商务英语中级阅读练习及解析
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商务英语中级阅读练习及解析(1)
Questions 1-7
Look at the statements below and the article about the development of future business leaders on the opposite page.
Which section of the article (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.
1 Managers need to take action to convince high-flyers of their value to the firm.
2 Organisations need to look beyond the high-flyers they are currently developing.
3 There is a concern that firms investing in training for high-flyers may not gain the benefits themselves.
4 Managers need expert assistance from within their own firms in developing high-flyers.
5 Firms currently identify high-flyers without the support of a guidance strategy.
6 Managers are frequently too busy to deal with the development of high-flyers.
7 Firms who work hard on their reputation as an employer will interest high-flyers.
The Stars of the Future
A Existing management research does not tell us much about how to find and develop high-flyers, those people who have the potential to reach the top of an organisation. As a result, organisations are left to formulate their own systems. A more effective overall policy for developing future leaders is needed, which is why the London Business School has launched the Tomorrow's Leaders Research Group (TLRG). The group contains representatives from 20 firms, and meets regularly to discuss the leadership development of the organisations' high-flyers.
B TLRG recognises just how significant line managers are in the process of leadership development. Unfortunately, with today's flat organisations, where managers have functional as well as managerial responsibilities, people development all too often falls victim to heavy workloads. One manager in the research group was unconvinced by the logic of sending his best people away on development courses, 'only to see them poached by another department or, worse still, another firm'. This fear of losing high-flyers runs deep in the organisations that make up the research group.
C TLRG argues that the task of management is not necessarily about employee retention, but about creating 'attraction centres'. 'We must help line managers to realise that if their companies are known as ones that develop their people, they will have a greater appeal to high-flyers,' said one advisor. Furthermore, selecting people for, say, a leadership development programme is a sign of commitment from management to an individual. Loyalty can then be more easily demanded in return.
D TLRG has concluded that a company's HR specialists need to take action and engage with line managers individually about their role in the development of high-flyers. Indeed, in order to benefit fully from training high-flyers as the senior managers of the future, firms must actually address the development of all managers who will be supporting the high-flyers. Without this, managers will not be in a position to give appropriate advice. And when eventually the high-flyers do move on, new ones will be needed to replace them. The next challenge will be to find a new generation of high-flyers.
首先得搞明白的是这篇文章到底讲的什么。不用看具体内容，有两个地方直接告诉了。一个是题目说明的第一句话，另一个是正文的标题。从这两个地方就可以看出全文探讨的是公司未来接班人――也就是潜力股――的培养问题。A段讲了TLRG这个贯穿全文的研究组织诞生的原因：现行的研究满足不了需要，于是大多数公司只能自己探索发掘接班人的模式;(即第五题的答案)B段讲了直属经理(line managers)对于发掘接班人的重要性(真是干什么都要从基层抓起)，以及经理们的一些疑虑;C段讲的是接班人问题对公司的重要性，并且应该让院线经理们明白这种重要性;D段是针对前面列出的问题，提出的解决建议，什么专家协助等等。整篇文章分为四个部分，层层递进，有很强的逻辑性。拿这样的文章来做阅读材料应该是相对容易把握的。
商务英语中级阅读练习及解析(2)
Look at the statements below and the advice to businesses on the opposite page about using other companies to run their IT services.
1、the need to teach skills to employees working on the outsourced process
2、remembering the initial reason for setting up the outsourced project
3、the need to draw up agreements that set out how integration is to be achieved
4、addressing the issue of staff who work on the outsourced process being at a distant site
5、the importance of making someone responsible for the integration process
6、staff on the outsourced project familiarising themselves with various details of the business
7、problems being associated with an alternative to outsourcing
When a business decides to outsource its IT services, it needs to consider the question of integration. Four experts give their views.
A.Gianluca Tramcere, Silica Systems
An outsourced IT service is never a fully independent entity. It is tied to the home company's previous and continuing systems of working. But despite the added responsibility of managing new ways of working, many businesses ignore the integration process. They fail to establish contracts that define the ways in which the two companies will work alongside one another, and focus solely on the technological aspects of service delivery.
B.Kevin Rayner, Domola
Businesses need to build integration competency centres dedicated to managing the integration effort. It is critical to have an individual in charge to check that the external and internal business operations work together. Although companies often think of outsourcing as a way of getting rid of people and assets, they need to remember that, at the same time, outsourcing involves gaining people. Because there is a new operation being carried out in a different way outside of the home business, this creates a training element.
C.Clayton Locke, Digital Solutions
Communication is the key to success, and outsourcing to other regions or countries can lead to a range of problems. For any such initiative, it is necessary to create a team where there is good, open communication and a clear understanding of objectives and incentives. Bringing people to the home location from the outsourced centre is necessary, since it can aid understanding of the complexities of the existing system. To integrate efficiently, outsourcing personnel have to talk to the home company's executives and users to understand their experiences.
