BEC中級閱讀（2020級）復習真題 Test 4.docx

1、TEST 4PART ONEQuestions 1-7Look at the statements below and the article on the opposite page about a cellphone service launched by a Malaysian company called PTG.Which section (A, B, C or D) dose each statement 1 一 7 refer to ?For each statement 1-7, make one letter (A, B, C or D) on your Answer She

2、et You will need to use some of these letters more than once.13 According to the writer, in the mid-1990s Smithson's department storeA was making a loss.B had a problem keeping staff.C was unhappy with its advertising agency.D mostly sold goods under the Smithson's name.14 According to the w

3、riter, Smithson's profits started rising three years ago because ofA an improvement in the retailing sector.B the previous work done on the store.C Rowena Baker's choice of designer.D a change in the products on sale.15 According to Rowena Baker, one problem which Smithson's faced when s

4、he joined wasthatA the number of people using the store was falling slowly.B its competitors offered a more specialized range of products.C the store's prices were set at the wrong level.D customers were unhappy with the service provided.16 According to the writer ,many staff opposed Baker's

5、 plans becauseA they were unwilling to change their way of working.B they disagreed with her goals for the store.C they felt they were not consulted enough about the changes.D they were unhappy with her style of management.17 Baker has changed staff policies because she believes thatA the corporate

6、image can be improved through staff uniforms.B the previous rules were not fair to customers.C customers should be able to identify with staff serving themD employees should share in company profits.18 What problem does John Matthews think Smithson's is facing?A More money needs to be invested i

7、n the present store.B The company's profits will only continue to rise if it expands.C The refurbishment of the store is proving unpopular with customers.D Smithson's shareholders expect a quick return on their investments.PART FOURQuestions 19- 33 Read the advice below about how companies c

8、an manage orders and stock online. Choose the best word to fill each gap from (A, B, C or D) on the opposite page. 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)EVERY LINK IN THE SUPPLY CHAIN IS CRITICALHow wonderful it would b

9、e not to worry about chasing customer invoices, but still get paid in (0).D.and on time. This is perfectly possible by simply (19)an invoice with an onlinecustomer accounts system and (20) whenit's going to be paid. Such supply chainmanagement systems are traditionally the (21)of multinationals

10、with big IT budgets, butrising expectations on the part of customers are (22)smaller businesses to buy into boththe concept and the system. This is (23) evident in manufacturing, financialserviceselecommunications and the media.Ken Yamato, chairman of Logistics Inc., says this is a difficult culture

11、 change for many small businesses. When, for example, the multinational Unilever (24)its information and supplychains to get a better (25)of what was going on with its orders, one small supplier felt itwas (26)too much. But Yamato believes it is just as important for smaller companies toinvest in IT

12、 systems to manage the supply chain as it is for larger ones, and that many (27)losing customers if they do not have the capability to monitor orders and stock (28)andmanage production and purchasing. The online customer accounts system offers a competitive edge, he says.Mark Kinsler of business sof

13、tware company ITX says, "Companies have to supply "just in time" and have more collaborative relationships with their customers.' For him, the interactive nature of an online system brings (29)benefits, especially now that companies use morethird-party suppliers. *Companies get a

14、better idea of what is happening and can (30)thatdifferent links in the supply chain (31)certain tasks. This would (32)self billing and,when the customer has (33)the product, automatically producing the invoice for thethird- party supplier/Example :A whole B total C complete D full0 AB CD19A detecti

15、ngB seekingC trackingD following20A inspectingB comparingC testingD cheking21A zoneB positionC locationD territory22A encouragingB promotingC supportingD enter23A particularlyB stronglyC considerablyD intensely24A mixedB associatedC integratedD united25A understandingB thoughtC intelligenceD conclus

