1、BEC商务英语（高级）阅读模拟试卷 6及答案与解析 一、 PART ONE 0 Look at the statements below and the views on the opposite page expressed by five different people about their careers in retailing. Which view (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 letters more than once. ACAREERIN RETAILING Keeping the customer satisfied is central to the retail business. But how much job satisfaction can workers in the retail trade expect? Five people who work in retailing talk about their careers. A Steve C
3、ain is deputy director of trading for a large supermarket. He says, “When I moved into the retail sector I found it offered more tangible achievements and rewards than my previous business consultancy work. The power base has changed in the industry, and its the retailers who are now driving things
4、forward. Before, buyers waited for the product to come in and negotiated the price with the manufacturers, but now in food retailing, its the retailers themselves who are developing their own brands and fixing prices, so that makes it an exciting field to work in.“ B Virginia Clement is support and
5、development manager for a large clothing department store. “This means I am responsible for all the buying and merchandising. This demands teamwork, and for me this is one of the most attractive aspects of working at head office. You have a lot of contact with people, from shop floor staff to suppli
6、ers. We work in a very open environment and were very team orientated. Each team is responsible for getting a particular product to the store on time and in the right quantities.“ C Tim Edlund, who works in buying for a large clothing store, says, “The buyer has to have some flair for design, but ba
7、lancing that, you need a strategic view and business acumen. There are numerous factors influencing a buyers choice of product range for each season. I have to be aware of current trends in the suppliers market, competitors activity and both local and global customer demand. I go all over Britain to
8、 keep abreast of this information. Working hours are very irregular, so its the complete opposite to a 9 to 5 job. It can be extremely exhausting, but I love it.“ D Diane Maxwell is buying controller for womens wear for a home shopping catalogue company. She says that, despite the hard work, her job
9、 remains varied and satisfying. “Ive gained a huge range of skills with the company in all kinds of fields, both through formal courses and by means of on-the-job training. The scope of the buying role is extremely broad. Its not just about the product. The focus of the job is on producing a profita
10、ble range and that requires extensive business knowledge.“ E Jan Shaw is personnel director of a supermarket. She says, “What we really want to do in our company is take on people with a real interest in trade rather than managers who only want to complete a job as fast as possible. Our new graduate
11、 recruitment programme aims to do exactly that. The induction programme introduces all aspects of working for our company, giving early responsibility and first-hand experience of the companys working culture. Career development within the company is based on general management skills rather than pe
12、cialisation, so whatever department they are in, employees will focus on similar aims.“ 1 The way this market operates has been transformed. 2 New employees are given an overview of how the company works. 3 Ive increased my business expertise since joining the company. 4 I enjoy working in retail mo
13、re than in my former job. 5 Working closely with other people is an important feature of this job. 6 Company training is organised so that all staff share common goals. 7 I need to keep up to date with developments in my field. 8 My business would like to employ only people genuinely committed to a
14、career in retailing. 二、 PART TWO 8 Read this text taken from an article about using wind to generate power. Choose the 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 mark any letter more than once. Using wind to ge
15、nerate energy Using the wind to generate energy is often considered unfeasible. In Great Britain, however, wind power is no longer a subject for cranks and dreamers. (0)H The wind now generates enough electricity to supply 250,000 people. Power companies are investing heavily in the business and win
16、dmills are becoming a common sight. (9) Even though wind power is clean and does not produce any greenhouse gases, pressure groups are determined to prevent its spread. The National Wind Power Company wants to develop a huge wind farm on the top of Flaight Hill, an extremely beautiful area of Northe
17、rn England. If they are given the go-ahead, the company will erect 44 rotors there. (10) They complain that the 60 metre turbines will spoil one of Britains last remaining areas of natural beauty. They say that this is totally unacceptable. (11) They say that because the turbines are usually seen fr
18、om some way away, their size would not be noticed because of the scale of the countryside. The idea that wind farms ruin rural areas is not accepted by the British Wind Energy Association. The only problem is that people havent got used to them yet. (12) They also claim that using the wind is an ess
19、ential element in attempts to reduce pollution. And this is not all. (13) To support this, they point to statistics which show that 51 per cent of the power generated by wind turbines can be extracted, compared with about 30 per cent of that generated by coal-fired power stations. The government is
20、keen to boost the amount of electricity generated by renewable energy sources. In 1994, renewables, including the wind, produced just 2 per cent of Britains electricity, compared with almost half from coal-powered stations. In future, the government would like to see at least 10 per cent of the nati
21、ons power coming from the wind. (14) This, however, would cover up to 1,250 square miles of countryside. One answer is to locate some of them at sea. It is estimated that as much as 20 per cent of Britains energy needs could be supplied by, offshore wind turbines by the year 2025. A. Local residents
22、 are determined to fight this plan. B. They also dismiss claims that wind technology is inefficient. C. However, this development has not been universally welcomed. D. To achieve this, some 40,000 300-kilowatt turbines would be needed. E. In a press release they state that the countryside is always
23、changing and they deny that wind machines look ugly. F. Recent research, however, has indicated some new problems. G. Such allegations are dismissed out of hand by the company. H. It is now regarded as an important and economically viable source of energy. 三、 PART THREE 14 Read the following article
24、 about a successful British businessman 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 you choose. Every year British universities turn out 15,000 graduates in business studies. Many dream that they will one day be
25、 running a major business, wielding power and influencing markets. But only a very few will climb to the top and realise their fantasies. For the rest, compromise, disappointment, mediocrity and an alternative career away from the mainstream action will be their lot. Peter Blackburn is chairman and
