2016年商務英語BEC中級考前訓練題

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單項選擇題
    1、根據(jù)下面內容,回答題 
    Evaluating the Performance of the Board 
    Few employees escape the annual or twice-yearly performance review.(0)  ...G ... The answer is not a great number.And the smaller the company, the fewer checks there are on how well the directors are doing.Some of the largest companies formally assess the performance of their board, but very few new or growing companies have managed to get round to establishing any such procedure. 
    Many business experts believe, however, that it is important for all companies to review 
    the performance of the board.(8).....Another reason is that the board itself needs information on how well it is doing, just as much as other employees do.For the chief executive, appraisal of some sort is absolutely essential for his or her own sake and for the good of the company.Indeed, many of those who have reached this level remark on how lonely the job of chief executive is and how few opportunities they get to discuss issues relating to it. 
    There is some evidence to show that once smaller companies put a board appraisal process in place, they find this process relatively easy to operate.(9)..... Their counterparts in larger organizations, however, are often afraid that appraisals could be a challenge to their status. 
    So, how should companies assess their board? (10).....At a very basic level, this could simply mean getting all the directors to write down what they have achieved and how they can improve on it.At the other end of the scale is the full "360-degree" appraisal.Here, each director is appraised in a systematic manner by a combination of the chairman and fellow directors. 
    In the largest companies there are many methods for assessing the board.A number of such companies have self-assessment schemes.The chairman may meet each board member individually to ask how things are going, in a fairly informal way.The whole board might also meet to talk about its progress in open session.(11).....These might ask for people's opinions on the board's main tasks or on how well the committees are working. 
    Research indicates there has been some improvement in the way the appraisal of board members is conducted.(12)......The chairman will have been involved directly or indirectly in the appraisal of all members of the board.Whose job is it, then, to appraise the chairman? 
    A.It is often the case that the directors of such companies are even happy to receive   criticism, as this can prevent them from making basic mistakes. 
    B.The rest of the workforce sees it as unfair if the directors are the only members of thecompany to escape appraisal. 
    C.These are encouraging as they put a limit on the power of the chairman to assess fellow directors. 
    D.Alternatively, questionnaires might be distributed to directors, forming the basis for future discussion. 
    E.One issue remains, however, when all the others have been dealt with. 
    F.It is generally agreed that it is the chairman's responsibility to ensure the regular appraisal of each member of the board. 
    G.However, one wonders how many companies have in place a formal appraisal process for their board of directors. 
    (8)應選
    填空題
    2、根據(jù)下面內容,回答題 
    
