商务英语剑桥中级考试历年真题阅读精讲.docVIP

商务英语剑桥中级考试阅读精讲英国剑桥委员会组织的BEC（Business English Certificate）是一门综合性极强的考试，不仅全面考察了考生的英语运用能力，而且也加入了实用性的商务内容，因此这个标准化程度很高的考试，体现了学习语言的真正价值，当然，客观地反映出了考生真实的语言功底，和在工作场合的实际运用能力， 因而受到了很多国际性大企业的认可，成为选聘人才的要求之一。这项考试中的阅读题型的多样性可见一般，尤其是高级阶段，在一小时内需要完成6大题型，信息量之大，考生的答题速度也相应提升不少。首先在备考时，一定要非常熟悉题型，明确自己要做什么，再加上课堂中老师提供的解题要点和技巧，相信能减轻不少压力。 考前的的集中训练也必不可少，俗话说；熟能生巧，在练习中，考生对题型的解答技巧也会变得驾轻就熟。通常来说第一大部分和第二部分是两道坎，而其他题型阅读量相对少，建议考生由难到易各个击破，心理上也会承受力强些，毕竟像选词填空（part 4），完形填空（part 5）和改错（part 6），用时最少，但是得分点很多，完成这些，对考生在考场的信心增加不少。 然后再来攻克第一部分和第二部分。对于第一部分，大家不难发现，8个statements，匹配5段文字， 建议同学们从读8个选项入手，每个句子中找1-2个key words，速记一下，但要强调一点，务必动动手把这些词圈一下，或下划线，帮助你focus在这些词上，待会可以节省不少来回寻找的时间。 然后在读5段文字，遇到关键的词句，要慢一些，因为之前速记过的内容，趁热打铁，多少会给你一种似曾相识的语句，那么要留心，做记号1，3，6，以此缩小范围。Bec的考试更注重的整体理解和inference推断能力，更多的是句子的把握，而不是词汇的简单paraphrase. 故光靠词语的匹配是不容易正确解题的。此外，第二种题型，占得比分不多，就6个空格，但是是最花时间的。 这考察了考生的上下文的逻辑关系的把握，需要考生能正确辨认指代，连接词，从而顺利完成。这题需要先通篇理解，然后再分析选项中的句子，找出表示逻辑关系的词，代词，或者一些有内容的形容词，那么再汇过去匹配，考生一下子找准觉得有难度，不少人觉得那句插进去都还行，那么需要我们在一些选项中比较，有无类似的表达，活着恰反得词汇，有无举例说明，有无分类的内容， 例如，alternatively，on the other hand等字眼。找到了突破口，加上完成后推敲来最终确定答案。阅读部分：60分钟阅读部分题型考 点题目数量1匹配共4段文字，要求考生从给出的陈述中辨别每个陈述属于哪一段文字。72匹配从文章中抽出6个句子。打乱顺序，并加入一个干扰项；要求考生根据上下文和文章的内容、结构选出正确的句子放回文章中去。给出第一个空的答案作为例子。53单选传统阅读理解题。54完型填空主要考察词汇、语法和固定搭配等。155改错在文章的12行里挑出每行多余的一个单词；如果某一行没有错误，标注correct。12BEC阅读题应试技巧Part 1 (Questions 1-7)这部分有7个问题和4段文章。要求考生阅读文章，根据文章提供的信息选择与文章意思一致的句子。这部分相对来说不很难。需要注意的是，短文只有4段，而问题有7个，这样有重复选择，考生要当心似是而非的答案。建议做题顺序：1. 阅读instruction，清楚了解四个段落的共同主题。是advertisement还是conference detail或job opening，这个信息对于后面的阅读至关重要。2. 先看七道题干，划出关键词，加强对七个关键词印象，以便在后文阅读中随时发现包含关键词的段落。例如：This job involves working for a well-known company.其中well-known company就属题干关键信息。3. 看阅读段落，边看边随时划出和前面七个关键词同意的信息。4. 不确定的题目留到最后一起解决。 Part 2 (Questions 8-12)这部分较难，主要考学生对文章结构的理解。考生需要理解文章，根据上下文来选择答案，一般来说，考生要先阅读文章，然后，阅读提供的句子，从逻辑推理到意义的连贯等方面来确定答案。本题型是阅读部分最难的题型，难的原因有两个：1）中国的传统考试（高考、四六级、专四八等）从未涉及。2）本题主要考察逻辑，在作文中中国学生的逻辑差是出了名的。建 议：善于从前后句中确定核心信息：西方人思维严密，逻辑性很强。一个句子讲明一个主要信息，后句会联系前句的核心信息进行发展。确失的句子的信息往往应当承上启下，和前句与后句有紧密结合，所以要确定前后句核心信息的能力至关重要。例如：Take Coca-Cola for example. (12) _.（12）一定是关于可口可乐的信息。又比如：(9) _ Times have changed. The big company of today is not being defeated by another big company but by the small companies.后句说时代已经变了，那么（9）句中一定包含有过去情况怎样的信息。本题对于阅读能力、写作能力、逻辑思维能力的提高有着重大的益处，建议考生多做这样的练习。Part 3 (Questions 13-18)这部分为阅读理解，与大学英语四、六级考试的阅读理解相似，主要考对文章大意和某一特定意义的理解。考生要先快速阅读文章，然后读懂选择题，在文章中找到与4个选项中意义相同或相近的答案。考生必须弄懂文章蕴涵的意思。一般来说，考生可以根据问题的意思，按照顺序到文章中找到文章中找到相关的句子，然后确定选择项。Part 4 (Questions 19-33)这部分类似大学英语四、六级考试卷中的完型填空（cloze）。该部分不是考对文章的理解，而是考语法、词汇和结构。如词的搭配、固定短语等。但是，考生首先仍然必须阅读文章，了解文章的大意，在这个基础上再根据上下文确定最佳选择。这类题目是阅读中较简单的一种类型，主要由于这部分和四、六级的完形填空部分形式很类似，但是考察的方向和内容完全不同。1. 考察篇章专业性强，一般都为商务主题类文章。四、六级文章政治、经济、文化多有涉及。2. 只考察两类词汇的使用：动词和名词。而四、六级考察范围广，涉及形容词、副词、介词等，多考察语法。而BEC的完型填空主要考察的是：A. 动词、名词搭配 B 上下文意思 C近义词辨析。大多考察的是词汇的用法，注重实用。其中很多句型和搭配都可以在日常商务口语和写作中使用。Part 5 (Questions 34-45)该部分文章一般是信函、有关商务的文章。文章长度通常为150-200单词。考生需将文章中有编号（34-45）的句子中多余的单词（extra word）找出，并在答题纸用大写字母写出该词；如果句子中没有多余的单词，则在答题纸上写CORRECT。 本部分难度一般，主要考察搭配、介词使用等。一般来说，正确的句子在3-4个，其余的句子都多了一个单词。1. 多余单词中，以介词（of, on, with）最多。2. 其次是代词（their, this, his, us等）3. 最后才是各种实词，如：qualified, concerning等，这部分词所占比例很小。4. 本部分对于在校大学生来说问题不大，因为大学生们往往语言基本功较好。5. 对于上班族来说问题较大，上班族往往实战经验丰富，交流能力强，但是语法词汇搭配知识薄弱，很容易看不出问题来。6. 建议考生多学习介词、代词搭配等。Part 5 (Questions 34-45)该部分文章一般是信函、有关商务的文章。文章长度通常为150-200单词。考生需将文章中有编号（34-45）的句子中多余的单词（extra word）找出，并在答题纸用大写字母写出该词；如果句子中没有多余的单词，则在答题纸上写CORRECT。 