BEC商务英语初级阅读试题及答案分享
大家在备考bec的时候不能光看理论知识，一定要经常找一些题目来练习，为了方便大家的备考，下面小编给大家带来BEC商务英语初级阅读试题及答案分享。
BEC商务英语初级阅读试题及答案分享1
Trouble with Teamwork
Mary Owen examines the role and efficiency of teams
Recruiters say that candidates who can give examples ofwork they have done as members of a successful team are in asstrong a position as those who can point to significant individualachievement. Indeed, too much of the latter may suggest thatthe person concerned is not a 'team player' - one of the moreserious failings in the book of management.
The importance of being a team player is a side effect of the increasing interaction acrossdepartments and functional divides. Instead of pushing reports, paperwork and decisions aroundthe organisation, 'teams provide a dynamic meeting place where ideas can be shared and expertisemore carefully targeted at important business issues,' says Steve Gardner, in his book KeyManagement Concepts. He adds, 'Globalisation has added a further dimension to teamwork.Multinational teams now study policy decisions in the light of their impact on the local market.'
But is teamworking being overdone? 'Some managers are on as many as seven or eightdifferent teams', says Dr Cathy Bandy, a psychologist who recently ran a conference on thesubject. 'They take up so much time that managers can't get on with core tasks.' Forming teamsand having meetings has, she says, become an end in itself, almost regardless of purpose. There isalso the danger of an unhealthy desire to keep the team going after the work has been done. 'People feel the need to belong, and team membership can provide a kind of psychologicalsupport.'
The idea behind teamworking is that, when the right group of people is brought together, a'force' develops which is greater than the sum of their individual talents. This is often true in sport,where good players can reach unexpected heights as members of an international team.However,few business situations have as clear a set of objectives, or as clear criteria of success orfailure, as winning a match.
'In business, everyone needs to be clear about what the challenge is and whether a team isthe right way of approaching it', says Steve Gardner. 'Unfortunately, people focus instead on whothe members of the team should be and what roles they are to play' Dr Bandy agrees. 'There isalways a danger that teams can turn into committees,' she says. 'In a lot of situations, one or twoindividuals would be much more effective.'
So what makes a successful team? There are some general qualities that have been identified.Steve Gardnerrecommends that in every team there should be someone who is good atresearching ideas and another who is good at shooting down impractical ones. There should bethose who can resolve the tensions that naturally occur in a team and others who are focused ongetting the job done. Also, providing a clear and achievable target at the outset is the best way ofensuring that the team will move on to greater things.
13 What point does the writer make about teamworking at the beginning of the article?
A It is the most successful form of management.
B It has changed the recruitment procedure in companies.
C Well-run teams still allow individuals to demonstrate their talents.
D Being a team player is now considered an essential management skill.
14 According to the article, teamwork developed within companies as a response to
A modern office design.
B changing work practices.
C a reduction in administrative tasks.
D the expansion of international business.
15 In the third paragraph, Dr Bandy suggests that
A many employees do not enjoy working in teams.
B some managers are not very effective team leaders.
C some teams are created unnecessarily.
D few teams are well organised.
16 According to the writer, teamwork is more effective in the field of sport because the players
A know what they want to achieve.
B are more competitive by nature.
C have more individual talent.
D can be driven by national pride.
17 Steve Gardner and Dr Bandy agree that when a business team is created people do notpay enough attention to
A the structure of the team.
B alternatives to the team.
C selecting the team members.
D directing the team's activities.
18 What is Steve Gardner's advice on operating a successful team?
A Maintain a flexible approach to membership.
B Allow personalities to develop within the team.
C Select people who fit naturally into certain roles.
D Make every effort to avoid conflict between members.
