Text 3Reading 1 hour
PART ONE
Questions 1 – 8
●Look at the statements below and at the five extracts on the opposite page from an article
giving advice to self-employed consultants about negotiating fees for their services.
●Which book (A, B, C,D or E) dose each statement 1 –8 refer to ?
●For each statement ! – 8, make one letter (A, B, C,D or E) on your Answer Sheet .
2 The best result of negotiation is when both parties have a sense of satisfaction.
3Accepting a lower fee might have benefits in the future.
4It is important to know how much other people are charging for similar work.
5You should ask for a fee in excess of what you expect to get.
6Offer the other party incentives to agree to your fee.
7Other people’s reactions to you are influenced by your body language.
8It may become obvious that you have come to regret a deal you have made.
Questions9– 14
●Read the text about training progammes.
●Choose the best sentence from the opposite page 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)
REAL TRAINING FOR ALL-ACTION MANAGERS
Learning by doing is familiar to every manager sent on a training course. Invariably this involves role-play based on studies of long-ago triumphs and disasters from a relevant industry or organization. (0)_H_ The problem is, any experience of decision-making gained from role-play has one obvious shortcoming: it is not real life.
To tackle this dilemma, some of the best-known companies have set up the International Management Development Consortium, which provides a range of executive development programmes for staff members. (9)____ What this means is that they involve ‘action learning’ through real-life situations, and participants work as problem-solving consultants on projects within companies engaged in day-to-day business.
(10)____ Within this they also take training and refresher courses in traditional business skills such as finance, marketing, staff management and strategic planning. These disciplines are taught by a mix of academics, business people and senior managers from Consortium companies who also monitor the consultancy work.
More than 100 of these consultancy projects have been undertaken so far, and many more are to come. (11)____ Generally, those who choose to attend the course come from various countries, reflecting the multi-national nature of companies within the Consortium.
(12)____ As a result of this cross-cultural exchange, the people on the course learn a great deal from each other- and often keep in contact on a professional level long after the end of their course.
The Consortium says language difficulties are not a problem when consultancies are undertaken for foreign companies on site. A translator is on hand to deal with difficulties which arise from technical terms or jargon.
(13)____ This is because they are not charged consultancy fees, although a nominal sum is payable for administration. The funding for the scheme is provided by each Consortium member who contributes to the cost of running the training courses, and the amount involved is considerably less than fees charged by leading business schools. (14)____ ‘it is,’ says the Chairman, ‘a real learning experience with techniques that can easily be used back at work..’
A They are being offered by companies who
are aware of the benefits of the range of
knowledge offered by the people on the
course.
B As well as the savings, there are also the
dividends it pays in the form of improved
staff performance.
C The difference between these programmes
and the average executive course,
however, is that these courses are based
on the concept of ‘live’ consultancy.
D In this way, participants can also
benchmark themselves against the best
members from a range of Consortium
companies.E This means that within every training
group there will be a wide variety of
experience, which is discussed and
explored by the group.
F Typically, groups of up to six course
members undertake projects as part of
this development programme.
G Another major advantage is that these
companies usually get their problems
solved very cheaply.
H Managers are typically cast as key figures
in these dramas, the comparisons are
made later between how they dealt with
the fictional situation and the actual
event.
PART THREE
Questions 15– 20
●Read the following article about business schools and the questions on the opposite page .
●For each question 15 – 20 , mark one letter (A, B, C or D ) on your Answer Sheet for the
answer you choose.
In terms of pure quantity of research and debate, business schools have performed amazingly in promoting management as a distinctive activity. No other discipline has produced as much in such a short period. It is unclear yet how much of it will stand the test of time, but for sheer industry, the business school deserve credit. Not a day goes by without another wave of research papers, books, articles, and journals.
In these terms, schools have produced a generally accepted theoretical basis for management. When it comes to knowledge creation, however, they find themselves in difficulties. They are caught between the need for academic rigour and for real-world business relevance, which tend to pull in opposite directions. The desire to establish management as a credible discipline leads to research that panders to traditional academic criteria.
The problem for business school researchers is that they seek the approval of their academic peers rather than the business community. In the United States this has led to the sort of grand ‘paper clip counting’ exercises that meet demands for academic rigour but fail to add one iota to the real sum of human knowledge.
Business schools have too often allowed the constraints of the academic world to cloud their view of the real world. Business school researchers seek provable theories – rather than helpful theories. They have championed a prescriptive approach to management based on analysis and, more recently, on fashionable ideas that soon disappear into the ether. The ‘one best way’ approach encourages researchers to mould the idiosyncrasies of managerial reality into their tightly defined models of behaviour. Figures and statistics are fitted into linear equations and tidy models. Economists and other social scientists label this cure smoothing.
Meanwhile, reality continually refuses to co-operate.
