最新BEC中级阅读习题与答案解析.doc

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1、精品资料BEC中级阅读习题与答案解析.2013年商务英语考试中级阅读题精讲1Look at the statements below and the advice to businesses on the opposite page about using other companies to run their IT services.1、the need to teach skills to employees working on the outsourced process2、remembering the initial reason for setting up the outso

2、urced project3、the need to draw up agreements that set out how integration is to be achieved4、addressing the issue of staff who work on the outsourced process being at a distant site5、the importance of making someone responsible for the integration process6、staff on the outsourced project familiaris

3、ing themselves with various details of the business7、problems being associated with an alternative to outsourcingWhen a business decides to outsource its IT services, it needs to consider the question of integration. Four experts give their views.A.Gianluca Tramcere, Silica SystemsAn outsourced IT s

4、ervice is never a fully independent entity. It is tied to the home companys previous and continuing systems of working. But despite the added responsibility of managing new ways of working, many businesses ignore the integration process. They fail to establish contracts that define the ways in which

5、 the two companies will work alongside one another, and focus solely on the technological aspects of service delivery.B.Kevin Rayner, DomolaBusinesses need to build integration competency centres dedicated to managing the integration effort. It is critical to have an individual in charge to check th

6、at the external and internal business operations work together. Although companies often think of outsourcing as a way of getting rid of people and assets, they need to remember that, at the same time, outsourcing involves gaining people. Because there is a new operation being carried out in a diffe

7、rent way outside of the home business, this creates a training element.C.Clayton Locke, Digital SolutionsCommunication is the key to success, and outsourcing to other regions or countries can lead to a range of problems. For any such initiative, it is necessary to create a team where there is good,

8、open communication and a clear understanding of objectives and incentives. Bringing people to the home location from the outsourced centre is necessary, since it can aid understanding of the complexities of the existing system. To integrate efficiently, outsourcing personnel have to talk to the home

9、 companys executives and users to understand their experiences.D.Kim Noon, J G TechOne way to avoid the difficulties of integration is to create a joint-venture company with the outsourcer. Thus, a company can swap its assets for a share of the profits. Yet joint ventures bring potential troubles, a

10、nd companies should be careful not to lose sight of the original rationale for outsourcing: to gain cost efficiencies and quality of service in an area that for some reason could not be carried out entirely in-house. The complexities and costs of a joint-venture initiative should not be underestimat

11、ed.这篇文章讲的是外购(outsourcing),分别有四位专家就这个问题给出了自己的看法。A段的专家强调建立合同的重要性，B段专家认为要派专人负责，C段专家讲外派人员和本公司之间要有一个互动，D段专家讲如果与外包商(outsourcer)组成联合企业的话可能带来的一系列问题。如果对文章有个大概、基本的了解，很多题目不用细看就可以得出结论。第一题的答案稍微有些隐晦，在B段的最后一句。“Because there is a new operation being carried out in a different way outside of the home business, this

12、creates a training element.”因为新的操作是在本公司以外的地方以一种新的方式被执行，所以产生了培训成分。这里的training对应第一题的“teach skills to employees”。第二题的答案在D段中间: companies should be careful not to lose sight of the original rationale for outsourcing.这里的rationale是基本原理、根本原因的意思。第三题的答案在A段，非常明显的“establish contracts”。第四段的答案是C段的最后一句话，outsourcin

13、g personnel have to talk to the home companys executives and users to understand their experiences.这里的talk to对应address，向.谈话。第四题的意思是“说明在远址工作的外购人员的事情”，也就是C段最后一句说的外购人员向公司汇报他们的经历。第五段的答案在B段，相当明显：It is critical to have an individual in charge to check that the external and internal business operations wor

14、k together。需要派专人负责integration。第六题说“外派人员要熟悉自身工作的不同细节”，对应C段的“create a team where there is a clear understanding of objectives and incentives.”打造一个对目标和动机都有清晰理解的团队。第七题稍微绕一点。题目里的“an alternative to outsourcing”指的是D段里的“create a joint-venture company with the outsourcer”，建立一个联合企业。D段里的专家一直在强调联合企业的麻烦和复杂性(join

15、t ventures bring potential troubles)，所以是正确答案。2013年商务英语考试中级阅读题精讲2Employees can make a business succeed or fail, so the people who choose themhave a vital role to play.Employees are a companys new ideas, its public face and its main asset. Hiring the right people is therefore a significant factor in a

16、 companys success.(0) G If the human resources department makes mistakes with hiring, keeping and dismissing staff, a business can disappear overnight. Many companies now realise that recruiting the best recruiters is the key to success.Sarah Choi, Head of HR at Enco pic, believes that thinking comm

17、ercially is a key quality in HR. Every decision an HR manager makes needs to be relevant to advancing the business. (8) .C.Thats no longer the case. HR managers have to think more strategically these days. They continually need to think about the impact of their decisions on the bottom line. (9).F.

