1、武汉大学考博英语模拟试卷 32及答案与解析 一、 Reading Comprehension 0 Seeking a competitive advantage, some professional service firms(for example, firms providing advertising accounting, or health care services)have considered offering unconditional guarantees of satisfaction. Such guarantees specify what clients can e
2、xpect and what the firm will do if it fails to fulfill these expectations. Particularly with first-time clients, an unconditional guarantee can be an effective marketing tool if the client is very cautious, the firms fees are high, the negative consequences of bad service are grave, or business is d
3、ifficult to obtain through referrals and word-of-mouth. However, an unconditional guarantee can sometimes hinder marketing efforts. With its implication that failure is possible, the guarantee may, paradoxically, cause clients to doubt the service firms ability to deliver the promised level of servi
4、ce. It may conflict with a firms desire to appear sophisticated, or may even suggest that a firm is begging for business. In legal and health care services, it may mislead clients by suggesting that lawsuits or medical procedures will have guaranteed outcomes. Indeed, professional service firms with
5、 outstanding reputations and performance to match have little to gain from offering unconditional guarantees. And any firm that implements an unconditional guarantee without undertaking a commensurate commitment to quality of service is merely employing a potentially costly marketing gimmick. 1 The
6、primary function of the passage as a whole is to_. （ A） account for the popularity of a practice （ B） evaluate the utility of a practice （ C） demonstrate how to institute a practice （ D） weigh the ethics of using a strategy 2 Which of the following is cited in the passage as a goal of some professio
7、nal service firms in offering unconditional guarantees of satisfaction? （ A） A limit on the firms liability. （ B） Successful competition against other firms. （ C） Ability to justify fee increases. （ D） Attainment of an outstanding reputation in a field. 3 The passages description of the issue raised
8、 by unconditional guarantees for health care or legal services most clearly implies that which of the following is true? （ A） The legal and medical professions have standards of practice that would be violated by attempts to fulfill such unconditional guarantees. （ B） The result of a lawsuit or medi
9、cal procedure cannot necessarily be determined in advance by the professionals handling a clients case. （ C） The dignity of legal and medical professions is undermined by any attempts at marketing of professional services, including unconditional guarantees. （ D） Clients whose lawsuits or medical pr
10、ocedures have unsatisfactory outcomes cannot be adequately compensated by financial settlements done. 4 The passage most clearly implies which of the following about the professional service firms mentioned in the fifth sentence of the second paragraph? （ A） They are unlikely to have offered uncondi
11、tional guarantees of satisfaction in the past. （ B） They are usually profitable enough to be able to compensate clients according to the terms of an unconditional guarantee. （ C） They usually practice in fields in which the outcomes are predictable. （ D） Their clients are usually already satisfied w
12、ith the quality of service that is delivered. 4 In a 1918 editorial, W. E. B. Du Bois advised African Americans to stop agitating for equality and to proclaim their solidarity with White Americans for the duration of the First World War. The editorial surprised many African Americans who viewed Du B
13、ois as an uncompromising African American leader and a chief opponent of the accommodationist tactics urged by Booker T. Washington. In fact, however, Du Bois often shifted positions along the continuum between Washington and confrontationists such as William Trotter. In 1895, when Washington called
14、 on African Americans to concentrate on improving their communities instead of opposing discrimination and agitating for political rights, Du Bois praised Washingtons speech. In 1903, however, Du Bois aligned himself with Trotter, Washingtons militant opponent, less for ideological reasons than beca
15、use Trotter had described to him Washingtons efforts to silence those in the African American press who opposed Washingtons positions. Du Boiss wartime position thus reflected not a change in his long-term goals but rather a pragmatic response in the face of social pressures: government officials ha
16、d threatened African American journalists with censorship if they continued to voice grievances. Furthermore, Du Bois believed that African Americans contributions to past war efforts had brought them some legal and political advances. Du Boiss accommodationism did not last, however. Upon learning o
17、f systematic discrimination experienced by African Americans in the military, he called on them to “return fighting“ from the war. 5 The passage is primarily concerned with_. （ A） identifying historical circumstances that led Du Bois to alter his long-term goals （ B） defining “accommodationism“ and
