進(jìn)入職場(chǎng)以后,學(xué)習(xí)商務(wù)英語(yǔ)的人越來(lái)越多。為了讓大家更好的了解商務(wù)英語(yǔ)BEC考試,滬江小編給大家BEC商務(wù)英語(yǔ)中級(jí)考試真題,大家可以作為練習(xí)參考。

  1.SHEER GENIUS - OR A WASTE OF TIME?

  Encourage your original thinkers and live with their strange habits, says Alan Worthin

  If one of your research staff announced that he had worked out a way to propel a vehicle on a cushion of air, would you tell him to concentrate on something practical, or suggest taking it further? If a member of your development team asked if she could come in late because she had her best ideas at 3 am would you insist that she is in the office at 9 am like everyone else?

  Current business wisdom is that companies need creative, innovative people to beat competitors. The reality is that companies have always needed new ideas to survive and progress, but in the past they weren't particularly good at encouraging the people who produced them.

  Original thinkers don't always fit easily into the framework of an organisation. However, the advice from managing director, John Serrano is, 'Get rid of the dull people and encourage the unusual ones'. Essentially, he believes that companies need to learn how to manage their original thinkers in order to ensure that the business profits from their contribution. He also says, 'Original thinkers often find it difficult to drive change within the organisation, so they resign, feeling angry and disappointed. It is essential to avoid this.'

  'You can't recognise original thinkers by the way they look,' says Ian Freeman. An apparently ordinary exterior can conceal a very creative thinker.' His consultancy, IBT Personnel, has devised a structured way to identify original thinkers. 'We define employees as champions, free-wheelers, bystanders and weak links, and most original thinkers come into the category of free-wheelers. They may miss deadlines if they become involved in something more interesting. They are passionate and highly motivated but have li ttle or no understanding of business directions and systems.'

  Headhunter George Solomon also thinks original thinkers have their disadvantages. 'They may have a bad influence within an organisation, especially given the current management trend for working in teams. The original thinkers themselves may be unaware of any problem, but having them around can be disruptive to colleagues. who have to be allowed to point out when they are being driven crazy by the original thinkers' behaviour.' Yet, in his opinion, the 'dream team' in any creative organisation consists of a balanced mixture of original thinkers and more practical, realistic people.

  So, having identified your original thinkers, how do you handle them? One well-known computer games company has a very inventive approach. 'We encourage our games designers by creating an informal working environment,' says director Lorna Marsh. 'A company cannot punish risk-takers if it wants to encourage creativity. Management has to provide support, coaching and advice - and take the risk that new ideas may not work. Our people have flexible working hours and often make no clear distinction between their jobs and their home lives.'

  Original thinkers may fit into the culture of 21st century organisations, but more traditional organisations may have to change their approach. Business psychologist Jean Row believes that the first step is to check that original thinkers are worth the effort. 'Are the benefits they bring worth the confusion they cause? If so, give them what they want, allow plenty of space, but set clear limits. Give them extremely demanding targets. If they fail to meet them, then the game is up. But if they succeed, your organisation stands only to gain.'

  2.問(wèn)題

  13 It is important for a company to encourage original thinkers because

  A this allows it to promote innovative products.

  B this enables it to stay ahead of its rivals.

  C they are very flexible about their working hours.

  D their talents are ideally suited to the market.

  14 John Serrano thinks that original thinkers should be

  A helped to develop better people management skills.

  B asked to manage change within the organisation.

  C supported so they can perform well for the company.

  D encouraged to follow company procedures.

  15 What does Ian Freeman say about original thinkers?

  A They are unenthusiastic and poorly motivated.

  B Their work standards are impossibly high.

  C Their abilities are hard to recognise.

  D They lack awareness of commercial processes.

  16 What problems can be observed when there are original thinkers in the workforce?

  A They may have a negative effect on other workers.

  B They dislike the concept of teamwork.

  C They rush tasks through to completion.

  D They cannot work with less creative colleagues.

  17 In what way is the games company's approach to original thinkers special?

  A It allows them to work from home whenever they wish.

  B It uses different forms of disciplinary action for them.

  C It promotes a relaxed atmosphere in the workplace.

  D It encourages them to reduce the risks that they take.

  18 A traditional organisation wishing to employ original thinkers needs to

  A provide them with projects they are interested in.

  B assess whether their contribution makes up for any problems.

