1、BEC商务英语（中级）阅读模拟试卷 144及答案与解析 一、 PART ONE 0 Look at the statements below and the text about some strategies companies can use to stay competitive on the opposite page. Which section(A, B, C or D)does each statement(1-7)refer to? For each statement(1-7), mark one letter(A, B, C or D)on your Answer Shee
2、t. You will need to use some of these letters more than once.Example:0 You need a strategic planning before achieving the companys requirements. Four Strategies for Companies to Stay CompetitiveA To reach company goals, an organisation must employ strategic planning, according to Maneesh Mehta, writ
3、ing on the Ivey Business Journal website. The strategic plan identifies potential problems, creates the framework to help develop a budget and recommends the effective use of company personnel as a road map to achieving corporate goals. A company cannot remain competitive if it does not take the tim
4、e to analyse the path ahead, and create a plan to avoid the problems and benefit from the opportunities.B Pricing may not always be the top reason why customers use a particular product, but the cost of a product to the consumer needs to remain fair for the consumer to justify the purchase. Developi
5、ng competitive pricing requires strategies that involve proper personnel forecasting, purchase costs of raw materials and shipping costs to the distributors, according to the Reference for Business website. A company must maintain the lowest production costs possible to offer competitive pricing in
6、the marketplace.C Product and technology innovation are important to a company that is looking to stay competitive, according to Sam Kogan, writing on the ZDNet website. Being first to market with innovative and high-quality products helps a company develop a reputation as a market leader. When a co
7、mpany is recognised as a market leader, it helps increase the effectiveness of marketing and increases the return on the advertising dollars spent. When a company is consistently first to market, it can dictate the competitive playing field of its industry and remain a top competitor.D Top companies
8、 are constantly searching for the best talent in their industry. A proactive human resources department will have a list of available candidates for positions within the company, and for positions that the company has yet to develop. When a company is growing, it remains competitive by identifying i
9、ts future personnel needs and acquiring the talent to meet personnel demands. 1 Remaining unchanged and holding on old products can not make a company competitive. 2 Strategic planning can benefit a company in many ways. 3 Pricing surely is one of the factors that affect consumers buying decision. 4
10、 Excellent companies devote a lot of energy to bringing in the best industry-wide employees. 5 A company needs to think about its future strategy to avoid problems, which could ensure its competitiveness. 6 Low cost contributes to the competence of those companies. 7 Recognised as a champion, a comp
11、any has the say in deciding the rules in its industry. 二、 PART TWO 7 Read the article below about giving advice on staff appraisals. Choose the best sentence from the opposite page to fill each of the gaps. For each gap(8-12), mark one letter(A-G)on your Answer Sheet. Do not use any letter more than
12、 once. There is an example at the beginning(0). Staff Appraisal Ideas As a manager, one of your primary responsibilities is to maintain fluid communication with each of your staff members and update them regularly.(0)G . When it comes time for your staff appraisals, you might want to incorporate a f
13、ew new ideas to ensure that the appraisal benefits both your company and the employees. An appraisal session is an evaluation of the performance of your staff members.【 P1】 _. It is also an opportunity to get feedback from your staff regarding the position and the work environment. Company managers
14、and supervisors commonly hold these sessions at least once per year. When doing appraisals, use input from members of your staff for each individual review.【 P2】 _. Ask the co-workers of each individual you plan to review to fill out an appraisal form that contains questions about his job performanc
15、e.【 P3】 _. Use the information you collect to conduct a well-rounded appraisal meeting with each staff member. Another idea that you can incorporate into your staff appraisal system is immediate rewards. Employers commonly give raises after completing performance appraisals.【 P4】_. So, in addition t
16、o raises, you can reward your staff with monetary or nonmonetary rewards when they perform well directly after the session. For instance, you might offer an extra bonus payment in the very next pay period. In some cases, your staff members may feel a bit down or discouraged after an appraisal sessio
17、n.【 P5】 _.To avoid this, hire a motivational speaker to speak to all of your employees before or after youve wrapped up your appraisal meetings. The motivational speaker should have familiarity with both human resources issues and life coaching topics to help your staff members use their feedback in