Central to this is the tension between relevance and rigour. In a perfect world, there would be no need to choose between the two. But in the business school world, the need to satisfy academic criteria and be published in journals often tilts the balance away from relevance. In other words, it is often easier to pursue quantifiable objectives than it is to add anything useful to the debate about management. To a large extent, the entire business school system works against useful, knowledge-creating research. Academics have five years in which to prove themselves if they are to make the academic grade. It seems long enough. But it can take two or even three years to get into a suitable journal. They therefore have around three years, probably less, to come up with an area of interest and carry out meaningful and original research. This is a demanding timescale. The temptation must be to slice up old data in new ways rather than pursue genuinely groundbreaking, innovative research.
It is a criticism also made by some business school insiders. “Academic journals tend to find more and more techniques for testing more and more obscure theories. They are asking trivial questions and answering them exactly. There has to be a backlash,” says Julian Birkinshaw of London Business School. In large part, the problem goes back to a time when business schools were trying to establish themselves. Up until the 1960s, American business schools were dismissed as pseudo-academic institutions, including the universities of which they often formed a part, regarded them as a little more than vocational colleges. Since then, most of the leading schools have undergone major reassessments and introduced sweeping changes. However, it is questionable whether those changes have gone far enough.
15 What does the first paragraph suggest about the research generated by business
schools?
A Its quality is variable.
B Its lasting value is uncertain.
C It has always been produced too quickly.
D It has had no influence on management.
16In paragraph two, the writer argues that business school research
A takes a negative view of the business community.
B has failed to give credibility to management as a discipline.
C is directed at the wrong audience.
D does not stand up to academic scrutiny.
17 In the third paragraph, the writer criticizes the theories of management produced
by business schools for being
A incomprehensible.
B contradictory.
C vague.
D inflexible.
18In the fourth paragraph, the writer says that the business school system causes academics to
A be satisfied with reinterpreting previous research.
B avoid complicated business issues.
C concentrate on very narrow fields of study.
D focus on topics no longer relevant to business needs.
What do we learn about business schools in the last paragraph?
A They are reluctant to admit to failings.
B They resent criticism of their academic journal.
C They used to be looked down on by other institutions.
D They are comfortable with the current situation.
19What is the writer’s purpose in this text?
A to express regret at the growth of business schools
B to point out a weakness in the approach of business schools
C to criticize business school for producing bad academics
D to forecast the eventual collapse of business schools
PART FOUR
Questions 21 -30
●Read the article below about expanding a retail business.
●Choose the correct word to fill each gap from (A, B, C or D) on the opposite page.
●For each question 21-30,mark one letter (A, B, C or D) on your Answer Sheet.
●There is an example at the beginning, (0)
Should you open a second branch?
Choosing to expand your business by opening a second location can be one of the best decisions you’ll ever (0)____, or one of the worst. Before you (21)____ at a decision, there are several things you should check to see if you are ready to take this big step towards expansion.
Firstly – your cash flow. Like starting up any business, a second location (22)____ a large initial investment and usually takes a long time to turn a profit. Look at your firm’s accounts carefully. If these (23)____ that you cannot afford a long-term drain on your financial resources, then it is probably better to wait.
Secondly – your personnel and systems. If you don’t have a management team (24)____ place already, you should probably think about establishing one before opening a second branch. The same (25)____ in the case of operating systems and controls. The better organized your business now, the better organized your second location will be, too.
Also, you need to think about your market. Is your current site doing as much business as it can (26)____, or are there ways you could grow without opening a second branch? Try expanding internally first. Similarly, don’t (27)____ that just because your business is successful in one town, it will immediately succeed in a (28)____ community. Research your potential markets before setting up shop, and (29)____ your new branch to answer the specific needs of these markets. Finally, be realistic about the time you need to invest to make a second location work. You don’t
22 A contains B includes C involves D consists
23 A tell B present C show D exhibit
24 A at B in C by D to
25 A applies B refers C concerns D relates
26 A deal B hold C handle D cope
27 A assume B trust C rely D count
28 A connecting B neighbouring C surrounding D matching
29 A invent B amend C design D innovate
30 A through B up C down D on PART FIVE
Questions31-40
●Read the article below about a successful airline .
●For each question 31-40, write one word in CAPITAL LETTERS on your Answer Sheet .
●There is an example at the beginning, (0) .
Example :
A
SUCCESSFUL AIRLINE
Executives at Fastline, now (0)____ of
the country’s largest airlines, were in
optimistic mood at the
press
conference they held yesterday afternoon. They announced that they were (31)____ a position to revise the company’s full-year profits forecast sharply upward (32)____ a result of an exceptionally strong performance over the last nine months. Profits during this period rose by very (33)____ 50 per cent compared with the same period last year. The company feels confident that this performance will continue throughout the remainder of the year. It is expected (34)_____will be a 40 per cent increase in profits for the full year compared with the 15 per cent that had been indicated (35)____ the half-year stage.