  C have a flexible approach if goals are not always achieved.

  D be prepared to handle any negative feedback from colleagues.

  3.答案及解析

  《Sheer genius—or a waste of time》,純粹是天才,還是浪費(fèi)時(shí)間?文章講的是公司里的那些有創(chuàng)意的人(original thinkers),他們對(duì)于公司的存在到底有什么價(jià)值,公司又該怎么利用他們?

  13題,問(wèn)對(duì)于公司來(lái)講鼓勵(lì)有創(chuàng)意的人很重要的原因是什么。答案是第二段的第一句,非常明顯:Current business wisdom is that companies need creative, innovative people to beat competitors。現(xiàn)如今的商業(yè)智慧是公司需要有創(chuàng)造性的、創(chuàng)新型的人才來(lái)打敗對(duì)手。也就是B選項(xiàng)說(shuō)的:讓他們能夠超越對(duì)手。

  14題,問(wèn)John認(rèn)為有創(chuàng)意的人應(yīng)該怎么樣。答案是第三段:He believes that companies need to learn how to manage their original thinkers in order to ensure that the business profits from their contribution公司應(yīng)該學(xué)會(huì)怎樣管理有創(chuàng)意的人,從而確保公司能夠從他們的貢獻(xiàn)中盈利。也就是應(yīng)該努力使那些有創(chuàng)意的人的才華能夠造福公司。選C:他們應(yīng)該得到支持,從而為公司做的好。其他幾個(gè)選項(xiàng)根本沒(méi)有說(shuō)到點(diǎn)子上,一看就可以pass掉。

  15題,Ian關(guān)于有創(chuàng)意的人是怎么說(shuō)的。答案是第四段的最后一句:他們有激情有動(dòng)力但是卻對(duì)商業(yè)方向和系統(tǒng)一無(wú)所知。選D:缺乏對(duì)商業(yè)過(guò)程的了解。Business direction and systems可以和commercial processes相對(duì)應(yīng)。

  16題,問(wèn)當(dāng)工作場(chǎng)所出現(xiàn)了有創(chuàng)意的人,會(huì)發(fā)生什么問(wèn)題。答案是第五段的這么一句:The original thinkers themselves may be unaware of any problem, but having them around can be disruptive to colleagues。他們自己可能沒(méi)有意識(shí)到,但是有這樣的人在身邊會(huì)對(duì)同事們?cè)斐陕闊?。disruptive是disturbing的意思。

  17題,問(wèn)游戲公司對(duì)待有創(chuàng)意的人的方式特別在什么地方。答案是第六段,看公司總監(jiān)的原話:We encourage our games designers by creating an informal working environment。創(chuàng)造一種非正式的工作環(huán)境,也就是C選項(xiàng)說(shuō)的relaxed atmosphere。這題可能會(huì)有人誤選A,那是錯(cuò)誤的理解了最后一句。最后一句說(shuō)工作和家庭生活沒(méi)有明顯的區(qū)別,是說(shuō)工作時(shí)間是彈性的,不代表同意他們隨時(shí)隨意在家里工作。

  18題,問(wèn)傳統(tǒng)的機(jī)構(gòu)如果想要雇傭有創(chuàng)意的人需要什么。答案是最后一段的這么一句話:the first step is to check that original thinkers are worth the effort.。第一步是檢測(cè)這些有創(chuàng)意的人是否值得所作的這些努力。后面緊接著問(wèn)了,他們帶來(lái)的好處是否值得他們?cè)斐傻幕靵y?所以答案是B:評(píng)估他們的貢獻(xiàn)能否彌補(bǔ)任何問(wèn)題。

  4.Setting up an appraisal scheme

  Appraisals can be a wonderful opportunity for your staff to focus on their jobs and make plans to develop their unused potential. (0) ..........So, if you have decided that an appraisal scheme should be set up in your company, you need to establish some formal procedures and make some decisions before you begin. Even if your company already has a scheme, you need to consider what you want to achieve and how you are going to do this.

  First of all, you need to decide on your key objectives and the real purpose of your scheme.(8).............A scheme should never be introduced at a time of redundancies, or simply for profit or competitive edge, because this will create fear and alienate staff. The next step is to decide how the scheme can most successfully be managed. It is essential that all senior staff are committed to the process and willing to make a positive contribution.