26、chief executive of Nestle UK, which employs more than 12,000 people and has a turnover of 1.8 billion. His advice to those who wish to move ahead of the pack is as straightforward as the man. “Take all your qualifications seriously. Although many top executives do not have first-class honours and it
27、 is often a disadvantage to be an intellectual, qualifications are increasingly important, as is the quest for improvement.“ “I do feel that an international dimension helps every career. It says something about the person and if they have worked in another language, it gives a manager the important
28、 dimension of realising that each market is part of something bigger. Also it is always important in any career to keep your options open as events can take an unexpected turn. When they did for me, I acted accordingly. I still have to pinch myself to remind myself what I am doing. Even 10 years ago
29、 I didnt think this is what I would end up having achieved.“ “In the end, those that get right to the top retain their people touch, which can be very difficult as one gets swept up on the fast track of corporate life. But those who never forget where they have come from and keep their feet on the g
30、round have a real advantage. The important thing is that you should never ask someone else to do something you couldnt do yourself. I am always looking for those who have the determination, the steel to see through our corporate objectives. I also want managers who can be role models for the next ge
31、neration, people who will be an inspiration.“ Blackburn started out working for a small confectionery company and was responsible for clearing up a major financial scandal when it was taken over by a larger company, Rowntrees. This was a project which marked him out and gave him visibility in Rowntr
32、ees. While many successful careers can easily be seen as an almost predictable procession, there are always one or two moments when success in a project promotes the executive, bringing star quality and something of an aura. However, if at the decisive moment a mistake is made, then the executive, i
33、nstead of moving sharply forward, disappears into the pack and others are given their chance. When Rowntrees was later taken over by Nestle, Peter Blackburn went on television and argued against the takeover. When the dust settled, the winners rewarded their spirited adversary. “l have always believ
34、ed in doing the best that I can in any situation. Sometimes you have to make difficult decisions and then its important to meet them square on. I have been fortunate in that the evolving company that I am now involved with has always believed in strong social values and has behaved as humanely as po
35、ssible when it has been forced to close or to sell one of its businesses.“ Peter Blackburns career has been marked by two company takeovers. Many successful takeovers have been characterised by the new owners looking at the second layers of management and giving them a free rein. Mr Blackburn has. b
36、enefited from this process twice and says: “In both the takeovers I have been involved with, success has been achieved because the new owners have not gone in for ,wholesale clearouts. They have realised that it is the existing people who understand the business and they must be the platform for any
37、 growth.“ 15 Peter Blackburn says that to compete successfully in the job market, people should （ A） be realistic about their abilities. （ B） make sure they choose the right post. （ C） improve their relations with other executives. （ D） have a good educational background. 16 In the second paragraph,
38、 Blackburn says his present day achievements are due to （ A） being able to adapt to changing circumstances. （ B） deciding to learn other languages. （ C） having worked for an international company. （ D） staying in the same job for several years. 17 Blackburn says that its important for a manager to （
39、 A） lead their staff by example. （ B） put ambition above everything else. （ C） demand high standards from their workforce. （ D） move as quickly as possible up the corporate ladder. 18 The writer uses the example of Blackburns involvement in the Rowntrees Project to show （ A） how problems within a co
40、mpany can be highlighted. （ B） how competitive executives are within a company. （ C） how easily mistakes can be made by executives. （ D） how the managements attention can be drawn to someone. 19 What is Blackburns attutide towards the company he now works for7 （ A） He has some regrets about its publ
41、ic image. （ B） He approves of the way it treats its employees. （ C） He dislikes the demands it makes on him. （ D） He admires the way it explains its decisions. 20 Blackburn attributes the success of the company that have involved him to （ A） the role he played in each of them. （ B） the abilities of
42、the new managers. （ C） the decision not to make radical personnel changes. （ D） the financial support provided by the owners. 四、 PART FOUR 20 Read the article below about a method of learning languages aimed at business people. Choose the best word to fill each gap from A, B, C or D on the opposite
43、page. For each question 21-30, mark one letter (A, B, C or D) on your Answer Sheet. Language learning for the busy executive If youve ever been told by your boss to improve your knowledge of a foreign language youll know that success doesnt come quickly. It generally takes years to learn another lan
44、guage well and constant (21) to maintain the high standards required for frequent business use. Whether you study in a class, with audiocassettes, computers or on your (22) sooner or (23) every language course finishes and you must decide what to do next if you need a foreign language for your caree
45、r. Business Audio Magazines is a new product designed to help you continue language study in a way that fits easily into your busy schedule. Each audiocassette (24) of an hour-long programme packed with business news, features and interviews in the language of your choice. These cassettes wont teach
46、 you how to order meals or ask for directions. It is (25) that you can do that already. Instead, by giving you an opportunity to hear the language as its really spoken, they help you to (26) your vocabulary and improve your ability to use real language relating to, for example, that all-important ma
47、rketing trip. The great advantage of using audio magazines is that they (27) you to perfect your language skills in ways that suit your lifestyle. For example, you can select a topic and listen in your car or hotel when away on business. No other business course is as (28) and the unique radio-magaz
48、ine format is as instructive as it is entertaining. In addition to the audiocassette, this package includes a transcript with a business glossary and a study (29) The components are structured so that intermediate and advanced students may use them separately or together (30) on their ability. （ A）
49、exercise （ B） performance （ C） practice （ D） operation （ A） self （ B） individual （ C） personal （ D） own （ A） after （ B） then （ C） later （ D） quicker （ A） consists （ B） includes （ C） contains （ D） involves （ A） insisted （ B） acquired （ C） asserted （ D） assumed （ A） prolong （ B） extend （ C） spread （ D） lift （ A） allow （ B） let （ C） support （ D） offer （ A） adjustable （ B） flexible （ C） convertible （ D） variable （ A） addition （ B） supplement （ C） extra （ D） manuscript （ A） according （ B） depending （ C） relating （ D） basin
