BEC商務英語初級閱讀試題及答案分享

大家在備考bec的時候不能光看理論知識，一定要經常找一些題目來練習，爲了方便大家的備考，下面小編給大家帶來BEC商務英語初級閱讀試題及答案分享。

BEC商務英語初級閱讀試題及答案分享1

Trouble with Teamwork

Mary Owen examines the role and efficiency of teams

Recruiters say that candidates who can give examples ofwork they have done as members of a successful team are in asstrong a position as those who can point to significant individualachievement. Indeed, too much of the latter may suggest thatthe person concerned is not a 'team player' - one of the moreserious failings in the book of management.

The importance of being a team player is a side effect of the increasing interaction acrossdepartments and functional divides. Instead of pushing reports, paperwork and decisions aroundthe organisation, 'teams provide a dynamic meeting place where ideas can be shared and expertisemore carefully targeted at important business issues,' says Steve Gardner, in his book KeyManagement Concepts. He adds, 'Globalisation has added a further dimension to inational teams now study Policy decisions in the light of their impact on the local market.'

But is teamworking being overdone? 'Some managers are on as many as seven or eightdifferent teams', says Dr Cathy Bandy, a psychologist who recently ran a conference on thesubject. 'They take up so much time that managers can't get on with core tasks.' Forming teamsand having meetings has, she says, become an end in itself, almost regardless of purpose. There isalso the danger of an unhealthy desire to keep the team going after the work has been done. 'People feel the need to belong, and team membership can provide a kind of psychologicalsupport.'

The idea behind teamworking is that, when the right group of people is brought together, a'force' develops which is greater than the sum of their individual talents. This is often true in sport,where good players can reach unexpected heights as members of an international ver,few business situations have as clear a set of objectives, or as clear criteria of success orfailure, as winning a match.

'In business, everyone needs to be clear about what the challenge is and whether a team isthe right way of approaching it', says Steve Gardner. 'Unfortunately, people focus instead on whothe members of the team should be and what roles they are to play' Dr Bandy agrees. 'There isalways a danger that teams can turn into committees,' she says. 'In a lot of situations, one or twoindividuals would be much more effective.'

So what makes a successful team? There are some general qualities that have been e Gardnerrecommends that in every team there should be someone who is good atresearching ideas and another who is good at shooting down impractical ones. There should bethose who can resolve the tensions that naturally occur in a team and others who are focused ongetting the job done. Also, providing a clear and achievable target at the outset is the best way ofensuring that the team will move on to greater things.

13 What point does the writer make about teamworking at the beginning of the article?

A It is the most successful form of management.

B It has changed the recruitment procedure in companies.

C Well-run teams still allow individuals to demonstrate their talents.

D Being a team player is now considered an essential management skill.

14 According to the article, teamwork developed within companies as a response to

A modern office design.

B changing work practices.

C a reduction in administrative tasks.

D the expansion of international business.

15 In the third paragraph, Dr Bandy suggests that

A many employees do not enjoy working in teams.

B some managers are not very effective team leaders.

C some teams are created unnecessarily.

D few teams are well organised.

16 According to the writer, teamwork is more effective in the field of sport because the players

A know what they want to achieve.

B are more competitive by nature.

C have more individual talent.

D can be driven by national pride.

17 Steve Gardner and Dr Bandy agree that when a business team is created people do notpay enough attention to

A the structure of the team.

B alternatives to the team.

C selecting the team members.

D directing the team's activities.

18 What is Steve Gardner's advice on operating a successful team?

A Maintain a flexible approach to membership.

B Allow personalities to develop within the team.

C Select people who fit naturally into certain roles.

D Make every effort to avoid conflict between members.

參考答案及解析

《Trouble with Teamwork》，團隊合作的麻煩。文章講了團隊的重要性和很多團隊存在的問題，以及怎麼樣才能打造一個成功有效的團隊。

第十三題，問文章開頭作者針對團隊合作做了什麼論點。第一段是強調團隊合作的重要性，太多的個人成果會顯得這個人不是個合格的團隊成員。選答案要理解第一句話的含義：Recruiters say that candidates who can give examples of work they have done as members of a successful team are in as strong a position as those who can point to significant individual achievement.招聘者說能夠給出自己作爲一個成功團隊成員的例子的候選人同那些指出重要的個人成果的人具有同樣重要的地位。言下之意，擁有團隊成員的經歷也很重要。所以選D，作爲一個團隊成員如今被視爲必要的管理技巧。A、B、C都沒有提到。

