剑桥商务英语bec中级考试模拟题.doc

剑桥商务英语BEC中级考试模拟题6Reading PART ONEQuestions 1-7Look at the sentences below and the book reviews on the opposite page.Which book does each sentence 1-7 refer to?For each sentence, mark one letter A,B,C or D on your Answer Sheet.You will need to use some of these sentences more than once.1In this book you learn about the lives of business leaders from the past.2This book looks at how large companies deal with various problem areas.3This is an account of one business leaders experience.4This book describes both successes and failures.5This book suggests probable trends in the business world.6The writer of this book gives his personal views of what makes a good business leader.7This book is based on interviews with business leaders.AMY YEARS WITH BAIZE ENGINEERINGby James SalinasSalinas outlines the key qualities of good management in this autobiography. He believes that decisions should be based on fact, not opinions; that peoples strengths should be exploited; and that disagreement is sometimes necessary. But the main point he makes is that leadership means performing well at all times and setting a good example.BLEADING ONedited by Frances PeakeIn this collection of essays, top business leaders predict how businesses will change over the next few years. They analyze changes in business and society and their effects on job markets, as well as taking a look at possible strengths and weaknesses of leading economies and their currencies. This collection outlines a vision of tomorrows business world and the type of leaders that will be required.CULTMATE LEADERSHIPby John ConnorThis book is a well-researched study of the problem of leadership in global quoted companies. 160 international business leaders were asked how they added value to their companies and their answers form the main part of this book. Both managers and companies are analyzed in order to show how they cope with difficult issues. A useful book for all senior managers.DTWENTIETH CENTURY LEADERSby Maximilian Landor100 well-known US business leaders through this century are described inthis book, which analyses how their fortunes were made and sometimeslost. The background, business career, character and personal life of eachindividual are outlined, creating an impressive collection of biographiesand an excellent reference work.PART TWOQuestions 8-12Read the article below about job interviews.Choose the best sentence from the list on the opposite page to fill each of the gaps.For gap 8-12, mark one letter (A-G) on your Answer Sheet.Do not use any letter more than once.How to Succeed at InterviewsThe aim of a job interview is to establish whether you are likely to do well in a particular job in a specific organization. This is not only a matter of having the necessary technical knowledge and skills. You must also have the motivation, the ability to adapt to new ways of working and to a new work environment, and the personality to do the job and fit into a new team. example. These includegetting on with people, oral and written communication, teamworking, problem solving and good time management.Most people think that interviewers know what they are looking for and will recognize it when they see it. 8. This applies to recruiters as much as anyone else. In fact a former head of selection at one big firm used to say that some interviewers are so poor they would do better to rely on chance.In companies which recognize this, various methods are used to try to find the right person 9. Research has shown that this approach is more reliable than the ordinary job interview, though not as effective as using personality tests or assessment centers.In a structured interview the interviewer groups the qualities listed in the jobspecification under various headings. There are two well-established structures for this: the National Institute of Industrial Psychologys Seven-Point Plan and the Five-Fold Grading System. Both these systems cover factors such as physical appearance, qualifications, general intelligence, motivation and previous experience. 10.However, they should not give equal weight to each one. Some factors are moreimportant in one job than another. For example, physical appearance and manner will be more important in a sales position than in a researcher who works behind the scenes. It is also a fact that the impact the candidate makes in the first three of four minutes of an interview is of major importance. 11.A decision not to hire is often made during those first few minutes.It is not always possible to tell whether structured interview techniques are being used. If interviewers ask questions systematically, using some kind of checklist, and occasionally make a brief note, they probably are. On the other hand, if the interviewer goes through your application form to confirm what you have already said, or asks irrelevant questions, or jumps from one topic to another the interview is unlikely to be structured. Before you attend any interview, look again at the job description and the personal specification. 12. If you already have a mental list of the key points that you need to mention, you are unlikely to waste time giving irrelevant information or to omit important points in your favor.A Study them closely and assess what your interviewer will be looking for.B However, people are actually not very good at assessing one another.C For each of these areas the interviewers score candidates against how well they fit the job specification.D Although a favorable impression may be reversed later in the interview, a negative impression is rarely changed:E The most common is the structured interview.F The effectiveness of the interviewer can be improved by training.G But there are other personal skills that affect your success in a job.PART THREEQuestions 13 18Questions 13-18Read the following article about R&D in industry and the questions on the opposite page.For question 13-18, mark one letter (A,B,C or D) on your Answer Sheet for the answer you choose.It is only through innovation that large companies will be able to survive, according to Ron Mitsch, vice-chairman of UK-owned, industrial giant 3M. However, says Mitsch, it remains difficult to run a truly innovative company. Innovation involves speculation, unproven technologies and unpredictable costs. It takes a lot of managing, because managers really have to be on top of whats happening. In addition, innovation does not fit easily into the orderly kind of organization that company accountants like. Despite