Market Research
0 Market research involves in collecting and sorting facts and opinions from specific groups 
    00 0f people.The purpose of research can vary from discovering the popularity of a political 
    34 party to assessing whether is a product needs changing or replacing.Most work in 
    35 consumer research involves interviewers employed by market research agencies,but 
    36 certain industrial and social research is carried out by any specialist agencies.Interviews 
    37 may be with individuals or groups and can last anything as from a few minutes to an hour 
    38 0r more.In some interviews,people may be asked to examine or try out products before 
    39 giving up their opinion.Successful interviewers tend to like meeting people and should 
    40 not only be shy of addressing strangers.Interviewers are usually expecled to work
    41 unsupervised,organizing their own workload.Self-discipline is absolutely essential,and 
    42 as are motivation and enemy.There are no specific age limits for such a work,though 
    43 many agencies prefer to employ older applicants with experience of meeting people。
    44 Market research agencies which frequently organize training,where trainees learn how 
    45 to recognize socio-economic groups and practice approaching to the public。 
    34__________
    3、
    Questions 8-12
    ·Read the article below about job interviews.
    ·Choose the best sentence from the list on the opposite page to fill each of the gaps.
    ·For each gap 8-12 mark one letter (A-I) on your Answer Sheet.
    ·Do not use any letter more than once.
    How to Succeed at Interviews
    The aim of a job interview is to establish whether you are likely to do well in a particular job in a specific organisation. This is not only a matter of having the necessary technical knowledge and skills. You must also have the motivation, the ability to adapt to new ways of working and to a new work environment, and the personality to do the job and fit into a new team. (example)____. These include getting on with people, oral and written communication, teamworking, problem solving and good time management.
    Most people think that interviewers know what they are looking for and will recognise it when they see it. (8) ____. This applies to recruiters as much as anyone else. In fact a former head of selection at one big firm used to say that “some interviewers are so poor they would do better to rely on chance”.
    In companies which recognise this, various methods are used to try to find the right person (9) ____. Research has shown that this approach is more reliable than the ordinary job interview, though not as effective as using personality tests or assessment centres.
    In a structured interview the interviewer groups the qualities listed in the job specification under various headings. There are two well-established structures for this: the National Institute of Industrial Psychology’s Seven-Point Plan and the Five-Fold Grading System. Both these systems cover factors such as physical appearance, qualifications, general intelligence, motivation and previous experience.(10) ____.
    However, they should not give equal weight to each one. Some factors are more important in one job than another. For example, physical appearance and manner will be more important in a sales position than in a researcher who works behind the scenes. It is also a fact that the impact the candidate makes in the first three of four minutes of an interview is of major importance.(11) ____.A decision not to hire is often made during those first few minutes.
    It is not always possible to tell whether structured interview techniques are being used. If interviewers ask questions systematically, using some kind of checklist, and occasionally make a brief note, they probably are. On the other hand, if the interviewer goes through your application form to confirm what you have already said, or asks irrelevant questions, or jumps from one topic to another the interview is unlikely to be structured. Before you attend any interview, look again at the job description and the personal specification. (12) ____. If you already have a mental list of the key points that you need to mention, you are unlikely to waste time giving irrelevant information or to omit important points in your favour.
    A Study them closely and assess what your interviewer will be looking for.
    B However, people are actually not very good at assessing one another.
    C A number of skills are common to most of these interviewing situations.
