BEC商务英语高级考试历年阅读真题汇总三

发布时间:2021-07-21


2021年商务英语考试时间已经确定,想要报考的考生们要抓紧时间学习了。为了帮助大家高效备考,今天51题库考试学习网就分享一下历年BEC的真题及解析,一起来学习一下吧。

For most of the 20th century Smithson\\'s was one of Britain\\'s most successful department stores, but by the mid-1990s, it had become dull. Still profitable, thanks largely to a series of successful advertising campaigns, but decidedly boring. The famous were careful not to be seen there, and its sales staff didn\\'t seem to have changed since the store opened in 1908. Worst of all, its customers were buying fewer and fewer of its own-brand products,the major part of its business, and showing a preference for more fashionable brands.

But now all this has changed, thanks to Rowena Baker, who became Smithson\\'s first woman Chief Executive three years ago. Since then, while most major retailers in Britain have been losing money, Smithson\\'s profits have been rising steadily. When Baker started, a lot of improvements had just been made to the building, without having any effect on sales, and she took the bold decision to invite one of Europe\\'s most exciting interior designers to develop the fashion area, the heart of the store. This very quickly led to rising sales, even before the goods on display were changed. And as sales grew, so did profits.

Baker had ambitious plans for the store from the start. \\'We\\'re playing a big game, to prove we\\'re up there with the leaders in our sector, and we have to make sure people get that message. Smithson\\'s had fallen behind the competition. It provided a traditional service targeted at middle-aged, middle-income customers, who\\'d been shopping there for years, and the customer base was gradually contracting. Our idea is to sell such an exciting variety of goods that everyone will want to come in, whether they plan to spend a little or a lot.\\' Baker\\'s vision for the store is clear, but achieving it is far from simple. At first, many employees resisted her improvements because they just wouldn\\'t be persuaded that there was anything wrong with the way they\\'d always done things, even if they accepted that the store had to overtake its competitors. It took many long meetings, involving the entire workforce, to win their support. It helped when they realised that Baker was a very different kind of manager from the ones they had known.

Baker\\'s staff policies contained more surprises. The uniform that had hardly changed since day one has now disappeared. Moreover, teenagers now get young shop assistants, and staff in the sports departments are themselves sports fans in trainers. As Baker explains, \\'How can you sell jeans if you\\'re wearing a black suit? Smithson\\'s has a new identity, and this needs to be made clear to the customers.\\' She\\'s also given every sales assistant responsibility for ensuring customer satisfaction, even if it means occasionally breaking company rules in the hope that this will help company profits.

Rowena Baker is proving successful, but the City\\'s big investors haven\\'t been persuaded. According to retail analyst, John Matthews, \\'Money had already been invested in refurbishment of the store and in fact that led to the boost in sales. She took the credit, but hadn\\'t done anything to achieve it. And in my view the company\\'s shareholders are not convinced. The fact is that unless she opens several more stores pretty soon, Smithson\\'s profits will start to fall because turnover at the existing store will inevitably start to decline.\\'

13 According to the writer, in the mid-1990s Smithson\\'s department store

A was making a loss.

B had a problem keeping staff.

C was unhappy with its advertising agency.

D mostly sold goods under the Smithson\\'s name.

14 According to the writer, Smithson\\'s profits started rising three years ago because of

A an improvement in the retailing sector.

B the previous work done on the store.

C Rowena Baker\\'s choice of designer.

D a change in the products on sale.

15 According to Rowena Baker, one problem which Smithson\\'s faced when she joined was that

A the number of people using the store was falling slowly.

B its competitors offered a more specialised range of products.

C the store\\'s prices were set at the wrong level.

D customers were unhappy with the service provided.

16 According to the writer, many staff opposed Baker\\'s plans because

A they were unwilling to change their way of working.

B they disagreed with her goals for the store.

C they felt they were not consulted enough about the changes.

D they were unhappy with her style of management.

17 Baker has changed staff policies because she believes that

A the corporate image can be improved through staff uniforms.

B the previous rules were not fair to customers.

C customers should be able to identify with the staff serving them.

D employees should share in company profits.

18 What problem does John Matthews think Smithson\\'s is facing?

A More money needs to be invested in the present store.