18、showing how Du Bois used this strategy to achieve certain goals （ C） accounting for a particular position adopted by Du Bois during the First World War （ D） contesting the view that Du Bois was significantly influenced by either Washington or Trotter 6 The passage suggests which of the following abo
19、ut the contributions of African Americans to the United States war effort during the First World War? （ A） The contributions were made largely in response to Du Boiss 1918 editorial. （ B） The contributions had much the same effect as African Americans contributions to previous wars. （ C） The contrib
20、utions did not end discrimination against African Americans in the military. （ D） The contributions were made in protest against Trotters confrontationist tactics. 7 The author of the passage refers to Washingtons call to African Americans in 1895 primarily in order to_. （ A） identify Du Boiss chara
21、cteristic position on the continuum between accomodationism and confrontationism （ B） explain why Du Bois was sympathetic with Washingtons views in 1895 （ C） clarify how Trotters views differed from those of Washington in 1895 （ D） support an assertion about Du Boiss tendency to shift his political
22、positions 8 According to the passage, which of the following is true of the strategy that Du Boiss 1918 editorial urged African Americans to adopt during the First World War? （ A） It was a strategy that Du Bois had consistently rejected in the past. （ B） It represented a compromise between Du Boiss
23、own views and those of Trotter. （ C） It represented a significant redefinition of the long-term goals Du Bois held during the war. （ D） It was advocated by Du Bois in part because of his historical knowledge of gains African Americans had made during past wars. 8 The fact that superior service can g
24、enerate a competitive advantage for a company does not mean that every attempt at improving service will create such an advantage. Investments in service, like those in production and distribution, must be balanced against other types of investments on the basis of direct, tangible benefits such as
25、cost reduction and increased revenues. If a company is already effectively on a par with its competitors because it provides service that avoids a damaging reputation and keeps customers from leaving at an unacceptable rate, then investment in higher service levels may be wasted, since service is a
26、deciding factor for customers only in extreme situations. This truth was not apparent to managers of one regional bank, which failed to improve its competitive position despite its investment in reducing the time a customer had to wait for a teller. The bank managers did not recognize the level of c
27、ustomer inertia in the consumer banking industry that arises from the inconvenience of switching banks. Nor did they analyze their service improvement to determine whether it would attract new customers by producing a new standard of service that would excite customers or by proving difficult for co
28、mpetitors to copy. The only merit of the improvement was that it could easily be described to customers. 9 According to the passage, investments in service are comparable to investments in production and distribution in terms of the_. （ A） tangibility of the benefits that they tend to confer （ B） in
29、creased revenues that they ultimately produce （ C） basis on which they need to be weighed （ D） insufficient analysis that managers devote to them 10 The passage suggests which of the following about service provided by the regional bank prior to its investment in enhancing that service? （ A） It enab
30、led the bank to retain customers at an acceptable rate. （ B） It threatened to weaken the banks competitive position with respect to other regional banks. （ C） It had already been improved after having caused damage to the banks reputation in the past. （ D） It was slightly superior to that of the ban
31、ks regional competitors. 11 The discussion of the regional bank in the second paragraph serves which of the following functions within the passage as a whole? （ A） It describes an exceptional case in which investment in service actually failed to produce a competitive advantage. （ B） It illustrates
32、the pitfalls of choosing to invest in service at a time when investment is needed more urgently in another area. （ C） It demonstrates the kind of analysis that managers apply when they choose one kind of service investment over another. （ D） It provides an example of the point about investment in se
33、rvice made in the first paragraph. 12 The author uses the word “only“ in the last line most likely in order to_. （ A） highlight the oddity of the service improvement （ B） emphasize the relatively low value of the investment in service improvement （ C） distinguish the primary attribute of the service