第四辑真题TEST 3 READING PART 11 the failure of a company to set its prices appropriately2 a context that makes it difficult to increase prices3 the consequences of companies trying to conceal their approach to pricing4 the means by which a company ensured precision in the prices it offered5 the fact that companies can learn about the effects of a price reduction6 the first sector to price products according to how much customers were prepared to spend7 the widespread use of rough guidelines to determine pricesGetting the price rightA、Chief executives need to pay more attention to pricing， according to Roberto Lippi of the Apex Group， a consultancy that offers advice on pricing strategy. He accepts that low inflation figures in many industrialised countries makes raising prices tough， but argues that this should not necessarily deter companies. He gives the example of the airlines， which， with their minimum stay requirements and massive premiums for flexibility， led the way in sorting customers into categories， based on their willingness to pay.B、The key to pricing is to avoid alienating customers. As Lippi points out， once a bad price has been established， it can be very difficult to turn the situation around. He gives the example of a consumer goods company that went bankrupt largely because it did not price its digital cameras properly. In contrast， he cites the case of a Swiss drug company that introduced software for every sales representatives laptop， enabling them to provide consistent and accurate price quotes. To help staff with this innovation， the company also created a new post of director of pricing strategy.C、Many of todays managers have the benefit of modern technology to help them with pricing. Supermarket chains， for example， can easily track customers elasticity - how their buying habits change in response to a price rise or a discount. But although a company can now measure this sort of thing in a more sophisticated way， following basic rules is still the most common way of setting prices. Most bosses still worry more about their costs than the prices they charge; one recent survey found that they spend as little as 2% of their time on pricing.D、One popular approach to pricing is illustrated by the car companies that charge extra for product add-ons such as electric windows， instead of offering them as part of the standard price. Although many customers are prepared to pay extra， Lippi recommends that companies make sure that price differences reflect real differences in the product， either in quality or in the extra service on offer. The worst approach is to try to keep the pricing structure secret from customers. Nowadays， that is more likely to lead to lost contracts than large profits.这篇文章主要是关于定价（pricing）的。题目算是阅读第一部分里比较隐晦的了。四个部分分别介绍了影响定价的一些因素。第一题，公司没有合理定价。答案是B段引用的一个例子：He gives the example of a consumer goods company that went bankrupt largely because it did not price its digital cameras properly.因为没有对数码相机合理定价，所以一个消费品公司破产了。和第一题吻合。Consumer goods： goods such as food， clothing， etc. bought and used by individual customers消费品。第二题，大环境使得涨价很困难。答案是A段，有点不太明显，甚至可能需要点经济学基础：He accepts that low inflation figures in many industrialised countries makes raising prices tough， but argues that this should not necessarily deter companies。很多工业国家的低通货膨胀率使得涨价变得困难。通货膨胀率是衡量一国宏观经济的重要指标，也就是这题所说的context。低通货膨胀率，说明经济不太景气，涨价会很困难。deter： to make sb decide not to do sth or continue doing sth阻碍eg： The price did not deter most customers第三题，公司隐瞒定价策略的后果。答案是D段的最后一句：The worst approach is to try to keep the pricing structure secret from customers. Nowadays， that is more likely to lead to lost contracts than large profits.