B The company\\'s profits will only continue to rise if it expands.

C The refurbishment of the store is proving unpopular with customers.

D Smithson\\'s shareholders expect a quick return on their investments.

13题,问在90年代中期这个百货公司的情况是什么样的。答案是第一段的最后一句:its customers were buying fewer and fewer of its own-brand products, the major part of its business, and showing a preference for more fashionable brands.所以应该选D:主要销售Smithson名下的产品。

14题,问Smithson的利润从三年前开始增长,原因是什么。答案是第二段的这么一句:she took the bold decision to invite one of Europe\\'s most exciting interior designers to develop the fashion area,所以答案选C:Rowena Baker的设计师选择。

15题,问当Rowena Baker加入时公司面临的一个问题是什么。答案是:It provided a traditional service targeted at middle-aged, middle-income customers, who\\'d been shopping there for years, and the customer base was gradually contracting。所以答案选A。

16题,问很多员工反对Baker计划的原因是什么。答案是这一句:many employees resisted her improvements because they just wouldn\\'t be persuaded that there was anything wrong with the way they\\'d always done things。选A。

17题,问Baker改变员工政策的原因是什么。答案在第四段,Baker的原话:How can you sell jeans if you\\'re wearing a black suit? Smithson\\'s has a new identity, and this needs to be made clear to the customers。所以答案是C选项。

18题,问John认为Smithson面临的问题是什么。答案是最后一段的最后一句:The fact is that unless she opens several more stores pretty soon, Smithson\\'s profits will start to fall because turnover at the existing store will inevitably start to decline.

以上就是历年商务英语考试的真题内容分享,希望对各位考生有所帮助。建议大家每次学习完一个章节可以自己动手做思维导图,整理好知识点框架,这样能够巩固所学知识,顺利通过考试!


下面小编为大家准备了 商务英语考试 的相关考题,供大家学习参考。

? Read this part of a note from Emma Jackson, boss of a French travel agency.

We are thinking of printing a brochure to introduce tourist attractions and accommodation facilities in Europe. Please contact the major hotels and scenic spots and the like and invite them to make advertisements.

? Write a letter to Hotel Mecure:

? giving a brief self-introduction

? saying what kind of brochure you are going to print

? stating the rate of advertising

? asking for a prompt reply.

? Write 60-80 words.

? Write on your Answer Sheet.

正确答案:Dear Manager We write to introduce ourselves as one of the leading travel agencies in France. We are going to print a brochure to introduce some tourist attractions and accommodation facilities in Europe for distribution at Hong Kong International Tourist Fair this year. Would you like to advertise your hotel in our brochure? The rate is 1000 for 1/2 page. We are looking forward to your early reply. Yours faithfully
Dear Manager, We write to introduce ourselves as one of the leading travel agencies in France. We are going to print a brochure to introduce some tourist attractions and accommodation facilities in Europe for distribution at Hong Kong International Tourist Fair this year. Would you like to advertise your hotel in our brochure? The rate is 1,000 for 1/2 page. We are looking forward to your early reply. Yours faithfully,

Dear Sirs,

The order mentioned above was delivered to our warehouse 2 days after it arrived in Chicago 8th Jan. and we regret that we have to complain about the conditions in which we received it.

In our order we stipulated that we required four dozen of your men's suits pattern CS/7, and in your invoice, No. CP/78, you charged us for this quantity, but it is clear that you have packed only three dozen in Case 3, 【B1】______ . We would therefore appreciate an explanation and your prompt action to send us the missing dozen suits.

Very much more serious is the condition of the ladies' trousers suits that you packed in Case 2. Of the six dozen that this case contains, 【B2】______ . It is quite clear that this is solely due to the totally inadequate way in which they had been packed for you had not lined the case with any waterproof paper. 【B3】______

【B4】______ , whereas in our order we had stated that we required your pattern CS/9 which is stated in your catalogue as being made up from heavy-weight material. There is no market here for tropical suits, and so we must emphasize 【B5】______ .

We must stress that the mistakes that you have made in this first order we have placed with you have caused considerable problems for us. We had hoped to include your products in the Spring Sale that is due to open at the end of February, but as it is, it is now clear that we shall not be able to do so. We wish to stress, therefore, that unless you take immediate action to correct the mistakes that you have made, 【B6】______ .