this. Mitsch claims it is an essential policy to pursue. The 3M groups record of growth and profitability indicates that it manages the orderly pan of the business pretty well. The statistics are big operations in more than 60 countries, sales in more than 200: around 60.000 products and 70,000 employee. But what makes 3M different is its innovative approach to innovation approach to innovation itself. Although it is a massive multi-national with a turnover of 515 billion, the whole company is broken into tiny Soups which work together and help each other and are then encouraged to consult internally with the other Soups. This positively encourages individual and collaborative research.A further encouragement is that all research staff world-wide are expected to work on 3M projects for only 85% of time; for the remaining 15% of time they are free to pursue ideas of their own, using company facilities. In this time they can work on their own or in a group. One hugely successful-project that has come out of this 15% rule is the Post-it note. The idea came from an individual inventor and then, using the business skills of a large organization, was rapidly developed into a major product. The success of the Post-it note proves how profitable the innovative 15% rule can be.Ron Mitsch says innovation is at the heart of 3M. In 1996, more than 30% of sales were generated by products less than four years old Fie says: We almost always get into new markets through innovation. Were very good at adapting these innovations to lots of different markets so we have a high success rate. We take an idea and see how many applications its going to have. Then we try to establish market dominance. We have a tremendous variety of technologies so we can adapt anything but we still need the original ideas to develop. In the past year 3M has introduced a group-wide program called Pacing Plus. This means that they are still actively see -king new ideas, but with the difference that they hope many of them will eventually lead to the establishment of completely new businesses. In this way, 3M will be able to invest in a wide range of markets and even create some new ones.This emphasis on innovation creates unusual stresses and strains and makes a company like 3M a difficult business to manage. Technical people at 3M are given a large degree of intellectual freedom, and the company appears to specifically try to recruit people who think for themselves and who dont necessarily solve things by the traditional routes. The management encourages people to step outside of the security that comes from working in a big, stable group, and then to handle the consequences. So fat the mixture of freedom and heavy responsibility seems to work: the 25 research schemes at present under review could generate business worth $6 billion a year.13Ron Mitsch says it can be difficult for companies to be innovative because this involves Agiving more power to the accountants. Bemploying a lot of managers. Cbeing orderly and organized. Dbeing prepared to take risks.14 3Ms approach to innovation is different because it allows researchers toAwork for more than one company.Bwork on a variety of products.Cwork with groups in other organizations.Dwork alone as well as in a team.15. The writers says that the Post-it note was invented as a result ofAa researchers own initiative.Bresearch earned out by a group.Cresearch originally done on another productDa managers innovative idea16. When 3M has a new idea it tries to Asell it only in new markets. Bsell it in markets it already controls.Cthink of different ways of exploiting it Dkeep it secret as long as possible.173M sees the Pacing Plus program as Asomething other companies are likely to copy. Ban opportunity to take over some of its competition.Ca departure from its previous approach.Da way of solving certain problems.18The researchers at 3Mneedto be people who Afeel relaxed about their work, Bhave an individual approach to problems. Care academically gifted. Dare willing to stay with the company for a long time.PART FOURQuestions 19-33Read the magazine article below about a survey of the hotel and catering industry.Choose the correct word A,B,C or D on the opposite page to fill each gap.For each question 19-33, mark one letter A, B, C or D on your Answer Sheet.A Better FutureA survey of employees attitudes in the hotel and catering industry, indicates that, on the whole, it does not deserve its bad reputation.Recruitment consultants Bermac International recently carried out a study of the work example of managers and directors in the hotel and catering industry. The results paint an encouraging picture. The 19 of the study was to assess whether the poor image of the industry, 20 among parents, teachers and school-leavers, was an accurate 21 of the current situation. Before the survey. Bermac had been 22 of an increased confidence in the industry and a reduction in the hours managers worked. The surveys results 23 these trends while not hiding the industrys failings.The group which was interviewed 24 274 people (168 male. 106 female) whowere drawn from all the major sectors of the industry and represented six different age 25 . Forty were directors, while the rest were in management 26 . Generally the results indicated a positive 27 across the industry, especially with the younger generation of managers. Unfortunately, this was not always the 28 with directors, 90% of whom were working at least six hours a week, andunder increasingly stressful 29 .When asked about salary 30 , the majority of the younger generation of directors and managers thought that their pay was reasonable. Disappointment with salaries seemed to set in once they had 31 thirty. At this stage in their careers men 32 more strongly about the issue than women. Overall, the survey indicates that the industrys reputation as an unwise career choice isnt entirely fair, although bad employment 33 havent vanished altogether. 19 A effect B design C aim D will20 A joint B common C public D average21 A reflection B shape C form D appearance22 A familiar B aware C wise D experienced23 A agree B trust C believe D confirm24 A consisted B included C combined D constructed25 A sectors B sets C groups D classes26 A points B stages C positions D locations27 A mood B sense C wish D nature28 A event B case C state D fact29 A decisions B places C times D conditions30 A levels B divisions C quantities D amounts31 A arrived B got C reached D contacted32 A noticed B involved C felt D sensed33 A even