16、ion26A commandingB demandingC claimingD directing27A chanceB riskC gambleD speculate28A levelsB gradesC amountsD sums29A leadingB mainC centralD key30A secureB confirmC ensureD achieve31A makeB operateC performD dispatch32A countB includeC consistD enclose33A allowedB awardedC permittedD approvedPAR

17、T FIVEQuestions 34-45 Read the below about recruitment. In most of the lines 34-45 there is one extra word. It is either grammatically incorrect or does not fit in with the meeting of the text. Some lines, however, are correct. If a line is correct, write CORRECT on your Answer Sheet. If there is an

18、 extra word in the line, write the extra word in CAPTAL LETTERS on your Answer Sheet. The exercise begins with two examples. (0) and (00).Examples0 I ToCORRECTAppealing to Repeat Customers0 When was the last time your company communicated it with your current00 customers via telephone or direct mail

19、? Too many retailers concentrate on how34 to seek new customers and therefore do not only pay enough attention to whatthey can to do gain loyalty and support from their repeat customers. There35 are several reasons why it is important to target at current customers as wellas new ones. It is more eff

20、icient to serve repeat customers other than it is to promote36 heavily to attract new ones. Often while new customers are attracted by a specialsale and buy goods that have a low mark-up for the relailer. When the sale event37 has finished, however, they switch them to another store. Repeat customer

21、s, on theother hand, are much more likely to buy a full range of merchandise, rather38 than with discounted items. This means that the retailer can achieve its profit marginsLoyal customers are, after all, the backbone of every one business. It today's39 highly competitive environment, and these

22、 shoppers cannot be ignored, or they maybe won over by competitors. So try for organizing a sale aimed at current customers and see what happens.Example :It was thought that PTG only survived by becoming the cheapest operator.0 A B C DI 1111 llM1 PTG was considered to be over-confident in the innova

23、tive nature of its product.2 PTG forecast it would come close to achieving its sales objectives.3 PTG extended the number of its target markets.4 PTG increased supplies of its cellphones to meet its sales forecasts.5 Customers made less use than expected of the special features of PTG'S New cell

24、phone.PTG's capital investment was evidence of the company's confidence in its new enterprise.Experts felt the area over which PTG cellphones could be used was comparatively restricted.The launch of PTG's new cellphone serviceAli Osman, chairman of the Malaysiantechnology concern PTGZ de

25、cided to go into the cellphone business, he didn't cut corners. In the first three years of the venture, PTG, with considerable faith in its products, laid out $16 billion on new technology. Then, even though the service attracted only a million customers in the countries where it was first laun

26、ched, it pushed forward even more aggressively by opening networks in four new countries, stating confidently that the business was getting better every day.B PTG's new cellphone service didn't take off as quickly in Europe as hoped. Nonetheless, thousands of new handsets were ordered for th

27、e network, to prepare for the surge in demand the company was expecting in the second half of the year. Kim Li Leen, deputy chairman at PTG, insisted that, after a renewed marketing offensive, the company would only just fall short of meeting its earlier target of acquiring 1.5 million customers in

28、Europe by the end of the year. And he wasconfident that the operation would break even in two more years.C Specialists in the field were not optimistic about the company's prospects. Many said that in spite of the claims PTG made about its cutting- edge product, the new technology still looked a

29、s if it j was going to be less reliable than that of competitors. Moreover, despite the heavy financial investment, they believed the network coverage wasn't anywhere near as extensive as that used by other setups. Success began to look increasingly unlikely for PTG.D The strength of PTG's n

30、ew product was supposed to be the high-speed delivery of data services. Yet analysts pointed out that relatively few people made extensive use of their phones* data capabilities. That forced PTG to drop its phone charges from about 24 cents per minute to 8 cents, thus undercutting its rivals. In fac

31、t, according to experts in the mobile sector, this was its solemeans of staying in the contest. Nevertheless, cash-rich PTG remained confident it would survive its initial problems and become a serious competitor in the telecom sector. Ultimately, it was proved right.PART TWOQuestions 8-12 Read the

