1、BEC商务英语（高级）阅读模拟试卷 89及答案与解析 一、 PART ONE 0 Look at the statements below and the reports about five different companies on the opposite page. Which company(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 your Answer Sheet. You will need to u
2、se some of these letters more than once. A Following the companys poor annual results in November, the share price plunged and has since remained around 200p. Analysts now believe that the company is seriously undervalued by the stock market. The companys biggest problems were in Germany and France
3、last year where supply outstripped demand, leading to a 20 million loss for the year. However, the company has recently appointed a new chairman who has a first-rate track record of reviving failing companies. It is believed that he will be successful in turning round the companys fortunes. B Analys
4、ts are impressed with the companys recent performance. In the last six months, it has managed to increase prices by 3 per cent without adversely affecting sales. In such a low-margin, high-sales sector, this ought to translate directly into increased profits. The companys recent sale of its packagin
5、g division has eliminated all its debts. Shares have risen in the past month from 80p to 100p. Despite these promising signs, it must be remembered that the company is trading in an extremely volatile market. C For some weeks, there has been widespread expectation that the company will announce the
6、sale of its troubled newspaper-and-magazine distribution arm. Speculation came to an end when this was firmly ruled out as a possibility at the annual general meeting last week. Profits from this division were down from 13 million to 8 million. However, this drop was more than offset by an improveme
7、nt in the companys retail division, which has taken the innovative step of opening stores in places such as hospitals and colleges. Profits in this division rose from D The company has had steady growth prospects since it opened four more upmarket hotels and several health and fitness clubs. This mo
8、ve has come at a time when the market is particularly buoyant. There were rumours that the company might become the subject of a takeover bid by one of the large American corporations. However, this has not materialised, and it now seems unlikely that any such bids will be made in the immediate futu
9、re. This is expected to lead to E The company has always been popular with shareholders as, for the past ten years, it has consistently provided them with above average returns. Profits for the first half of the year were up by 15 per cent. Development profits from some 30 projects around the countr
10、y will provide a balanced stream of earnings in the second half of the year. Given this, and the sale of a loss-making division in Bradford, pre-tax profit forecasts have been increased to 21 million and 1 This company has expanded at a time of high demand. 2 Good results in one part of this company
11、 made up for disappointing results in another part. 3 It is difficult to predict future prospects for the kind of products this company sells. 4 Profits for this company are likely to be different from those that were earlier predicted. 5 This company produced more goods than were needed for certain
12、 markets. 6 This company has denied rumours about its future plans. 7 A recovery in this companys financial position is expected. 8 This company is likely to benefit from charging more for its products. 二、 PART TWO 8 Read this article from the business pages of a newspaper. Choose the best sentence
13、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 use any letter more than once. There is an example at the beginning(0). High fliers of the future head for specialist fairs Despite the recent development of online recruiting, gradu
14、ate job fairs are still proving hugely popular in Britain with both employers and job hunters.(0)_H_ Any graduate with big ambitions could be forgiven for thinking that the north-west of England is the centre of the universe next week.(9)_As usual, they will all be looking for the brightest, best an
15、d most suitable graduates to employ. November 2 sees Expo Management(the finance, business and management fair), and on November 3, Technology for the Future(the IT, science and engineering fair), will be held. (10)_ Expo Management has also expanded, to incorporate a broad range of careers in busin
16、ess and management, as well as the finance sector. There are excellent transport links from all parts of the country to where the fairs are being held. An accommodation booking service is available, and there is plenty of entertainment on offer. Employers are keener than ever to take part. (11)_Havi
17、ng said that, employers use the fairs in order to make contact with the specific kinds of graduates they are looking to recruit. (12)_However, all graduates visiting the fairs with the right skills and motivation are likely to get a very positive response from employers. Preparation is the key to ge
