BEC商务英语高级考前模拟试题汇总

BEC商务高级考前模拟试题汇总 Reading 1 hour PART ONE Questions 1 8 Look at the statements below and at the five reports about companies on the opposite page from an article giving advice to self-employed consultants about negotiating fees for their services. Which book(A， B， C，D or E) dose each statement 18 refer to ? For each statement 18， make one letter(A， B， C，D or E) on your Answer Sheet . You will need to use some of these letters more than once . Example : Lack of self-confidence will put you at a disadvantage in a negotiation . 0 A B C D E This company has been involved in diversifying its business act6ivities. Although this company is doing well， it has a number of internal difficulties to deal with This company has reduced the profits it makes on individual items One statistic is a less accurate guide to this company*s performance than another The conditions which have helped this company are likely to be less favourable in the future This company*s share price has been extremely volatile over the last twelve months This company is likely to be the subject of a takeover bid in the near future This company*s performance exemplifies a widely held belief A Chemical Company Masterson*s interim pre-tax profits growth of 20% was somewhat inflated as a result of the income received from the disposal of several of the company*s subsidiaries. The underlying 8% rise in operating profits is a more realistic gauge of the company*s true progress. However， Masterson*s impending merger with Bentley and Knight and its appointment of a new chief executive should mean that the company will be able to sustain growth for the foreseeable fut5ure. The share price has varied little during the course of the year and now stands at 6.75. B Hotel Group During the past year the Bowden Hotel Group has acquired 77 new properties， thus doubling in size . last week the group reported pre-tax profits of 88 million in the first six months of the year， ahead of expectations and helped by a strong performance from its London-based hotels and newly expanded US business. However. There is still some way to go. Integration of the new acquisitions is still not complete and， while the share price has risen recently， major problems with integration have yet to be solved. C High-tech Company This time last year a share in Usertech was worth just over 1. six months ago it was worth 40. today it is priced at under 8 . if proof were need， here is an illustration of how much of a lottery the technology market can be. But some technology companies are fighting back and Usertech is one of them . What has renewed excitement in the company is the opening of its new American offices in Dallas and its ambitious plans to expand its user base in both North and Latin America. D Building Company Renton*s share price has risen gradually over the past year from 2.4 to 3.8 . The company has been successful in choosing prime location for its buildings and has benefited from the buoyant demand for housing. Whilst this demand is expected to slow down somewhat during the next year， investors are encouraged by the company*s decision to move into building supermarkets. Work has already begun on two sites in London， and the company is expected to sign a contract within the next month for building four large supermarkets in Scotland. E Pottery Manufacturer Milton Dishes has been through a shake-up over the past year. The group， which has been cutting margins and improving marketing， may post a small profit this year. The many members of the Milton family， who between them own 58 per cent of the business， have been watching the share price rise steadily and several are looking to sell. Trade rival Ruskin has bought up just over 17 percent of the shares and could well be spurred into further action by the signs of a recovery at the firm. PART TWO Questions9 14 Read the text about career-planning services. Choose the best sentence from the opposite page to fill each of the gaps . For each gap 914， mark one letter(A-H) on your Answer Sheet . Do not use any letter more than once . There is an example at the beginning .(0) Your Career Path Can Lead You Anywhere We used to be advised to plan our careers. We were told to make a plan during the later stages of our education and continue with it through our working lives.(0)_____ some people still see careers in this way. However， to pursue a single option for life has always been unrealistic. Planning for a single career assumes that we set out with a full understanding of our likes and dislikes and the employment opportunities open to us.(9)____ For most people this degree of certainty about the future does not exist. Our initial choice of career path and employer is often based on inadequate knowledge and false perceptions. But with age and experience， we develop new interests and aptitudes and our priorities alter. The structure of the employment market and， indeed of employment itself， is subject to change as both new technologies and new work systems are introduced(10) _____ We must face the uncertainties of a portfolio career. It is clear from the recent past that we cannot foresee the changes which will affect our working lives. The pace of change is accelerating ， as a result of which traditional career plans will be of very limited use.(11)_____ They will need updating to reflect changes in our own interests as well as in the external work environment. Flexible workers already account for about half the workforce.(12)______ We are likely to face periods as contract workers， self-employed freelances， consultants， temps or part-timers. Many employers encourage staff to write a personal development development(PDP)(13) Although some people use it only to review the skills needed for their job， a PDP could be the nucleus of wider career plan 每setting out alternative long-term learning needs and a plan of self-development. A report issued by the Institute of Employment Studies advises people to enhance their employability by moving from traditional technical skills towards the attainment of a range of transferable skills.