32、article below about a recruitment company. 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 once. There is an example at the beginning.THE FUTURE OF THE MODERN COMPANYThese days

33、 an extraordinary number of business books discuss possible future for the modern company.(O)However, one way to find out where today's companies are heading is tolook at the environment in which they will have to operate, an environment which is dominated by one thing: choice.Rix Cathie, an eco

34、nomist, points out that we are entering a period where possibilities are almost limitless and it is easy for consumers to switch to something better. This has not always been the case. (8)The industrialist Henry Ford famously said that you could havea car in any colour so long as it was black. Moder

35、n production systems, on the other hand, usually both lower costs and increase choice.It is hard to argue that today's climate of increased competition favours one sort of company structure over others. However, one of the world's most profitable companies has been a consumer goods multinati

36、onal that is spread over a whole range of industries. (9)This conglomerate's success is due to the fact that it is responsive and very well run.Even though a more competitive environment may not determine the structure of firms, it is likely to make some characteristics more valuable. Two that s

37、tand out are leanness and flexibility. Firms will continue to achieve leanness by removing layers of middle management, and improvements in communication technologies will improve the ability of supervisors to manage effectively. (10)Rather than orders being sent down a hierarchy, managing innew org

38、anisations will be about weaving networks together. As for flexibility, managers will need to be able to expand and contract the workforce to deal with uncertain times.With competition becoming fiercer, companies will have to think more about their reputation. They will have to look more to brands a

39、nd images to remove the confusion that too much choice can bring about Today, the real economic value of a corporation tends not so much to come from the assets it owns. (11)One of the central challenges for firms in thefuture will be maintaining the quality of their name while at the same time subc

40、ontracting much of their production to other companies.A final characteristic that will make a difference is talent. The human side of management is set to become increasingly important, (12)Today, however, what setsexecutives apart is their ability to innovate. It has been argued that the major cha

41、llenge for the modern company will be the war for talent: the struggle to hire and retain the best people.Example:0 A B C D E F GA These factors have shown that companies that adapt appropriately face a bright future.B In the early days of mass production, costs were kept low at the expense of choic

42、e.C More tasks will be assigned to teams whose members will have substantial discretion over what they do and how.D In the first half of the 20th century, managers tried to take any element of creativity out of business by turning people into machines.E It has acquired any number of unconnected busi

43、nesses, many of which, for example the manufacture of light bulbs, are not seen as great generators of cash.F Increasingly, it stems from the trust that the company has established with its customers.G Almost any fate for corporations seems likely except that of being bland and boring.PART THREEQues

44、tions 13-18 Read the article below about the importance of ongoing training and the questions on the opposite page. For each question 13 - 18, mark one letter (A, B, C or D ) on your Answer Sheet for the answer you choose.TrainingIn hard times the training budget is often the first thing to go, as m

45、any companies regard it as expendable. But this is almost certainly a bad move. A properly developed training policy can, in fact, save a company money, keep its skilled workers happy and leave it in better shape after the hard times end. There are no specific rules concerning the details of a train

46、ing programme but what is vital is that a training policy must be totally aligned with an organisation's business strategy. A policy is a commitment on behalf of an organisation - it is similar to a mission statement.Setting up a training policy should not be very difficult if it is broken down

47、into distinct areas such as goals, necessary skills, procedures and evaluation. In recent years there has been an increase in the number of companies that arrange training for staff and the number of days dedicated to training. There are, in addition, more and more human resources and training manag

48、ers. Even directors are now actively encouraging better staff training policies.Deciding on appropriate training will vary from? company to company, but one thing that is necessary in all training is clear communication. Line managers must be heavily involved in deciding who should be sent on training courses. Senior management may produce policies, but these will not work without the involvement of line managers as they are aware of the strengths and weaknesses of the employees who report to J them.Many people feel a generation gap exists where training is concerned. Those who le