1、BEC商务英语（中级）阅读模拟试卷 141及答案与解析 一、 PART ONE 0 A. Microcomputer A microcomputer is a desktop or notebook size computing device that uses a microprocessor as its Central Processing Unit, or CPU. Microcomputers are also called Personal Computers (PCs), home computers, small business computers, and micros.
2、The smallest, most compact are called laptops. When they first appeared, they were considered single user devices, and they were capable of handling only four, eight, or 16 bits of information at one time. More recently the distinction between microcomputers and large, mainframe computers (as well a
3、s the smaller mainframe type systems called minicomputers) has become blurred, as newer microcomputer models have increased the speed and data handling capabilities of their CPUs into the 256 bit, or even much more bit multi-user range. B. Minicomputer A minicomputer is a mid-level computer built to
4、 perform complex computations while dealing efficiently with a high level of input and output from users connected via terminals. Minicomputers also frequently connect to other minicomputers on a network and distribute processing among all the attached machines. Minicomputers are used heavily in tra
5、nsaction processing applications and as interfaces between mainframe computer systems and wide area networks (WAN). C. Mainframe Computer A mainframe computer is a high level computer designed for the most intensive computational tasks. Mainframe computers are often shared by multiple users connecte
6、d to the computer via terminals. The most powerful mainframes, called supercomputers, perform highly complex and time consuming computations and are used heavily in both pure and applied research by scientists, large businesses, and the military. D. Supercomputer In computer science, supercomputers
7、are large, extremely fast, and expensive computers used for complex or sophisticated calculations, typically, machines capable of pipelining instruction execution and providing vector instructions. A supercomputer can, for example, perform the enormous number of calculations required to draw and ani
8、mate a moving spaceship in a motion picture. Supercomputers are also used for weather forecasting, large scale scientific modeling, and oil exploration and so on and so like. E. Distributed or Grid Computing The power needed for some calculations is more than even a single supercomputer can manage.
9、In distributed computing using a PC grid many computers of all sizes can work on parts of the problem and their results are pooled. A number of current projects rely on volunteers with computers connected to the Internet. The computers do the work when they are not busy otherwise. The projects that
10、need distributed computing are highly technical. For example, the SETIHome project looks for signs of intelligent communication in radio signals coming from space. (SETI stands for Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence.) 1 They are often used for jobs like engineering design and testing, serious
11、 decryption, economic forecasting, etc. 2 Many public schools now employ the devices for programmed learning and computer literacy courses. 3 Computers are designed for use in homes, schools, and office settings. 4 If you devote your computer for this project Entropie (modeling evolution of resistan
12、ce to drugs and designing better AIDS treatments), you might be asked to load a small screen-saver program onto your own computer. 5 They are used for jobs that take massive amounts of calculating. 6 They are usually used in transaction processing applications. 7 They are often shared by many users
13、connected to the computer. 二、 PART TWO 7 Read the article below about financial risks. Choose the best sentence to fill each of the gaps, For each gap 8 12, mark one letter (A a) on your Answer Sheet. De not use any letter more than once. There is an example at the beginning. Financial Risks Several
14、 types of financial risk are encountered in international marketing; the major problems include commercial, political and foreign exchange risks. Commercial risks are handled essentially as normal credit risks encountered in day-to-day business. They include solvency, default, or refusal to pay bill
15、s. The major risk, (8) which can only be dealt with through consistently effective management and marketing. One unique risk encountered by the international marketer involves financial adjustments. Such risk is encountered when a controversy arises about the quality of goods delivered, a dispute ov