(14) Instead， special schemes should be established to encourage people to examine their effectiveness and to consider a wider range of needs. 0 A B C D E F G H A. This dual effect means that the relationship between employers and workers has evolved to such and extent that we can no longer expect a long-term relationship with one employer. B. It carries an implicit assumption that we ourselves， and the jobs we enter， will change little during our working lives. C. This growth suggests that a career plan should not be expressed only in terms of full-time employment but should make provision for the possibility of becoming one of the. D. this is a summary of one*s personal learning needs and an action plan to meet them. E. Consequently， they must now accommodate a number of objectives and enable us to prepare for each on a contingency basis. F. However， it warns that employers often identify training needs through formal appraisals， which take too narrow a view of development. G. Such a freelance of consultant would be constantly in demand. H. We were expected to work towards that one clear goal and to consider a career change as a bad thing. Read the following article on negotiating techniques and the question on the opposite page . For each question 15 – 20 ， mark one letter (A， B， C or D ) on your Answer Sheet for the answer you choose. The Negotiating Table: 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. 15 Dr Cohen treats negotiation as a game in order to A put people at ease B remain detached C be competitive D impress rivals 16 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 17 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 18 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 19 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 20 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. Questions 21 -30 Read the article below about the methods some companies are now using for recruitment. Choose the correct word to fill each gap from (A， B， C or D) on the opposite page. For each question 21-30，mark one letter (A， B， C or D) on your Answer Sheet. There is an example at the beginning， (0) The Scientific Approach to Recruitment When it (0) to selecting candidates through interview， more often than not the decision is made within the first five minutes of a meeting. Yet employers like to (21) themselves that they are being exceptionally thorough in their selection processes. In today‘s competitive market place， the (22) of staff in many organizations is fundamental to the company’s success and， as a result ， recruiters use all means at their disposal to (23) the best in the field. One method in particular that has (24) in popularity is testing ， either psychometric testing， which attempts to define psychological characteristics ， or ability,aptitude testing (25) an organization with an extra way of establishing a candidate‘s suitability for a role. It (26) companies to add value by identifying key elements of a position and then testing candidates to ascertain their ability against those identified elements. The employment of psychometric or ability testing as one (27) of the recruitment process may have some merit， but in reality there is no real (28)， scientific or otherwise， of the potential future performance of any individual. The answer to this problem is experience in interview techniques and strong definition of the elements of each position to be (29) as the whole recruitment process is based on few real certainties， the instinctive decisions that many employers make， based on a CT and the first five minutes of a meeting， are probably no less valid than any other tool employed in the (30) of recruitment. Example : A have B decide C do D make 0 A B C D 21.A suggest B convince C advise D believe 22.A worth B credit C quality D distinction 23.A secure B relies C attain D achieve 24.A lifted B enlarged C expanded D risen 25.A provides B offers C contributes D gives 26.A lets B enables C agrees D admits 27. A portion B member C share D component 28. A extent B size C amount D measure 29.A occupied B met C filled D appointed 30 A business B topic C point D affair Questions31-40 Read the article below about a very expensive new perfume. For each question 31-40， write one word in CAPITAL LETTERS on your Answer Sheet . There is an example at the beginning， (0) Sweet smell of excess-for just , 47.874 a bottle The marketing says it is the “ ultimate symbol of indulgence and truly impeccable taste”。 A new scent， named V1， has (0) launched for Christmas-retailing at just ,47.874 . The makers are proudly promoting it (31) ，the “ world‘s most expensive perfume” and are confident of selling the limited edition of 173 bottles-(32) it should be exactly 173 bottles is not made clear in the publicity for the product. Although carefully priced at just under the ,50.000 mark， this perfume is clearly (33) something for anyone who considers ,30 too much to pay for a bottle of eau-de-toilette. Those (34) are potential customers will certainly be reassured to learn that a case covered in rubies and diamonds is included free (35) charge. Purchasers are assured of further savings， with unlimited scent refills guaranteed indefinitely- at no extra cost. The fragrance is the idea of Arfaq Hussain， a 27-year-old clothes designer who first made a name (36) himself with an air-conditioned jacket he was asked to make by the singer Michael Jackson (37) far， Mr Jackson is the only person to (38) placed an order- he wants two， according to Mr Hussain. Mr Hussain is unconcerned at having no previous experience of perfumery . “ It‘s so (39) more than a perfume —— it’s a piece of jewellery， too. ” “ explained Mr Hussain. He attempted to describe the ,47.874 sensation . ” it is delicate ， fragrant and quite unique. When you open the lid， it takes you totally away . It‘s just (40) being surrounded by thousands of wild flowers and roses. Questions41 - 52 Read the text below about team-based pay In most of the lines 41 - 52 there is one extra word. It is either grammatically incorrect of does not fit in with the sense of the text. Some lines， however，are correct . If a line is correct， write CORRECT on your Answer Sheet. 