2017年1月广东省高等教育自学考试商务英语阅读试题（课程代码 05439）I. Translate the following words or phrases into Chinese (10%)1. fiscal year2. mortgage bond3. cover letter4. job opening5. price discrimination6. modes of conduct7. legal tender 8. consumer preferences9. inflation 10. discount couponⅡ. Translate the following words or phrases Into English (10%)11．控股公司 12．账面利润 13．上市公司14．商业银行 15．流动资金 16．国有银行17．资金注入 18．货币贬值 19．提货单 20. 运营费用Ⅲ. Choose the best answer to fill in the blanks (10%)21. A______ is a letter tailored to a specific company explaining why you are the best candidate for a particular job.A. reference letterB. recommendation letterC. self-introduction letterD. cover letter22. If competitors get together to raise or lower prices, this act is_________.A. price discriminationB. deceptive pricingC. resale price maintenanceD. price fixing23. A (n) _________ is an accounting statement that shows a firm’s status on the last day of an accounting period.A. income statementB. net income sheetC. balance sheetD. income sheet24. On a loan that is legal, the courts will allow a lender to collect only his principal when_____.A. there is no fixed interest rateB. the interest rate is very lowC. the borrower can’t pay the interestD. the lender demands an interest more than the state law allows25. The insurance companies base their costs on _________.A. the pool of people sharing the riskB. the cost each member of the pool paysC. the theory of probabilityD. past experience26. Owners of_________ have rights to vote for directors at the annual meeting of the corporation and to share any profits or losses.A. preferred stocksB. deferred stocksC. stock certificatesD. common stocks27. _________is reached when the money from the sales of a product equals the total costs and expenses involved in producing and marketing it.A. The selling pointB. The ultimate pointC. The break-even pointD. The final goal28. Now more and more women go shopping with an incomplete shopping list or without list at all. It is mainly because _________.A. it is troublesome to make a complete shopping listB. there are too many kinds of merchandise for them to choose fromC. merchandise is usually displayed on open shelves, which will remind them of the items theywant to buyD. without a shopping list, they are free to buy whatever they want to buy29. When one buys a fund, the most important thing for him to do is_________.A. to read the fund’s prospectus carefullyB. to fill out some formsC. to pay a sales commission called “load”D. to match his personal objective with that of the fund30. For a company, the strength of publicity is _________.A. being flexibleB. reaching a larger number of audiencesC. avoiding media costsD. saving preparation timePart Ⅱ. Reading ComprehensionIV. In this part, there are some reading passages followed by 15 questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four answers marked A, B, C and D. You should decide on the best one according to your understanding (30%)Passage 1Parker Pen’s Globalization StrategyWhen Parker Pen Company decided to launch a global marketing strategy 20 years ago, some observers were puzzled. Although Parker’s name was well-known, the Wisconsin-based company brought limited resources to the task. Annual sales of Parker writing instruments had never exceeded $225 million, and the company had never budgeted more than $20 million a year for advertising. Still, Parker’s high-quality products were sold in 154 countries, and its marketingexecutives were eager to design and implement a global strategy for Parker Pen. In their view, cultural and competitive similarities would be more important than differences, meaning that the same product could be sold the same way in many different markets, and with much lower marketing costs. They believed, in short, that Parker Pen would provide a classic test of global marketing theory.Parker’s then president, James Peterson, also believed that global marketing would be crucial to the survival of the faltering company. The company’s weaknesses had been obscured for years by strong overseas sales and a weak U. S. dollar. At home, not only were competitors introducing mass-marketed, disposal pens, but even as Parker attempted to guard its reputation for quality, the company was losing its share of the domestic expensive-pen market to A. T. Cross Company and Sheaffer Eaton. Furthermore, Parker’s manufacturing process was inefficient. New-product development had been neglected, and advertising worldwide, which had been left to local marketers, was handled by more than forty different agencies. Profits were plunging, and most of the profits were generated by Manpower Temporary Services, a subsidiary of Parker Pen.Peterson’s first move was to streamline Parker’s operations by cutting the payroll by half, reducing the product line from 500 different writing instruments to 100, and spending $20 million to upgrade Parker’s manufacturing facilities. Then Peterson and his marketing team embarked on a two-pronged program with far-reaching consequences. They began production of cheap pens that could compete in the under- $3 market, and they standardized everything associated with Parker products under a “global umbrella”. From then on, all packaging and point-of-sale display materials would use the same striking block motif. The advertising budget would be centralized, and one advertising agency would handle accounts worldwide. A single theme-“Make your mark with a Parker”-would be used for all products and in