During the year, (36)____than raise its fares as most other airlines did in response to higher fuel costs, Fastline stuck to its decision to keep fares at the same level as last year. This must account to (37)_____ extent for the significant rise (38)____ only in the number of passengers booked on flights, but also in the amount of freight carried.
The airline has also confirmed that it is in negotiations with another airline to sell the whole of (39)____ 20 per cent holding in Border Air. However, executives are refusing to reveal the name of the interested party until a definite agreement (40)____ reached.
PART FIVE
Questions41 - 52
●Read the text of the job advertisement below.
●In most of the lines 41 - 52 there is one extra word. It is either grammatically incorrect of
does not fit in with the sense of the text. Some lines, however,are correct .
●If a line is correct, write CORRECT on your Answer Sheet.
●If there is an extra word in the line ,write the extra word in CAPITAL LETTERS on your
Answer Sheet .
●The exercise begins with two examples, (0) and (00) .
Example :
COMMERCIAL DITECTOR REQUIRED
0We are a dynamic and ambitious food manufacturer supplying the grocery sector
00 and are entering an extremely exciting period of new change as we focus on our
41strategy how to achieve market leadership. We are at present seeking a new
42commercial director. If you are the type of a person who can demonstrate the
43energy and insight to drive a business forward looking as part of a team, this may
44well be the perfect opening for you. We need appoint a committed professional who 45will assume full responsibility for the company’s entire commercial operation. The 46commercial director will have report directly to the general manager and will be
47expected to provide with both leadership and hands-on coaching to the staff. This
48high-profile role will involve in the implementing and developing of commercial
49strategies that will make maximize the profitable growth of the company. The
50person appointed will already have demonstrated sure success at a senior
51commercial level for a minimum of three years time in a food manufacturing
52company and will possess exceptional leadership qualities and commercial skills.
Writing 1 hour 10 minutes
Part one
Question 1
●The chart below shows the percentages of a company’s turnover which were contributed by its main product areas in three successive years.
●Using the information in the chart , write a short report comparing the contributions of the three products to turnover in the three years.
●Write 120-140 words on a separate sheet.
Part two
●Write an answer to one of the question 2-4 in this part. Write your answer
in 200-250 words.
Question 2
●t he Sales Manager in your company is looking for a venue where he can hold a three-day conference for sales staff. You have recently attended a conference at the Marston Conference Centre and the Sales Manager has asked you to prepare a report on the suitability of the Centre for his conference.
●Write your report for the Sales Manager.
●Describing your experience of the venue when you attended the conference there
●Assessing the positive and negative aspects of the venue
●Making a recommendation as to its suitability for your company’s conference
Question 3
●You are dissatisfied with the poor service that has recently been provided by the company responsible for delivering your products to your customers.
●Write a letter to the company:
●Informing them of the fall in the standard of their service
●Explaining why you are dissatisfied
●Describing the bad effect the service has on your business
●Detailing what action your intend to take if the service does not improve
Question 4
●You feel that your company’s main product or service would benefit from better publicity. The directors have asked you to write a proposal putting forward your ideas.
●Write your proposal for the directors.
●Mentioning the product or service concerned
●Stating the shortcoming of the current advertising
●Outlining how your competitors publicise their products or services
●Suggesting a different approach to advertising
Listening
approximately 40 minutes (including 10 minutes’ transfer time)
Part one:
Question 1-12
You will hear a spokesperson telling a group of business people about the Business Support Agency------an organization which distributes business and research grants.
. As you listen, for questions 1-12. complete the notes, using up to three words or a number.
.After you have listened once, replay the recording.
The business support agency (BSA)
Who we are
1BSA receives financial support from the Department of ______________________
2And some ___________________companies
3Examples of work are shown in the __________________________________________ 4BSA made __________________________________________ last year
How to apply
5(i) Contact the__________________________________________ Office on 0188454545
(ii) Complete the form, including.
History of company
Details of requirements
6, __________________________________________
7(ii) Meet one of the agency’s __________________________________________
8 (Iv) Write a plan, including all _____________________ and _____________________
What happens next
9the final decision is taken by the __________________________________________
10successful applicants can expect to receive_____________________ of the funding needed from the BSA
11Money will be paid in _____________________
12Companies will need to produce a _____________________ at the end of the year
Part two
Question 13-22
●You will hear five different people talking about changing their jobs.
●For each extract there are two tasks, For Task One , choose the reason for changing jobs from the list A-H .For Task Two, choose the problem area in the new workplace from the list A –H
●After you have listened once, reply the recording
Task one—Reason for changing jobs
●For questions 13-17 ,match the extracts with the reasons, listed A –H
●For each extract, choose the reason each speaker mentions.