D.Kim Noon, J G Tech
One way to avoid the difficulties of integration is to create a joint-venture company with the outsourcer. Thus, a company can swap its assets for a share of the profits. Yet joint ventures bring potential troubles, and companies should be careful not to lose sight of the original rationale for outsourcing: to gain cost efficiencies and quality of service in an area that for some reason could not be carried out entirely in-house. The complexities and costs of a joint-venture initiative should not be underestimated.
这篇文章讲的是外购(outsourcing),分别有四位专家就这个问题给出了自己的看法。A段的专家强调建立合同的重要性，B段专家认为要派专人负责，C段专家讲外派人员和本公司之间要有一个互动，D段专家讲如果与外包商(outsourcer)组成联合企业的话可能带来的一系列问题。如果对文章有个大概、基本的了解，很多题目不用细看就可以得出结论。
第一题的答案稍微有些隐晦，在B段的最后一句。“Because there is a new operation being carried out in a different way outside of the home business, this creates a training element.”因为新的操作是在本公司以外的地方以一种新的方式被执行，所以产生了培训成分。这里的training对应第一题的“teach skills to employees”。
第二题的答案在D段中间: companies should be careful not to lose sight of the original rationale for outsourcing.这里的rationale是基本原理、根本原因的意思。
第三题的答案在A段，非常明显的“establish contracts”。
第四段的答案是C段的最后一句话，outsourcing personnel have to talk to the home company's executives and users to understand their experiences.这里的talk to对应address，向....谈话。第四题的意思是“说明在远址工作的外购人员的事情”，也就是C段最后一句说的外购人员向公司汇报他们的经历。
第五段的答案在B段，相当明显：It is critical to have an individual in charge to check that the external and internal business operations work together。需要派专人负责integration。
第六题说“外派人员要熟悉自身工作的不同细节”，对应C段的“create a team where there is a clear understanding of objectives and incentives.”打造一个对目标和动机都有清晰理解的团队。
第七题稍微绕一点。题目里的“an alternative to outsourcing”指的是D段里的“create a joint-venture company with the outsourcer”，建立一个联合企业。D段里的专家一直在强调联合企业的麻烦和复杂性(joint ventures bring potential troubles)，所以是正确答案。
商务英语中级阅读练习及解析(3)
Read the article below about the changing role of human resources departments.
The best person for the job
Employees can make a business succeed or fail, so the people who choose them have a vital role to play.
Employees are a company's new ideas, its public face and its main asset. Hiring the right people is therefore a significant factor in a company's success.(0) G If the human resources department makes mistakes with hiring, keeping and dismissing staff, a business can disappear overnight. Many companies now realise that recruiting the best recruiters is the key to success.
Sarah Choi, Head of HR at Enco pic, believes that thinking commercially is a key quality in HR. Every decision an HR manager makes needs to be relevant to advancing the business. (8) ...C.....That's no longer the case. HR managers have to think more strategically these days. They continually need to think about the impact of their decisions on the bottom line. (9).....F... For example,a chief executive will expect the HR department to advise on everything from the headcount to whether to proceed with an acquisition.
Why do people go into HR in the first place? Choi has a ready answer. I think most people in the profession are attracted by a long-term goal.(10)....D......Nothing happens in the company which isn't affected by or doesn't impact on its employees, so the HR department is a crucial part of any business.
Not all operational managers agree. An informal survey of attitudes to HR departments that was carried out last year by a leading business journal received comments such as "What do they actually contribute?"(11).....A..... As Choi points out, salaries have never been higher and, in addition, HR managers often receive substantial annual bonuses.
Despite the financial rewards, HR managers often feel undervalued, and this is a major reason for many leaving their jobs.(12)...E......However, a lack of training and development is a more significant factor. These days, good professional development opportunities are considered an essential part of an attractive package,Choi explains.
A But rising levels of remuneration demonstrate that the profession's growing importance is widely recognised.
B At one time, a professional qualification was required in order to progress to the top of HR.
C Other departments and senior executives used to see HR managers as having a purely administrative role.
D Since it's one of the few areas where you can see the whole operation, it can lead to an influential role on the board.
E Being seen as someone who just ticks off other people's leave and sick days does not help build a sense of loyalty.
F They therefore need to be competent in many aspects of a company's operations.
G On the other hand, recruiting the wrong staff can lead to disaster.
