商务英语考试BEC高级易错题(2019/5/20) |
第1、2、3、4、5、6题: In the last few years, managers throughout industry have seen more changes than many of them could have expected to see in their entire working lives having to communicate information which often leads to feelings of insecurity has become a key activity. From being regarded as relatively unimportant in many companies , management employee communication has become a central corporate need. Concordia International provides a good example of a company that has adjusted well to the changing needs for communication . since 1995 , Concordia has been turned inside-out and upside-down, to ensure that it is a marketing –led, customer-responsive business, one that looks outwards at customers and competitors, rather than inwards at its own processes and the way things were done in the past. In the last eight years, Concordia has reduced its workforce by more than 80.000 people - or 35% -on a voluntary basis, with further downsizing anticipated. From being an engineering company, Concordia is now remaking itself as a service company. The role of employee communication in such a context is to build people’s self-confidence, to persuade them that, although it is inevitable that the changes will go ahead, they also bring with them new opportunities for employees. However, this is not an easy task. People tend to be skeptical of these claims and to feel that they are losing touch with the company they have worked for over many years. This is understandable, since many of the old certainties are being swept away , including the core activities of the company they work for. Above all , they have had to face up to the fact that they no longer have a job for life. Research indicates that people respond to this predicament in a variety of ways. The bulk of employees fall into two main categories in terms of their response to the new situation: on the one hand there are the “ pragmatists” and on the other “ the highly anxious” the former see their job as a means to an end and have a relatively short-term perspective, with strong loyalty to their local term , rather than the company as a whole . the second category, usually the majority, may respond to threatened changes with a feeling of having been let down, and even feel anger at the company for what they see as changing the terms of their employment. ` The employee communication process needs to be capable of accurately directing its messages at a variety of employee groups and departments within the workforce . this is why middle managers and line managers are so key to communication. They are the people who know about the full rage of concerns among the workforce. The problem in the past was that this crucial area was often the responsibility of a separate, relatively isolated unit. Concordia puts responsibility for communication firmly on line managers. All their research points to the same conclusion: people prefer to get their information face-to-face from their line managers. That is the key relationship and where arguments and hearts and minds –are lost. The general rule in company communication is to tell employees as much as you can as soon as you can. If you can’t provide details, then at least put the news in context and commit yourself to providing greater detail when it becomes available another rule of company communication is that there must be a fit between what the company is telling its employees and what it is telling its shareholders. 15: in the last eight years, Concordia has A made over 80.000 employees reduncdant B completed a period of downsizing C reduced its workforce of 80.000 by 35% D given 35% of departing employees voluntary redundancy 16 from Concordia’s point of view, the role of communication is to A win employee support before going ahead with the changes B change the company’s core activities. C emphasise the positive aspects of the changes D explain the need for the changes 17 what does research show about most employees’ response to change? A they expect it to have a bad effect on the company B they feel completely powerless C they become less loyal D they fell they have been treated unfairly 18 Concordia’s communication process mainly relies on A printed communication B departmental heads C personal communication D a separate, specialized unit 19 According to the writer, what is the guiding ;principle about giving information within an organization? A Never make promises about future developments B Give people an overall view at the earliest possible stage C always include plenty of hard information D Hold back until all the details can be provided 20 which of the following would be the most suitable title for the article? A employee attitudes to company communication B making company communication more effective C Researching company commmucation D Making employees feel less powerless |
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第7题: If there is an extra word in the line,write the extra word in CAPITAL LETTERS on your Answer Sheet . The exercise begins with two examples, (0) and (00) Temporary staff required 0 Data Facts Limited is an expanding management services company whose 00 based in the north of England. We are undertaking a major piece of research 41for a leading financial institution . Part of the research is being a nationwide 42 telephone survey in early part December. Phone calls will be made from an 43 office in the centre of Manchester. The temporary staff will receive a fully day’s 44 training. They will then phone people who have been agreed to take part in the 45 survey and will go on through a questionnaire with them. They will be required 46 to record the responses accurately in writing. It will be necessary for those who 47 appointed to work a certain number of evenings and weekends. We are 48 looking for people who have a good telephone manner. A good level of their 49 education is desirable, but what we most require of people taking on this 50 work is common sense and the experience of getting thins done over\ 51 the telephone. Some knowledge although of banking or insurance would be an 52 advantage. Interested candidates should contact with our Recruitment Officer by phone or email to request an application form. |