all markets, and advertisements would feature the same graphics, photography, and typefaces; only the languages of the copy would vary. In addition, advertising would spotlight Parker’s new, inexpensive products instead of the quality pens that were the company’s trademark.These two decisions-to produce cheap pens and to use a uniform marketing strategy for all Parker products-were eventually considered major blunders by many inside Parker Pen. Long-time Parker Pen employees objected that the lower-quality pens ran counter to Parker’s carefully nurtured status image. Parker’s European manager argued that advertising should take into account the differences among markets.However, Parker’s new management insisted that the company’s future lay in high-tech. High-volume production of cheap pens for a global market, and implementation of new strategy proceeded. At first, sales of the new roller-ball pen and other writing instruments increased. Then, just as demand was picking up, the automated production line began to shut down repeatedly. Parker employees were forced to return to the assembly lines to take over for the malfunctioningsystems. The defect rate soared, and before the problems were resolved, the marketing division set aside strategies and forecasts and sold whatever products were available.A few months later, the global advertising campaign was launched. In accordance with the “one product, one market” policy, advertisements for different markets had identical layout, illustrations, and text; only the languages in which they were written were different. Because the theme was so general, the advertisements appealed to no one in particular, especially not to those buyers who viewed writing instruments as status symbols. Resentment against the global marketing strategy mounted within the company, and when the failure of the advertising campaign could no longer be ignored, Peterson resigned, followed by his hand-picked marketing executives. The pen business suffered a $500,000 loss and was purchased in 1986 by a group of Parker’s international managers and a British venture capital company.Now based in Newhaven, England, Parker Pen Ltd. is a profitable company, with 2000 pretax profits of 8 million. Although the reorganized firm used the now-functioning Wisconsin plant and owes some of its success to the greater operating efficiency the former management brought about, the new owners have instituted several policies of their own. Parker’s inexpensive pens receive less emphasis in advertising, and plans to produce disposable pens were dropped. The company is working to restore its reputation for quality and reliability. It intends to add perceived value, rather than volume, to its products. In addition, except for the marketing of the company’s Duofold Centennial model, a $312 18-carat goldnib fountain pen targeted to a tiny market segment, global advertising has been abandoned.31. Before the practice of its global marketing strategy, Parker Pen Company _________.A. was an international company with an increasingly large market shareB. had not been doing well and was at a critical momentC. had been eager to push up sales in the international marketD. enjoyed satisfactory sale performances and was ready for the new move32. What problem did Peterson fail to address in his two moves?A. Inadequate manufacturing facilitiesB. Specialized product rangeC. Employment of various advertising agenciesD. Neglect of quality product development33. Parker Pen’s top management insisted on producing lower-quality pens because________.A. they found quality pens did not sell as cheap onesB. they believed cheap pens would be more popular in the global marketC. they deemed quality pens responsible for the company’s declining market shareD. they found it more profitable to produce cheap pens34. We can learn from the passage that the global advertising campaign ________.A. was a moderate successB. was a total failureC. met with strong resistance from the company’s long-time employeesD. resulted in the company’s mergence with an American business35. Which of the following can NOT account for Peterson’s decision?A. He and his management were confident of the success of their new strategy.B. He intended to adopt a new strategy to help the company to prosper.C. He was eager to help the company to break free from its troubles.D. He failed to take timing into consideration.Passage 2Famous AmosToday, most of us recognize Wally “Famous”Amos, the man who gave his name to the original gourmet cookie. The company founded by Amos has achieved nationwide distribution of several flavors of its cookies in stores and has scattered retail stores world-wide, with franchises in Japan, Australia, and Canada, as well as the United States.In 1988, Wally Amos was just another talent agent trying to succeed in Hollywood. However, he soon developed another calling. Friends told him that the cookies he made were so good that he should sell them, and eventually Amos took their advice. Some of these friends backed up their advice by investing $25,000 in his venture, the Famous Amos Chocolate Chip Cookie Company, and the world’s first gourmet cookie shop opened in 1988. It was an instant success.News of Famous Amos spread by word of mouth, and in a classic example of great demand, consumers would walk into stores and ask the owners why they did not stock Famous Amos cookies. The company relied solely on this informal sort of marketing for its first five years.When Amos