18、 a positive way.Example:A If the job requires the staff member to interact with customers or clients, ask them for their opinions as well.B This is called a 360-degree performance review.C But these raises dont always take effect immediately.D As a manager, you have to give them honest constructive
19、feedback when there is need for improvement, but this can lead to morale issues.E It is a chance for you to give them feedback and suggestions for improvement.F Managers are conscious of the vitally important role the company plays in the national social and economic fabric.G One way to keep staff m
20、embers updated is to conduct appraisal or evaluation meetings. 8 【 P1】 9 【 P2】 10 【 P3】 11 【 P4】 12 【 P5】 三、 PART THREE 12 Read the article below about an innovative strategy in business, and the questions on the opposite page. For each question(13-18), mark one letter(A,B,C or D)on your Answer Shee
21、t. Innovation Through Co-creation: Consumers Can Be Creative A new trend in business and product development is “co-creation“. By its very name it implies collaboration between the company and some other entities. In this case it is the consumer who partners in the creation of value. The term “co-cr
22、eation“ is not new, however, but is now receiving more attention driven largely through the increasing use of the Internet and social media websites as companies endeavor to differentiate themselves from the competition. As management teams drive growth through value creation they are investing heav
23、ily in greater product variety through brand or product extensions, in addition to enhancing the ever-increasing brand touch-points. All this is done to produce stronger brand connections. Paradoxically, as this is a common theme across numerous industries, it is resulting in many brands becoming le
24、ss able to differentiate themselves from their competition. Why is this? In the past, the process of value creation was driven almost exclusively within the business. Many business writers have covered this topic, Professors Michael Porter, Peter Drucker and Philip Kottler being among some of the mo
25、st well-known. The presumption has been that product design and production, the creation of marketing messages and the control of sales channels, could be performed in-house with minimal consumer input. The role of the consumer was seen solely at the end-of-line points of consumer interaction, not d
26、uring the process of value creation. After all, “. consumers arent creative!“ is a widely-held belief and often stated comment. Secondly, consumer value has been generally defined as the difference between the perceived benefits of the product or service, and the costs of that product or service. Th
27、is broad definition is singularly unhelpful to managers as they try to come to terms with how value is actually created. Despite the defining words of Austrian-Hungarian economist and Harvard University lecturer Joseph Schumpeter in the 1950s “One does not make a difference unless it is a difference
28、 in peoples lives“ management has struggled to come to terms with the exact role of the consumer in best delivering this “ making a difference“. Even though there is growing acceptance that co-creation may change the way companies view the role of the consumer in the creation of value, much remains
29、unknown about how customers actually engage in co-creation. One of the reasons for this is that co-creation can be interpreted in a number of different ways. IKEA, the Swedish multinational furniture retailer, embraces co-creation at its basic level by having its customers provide their own assembly
30、 operation. IKEA benefits by high turnover of products, the consumer benefits from lower costs. Boeing, the aircraft manufacturer, has used both customers(the airlines to whom they sell their planes)and consumers(frequent flyers)in the design of their aircraft. In addition to conventional methods of
31、 value creation, many companies are starting to adopt the use of social media websites and the blogosphere to develop co-creative initiatives. However, its one thing for consumers to voice their views and opinions on social and corporate websites, but for a true co-creation process to work effective
32、ly the customer needs to be placed explicitly at the same level of importance as the company, and the process starts with access and transparency. 13 The main reason that co-creation is receiving more attention is （ A） companies want to be different from their competitors. （ B） the increasing use of
33、 the online source. （ C） the change of the public attention. （ D） companies are getting to realise the value of cooperation. 14 Management teams are investing heavily in greater product variety （ A） by adopting the creation of value. （ B） by expanding their brand or product, plus brand touch-points.