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) . Team-Based Pay 0 Team-based pay schemes that have been catching the eye of modern employers. 00 Supporters say that they encourage group endeavour and improve 41 organizational performance. But salespeople， typically the most self-motivated 42 of workers， they have traditionally been rewarded according to individual 43 performance. So are team-based schemes suitable ? The key issue is 44 whether team-based pay is more being in line with the organization‘s objectives 45 than pay which based on individual achievement. Introducing a team pay 46 scheme can be complex. The biggest problem is for defining the team in the first 47 place. Another is that team pay schemes won‘t work if the actions Of one 48 individual make no impact on those of another. You should need a true team. 49 like a football team. Where all the members are interdependent. When sales staff 50 can be less receptive to team pay schemes because personal motivation can 51 be an important boost to performance What they need is their encouragement 52 to perceive that the wider term of the company overall : production， administration and dispatch all affect each other. Writing 1 hour 10 minutes Part one Question 1 ?The graphs below show the performance of a European country‘s manufacturing and agricultural Sectors in terms of exports and imports between 1991 and 2001. ?Using the information from the graphs， write a short report describing the general movements in exports， imports and the resulting balance of trade ?Write 120-140 words Part two: Write an answer to ONE of the questions 2-4 in this part. Write your answer in 200-250 words. Question 2: ?The Managing Director of your company or organization has announced that reports on performance are to be produced by all departments. Your Hear of Department has asked you to produce the report about your department for the Managing Director. ?Write the report for the Managing Director， explaining: A What aspects of your department function most effectively B Which aspect is most in need of improvement C How this improvement could be achieved Question 3 ?You work for an employment agency. The following is part of a letter you have received from a customer: The temporary administrative assistant you sent us was totally unacceptable. I certainly will not be using your agency again when I need temporary staff. ?Write a letter to the customer: A apologising for having sent the unsatisfactory temporary worker B giving reasons for what happened C explaining why what happened was exceptional D offering some sort of compensation to the customer Question 4 ?Your Managing Director has decided that the company‘s website should be improved and has asked you to consider ways of going about this. ?Write a proposal for the Managing Director: A Sunmarising the strengths and weaknesses the current website B suggesting new services and information to be provided through the website C explaining the benefits the improvements would bring. Listening Part one: Question 1-12 ?You will hear a consultant giving a talk to a group of UK business people about exporting to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) ?As you listen， for questions 1-12. complete the notes， using up to three words or a number. ?After you have listened once， replay the recording. The business Master Class Arrangements for participants 1 The event will take place over 2 Seminar organized by 3 The title of the last session will be 4 To use the New City Hotel car park， delegates must obtain a Dr Sangalli 5 Dr Sangalli has advised many 6 The name of his consultancy is 7 He is the author of 8 In Europe， he is the best-known The Business Master Class 9 to become more 10 to establish new Two outcomes of session: 11 design your own 12 take away documents containing actual Part two Questions 13-22 ?You will here five different business people talking about trips they have recently been on. 13 14 15 16 17 A to supervise staff training B to hold job interviews C to introduce new policy D to visit possible new premises E to observe working practices F to meet a new manager G to sign a new contract H to deal with a complaint Task two-problem ?For question 18-22， match the extracts with the problem， listed A –H ?For each extract， choose the problem described ? write one letter (A-H) next to the number of the extract 18 19 20 21 22 A I forgot a document B My hotel was noisy C I was late for meeting. D I didn‘t understand some figures. E The service at my hotel was bad. F I had some wrong information G I didn‘t have an interpreter. H I experienced computer problems. PART THREE Question 23-30. ?You will hear part of a conversation between a management consultant and the Human Resources manager of Jenkins， a company which manufactures children‘s clothing. 23 What is said about the ownership of Jenkins? A the founder has sold the company to someone else. B Jenkins has merged with another company C There has been no change of ownership. 24 What does the Human Resources manager see as the main external threat to Jenkins? A Their retailers are becoming less willing to pay their prices. B Consumers are buying more top-of-the-range children‘s clothes. C More and more companies are producing children‘s clothes. 