●write one letter A-H next to the number of the extract
13____________
14___________
15___________
16___________
17___________
A to escape from monotony
B to reduce travel time
C to improve promotion opportunities
D to increase time spent doing research
E to experience a flatter company structure
F to acquire a more creative role
H to make better use of qualifications
Task Two- Pro
blem area in the new workplace
●For question 18-22, match the extracts with the problem areas in the new workplace , listed A – H.
●For each extract, choose the negative aspect each speaker mentions.
●Write one letter A –H next to the number of the extract.
18__________
19__________
20__________
21__________
22__________
A internal communication
B colleagues’ time management
C type of training
D IT support
E performance appraisal procedures.
F quality of office equipment
G secretarial assistance
H clarity of company strategy
Part Three
Question 23-30
●You will hear Tania and Jerry , two managers from a furniture manufacturer, discussing a meeting they have just attended.
●For each question 23-30, mark one letter (A ,B or C) for the correct answer.
●After you have listened once, replay the recording.
23. Why has the Chief Executive had to leave?
A The company has been taken over
B The company’s share price has fallen
C The company has changed its strategy
24 What is Tania’s opinion of the new Chief Executive?
A he lacks the qualities necessary for the position
B His experience qualifies him for the job
C He will prove to be better than he seems
25 What does the company intend to do ?
A concentrate on a smaller range of furniture products
B diversify into non-furniture products
C expand by taking over some of its competitors
26 In Jerry and Tania’s opinion, what should the company focus on future?
A increasing the market share of its core products
B finding niche markets for its products
C differentiating its products from those of competitors
27 Tania’s new area of responsibility is to manage
A a division
B a change
C a brand.
28 Jerry’s fear about his new post is that
A some of his staff might not like him being the boss
B he does not know enough about the field
C it will not be sufficiently demanding
29 What do Tania and Jerry think about the proposed television advertising campaign?
A It will focus on the wrong products.
B The company cannot afford it
C the timing is wrong
30 Tania thinks that not enough money is being spent on
A salaries
B product development
C the working environment
Speaking 16 minutes
Part one
In this part, the interlocutor asks questions on a number of work-related and non-work-related subjects to each candidate in turn, you have to give information about yourself and express personal opinions.
Part two
The candidate chooses one topic and speaks about it for approximately one minute. One minuts’ preparation time is allowed.
A personal management: the importance to a company of having well-motivated staff
B strategic planning: how to decide whether to purchase or rent company premises
C Sales：How to ensure that price levels for new products are set appropriately
Part Three
In this part of the test, candidates are given a topic to discuss and are allowed 320 seconds to look at the prompt card, before talking together for about three minutes, afterwards, the examiner asks more questions related to the topic.
For two candidates
Health and Fitness Facilities
You company is considering providing a fitness centre on the premises to help employees improve their health and fitness. You have been asked to make recommendations for this scheme. Discuss, and decide together:
●What benefits the centre would bring for the company
●How to promote the need for health and fitness to all staff
For three Candidates
Health and Fitness Facilities
Your company is considering providing a fitness centre on the premises to help employees improve their health and fitness. You have been asked to make recommendations for this scheme. Discuss, and decide together:
●What benefits the centre would bring for the company
●Which types of facilities could be included
●How to promote the need for health and fitness to all staff
Follow-on questions
●Would company fitness facilities be equally popular among all staff?Why ?why not?
●Should employees have to pay to use health and fitness facilities? Why /why not?
●What other ways are there for companies to encourage their employees to remain fit and healthy?
●Should companies include employees’ families in their health and fitness provision ? why ? why not?
●Is the welfare of employees an appropriate concern for companies? Why? Why not?