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第8、9、10、11、12、13题:You can negotiate virtually anything. Projects, resources, expectations and deadlines are all outcomes of negotiation. Some people negotiate deals for a living. Dr Herb Cohen is one of these professional talkers, called in by companies to negotiate on their behalf . He approaches the art of negotiation as a game because, as he is usually negotiating for somebody else, he says this helps him drain the emotional content from his conversation. He is working in a competitive field and needs to avoid being too adversarial. Whether he succeeds or not, it is important to him to make a good impression so that people will recommend him. The starting point for any deal, he believes, is to identify exactly what you want from each other. More often than not, one party will be trying to persuade the other round to their point of view. Negotiation requires two people at the end saying ‘yes”. This can be a problem because one of them usually begins by saying “no”. However, although this can make talks more difficult, this is often just a starting point in the negotiation game. Top management may well reject the idea initially because it is the safer option but they would not be there if they were not interested. It is a misconception that skilled negotiators are smooth operators in smart suits. Dr Cohen says that one of his strategies is to dress down so that the other side can relate to you. Pitch your look to suit your customer. You do not need to make them feel better than you but, For example, dressing in a style that is not overtly expensive or successful will make you more approachable. People will generally feel more comfortable with somebody who appears to be like them rather than superior to them. They may not like you but they will feel they can trust you. Dr Cohen suggests that the best way to sell your proposal is by getting into the world of the other side. Ask questions rather than give answers and take an interest in what the other person is saying, even if you think what they are saying is silly. You do not need to become their best friends but being too clever will alienate them. A lot of deals are made on impressions. Do not rush what you are saying---put a few hesitations in , do not try to blind them with your verbal dexterity. Also, you should repeat back to them what they have said to show you take them seriously. Inevitably some deals will not succeed. Generally the longer the negotiations go on, the better chance they have because people do not want to think their investment and energies have gone to waste. However , joint venture can mean joint risk and sometimes , if this becomes too great , neither party may be prepared to see the deal through . More common is a corporate culture clash between companies, which can put paid to any deal. Even having agreed a deal, things may not be tied up quickly because when the lawyers get involved, everything gets slowed down as they argue about small details. De Cohen thinks that children are the masters of negotiation. Their goals are totally selfish. They understand the decision-making process within families perfectly. If Mum refuses their request , they will troop along to Dad and pressure him. If al else fails, they will try the grandparents, using some emotional blackmail. They can also be very single-minded and have an inexhaustible supply of energy for the cause they are pursuing. So there are lesson to be learned from watching and listening to children. 1. Dr Cohen treats negotiation as a game in order to A put people at ease B remain detached C be competitive D impress rivals 2. Many people say “no” to a suggestion in the beginning to A convince the other party of their point of view B show they are not really interested C indicate they wish to take the easy option D protect their company’s situation 3. Dr Cohen says that when you are trying to negotiate you should A adapt your style to the people you are talking to B make the other side feel superior to you C dress in a way to make you feel comfortable. D try to make the other side like you 4. According to Dr Cohen, understanding the other person will help you to A gain their friendship B speed up the negotiations C plan your next move. D convince them of your point of view 5. Deals sometimes fail because A negotiations have gone on too long B the companies operate in different ways C one party risks more than the other. D the lawyers work too slowly 6. Dr Cohen mentions children’s negotiation techniques to show that you should A be prepared to try every route B try not to make people feel guilty C be careful not to exhaust yourself D control the decision-making process. |