    D Although a favourable impression may be reversed later in the interview, a negative impression is rarely changed.
    E The most common is the structured interview.
    F The effectiveness of the interviewer can be improved by training.
    G For each of these areas the interviewers score candidates against how well they fit the job specification.
    H The ability to cope with stress and get on with people is essential.
    I But there are other personal skills that affect your success in a job.
    4、
    Questions 8-12
    ·Read the text below about work uniforms.
    ·Choose the best sentence from the opposite page to fill each of the gaps.
    ·For each gap 8-12, mark one letter A-I on your Answer Sheet.
    Altered Images
    We have teamed up with The Career and Workwear Show to find the best-dressed organization. Two hotel groups and a management center have made it to the shortlist.
    Uniforms project an instant image about a business, as well as creating a team spirit among staff. Choose the wrong workwear and you risk upsetting your customers and employees.
    Three entrants have been shortlisted in the competition to find the best-dressed business: Country Hotel Group, Goring Residential Management College and Major Hotels. (example) ----------.
    A detailed entry form set out to discover the thought processes the entrants had used before they selected their new uniforms. (8) ____. In addition to price and style the judges wanted to know how the organisation introduced the new look and what lessons it had learnt.
    The Country Hotel Group was looking for a uniform that was comfortable to wear and presented a relaxed country image to guests. The firm admits to placing a great emphasis on the clothing and appearance of its staff. (9) ____. A brief was issued to a number of companies who then had to present their ideas in a fashion show format to 50 employees. After the design was chosen, one hotel tried out the uniform for three months. (10) ____
    The aim of the new uniform at Goring Residential Management College was to make staff instantly recognisable to course participants. The chosen design from Classy Rags established a clear corporate image at the college. There were many different outfits but only three fabrics had been used throughout the range and therefore the uniform was easily recognisable. One of the judges in the competition, fashion journalist Sally Bain, was also impressed with the value for money aspect of the uniforms. (11) ____
    At Major Hotels a new uniform was needed to replace the old one which was considered to be ‘old-fashioned and unattractive.’ The new design was well received by the reception staff of the hotel chain. (12) ____. The new bottle-green uniforms were selected from Rayner Corporate Clothing. It was felt that it was a functional choice of colour and made a pleasant change from the more traditional black.
    Do not use any letter more than once.
    A. Feedback was then collected from staff at the hotel and minor changes were made before the uniform was introduced across all hotels.
    B. The award will be presented to the competition winners at The Career and Workwear Show which will be held at Business Design Centre in London.
    C. They all believe that its introduction has led to a modern, more professional corporate image and greater confidence among them.
    D. One entry predicted that uniform fabrics would incorporate security aids which are read by sensors on doors and only allow access to authorised personnel.
    E. In her opinion this had been achieved at half the cost of the other entries, with the average cost per person being £201,and each uniform being expected to last two years.
    F. It asked why the uniform was introduced, who it was designed to be worn by, and how the firm went about selecting a supplier.
    G. She felt that the head receptionist at the hotel should be asked to put forward the views and preferences of the team.
    H. In its entry it said:‘Substantial investment has been made in this uniform because uniforms are seen as a very important area.’
    I. One reason for this is that all three proved to the judges that they had thoroughly researched their choice of new uniforms.
    5、
    Questions 8 - 12
    ·Read this advertisement about business book reviews.
    ·Choose the best sentence from the opposite page to fill each of the gaps.
    ·For each gap 8 - 12, mark one letter A - I on your Answer Sheet.
    ·Do not mark any letter twice.
    