16、er contract terms, or (9) . One company, for example, shipped several hundred tons of dehydrated potatoes to a distributor in Germany. The distributor tested the shipment and declared it to be below acceptable taste and texture standards. The alternatives for the exporter were reducing the price, re
17、selling the potatoes, or shipping them home again, each involving considerable cost. Political risk relates to the problems of war or revolution, currency inconvertibility, expropriation or expulsion, and restriction or cancellation of import licenses. Political risk is an environmental concern for
18、all businesses. Management information systems and effective decision-making processes are the best defenses against political risk. As many companies have discovered, sometimes there is no way to avoid political risk, (10) . Exchange-rate fluctuations inevitably cause problems, but for many years,
19、most firms could take protective action to minimize their unfavourable effects. Floating exchange rates of the worlds major currencies have forced all marketers (11) . International Business Machine Corporation, for example, reported that exchange losses resulted in a dramatic 21.6 percent drop in t
20、heir earnings in the third quarter of 1981. (12) , devaluations of major currencies were infrequent and usually could be anticipated, but exchange rate fluctuations in the float system are daily affairs. A. After serious consideration B. commercial, political and foreign exchange risks. C. however,
21、is competition D. any other disagreement over which payment is withheld E. to be especially aware of exchange-rate fluctuations and the need to compensate for them in their financial planning F. so marketers must be prepared to assume them or give up doing business in a particular market G. Before r
22、ates were permitted to float 三、 PART THREE 12 Read the article below about suggestions for effective meetings and the following questions. For each question (13-18), mark one letter (A, B, C or D) on your Answer Sheet, for the answer you choose. Suggestions for Effective Meetings Meetings are window
23、s on the soul of business: they reveal the quality of its management. Well-organized, well-conducted meetings bespeak an effective organization. Meetings afflicted with sloppy planning, flimsy agendas, and fuzzy expectations indicate a not-so-effective one. Here are some tips for tightening and ener
24、gizing your meetings: Prepare smartly. At Intel Corporation, those who call a meeting must first assess whether the meeting is necessary. Theyll e-mail ideas to a few people for comments and suggestions, draft an agenda, and then distribute it to a wider audience for revisions. The result is a one-p
25、ager containing the meetings purpose and goals, subtopics with time frames for each, a list of attendees, and what each one should bring to the table. Its distributed in advance to attendees and to the appropriate business-unit chief, who might later check it for quality. Stand up and create. You do
26、nt always have to meet in an airless conference room. Senior executives at Ritz-Carlton in Atlanta gather each morning in the hallway outside the presidents office for a ten minute “quality talk.“ Managers at Cabletron Systems have mastered the art of the stand-up meeting. No seats, just solutions.
27、The food teams at Whole Goods Market stores meet weekly to forecast the financials, but when theyre behind schedule, they might meet in the frozen-food aisle. Get creative; shake things up. Consider hosting your next brainstorming session outdoors. Make rules. Create roles and policies to stimulate
28、discussion and keep it on track. A facilitator equipped with a watch or egg timer leads the discussion. A scribe takes notes on a dry-erase board. Intel also has a gatekeeper who makes sure everyone has a chance to speak. Of course, employees need to feel they can speak honestly without retribution.
29、 Springfield Manufacturing Corp has a no-griping policy to ensure that comments are positive and objective. At Foldraft Co. , managers dressed as referees call timeout when speakers at all-company meetings stray from the topic at hand. Follow up. At the close of Intels meetings, attendees are encour
30、aged to mentally answer questions posted on conference room walls. Why was I here? What was my role? Was I well prepared? What was resolved? The process helps people clarify their thoughts so they can contribute to the meeting-minutes document, which is posted on internal Web pages within 24 hours.
