2021年商务英语BEC考试中级练习题单项选择题1、根据下面资料，回答题Speaking Your Customers' LanguageModern international trading practices are highlighting the growing importance of language training.Modern-day business really does transcenD national barriers．Thanks to sophisticateD IT anD communications systems, businesses can now market their products on A．truly global scale．The worlD is indisputably becoming A．smaller place, as service anD manufacturing companies search the international marketplace for new suppliers anD clients．Businesses must, however, be aware that once they expanD the areA．in which they operate, they face increaseD competition．The standarD anD quality of their goods become increasingly important in keeping up with competitors．But most of all, it is the service element accompanying the goods which is crucial to A．company's success in A．particular market．This new philosophy has leD to many companies, some of which have even offereD products of A．lesser quality, gaining success overseas.Although globalization may, in some senses, have broughtnational economies closer together, societies arounD the worlD still have radically different expectations, processes anD standards．These are not A．function of economiC．change, but are more deep-rooteD anD difficult to alter．They can be A．major problem for businesses expanding abroad, with the greatest obstacle of all being the language barrier．If you have to deal with clients, suppliers anD distributors in A．range of countries, you will not only neeD the skills to communicate with them, you will also neeD to reconcile any national biases you have with the diverse ways of doing business that exist arounD the globe.The value of effective communication is not to be underestimated．New technology such as video-conferencing anD email has playeD A．part in making the communication process easier anD it may also be possible that the introduction of language interpretation software will help with some global communications problems．But, of course, it is the human element of the communication process thatis so vital in business, especially in negotiations, presentations anD team-building．It is essential for managers to meet regularly with staff, customers anDpartners, so that issues can be discussed, messages communicateD anD feedback obtained．The value of well-organizeD language training is immense, anD can bring benefits to all levels anD departments within A．multinational organization．Unfortunately, however, many organizations have A．very narrow view when it comes to training of any kind．Often, an urgent requirement has to be identifieD before training is authorized．Then, A．training company is employeD or A．programme is developeD in-house, the team is trained, anD that is seen as the enD of the matter．However, the fact remains that training programmes are effective only if they are relevant to A．company's broader, long-term needs．They shoulD be regardeD as an investment rather than A．cost.Changes in expectations anD attitudes are certain to continue for companies that trade globally．Although such companies are not yet faceD with their international partners anD clients demanding that business be conducteDin their mother tongue, they realize that overseas competition is increasingly fast．If these companies want to continue to achieve success on the international trading circuit, they must be prepareD to adapt to situations anDspeak the local language．If not, someone else will. According to the first paragraph, improveD communications have enableD companies to_______A．offer A．wider variety of products anD services B．expanD beyonD their domestiC．marketsC．perform better than their international competitors D．open more manufacturing facilities abroad2、根据下面资料，回答题The Bank with IdeasWith several hundreD years of history behindit, the APL Bank has few problems in (0)....B......businesses that it is Areputable anD secure (19)......of A．range of banking services．Now, it is demonstrating to business customers that it is flexible anD responsiveenough .to(20) ......their changing needs in the 21st century.BaseD in London, APL offers banking services to businesses throughout the UK viA．its branch (21)......Most customer service provision is (22).....out by personal account managers baseD in local branches, together with(23).....staff at company headquarters．An important(24).....．for APL has been to make it easy for customers to (25)......business with the bank．They can contact their account manager by direct line or email; if the manager is on holiday, A．carefully chosen colleague becomes the "account contact" and(26).....． with the customer during the manager's (27).....． In addition, for those who want (28).....to their bank at any time of day or night there is now A．24-hour phone-baseD service.In order to remain competitive anD builD customer loyalty, the bank guarantees to turn arounD urgent loan (29).....． within 24 hours．This focus on the customer has also been A．driving(30)....． in APL's recruitment anD development policy．For example, newly inducteDstaff(31)......A．"customer service review" to finD out what it is like to be on the other side of the desk, asking to borrow money．Together, these (32)......in banking have achieveD excellent results．The customer(33).. (i)growing fast, anD last year the bank gaineD 36,000 new business accounts.（19）选A．producerB．supplierC．providerD．