真题3阅读和写作答案 VANTAGE3 KEY TO READING & WRITING TEST 1 Reading Part 1 1 B 2 D 3 C 4 A 5 B 6 C 7 A Part 2 8 B 9 A 10F 11 D 12 E Part 3 13 A 14 B 15 C 16 B 17 A 18 D Part 4 19 A 20 C 21 D 22 D 23 A 24 C 25 B 26 D 27 C 28 D 29 C 30 A 31 B 32 D 33 C Part 5 34 WITH 35 CORRECT 36 TO 37 CORRECT 38 SO 39 THESE 40 ABOUT 41 ALTHOUGH 42 HA VING 43 CORRECT 44 TOO 45 THAT Writing Part 1 From: Petar Koev T o: All Staff Date: 27 March 2004 Subject: Computer System I want to inform you that the computer system will be closed next Wednesday at 12 o'clock. The system will be down for at least two hours, please make sure that you have saved all your work. The whole system will ran on a new server which is faster. Thank vou. Band 5
T est2 Part one： 《Successful Time Management》，成功的时间管理。文章针对怎么利用时间、提高工作效率提出了一些建议。 第一题，为了完成好一个任务，没有必要处理每一个细节。答案是C段的最后一句话，而且这句话同时是第一题和第四题的答案所在：Unless you have spare time, do not spend extra hours on an activity in an effort to cover absolutely everything.除非你有空闲的时间，否则不要在一件事情上花费额外的时间去努力涉及到所有事情。cover absolutely everything可以对应于deal with every detail。 第二题，如果你有很多要做的，也许需要拒绝以后的工作。答案是B段的最后一句，有点绕：This may require you to be firm and avoid agreeing to more than is realistic.这需要你变得坚定，避免答应超出现实的工作。more than is realistic，也就是眼前无法完成的工作，即work in the future。 第三题，任何计划行为都需要建立在一个有规律的基础上。答案在A段。A段整个就是讲的计划的重要性，有计划，才能合理安排时间。中间说有人喜欢在每天开始的时候计划，有人喜欢在结束前。答案是这么一句：you may need to experiment to find what suits you best-find some way of fitting the activity into your schedule.你必须去试验寻找到最适合你的——寻找将这个活动融入到你的时间表的某种方法。要让计划融入进你的时间表，也就是说计划要成为你的日程的固定部分，即题目说的take place on a regular basis。 第四题，在第一题已经说了，C段的最后一句，extra hours可以对应于additional time。 第五题，可能有些例行的任务不需要被执行。答案是D段的第一句：If your review of a period of time shows that you are spending time on things that are not really necessary or important, then think hard about whether you can afford this time如果回顾某段时间发现你在一些并不是真正必要或者重要的事情上花费了时间，那么你需要仔细考虑这次你是否花的起。言下之意，有些things that are not really necessary or important（some routine tasks）可以不必花时间做(do not need to be carried out)。 第六题，如果你觉得自己工作负担过重，那么查明原因很重要。答案是B段的这么一句： This is not a crime, but you must examine the reasons for such a situation and then plan a course of action。examine the reasons可以对应于identify the cause。 第七题，各个等级的人都会进行浪费时间的活动。答案在D段，需要提炼。D段整个讲的都是不要把时间浪费在不必要的事情上。前面说不要干一些routine task，后面说顶端的经理们也会误用他们的努力。最后一段盘点了很多人，前面的many people，后面的even top manager，和在一起就是题目说的people at all levels。不管是routine task，还是misdirecting their efforts，都是time-wasting activities。 Part two： 《Staff appraisals》，员工评估。很多公司的员工和经理都害怕评估，但是好的评估可以增进员工的忠诚度和满意感，给公司带来益处。
TEST1 PART ONE B 1 It would be advisable for Flacks to consult customers before developing a new product. D 2 Producing goods for specialist markets might increase Flacks' profits. C 3 Flacks may need to change the function of one of its facilities. A 4 Flacks should utilise its current expertise to enter a different market. B 5 Flacks may need to consider closing its current production facility. C 6 Flacks should develop the connections it has established with leading retailers. A 7 Expanding the product range would not be a problem for the workforce. Flacks is a UK-based company that produces fashion accessories for women. How can it continue to grow its business? A Susan Falmer Faced with a shrinking market, cheap imports and competitive pricing, Flacks will have to work hard to increase its margins. They need to move into a more promising market, one where demand is growing and where the company can exploit existing skills and contacts. They could think about brand extension - this would not be a giant leap and the sales force would take it in its stride. Also, they wouldn't need to re-equip their factory and could use non-UK sourcing if facilities here are in short supply. B Mesut Guzel They have the fundamentals of a survival strategy in a market where outsourced manufacture and brand differentiation hold the key to success. I think they should initially locate some of their production in another country, where manufacturing quality tends to be better and it is easier to meet changing customer demands. But they should also regularly monitor production in Britain and think about outsourcing all this work abroad at some point if they need it done faster. The company should continue to work on innovative products, and thorough market research will help to ensure any new ideas are well received. C Gary Wilmot In order to beat their rivals in a highly competitive market, Flacks should ensure their products are attractive and build on their relationships with the big stores rather than trying to go it alone and market directly. They should also consider refocusing production by using their UK factory for high-specification products. They could eventually build more production overseas in a cycle of continuous development. D Michal Kaminski The demand for fashion accessories is relatively flat and the company should consider exploiting niche markets to improve its margins. But even within these, Flacks must distinguish its goods from those of its rivals in terms of quality, performance and design. Innovative sales, marketing and PR are vital to exploit these niche products. One competitive advantage that Flacks does have is production times. Many retail chains now have two-tier supply chains and Flacks could focus on top-up orders. They might also investigate other sales channels such as mail order. 这篇文章是关于一个女性时尚饰品公司——Flacks的发展战略问题，四个专家给出了自 己的建议。这套题目的答案稍微有些隐晦。 第一题，说在开发新产品前咨询客户的意见对于Flacks来讲是很明智的。答案是B段 的最后一句：thorough market research will help to ensure any new ideas are well received.彻底的市场调查能够确保新的思想很好的被接受。Market research，市场调查，在很大程度上就