最坏的方法是试图让定价结构对消费者保密。今天，它更有可能导致失去合同而不是大的利润。第四题，一个公司确保定价准确的方式。答案是B段的这么一句：a Swiss drug company that introduced software for every sales representatives laptop， enabling them to provide consistent and accurate price quotes。一个瑞士的医药公司为每一位销售代表的手提电脑引进了软件，确保他们提供持续准确的定价。这里的accurate对应于precision，引进的软件就是方式（means）。第五题，公司了解降价的后果。答案在C段，但是不那么明显：Supermarket chains， for example， can easily track customers elasticity - how their buying habits change in response to a price rise or a discount.大的超市可以轻易追踪客户的弹性他们的购买习惯是如何对涨价或打折做出反应的。这个题需要理解一个常见的经济学术语：弹性。elasticity ：the extent to which people want to buy more or less of a product or service when its price changes。这个术语的概念基本吻合第五题所说的。能够了解客户的需求弹性，也就了解了涨价或者降价的效果。第六题，对产品定价首要的是根据客户所愿意支付的。答案是A的最后一句：based on their willingness to pay.。集于他们的支付意愿。这里的based on对应于the first sector。第七题，粗糙的定价准则的广泛应用。答案在C段，有点隐晦：But although a company can now measure this sort of thing in a more sophisticated way， following basic rules is still the most common way of setting prices.虽然公司可以用一种更复杂的方式来衡量，遵守基本的规则仍然是定价的最普遍的方式。BUT是个信号。rough可以从反面对应于sophisticated，the most common way对应于widespread use。练习一: Questions 8-12Sir，You state on February 13 th that New Mexico has “few natural resources”， _ example_ In 1991 New Mexico ranked fourth in the United States in production of natural gas， seventh in oil and tenth in non-fuel minerals _8_ Non-fuel minerals contributed about $ 1 billion and coal $ 509 million.Taxes from production of fuels and minerals， and lease payments on state lands have been set aside by legislative acts to endow two permanent funds worth about $ 5.65 billion， _9_ In addition， during fiscal year 1991 ， payments to New Mexico from taxes on federal lands were S 108 million， all earmarked for public education._10_ About $566 million came from taxes and permanent-fund earnings attributable to oil and gas production. _11_ Tourism is an important industry in Mew Mexico， yet its economic impact on the public sector is dwarfed by that of mineral production.New Mexico came through the recent recession in much better shape than most other states. It does not have a deficit. _12_ States that rely primarily on a sales tax or on an income tax have big problems during economic downturns. Income growth per head in New Mexico averaged 6.1/00 in the year to October 1992-one if the fastest growth rates in the United States.Charles ChapinExample： CA. That it has a broadly based tax structure is an important point.B. In 1992 it produced more oil than Colorado and Kansas combined.C. However， the extractive mineral industry in New Mexico is one of the states strongest economic forces.D. During fiscal year 1992 New Mexico raised permanent funds worth about $6.1 billion.E. The combined value of oil and gas production was $ 2.8 billion.F. Some 16，000 employees work in the extractive industries and their wages are among the highest of any major industry.G. The $39 million earned by these funds in 1991 was used to finance education and other public services.H. Only S 25 million came from agricultural taxes.I. New Mexicos extractive mineral industries contribute about a third of the states $ 1.9 billion general-fund income in fiscal year 1991.