25 The Human Resources manager sees the company‘s main strength as the fact that A It has several long-term contracts B it makes products of high quality C its distribution system is efficient 26 The Human Resources manager believes that Jenkins‘ main weakness at present is that A the machinery is inadequate for current requirements B the management style is out of line with modern demands C the relation between management and workers are poor. 27 According to the Human Resources manager， why do many machinists choose to leave? A They think that they can get better paid work elsewhere. B They feel that too much is expected of them C They lack confidence in the company‘ future 28 When working to produce a batch of clothes A each team is responsible for a particular operation B each member of the team produces a complete item C each person carries out one part of the production process 29. What change has been made to range of goods? A A smaller number of items is produced B Each item is now made in smaller quantities. C Fewer new styles are introduced each year. 30 What is said about the machinists? A More of their work is falling below the required standard. B Some of them are earning less than they used to. C They have to spend longer learning to operate new machines. That is the end of the Listening test. You now have ten minutes to transfer your answers Part one: In this part， the interlocutor asks question on a number of work-related and non-work related subjects to each candidate in turn. You have to give information about yourself and express personal opinions. Part two The candidate chooses one topic and speaks about it for approximately one minute. One minute's preparation time is allowed. A Customer relations: the importance of making customers feel valued B company growth : the importance to a company of controlling expansion C Marketing: how to ensure that agents maintain a high level of effectiveness when representing a company Part Three: In this part of the test， candidates are given a topic to discuss and are allowed 30 seconds to look at the prompt card， before talking together for about three minutes. Afterwards， the examiner asks more questions related to the topic. For two candidates Staff Suggestion Scheme Your company is planning to introduce a suggestion scheme and to encourage members of staff at all levels to contribute ideas. You have been asked to consider ways of setting up the scheme. Discuss， and decide together: ?How to set up the scheme so that all staff feel they can contribute ?How suggestions from members of staff could be evaluated. For three candidates Staff suggestion scheme: You company is planning to introduce a suggestion scheme and to encourage members of staff at all levels to contribute ideas. You have been asked to consider ways of setting up the scheme. Discuss， and decide together: ?How to set up the scheme so that all staff feel they can contribute ?How suggestions from members of staff could be evaluated ?What kinds of rewards would be suitable for suggestions made. Follow-on questions : ?Which kinds of companies can benefit most from suggestion schemes? (why?)?What other methods can companies use to generate ideas for improvements? ?What other ways are there of increasing staff involvement in a company? ?In what ways can companies obtain suggestion or comments from customers? ?How important are new ideas for companies in maintaining competitiveness? Why? Key Test 1 Reading 1 D 2 B 3 E 4 A 5 D 6 C 7 E 8 C Part 2 9 B 10 A 11E 12C 13D 14F Part 3 15 B16D 17A 18D19B 20 A Part 4 21 B 22C 23 A 24 D25 A 26-30 B D D C A Part 5 31- 35 AS WHY NOT/ HARDLY WHO/ THAT OF 36-40 FOR SO/ THUS HAVE MUCH LIKE PART 6 41-45 CORRECT THEY CORRECT BEING WHICH 46-50 FOR CORRECT SHOULD WHEN CORRECT 51-52 THEIR THAT Test WRITING SAMPLE A This report describes the movements of the balance of trade between 1991 and 2001 ， for a particular country， concerning manufacturing and agriculture. Manufacturing: Imports increased constantly during this period. The figure shows a rise of $ 4 bn within the whole period and no fluctuations are to be remarked. Exports rose from nearly $ 3 bn in 1991 to approximately $7 bn in 2001 ， suffering minor fluctuations all the way through. In general， the balance of trade remained slightly positive through the period considered. Agriculture: Imports increased slightly， ending the period around $1 bn over their starting level. They suffered a temporary fall between 1992 and 1994 ， followed by a steady recovery. After peaking at around $2.5 bn in 1999， imports fell slightly to their final value. Exports figure shows the same performance although at level $4bn higher than imports. Consequently， the balance of trade remained markedly positive throughout the period. Band 4 All content points are included. There is a relatively natural use of language and a good range of structure， despite some inaccuracy. There is also evidence of a wide range of vocabulary and the report is well organized. Sample B Introduction: The aim of this report is to describe the imports an exports of the Manufacturing and Agricultural sectors in the years 1991-2001 in European contry's Manufacturing Imports In the first year (1991) the imports were just above $2 bn， at the end of 2001， the imports were almost on the $ 6 bn. Manufacturing Exports In 1991 were just below the $ 3 TEST 1 PART1 1 THREE DAYS 2 CLOBAL CONFERENCES PLC TOMORROW'S SOFTWARE PERMIT LARGE CORPORATIONS LOGIC SOLUTIONS INTELLIGENT CHANGE IT ANALYST CUSTOMER DRIVEN ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURES FRAMEWORK FOR ACTION CASE STUDIES PART F C D B E A B F C D PART3 C A B C B C B A PART ONE Questions 18 Look at the sentences below and at the fiveextracts from a book about staff appraisals and feedback on the opposite page. Which new item (A， B， C ，D or E) dose each statement 1 8 refer to? For each statement 18 ， make one letter(A， B， C ，D or E) on your AnswerSheet . You will need to use some of these letters more than once. 1 Genuine feedback would release resources to be usedelsewhere. 2 Managers are expected to enable their staff to workeffectively. 3 Experts are unlikely to facilitate a move to genuinefeedback. 4 There are benefits when methods of evaluating performance havebeen negotiated. 5 Appraisals tend to focus on the nature of theface-to-face relationship between employees and their line managers. 6 Theidea that employees are responsible for what they do seems reasonable. 