BEC 中级第三辑Test 2 READING 1 hour PART ON E Questions 1-7 ●Look at the s t a t emen t s below and the text about time mana g emen t on the opposite page. ●Which section (A, B, C or D) does each s t a t emen t(1-7) refer to? ●For each s t a t emen t(1-7), mark one letter (A, B, C or D) on your Answer Sheet. ●You will need to use some of these le tt er s more t han once. 1 In order to c omple t e a t a sk well, it may not be necessary to deal with every detail. 2 lf you have too much to do, you may need to turn down work in the future. 3 Any planning activity needs to t ake place on a regular ba si s. 4 You should avoid giving additional time to a particular task. 5 It is possible that some routine t a sk s do not need to be carried out. 6 lf you are overloaded with work, it is important to identify the cause. 7 People at all levels perform t ime-w a s ting act ivi tie s. Successful Time Mana g eme n t
第三辑 Test1 Part one 这篇文章是关于一个女性时尚饰品公司——Flacks的发展战略问题，四个专家给出了自己的建议。这套题目的答案稍微有些隐晦。 第一题，说在开发新产品前咨询客户的意见对于Flacks来讲是很明智的。答案是B段的最后一句：thorough market research will help to ensure any new ideas are well received.彻底的市场调查能够确保新的思想很好的被接受。Market research，市场调查，在很大程度上就是咨询客户的意见（consult customers），any new ideas可以对应于developing a new product,能够well received，那么对于公司来讲当然就是advisable了。选B。 第二题，说为专业市场生产产品可以增加利润。答案是D段的这么一句：the company should consider exploiting niche markets to improve its margins这题关键是要理解一个市场的含义：niche market。看英英解释：a small area of trade within the economy, often involving specialized products。improve its margins也就是increase profits，选D。 第三题，说Flacks可能需要改变它的一个设备的功能。这里答案不是太明显，是C段的这么一句：They should also consider refocusing production by using their UK factory for high-specification products。他们也需要考虑通过利用英国工厂生产高规格产品来调整生产焦点。也就是说，英国工厂原来不是生产高规格产品的，即题目说的改变它的一个设备的功能。第四题，说Flacks可以利用现有的技能来进入一个新的市场。答案是A段的这么一句：They need to move into a more promising market, one where demand is growing and where the company can exploit existing skills and contacts。他们需要进入一个更有发展前景的市场，一个需求增长并且公司可以利用现有技能和合同的市场。exploit existing skills也就是utilise its current expertise。 第五题，说Flacks可以考虑关闭现有的生产设备。这题也有些隐晦，答案是这么一句：think about outsourcing all this work abroad。关键就在于outsource这个词的意思：turn to outside suppliers or manufacturers外购。既然是要考虑outsource——turn to outside manufactures，那么也就是可以考虑关闭自己的生产设备了。选B。 第六题，说Flacks应该考虑发展同领先的连锁商已经建立起来的关系。答案在C段：build on their relationships with the big stores发展他们同大商店的关系。 第七题，说扩展产品范围对劳动力来讲不是问题。答案在A段：They could think about brand extension - this would not be a giant leap and the sales force would take it in its stride.他们可以考虑品牌扩张——这不是一个巨大的跳跃，在销售力量的步调范围之内。言下之意，不是问题。选A。 Part two： 《Evaluating the performance of the board》，评估董事局的表现。众所周知一个公司里面是经常对员工的表现进行评估的，那么谁又来评估董事局的表现呢？这篇文章讲了对董事局表现进行评估的重要性和一些方法。 第八题，前面说对董事局的表现进行评估是很重要的。空格后面的句子中有another reason，可见这个第八空应该填入对董事局表现进行评估原因的句子。B符合这一特点，为什么要进行评估，因为“如果决策层是公司唯一逃避评估的成员的话，其他的员工会视之为不公平。”第九题，前面说小公司会发现这种评估过程更容易操作。空格后面一个however，说大公司的决策层会认为评估是对他们地位的一种挑战。可见这个空格应该填入表示小公司愿意接受评估的句子。A符合这一特点：通常这些公司的决策层会很乐意接受批评，因为这可以防止
Test4 Part one 四个专家分别对一个度假公司的发展给出了自己的意见。怎么锁定目标客户，怎么定价，怎么打折，都是一门学问。题目信息稍微有些隐晦。话说这个BEC阅读的第一部分，普遍难度不是很大，可个别题目一旦含蓄起来，也是很难在文章中找到答案的影子的。 第一题，通过将同样的假日出售给不同收入层次的客户是有风险的。这题的答案够隐晦的，而且不是特别的对应。答案是B段开头的一段话。说该不该将多余的假期打折，是一个有争议的点。这样会导致一些注重预算的人被放在了SunTours’的一些更富裕的客户旁边，从而将品牌给毁了。注重预算的（budget-conscious）和更富裕的（more affluent customers）是两种不同的收入人群，也就是different income brackets，damaging the brand，毁坏了品牌，言下之意，这么做是有风险的，即runs a risk。 第二题，说值得提供打折假期来增加预定的数量。答案是A段的这么一句：Towards the end of the season, reducing the cost of holidays would attract last-minute customers, thus avoiding any possible loss on unfilled accommodation and flights。减少假日的开销可以吸引最后的客户，从而避免空余的住宿和飞行带来的损失。Unfilled accommodation，没有被预定的住宿，对应于题目中的booking。 第三题，如果想要增加回头客，SunTours需要反思它的市场策略。答案在D段，需要提炼：the company should consider that brochure mailings。They encourage summer tourists to take another break and can even be used to send a thank-you letter to returning customers.先说公司应该考虑邮寄宣传册，接着说他们可以鼓励暑假的游客去休另一个假期甚至可以用来给回头客发送感谢信。后面的句子整个说的就是如何boost repeat customer，前面的consider brochure mailings是具体说明如何思考市场策略（reflect on marketing methods） 第四题，说卖其他开发者忽略的地方的假期将会是一个不错的点子。答案是B段的这么一句：SunTours is planning to sell higher-margin holidays to previously 'unmarketed' destinations for which demand is greater than supply。计划出售先前没被开发的地方的更高利润的假期，在那里供不应求。Unmarketed destination也就是other promoters have ignored。在供不应求的地方做生意，但是是a good idea。 第五题，过去SunTours曾采取过一些不利的方法。答案是C段的这么一句：SunTours would then be able to change direction when things go wrong, as they inevitably do from time to time.事情做错了的时候就可以转变方向，正如它们有时不可避免的所做的一样。也就是说，过去曾做错过决定，也就是disadvantage。