参考答案及解析
《Trouble with Teamwork》，团队合作的麻烦。文章讲了团队的重要性和很多团队存在的问题，以及怎么样才能打造一个成功有效的团队。
第十三题，问文章开头作者针对团队合作做了什么论点。第一段是强调团队合作的重要性，太多的个人成果会显得这个人不是个合格的团队成员。选答案要理解第一句话的含义：Recruiters say that candidates who can give examples of work they have done as members of a successful team are in as strong a position as those who can point to significant individual achievement.招聘者说能够给出自己作为一个成功团队成员的例子的候选人同那些指出重要的个人成果的人具有同样重要的地位。言下之意，拥有团队成员的经历也很重要。所以选D，作为一个团队成员如今被视为必要的管理技巧。A、B、C都没有提到。
第十四题，问公司内部的团队合作是作为对什么的回应。也就是问团队合作的目的是什么，答案是第二段的这么一句：'teams provide a dynamic meeting place where ideas can be shared and expertise more carefully targeted at important business issues 团队提供了一个动态的会议场所，使得思想可以分享，技能可以更加仔细的对准重要的商业问题。这句里的dynamic meeting place可以对应于B段的changing work practice。
第十五题，问在第三段Dr Bandy暗示什么。答案是她的一句原话：Forming teams and having meetings has, she says, become an end in itself, almost regardless of purpose.形成团队然后开会成了它本身的终点，几乎不管目的是什么。也就是说很多团队的建立是没有意义的，多余的。选C，一些团队被不必要的创建了。
第十六题，问作者认为团队合作在体育领域里更有效的原因是什么。第四段讲当一群正确的人被组合到一起时会产生一种高于这些人个人能力的力量，在体育比赛里就是如此。这一题的答案是第四段的最后一句：few business situations have as clear a set of objectives, or as clear criteria of success or failure, as winning a match.。很少有企业能像赢得一场比赛一样有一系列清晰的目标，或者是对成功或失败有清晰的评判准则。也就是A选项所说的：知道他们想要实现什么。what they want to achieve可以对应于a set of objectives。
第十七题，问这两个人同意当一个商业团队被创立时人们没有把注意力放在什么上面。这一题要理解第五段的意思。第一句说In business, everyone needs to be clear about what the challenge is and whether a team is the right way of approaching it。在企业，每个人都必须很清楚挑战是什么以及团队是否是实现它的最好的办法。考虑团队是不是最好的办法，也就是说要考虑其他可能的途径，即B选项所说的团队的替代品(alternatives to the team)，后面有句focus instead….人们却把注意力放在了其他的地方。从这些可以看出答案是B。
第十八题，问关于运作一个成功团队Steve Gardner的建议是什么。这题的答案是对最后一段的概括。答案是最后一段第三句recommend后面的一长串there…who，要有不同的人胜任不同的角色。归纳起来，就是各司其职选C：选择能够自然融洽的胜任某个角色的人。其他几个选项都没提到。
第二段有个地方值得解释下。Globalisation has added a further dimension to teamwork。
这里的dimension用法比较特别，表示方面，特征，并且是很地道常见的说法
牛津词典的解释：an aspect or feature of a situation, problem, or thing。
麦克米兰的解释：a part of a situation, especially when it influences the way you think about the situation。
e.g: Doing volunteer work has added a whole new dimension to my life.
常见搭配：an extra/added/additional/further dimension
BEC商务英语初级阅读试题及答案分享2
Human Resources Policy
CBA Bank was the largest financial institution to sign theemployers' 'People Come First' code of practice in the early1990s. In doing so, it committed itself to the highest (0) inhuman resources practices such as the communication ofcompany(19)....... to employees, the setting of individualtraining and personal (20).......plans, and the holding of regularperformance (21)....... for all staff.
Like other organisations, CBA is replacing the traditional hierarchy with a flatter organisationalstructure which gives employees more broadly defined (22) .......within the company. The changeis offering employees greater opportunities for work in cross-disciplinary project teams. As a result,interpersonal (23) ....... are extremely important.
The policy seems to be working. There is a great deal of goodwill among employees, who(24).......the fact that customer satisfaction is the organisation's chief aim. CBA claims to pursuethis aim for its own (25)....... , rather than as a means of earning profits for shareholders.
An ability to relate to all kinds of people is the most important attribute CBA looks for in(26).......recruits. Graduates are (27)....... for a two-year period and exposed to all (28)....... ofretail financial services. By the end of this training period, they will have taken their Institute ofBanking examination and, if they have (29)....... their performance targets, they will have (30).......a job at the bank.
'On the whole, we are not looking for people straight out of college,' says human resourcesmanager Maiy Kemp. 'We would prefer that they had (31).......some experience of life and hadtaken a year out between school and college to travel or do some kind of work.'
The company has recently introduced a new policy on pay, and it is now (32).......toperformance through bonus schemes, with the objective being to (33) ....... employees for theirachievements and effort.
