BEC高级阅读试题

楚薇分享 2020-06-06 12:26:52

为了能够有效提高大家bec高级考试分数，小编在这里为你们分享一些商务英语考试高级阅读试题。

BEC高级阅读试题1

Questions 1-7

Look at the statements below and the article about the development of future business leaders on the opposite page.

Which section of the article (A, B, C or D) does each statement (1-7) refer to?

For each statement (1-7), mark one letter (A, B, C or D) on your Answer Sheet.

You will need to use some of these letters more than once.

1 Managers need to take action to convince high-flyers of their value to the firm.

2 Organisations need to look beyond the high-flyers they are currently developing.

3 There is a concern that firms investing in training for high-flyers may not gain the benefits themselves.

4 Managers need expert assistance from within their own firms in developing high-flyers.

5 Firms currently identify high-flyers without the support of a guidance strategy.

6 Managers are frequently too busy to deal with the development of high-flyers.

7 Firms who work hard on their reputation as an employer will interest high-flyers.

The Stars of the Future

A Existing management research does not tell us much about how to find and develop high-flyers, those people who have the potential to reach the top of an organisation. As a result, organisations are left to formulate their own systems. A more effective overall policy for developing future leaders is needed, which is why the London Business School has launched the Tomorrow’s Leaders Research Group (TLRG). The group contains representatives from 20 firms, and meets regularly to discuss the leadership development of the organisations’ high-flyers.

B TLRG recognises just how significant line managers are in the process of leadership development. Unfortunately, with today’s flat organisations, where managers have functional as well as managerial responsibilities, people development all too often falls victim to heavy workloads. One manager in the research group was unconvinced by the logic of sending his best people away on development courses, ’only to see them poached by another department or, worse still, another firm’. This fear of losing high-flyers runs deep in the organisations that make up the research group.

C TLRG argues that the task of management is not necessarily about employee retention, but about creating ’attraction centres’. ’We must help line managers to realise that if their companies are known as ones that develop their people, they will have a greater appeal to high-flyers,’ said one advisor. Furthermore, selecting people for, say, a leadership development programme is a sign of commitment from management to an individual. Loyalty can then be more easily demanded in return.

D TLRG has concluded that a company’s HR specialists need to take action and engage with line managers individually about their role in the development of high-flyers. Indeed, in order to benefit fully from training high-flyers as the senior managers of the future, firms must actually address the development of all managers who will be supporting the high-flyers. Without this, managers will not be in a position to give appropriate advice. And when eventually the high-flyers do move on, new ones will be needed to replace them. The next challenge will be to find a new generation of high-flyers.

首先得搞明白的是这篇文章到底讲的什么。不用看具体内容，有两个地方直接告诉了。一个是题目说明的第一句话，另一个是正文的标题。从这两个地方就可以看出全文探讨的是公司未来接班人——也就是潜力股——的培养问题。

A段讲了TLRG这个贯穿全文的研究组织诞生的原因：现行的研究满足不了需要，于是大多数公司只能自己探索发掘接班人的模式;(即第五题的答案)

B段讲了直属经理(line managers)对于发掘接班人的重要性(真是干什么都要从基层抓起)，以及经理们的一些疑虑;

C段讲的是接班人问题对公司的重要性，并且应该让院线经理们明白这种重要性;转自:考试网 - [Examw.Com]

D段是针对前面列出的问题，提出的解决建议，什么专家协助等等。

整篇文章分为四个部分，层层递进，有很强的逻辑性。拿这样的文章来做阅读材料应该是相对容易把握的。

BEC高级阅读试题2

Staff appraisals

Good preparation for staff appraisals can pay dividends in terms of staff loyalty and satisfaction.Many managers, particularly those running smaller companies, feel they are too busy to give their employees appraisals, and many staff clearly dread them. (0) ........... They provide the opportunity for the manager to have one-to-one discussions with an employee and find out about any concerns, as well as identifying training needs and discovering career aspirations. They can make a staff member feel valued and so build loyalty.

The annual appraisal can either be a rewarding or painful experience. According to research carried out among 500 employees, the standard office appraisal is far from perfect.(8).............The possible outcome for the company is even worse; up to a quarter of employees will look for a new job within two weeks of a bad appraisal and 40% within a month.

The quality of the appraisal lies with how the boss decides to carry it out. When it is done well, employees are able to use the feedback they receive to improve their performance. (9).............So how should a constructive appraisal be carried out? According to Andrew Gillingham, a consultant trainer, appraisals can be manager-led, with the appraiser preparing a document and sharing it with the employee. Establishing training needs and motivating the employee towards bigger and better things are part of this process. (10) ............. In both cases, Gillingham believes that the effectiveness of the appraisal discussion can determine the performance of the company.

Gillingham believes that anyone who thinks it’s just the employee who doesn’t like the appraisal experience has got it wrong. Too many managers regard appraisals as a waste of time.(11) ..............................Managing people is a difficult matter, and without the necessary training, many managers try to avoid the uncomfortable issues that often need to be discussed at appraisals.外语学习网

Gillingham believes that calling the process an appraisal may be unhelpful.(12) ..........................In either case, it is important to ensure that the meeting is successful and results in better quality management. Gillingham firmly believes that the main thing is to emphasise an open communications ethos in the workplace that gives staff a chance to talk about issues and feel valued.

A Alternatively, managers may want the employees themselves to evaluate their work performance.

B In larger companies, the people likeiy to do something with this information will be found in the HR department.

