商务英语考试(BEC)中级BEC中级模 拟题

BEC VANTAGE READING SAMPLE PAPER PART ONE Questions 1-7 · Look at the statements below and the information about training courses on the opposite page. · Which course (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. Example: O This course will use case studies of different companies. 1. This course is for people with little or no experience of the topic. 2. You will learn what a lender can do if a company does not repay a loan. 3. Companies can decide where their employees will take the course. 4. You will learn to assess whether a business can pay back the money it owes. 5. This course will help you to deal with the paperwork involved in processing loans. 6. You will look at the legal aspects of hiring equipment. 7. This course will concentrate on the laws that apply when a business borrows money. A Loans Administration This course looks at the administrative functions of a bank’s loans department, e.g. dealing with credit applications and keeping records of loan transactions. We will use real application forms of the type that administrative staff in loans departments regularly handle. It will be particularly useful for experienced staff with day-to-day administrative responsibility for loan portfolios. Although most clients choose to enjoy our beautiful premises. The course can be run at the client company or elsewhere. B Cashflow Analysis On this advanced course you will build up a database of a company’s cashflow over time and identify and interpret patterns of change. You will analyse the cashflow of a few sample companies and use your analysis to judge their ability to settle their debts. This course will help you perform an advanced cashflow analysis of your own company. C Loan Contracts Open to anyone who completed our introductory course on legal contracts in business, this course looks at the legal principles involved when a company takes out a loan, and outlines how to take legal action against a company that defaults on its repayments. You will compare the interests and responsibilities of both parties to a loan contract. D Leasing & Asset Finance This is a course for those new to leasing. It will provide you with a basic understanding of why companies prefer to lease property or machinery, rather than buy. You will learn about both the expenses and tax benefits of leasing and you will study a variety of lease agreements and the laws relating to them. PART TWO Questions 8-12 · Read the article below about a psychologist’s advice to managers. · Choose the best sentence from the opposite page to fill each of the gaps · For each gap 8-12, mark one letter (A-G) on your Answer Sheet. · Do not use any letter more than once. · There is an example at the beginning.(O) The Psychology of Management If overflowing in-trays frighten you or solving problems makes you sweat, there’s new range of business books called The Management Guides that you can turn to with confidence. (O) ……. In addition, they’re written in accessible language by Kathy Harman, a chartered occupational psychologist who heads her own London-based consultancy business. She says that the guides are intended for professionals working in small British companies, where thinking about management can be a low priority because of endless lists of other responsibilities. (8)……. After this initial message to the reader, the following pages contain sections on every aspect of business, from managing your own time and selecting employees to planning ahead for the future. One of the reasons Harman wrote these guides was that she knows not every business is able to invest in training. The difficulty, especially for small businesses, is that, ‘People are professionals first and foremost and somehow they are just expected to pick up management skills as they go along.’(9)……. And becoming one, she recognizes, is especially difficult if you’re not used to communicating effectively or delegating work. She adds, ‘It’s all very well managing areas that you have control over and you can do all the planning you feel is necessary, but there are always going to be other people out there who do the most unexpected things’(10)……. Such a choice of approaches is essential to any business; this can only be achieved by managers having good, friendly relationships with all their staff and business contacts. ‘The important thing in management,’ says Harman, ‘is the human element.’ Her advice to managers everywhere is to maintain professionalism at all times. ‘If you’ve ever managed anyone,’ she says, ‘You’ll know that you’ve not allowed to be fed up because when the staff come to you, they don’t want to know about your problem, they want their problems solved.’ Harman feels confident about making such an analysis because of her years of training as an occupational psychologist. (11)……. ‘What you find there is that most senior managers have had some kind of psychological training, while in this country most managers get their management psychology second-hand by listening to other managers’. The overall message from Harman is a simple one, and it’s got nothing to do with technology or databases.(12)……. ‘More and more managers,’ she says, ‘are realizing this and beginning to appreciate that without the right staff at all levels, you really haven’t got a business. People are your principal resource.’ Example: A And when they do, managers need a variety of strategies to fall back on . B This, of course, is unlikely to be easy, because being an expert in your field doesn’t necessarily make you a good manage. C The question that most of them ask is, ‘Can we actually afford a management training course?’ D Although this area of studying is becoming more acceptable in the business world .Britain is a long way behind the rest of Europe. E It’s about creating a working environment that promotes the well-being of everyone, from to the post room to the board room. F This is illustrated at the beginning of each guide with the quote. This book is for those who would like to manage better but are too busy to begin. G They’re short, pocket-sized, and very reasonably priced at £2.99 each. PART THREE Questions 13-18 · Read the article below about effective communication and the questions on the opposite page. · For each question 13-18, mark one letter (A, B, C or D) on your Answer Sheet for the answer you choose. The importance of good communications Effective communication is essential for all organizations. It links the activities of the various parts of the organization and ensures that everyone is working towards a common goal. It is also extremely important for motivating employees. Staff need to know how they are getting on, what they are doing right and in which areas they could improve. Working alone can be extremely difficult and it is much easier if someone takes an interest and provides support. Employees need to understand why their job is important and how it contributes to the overall success of the firm. Personal communication should also include target setting. People usually respond well to goals, provided these are agreed between the manager and subordinate and not imposed. However, firms often have communications problems that can undermine their performance. In many cases, these problems occur because messages are passed on in an inappropriate way. There are, of course, several ways of conveying information to others in the organization these include speaking to them directly, e-mailing, telephoning or sending a memo. The most appropriate method depends on what exactly it is you are communicating. For example, anything that is particularly sensitive or confidential, such as an employee’s appraisal, should be done face-to-face. One of the main problems for senior executives is that they do not have the time or resources needed to communicate effectively. In large companies, for example, it is impossible for senior managers to meet and discuss progress which each employee individually. Obviously this task can be delegated but at the cost of creating a gap between senior management and staff. As a result, managers are often forced to use other methods of communication, like memos or notes, even if they know these are not necessarily the most suitable means of passing on messages. The use of technology, such as e-mail, mobile phones and network systems, is speeding up communication immensely. However, this does not mean that more investment in technology automatically proves beneficial: systems can become outdated or employees may lack appropriate training. There are many communications tools now available but a firm cannot afford all of them. Even if it could, it does not actually need them all. The potential gains must be weighed up against the costs, and firms should realize that more communication does not necessarily mean better communication. As the number of people involved in an organization increase, the use of written communication rises even faster. Instead of a quick conversation to sort something out numerous messages can be passed backwards and forwards. This can lead to a tremendous amount of paperwork and is often less effective than face to face communication. When you are actually talking to someone you can discuss things until you are happy they have understood and feedback is immediate, with written messages, however, you are never quite sure how it will be received what you think you have said and what the other person thinks you have said can be very different. The amount of written information generated in large organizations today can lead to communication overload. So much information is gathered that it gets in the way of making decisions take a look at the average manager’s desk and you will see the problem-it is often covered in letters, reports and memos. This overload can lead to inefficiencies. For example, managers may not be able to find the information they want when they need it. Communication is also becoming more difficult with the changes occurring in employment patterns. With more people working part-time and working from home, managing communication is becoming increasingly complex. 13 In the first paragraph the writer recommends that communication with staff should include A some feedback on their job performance. B an explanation of how company targets have been set. C information on promotion prospects within the company. D an indication of which duties they can expect assistance with. 14 According to the writer, the best way of achieving effective communication is to A adapt the message to suit a particular audience. B make the content of messages brief and direct. C select the most suitable means of conveying a particular message. D ensure that information is targeted at the appropriate group of people. 15 What does the writer say about the communication options available to senior managers? A Sending memos to staff is one of the most efficient methods. B It is important to find the time to discuss certain matters with staff. C They should increase the range of options that they use. D Getting junior managers to talk to staff can create different problems. 