34、 improvement from secondary attributes （ D） single out a certain merit of the service improvement from other merits 12 In an attempt to improve the overall performance of clerical workers, many companies have introduced computerized performance monitoring and control systems(CPMCS)that record and re
35、port a workers computer-driven activities. However, at least one study has shown that such monitoring may not be having the desired effect. In the study, researchers asked monitored clerical workers and their supervisors how assessments of productivity affected supervisors ratings of workers perform
36、ance. In contrast to unmonitored workers doing the same work, who without exception identified the most important element in their jobs as customer service, the monitored workers and their supervisors all responded that productivity was the critical factor in assigning ratings. This finding suggeste
37、d that there should have been a strong correlation between a monitored workers productivity and the overall rating the worker received. However, measures of the relationship between overall rating and individual elements of performance clearly supported the conclusion that supervisors gave considera
38、ble weight to criteria such as attendance accuracy, and indications of customer satisfaction. It is possible that productivity may be a “hygiene factor“; that is, if it is too low, it will hurt the overall rating. But the evidence suggests that beyond the point at which productivity becomes “good en
39、ough, “ higher productivity per se is unlikely to improve a rating. 13 According to the passage, before the final results of the study were known, which of the following seemed likely? （ A） That workers with the highest productivity would also be the most accurate. （ B） That workers who initially ac
40、hieved high productivity ratings would continue to do so consistently. （ C） That the highest performance ratings would be achieved by workers with the highest productivity. （ D） That the most productive workers would be those whose supervisors claimed to value productivity. 14 It can be inferred tha
41、t the author of the passage discusses “unmonitored workers“ primarily in order to_. （ A） compare the ratings of these workers with the ratings of monitored workers （ B） provide an example of a case in which monitoring might be effective （ C） provide evidence of an inappropriate use of CPMCS （ D） emp
42、hasize the effect that CPMCS may have on workers perceptions of their jobs 15 According to the passage, a “hygiene factor“ is an aspect of a workers performance that_. （ A） has no effect on the rating of a workers performance （ B） is so basic to performance that it is assumed to be adequate for all
43、workers （ C） is given less importance than it deserves in rating a workers performance （ D） if not likely to affect a workers rating unless it is judged to be inadequate 16 The primary purpose of the passage is to_. （ A） explain the need for the introduction of an innovative strategy （ B） discuss a
44、study of the use of a particular method （ C） recommend a course of action （ D） resolve a difference of opinion 16 Findings from several studies on corporate mergers and acquisitions during the 1970s and 1980s raise questions about why firms initiate and consummate such transactions. One study showed
45、, for example, that acquiring firms were on average unable to maintain acquired firms pre-merger levels of profitability. A second study concluded that post-acquisition gains to most acquiring firms were not adequate to cover the premiums paid to obtain acquired firms. A third demonstrated that, fol
46、lowing the announcement of a prospective merger, the stock of the prospective acquiring firm tends to increase in value much less than does that of the firm for which it bids. Yet mergers and acquisitions remain common, and bidders continue to assert that their objectives are economic ones. Acquisit
47、ions may well have the desirable effect of channeling a nations resources efficiently from less to more efficient sectors of its economy, but the individual acquisitions executives arranging these deals must see them as advancing either their own or their companies private economic interests. It see
48、ms that factors having little to do with corporate economic interests explain acquisitions. These factors may include the incentive compensation of executives, lack of monitoring by boards of directors, and managerial error in estimating the value of firms targeted for acquisition. Alternatively, th
49、e acquisition acts of bidders may derive from modeling: a manager does what other managers do. 17 The findings cited in the passage suggest which of the following about the outcomes of corporate mergers and acquisitions with respect to acquiring firms? （ A） They include a decrease in value of many aquiring firms stocks. （ B） They tend to be more beneficial for small firms than for large firms. （ C） They do not fulfill the professed goals of most aquiring firms. （ D） They tend to be beneficial to such firms