答案：8. E 9. G 10.I 11. F 12. A练习二: Questions 8 12MarketingIn the past, the concept of marketing emphasised sales. The producer or manufacturer made a product he wanted to sell. _ example _ .Basically, selling the product would be accomplished by sales promotion, which included advertising and personal selling _ (8) _ Distribution consisted of transportation, storage, and related services such as financing, standardisation and grading, and the related risks.The modern marketing concept encompasses all of the activities mentioned, but it is based on a different set of principles _ (9) _ In other words, goods should be produced only if they can be sold. Therefore, the producer should consider who is going to buy the product - or what the market for the product is - before production begins.Marketing now involves first deciding what the customer wants, and designing and producing a product that satisfies these wants at a profit to the company _(11)_ This is much more difficult since it involves human behaviour. _(12)_ Thus, demand and market forces are still an important aspect of modern marketing, but they are considered prior to the production process.Example: CA. It subscribes to the notion that production can be economically justified only by consumption.B. Marketing was the task of figuring out how to sell the product.C. Marketing is as important in todays economy as the production of goods and services.D. Production, on the other hand, is mostly an engineering problem.E. Such markets must be created and stimulated by managers.F. This is very different from making a product and then thinking about how to sell it.G. More than half the cost of consumer goods can be traced to marketing activities.H. In addition to sales promotion, marketing also involved the physical distribution of theproduct to the places where it was actually sold.I. Instead of concentrating solely on production, the company must consider the desires of the consumer.答案：Questions 8 - 12: H, A, F, I, D练习三: Questions 8 - 12 Special Introductory Offer!Gain a working knowledge of the topBusiness books rapidly and easilyNow you can read the best business books - in just 15 minutes each!Its the executive dilemma of the Nineties: information overload. _(example)._ There should be a simpler way to keep track of the latest ideas. And there is.A systematic solution:Suppose you had an assistant who screened and selected only the quality books for you. _ (8)_ . So you could obtain a working knowledge of the books contents in a fraction of the time. Now you can have that assistant with Executive Book Summaries. Every month, you receive quick-reading, time-saving summaries of the best new business books. _(9)_ . This means that rather than taking five to ten hours to read, it takes just 15 minutes!How youll benefit.Executive Book Summaries, designed for the busy executive, are a solution to the growing management problem of too much to read and too little lime to do it.1 Improve your business confidence.You gain a real understanding of the key points of the best new business books.2 Learn more, remember more.Weve taken account of extensive research into the memory functions of the human brain _(10)_ .3 Get ideas you can use._(11)_ . In a summary, these ideas are more accessible and actionable.4 Cut hundreds of hours off your reading load.How often have you opened a new book with great expectations - only to find it a huge disappointment? _(12)_The books we summarise cover just about every subject you need to know, from management techniques to guidance on your career.A) These introductory texts are the most important books and using them can pay big dividends.B) Discover