16 What advice is given about the communication tools made available by technology? A Aim to limit staff use of certain communication tools. B Evaluate them in terms of the expenditure involved. C Select them on the basis of the facilities they offer. D Encourage more staff to attend training courses in their use. 17 According to the writer, a problem with written communication is that A the message can be interpreted differently to what was intended. B it can be easy for people to ignore the contents of a written message. C most people are more comfortable with face-to-face communication. D it is possible for correspondence to get lost within a large organization. 18 According to the article, what is the effect of receiving large amounts of written information? A It is counter-productive B It causes conflict in a company. C It leads to changes in work patterns. D It makes the main points more difficult to identify. PART FOUR Questions 19-33 · Read the letter below from an agency providing temporary staff for companies. · Choose the best word to fill each gap from A, B, C or D on the opposite page. · For each question 19-33, mark one letter (A, B, C or D) on your Answer Sheet. · There is an example at the beginning, (O). Office Angels Employment Agency 14-16 Lockhart Road Wan Chai Hong Kong Tel 532 4365 Fax 532 4111 Dear Client, Office Angels is advising businesses to (0) …… as far ahead as possible to ensure guaranteed staff cover during holiday periods. There is now a (19) …… shortage of skilled secretarial and administrative staff and this is (20) …… to get worse over the next twelve months. Businesses which require staff with experience of specialist computer applications are the most at (21) …… You are advised to (22) …… our agency well before the staff are actually needed to be certain of filling gaps with adequately (23) …… personnel. If you don’t, it’s almost (24) …… that you will be left without the skills needed to (25) …… your office running smoothly. The (26) …… for the shortage of secretarial staff appears to be a combination of two (27) ……There has been an (28) …… in demand for secretarial services over the last few years, and at the same time there has been a (29) …… of students deciding to choose secretarial studies. Office Angels Agency would (30) …… to emphasize that businesses should not underestimate the difficulty of (31) …… experienced temporary staff. It is also necessary to make the (32) …… that businesses should be prepared for the fact that they may have to pay more for this kind of (33) …… in the future. 19 A hard B serious C sure D strong 20 A hoped B wanted C expected D prepared 21 A risk B chance C worry D difficulty 22 A confirm B communicate C contact D command 23 A lectured B aided C formed D trained 24 A positive B correct C right D certain 25 A save B keep C ensure D continue 26 A reason B purpose C result D problem 27 A articles B matters C factors D subjects 28 A enlargement B increase C addition D upgrade 29 A lack B need C requirement D few 30 A request B desire C ask D like 31 A achieving B obtaining C realizing D earning 32 A point B idea C position D subject 33 A offer B delivery C product D service PART FIVE Questions 34-45 · Read the article below about airport hotels. · In most of the lines 34-45 there is one extra word. It is either grammatically incorrect or does not fit in with the meaning 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. (O) and (OO). Examples CHECKING IN TO A WOEKING BASE 0 Smart business travelers today are staying at the airport to do business. Rather than 00 waste of time in traffic jams as they try to reach city center venues, business people 34 are using conference facilities on the offer at airports. Busy executives are also 35 staying there overnight to avoid the difficulty of getting there for take an early morning 36 meeting. And it makes sense for international meetings to be held at airports. It is 37 principally through the improvement in airport hotels that has enabled this 38 development to take place. Today these mini-conference centers provide services are 39 designed for business travelers, like a quick check-in and round-the-clock restaurants, 40 so they can get to work as quickly as possible. They are also less expensive place 41 than their city center counterparts. Not long years ago, airport hotels were 42 uncomfortable, unattractive and inconvenient for as far as the business traveler was 43 concerned. Yet now that there is strong interest, as travelers become aware of the 44 new facilities. Demand for small meeting rooms is huge, usually for interviews or one- 45 to-one meetings, where executives fly them in and out the same day. The age of the airport is upon us. READING ANSWER KEY Part One Part Two Part Three Part Four Part Five 1 D 8 F 13 A 19 B 34 THE 2 C 9 B 14 C 20 C 35 FOR 3 A 10 A 15 D 21 A 36 CORRECT 4 B 11 D 16 B 22 C 37 THROUGH 5 A 12 E 17 A 23 D 38 ARE 6 D 18 A 24 D 39 CORRECT 7 C 25 B 40 PLACE 26 A 41 YEARS 27 C 42 FOR 28 B 43 THAT 29 A 44 CORRECT 30 D 45 THEM 31 B 32 A 33 D WRITING SAMPLE PAPER PART ONE · You are a manager in a small publishing company. You have recently taken charge of your company’s staff training programme. Before the programme starts you would like to identify training areas that staff are interested in. · Write a memo to all staff: · Saying when the programme will start · Asking for suggestions for the programme · Giving a deadline for suggestions. · Write 40-50 words. · Write on the separate answer paper provided. Memorandum To From Date Subject PART TWO · You work for a sports center. You have been asked to write a short report that will appear in a newsletter for the sports centre’s members. · Look at the graphs below, on which you have already made some handwritten notes. · Then, using all these handwritten notes, write your report. · Write 120-140 words. · Write on the separate answer paper provided. Example: A guide B lead C plan D go �