第十四題，問公司內部的團隊合作是作爲對什麼的迴應。也就是問團隊合作的目的是什麼，答案是第二段的這麼一句：'teams provide a dynamic meeting place where ideas can be shared and expertise more carefully targeted at important business issues 團隊提供了一個動態的會議場所，使得思想可以分享，技能可以更加仔細的對準重要的商業問題。這句裏的dynamic meeting place可以對應於B段的changing work practice。

第十五題，問在第三段Dr Bandy暗示什麼。答案是她的一句原話：Forming teams and having meetings has, she says, become an end in itself, almost regardless of purpose.形成團隊然後開會成了它本身的終點，幾乎不管目的是什麼。也就是說很多團隊的建立是沒有意義的，多餘的。選C，一些團隊被不必要的創建了。

第十六題，問作者認爲團隊合作在體育領域裏更有效的原因是什麼。第四段講當一羣正確的人被組合到一起時會產生一種高於這些人個人能力的力量，在體育比賽裏就是如此。這一題的答案是第四段的最後一句：few business situations have as clear a set of objectives, or as clear criteria of success or failure, as winning a match.。很少有企業能像贏得一場比賽一樣有一系列清晰的目標，或者是對成功或失敗有清晰的評判準則。也就是A選項所說的：知道他們想要實現什麼。what they want to achieve可以對應於a set of objectives。

第十七題，問這兩個人同意當一個商業團隊被創立時人們沒有把注意力放在什麼上面。這一題要理解第五段的意思。第一句說In business, everyone needs to be clear about what the challenge is and whether a team is the right way of approaching it。在企業，每個人都必須很清楚挑戰是什麼以及團隊是否是實現它的最好的辦法。考慮團隊是不是最好的辦法，也就是說要考慮其他可能的途徑，即B選項所說的團隊的替代品(alternatives to the team)，後面有句focus instead….人們卻把注意力放在了其他的地方。從這些可以看出答案是B。

第十八題，問關於運作一個成功團隊Steve Gardner的建議是什麼。這題的答案是對最後一段的概括。答案是最後一段第三句recommend後面的一長串there…who，要有不同的人勝任不同的角色。歸納起來，就是各司其職選C：選擇能夠自然融洽的勝任某個角色的人。其他幾個選項都沒提到。

第二段有個地方值得解釋下。Globalisation has added a further dimension to teamwork。

這裏的dimension用法比較特別，表示方面，特徵，並且是很地道常見的說法

牛津詞典的解釋：an aspect or feature of a situation, problem, or thing。

麥克米蘭的解釋：a part of a situation, especially when it influences the way you think about the situation。

e.g: Doing volunteer work has added a whole new dimension to my life.

常見搭配：an extra/added/additional/further dimension

　　BEC商務英語初級閱讀試題及答案分享2

Human Resources Policy

CBA Bank was the largest financial institution to sign theemployers' 'People Come First' code of practice in the early1990s. In doing so, it committed itself to the highest (0) inhuman resources practices such as the communication ofcompany(19)....... to employees, the setting of individualtraining and personal (20)s, and the holding of regularperformance (21)....... for all staff.

Like other organisations, CBA is replacing the traditional hierarchy with a flatter organisationalstructure which gives employees more broadly defined (22) in the company. The changeis offering employees greater opportunities for work in cross-disciplinary project teams. As a result,interpersonal (23) ....... are extremely important.

The policy seems to be working. There is a great deal of goodwill among employees, who(24) fact that customer satisfaction is the organisation's chief aim. CBA claims to pursuethis aim for its own (25)....... , rather than as a means of earning profits for shareholders.

An ability to relate to all kinds of people is the most important attribute CBA looks for in(26)uits. Graduates are (27)....... for a two-year period and exposed to all (28)....... ofretail financial services. By the end of this training period, they will have taken their Institute ofBanking examination and, if they have (29)....... their performance targets, they will have (30).......a job at the bank.

'On the whole, we are not looking for people straight out of college,' says human resourcesmanager Maiy Kemp. 'We would prefer that they had (31) experience of life and hadtaken a year out between school and college to travel or do some kind of work.'

The company has recently introduced a new policy on pay, and it is now (32)rformance through bonus schemes, with the objective being to (33) ....... employees for theirachievements and effort.