giver3、根据下面资料，回答题AToo often we accuse others of not listening, pretendingthat we ourselves are faultless, yet in our hearts we know that many of the mistakes we make come about because we haven't listened carefully enough. We get things wrong because we haven't quite understood what someone meant when they were talking to us. Anyone who has ever taken the minutes of a long meeting will know how hard it is to remember - despite the benefit of notes -exactly what everyone said. But success depends on getting things right -and that means listening.BListening is not the same thing as hearing; it is not an effortless activity. It demands attention and concentration. It may mean quizzing the speaker for additional information or for clarification - it is alwaysbetter to ask than to continue regardless and get things wrong. However, if you allow your mind to wander onto something else, even for a few minutes, you'll miss what the speaker is saying - probably at the very moment when he or she is saying something critical. And not having heard, you won't know you've missed anything until it's too late.CThe most common bad habit we have is to start thinking of what we are going to say about the subject long before the other speaker has finished. We then stop listening. Even worse, this often adds rudeness to inattentiveness, as once you have decided what to say there is a fair chance youwill interrupt to say it. Good listeners don't interrupt. In fact, it is often worth explaining the main idea of what you have just been told before going on to make your own points. Nobody is offended by this and it shows that you have listened well.DAbove all, be patient and accept that many people are not very good communicators. It's helpful to remember that the ways people move and position themselves while they are speaking can reveal a great deal about what they aresaying. Equally importantly you should put yourself in the other person's shoes, both intellectually and emotionally;it will help you to understand what they are getting at and form a response. But don't be too clever. Faced with aknow-all, many people keep quiet because they see no pointin continuing.Sometimes it is necessary to insist on further explanation.4、根据下面内容，回答题Evaluating the Performance of the BoardFew 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 veryfew new or growing companies have managed to get round to establishing any such procedure.Many business experts believe, however, that it isimportant for all companies to reviewthe performance of the board．(8)....．Another reason isthat the board itself needs information on how well it isdoing, 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 beendealt with．F.It is generally agreed that it is the chairman's responsibility to ensure the regular appraisalof 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）应选5、根据下面内容，回答题Buffet ZoneLucy Robertson started working at a take-away food business to supplement her income during her student days at Edinburgh University. Several years later she had bought the business and now, 17 years on, she owns Grapevine Caterers, probably Scotland's leading independent caterers, with a turnover of almost ε6m.She had never planned to own a business, and had certainly never considered a career in catering. (0)...G… However, her unplanned career began in 1985, when she returned to Edinburgh and discovered that the takeaway she had workedin was up for sale. On impulse, she bought it, but admitsthat at the time she knew nothing about catering. (8).....It was a difficult time, but essential in terms of gaining the experience she needed. The late 1980s boom was good for business, with large numbers of office workers wanting takeaway food for their lunches. (9)..... "At one point there were 26 food outlets within a 5-kilometre radius," Robertson recalls, as the economy changed and the once packed office blocks started to become vacant, it became clear that Robertson would need to diversify. (10)......It changed the direction of the company for good. As Robertson began to win catering contracts, she decided that the company would have to move to larger premises. In 1994, the move was made when she bought another catering business that already had a number of profitable contracts for boardroom lunches.Meanwhile, Robertson's main competitor, the oldest catering company in Edinburgh, was causing her some anxiety. "Customer loyally is not to be underestimated," she warns. ButRobertson is not someone who is easily put off. (11)...... Partly as a result of this, turnover doubled,and having outgrown another site, Robertson bought a city-centre location for the group's headquarters.By now, Grapevine's main competitor was a new catering company called Towngates. Although Robertson tried to raise enough money to buy Towngates, she did not succeed. Then luck intervened and Towngates went bankrupt. (12)......Many accepted and the company's turnover went from ε700,000 to ε1.5 million almost overnight.However, the company's growth was not as smooth as it sounds in retrospect. Robertson admits, "We were close to the edge during the growth period. Like many under-capitalized companies trying to grow, it might easily have collapsed." But that, she feels, is the challenge of developing your own business.A．But there are plenty of similar contracts to be won in the east of Scotland before Robertson turns her attention elsewhere.B．Her way round this particular problem was to recruit the catering manager of the rivalcompany.C．But this demand was short-lived, and before long, increasing competition made it harderto make a profit. D．"It was a dramatic learning curve and very small amounts of money were earned at first," says Robertson.E．She decided that the solution, since many companiesrequired working lunches for meetings with clients, was to prepare and deliver meals to business premises.F．On hearing this, Robertson immediately contacted all of their clients and offered the services of Grapevine Caterers.G．Instead, she studied accountancy after leaving university, and a steady if unspectacular professional path seemed set.（8）应选填空题6、 1. Problems at Southford PlantDear MR Ballard,You asked for a brief report concerning the recent events at the Southford Plant.We have consulted the files and spoken to relevant members of the higher management and thus are able to provide an explanation for the breakdown reported in the press on 17 May of this year.