7Despite experts‘ assertion， management structures prevent genuinefeedback 8 An increasing amount of effort is being dedicated to theappraisal process. A Performance appraisal is on the up and up. It used torepresent the one time of year when getting on with the work was put on holdwhile enormous quantities of management hours were spent in the earnest ritualof rating and ranking performance. Now the practice is even more frequent. Thisof course makes it all the more important how appraisal is conducted. Humanresources professionals claim that managers should strive for objectivity andthus for feedback rather than judgement. But the simple fact of the matter isthat the nature of hierarchy distorts the concept of feedback becauseperformance measure are conceived hierarchically. Unfortunately， all too manyworkers suffer from the injustices that this generates. B The notionbehind performance appraisal- that workers should be held accountable for theirperformance-is plausible. However， the evidence suggests that the premise iswrong. Contrary to assumptions appraisal is not an effective means ofperformance improvement- it is judgement imposed rather than feedback， ajudgement imposed by the hierarchy. Useful feedback ， on the other hand， wouldbe information that told both the manager and worker how well the work systemfunctioned， and suggested ways to make it better. C Within theproduction system at the car manufacturer Toyota， there is nothing that isrecognizable as performance appraisal. Every operation in the system has anassociated measure. The measure has been worked out between the operators andtheir manager. In every case， the measure is related to the purpose of the work.That measure is the basis of feedback to the manager and worker alike. Toyota‘sbasic idea is expressed in the axiom “bad news first” . Both managers andworkers are psychologically safe in the knowledge that it is the system- not theworker –that is the primary influence on performance. It is management’sresponsibility to ensure that the workers operate in a system that facilitatestheir performance. D In many companies ， performance appraisal springsfrom misguided as assumptions. To judge achievement， managers use date abouteach worker‘s activity， not an evaluation of the process or system’s achievementof purpose. The result is that performance appraisal involves managers‘judgement overruling their staff’s， ignoring the true influences on performance.Thus the appraisal experience becomes a question of pleasing the boss，particularly in meetings， which is psychologically unsafe and socially driven，determining who is “in” and who is “ out”。 E When judgement isreplaced by feedback in the true sense， organizations will have a lot more timeto devote to their customers and their business. No time will be wasted inappraisal . This requires a fundamental shift in the way we think about theorganization of performance appraisals， which almost certainly will not beforthcoming from the human resources profession. PART TWO Questions9–14 Read the text ， which describes the experience of a company that hasmade big changes in its office procedures Choose the best sentence from theopposite page to fill each of the gaps. For each gap 9– 14， mark one letter(A-H) on your Answer Sheet. Do not use any letter more thanonce. There is an example at the beginning.(0) Beyondpaperwork The Danish electronics manufacturer， Oticon， is a leader in themove towards the paperless office， In their cafeteria a huge glass pipe runsfrom ceiling to floor. When the mail comes in， it is immediately scanned intothe computer， shredded， and thrown down the tube to the general cheers of theemployees. (0) Having all mail and memos available only as computer files to beread on the screen makes it easy to dispense with large physical storage spacesfor people who work at desks (9) Changing over to the paperless officerequired a rapid increase in computer literacy， but rather than set up acorporate training programme they turned the problem over to employees. Eightmonths before the system was installed ， they offered each employee a powerfulpersonal 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 verbalcommunication.(11) that adds up to a large number of face-to-face exchanges， abig improvement over memos and the occasional multi-hour sit-down consultationtypical of the old culture. People do not send each other memos， they talk. Asthe CEO puts it， “ We have jumped through the memo wall and gone right toaction.” On the eighth of August 1991 ， the company left their oldwood-panelled offices .(12) Since then they have cut in half the “ time tomarket” on new products. The following year， sales and profits grew more thanever before. (13) in fact， despite a downsizing of 15 per cent employeesatisfaction is hitting record highs. Oticon has created an organizationalpattern that supports great freedom iof action for individuals and terms. Theyhave tied it together with a minimum hierarchy. The first clear results toshow up were in the greater efficiencies generated by the fact that less timeneeded to be spent on management activities . (14) they also have someinvestment in the success of the project they choose. Oticon has succeeded inbreaking the mould mould and taking a lead in non-bureaucratic organizationaldesign. Example : A This saving was possible because when peoplehave real choice in the nature of their jobs， they commit themselves to beingresponsible for their areas of choice. B They were headed for a newbuilding and a new era in communication. C Instead， they have large privateareas on their hard disks for their correspondence. D In spite of this， thephysical 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 anotherlearn. F To facilitate this， the on-site coffee bars have now become thevenue for about twenty meetings a day， averaging ten minutes and 2.7participants each. G So， are people happy with the change“ H Onlyabout ten documents a day， items like legal contracts， escape this treatment. ?Read the following article about the development of the knowledge economy andthe questions on the opposite page . ?For each question 15 – 20 ， mark oneletter (A， B， C or D ) on your Answer Sheet for the answer youchoose. There have long been markets in tin， cocoa， silver and the like.There used to be security in thinking that somewhere there was a product，something you could touch and see.Now there are new markets in abstractions，trade in ideas and knowledge.Everyone has knowledge but there used to be no wayt o trade it ——except through jobs.That simple fact of economic life was thebasis for white collar employment for centuries.The whole job culture grew upbecause there was no alternative way to sell knowledge ， other then