BEC真题 第二辑高级Test 3

BEC真题 第二辑高级Test 3

READING 1 hour

PART ONE

Questions 1-8

• Look at the statements below and at the five extracts on the opposite page from an article giving advice to self-employed consultants about negotiating fees for their services.

• Which extract (A, B, C, D or E) does each statement (1-8) refer to?

• For each statement (1-8), mark 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: 0 Lack of self-confidence will put you at disadvantage in a negotiation. 1 Trying to negotiate is only worthwhile if there is the prospect of success. 2 The best result of negotiation is when.both parties have a sense of satisfaction. 3 Accepting a lower fee might have benefits in the future.

4 lt is important to know how much other people are charging for similar work. 5 You should ask for a fee in excess of what you expect to get. 6 Offer the other party incentives to agree to your fee.

7 Other people's reactions to you are influenced by your body language. 8 It may become obvious that you have come to regret a deal you have made. A

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You're in danger of selling yourself short if you don`t know where the goalposts are, especially when you're negotiating with a new client. Research the market and iind out the going rate. You can do this by networking contacts or talking to small business advisers. Alternatively, ask the competition. Of course your rivals may not tell you, but there’s no harm in asking. Another prerequisite is learning to recognize when there’s scope for negotiation, because without it, you can waste a great deal of time and energy. B

Know the amount you would really like, slightly above what you think they will offer and above what you’d be happy to settle for. Also, know your trade·offs. Create a wish list of all the things you’d like is receive if you lived in a perfect world. That way, if the other side want you to move from your preferred or opening position on an issue to a position nearer the bottom line, you can move in exchange for something from your wish list. C People who are nervous about negotiating over money often let fear tell them they’re no good at these discussions and not worth the fee. You literally can’t afford the luxury of a single negative thought. Stand up when making negotiating phone calls: it will make you feel more powerful. If you’re face to face, make steady eye contact, keep your head up and your hands still — these all suggest assertiveness, rather than aggressiveness or passivity, and you’ll be surprised at how much this affects the way that you come across in the negotiation. D You have to know the price below which it would he uneconomical for you to do a job. This could vary from job to job—you may be prepared to do some cheaper in the hope that they’ll lead to better things. But d0n’t be talked below your bottom Line arrdend up working for nothing, After all, in the long term, there’s little point in agreeing to something that you’re not happy with: you’re likely to feel resentful, E When negotiating money, there may be non-financial factors you can throw into the mix. For example, why not say, ‘lf you pay me such and such, l’ll include a report on the company for you’. Plan these extras beforehand. Make sure that they won’t take forever to do, but are things of value to the other side. This way, you can achieve the ideal outcome: you appear to accept compromise when in fact you've got everything you wanted, and they’ll think they’ve got the better of the deal.

PART TWO

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Questions 9-14

• Read this text about training programmes.

• Choose the best sentence from the opposite 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 than once. • There is an example at the beginning, (0). REAL TRAINING FOR ALL-ACTION MANAGERS Learning by doing is familiar to every manager sent on a training course. lnvariably this involves role-play based on studies of long-ago triumphs and disasters from a relevant industry or organisation, (0)...H.... The problem is, any experience of decision-making gained from role-play has one obvious shortcoming: it is not real life. To tackle this dilemma, some of the best-known companies have set up the International Management Development Consortium, which provides a range of executive development programmes for staff members. .... (9) .... What this means is that they involve 'action learning' through real-life situations, and participants work as problem-solving consultants on projects within companies engaged in day-to-day business. .... (10) .... Within this they also take training and refresher courses in traditional business skills such as finance, marketing, staff management and strategic planning. These disciplines are taught by a mix of academics, business people and senior managers from Consortium companies who also monitor the consultancy work. More than 100 of these consultancy projects have been undertaken so far, and many more are to come. .... (11) .... Generally, those who choose to attend the course come from various countries, reflecting the multi-national nature of companies within the Consortium. .... (12) .... As a result of this cross-cultural exchange, the people on the course learn a great deal from each other — and often keep in contact on a professional level long after the end of their course. The Consortium says language difficulties are not a problem when consultancies are undertaken for foreign companies on site. A translator is on hand to deal with difficulties which arise from technical terms or jargon. .... (13) .... This is because they are not charged consultancy fees, although a nominal sum is payable for administration. The funding for the scheme is provided by each Consortium member who contributes to the cost of running the training courses, and the amount involved is considerably less than fees charged by leading business schools. .... (14) .... 'It is,' says the Chairman, 'a real learning experience with techniques that can easily be used back at work.'

