Haier has successfully penetrated the Top Ten chain groups in
25、 the US. Whenever Haier enters the global procurement system of big chain, this makes Haier one step closer to entering the mainstream US market. Haier has also won awards such as “best supplier“ and “exam-free supplier“ by several retailer chains. Haier has international service centers in more tha
26、n 50 states of the US and has opened a toll-free hotline. According to Zhang Ruimin, CEO Haier Group, Haier knew that its entry into the US would be very difficult at first, but would get easier as the company learned from its mistakes. The company adopted a “market first and then factory“ approach.
27、 Haier invested in a global brand strategy with the objective of letting products, capital and brands go global. From the single and niche products at the early days of entering the US market, to the current differentiated product family, with products such as the independent cocktail cabinet and Ha
28、ier 37T88, Haier mainstream products are now very competitive. Haier has obtained the praise and trust of its channel partners, and has successfully transformed itself from a niche to a mainstream brand provider. In the internationalisation process, Haier has been focusing on developing its corporat
29、e culture and ensuring culture compatibility. To ensure rapid localisation, Haier implemented an innovative mode of “financing, pooling-in-wisdom, compatibility with local culture and forging a noted local brand“ . All designing and marketing personnel are employed locally. In addition, 95% of Haier
30、s North American management team are locals. In April 2006, Haier became a strategic partner of NBA and the first global appliance brand to sponsor the NBA. Haier believes this partnership has accelerated its step towards becoming a mainstream brand in the US. NBA sponsorship is a key initiative for
31、 Haier as it attempts to implement its global brand strategy. Since becoming the global strategic partner of NBA, Haier has utilized NBAs market assets, media platform and programs in the US and China to display the innovative technology of Haiers refrigerator and TV products. Through its broad medi
32、a assets, including NBA TVs HD program, the eye-catching NBA matches and extensive NBA thematic retail and publicity activities, Haier can display its most advanced products. Under the guise of its consumer-oriented brand marketing strategy, Haier will continue to integrate its culture with local ma
33、instream culture. Haier has nine products which are “in the front half of the market“ and three products which are among top 3 in the industry in terms of market presence. In addition, the company is a world leader in advanced technological fields such as intelligent house integration, network appli
34、ance, digitalisation, large-scale integrated circuits and new materials. The “innovation-boosted“ Haier Group is devoted to providing solutions for global consumers. By late 2006, Haier has applied for over 7,000 patents(of which 1, 234 are invention patents). Haier also presided over or participate
35、d in the formulation and amendment of nearly 100 State standards. Of which, Haier water heater firewall technology and Haier double-driver washing machine are included in IEC international standard draft, testifying that Haiers innovation ability is world-class. In the future, Haiers approach will c
36、ooperate with channel partners and dealers that share the same strategy of customer-focus to forge a win-win situation. 15 What has Haier done on the way towards achieving its goal of being a mainstream brand in the US? （ A） Haier has successfully penetrated the Top-5 chain groups in the US. （ B） Ha
37、ier has entered the local procurement system of big chain. （ C） Haier has been given awards such as “best supplier“ and “exam-free supplier“ by several retailer chains. （ D） Haier has internationaI service centres in more than 10 countries. 16 Which of the following is true according to the second p
38、aragraph? （ A） Haiers entry into the US would be very difficult to expand its market. （ B） Haiers entry into the US would be very easy to promote its products. （ C） Haiers entry into the US would be very quick to achieve its goal. （ D） Haiers entry into the US would be getting easier after learning
39、from its mistakes. 17 In the internationa!isation process, Haier has been focusing on （ A） reducing costs （ B） developing its corporate culture and ensuring culture compatibility. （ C） increasing the variety of products. （ D） employing local workers. 18 Haier has accelerated its step towards becomin
40、g a mainstream brand in the US by （ A） becoming a strategic partner of NBA （ B） becoming the first local appliance brand to sponsor the NBA （ C） utilizing NBAs market assets. （ D） displaying the innovative technology of TV products. 19 Why does Haier adopt consumer-oriented brand marketing strategy?
41、 （ A） Because Haier wants to make more profits （ B） Because Haier wants to sell more TV sets through sponsoring the eye-catching NBA matches （ C） Because Haier attempts to implement its global brand strategy （ D） Because Haier attempts to integrate its culture with local mainstream culture 20 What a
42、pproach will Haier adopt in the future? （ A） to invest more funds to develop new markets （ B） to go hand in hand with channel partners and dealers （ C） to do research and make new products in the advanced technological fields （ D） to employ more local managers 四、 PART FOUR 20 Why should job-seekers
43、care about a potential employers corporate culture? Arent there more important factors to consider, (21) as the job itself, salary and bonuses, and fringe benefits? These factors are indeed important, (22) increasingly career experts are talking about the importance of employee-employer fit in (23)
44、of culture, with the idea that how well the employee “fits“ the culture can make the difference (24) job-search success and failure. What is corporate culture? At its most basic, its described as the (25) of an organisation, or simply as “how things are done around here.“ It guides how employees thi
45、nk, act, and feel. Corporate culture is a broad term used to define the unique personality or character of a particular company or organisation, and includes such elements as (26) values and beliefs, corporate ethics, and rules of behavior. Corporate culture can be expressed in the companys mission
46、statement and other communications, in the architectural style or (27) decor of offices, by what people wear to work, by how people address each other, and in the titles given to various employees. How does a companys culture (28) you? In many, many ways, for instance, the work environment, includin
47、g how employees interact, the degree of competition, and whether its a fun or hostile environment or something (29) between. How do you uncover the corporate culture of a potential employer? The truth is that you will never really know the corporate culture until you have worked at the company for a
48、 number of months, but you can get close to it through research and observation. Understanding culture is a two-step process, starting with research before the interview and (30) with observation at the interview. （ A） like （ B） be （ C） such （ D） of （ A） and （ B） but （ C） so （ D） however （ A） view （
49、 B） terms （ C） accordance （ D） case （ A） among （ B） of （ C） between （ D） in （ A） personality （ B） nature （ C） disposition （ D） atmosphere （ A） centre （ B） heart （ C） core （ D） middle （ A） inside （ B） interior （ C） external （ D） inward （ A） effect （ B） affection （ C） impact （ D） affect （ A） in （ B） as （ C） of （ D） within （ A） completing （ B） finish （ C） ending （ D） closing 五、 PART FIVE 30 Business Ethics Business ethics are a form of applied ethics that examine ethical principles and moral or ethical problems that
