1、BEC商务英语（高级）阅读模拟试卷 96及答案与解析 一、 PART ONE 0 Look at the statements below and at the five extracts from an article about Innovation.Which article(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 use some of the
2、se letters more than once.There is an example at the beginning, (0).AInnovation is the key to continued prosperity. Although the United states is experiencing a lengthy economic boom, its capacity for innovation per capita is losing ground. Ranking first in 1995 in innovation among 17 countries, the
3、 United States is projected to drop to the fifth place by 2002 if present trends continue, according to the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development(OECD). To compete effectively in international markets, nations as well as organizations must make innovation a priority.BThe goal is for y
4、our organization to change the rules, structure, and speed of its industry so that your competitors are thrown into chaos. Because your organization initiated the change, it more than likely understands the new rules and structure introduced into the marketplace as it copes with changes in speed. Te
5、mporarily at least, your organization will be ahead of the competition. This technique has been used by the military since ancient times. The idea is to confuse the enemy. While the opponent is digging out of the confusion, the organization in the offensive position seizes the dominant position.COne
6、 contemporary technique that changes the marketplace rules, structure, and speed is innovation all organizations trump card. When the microchip was invented, Intel was able to gain power over the competition because it capitalized on an innovation. Microsoft innovated the concept of a dominant opera
7、ting system in personal computers. By capitalizing on innovations, these companies were able to become leaders in their industries while their competitors were temporarily in chaos trying to find their way out. If an organization is offering the same products and services in the same way that it did
8、 three years ago, its on its way to obsolescence or may already be obsolete. Lets answer three questions about innovation.DWhat is innovation? Innovation is the tangible result of creativity the process that produces one or more innovations. Creativity is difficult to measure, but innovation is a pr
9、oduct or service that is easily defined and measured. Why is innovation necessary? It is needed for survival and sustainability. Competition is stiff in the global market place that organizations not nurturing innovation will soon find themselves unable to respond to changing customer demands. Conve
10、rsely, those organizations that make innovation a priority can dominate their industries and experience positive growth. Organizations in the 21st century must foster innovation.EHow can an organization achieve a high degree of innovation? Innovation does not happen by itself. It must be intentional
11、ly cultivated. Great leaders realize this and work to develop all organizations friendly to innovative endeavors. This effort involves allocating a budget adequate for innovative activities, establishing a physical environment that promotes creativity, eliminating creativity inhibitors, recruiting c
12、reative people, grasping the big picture, involving the whole person, promoting new thinking, training experientially.and nurturing autonomy. 1 By capitalizing on innovations, many companies were able to become leaders in their industries. 2 Innovation ability in the United States used to be the top
13、 in the world. 3 Innovation is different from creativity in that the former can be easily defined and measured. 4 The organization which initiated the innovation is more likely to cope with it freely. 5 Creativity inhibitors must be removed if necessary. 6 There is similarity between competition in
14、international markets and the military situation in wars. 7 Innovation can not happen of its own volition. 8 Innovation is a kind of contemporary technique that can change the rules, structure, and speed in marketplace. 二、 PART TWO 8 Read this text taken from an article about how the accountants inf
15、luence the decisions.Choose the best sentence 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). How the Accountants Influence the DecisionsAccountants in industry are often asked to eva
16、luate projects.(0)_H . Many people think it must be straightforward, but, like many publishing contracts, the devil lies in the detail.(9). There is a high level of front-end investment in trying to “break“ (popularise)an artist which usually comprises a non-returnable advance on royalties, recordin
17、g costs, promotional costs and tour support costs which sometimes even extend to large “buy-on“ fees to support major artists on big tours; i.e. they pay to play. Usually the first department involved in a decision to sign an artist is the A e.g. , if it were wound up. (12). Pete Watermans PWL with
18、artists such as Kylie Minogue, Jason Donovan and Rick Astley was a good example of a production house. Other examples are lease-tape deals and P&D(pressing and distribution)where the record company does not actually own the product but can sell it under its name for a limited period.(13). This will
19、largely concentrate on the advances, royalty rates and contract term that should be offered to make it attractive to the artist to sign.(14)_ It should be product based i.e. on the number of albums to be delivered by the artist, (known as the “minimum commitment“)rather than time based. Ideally the
20、record company would want to sign the artist for just one album with multiple options for further albums at its sole and absolute discretion, so if the artist is a flop, then the contract is terminated after one album, but if he or she is a success then options are exercised. A The term of the contr
21、act is very important.B Having decided on the form of contract then, the finance department comes into the picture in assessing and analyzing the structure of the deal.C Other possible forms of contract that could be considered are production house deals where a specialist company agrees to supply a
22、 number of artists to the record company.D Firstly, it must be decided what form the contract is going to take.E However, for the very few artists that the record companies successfully “break“ then there is big money to be made and it is therefore vital that any proposed deal undergo a thorough fin
23、ancial analysis to ensure that the company is not over-committed.F Contrary to popular myth that it is easy to make money in the music business, most artists actually lose money for the recording companies.G Importance should be attached to both the term and form of the contract.H In the recording i
24、ndustry this usually means working out the effect on company profits of the fine print in a recording contract. 三、 PART THREE 14 Read the following extract from an article about diversity management, and the questions followed. For each question 15 20, mark one letter(A, B, C, or D)on your Answer Sh
25、eet for the answer you choose. The UK diversity management literature has tended to focus on its implementation in the public sector rather than in the commercial sector. Hicks-Clarke and Iless work considers the links between gender diversity and organizational performance in both retailing and the