Example:

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0 A B C D E F G H

A They are being offered by companies who are aware of the benefits of the range of knowledge offered by the people on the course.

B As well as the savings, there are also the dividends it pays in the form of improved staff performance.

C The difference between these programmes and the average executive course, however, is that these courses are based on the concept of 'live' consultancy.

D In this way, participants can also benchmark themselves against the best members from a range of Consortium companies.

E This means that within every

PART THREE

training group there will be a wide variety of experience, which is discussed and explored by the group.

F Typically, groups of up to six course members undertake projects as part of this development programme.

G Another major advantage is that these companies usually get their problems solved very cheaply.

H Managers are typically cast as key figures in these dramas, then comparisons are made later between how they dealt with the fictional situation and the actual event.

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Questions 15-20

• Read the following article about business schools and the questions on the opposite page.

• For each question (15-20), mark one letter (A, B, C or D) on your Answer Sheet. terms of pure quantity of research and debate, business schools have performed amazingly in In promoting management as a distinctive activity No other discipline has produced as much in such a period. lt is unclear yet how much ot it will stand the test of time, but for sheer industry the short business schools deserve credit. Not a day goes by without another wave of research papers, books, articles, and journals. In these terms, schools have produced a generally accepted theoretical basis for management. When it comes to knowledge creation, however they find themselves in difticu|ties.They are caught between the tor academic rigour and for real-world business relevance, which tend to pull in opposite need directions. The desire to establish management as a credible discipline leads to research that panders to traditional academic criteria. The problem for business school researchers is that they seek the approval ot their academic peers rather than the business community In the United States this has led to the sort of grand paper clip counting exercises that meet demands for academic rigour but fail to add one iota to the real sum of human knowledge. Business schools have too often allowed the constraints of the academic world to cloud their view of the real world. Business school researchers seek provable theories—rather than helpful theories. They have championed a prescriptive approach to management based on analysis and. more recently on fashionable ideas that soon disappear into the ether The 'one best way' approach encourages mresearchers to mould idiosyncrasies of managerial reality into their tightly defined models of behaviour Figures and the statistics are fitted into linear equations and tidy models. Economists and other social scientiso label this curve smoothing Meanwhile. Reality continually refuses to co-operate. Central to this is the tension between relevance and rigour in a perfect world. there would be no need to choose between the two. But in the business school world, the need to satisfy academic criteria and be published in journals often tilts the balance away from relevance. In other words, it is often easier to pursue quantifiable objectives than it is to add anything useful to the debate about management. To a extent. The entire business school system works against useful. Knowledge creating research. large Academics have five years in which to prove themselves if they are to make the academic grade. lt seems long enough. But it can take two or even three years to get into a suitable journal. They therefore have around three years, probably less, to come up with an area of interest and carry out meaningful and original research. This is a demanding timescale. The temptation must be to slice up old data in new ways rather than pursue genuinely groundbreaking, innovative research. It is a criticism also made by some business school insiders.\"Academic journals tend to rind more and techniques for testing more and more obscure theories. They are asking trivial questions and more answering them exactlyThere has to be a backlash,\" says Julian Birkinshaw of London Business School. ln large part, the problem goes back to a time when business schools were trying to establish themselves. Up until the l960s, American business schools were dismissed as pseudo-academic institutions. Other academic institutions, including the universities of which they often formed a part, regarded them as more than vocational colleges, Since then, most of the leading schools have undergone maior little reassessment and introduced sweeping changes. However; it is questionable whether those changes have gone far enough. 15 What does the first paragraph suggest about the research generated by 沪江BEC：http://www.hjenglish.com/bec/

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business schools?