19 A designs B purposes C ends D objectives

20 A continuation B extension C development D advancement

21 A reviews B trials C revisions D judgements

22 A capacities B parts C roles D elements

23 A abilities B talents C assets D skills

24 A recommend B honour C respect D obey

25A sake B reason C behalf D cause

26 A expected B intended C potential D eventual

27 A taken on B written in C put on D drawn in

28 A fields B areas C regions D parts

29 A arrived B done C passed D met

30 A secured B reached C confirmed D fixed

31 A gained B won C earned D realised

32 A attached B linked C combined D joined

33 A return B reward C recompense D refund

參考答案及解析

《Human Resource Policy》，人力資源政策。主要是講的CBA銀行的人力資源政策，。先簡單介紹了這個銀行的管理結構，是扁平化的組織結構(flatter organizational structure)，而不是等級制公司(hierarchy)。總體原則是不招應屆的剛出校門的畢業生，而要有一定的生活經驗或者是工作經驗。

第19、20、21題，這幾空都是舉例說明前面提到的human resources practices。19空是說的將公司的發展目標傳達給員工。公司目標，用objective。purpose是指具體做某件事情的意圖。這裏有必要區分一下objective和purpose，看英文解釋。

purpose: the reason you do something, and the thing you want to achieve when you do it

objective: something that you are working hard to achieve, especially in business or politics

第20題，個人培訓和發展計劃的制定。個人發展計劃，personal development plans，選C。

第21題，定期的表現回顧。用review。hold在這個句子裏是舉行的意思。the holding of regular performance review，定期舉行員工的表現回顧。

第22題，說扁平化的組織結構可以給員工更加定義廣泛的角色。broadly defined roles,選C。

第23題，人際交往技巧是很重要的。interpersonal skills,是地道的說法。參見一個例句：you will need good interpersonal skills.

第24題，這一句的意思很好理解，是說員工們越來越看重或者說是承認一個事實：顧客的滿意是組織的主要目標。recommend是推薦、建議，後面不接 the fact(事實)，honour是敬重，obey是遵守，這裏應該選擇respect。respect這裏是重視或者接受的意思，看英英詞典上的解釋：to accept that something which is established or formally agreed is right or important and not to attempt to change it or harm it。所以這一空應該選擇respect the fact，表示接受這個事實。

第25題，CBA銀行追求這個目的是爲着自己的利益，而不是爲股東掙利潤的工具。for the sake of something 或 for something's sake：for the purpose of; in the interest of; in order to achieve or preserve 爲了…目的;爲了…的利益;爲了。。。固定用法，選A。

第26題，尋找潛在的新成員。地道的詞是potential，比如potential recruits, potential staff, potential candidates.

第27題，考察的是短語take on的一個用法，僱傭：If you take someone on, you employ them to do a job.;write in：to write a letter to a newspaper, television company or other organization, to state an opinion or ask something以羣衆來信的形式表達的意見。

第28題，把畢業生分配在各個連鎖金融服務領域。用area。field做領域、範圍講的時候是指的研究、活動，region是指的具體的地區，parts是部分，應該用area。

第29題，完成目標，met the targets。

第30題，完成了目標就可以得到工作。secure：to get possession of; acquire:

第31題，招的人已經具有了一定的生活經驗。gain：to obtain something that is useful, that gives you an advantage, or that is in some way positive, especially over a period of time

eg: After you've gained some experience teaching abroad you can come home and get a job.

第32題，薪酬現在和業績掛鉤。link to，聯繫。

第33題，reward sb.獎勵某人。reward employees for their achievements and effort，因爲功勞而獎勵員工。

　　BEC商務英語初級閱讀試題及答案分享3

Evaluating the performance of the board

Few employees escape the annual or twice-yearlyperformance review. (0) answer is not a greatnumber. And the smaller the company, the fewer checks thereare on how well the directors are doing. Some of the largestcompanies formally assess the performance of their board, butvery few new or growing companies have managed to getround to establishing any such procedure.

Many business experts believe, however, that it is important for all companies to review theperformance of the board. (8) her reason is that the board itself needs information onhow well it is doing, just as much as other employees do. For the chief executive, appraisal of somesort is absolutely essential for his or her own sake and for the good of the company. Indeed, manyof those who have reached this level remark on how lonely the job of chief executive is and howfew opportunities they get to discuss issues relating to it.

There is some evidence to show that once smaller companies put a board appraisal process inplace, they find this process relatively easy to operate. (9) r counterparts in largerorganisations, however, are often afraid that appraisals could be a challenge to their status.

So, how should companies assess their board? (10) a very basic level,this couldsimply mean getting all the directors to write down what they have achieved and how they canimprove on it. At the other end of the scale is the full '360-degree' appraisal. Here, each director isappraised in a systematic manner by a combination of the chairman and fellow directors.

In the largest companies there are many methods for assessing the board. A number of suchcompanies have self-assessment schemes. The chairman may meet each board memberindividually to ask how things are going, in a fairly informal way. The whole board might also meetto talk about its progress in open session. (11)e might ask for people's opinions onthe board's main tasks or on how well the committees are working.