19 A designs B purposes C ends D objectives
20 A continuation B extension C development D advancement
21 A reviews B trials C revisions D judgements
22 A capacities B parts C roles D elements
23 A abilities B talents C assets D skills
24 A recommend B honour C respect D obey
25A sake B reason C behalf D cause
26 A expected B intended C potential D eventual
27 A taken on B written in C put on D drawn in
28 A fields B areas C regions D parts
29 A arrived B done C passed D met
30 A secured B reached C confirmed D fixed
31 A gained B won C earned D realised
32 A attached B linked C combined D joined
33 A return B reward C recompense D refund
参考答案及解析
《Human Resource Policy》，人力资源政策。主要是讲的CBA银行的人力资源政策，。先简单介绍了这个银行的管理结构，是扁平化的组织结构(flatter organizational structure)，而不是等级制公司(hierarchy)。总体原则是不招应届的刚出校门的毕业生，而要有一定的生活经验或者是工作经验。
第19、20、21题，这几空都是举例说明前面提到的human resources practices。19空是说的将公司的发展目标传达给员工。公司目标，用objective。purpose是指具体做某件事情的意图。这里有必要区分一下objective和purpose，看英文解释。
purpose: the reason you do something, and the thing you want to achieve when you do it
objective: something that you are working hard to achieve, especially in business or politics
第20题，个人培训和发展计划的制定。个人发展计划，personal development plans，选C。
第21题，定期的表现回顾。用review。hold在这个句子里是举行的意思。the holding of regular performance review，定期举行员工的表现回顾。
第22题，说扁平化的组织结构可以给员工更加定义广泛的角色。broadly defined roles,选C。
第23题，人际交往技巧是很重要的。interpersonal skills,是地道的说法。参见一个例句：you will need good interpersonal skills.
第24题，这一句的意思很好理解，是说员工们越来越看重或者说是承认一个事实：顾客的满意是组织的主要目标。recommend是推荐、建议，后面不接 the fact(事实)，honour是敬重，obey是遵守，这里应该选择respect。respect这里是重视或者接受的意思，看英英词典上的解释：to accept that something which is established or formally agreed is right or important and not to attempt to change it or harm it。所以这一空应该选择respect the fact，表示接受这个事实。
第25题，CBA银行追求这个目的是为着自己的利益，而不是为股东挣利润的工具。for the sake of something 或 for something's sake：for the purpose of; in the interest of; in order to achieve or preserve 为了…目的;为了…的利益;为了。。。固定用法，选A。
第26题，寻找潜在的新成员。地道的词是potential，比如potential recruits, potential staff, potential candidates.
第27题，考察的是短语take on的一个用法，雇佣：If you take someone on, you employ them to do a job.;write in：to write a letter to a newspaper, television company or other organization, to state an opinion or ask something以群众来信的形式表达的意见。
第28题，把毕业生分配在各个连锁金融服务领域。用area。field做领域、范围讲的时候是指的研究、活动，region是指的具体的地区，parts是部分，应该用area。
第29题，完成目标，met the targets。
第30题，完成了目标就可以得到工作。secure：to get possession of; acquire:
第31题，招的人已经具有了一定的生活经验。gain：to obtain something that is useful, that gives you an advantage, or that is in some way positive, especially over a period of time
eg: After you've gained some experience teaching abroad you can come home and get a job.
第32题，薪酬现在和业绩挂钩。link to，联系。
第33题，reward sb.奖励某人。reward employees for their achievements and effort，因为功劳而奖励员工。
BEC商务英语初级阅读试题及答案分享3
Evaluating the performance of the board
Few employees escape the annual or twice-yearlyperformance review. (0) .....G......The answer is not a greatnumber. And the smaller the company, the fewer checks thereare on how well the directors are doing. Some of the largestcompanies formally assess the performance of their board, butvery few new or growing companies have managed to getround to establishing any such procedure.
Many business experts believe, however, that it is important for all companies to review theperformance of the board. (8) .............Another reason is that the board itself needs information onhow well it is doing, just as much as other employees do. For the chief executive, appraisal of somesort is absolutely essential for his or her own sake and for the good of the company. Indeed, manyof those who have reached this level remark on how lonely the job of chief executive is and howfew opportunities they get to discuss issues relating to it.
There is some evidence to show that once smaller companies put a board appraisal process inplace, they find this process relatively easy to operate. (9) .............Their counterparts in largerorganisations, however, are often afraid that appraisals could be a challenge to their status.
So, how should companies assess their board? (10) .............At a very basic level,this couldsimply mean getting all the directors to write down what they have achieved and how they canimprove on it. At the other end of the scale is the full '360-degree' appraisal. Here, each director isappraised in a systematic manner by a combination of the chairman and fellow directors.
In the largest companies there are many methods for assessing the board. A number of suchcompanies have self-assessment schemes. The chairman may meet each board memberindividually to ask how things are going, in a fairly informal way. The whole board might also meetto talk about its progress in open session. (11).............These might ask for people's opinions onthe board's main tasks or on how well the committees are working.