34、 （ C） by enhancing the increasing brand points. （ D） by promoting their differences from the rivals. 15 Which of the following statements is CORRECT about the process of value creation in the past? （ A） Only the experts in the industry were able to fulfill the task. （ B） It was not well recognised b
35、y the renowned business writers. （ C） It was well protected as the business secret by the company. （ D） Consumers were not able to take part in the process. 16 What point does Joseph Schumpeter make in the fourth paragraph? （ A） Differences have been generally underestimated. （ B） Differences need t
36、he recognition in the real life. （ C） The value of consumers comment is high-lightened. （ D） The exact role of the consumer is in reality. 17 The writer takes IKEA and Boeing as examples to indicate that （ A） co-creation can be played differently in various industries. （ B） consumers can help compan
37、ies design different assemblies. （ C） co-creation can be played in product marketing in different industries. （ D） consumers like to engage in product designing in different industries. 18 Many companies use social media websites and the blogosphere to （ A） achieve the co-creation with their consume
38、rs. （ B） make a lot more money from their consumers. （ C） build a more harmonious atmosphere for their consumers. （ D） improve the transparency of their management. 四、 PART FOUR 18 Read the article below about crisis management. Choose the best word to fill each gap from A,B,C or D on the opposite p
39、age. 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). Crisis Management Crisis management is a(0)A organisational function. Failure can result in serious harm to stakeholders, losses【 C1】 _an organisation, or end its very existence.
40、Public relations practitioners are an【 C2】 _part of crisis management teams. So a set of best practices and lessons gleaned from our【 C3】 _of crisis management would be a very useful resource for those in public relations. There are plenty of definitions for a crisis. For this entry, the definition【
41、 C4】 _key points found in the various discussions of what【 C5】 _a crisis. A crisis is defined here as a significant threat to operations that can have negative【 C6】 _if not handled properly. In crisis management, the threat is the potential damage a crisis can【 C7】 _an organisation, its stakeholders
42、, and an industry. A crisis can create three【 C8】 _threats: public safety, financial loss, and【 C9】 _loss. Some crises, such as industrial accidents and product harm, can result in injuries and even loss of lives. Crises can create financial loss by【 C10】 _operations, creating a loss of market share
43、/purchase intentions, or spawning lawsuits related to the crisis. As Dilenschneider【 C11】 _in The Corporate Communications Bible, all crises threaten to tarnish an organisations reputation. A crisis reflects poorly on an organisation and will damage a reputation to some【 C12】 _. Clearly these three
44、threats are interrelated. Effective crisis management handles the threats sequentially. The primary 【 C13】 _in a crisis has to be public safety. A failure to address public safety 【 C14】 _the damage from a crisis. Reputation and financial concerns are considered after public safety has been remedied
45、. Ultimately, crisis management is 【 C15】 _to protect an organisation and its stakeholders from threats and/or reduce the impact felt by threats. Crisis management is a process designed to prevent or lessen the damage a crisis can inflict on an organisation and its stakeholders.Example:A critical B
46、extended C prolonged D explored 19 【 C1】 （ A） from （ B） for （ C） by （ D） with 20 【 C2】 （ A） integral （ B） internal （ C） intermediate （ D） inertial 21 【 C3】 （ A） intelligence （ B） knowledge （ C） definition （ D） information 22 【 C4】 （ A） reflects （ B） refines （ C） deflects （ D） infers 23 【 C5】 （ A） in
47、dicates （ B） composes （ C） consists （ D） constitutes 24 【 C6】 （ A） sequence （ B） consequences （ C） continuity （ D） definity 25 【 C7】 （ A） inflict on （ B） refer to （ C） hinge upon （ D） enforce on 26 【 C8】 （ A） detacted （ B） related （ C） distracted （ D） exploited 27 【 C9】 （ A） exploration （ B） explosu
48、re （ C） reputation （ D） republication 28 【 C10】 （ A） deceiving （ B） corrupting （ C） disrupting （ D） preceiving 29 【 C11】 （ A） floated （ B） deflected （ C） remarked （ D） noted 30 【 C12】 （ A） level （ B） concern （ C） degree （ D） height 31 【 C13】 （ A） concern （ B） event （ C） care （ D） fact 32 【 C14】 （ A）
49、 detests （ B） extents （ C） intensifies （ D） glorifies 33 【 C15】 （ A） denied （ B） expertised （ C） exerted （ D） designed 五、 PART FIVE 33 Read the article below about time management and money. In most of the lines(34-45)there is one extra word. It either is grammatically incorrect or does not fit in with the meaning 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 C