A Its quality is variable.

B Its lasting value is uncertain.

C It has always been produced too quickly. D lt has had no influence on management.

16 In paragraph two, the writer argues that business school research A takes a negative view of the business community.

B has failed to give credibility to management as a discipline. C is directed at the wrong audience.

D does not stand up to academic scrutiny.

17 In the third paragraph, the writer criticises the theories of management produced by business schools for being ~ A incomprehensible. B contradictory. C vague. D inflexible.

18 In the fourth paragraph, the writer says that the business school system causes academics to

A be satisfied with reinterpreting previous research. B avoid complicated business issues.

C concentrate on very narrow fields of study.

D focus on topics no longer relevant to business needs.

19 What do we learn about business schools in the last paragraph? A They are reluctant to admit to failings.

B They resent criticism of their academic journals.

C They used to be looked down on by other institutions. D They are comfortable with the current situation.

20 What is the writer's purpose in this text?

A to express regret at the growth of business schools

B to point out a weakness in the approach of business schools C to criticise business schools for producing bad academics

D to forecast the eventual collapse of business schools

PART FOUR

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Questions 21-30

• Read the article below about expanding a retail business.

• 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).

Should you open a second branch?

Choosing to expand your business by opening a second location can be

one of the best decisions you'll ever .... (0) .... , or one of the worst,

Before you .... (21) .... at a decision, there are several things you should

check to see if you are ready to take this big step towards expansion.

Firstly — your cash flow, Like starting up any business, a second

location .... (22) .... a large initial investment and usually takes a long

time to turn a proiit. Look at your tinn's accounts carefully. If

these ....(23) .... that you cannot afford a long-term drain on your

financial resources, then it is probably better to wait.

Secondly — your personnel and systems. lf you don't have a

management team .... (24) .... place already, you should probably think

about establishing one before opening a second branch. The

same ....(25) .... in the case of operating systems and controls. The

better organised your business now, the better organised your second

location will be, too.

Also, you need to think about your market. Is your current site doing

as much business as it can .... (26) .... , or are there ways you could

grow without opening a second branch'? Try expanding internally

first. Similarly, don't .... (27) .... that just because your business is

successful in one town, it will immediately succeed in a .... (28) ....

Community. Research your potential markets before setting up shop,

and .... (29) .... your new branch to answer the specific needs of these

markets.

Finally, be realistic about the time you need to invest to make a second

location work. You don't want to take .... (30) .... so much work that you

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21 A arrive B come C reach D approach 22 A contains B includes C involves D consists 23 A signify B present C indicate D exhibit 24 A at B in C by D to 25 A applies B refers C concerns D relates 26 A deal B hold C handle D cope 27 A assume B trust C rely D count 28 A connecting B neighbouring C surrounding D matching 29 A invent B amend C design D innovate 30 A through B up C down D on

PART FIVE

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Questions 31-40

• Read the article below about a successful airline.

• For each question (31-40), write one word in CAPITAL LETTERS on your Answer Sheet.

• There is an example at the beginning, (0).

A SUCCESSFUL AIRLINE Executives at Fastline, now .... (0) .... of the country's largest airlines, were in optimistic mood at the press conference they held yesterday afternoon. They announced that they were .... (31) .... a position to revise the company's full-year profits forecast sharply upwards .... (32) .... a result of an exceptionally strong performance over the last nine months. Profits during this period rose by nearly 50 per cent in comparison .... (33) .... the same period last year. The company feels confident that this performance will continue throughout the remainder of the year. It is expected that .... (34) .... will be a 40 per cent increase in profits for the full year compared with the 15 per cent that had been indicated .... (35) .... the half-year stage. During the year, .... (36) .... than raise its fares as most other airlines did in response to higher fuel costs, Fastline stuck to its decision to keep fares at the same level as last year. This must account to .... (37) .... extent for the significant rise .... (38) .... Only in the number of passengers booked on flights, but also in the amount of freight carried. The airline has also confirmed that it is in negotiations with another airline to sell the whole of .... (39) .... 20 per cent holding in Border Air. However, executives are refusing to reveal the name of the interested party until a definite agreement .... (40) .... reached. PART SIX

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Questions 41-52

• Read the text of the job advertisement below.