    A) These introductory texts are the most important books and using them can pay big dividends.
    B) Discover practical tips and techniques you can apply without delay.
    C) In order to avoid this problem, we select for you only the truly worthwhile titles and reject the rest.
    D) According to studies published in psychology journals, you retain the content of a summary better than a book.
    E) He or she would take the most important ideas from each one, and compile them into a neat executive summary.
    F) With the breadth and depth of knowledge gained from books, it is less likely that you'll be caught off guard.
    G) Each contains all the key points in the original book, but instead of 200 to 500 pages there are only eight pages.
    H) There's a sample of the superb business titles that we summarise for you.
    I) With all the reading you have to do in the normal course of your work, you find it impossible to keep up with all the new business books.
    6、Questions 8-12
    ·Read the text below about the management of documents.
    ·Choose the best sentence from the list on the opposite page to fill each of the gaps.
    ·For each gap 8-12, mark one letter (A-I) on your Answer Sheet.
    ·Do not use any letter more than once.
    
How do you improve white collar productivity?
    
  For many years, technological development was thought to be the key to improving productivity in the office. In the 1980s cheap small computers first appeared on desktops. (example)________
      The power of personal computers has increased dramatically, and the uses of software have expanded too. Companies both large and small have spent large sums of money on improving office computer facilities.(8) ________.It seems that business has failed to apply the developments in technology to greater effect, to increase the amount of time which office workers have available for non-routine tasks. To do this, we need to understand how information is processed in business ventures.
      Typically, information is first gathered, then processed, and finally produced in its changed form as output.(9) ________. Increasingly complex programs have been invented, to feed ever more powerful processing systems.
      But what about output? A recent study by an American management institute shows that the processing of documents takes up 60% of office workers’ time, 40% of labour costs and up to 10% of business income.(10) ________. In fact, the international companies studied for the research show that this breakdown is true world-wide, wherever the company operates.
    Taking these findings into account, the management of documents has become extremely important. Documents support nearly all business transactions. They are increasingly the way to communicate with customers, suppliers and employees. It is therefore upon document output and distribution that we should focus. (11) ________
      Unfortunately, technological developments in equipment for document management seem more impressive than they really are.(12) ________ New technological solutions are needed to tackle the problem, to help drive businesses forward to improve their productivity and output.
      Only now are we beginning to study business objectives and to structure technology to suit them. Our company is attempting to understand how people use technology and how it can be applied to business problems.
    A. These new methods of handling paperwork have already greatly improved efficiency.
    B. This would be a key way of improving white collar productivity.
    C. It will help them to make better use of all office employees.
    D. However, this enormous investment has not improved productivity as expected.
    E. Laser printers have many limitations, and photocopiers have few applications.
    F. Most technology has concentrated its attention on the first two of these stages.
    G. These figures are hardly surprising since documents convey nine-tenths of all information.
    H. Nevertheless, it is an important way to improve business processes and workflow.
    I. Since then, these machines have caused a revolution in the way we work in the office.
    7、
    PART FOUR
    Questions 21-35
    •Read the text below about job prospects at the Provincial Bank.
    •Choose the correct word A, B, C, or, D on the opposite page to fill each gap.
    •For each question 21-35, mark one letter (A, B, C, or D) on your Answer Sheet.
    Employment Opportunities for Graduates with the Provincial BankThe Provincial Bank is one of the biggest (example) ____________ institutions in the U.K. With its 1,900 branches and 58,000 employees, it has (21) ____________ a household name. Almost 4,000 of these employees (22) ____________ managerial or executive positions. The bank has an outstanding (23) ____________ of profitability, which has been achieved by introducing innovations at the same time as maintaining leadership of the (24) ____________. The bank's comprehensive training programme concentrates on (25) ____________ the most important skills that graduates need in order to (26) ____________ early management responsibility. Trainees take responsibility for their own continuous self-development through visiting other branches and departments, and by (27)____________ courses in management skills. They also receive training in order to increase their knowledge of the bank's (28) ___________. The bank supports (29)____________ of staff who wish to take professional examinations, and its Graduate Training Scheme is (30)_____________ to the nationally recognized Diploma in Management.Obviously the quality of its mangers is of (31)____________ importance to the bank's performance. It welcomes good graduates in any subject area, (32)____________ they can demonstrate the ability to influence events, and have the potential to (33)____________ both as leaders and as part of a team. Most graduate trainees join the Retail Banking division initially. Those starting on this programme will soon have the (34)____________ to work in other parts of the bank and can (35)____________ a varied and flexible working life.
    Example: A budgetary B fiscal C financial D economic
    21 A opened B entered C turned D become 
    22 A hold B do C keep D own
    23 A career B catalogue C record D experience 
    24 A area B trade C record D market
    25 A making B reaching C developing D heightening
    26 A present B treat C deal D handle 
    27 A observing B attending C involving D staying 
    28 A services B goods C creations D abilities 
    29 A colleague B members C people D persons 
    30 A qualified B combined C fastened D linked