31、This one-page summary lists key issues, decisions made, action items, expected results, firm deadlines, and the next meeting date. All these are for tracking purposes. According to the surveys by the Wharton Center for Applied Research, managers report that only 56% of their meetings are productive,
32、 and that 25% would have been more effective as conference calls, memos, e-mails, or voicemails. Conclusion: the cost of misguided meetings is high. When meetings arent paying off, explore your options and make substitutions. Kris Burton of Total Restoration switched to a combination of broadcast vo
33、icemail and follow-up memos when the cost-to-payoff ration for weekly meetings shot up. He explains. “The system is easier and much less costly.“ 13 What is the best paraphrase for “bespeak an effective organization“? （ A） Speak for an effective organization. （ B） Represent an effective organization
34、. （ C） Mean the organization is effective. （ D） Call for an effective organization. 14 At Intel Corporation, what should be done before a meeting is opened? （ A） An email should be sent to meeting attendees. （ B） An agenda should be drafted and changed by attendees. （ C） Each attendee should be prep
35、ared for one meeting topic. （ D） The meeting should be evaluated for its necessity. 15 The writer says meetings dont always have to be held in an airless conference room （ A） because there is not enough fresh air in conference rooms. （ B） because quality talk can be better carried out outside confer
36、ence rooms. （ C） because meetings can sometimes be more efficient when not held in conference rooms. （ D） because people sometimes need a change. 16 According to Paragraph 4, which of the following is not true? （ A） The facilitator who leads the discussion should have a watch. （ B） There should be a
37、 person who takes notes on a dry-erase board. （ C） Intel Corporation employs a gatekeeper who authorizes people chances to speak. （ D） At Foldraft Co., managers dressed as referees keep people stay on the meeting topic. 17 At the close of Intels meetings, attendees are encouraged to mentally answer
38、questions posted on conference room walls. The purpose of this process is to （ A） help attendees write a document. （ B） help attendees add more to the meeting minutes and clarify the meeting purpose. （ C） help attendees clear their minds of doubts. （ D） help attendees make contributions to a documen
39、t in meeting minutes. 18 When meetings are not paying off, they should be （ A） replaced by something else. （ B） canceled. （ C） displaced by voicemails. （ D） be assessed on the cost-to-payoff ration. 四、 PART FOUR 18 How to approach Reading Test Part Four This part of the Reading Test tests your vocab
40、ulary. Read the whole text quickly to find out what it is about. As you read, try to predict the words that might fill the gaps. Next, look at the four possible answers for each gap and cross out any obviously incorrect words. Then read both before and after each gap to decide which word should go i
41、n it The word needs to fit both the meaning and the grammar. After completing all the gaps, read the whole text again to check your answers Read the article on the opposite page about an experiment to help managers improve their workJlife balance. Choose the best word to fill each gap from A, B, C o
42、r D below. For each question 19 - 33, mark one letter (A, B, C or D) on your Answer Sheet. There is an example at the beginning (0). GETTING THE BALANCE RIGHT Leaving work on time may not sound like much of a (0) However, in an experiment by glass manufacturers Dartington Crystal, it (19) . surprisi
43、ngly difficult. Four managers, who all worked very long hours, took (20) . in a simple experiment: they agreed to (21) . to their set hours for a week, with no coming in early, leaving late or taking work home. The aim of the exercise was to (22) . the balance between the managers work and home live
44、s. It was a way to get everyone thinking about their working hours and how to (23) . them, Robin Ritchie, the companys managing director, was very aware that his company was (24) , on the experiment at its busiest time of the year. They were also just days away from a big product (25) So not surpris
45、ingly, perhaps, it soon became clear that it wasnt going to be easy: even on the first day, director of design Simon Moore took home a design problem to (26) as he couldnt relax until he had dealt with it. As the week progressed, the four people involved found it hard to (27) . with the pressure of
46、leaving work undone. They felt they were (28) . people down, and worried about the effect on the business. (29) . crises made it more and more difficult to go home on time. Changing working habits wasnt easy. (30) they saw the experiment through to the end. There was some (31) . up to do the followi
47、ng week, but the company did not appear to have suffered. Significantly, too, the experiment made the managers reappraise their (32) . to staying late and start prioritising tasks. All in all, they felt the experiment was of (33) . benefit, and that it helped them to create a better balance in their
48、 lives. （ A） displayed （ B） showed （ C） proved （ D） demonstrated （ A） control （ B） part （ C） effect （ D） place （ A） keep （ B） stay （ C） remain （ D） stand （ A） improve （ B） promote （ C） upgrade （ D） reform （ A） diminish （ B） reduce （ C） drop （ D） lessen （ A） commencing （ B） initiating （ C） originatin
49、g （ D） embarking （ A） opening （ B） beginning （ C） outset （ D） launch （ A） clear out （ B） work up （ C） sort out （ D） think up （ A） tackle （ B） cope （ C） manage （ D） handle （ A） letting （ B） putting （ C） setting （ D） cutting （ A） Rapid （ B） Hasty （ C） Sudden （ D） Instant （ A） Conversely （ B） In addition （ C） Nevertheless （ D） After all （ A） catching （ B） running （ C） taking （ D） coming （ A） viewpoint （ B） attitude （ C） feeling （ D） opinion （ A） constant （ B） persisting （ C） stable （ D） lasting 五、 PART FIVE 33 Read the text below about business who p