26、 National Health Service but found that survey analysis was not the most appropriate way of exploring diversity climates in the retail company. Initially, the study developed from an approach from the UK high-street operation which was seeking to create more innovative HR practices to support a mark
27、eting strategy of appealing to a more diverse customer base. The decision to participate in the study suggests that not only are diversity issues growing in significance for UK retailers but, arguably, point to an absence of guidance on how to achieve diversity management in practice. The retailer h
28、ad three distinct businesses! the UK high street, its online business and the US retailing chain. The online business, selling products through its website and other interactive channels, employed approximately 100 people all centrally located in one UK premises. In contrast, the UK high street and
29、US businesses were much larger and more widely dispersed. Both businesses had similar structures(head office, regional level and store level)and relied on formal documents to disseminate company policies. The UK high-street business had approximately 530 stores and 17, 000 staff, and has occupied a
30、dominant position in UK retailing since its inception more than 200 years ago. Established in 1985, the US business employed 3, 600 staff and had a total of 570 stores in airports and hotels, predominately in North America. A case study approach was selected as the most likely means of gathering ins
31、ights into understanding the concept of diversity management and how managers applied this in their working environments. Over 12 months, 40 semi-structured interviews were conducted with individuals holding managerial responsibilities in the UK business operations and with a small number of senior
32、HR specialists from the relevant head office who were the architects of the equality and diversity policies and procedures. The majority of the samples were store managers but a number had wider regional or general managerial roles and not only had a responsibility for diversity issues but also expe
33、rienced these as employees. Although an important consideration was the diversity of respondents, and every effort was made to ensure that they reflected a wide range of visible characteristics, the main priority of the study was to obtain the views of those staff with an organizational responsibili
34、ty for the interpretation and application of equality and diversity policies. This meant that the diversity of the sample was constrained by the composition of the population in such roles. The result was a sample that was 70 percent female and 30 percent male, with an age composition ranging from m
35、id-twenties to late fifties, although the majority were in their thirties or earlier forties. There was only one non-white manager in the UK sample, and one with a visible physical disability. It was difficult to select respondents on the grounds of their non-visible diversity, such as religion and
36、sexuality, as these differences were not made known unless during the interview the respondent provided the information that they were, for example. Christian. The large numbers employed in the UK high street and US businesses, combined with the fluid nature of job roles in the online business, mean
37、t that snowball sampling was employed to select interviewees. This technique relies on respondents to identify other suitable people to interview. It is recognized that such an approach could have resulted in some bias in the selection of respondents. To try to minimize this, the list of interviewee
38、s and their roles were verified with the HR function both before and after the interviews took place as well as being checked against the documented organizational structures. In addition, each respondent was asked about their job role and supervisory responsibilities, their previous experience and
39、working environment. During the interviews individuals were each asked to comment on a couple of scenarios describing employment situations where people could be treated either the same(an equal opportunities approach)or differently(a managing diversity approach). For example, one scenario related t
40、o an organizational benefits scheme where respondents were asked to consider the advantages and disadvantages of providing benefits for specific groups of employees, such as working parents, or for all employees, such as reduced rates for membership of a local gym. Providing an example of how these
41、might operate in practice was intended to assist the interviewee to reflect more easily on the different approaches that could be taken to equality issues. 15 From the first two paragraphs, what can you predict about the main purpose of the study? （ A） The study is to expose the thought of a number
42、of managers who were responsible for the application of organizational equality and diversity policies in the retailing industry. （ B） The study is mainly about in the implementation of organizational diversity initiatives, employers need to take greater account of the tensions facing line managers.
43、 （ C） Line managers regard a diversity management agenda concerned with recognizing and responding to individual differences. （ D） The study is to explore through qualitative methods the understandings, perceptions of fair treatment and reported actions of a group of managers. 16 What was the resear
44、ch primarily based on? （ A） In-depth interviews conducted with managers, HR specialists and employees across the three distinct business units. （ B） A long-established UK major high-street retailer of stationery and books. （ C） UK diversity management literature and the UK high-street operation. （ D
45、） UK retailers. 17 What is the similarity among the retailers three distinct businesses? （ A） They all occupy a dominant position in UK retailing. （ B） They all possess a large number of consumers and a wide as well as prosperous market. （ C） They all have very different operational contexts, and th
46、ey all sell products relating to entertainment, information and education. （ D） They all sell products through the website and other interactive channels. 18 To minimize the bias in the selection of respondents, why was each respondent asked about their job role and supervisory responsibilities, the
47、ir previous experience and working environment? （ A） To have a better understanding about the value and world view of the managers. （ B） To explore the managers perceptions of equality and diversity policies. （ C） To test the sensitivity of perception and discrimination of the respondents. （ D） To g
48、et to know the managers criteria on working. 19 In the last paragraph, what is the aim of the assumed scenarios put forward by the interviewer on those interviewees? （ A） These scenarios were designed to illustrate that the situation in the online business was far more fluid. （ B） These scenarios we
49、re designed not only to identify what they would do in particular circumstances but also to describe critical incidents that illustrated their own approach to managing diversity. （ C） These scenarios were designed to be a supplement to the interviews, and each attempted to illustrate the essence of managing diversity and the equal opportunity approach as described in the literature. （ D） These scenarios were designed to clarify the extent of managerial responsibilities for diversity management within the different operations. 20 What does this article mainly concern? （