18、tting the most from these fairs and visitors should have done their homework.(13)_It is sensible to exploit this opportunity by coming armed with a good CV and a list of relevant questions to ask. Also, this year the fairs organisers have introduced a new support facility.(14)_ By visiting http:/wor
19、ld.co/gradfairs, they will get instant access to the full list of exhibitors and their vacancies, as well as links to their company websites. With the world of business changing and expanding so rapidly, ambitious graduates will find that time spent at the fairs makes an excellent investment in thei
20、r future. A They are keen for graduates to make use of this innovation before they attend the fairs. B Graduates can take advantage of these to ensure that they know how to make the best applications possible in the weeks following the fairs. C The latter, only a few years old, has proved so success
21、ful that this year it has doubled in size: it now plays host to more than 40 employers. D In particular, it is those with technical qualifications who are most sought after. E After all, they may not have another chance to see such a huge range of prestigious employers under one roof. F The reason i
22、s that is where a 170-strong list of employers will be setting up their stands at the start of Novembers round of graduate fairs. G This enthusiasm means that the prospects for graduate job-hunters are excellent at the moment. H As a result, they are getting bigger and bigger each time they hit the
23、road again. 三、 PART THREE 14 Read the following article about Grasmere, a small British company that manufactures steel components, and the questions on the opposite page. For each question(15-20), mark one letter(A, B, C or D)on your Answer Sheet. In a tough climate for UK manufacturers, Malcolm Dr
24、ake thinks he has hit on a way for his company, Grasmere, to succeed: by becoming a bespoke manufacturer This involves working very closely with customers to produce precisely what they want. As a result, Grasmere has become indispensable to its big customers, which are based around Europe. Grasmere
25、 makes a range of small metal items that are tailored to fit into much larger products, and its customers include big electronics and electrical goods manufacturers. When we start talking to customers about an order; they often have only a rough idea what they want, says Drake. We assist them in ide
26、ntifying and specifying their needs, and we advise them on the best way to manufacture the product. Then we fulfil the order, which could involve making anything between 40 and one billion parts in a year Grasmeres main tools are press machines that stamp out metal items in its Birmingham premises.
27、The company was started by Drakes great-grandfather in 1903, when its best-selling products were pen nibs, and the company prides itself on never having fallen below the exacting standards which it set then. While todays range has moved a long way from those pen nibs, some of the original machinery
28、stands in the reception area, as a memento of the companys roots. Only in the last year has the company relocated from the cramped and grimy workshop it moved to in 1910, to a more modern and open-plan building on the outskirts of Birmingham, an operation that involved a major logistical exercise to
29、 move the machinery. The new site has allowed Grasmere to make itself more efficient. The company has cut staff from 150 to 125 by shedding low-skilled employees without reducing turnover Malcolm Drake says that 18 of Grasmeres customers each contribute revenues of more than 100,000 a year with half
30、 of all turnover coming from three of them. It isnt the usual supplier-customer relationship, he explains.We are very open with them and provide them with a lot of internal information about costs. But we select them as much as they select us. If we are asked to do something that is too difficult or
31、 expensive, we say “no“. We educate the customer as to what is possible. If you allow yourself to be dictated to, thats not a partnership -its grovelling. Grasmeres business has spread more widely to other parts of Europe in the past few years, though not because of any deliberate strategy to push u
32、p exports. As Drake points out, if a company such as his is keen to yoke itself to successful companies that think strategically, inevitably this will mean more overseas sales to relatively far-flung divisions of these businesses, to meet their own demand for the components Grasmere can produce. The
33、 company depends on having technically literate people who can talk intelligently to customers. Hence 90 of Grasmeres employees are engineers employed in a range of jobs including making products, sales, marketing and purchasing. While about 100 of the staff are directly involved in shop-floor produ