Research indicates there has been some improvement in the way the appraisal of boardmembers is conducted. (12) chairman will have been involved directly or indirectly inthe appraisal of all members of the board. Whose job is it, then, to appraise the chairman?

A It is often the case that the directors of such companies are even happy to receive criticism,as this can prevent them from making basic mistakes.

B The rest of the workforce sees it as unfair if the directors are the only members of thecompany to escape appraisal.

C These are encouraging as they put a limit on the power of the chairman to assess fellowdirectors.

D Alternatively, questionnaires might be distributed to directors, forming the basis for futurediscussion.

E One issue remains, however, when all the others have been dealt with.

F It is generally agreed that it is the chairman's responsibility to ensure the regular appraisal ofeach member of the board.

G However, one wonders how many companies have in place a formal appraisal process fortheir board of directors.

參考答案及解析

《Evaluating the performance of the board》，評估董事局的表現。衆所周知一個公司裏面是經常對員工的表現進行評估的，那麼誰又來評估董事局的表現呢?這篇文章講了對董事局表現進行評估的重要性和一些方法。

第八題，前面說對董事局的表現進行評估是很重要的。空格後面的句子中有another reason，可見這個第八空應該填入對董事局表現進行評估原因的句子。B符合這一特點，爲什麼要進行評估，因爲“如果決策層是公司唯一逃避評估的成員的話，其他的員工會視之爲不公平。”

第九題，前面說小公司會發現這種評估過程更容易操作。空格後面一個however，說大公司的決策層會認爲評估是對他們地位的一種挑戰。可見這個空格應該填入表示小公司願意接受評估的句子。A符合這一特點：通常這些公司的決策層會很樂意接受批評，因爲這可以防止他們犯錯誤。這裏的such companies是個暗示，可以和前面的smaller companies對應上。

第十題，前面問怎樣對公司的董事局進行評估。那麼很明顯，後面跟的句子應該和評估的方式方法有關。符合這一標準的只有F：一般認爲確保對董事局裏每個成員的定期評估是主席的責任。也就是說是依賴於主席進行評估。responsibility是個關鍵詞。

第十一題。第五段依然是講評估的方法，具體的過程。空格的前面說主席可以單獨會見董事局的每一個成員，或者是集體在一起談話。空格後面說這些可以詢問人們關於董事局主要任務以及委員會的工作進展情況的意見。ask for people’s opinion是個關鍵點，什麼可以詢問人們的觀點?調查。選D，questionnaires是個關鍵的暗示：或者，也許可以給經理們分發調查問卷，形成未來討論的基礎。

第十二題，這一空前面說有調查顯示對董事局成員進行評估的方法有所改善。空格後面來了一個疑問，提出沒有人評估主席。可見第十二題有轉折的意思，選E，有關鍵的連詞however,而且E的one issue remains，正好對應最後一段最後一句話的一個問題。內容上也吻合。

　　BEC商務英語初級閱讀試題及答案分享4

Achieving a successful merger

However attractive the figures may look on paper, in thelong run the success or failure of a merger depends on thehuman factor. When the agreement has been signed and theaccountants have departed, the real problems may only just bebeginning. If there is a culture clash between the two companiesin the way their people work, then all the efforts of the financiersand lawyers to strike a deal may have been in vain.

According to Chris Bolton of KS Management Consultants, 70% of mergers fail to live up totheir promise of shareholder value, riot through any failure in economic terms but because theintegration of people is unsuccessful. Corporates, he explains, concentrate their efforts before amerger on legal, technical and financial matters. They employ a range of experts to obtain themost favourable contract possible. But even at these early stages, people issues must be takeninto consideration. The strengths and weaknesses of both organisations should be assessed and, ifit is a merger of equals, then careful thought should be given to which personnel, from which side,should take on the key roles.

This was the issue in 2001 when the proposed merger between two pharmaceuticalcompanies promised to create one of the largest players in the industry. For both companies themerger was intended to reverse falling market share and shareholder value. However, although thecompanies' skill bases were compatible, the chief executives of the two companies could not agreewhich of them was to head up the new organisation. This illustrates the need to compromise if amerger is to take place.

But even in mergers that do go ahead, there can be culture clashes. One way to avoid this isto work with focus groups to see how employees view the existing culture of their organisation. Inone example, where two global organisations in the food sector were planning to merge, focusgroups discovered that the companies displayed very different profiles. One was sales-focused,knew exactly what it wanted to achieve and pushed initiatives through. The other got involved inlengthy discussions, trying out options methodically and making contingency plans. The firstresponded quickly to changes in the marketplace; the second took longer, but the option iteventually chose was usually the correct one. Neither company's approach would have worked forthe other.