started his company, he had made no plans for such growth. His first retail “hot bake” shop appeared to be earning a profit and, after all, in his words, “All I wanted to do was make a living.” Consumer demand grew and requests began to pour in from other areas, but Amos did not have the funds to expand his cookie shop concept into a chain. He also wanted to avoid the risk of expanding through borrowing funds. Then the idea struck him just as it had McDonald’s Ray Kroc 30 years earlier: franchising. The firm distributed its frozen dough directly to the franchised “hot bake” shops located in suburban shopping centers and downtown walk-in locations.Amos also used other distribution alternatives to set the cookies into supermarkets, convenience outlets, “mom-and-pop”stores, and gift shops that make up the Famous Amos market, by contracting with an independent wholesale distributor. This distribution channel saved the company the cost of starting its own network, while giving it access to an already established distribution system, without which the young company might have failed. Even though many storeowners were unhappy about doing business with products offering such a low markup, consumer demand was so strong that retailer complaints soon fell to a trickle and distribution became more widespread.Famous Amos tailored its cookies to its markets. Frozen dough was shipped directly to the firm’s franchised “hot bake” shops. For supermarkets, it offered several different sizes of cookies, and set up racks for the packages in the fresh baked goods section, rather than on the cookie shelf. For convenience stores, one-and-two-ounce bags were created to save and to encourage impulse sales. It now makes several flavors of cookies (oatmeal-based cookies are the nation’s best sellers).Demand was created in part by the cookie’s taste. The gourmet cookie shop concept was entirely novel, and to outlast the novelty, Famous Amos cookies had to be good. But while consumers like the taste of the cookies (a recent Consumer Report’s test rated famous Amos’s chocolate chip cookies one of the best-tasting brands available), much of the success of FamousAmos is based on effective person marketing. Wally Amos’s winning grin gleams from each package of Famous Amos cookies, and his presence seems to give the cookies an identity that its competitors lack.John Rosica, a public relations executive with the company, called Wally “a perpetual promotion”. In recognition of his role in the company’s success, the Smithsonian’s collection of Advertising History includes his Panama hat and brightly patterned Indian gauze shirt.By the late I 990s, interest in the gourmet cookie had waned so that only a few locations could support bake shops devoted exclusively to cookies. Famous Amos decided to change its placement from gourmet cookie to high-quality family cookie. Package sizes were changed from 21/2-, 7-, and 16- ounce packages to 12-ounce size for wholesale distribution to grocery store outlets and a 30-ounce size for food-club stores. A 2-ounce package was also developed to be sold through vending machines. As of 2002, there were only a few bake shop franchises operating 15 stores, and Famous Amos was restricting itself to making finished cookies.Even though Amos sold his ownership interest in the firm in 1998, Famous Amos continued to rely solely on promotions that feature Wally. Among the most successful promotions have been its efforts at cause marketing. The company worked in conjunction with literacy councils in several American cities, having stores contribute a percentage of profits to literacy programs. Such promotions resulted in greatly increased sales, including a 38 percent sales jump in Philadelphia.36. Wally Amos is __________.A. the man who once a successful figure in HollywoodB. the man who originated the idea of gourmet cookieC. the man who had a cookie store in the United StatesD. the man who originated the idea of franchise operation37. Initially, Wally Amos started his business__________.A. to satisfy his interest in baking cookiesB. to build a chain of cookie shops eventuallyC. to help him make a livingD. to become a famous businessman38. Which of the following is NOT one of the reasons why Wally Amos’s company succeeds?A. Wide channels of distribution of its cookies.B. Adaptation of its cookies to different markets.C. Uniform taste of its cookies sold at all its outlets.D. Effective person marketing.39. In the development of the company, Wally Amos’s most important role is __________.A. using his image to promote the company’s cookiesB. using his influence to open more channels of distributionC. using his relationship to get more government fundsD. using his experience to develop different tastes of cookies40. What remained the same after Wally Amos sold his ownership interest in the company?A. Its management staff.B. Its line of product.C. Its sales volume.D. Its promotion methods.Passage 3As a manager in the service industry sector, I’ve looked at hundreds of CVs in my time. They are not necessarily the bland documents some bosses might think they are! They are full of little pointers towards individuals personalities and suitability for the job. The first thing I always look at is an applicant’s employment record. I check for continuity and stability. If somebody has a long list of previous jobs, all of varying length, alarm bells start ringing. Rather than an irregular route from job to job, what I hope to see is stable career