C. Problems such as rushing through the appraisal and being appraised by a manager who doesn’t understand the employee’s role were common concerns.

D Arguably, ’performance review’ is more appropriate since it helps create correct expectations from the meeting and indicates what will happen.

E This is mainly because they have not been shown how to carry out appraisals properly.

F But all too often, the format of the appraisal doesn’t allow this.

G But this can be avoided and, given a more positive attitude from participants, appraisals can prove enormously useful for all involved.

《Staff appraisals》，员工评估。很多公司的员工和经理都害怕评估，但是好的评估可以增进员工的忠诚度和满意感，给公司带来益处。

第八题，前面说年度评估可能是个有用的或者是痛苦的经历。但是根据调查，标准的年度评估效果却不尽如人意。那么正常来讲，后面应该接着说评估不好(far from perfect)的原因或者是表现。C选项讲的是表现(problems)，E选项虽然有because，但是不是讲的评估不好的原因。选C，正好和后面也对的上。出了问题，才使得后果更加严重(the possible outcome is even worse)。

第九题，也需要理顺上下文的逻辑关系。前面说评估的质量取决于老板决定怎么去执行。如果进行的好的话员工会根据收到的反馈来改进他们的表现。空格后面一个SO，问到怎么样让一个有建设性的评估被实行?那么前面的内容多少有点转折的意思。实行的好对改进员工的表现有好处，可实行的不好呢?逻辑上看，这里应该填入评估如果被执行的不好的话会怎么样，或者说影响实行的一些因素，所以后面才会问到该怎么去执行。从给出的几个选项，F是最符合这一特征的：评估的格式不允许这个(指根据反馈的结果改进表现)。

第十题，接着上面讲评估的具体方法。空格的前面讲评估都是manager-led，并且介绍了一些过程。空格后面有in both cases，可以看出空格这里应该填入评估的另一种方法，和manager-led对应的。选项A最符合条件：经理们可能想要员工们自己评价自己的工作表现。alternatively这个连词是个暗示。

第十一题，前面说很多经理视评估为浪费时间。后面说如果没有必要的训练，很多经理都会回避那些需要在评估上讨论的让人不舒服的话题。E选项可以对应于上下文：那主要是因为他们并没有被演示怎么正确的进行评估。因为没有接受训练才不理解，才会认为是浪费时间。have not been shown也就是without the necessary training。

第十二题，这一空是最明显的。叫评估不合适，那就换个名字吧，选D，叫“performance review”。

BEC高级阅读试题3

Problems in the IT industry

In the information technology industry, it is widely acknowledged that how well IT departments of the future can fulfil their business goals will depend not on the regular updating of technology, which is essential for them to do, but on how well they can hold on to the people skilled at manipulating the newest technology. This is becoming more difficult. Best estimates of the current shortfall in IT staff in the UK are between 30,000 and 50,000, and growing.

And there is no end to the problem in sight. A severe industry-wide lack of investment in training means the long-term skills base is both ageing and shrinking. Employers are chasing experienced staff in ever-decreasing circles, and, according to a recent government report, 250,000 new IT jobs will be created over the next decade.

Most employers are confining themselves to dealing with the immediate problems. There is little evidence, for example, that they are stepping up their intake of raw recruits for in-house training, or retraining existing staff from other functions. This is the course of action recommended by the Computer Software Services Association, but research shows its members are adopting the short-term measure of bringing in more and more consultants on a contract basis. However, this approach is becoming less and less acceptable as the general shortage of skills, coupled with high demand, sends contractor rates soaring. An experienced contract programmer, for example, can now earn at least double the current permanent salary.

With IT professionals increasingly attracted to the financial rewards and flexibility of consultancy work, average staff turnover rates are estimated to be around 15%. While many companies in the financial services sector are managing to contain their losses by offering skilled IT staff ’golden handcuffs’ - deferred loyalty bonuses that tie them in until a certain date - other organisations, like local governments, are unable to match the competitive salaries and perks on offer in the private sector and contractor market, and are suffering turnover rates of up to 60% a year.

But while loyalty bonuses have grabbed the headlines, there are other means of holding on to staff. Some companies are doing additional IT pay reviews in the year and paying market premiums. But such measures can create serious employee relations problems among those excluded, both within and outside IT departments. Many industry experts advise employers to link bonuses to performance wherever possible. However, employers are realising that bonuses will only succeed if they are accompanied by other incentives such as attractive career prospects, training, and challenging work that meets the individual’s long-term ambitions.

This means managers need to allocate assignments more strategically and think about advancing their staff as well as their business. Some employers advocate giving key employees projects that would normally be handled by people with slightly more experience or capability. For many employers, however, the urgency of the problem demands a more immediate solution, such as recruiting skilled workers from overseas. But even this is not easy, with strict quotas on the number of work permits issued. In addition, opposition to the recruitment of IT people from other countries is growing, as many professionals believe it will lead to even less investment in training and thus a long-term weakening of the UK skills base.

13 According to the first paragraph, the success of iT departments will depend on

A their success at retaining their skilled staff.

B the extent to which they invest in new technology.

C their attempts to recruit staff with the necessary skills.

D the ability of employees to keep up with the latest developments.

14 A problem referred to in the second paragraph is that

A the government needs to create thousands of new IT posts.

B the pool of skilled IT people will get even smaller in the future.

C company budgets for IT training have been decreasing steadily.

D older IT professionals have not had adequate training.

15 What possible solution to the long-term problems in the IT industry is referred to in the third paragraph?

A ensure that permanent staff earn the same as contract staff