Research indicates there has been some improvement in the way the appraisal of boardmembers is conducted. (12) .............The chairman will have been involved directly or indirectly inthe appraisal of all members of the board. Whose job is it, then, to appraise the chairman?
A It is often the case that the directors of such companies are even happy to receive criticism,as this can prevent them from making basic mistakes.
B The rest of the workforce sees it as unfair if the directors are the only members of thecompany to escape appraisal.
C These are encouraging as they put a limit on the power of the chairman to assess fellowdirectors.
D Alternatively, questionnaires might be distributed to directors, forming the basis for futurediscussion.
E One issue remains, however, when all the others have been dealt with.
F It is generally agreed that it is the chairman's responsibility to ensure the regular appraisal ofeach member of the board.
G However, one wonders how many companies have in place a formal appraisal process fortheir board of directors.
参考答案及解析
《Evaluating the performance of the board》，评估董事局的表现。众所周知一个公司里面是经常对员工的表现进行评估的，那么谁又来评估董事局的表现呢?这篇文章讲了对董事局表现进行评估的重要性和一些方法。
第八题，前面说对董事局的表现进行评估是很重要的。空格后面的句子中有another reason，可见这个第八空应该填入对董事局表现进行评估原因的句子。B符合这一特点，为什么要进行评估，因为“如果决策层是公司唯一逃避评估的成员的话，其他的员工会视之为不公平。”
第九题，前面说小公司会发现这种评估过程更容易操作。空格后面一个however，说大公司的决策层会认为评估是对他们地位的一种挑战。可见这个空格应该填入表示小公司愿意接受评估的句子。A符合这一特点：通常这些公司的决策层会很乐意接受批评，因为这可以防止他们犯错误。这里的such companies是个暗示，可以和前面的smaller companies对应上。
第十题，前面问怎样对公司的董事局进行评估。那么很明显，后面跟的句子应该和评估的方式方法有关。符合这一标准的只有F：一般认为确保对董事局里每个成员的定期评估是主席的责任。也就是说是依赖于主席进行评估。responsibility是个关键词。
第十一题。第五段依然是讲评估的方法，具体的过程。空格的前面说主席可以单独会见董事局的每一个成员，或者是集体在一起谈话。空格后面说这些可以询问人们关于董事局主要任务以及委员会的工作进展情况的意见。ask for people’s opinion是个关键点，什么可以询问人们的观点?调查。选D，questionnaires是个关键的暗示：或者，也许可以给经理们分发调查问卷，形成未来讨论的基础。
第十二题，这一空前面说有调查显示对董事局成员进行评估的方法有所改善。空格后面来了一个疑问，提出没有人评估主席。可见第十二题有转折的意思，选E，有关键的连词however,而且E的one issue remains，正好对应最后一段最后一句话的一个问题。内容上也吻合。
BEC商务英语初级阅读试题及答案分享4
Achieving a successful merger
However attractive the figures may look on paper, in thelong run the success or failure of a merger depends on thehuman factor. When the agreement has been signed and theaccountants have departed, the real problems may only just bebeginning. If there is a culture clash between the two companiesin the way their people work, then all the efforts of the financiersand lawyers to strike a deal may have been in vain.
According to Chris Bolton of KS Management Consultants, 70% of mergers fail to live up totheir promise of shareholder value, riot through any failure in economic terms but because theintegration of people is unsuccessful. Corporates, he explains, concentrate their efforts before amerger on legal, technical and financial matters. They employ a range of experts to obtain themost favourable contract possible. But even at these early stages, people issues must be takeninto consideration. The strengths and weaknesses of both organisations should be assessed and, ifit is a merger of equals, then careful thought should be given to which personnel, from which side,should take on the key roles.
This was the issue in 2001 when the proposed merger between two pharmaceuticalcompanies promised to create one of the largest players in the industry. For both companies themerger was intended to reverse falling market share and shareholder value. However, although thecompanies' skill bases were compatible, the chief executives of the two companies could not agreewhich of them was to head up the new organisation. This illustrates the need to compromise if amerger is to take place.
But even in mergers that do go ahead, there can be culture clashes. One way to avoid this isto work with focus groups to see how employees view the existing culture of their organisation. Inone example, where two global organisations in the food sector were planning to merge, focusgroups discovered that the companies displayed very different profiles. One was sales-focused,knew exactly what it wanted to achieve and pushed initiatives through. The other got involved inlengthy discussions, trying out options methodically and making contingency plans. The firstresponded quickly to changes in the marketplace; the second took longer, but the option iteventually chose was usually the correct one. Neither company's approach would have worked forthe other.