34、ction work, they frequently also have an outward-facing role, such as talking to customers about design or manufacturing. Malcolm Drake sums up his companys strengths as offering five attributes that customers want: quality, speed, dependability, flexibility and low costs. As a result, the company i
35、s flourishing. 15 What do we learn about Grasmere in the first paragraph? （ A） It concentrates on working in a particular sector. （ B） It helps customers to formulate their own requirements. （ C） It makes a range of products for a small number of applications. （ D） It designs products then looks for
36、 suitable customers for them. 16 What links Grasmere now with when it was founded? （ A） The company has always operated in the same premises. （ B） Some of the original machines are still used for manufacturing. （ C） The present range of products includes the original lines. （ D） The company has alwa
37、ys had the same attitude to quality. 17 Grasmeres workforce has fallen because （ A） productivity has improved. （ B） it is difficult to recruit skilled staff. （ C） new machinery has been introduced. （ D） some staff chose to leave the company. 18 What does Malcolm Drake say about the companys relation
38、ship with its customers? （ A） Grasmere works on equal terms with its customers. （ B） Grasmere has a better relationship with some customers than others. （ C） Grasmere can learn a great deal from its customers. （ D） Grasmere is expected by some customers to provide too much information. 19 The compan
39、ys exports are rising because （ A） it is following a strategy of promoting its products abroad. （ B） there is a growing demand abroad for the types of products it makes. （ C） overseas sections of its client companies are buying from Grasmere. （ D） it is gaining access to the overseas clients of its
40、own customers. 20 It is part of Grasmeres policy to ensure that （ A） every customer is allocated to a specific salesperson. （ B） many of its engineers deal directly with customers. （ C） each activity is carried out by dedicated staff. （ D） it has a department which designs new products. 四、 PART FOUR
41、 20 Read the article below about teamwork and stress.Choose the correct word or words 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.There is an example at the beginning(0). TEAMWORK AND STRESSStressful working cond
42、itions lead to a breakdown in group co-operation which can(0)_effectiveness and productivity, a study has found. Psychologists have discovered that when employees work in crisis (21)_.they are less willing to work together. The study showed that when workers are under stress, they have a strong(22)_
43、to concentrate on their own personal(23)_to the detriment of their colleagues. In the study, 100 naval personnel worked in groups of three, and each group was given a computer(24)_of a naval decision-making task. Under a high(25)_of stress, they had to monitor a radar screen with their own ship at t
44、he centre and numerous unidentified contacts around the ship. As(26)_ , participants operating in this highly stressful situation performed worse than those operating under normal circumstances. But the results also showed that under stress, the workers(27)_of attention shifted from group involvemen
45、t to a more narrow individual perspective, which led to a severe breakdown in team performance. The author of the study concludes that it is possible that, for many team tasks, the importance of teamwork behaviour such as co-ordination and communication may be(28)_ as secondary to basic individual d
46、emands. In his opinion, the(29)_ to achieve efficiency under stress is by delegation. Simplifying tasks by delegating parts of them, making them less demanding, is one of the best ways of(30)_the effectiveness of the group.（ A） moments （ B） states （ C） conditions （ D） positions （ A） likelihood （ B）
47、probability （ C） liking （ D） tendency （ A） intentions （ B） goals （ C） purposes （ D） objects （ A） impression （ B） conception （ C） imitation （ D） simulation （ A） measure （ B） degree （ C） standard （ D） rate （ A） supposed （ B） wondered （ C） expected （ D） questioned （ A） focus （ B） area （ C） direction （
48、D） point （ A） perceived （ B） estimated （ C） determined （ D） calculated （ A） manner （ B） way （ C） procedure （ D） route （ A） persisting （ B） holding （ C） maintaining （ D） confirming 五、 PART FIVE 30 Read the newspaper article below about entrepreneurs.For each question(31-40), write one word in CAPITAL
49、 LETTERS on your Answer Sheet.There is an example at the beginning(0). Can anyone be an entrepreneur?Who wants(0)_ be an entrepreneur? Just about everybody - or(31)_ it seems these days. The values of entrepreneurship are hailed everywhere, (32)_the more enterprising small shop owner to the boardrooms of multinationals. Entrepreneurs are seen as the truewealth creators and as the initiators of change. They are often creative and always sel