The answer is not to adopt one company's approach, or even to try to incorporate everyaspect of both organisations, but to create a totally new culture. This means taking the best fromboth sides and making a new organisation that everyone can accept. Or almost itably there will be those who cannot adapt to a different culture. Research into the impact ofmergers has found that companies with differing management styles are the ones that need towork hardest at creating a new culture.

Another tool that can help to get the right cultural mix is intercultural analysis. This involvescarrying out research that looks at the culture of a company and the business culture of thecountry in which it is based. It identifies how people, money and time are managed in a company,and investigates the business customs of the country and how its politics, economics and historyimpact on the way business is done.

13 According to the text, mergers can encounter problems when

A contracts are signed too quickly.

B experts cannot predict accurate figures.

C conflicting attitudes cannot be resolved.

D staff are opposed to the terms of the deal.

14 According to Chris Bolton, what do many organisations do in preparation for a merger?

A ensure their interests are represented

B give reassurances to shareholders

C consider the effect of a merger on employees

D analyse the varying strengths of their staff

15 The proposed merger of two pharmaceutical groups failed because

A major shareholders were opposed.

B there was a fall in the demand for their products.

C there were problems combining their areas of expertise.

D an issue of personal rivalry could not be resolved.

16 According to the text, focus groups can help companies to

A develop new initiatives.

B adopt contingency plans.

C be decisive and react rapidly.

D evaluate how well matched they are.

17 Creating a new culture in a newly merged organisation means that

A management styles become more flexible.

B there is more chance of the merger working.中華考試網

C staff will find it more difficult to adapt to the changes.

D successful elements of the original organisations are lost.

18 According to the text, intercultural analysis will show

A what kind of benefits a merger can lead to.

B how the national context affects the way a company is run.

C how long it will take for a company culture to develop.

D what changes companies should make before a merger takes place.

參考答案接解析

《Achieving a successful merger》，實現一個成功的併購。文章沒有從技術和經濟效益的角度來分析併購成功的因素，而是強調了一個在併購中容易被忽視的重要因素：文化衝突。不同的企業文化走到了一起，能否兼容是併購能否成功的關鍵因素。一個比較著名的例子是當年惠普與康柏的併購。

第十三題，問什麼情況下併購會遇到麻煩。答案是A段的最後一句，關鍵詞是culture clash：如果兩個公司的員工在工作方式上存在文化衝突，那麼金融專家和律師們爲了達成交易所做的一切努力都是徒勞的。所以選C：衝突性的態度無法得到解決。Conflicting attitude對應於culture clash。attitude具體指公司員工做事情的方式和態度。

第十四題，問很多機構爲併購所做的準備是什麼。答案是第二段的這麼一句話：Corporates, he explains, concentrate their efforts before a merger on legal, technical and financial matters。公司都把精力集中在法律、技術和金融事務上了。也就是更多的看重經濟等方面的利益，而忽視了人的因素。選A：確保他們的利益得到很好的反映，也就是自己的利益有保障。represent在這裏的意思是be present or found in something, especially to a particular degree。

第十五題，問這倆醫藥公司併購失敗的原因是什麼。答案是第三段的倒數第二句：the chief executives of the two companies could not agree which of them was to head up the new organisation.在誰來領導新的機構的問題上無法達成一致。所以選D：人員競爭問題無法得到解決。Personal rivalry就是指兩個領導誰也不服誰。

第十六題，問focus group可以幫助公司幹什麼。先弄明白focus group的意思，看劍橋高階的解釋：a group of people who have been brought together to discuss a particular subject in order to solve a problem or suggest ideas。處理問題的團體。答案在第四段。這一段是舉例說明兩個合併公司的文化兼容性問題。經過focus group的調查，這兩個公司的做事方式有很大差別，不能兼容。所以這一題的答案是選D：評估他們能否匹配。

第十七題，問在一個新合併的公司裏創造新的文化意味着什麼。答案是第五段的這麼一句：This means taking the best from both sides and making a new organisation that everyone can accept。吸取雙方的優點，創造一個所有人都能接受的新組織。每個人都能接受，那麼合併成功的可能性會大大增加。選B：合併起作用的機率增加了。

第十八題，跨文化分析能夠表明什麼。答案是最後一段的最後一句：how its politics, economics and history impact on the way business is done.看看這個國家的政治、經濟和歷史是怎麼影響商業行爲的。也就是考察宏觀的國家背景對微觀的經濟個體的影響。選B：國家背景怎樣影響公司的運行方式。