• In most ofthe lines 41-52 there is one extra word. It is either grammatically incorrect or does not fit in with the sense ofthe 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 LE`l`I'ERS on your Answer Sheet.

• The exercise begins with two examples, (0) and (00).

COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR REQUIRED 0 We are a dynamic and ambitious food manufacturer supplying the grocery sector 00 and are entering an extremely exciting period of new change as we focus on our strategy how to achieve market leadership. We are at present seeking a new 41 42 commercial director. If you are the type of a person who can demonstrate the 43 energy and insight to drive a business forward looking as part of a team, this may 44 well be the perfect opening for you. We need appoint a committed professional who will assumefull responsibility for the company's entire commercial operation. The 45 46 commercial director will have report directly to the general manager and will be 47 expected to provide with both leadership and hands-on coaching to the staff. This high-profile role will involve in the implementing and developing of commercial 48 49 strategies that will make maximise the profitable growth of the company. The 50 person appointed will already have demonstrated sure success at a senior commercial level for a minimum of three years time in a food manufacturing 51 52 company and will possess exceptional leadership qualities and commercial skills.

WRITING 1 hour 10 minutes

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PART ONE

Question 1

• The chart below shows the percentages of a company's turnover which were contributed by its main product areas in three successive years.

• Using the information in the chart, write a short report comparing the contributions of the three products to turnover in the three years. • Write 120-140 words on a separate sheet.

PART TWO

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Write an answer to ONE of the questions 2-4 in this part. Write your answer in 200-250 words.

Question 2

• The Sales Manager in your company is looking for a venue where he can hold a three-day conference for sales staff. You have recently attended a conference at the Marston Conference Centre and the Sales Manager has asked you to prepare a report on the suitability of the Centre for his conference. • Write your report for the Sales Manager:

• describing your experience of the venue when you attended the conference there

• assessing the positive and negative aspects of the venue

• making a recommendation as to its suitability for your company's conference.

Question 3

• You are dissatisfied with the poor service that has recently been provided by the company responsible for delivering your products to your customers. • Write a letter to the company:

• informing them of the fall in the standard of their service • explaining why you are dissatisfied

• describing the bad effect the service has had on your business

• detailing what action you intend to take if the service does not improve.

Question 4

• You feel that your company's main product or service would benefit from better publicity. The directors have asked you to write a proposal putting forward your ideas.

• Write your proposal for the directors:

• mentioning the product or service concerned

• stating the shortcomings of the current advertising

• outlining how your competitors publicise their products or services • suggesting a different approach to advertising.

LISTENING Approximately 40 minutes (including10 minutes'

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transfer time)

PART ONE

Questions 1-12

• You will hear a spokesperson telling a group of business people about the Business Support Agency — an organisation which distributes business and research grants.

• As you listen, for questions 1-12, complete the notes using up to three words or a number.

• Alter you have listened once, replay the recording. THE BUSINESS SUPPORT AGENCY (BSA) Who we are 1 BSA receives Hnancial support from the Department of .................................

2 and some ............................... companies. 3 Examples of worl< are shown in the ........................................................... . 4 BSA made ..................................................................................... last year. How to apply 5 (i) Contact the ......................................................... Office on 0l88 45 45 45. (ii) Complete the form,including: • history oi company • details of requirements 6 • ........................................................................................................... . 7 (iii) Meet one ofthe agency's......................................................................... . 8 (iv) Write a plan, including all ............................. and ................................ . What happens next 9 The final decision is taken by the ............................................................... . 10 Successful applicants can expect to receive ........................................ of the funding needed from the BSA. 11 Money will be paid in ................................................................................ . 12 Companies will need to produce a .............................. at the end of the year. PART TW0

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Questions 13-22

• You will hear five different people talking about changing their jobs.