the workeror manager providing， for a fixed price， his or her knowledge to an employer toown or control.The quantity of knowledge provided has typically been measuredin time. But today we stand at the thresh-old of a new era.The informationeconomy has matured and become smarter.According to many business commentators，we are now living in a knowledge economy .There has always been a market forknowledge ， of course.The publishing industry is based on it.But today theinternet is making the distribution of knowledge ever easier.The days when thepublisher decided what got published are over.Anyone with a Pc and a modem cantalk to the world.This is reducing the friction in the knowledgeeconomy. Everyone has knowledge of whatever industry she or he is in.sayyou are a computer dealer， for example.Over the years your have complied a listof the ten best lowest price places to buy wholesale computer equipment.Now youcan sell your knowledge to newer， younger computer dealers who have no way tobuild up this knowledge without losing thousands of pounds finding it out thehard way.Until now， such knowledge remained securely locked in the recipient‘shead ，accumulated and then worthlessly withered away.This no longer needs to bethe case.Such knowledge can be sold via websites. Knowledge has a distinctadvantage in today‘s marketplace.It’ s a renewable resource.Better yet， itsworth actually increases. “knowledge is the only asset that grows with use.”observes Scanford University Professor Paul Romer.But what exactly is knowledgeand how can it be packaged to trade on an open market“ ” knowledge isexperiential information， intelligence applied thorough and gained fromexperience.“ Say Josenph Pine and James Gilmore in their book The ExperienceEconomy. The value of knowledge often depends on variables such as time andthe credibility of the seller.Certian knowledge may have a very limited shelflife.In sights concerning how to set up an internet business in one country，might be worth a fortune on one day and nothing the next ， depending on changesin government policy.Markets in knowledge will be significance for one thing.They represent one of the most original uses of the web technology.In somecorner of the globe there is a company wanting to source plastic widgets fromPoland， and somewhere else another company that wishes to set up a plasticsfactory there.It‘s simply a case of connecting the two. Indicater.com is agood example of a knowledge trader.It is targeted at food service managersthroughout the hospitality industry.“we started with the context rather thanextracting money from suppliers.” explains founder Mike Day.“ we offer foodservice professionals interactive support to increase sales and profits.Peopledon‘t want another one-dimensional site full of advertising that doesn’t helpthem to do their job more effectively .it has to be customised offering realsolutions to real problems.” the site‘s features include access to onlinetraining and a tariff tracker to restaurants can check prices throughout thesector. 15.what point is made in the first paragraph? A Interest incommodity markets has decreased. B Overall levels of expertise haveimproved. C Opportunities to exploit your knowledge were limited in thepast D External market forces have meant knowledge is underpriced. 16what are we told about the current impact of the internet in the secondparagraph? A publishers benefit from their exploitation of theinternet. B the internet has made it easier to analyse businesstrends. C It is difficult to calculate the true economic value of theinternet. D the internet facilitates the development of the knowledgeeconomy. 17 In the third paragraph， what does the writer say aboutknowledge? A Acquiring knowledge can be expensive B The most valuableknowledge concerns IT C Trading knowledge raises issues of security. DNew businesses find it hard to trade in knowledge. 18.What point is madeabout knowledge in the fourth paragraph? A It provides specialistinformation B Its appeal lies in its exclusivity C it can generate newideas D Its value accumulates. 19 which application of knowledge doesthe writer regard as particularly useful? A analyzing manufacturingtrends B introducing compatible parties C interpreting timeconstraints D advising on legislation 20 what key feature is providedby Indicater.com? A approaches that reflect the provider‘s ownexperience B access to appropriately trained potential employees. Cadvice which directly benefits the bottom line D advertising which iscarefully targeted Questions 21 -30 Read the text belowabout the improved performance of a car company. Choose the best word tofill each gap from (A， B， C or D) on the opposite page. For each question21-30，mark one letter (A， B， C or D) on your Answer Sheet. There is anexample at the beginning， (0) Improved performance at Carter&Sons There was good news in Carter & Sons‘ annual (0) yesterday.Threeyears of restructuring (21) in an upbeat statement from the company in advanceof the official announcement of its interim (22) due early in August.Thechairman， David Carter， reported a “ strong start to the year”， which， althoughhelped by a rather weak (23) period last year， highlighted the logic ofrefocusing the group on growth sectors.Three years ago the company (24) areview of all its operations in view of the serious financial difficulties thatit was (25) As a result of this， its car (26) business was sold to an Americangroup， and its car sales and repair divisions were (27) down so as to allow thecompany to (28) on the sale of vans and heavy goods vehicles.Three newshowrooms have been opened in the UK and Ireland ， and the sales (29) has morethan doubled in the last two years. Growth in business across the group hasgone up by almost 12 per cent in the first half of the year.This shouldreassure investors that Carter & Sons is now on (30) to deliver increasedearning in the years ahead. Example : A report B Notice C account Dinformation 21 A terminated B culminated C accomplished Dcompleted 22 A economics B finances C outcomes D results 23 A relativeB alike C comparative D equivalent 24 A commissioned B assigned C delegatedD appointed 25 A dealing