The answer is not to adopt one company's approach, or even to try to incorporate everyaspect of both organisations, but to create a totally new culture. This means taking the best fromboth sides and making a new organisation that everyone can accept. Or almost everyone.Inevitably there will be those who cannot adapt to a different culture. Research into the impact ofmergers has found that companies with differing management styles are the ones that need towork hardest at creating a new culture.
Another tool that can help to get the right cultural mix is intercultural analysis. This involvescarrying out research that looks at the culture of a company and the business culture of thecountry in which it is based. It identifies how people, money and time are managed in a company,and investigates the business customs of the country and how its politics, economics and historyimpact on the way business is done.
13 According to the text, mergers can encounter problems when
A contracts are signed too quickly.
B experts cannot predict accurate figures.
C conflicting attitudes cannot be resolved.
D staff are opposed to the terms of the deal.
14 According to Chris Bolton, what do many organisations do in preparation for a merger?
A ensure their interests are represented
B give reassurances to shareholders
C consider the effect of a merger on employees
D analyse the varying strengths of their staff
15 The proposed merger of two pharmaceutical groups failed because
A major shareholders were opposed.
B there was a fall in the demand for their products.
C there were problems combining their areas of expertise.
D an issue of personal rivalry could not be resolved.
16 According to the text, focus groups can help companies to
A develop new initiatives.
B adopt contingency plans.
C be decisive and react rapidly.
D evaluate how well matched they are.
17 Creating a new culture in a newly merged organisation means that
A management styles become more flexible.
B there is more chance of the merger working.中华考试网
C staff will find it more difficult to adapt to the changes.
D successful elements of the original organisations are lost.
18 According to the text, intercultural analysis will show
A what kind of benefits a merger can lead to.
B how the national context affects the way a company is run.
C how long it will take for a company culture to develop.
D what changes companies should make before a merger takes place.
参考答案接解析
《Achieving a successful merger》，实现一个成功的并购。文章没有从技术和经济效益的角度来分析并购成功的因素，而是强调了一个在并购中容易被忽视的重要因素：文化冲突。不同的企业文化走到了一起，能否兼容是并购能否成功的关键因素。一个比较著名的例子是当年惠普与康柏的并购。
第十三题，问什么情况下并购会遇到麻烦。答案是A段的最后一句，关键词是culture clash：如果两个公司的员工在工作方式上存在文化冲突，那么金融专家和律师们为了达成交易所做的一切努力都是徒劳的。所以选C：冲突性的态度无法得到解决。Conflicting attitude对应于culture clash。attitude具体指公司员工做事情的方式和态度。
第十四题，问很多机构为并购所做的准备是什么。答案是第二段的这么一句话：Corporates, he explains, concentrate their efforts before a merger on legal, technical and financial matters。公司都把精力集中在法律、技术和金融事务上了。也就是更多的看重经济等方面的利益，而忽视了人的因素。选A：确保他们的利益得到很好的反映，也就是自己的利益有保障。represent在这里的意思是be present or found in something, especially to a particular degree。
第十五题，问这俩医药公司并购失败的原因是什么。答案是第三段的倒数第二句：the chief executives of the two companies could not agree which of them was to head up the new organisation.在谁来领导新的机构的问题上无法达成一致。所以选D：人员竞争问题无法得到解决。Personal rivalry就是指两个领导谁也不服谁。
第十六题，问focus group可以帮助公司干什么。先弄明白focus group的意思，看剑桥高阶的解释：a group of people who have been brought together to discuss a particular subject in order to solve a problem or suggest ideas。处理问题的团体。答案在第四段。这一段是举例说明两个合并公司的文化兼容性问题。经过focus group的调查，这两个公司的做事方式有很大差别，不能兼容。所以这一题的答案是选D：评估他们能否匹配。
第十七题，问在一个新合并的公司里创造新的文化意味着什么。答案是第五段的这么一句：This means taking the best from both sides and making a new organisation that everyone can accept。吸取双方的优点，创造一个所有人都能接受的新组织。每个人都能接受，那么合并成功的可能性会大大增加。选B：合并起作用的几率增加了。
第十八题，跨文化分析能够表明什么。答案是最后一段的最后一句：how its politics, economics and history impact on the way business is done.看看这个国家的政治、经济和历史是怎么影响商业行为的。也就是考察宏观的国家背景对微观的经济个体的影响。选B：国家背景怎样影响公司的运行方式。
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