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第14、15、16、17、18、19题: The quest for international managers is underway in virtually every industrialized economy , the search has been made urgent by the globalization of world markets and the growth in crossborder mergers and acquisitions. (0) Many firms report being so stretched that they simply do not have enough of the high-quality people they require to lead their their global expansion. Other companies are having difficulties releasing experienced people from existing operations in order to lead new international ventures. There are indications that a shorftage of internationally skilled people may be an important constraint on firms’ international ambitions. (9) However, identifying the need for international managers is easier than developing them. So what makes an international manager? Paul Evans, a professor at INSEAD, the European business school, does not believe that any particular nationality produces a more international manager. Neither does he believe that it’s a matter of having the ability to cope with a lifestyle that involves working in Madrid one day, London the next and Berlin the day after. (10) Rather, he believes that the secret of being a good international manger is being comfortable with managing diversity. Ford of Europe, which has encouraged the development of international managers for more than 20 years, says that its managers are globally-minded before they become global operators. (11) a car that you buy in the UK, for example, is going to be the same car that sells in Germany, Finland and Portugal, so the people who are involved in the car’s development have to be aware of the market requirements in all those different countries. Generally, it seems that the only effective way to develop international skills and perspectives is through direct international experience. (12) Such experiences open people’s minds to the fact that things are done differently lese where and encourages them to think in a wilder context.. Formulating effective strategies for developing a company’s management resource is a demanding exercise, with conflicting issues to be solved (13) Another dilemma is whether to use local managers or expatriates. The recruitment and development of effective international managers requires considerable financial resources and can be hard to justify at budget meetings. (14) however , without them, companies will continue to find their expansion plans frustrated by a lack of internationally effective managers. A from the moment they join the company, employees are faced with having to think internationally B This can be through involvement in international task forces or through living and working abroad. C Should , for example, only an elite few receive international experience in preparation for top jobs or should it be offered to a wider group? D these problems mean that developing managers who think and operate globally is absolutely vital for companies operating in foreign markets. E Language training , overseas visits and in-house management courses are all expensive to implement. F Jet-setting between international operations merely creates a business equivalent of the over-packaged tourist G Companies are now emphasizing the human skills involved in managing other people H These trends are pushing companies’ existing management resources to the limit PART THREE |
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第20、21、22、23、24、25题: The Danish electronics manufacturer, Oticon, is a leader in the move towards the paperless office, In their cafeteria a huge glass pipe runs from ceiling to floor. When the mail comes in, it is immediately scanned into the computer, shredded, and thrown down the tube to the general cheers of the employees. (0) Having all mail and memos available only as computer files to be read on the screen makes it easy to dispense with large physical storage spaces for people who work at desks (9) Changing over to the paperless office required a rapid increase in computer literacy, but rather than set up a corporate training programme they turned the problem over to employees. Eight months before the system was installed , they offered each employee a powerful personal computer for use at home in exchange for training themselves to use it. (10) The big change was not the move from paper memos to computer messages. Oticon realised that the more radical transformation is from written to verbal communication.(11) that adds up to a large number of face-to-face exchanges, a big improvement over memos and the occasional multi-hour sit-down consultation typical of the old culture. People do not send each other memos, they talk. As the CEO puts it, “ We have jumped through the memo wall and gone right to action.” On the eighth of August 1991 , the company left their old wood-panelled offices .(12) Since then they have cut in half the “ time to market” on new products. The following year, sales and profits grew more than ever before. (13) in fact, despite a downsizing of 15 per cent employee satisfaction is hitting record highs. Oticon has created an organizational pattern that supports great freedom iof action for individuals and terms. They have tied it together with a minimum hierarchy. The first clear results to show up were in the greater efficiencies generated by the fact that less time needed to be spent on management activities . (14) they also have some investment in the success of the project they choose. Oticon has succeeded in breaking the mould mould and taking a lead in non-bureaucratic organizational design. Example : A This saving was possible because when people have real choice in the nature of their jobs, they commit themselves to being responsible for their areas of choice. B They were headed for a new building and a new era in communication. C Instead, they have large private areas on their hard disks for their correspondence. D In spite of this, the physical office layout at Oticon is one of its most charming features. E Over 90 per cent accepted , and they organized a club to help one another learn. F To facilitate this, the on-site coffee bars have now become the venue for about twenty meetings a day, averaging ten minutes and 2.7 participants each. G So, are people happy with the change” H Only about ten documents a day, items like legal contracts, escape this treatment. |
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