Who Benefits Most from Company Training? According to recent research, the better educated and the higher up the socio?economic scale you are, the more likely you are to be offered workplace training. And, incidentally, the more likely you are to then turn (19) the offer, pleading family and personal commitments or (20) of work. Less qualified staff, on the other hand, are offered fewer training opportunities, but are more eager to (21) them up. In fact, people with few or no educational qualifications are three times more likely to accept training when it is offered. In the majority of companies, more (22) are allocated to management training than to other areas. Employers (23) their better qualified staff as more important to the business, so they pay them accordingly and invest more in them in (24) of training. This is (25) by the fact that organisations are dependent on properly (26) managers making the right decisions. But this (27) may mean that companies are (28) other parts of the workforce down. The researchers found a growing demand for training among the lower-skilled.Unfortunately this demand is not being (29)by employers, even though there are strong indications that companies would benefit from doing so. They also discovered that, despite the substantial (30) between the training provided for managers and that offered to other staff, there was still widespread endorsement of training. For the purposes of the research, training was defined as any (31) of planned instruction or tuition provided by an employer with the aim of helping employees do their work better. It therefore included a wide variety of approaches. On-the-job and classroom training (32) to be used equally by employers. But learning on the job, which involved observing a certain procedure and then practising it, was easily the most popular method for all categories of employee. While many felt that learning from colleagues was best,very few (33) the internet as an effective way to train. 19 A back B over C down D off 20 A force B pressure C strain D load 21 A pick B keep C take D put 22 A means B reserves C finances D resources 23 A imagine B regard C suppose D know 24 A requirements B specifications C states D terms 25 A allowed B approved C justified D accepted 26 A understanding B intelligent C informed D knowledgeable 27 A stress B emphasis C weight D strength breaking D setting 28 A letting B cutting C 29 A reached B achieved C gained D met 30 A space B gap C hole D room 31 A frame B structure C form D order 32 A showed B appeared C demonstrated D presented 33 A rated B thought C marked D believed https://www.doczj.com/doc/fe5393614.html,/forum-90-1.html
第3辑阅读【TEXT 1】 『part 1』 1 It would be advisable for Flacks to consult customers before developing a new product. 2 Producing goods for specialist markets might increase Flacks' profits. 3 Flacks may need to change the function of one of its facilities. 4 Flacks should utilise its current expertise to enter a different market. 5 Flacks may need to consider closing its current production facility. 6 Flacks should develop the connections it has established with leading retailers. 7 Expanding the product range would not be a problem for the workforce. Flacks is a UK-based company that produces fashion accessories for women. How can it continue to grow its business? A Susan Falmer Faced with a shrinking market, cheap imports and competitive pricing, Flacks will have to work hard to increase its margins. They need to move into a more promising market, one where demand is growing and where the company can exploit existing skills and contacts. They could think about brand extension - this would not be a giant leap and the sales force would take it in its stride. Also, they wouldn't need to re-equip their factory and could use non-UK sourcing if facilities here are in short supply. B Mesut Guzel They have the fundamentals of a survival strategy in a market where outsourced manufacture and brand differentiation hold the key to success. I think they should initially locate some of their production in another country, where manufacturing quality tends to be better and it is easier to meet changing customer demands. But they should also regularly monitor production in Britain and think about outsourcing all this work abroad at some point if they need it done faster. The company should continue to work on innovative products, and thorough market research will help to ensure any new ideas are well received. C Gary Wilmot In order to beat their rivals in a highly competitive market, Flacks should ensure their products are attractive and build on their relationships with the big stores rather than trying to go it alone and market directly. They should also consider refocusing production by using their UK factory for high-specification products. They could eventually build more production overseas in a cycle of continuous development. D Michal Kaminski The demand for fashion accessories is relatively flat and the company should consider exploiting niche markets to improve its margins. But even within these, Flacks must distinguish its goods from those of its rivals in terms of quality, performance and design. Innovative sales, marketing and PR are vital to exploit these niche products. One competitive advantage that Flacks does have is production times. Many retail chains now have two-tier supply chains and Flacks could focus on top-up orders. They might also investigate other sales channels such as mail order.