progression. What does their career path look like-is it all steps forward, or are there a lot of sideways moves? And I am always pleased to find a family person with children, because in my experience they tend to be responsible and reliable.I never rely on CVs alone. We get applicants to fill in one of our own application forms. We ask why they’ve applied, what their aspirations and personal goals are, and also about their interests and hobbies and any clubs they belong to. That gives you a useful insight into their personality and lifestyle. The application form also enables us to test how much people have actually been progressing in their careers, because we ask for details of the salaries they have received for each job.It’s always worth looking at CVs and designing application forms with great care. Taking on employees might be rewarding, but it is also a big investment for any business. Mistakes in choosing staff can cost companies dear, so it makes sense to spend time ensuring you get the right person.In the service sector, one of the aims of companies is to maintain and improve customer service, and this is achieved partly through low staff turnover. You need to take on people who understand that, and will want to stay. That’s why, when you’ve taken staff on, the next thing is getting the best out of them.My management style comes from the days when I took over my first business, an ailing road haulage firm which I was certain I could turn into a profitable company. The first thing is to treat others as you’d like to be treated yourself. As soon as I took over the business, I talked to everybody individually, and looked for ways to make sure their particular skills benefited the company.I didn’t have much experience then of managing people, but above all I always tried to be fair and honest with everyone. As a result, I think the staff knew that and accepted my decisions, even if they didn’t agree with them all. Also, bosses must be able to communicate. You also need to create team spirit, and build on the strength of the team. I explained my plans for the company to all the staff, and let them all know what I needed from them. The lorry drivers responded brilliantly, and were the key to turning the business round. They understood that we had to develop a professional reputation, and from then on the days of poor quality deliveries were over.Lastly, I am a great believer in profit-sharing. It takes a team to make a company work, so profits should be shared by all. Job satisfaction is important, but it doesn’t pay the rent. Shared profit and bonuses help to strengthen team spirit by giving everyone a common goal that they work towards together.41. What fact does the writer hope to learn from applicants CVs?A. Whether they have experience of many different jobs.B. Whether their careers have developed steadily.C. The opinion their employers had of them.D. Whether they are married or single.42. The writer says the application form is useful because it________.A. reveals something of the applicant’s characterB. gives information about the applicant’s familyC. explains what skills the applicant has for the jobD. shows how much the applicant wants to earn43. According to the writer, why are CVs and application forms so important?A. Interviewing people is an expensive process.B. They indicate whether applicants really want the job.C. They indicate whether applicants are efficient or not.D. Employing the wrong people can be disastrous.44. One reason why the writer was successful in her first business was that ______.A. she was used to dealing with peopleB. she was open with the staffC. the business was already doing well when she startedD. the staff agreed with all her decisions45. Which would make the best title for this text?A. Profit-sharing as MotivationB. How I Turned a Business RoundC. People-the Key to Business SuccessD. The Importance of a Well-presented CVV. Read the following passages and finish the exercises of each one (40%):Passage 4The economic phenomena of the Barbie doll helped explain the reason why an increasing number of Chinese enterprises purchase well-known brands overseas. Like the recent case of a Chinese enterprise purchasing the Volvo.The viewpoint held by Taodong, economist from UBS, is frequently borrowed by Chinese government officials and enterprises. Tao claimed that the price of a plastic Barbie doll is $20, from which Chinese manufacturers could only gain 35 cents. The lesson we could learn from this case is that it is brand that can bring profits, not “working” for overseas enterprises.The large-scale overseas M&A of China are mostly carried out by state-owned business, and their main targets are mine and oil fields, by which the raw materials of the fast-developing economy of China could be assured. On the other hand, a trend has began several years before-in hope of catching up with international competition, the ambitious private-run businesses are busy purchasing overseas brands. However, analysts indicated that this fast- developing trend would probably -lead to the overseas rebound. Moreover, because those requiring enterprises lack experience of international M&A, it would cost an arm and a leg.