practical tips and techniques you can apply without delay.C) In order to avoid this problem, we select for you only the truly worthwhile titles and reject the rest.D) According to studies published in psychology journals, you retain the content of a summary better than a book.E) He or she would take the most important ideas from each one, and compile them into a neat executive summary.F) With the breadth and depth of knowledge gained from books, it is less likely that youll be caught off guard.G) Each contains all the key points in the original book, but instead of 200 to 500 pages there are only eight pages.H) Theres a sample of the superb business titles that we summarise for you.I) With all the reading you have to do in the normal course of your work, you find it impossible to keep up with all the new business books.答案：8.E 9.G 10.D 11.B 12.C练习四: Questions 8-12Career PlanningFor many employees, automatic promotion up the ranks of a company is becoming increasingly rare. A new study suggests that, in response, employers need to consider how they can help staff develop their careers.Employers need to rethink their approach to career management completely, according to the latest research by the Institute of Employment Studies. The new study finds that in fact there is little opportunity for individual career development in many large organisations. (example)_.The Institute of Employment Studies makes it clear that it is not good practice for companies to hand over career development to individual employees and then simply leave them to get on with it. (8) _.So how should employers help their staff develop a career? Most employees have come to accept that career development is not always the same thing as upward promotion and a higher salary. (9) _.They must also ensure that these opportunities are extended to all their staff and not just to selected individuals.Nick Bridges, who is Director of Human Resources Policy at the Bank of Eastern England, believes there is more talk than action in this area. (10) _. One way, he believes, for companies to show how serious they are about individual learning is to make it an official part of company practice, as the Bank of Eastern England has done. (11)_. This document, he points out, has made the role of managers clear, and the company has also invested huge amounts of money educating managers so that they can then train their staff.Another company, British Chemicals, has contracted an independent organisation to help staff with confidential career advice. According to John Yates, the head of Individual Learning and Development at British Chemicals, there is an important role for outside agencies to play in the career management process. He adds that it is company policy for managers to give all staff roadmaps which show possible career routes within the company structure. (12)_. This has worked especially well, he says, for staff who are used to depending on their line managers for guidance.Many large organisations now recognise that career development cannot be regarded in isolation, and must be part of an overall business strategy. Human Resources has a real role to play in building a strong workforce which meets a companys long-term business needs and makes it more competitive.A Its policy statement says that by 2006, eighty per cent of its staff will have a professional qualification.B His recommendations go even further than that, and he has called fo