____1____ The handling equipment used to deliver the components to the assembly line has been known to be inneed of an overhaul for the past six months. The plant has been working to full capacity to finish the American orders according to schedule.As you know, we had commissioned a study by Industrial Research Consultants. ____2____ In it they warned that there was not enough space available to store sufficient components ____3____We had decided to install fully automated robot system. However, at the same time it was clear to our production director that given the present maintenance staff, we would not have sufficient staff available if big problems were to arise____4____But we were still only working a two-shift system so the machines were not getting the necessary cover.We all agree that the breakdown was extremely unfortunate and yet we must admit that, under the circumstance, it was not entirely unexpected.We now believe that we have managed to sort out the major problems which we had been having with the conveyor equipment ____5____ Added to this is the fact that personnel department has been successful in recruiting some highly qualified maintenance staff who makes us confidentthat a repetition of the 16 May now seems entirely unlikely.A. They also recommended expanding the present two-shift system to a three-shift one.B. And also when the new robots are installed in September, we feel certain that such problems will become a thing of the past.C. Unfortunately, as you know, there has been a major problem with recognizing the maintenance schedule.D. The wide range of machine we operate is not fully supervised at all times.E. The cause of the breakdown was very simple.F. They submitted their report on April 5.G. There have been a number of delays and breakdowns in production recently which have been reported in the press.H. The firm has been advertising for maintenance engineers for some weeks.I. All the facilities in the plant will be coordinated to enable the workers to step up production of the new range of machines.7、Questions 8-12·Read this text about electrical power in Canada. ·Choose the best sentence from the list A-I to fill each of the blanks.·For each blank (8 - 12) mark one letter (A - I) on your Answer Sheet.·De not mark any letter twice.·One answer has been given as an example. ELECTRICITY: WEALTH, MONEY, POWERCanadian industries have prospered for more than a century on the country’s abundance of cheap, reliable electrical power. ____ example ____. In fact, Canada consumes more electricity on a per person basis than any country except for Norway ____ 8 ____Electricity is a significant source of export incomefor Canada. ____ 9 ____ But in the 1970s , Canadian exports rose sharply to address the U. S. demand for cheaper and more reliable.In 1985, exports of Canadian electrical power reached 1,400 million US dollars ____. 10 ____. Net electricity exports account for more than 60% of Canada’s balance of trade.Domestically, Canada continues to generate electrical power, primarily from water ____ 11 ____ Exports of electricity are now subject to forces far beyond thecontrol of utility managers ____ 12 ____Example: BA. Besides, electricity from coal and nuclear is 50% to 75% cheaper than many other industrial nations.B. Generated primarily by water, our power supplies have attracted and supported energy-intensive industries such as mining.C. It also ranks among the top three electricity producers in the world, behind the U. S. and Russia.D. Next to electricity, Canadian paper exports came to 900 million US dollars every year in the 1960s.E. Two large nuclear power plants began to generate electricity.F. Since then, electricity’ exports have declined but they have continued to exceed 700 million US dollars.G. Environmental and trade policies all influenceelectrical production and trade.H. Canada and the U. S. imported and exported power in almost equal measures after 1901.I. Therefore, the Canadian government has little influence on these forces.8、Questions 17-20• Using the information in the text, complete each sentence 17-20 with a phrase A-G from the list below.• For each question 17-20, mark one letter (A-G) on your Answer Sheet.• Do not use any letter more than once.17 Most people agree that the recent increase in stress is due to changes in ____________.18 The trainees are taught that the right level of stress at work is important for good.19 Trainees learn that one way of limiting stress is by deciding upon.20 One of the most important parts of the course is learning how to react to___A levels of performanceB shorter deadlinesC employment practicesD higher levels of sicknessE unfair demandsF successful management structureG practical targets简答题9、Part OneYou are Head of Research for an international car manufacturer. You have to make an urgent trip tomorrow to visit Pierre Blanco, a colleague who works for a subsidiary.Write a memo of 30-40 words to your secretary.Telling her who you are going to see and when;Asking her to book flight tickets and accommodation;Telling her what work you would like her to do in your absence;Write on your answer sheet.You are the manager of a TV and radio repair workshop. One of your employees has received the letter below about a faulty cassette player which he inspected. He has written his comments on the customer’s letter and asked you to write a reply.Write a letter of 100-120 words to the customer, using the employee’s comments and explaining why your company cannot repair the cassette player.Do not include addresses.Write on your answer sheet.10、Part OneYou are the Manager of a small printing company. A new employee, Mark McCabe, is joining your company on 10th May. Write a short memo to your office administrator:Saying who is starting work and when;Telling him what Mark McCabe’s job will be;Suggesting where Mark McCabe’s desk should be put;Write 30-40 words on your answer sheet.You were sent on a residential training course for five days. Unfortunately the course was very badly run and there were a lot of problems with it. The advert below shows the details of the course, together with your comments.Write a report for your manager on the course (100-120 words). Describe the problems with the course and suggest what your company should do.Write on your answer sheet.。