    31 A main B vital C necessary D superior 
    32 A therefore B thus C provided D only 
    33 A succeed B realize C gain D overcome 
    34 A choice B chance C likelihood D probability
    35 A forecast B believe C suppose D expect
    8、
    PART TWO 
    Questions 8-12
    •Read the extract below from an article about the coffee industry.
    •Choose the best sentence from the list on the opposite page to fill each of the gaps.
    •For each gap 8-12, mark one letter (A-I)on your Answer Sheet.
    •Do not use any letter more than once.
    Coffee is worth approximately $50-60bn per annum in terms of world sales. It is a truly international commodity, and today more than 50 countries in the world grow coffee beans. (example) ______I_____. ICO organization helps coffee producers and promotes coffee conumption worldwide.ICO estimates that world production next year will reach 97.5 million bags.11.3 million bags higher than the current year. (8) ____________. As the largest producing country, Brazil is particularly important in the coffee world. In 1994 Brazil was responsible for 25% of world production, Colombia was next with 13.4%, Indonesia had 7.5%, Mexico 4.7%, Guatemala 3.8% and Ethiopia and Vietnam were equal with 3.4%.Coffee is a tough crop, and can be grown in areas where it is difficult or impossible to grow other crops. (9) However, disease is always problem for coffee production, as we can see in some parts of South America at the moment.ICO is active in educating farmers about avoiding disease and dealing with problems when they occur.The distribution chain varies from country to country, explains Pablo Dubois. In most countries the smaller farmers sell their crop to a local trader, who then sells it on to exporters. There are, however, other distribution systems. (10) ____________. Some countries, like Vietnam, have special government marketing organizations for coffee.Coffee prices often vary greatly from one year to the next. In 1997, for example, there was a large rise in the world price, which was immediately felt by the consumer. Rising prices always result in a drop in sales, which will have a bad effect on those developing countries, which are highly dependent on foreign exchange from coffee exports. (11)____________.In the opinion of Pablo Dubois, the biggest problem for his organisation is to create greater consumer awareness of the different varieties of coffee and different ways of preparing it. (12)____________. ICO is therefore concentrating its promotional activities on Russia and China. It is also encouraging environmentally friendly coffee production, and last year's seminar on coffee and the environment created a lot of interest.The future looks bright for the coffee industry. It is estimated that consumption over the next few years will continue to rise steadily. New markets like Eastern Europe and China are expected to develop fast. 
    A. As a result, the membership now represents 94% of all exporters and 60% of all importers.
    B. In some of these countries, this can amount to as much as 50% of all export earning.
    C. In North America, most consumers already have above average knowledge of the range available.
    D. For example, frost and wind are particularly damaging to coffee crops.
    E. Larger coffee growers, for example, frequently export directly.
    F. The main reason for this is higher Brazilian output as production recovers from weather damage to crops.
    G. It is cultivated in mountain regions which can only be reached by animal transport, and in other difficult areas where modern agricultural equipment cannot be used.
    H. This is because there is a demand for coffee in Germany, and it is also sold in the UK and in the US.
    I. This make the coffee industry fairly universal, according to Pablo Dubois, Head of the International Coffee Organisation (ICO), based in London.
    簡答題
    9、Part One
    You are the training manager of a company which has won a large export order. You have been asked to organize foreign language training for some of your staff.
    Write a memo of 30-40 words to staff:
    Explaining why the courses are necessary;
    Saying which members of staff should attend;
    Announcing when the courses will start;
    Write on your answer sheet.
    Part Two
    Your company exports to a number of countries around the world. The company is looking for new agents for international freight.
    Read the two advertisements below, on which you have made some notes.
    Then using the notes, write a short report for the Export Sales Manager, covering all your points and saying which agent you recommend.
    Write 100-120 words.
    Write on your answer sheet. 
    10、• Read the article below about the winner of a business award .
    • In most of the lines 34-45 there is one extra word . It is either grammatically incorrect or 
    doesn’t fit in the meaning of the text . Some lines, however, are correct .
    • If a line is correct , write CORRECT on your Answer Sheet .
    • If there is a extra word in the line , write the extra word in CAPITAL LETTER on your Answer Sheet.
    • The exercises begins with two examples , (0) and (00) .
    Examples
    

0
    

C
    

O
    

R
    

R
    

E
    

C
    

T
    

 
    

 
    

00
    

S
    

U
    

C
    

H
    

 
    

 
    

 
    

 
    

 
    


    

CHECKOUT      OPERATORS
    

 0   Supermarket checkout operators sit at electronic tills and fill in the prices of the
    

 00  customer’s goods . This is now done by “scanning”, pass each such item over
    

 34  a device that reads the bar-code on it and automatically registers it down in the
    

 35  till . They may weigh some products , such as for fruit , on scales near the
    

 36  till . When all the goods will have been scanned ,the till provides a total and the
    

 37  operators take payment in the cash , by cheque or by credit or debit card , and
    

 38  give a till receipt and any more change required . They provide bags , often
    

 39  help to pack purchase , and change paper till rolls as being necessary
    

 40  They also make it sure they have enough change , credit card forms ,and carrier
    

 41  bags . Operators ring a bell or buzzer to summon for a supervisor to help
    

 42  with problems , and put notes and cheques into bags for periodic collection .
    

 43  They enter into their personal details in the till , so that their performance can be
    

 44  analyzed later . The system offers supermarkets an efficient way of handling with a
    

 45  large number of customers purchasing many products and helps to keep checkout
    

     queues to a minimum .