这篇文章的标题有些misleading，“The best people for the job”，还以为是招人的标准。其实这篇文章是关于Human resource的，所以还是要适当关注文章前的说明：the article below about the changing role of human resources departments.第八题，空格后面的“That's no longer the case”是很重要的提示。由于空格前面一直在强调commercial和business，所以在空缺的地方应该是和另一个方面相关的内容。选项C的administrative role正好满足这个要求。前后文意思搭配在一起完全吻合。第九题，后面的for example的很关键，是对前面的补充说明。“For example,a chief executive will expect the HR department to advise on everything from the headcount to whether to proceed with an acquisition.”总裁希望人力资源经理对一切事情提出建议，从人数统计到是否进行收购。这种要求就需要人力资源经理具备很多才能。所以F的句子填在这里最合适。第十题，答案稍微不那么明显，不过D句中的an influential role可以和第十题的空格后的a crucial part相对应，算是答案信号。要从整体上把握第三段，这里认为HR manager 的影响是全局的、长期的，所以D句的“see the whole operation”符合情况。第十一题，理解前后文的意思，前面说过去的operational managers不那么认可HR manager的作用，后面指出HR managers挣得多，所以中间是转折的意思。A句的But是个信号，“上涨的薪酬水平意味着这个职位逐渐增加的重要性得到了广泛的认可。”意思和前后都吻合，所以是正确答案。第十二题，空格前说HR managers觉得自己的作用被低估了，所以leaving。空格后一个However，所以空格处应该还是和leaving有关的，为什么离职。E句的意思是“被视作仅仅对别人的离开和生病的日子划勾的人是没法帮助建立忠诚感的。”填入此处正好。
商务英语中级阅读练习及解析(4)
Fighting Fit
Fine Fitness, the health and fitness club operator, announced an impressive set of results yesterday: (19) a 38-per-cent jump in annual pre-tax profits, the company claimed that it had (20) none of the problems (21) last week by its rival, Top Fit .According to Samantha Collier,the chief executive, Fine Fitness (22) strong and is on (23) to reach its target of 100 clubs within three years, its strategy unaffected by the apparent (24) down of the economy.
The company opened 12 new clubs in the past year; (25) its total to 51. They have (26) to be highly successful, with people joining in large numbers, especially in the 25-to-40 age range. Even the more (27) clubs are still seeing sales growth, along with rising retention (28) of more than 70 per cent. This can be seen as clear (29) of the appeal of Fine Fitness.
Ms Collier admitted that as there were (30) too many companies competing with one another; there would almost certainly be (31) in the health-and-fitness-club sector of the market She predicted that, within a relatively short time, there might be only about three major companies still in (32).However, she declined to say which these were likely to be.
Profits rose by £6.3 million, although there was a fall in gross margins from 31 per cent to 28.6 per cent because of higher insurance premiums, extra management costs and start-up expenses for the company's new (33) in Spain.
19 A Stating B Reporting C Remarking D Informing
20 A taken B felt C experienced D caught
21 A released B issued C opened D revealed
22 A stays B remains C maintains D keeps
23 A track B direction C way D line
24 A falling B breaking C cutting D slowing
25 A bringing B putting C getting D mounting
26 A shown B resulted C proved D demonstrated
27 A installed B formed C established D confirmed
28 A rates B standards C proportions D volumes
29 A witness B sign C display D evidence
30 A purely B merely C simply D barely
31 A union B consolidation C alliance D combination
32 A trade B office C commerce D business
33 A trial B venture C proposal D speculation
文章介绍了一个经营健康俱乐部的公司的情况，依旧是形势喜人。
19题，一句话包含三个空，联系在一起做。昨天开会，宣布了一系列结果。报告税前收益增长了38%，公司并没有经历它的竞争对手所暴露的问题。19题选report，20题experienced，21题，revealed by its rival，被竞争对手暴露的问题。
22题，remains strong保持强劲;单看单词的意思，貌似keep也可以(不过说实话，如果不是有同学提醒，我压根想不到会填keep)联系此句上下文，提到了在对手出现问题时这个公司表现依然强劲remain在英文词典的解释是：continue to exist, especially after other similar or related people or things have ceased to exist 在相似或者相关人和事出现状况时仍然存在，所以，remain更符合这个题目的条件
23题，on track 步入正轨。公司正在实现目标的正道上。这个词在其他完型也出现过，不过不是正确答案。
24题，slow down放缓，固定用法。经济放缓。
25题，bring to，使总数达到51，这个题怕是要靠语感。put肯定不对，get to到达，mount在这里用法不对。
26题，proved to be证明是，固定用法
27题，这里填入的词要和前文对照，前面说新开了12家新的俱乐部，这里的空格前有个even和more，所以应该是填入与new相对应的词。established是已确立的(If you use established to describe something such as an organization, you mean that it is officially recognized or generally approved of because it has existed for a long time. )
28题，retention rate保留率，专有名词(Retained earnings divided by total after-tax earnings, expressed as a percentage)，指公司税后收益所保留的那一部分。
29题，公司吸引力的证据。clear evidence明显的证据。不选sign，sign只是迹象。
30题，simply修饰too many从用法和意思上都对，在这里就是表强调的，意思是公司太多了。
31题，consolidation强化、合并(To consolidate a number of small groups or firms means to make them into one large organization.)，有很多的公司相互竞争，所以需要进行一个整合。这是商英里的固定说法。
32题，in business在经营。是说很快这个市场上的公司会淘汰的只剩下三个。