18、For example,a chief executive will expect the HR department to advise on everything from the headcount to whether to proceed with an acquisition.Why do people go into HR in the first place? Choi has a ready answer. I think most people in the profession are attracted by a long-term goal.(10).D.Nothin

19、g happens in the company which isnt affected by or doesnt impact on its employees, so the HR department is a crucial part of any business.Not all operational managers agree. An informal survey of attitudes to HR departments that was carried out last year by a leading business journal received commen

20、ts such as What do they actually contribute?(11).A. As Choi points out, salaries have never been higher and, in addition, HR managers often receive substantial annual bonuses.Despite the financial rewards, HR managers often feel undervalued, and this is a major reason for many leaving their jobs.(12

21、).E.However, a lack of training and development is a more significant factor. These days, good professional development opportunities are considered an essential part of an attractive package,Choi explains.A But rising levels of remuneration demonstrate that the professions growing importance is wid

22、ely recognised.B At one time, a professional qualification was required in order to progress to the top of HR.C Other departments and senior executives used to see HR managers as having a purely administrative role.D Since its one of the few areas where you can see the whole operation, it can lead t

23、o an influential role on the board.E Being seen as someone who just ticks off other peoples leave and sick days does not help build a sense of loyalty.F They therefore need to be competent in many aspects of a companys operations.G On the other hand, recruiting the wrong staff can lead to disaster.这

24、篇文章的标题有些misleading，“The best people for the job”，还以为是招人的标准。其实这篇文章是关于Human resource的，所以还是要适当关注文章前的说明：the article below about the changing role of human resources departments.第八题，空格后面的“Thats no longer the case”是很重要的提示。由于空格前面一直在强调commercial和business，所以在空缺的地方应该是和另一个方面相关的内容。选项C的administrative role正好满足这个要

25、求。前后文意思搭配在一起完全吻合。第九题，后面的for example的很关键，是对前面的补充说明。“For example,a chief executive will expect the HR department to advise on everything from the headcount to whether to proceed with an acquisition.”总裁希望人力资源经理对一切事情提出建议，从人数统计到是否进行收购。这种要求就需要人力资源经理具备很多才能。所以F的句子填在这里最合适。第十题，答案稍微不那么明显，不过D句中的an influential r

26、ole可以和第十题的空格后的a crucial part相对应，算是答案信号。要从整体上把握第三段，这里认为HR manager 的影响是全局的、长期的，所以D句的“see the whole operation”符合情况。第十一题，理解前后文的意思，前面说过去的operational managers不那么认可HR manager的作用，后面指出HR managers挣得多，所以中间是转折的意思。A句的But是个信号，“上涨的薪酬水平意味着这个职位逐渐增加的重要性得到了广泛的认可。”意思和前后都吻合，所以是正确答案。第十二题，空格前说HR managers觉得自己的作用被低估了，所以leav

27、ing。空格后一个However，所以空格处应该还是和leaving有关的，为什么离职。E句的意思是“被视作仅仅对别人的离开和生病的日子划勾的人是没法帮助建立忠诚感的。”填入此处正好。2013年商务英语考试中级阅读题精讲3Critical PathWhen David Hayden realised his company was heading for trouble, he took drastic measures to get it back on trackDavid Hayden founded his company, Critical Path, an email provid

28、er, in 1997 to take advantage of the boom in email traffic. Critical Path became a public company two years later, and Hayden took the opportunity to step down from his executive position in order to work on personal projects. At the same time, he agreed to stay with the company as Chairman, but the

29、 business was put in the hands of new managers by its investors. With sector-leading products and an expanding market, the company seemed to be on the up and up. However, by early 2001, it was in trouble. Shares that had been worth $26 in 1999, when they were first sold, were down to a mere 24 cents

30、.Called in by a panicking board, Hayden found himself back in charge as Executive Chairman, trying desperately to rescue what he could. The 1,100 staff had lost confidence in the company and did not know what was going to happen to them. And, as Hayden discovered, the management team was incompetent

31、. Those guys didnt understand the product or the sector, says Hayden. The heads of department didnt communicate and they didnt lead. But what was worse, Critical Path had lost the goodwill of its investors.Hayden knew that bringing the figures under control would be a vital step in the companys turn

32、around. Youve got to sort out the finances. For me, that meant getting back the goodwill of the investors. That was tough, after what had happened. But although they were angry with the company, they didnt have bad feelings about me. I told them that I knew I could get the company on its feet again.