• For each extract there are two tasks. For Task One, choose the reason for changing jobs from the list A-H. For Task Two, choose the problem area in the new workplace from the list A-H.

• After you have listened once, replay the recording.

Task One - Reason for changing jobs

• For questions 13-17, match the extracts with the reasons, listed A-H. • For each extract, choose the reason each speaker mentions. • Write one letter (A-H) next to the number of the extract. 13 ................................. A to escape from monotony 14 ................................. B to reduce travel time

15 ................................. C to improve promotion opportunities 16 ................................. D to increase time spent doing research 17 ................................. E to experience a flatter company structure F to acquire a more creative role G to deal with a wider range of people H to make better use of qualifications

Task Two - Problem area in the new workplace

• For questions 18-22, match the extracts with the problem areas in the new workplace, listed A-H.

• For each extract, choose the negative aspect each speaker mentions. • Write one letter (A-H) next to the number ofthe extract. 18 ................................. A internal communication 19 ................................. B colleagues' time management 20 ................................. C type of training 21 ................................. D IT support

22 ................................. E performance appraisal procedures F quality of office equipment G secretarial assistance H clarity of company strategy

PART THREE

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Questions 23-30

• You will hear Tania and Jerry, two managers from a furniture manufacturer, discussing a meeting they have just attended.

• For each question (23-30), mark one letter (A, B or C) for the correct answer. • After you have listened once, replay the recording.

23 Why has the Chief Executive had to leave?

A The company has been taken over. B The company's share price has fallen. C The company has changed its strategy.

24 What is Tania's opinion of the new Chief Executive? A He lacks the qualities necessary for the position. B His experience qualifies him for the job. C He will prove to be better than he seems.

25 What does the company intend to do?

A concentrate on a smaller range of furniture products B diversify into non·furniture products

C expand by taking over some of its competitors

26 In Jerry and Tania's opinion, what should the company focus on in future? A increasing the market share of its core products B finding niche markets for its products

C differentiating its products from those of competitors

27 Tania's new area of responsibility is to manage A a division. B a change.

C a brand.

28 Jerry's fear about his new post is that

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A some of his staff might not like him being the boss. B he does not know enough about the field. C it will not be sufficiently demanding.

29 What do Tania and Jerry think about the proposed television advertising campaign?

A It will focus on the wrong products. B The company cannot afford it. C The timing is wrong.

30 Tania thinks that not enough money is being spent on A salaries.

B product development.

C the working environment. That is the end of the Listening test. You now have ten minutes to transfer your answers to your Answer Sheet.

SPEAKING 16 minutes

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PART ONE

In this part, the interlocutor asks questions 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 Personnel management: the importance to a company of having well-motivated staff B Strategic planning: how to decide whether to purchase or rent company premises C Sales: how to ensure that price ieveis for new products are set appropriately

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 Health and Fitness Facilities Your company is considering providing a fitness centre on the premises to help employees improve their health and fitness. You have been asked to make recommendations for this scheme. Discuss, and decide together: • what benefits the centre would bring for the company • how to promote the need for health and fitness to all staff.

For three candidates Health and Fitness Facilities Your company is considering providing a fitness centre on the premises to help 沪江BEC：http://www.hjenglish.com/bec/ employees improve their health and titness. You have been asked to make recommendations for this scheme. Discuss, and decide together: 沪江英语：http://www.hjenglish.com/

Follow-on questions • Would company fitness facilities be equally popular among all staff? (Why/Why not?) • Should employees have to pay to use health and fitness facilities? (Why/Why not?) • What other ways are there for companies to encourage their employees to remain fit and healthy? • Should companies include employees' families in their health and fitness provision? (Why/Why not?) • Is the welfare of employees an appropriate concern for companies? (Why/Why not?) 沪江BEC：http://www.hjenglish.com/bec/