B facing C undertaking D withstanding 26 Aadditions B extras C accessories D supplements 27 A scaled B marked Cslowed D put 28 A emphasise B concentrate C specialize D strengthen 29 A bonus B pack c force D band 30 A way B path C road D track Read the article below about changing your career For each question 31-40， write one word in CAPITAL LETTERS on your Answer Sheet . There is an example at the beginning， (0) . Time for a new career “losing your job isn't the end of the world: it gives you're the chance the a new beginning (0) says Caroline Poole， 30， Who was made redundant (31) her role as head of marketing campaigns with an insurance group two years ago. The news was a blow， especially after a successful nine-year career with the business， but she was determined to see redundancy (32) a positive force for change. (33) it seemed a tough lesson at the time， redundancy was the catalyst that redirected my career， “ says Caroline ”It gave me the break I needed to understand (34) my career objectives lay.“ Working with a consultant， Caroline explored a number of work options that oppealed to her. She also took advantage of workshops on issues (35) as setting up your own business， and managing your finances. A key consideration for her was (36) easy it would be to balance working in London with home life 100 kilometers away. She was encouraged to network (37) other marketing professionals and via this route made contact with a communications agency. She took time out to go travelling ， and on her return was offered a role in the agency. (38) was proof to her that she still had marketable skills. Two years (39) from redundancy， Caroline is planning another career break . “ The experience of redundancy has made me view my options with more confidence. I now know that I can dictate my own career path， even (40) it were to mean resigning first and then taking time to find the right direction” she says. Part Six Questions41 - 52 Read the text below about a learning scheme In most of the lines 41 - 52 there is one extra word. It is either grammatically incorrect of does not fit in with the sense of the text. Some lines， however，are correct . If a line is correct， write CORRECT on your Answer Sheet. 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) . Learn your lesson 0 Almost all schemes which claim to be able to transform /25 into/175 overnight 00 are scams， to be put straight into the dustbin. The exception， however， it may 41 be a little-known new initiative from the government which also effectively does 42 just that. The Individual Learning Account scheme is by the latest government 43 scheme to persuade us of the value of whole life-long learning. The first million 44 people to apply –and there appears to be a long way to go before this limit is 45 reached——are eligible for a /150 grant towards the costs of studying ，but provided 46 that they contribute at least/25 of their own money . Even the offer covers 47 training courses which are obviously work-related but it also extends to more of 48 recreational activities . Whilst there will not be government money to encourage 49 you， for example， to do an evening class in the cake decorating， there could be 50 assistance if you are planning to update on your internet skills. There is also 51 the opportunity to benefit in future years from 20 per cent off the cost of training 52 for IT courses， the discount goes up to 80 per cent ， a measure of the government's ?You will hear five different people talking about the relocation of their business premises ?For each extract there are two tasks. For Task One， chose the reason given for deciding to relocate the company premises from the list A-H. for Task Two， choose the problem described that arose after the relocation from the list A-H Task One – Reason 13_______________ 14_______________ 15_______________ 16_______________ 17_______________ A cope with increased orders B to accommodate new equipment needs C to share premises with new parent company D to improve public relations E to reduce overheads F to make more efficient use of space H to be nearer suppliers Task two: For questions 18-22， match the extracts with the problems， listed A-H For each extract， choose the problem that arose after the relocation Write one letter (A-H)next to the number of the extract. 18 _______________ 19_______________ 20_______________ 21_______________ 22_______________ A unfavourable publicity B dismissal of manager C decrease in productivity D staff transport difficulties E inadequate staff facilities F too few new staff recruited G increase in communication costs H lack of time for training Part three Question 23-30 You will hear two managers， a man called Kevin and a woman called Juliet， discussing candidates they have just interviewed for a job. 23 Having interviewed all the candidates， Kevin says it's difficult to A remember particular individuals B maintain objective standards about them C relate them to their CVs 24 Kevin and Juliet agree that Michael White is unsuitable because he A has changed his job so often B doesn't have the right qualifications C showed the wrong attitude in the interview 25 Juliet says the psychological profile test is useful for showing how people will A respond to working in teams B react to tight deadlines C develop as managers 26 Why does Kevin think the case study exercise is a reliable test? A It puts candidates in a realistic situation B It shows that priorities candidates have C it requires candidates to think quickly. 