33、 He was authorised to make whatever changes were required, and his first act was to find people within the company he could trust and put them in charge.The next thing Hayden had to tackle was morale. Everyone left the office at five on the dot - they couldnt get away quickly enough. To get the buzz

34、 back and win the staff over, I had to prove my own commitment and put in the extra hours with them. In return, it was assumed that nobody would ask for overtime pay until the company was on its feet again. Contrary to normal practice, Hayden was reluctant to lay people off, and apart from not repla

35、cing people as they reached retirement age, he left the workforce largely unchanged, although he did identify key people throughout the company who were given more responsibility.But, as Hayden insists, before a company reaches such a crisis, there are warning signs that any financial director or ac

36、countant should take note of. A business that has an unrealistic pricing policy or has to negotiate extended credit with its suppliers is in trouble, is his message. Or if you often have to apply for your overdraft limit to be raised or have trouble paying tax on time, something needs to be done.By

37、2003, the company was healthy again, with reasonably stable finances and a modest but steady share price of $1.60. One thing that helped save us was that our technology worked, says Hayden. With 20 million email accounts, we never lost a single major client because the product kept on working. With

38、ideas for a fresh venture demanding his attention elsewhere, Hayden has moved on. It was time to go, he says. Im not a turnaround specialist. I prefer start-ups.13 What event coincided with Critical Path becoming a public company?A Hayden became the Executive Director of Critical Path.B Investors hi

39、red a replacement team to run Critical Path.C Critical Path launched a successful new product on the market.D Critical Path was floated on the Stock Exchange at 24 cents per share.14 Which of the following situations did Hayden face at Critical Path in 2001?A The employees were worried about job sec

40、urity.B The investors were calling for changes to the company structure.C The management was misleading the staff about the companys position.D The board of directors did not realise the scale of the companys problems.15 One reason Hayden was able to turn Critical Path around was thatA he managed to

41、 find new investors.B the financial situation was not as bad as he had thought.C he had built up a good relationship with the management team.D he was given the support that he needed.16 What was Haydens policy regarding the staff of Critical Path?A He paid overtime to everybody who worked outside o

42、ffice hours.B He reduced the workforce by operating an early retirement scheme.C He gave key staff the opportunity to help him set goals for the company.D He restored motivation by showing willingness to work alongside staff.17 According to Hayden, what could indicate that a business is in trouble?A

43、 problems keeping accounts up to dateB suppliers refusing to offer new credit termsC a frequent need to increase the amount borrowedD difficulties in getting payment from customers on time18 Hayden left Critical Path after he had rescued the company becauseA he wanted to develop the technology for a

44、 new internet service.B he wanted to concentrate on founding a new enterprise.C he had been offered a job with a major internet company.D he decided to go into partnership with a major client.这篇文章名为Critical Path，字面上理解是关键路径，但在此文中是指一个公司的名字。整篇文章都是围绕这个公司遭遇的困境，以及这个公司的执行主席是如何力挽狂澜、扭转乾坤的。BEC考试阅读文章的一大特点是逻辑性强

45、，层次分明，读完不会有找不着北的感觉。13题，题目问当Critical Path成为上市公司时还发生了什么事。A不对，原文说的很明白：Hayden took the opportunity to step down from his executive position。抓住机会从总裁的位置上退下来。B项正确。原文说the business was put in the hands of new managers by its investors。业务被投资者交给了新的经理。和B选项的“投资者雇佣了一个替代团队来运营Critical Path”说的是一个意思。C不对，原文说的是sector-l

46、eading products，行业领先的产品，的确是C选项所说的successful，但是new不对。D不对，首先时间上不吻合，不是Critical Path成为上市公司时的事，其次这一句的描述也不对，只是说股价跌倒了24美分，不是float。Public company：a company whose shares can be bought and sold on the stock market, etc.上市公司。14题，题目问在2001年的Critical Path,这个Hayden面临着什么样的情况。答案在第二段找。A段说员工们担心工作保障。原文中说“The 1,100 staf

47、f had lost confidence in the company and did not know what was going to happen to them”，1100号员工对公司失去了信心，不知道将会发生什么。和A的意思吻合。B、C、D在原文中都没有提到。这个题目关键是能理解job security的意思，它是商务英语里地道常见的用法(同样的还有employment security)：job security：a situation where a job is likely to last for a long time and you will keep the job

48、 if you do what you are expected toeg: Consumers have cut back on their spending because of worries about job security.常见搭配(完形填空可能会遇到)a high/low level of job security to have/improve/increase/provide job security15题，题目问Hayden能够扭转局面的一个原因。答案在第三段找，并不很直接，需要一点概括。这一段先说了下公司的一些难处，比如投资人很生气，后果很严重。所幸的是投资人对Hayden并不反感：He was authorised to make whatever changes were required，他被授权进行一切需要的