  The person given responsibility for designing the scheme and the appraisal forms needs to have knowledge of all roles within the organisation. He or she must also be aware of employees' potential needs. (9).............It should be someone who is trusted and whom staff will turn to if they are concerned about their appointed appraiser or the appraisal interview. The design of the scheme should indicate who will be appraising whom. This needs great tact and sensitivity. First, remember that no manager can effectively appraise more than seven or eight people. It is equally important to remember that, if significant numbers of staff are appraised by someone they dislike, or by a person whose values they do not share, the success of your scheme may be threatened.(10) ............. So bear this in mind from the beginning and, if necessary, establish an appeals procedure.

  Having decided on your policy and who will appraise which members of staff, you need to communicate this in the simplest possible way. Avoid lengthy documents - few people will read them. (11).............Most organisations choose a person's line manager to be the appraiser. This can be seen as an opportunity or a threat, so be ready to consider alternatives if necessary.

  Once you have established the appraisal process, make sure that appraisal interviews take place at a convenient time, and ideally on neutral ground. It should be borne in mind that some appraisals may involve the disclosure of confidential information. (12) .............These will show the decisions that were taken during the interview and will also indicate any new performance targets that have been agreed.

  A It is important to select a manager who can deal effectively with any suspicions staff may have about appraisals.

  B Such a measure can also reduce insecurity and unite staff in recognising the positive elements of appraisal.

  C Having even one staff member in such a position may affect how others respond to the process.

  D Ideally, this should be to provide a supportive framework that aids staff development.

  E Simply make sure that staff know who will appraise them and why, and what form the interview will take.

  F It is therefore important to decide who will have access to written records of the appraisal.

  G They can also be a means of getting the best out of staff, both as individuals, and as team members.

  《Setting up an appraisal scheme》,制定評(píng)估計(jì)劃。

  5.答案及解析

  第八題,前面說(shuō)做評(píng)估最重要的是決定關(guān)鍵的目標(biāo),以及計(jì)劃的真正目的。那么接著應(yīng)該說(shuō)的就是這個(gè)計(jì)劃的目的是什么。符合這一條件的是D:理想的說(shuō),這是為了提供一個(gè)幫助員工發(fā)展的支持性框架。

  第九題,這一段是講選人的重要。空格前面說(shuō)要挑選一個(gè)了解各個(gè)員工潛在需求的人,后面說(shuō)這個(gè)人要能被大家信任,這樣當(dāng)員工有什么疑問(wèn)時(shí)才會(huì)轉(zhuǎn)向他。從上下文看,第九空仍然是和選人有關(guān)。A最符合這個(gè)特點(diǎn),有兩個(gè)關(guān)鍵地方。select a manager和deal with any suspicions,分別可以和上下文對(duì)應(yīng)。Select a manager可以對(duì)應(yīng)于前面的 the person given responsibility,deal with any suspicions可以對(duì)應(yīng)于后文的staff will turn to if they are concerned.

  第十題,前面說(shuō)讓員工被自己不喜歡的或者是價(jià)值觀不認(rèn)同的人來(lái)評(píng)估的話,評(píng)估計(jì)劃的成功會(huì)打折扣。所以這個(gè)第十空的講的還是關(guān)于選人的。C可以填在這里,C選項(xiàng)的in such a position是個(gè)暗示:讓即使只有一個(gè)員工處在這樣的位置上都會(huì)影響他人的反應(yīng)。意思是不能讓一個(gè)被大家不喜歡的人處在評(píng)估人的位置上。

  第十一題,這段講評(píng)估的形式要盡可能的簡(jiǎn)單,避免冗長(zhǎng)的文件。能接上的是E:只需要讓員工知道誰(shuí)來(lái)評(píng)估,為什么評(píng)估,以及評(píng)估的形式就行了。沒(méi)有必要弄那些復(fù)雜的沒(méi)人愿意讀的文件。

  第十二題,前面說(shuō)評(píng)估可能會(huì)涉及到一些機(jī)密信息的披露。后面說(shuō)這些會(huì)展現(xiàn)一些訪談的決定。關(guān)鍵要理解空格后面的these代表什么。能夠show the decisions that were taken during the interview,一般是文字材料??崭?2應(yīng)該填入F,written records是個(gè)關(guān)鍵暗示:因此決定誰(shuí)來(lái)接觸這些文字材料是很重要的。

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