27 The most important aspect of the job that the candidates have been interviewed for is A setting up a new department B co-ordinating different projects C implementing policy changes 28 Kevin and Juliet wanted the Development Manager to be present because he A needs more experience at interviewing B will be working with the successful candidate C was the person who wrote the job description 29 The deciding factor in choosing Elaine Harris for the job is her A attitude to work B knowledge of business C specialized experience 30 What dose Juliet think is most difficult about interviewing candidates? A remaining enthusiastic throughout the process B having to think about different things at the same time C weighing up the consequences of her decisions Part one: In this part， the interlocutor asks question on a number of work-related and non-work related subjects to each candidate in turn. You have to give information about yourself and express personal opinions. Part two: The candidate chooses one topic and speaks about it for approximately one minute. One minute's preparation time is allowed. A Communication skills : the importance of foreign language training for selected employees B advertising: how to select a suitable agency to handle a company's advertising C finance: how to decide whether to float a company on the stock market. Part three: In this part of the test， candidate are given a topic to discuss and are allowed 30 seconds to look at the prompt card，， before talking together for about three minutes. Afterwards， the examiner asks more questions related to the topic. For two candidates Staff Relocation You company needs to relocate several members of staff to a new branch opening in another part of the country. You have been asked to submit ideas on how to make relocation attractive to staff: Discuss， and decide together: ?Which types of financial incentives the company could offer to staff ?What information staff would need to know about the new location. For three candidates Staff relocation Your company needs to relocate several members of staff to a new branch opening in another part of the country. You have been asked to submit ideas on how to make relocation attractive for staff Discuss， and decide together: ?Which types of financial incentives the company could offer to staff ?What other types of incentives might be important ?What information staff would need to know about the new location Follow-on questions ?What other assistance might be necessary for staff who are relocating? Why ? ?How could staff who are unwilling to relocate be encouraged to do so? ?What do you think influences a company's choice of location for its branches? Why ?What are the implications for company organization of having branches in different places? Why ?Do you think there will be greater international expansion of companies in the future ? why? Why not? Reading 1 hour PART ONE Questions 1-8 Look at the sentences below and at the five managers' comments on leadership on the opposite page Which new item (A， B， C ，D or E) dose each statement 1 - 8 refer to ? For each statement ! - 8 ， make one letter(A， B， C ，D or E) on your Answer Sheet . You will need to use some of these letters more than once . 1、Successful leadership involves making sure that employees accept new ideas. 2、A good leader can bring success to a company in difficulties 3、Leaders should be assessed on the basis of their achievements 4、The personalities of good leaders are generally different from those of other managers 5、Patience is a valuable quality in a successful leader 6、Leaders consider potential changes in what their company does for others 7、Good leaders will encourage their staff if their organization is in difficulties 8、Leaders need to adapt their behaviour to suit different circumstances 9、 A Maurizio Verna Long-term， visionary business leaders must be prepared to invest to get what they want for their company. They know when and how to apply pressure and to take risks， when they need to display a more hands-off approach. I have a pretty clear view of my ideal business leader， and of course that‘s where I ’m trying to head: he or she should start up and grow a cash-rich， multi-interest international organization of tremendous strength and depth. B Sue Tucker The pace of technological change， and the rate at which businesses are changing ， requires leaders to have a particular aptitude for technology and an understanding of the internet. A lot of people are aware of the opportunities here ，but awareness alone isn‘t enough: in a true leader this needs to be coupled with clever marketing， product design and technological innovation， and keeping abreast of everything going on in the company. In fact the acid test ， I think ， is being able to use all of these skills to turn around a failing company. C Carol Godfrey Effective leaders stand out from the herd. They‘re often idiosyncratic， even eccentric.They have the confidence to be themselves， and not to adopt the language and attributes of the run-of-the-mill professional managers and accountants. What’s crucial is having the charisma or whatever it is that gives their staff confidence in them， so they can keep everyone on board when they want to make innovations. So often these don‘t get off the ground because of lack of leadership， because after all， our response to change is significantly affected by how it’s introduced. D Brian Matthews Leadership is about making things happen and being judged by results. Good ideas that go nowhere are a waste of time. Anticipate needs-those of customers for instance-and initiate action to meet those needs before the people concerned have even recognized they‘ve got them. That way you’ll always be ahead of the game， whatever line you‘re in. For instance， top stockbrokers will learn all about you and your business and keep themselves completely up to date with your field in order to advise you. If they’re really good they ‘ll recognize trends even before you do . E Ana Costa Outstanding leaders understand both tactics and strategy， and are prepared to play a very long game to achieve their objectives. They understand that in negotiations they need the “ win-win” concept， because losers risk losing their dignity， which is no good for your long-term business relationship with them. Leaders must stay optimistic， whatever the odds， and keep up morale of their company， even when the going‘s tough. It’s important to be very much hands-on， too. A good leader will champion ideas that keep the company in the forefront. Read the following extract from a book on management and the questions on the opposite page . For each question 15– 20，mark one letter (A， B， C or D ) on your Answer Sheet for the answer you choose 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