人邮第三辑真题TEST 2 READING PART 1 1 In order to complete a task well, it may not be necessary to deal with every detail. 2 If you have too much to do, you may need to turn down work in the future. 3 Any planning activity needs to take place on a regular basis. 4 You should avoid giving additional time to a particular task. 5 It is possible that some routine tasks do not need to be carried out. 6 If you are overloaded with work, it is important to identify the cause. 7 People at all levels perform time-wasting activities. Successful Time Management A The secret of avoiding work pressure is thinking ahead. Every day you need to review your progress towards objectives and decide how you can best use the time available to make further progress. You may find this is best done at the start of your working day but some people prefer to have a planning session just before they finish. Whichever you select - and you may need to experiment to find what suits you best-find some way of fitting the activity into your schedule. Never say, 'I don't have time to plan today'. B Managers at all levels occasionally find they have taken on more than they can cope with. This is not a crime, but you must examine the reasons for such a situation and then plan a course of action. Until the problem is resolved, most of your time and energy will go into worrying about the situation and you will feel unmotivated. Think too about how to prevent it happening again. This may require you to be firm and avoid agreeing to more than is realistic. C If a review of your working practices shows that you are too much of a perfectionist, do something about this. Modern definitions of quality refer to Witness for purpose'. If you bear this in mind, you may find it easier to persuade yourself to settle for an acceptable level of quality rather than perfection. When thinking about objectives and planning how to achieve them, consider how
人邮第三辑真题TEST 4 READING PART 2 Human resource management It is nearly a century since the car manufacturer Henry Ford said, 'You can destroy my factories and offices, but give me my people and I will build the business right back up again.'(0) .....G..... But a few business theorists are beginning to argue that managing people well can add more to the bottom line than anything else. Mike Manzotti, a leading American author in this area, has strong views about the growing importance of human resources in today's business world. (8) .............. A company with high staff commitment, for example, has an asset that its rivals find hard to copy. Research in Britain would appear to support this notion. A recent business school survey into the performance of eight multinationals found that people management could be the most decisive factor in a company's performance. Another study indicated the same thing in medium-sized manufacturing firms. (9) .............. After all, how can an organisation evaluate the commitment of its staff? For this reason, the researcher George Hessenberg argues that a scientific approach is needed. He feels that when HR professionals suggest changing an organisation's compensation structure or being more selective in recruiting, they are asking for things that require resources. (10)............ Some new approaches are emerging that attempt to do just that, including the scheme devised by consultants Couze Jordan. The scheme, which covers communication, recruitment, and use of resources, predicts that significant improvements in these areas achieve an increase in shareholder value of up to 30 per cent. Another programme, launched by James Lester, an independent human resources expert, approaches the problem from a perspective that is designed to appeal to a wide range of managers. (11)..............Both, he argues, involve appropriate decisions being made about the allocation of resources within a particular budget. Lester's expertise enables him to carry out an organisational audit for his clients to identify which areas of HR are in most need of improvement. This is because there is no point in businesses spending large amounts without knowing if the investment is worthwhile. (12) ............. Lester's advice, however, is for companies to think twice before hiring people, since it is vital they assess whether they are getting value for money. A But the findings are inconclusive because of the difficulty of collecting reliable evidence. B He argues that the role of a skilled, motivated and flexible workforce has become more significant as traditional sources of competitive advantage diminish.