“Many Chinese enterprises have ranked in the list of Fortune 500, and they wish to continue improving their fame world-wide.” He Yuxin, an analyst of Long Zhou Jing Financial Research and Consulting Institution said.For the past 10 years, China has been encouraging its enterprises to “go global fearlessly”and to realize the Economic Diversification. The statistics data given by Chinese CommerceDepartment showed that from 2007 to 2008, Chinese investments abroad had more than doubled, reaching 55.9 million dollars.The tide of merging in China reminds people of Japan in the 1980s. At that time, the Japanese’s purchase of “Pebble Beach” Golf Course in California and Rockefeller Center in NY stirred up American’s unrest-they feared that Japan would rule the world.Similar resist also impediment some large-scaled M&A deals. Disputes exist about whether China will commit the same mistake as Japan. Huo Jianguo, dean of the College of International Trade and Economic Coorporation of Chinese Commerce Department, said that Chinese government would continue objecting strongly to M&A deals in sensitive industries such as oil enterprises. “However,” he said, “if the project is based on mutual reciprocity and profits, and meantime drives local employments and tax income, it will surely be accepted and promoted.”Cash-starved enterprises give warm welcome to Chinese investers and mergering proposals. General Motors lapped at selling its Hummer to Teng Zhong Industry Coorporation in Sichuan province, China. Chinese government, however, rejected the deal.A. Mark the following statements true (T) or false (F) according to the passage.(10%)46. An increasing number of Chinese enterprises purchase well-known brands overseas in orderto develop domestic brand.47. Several overseas companies have already been successfully acquired by Chinese state-ownedenterprises.48. Chinese enterprises can offer lower prices in international acquisition.49. Japanese companies used to be very active in international acquisition during the 1980s.50. Chinese government is cautious towards international acquisition.Passage 5A report by Boston Consulting Group (B CC) says China represents the second largest market in Asia excluding Japan, with about US $1. 44 trillion in assets being managed for wealthy individuals defined as those whose annual income is above US $100, 000.BCG’s survey of retail banks reveals that the average private banking customer can be 10 times more profitable than an average mass market retail customer, a statistic that explains why banks are paying increasing attention to the wealthy.(56) Facing the emerging wealth management market, Chinese banks have made impressive headway in the creation of new wealth management products and services. There are now more than 20 kinds of wealth management products on offer at the state-owned big four banks and national joint-stock banks. The China Everbright Bank’s November 2005 financial report shows a 20 billion yuan (US $2.5 billion) wealth management revenue, up 50 per cent over last year.Chinese banks, especially the State-owned big four, have inherent advantages in wealth management. (57) They have a large customer base and an extensive service network that offers customers accessibility and convenience. Managers at the big banks also tend to have a good relationship with local customers.However, analysts believe that, although the level of personal assets held in financial institutions in China is significant, wealth management products and services offered by Chinese banks are still relatively unsophisticated.Deng Junhao, vice president and director of BCG points out that China’s typical wealth management offering as more “hardware” than “software”.(58) Key issues that continue to stymie domestic banks’ progress include a lack of properly-trained managers, limited differentiation of customers, limited products and similar brands.Despite having 20 kinds of products to choose between, there is actually little separating them. Brands do not have a sufficiently unique or differentiated product to target specific types of customers.Competitive threatThere is only one year left until the Chinese banking market is fully liberalized and foreign institutions are able to serve individual customers in renminbi-based business.(59) Foreign banks have already experimented and learned about the market despite regulatory limitations over the type of businesses they can operate. Standard Chartered Bank has offered an “SC Priority Banking” card for customers with quarterly average account balances of US $100,000 or the equivalent, while Citibank has launched its “Citigold” product for customers with monthly average account balances of US $100, 000 or the equivalent. Both banks have set up dedicated wealth management centres in key cities such as Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen.Foreign banks have many competitive advantages over local banks including brand names with internationally recognized prestige and trust, experience and expertise in a broader range of investment products and advisory models, established operational models, particularly processes, systems and policies, and capabilities to attract, train and retain the best talent.(60) Foreign banks will create tough competition in the wealth management market, as they enter the retail market and attempt to pick the most attractive customers. Unless Chinese banks can respond, there is a real and significant threat that many wealthy customers will be lured away by the highly-evolved products and services foreign banks can offer.B. Answer the following questions or complete the statements according to your understandingof the passage. (10%)51. In China, banks are paying increasing attention to the wealthy because ________.。