We now expect your prompt reply.

Yours,

Faithfully

A. please correct all the mistakes as soon as possible

B. that we expect you to replace these suits that have been wrongly delivered with those we ordered without delay

C. we shall certainly not consider further orders with you and shall report your company to the American Trade Promotion Office in New York

D. and we think the price is a little bit too high

E. forty have become very sodden in transit and most of these show signs of rotting

F. we are also surprised that you appear to have sent us three dozen lightweight gentlemen's suits in Case 1

G. we therefore expect your prompt action to remedy this situation

H. and there is no sign of the missing dozen in either Case 1 or 2

【B1】______

正确答案:H
H

Financial Planning: the factors involved in deciding on appropriate pricing strategies

正确答案:Suggested answers: a.In any single market three basic factors determine the boundaries of the pricing decision. The price floor or minimum price is bounded by product cost. The price ceiling or maximum price is bounded by competitive prices for comparable products and ability of customers to pay. Between the floor and ceiling for every product there is an optimum price which is a function of the demand for the product and the cost of supplying the product. The international executive must develop a pricing system and pricing policies that 'address these fundamental factors in each of the national markets in which his company operates. b.In addition to developing a pricing system the system must also be consistent with a number of uniquely international constraints. In addition to the diversity of national markets in all three basic dimensions—cost competition and demand—the international executive is also confronted by conflicting governmental tax policies and claims as well as government controls such as dumping legislation resale price maintenance legislation price ceilings and general review of price levels. Other factors affecting the international pricing decisions are the often surprisingly high international transportation costs middlemen in elongated international channels of distribution and multinational accounts demanding equal price treatment regardless of location. c.Pricing decisions have a major impact on a number of societal groups: consumers customers employees stockholders the public interest and of course the competition. These interest groups are affected by pricing decisions which in turn constrain the international executive. A widespread effect of international business is to lower prices. Within the corporation there are many interest groups and frequently conflicting price objectives. The divisional vice-president is concerned about profitability at the divisional level. Regional executives are concerned about profitability at the country level. d.The direction of international marketing seeks competitive prices in world markets.. The controller and financial vice-president are concerned about profits. The manufacturing vice-president seeks long runs for maximum manufacturing efficiency. The tax manager is concerned about compliance with government transfer pricing legislation and company counsel is concerned about the antitrust implications of international pricing practices. With such a large number of divergent and often conflicting interests combined with the limitations of our existing measures of demand it is premature to expect that we should be able to determine“optimal”prices in international marketing. A more feasible objective for the international executive is to formulate international pricing strategy and policy that will contribute rather than detract from company sales and profit objectives worldwide.
Suggested answers: a.In any single market three basic factors determine the boundaries of the pricing decision. The price floor, or minimum price, is bounded by product cost. The price ceiling, or maximum price, is bounded by competitive prices for comparable products and ability of customers to pay. Between the floor and ceiling for every product there is an optimum price, which is a function of the demand for the product and the cost of supplying the product. The international executive must develop a pricing system and pricing policies that 'address these fundamental factors in each of the national markets in which his company operates. b.In addition to developing a pricing system, the system must also be consistent with a number of uniquely international constraints. In addition to the diversity of national markets in all three basic dimensions—cost, competition, and demand—the international executive is also confronted by conflicting governmental tax policies and claims as well as government controls such as dumping legislation, resale price maintenance legislation, price ceilings and general review of price levels. Other factors affecting the international pricing decisions are the often surprisingly high international transportation costs, middlemen in elongated international channels of distribution, and multinational accounts demanding equal price treatment regardless of location. c.Pricing decisions have a major impact on a number of societal groups: consumers, customers, employees, stockholders, the public interest, and, of course, the competition. These interest groups are affected by pricing decisions, which in turn constrain the international executive. A widespread effect of international business is to lower prices. Within the corporation there are many interest groups and frequently conflicting price objectives. The divisional vice-president is concerned about profitability at the divisional level. Regional executives are concerned about profitability at the country level. d.The direction of international marketing seeks competitive prices in world markets.. The controller and financial vice-president are concerned about profits. The manufacturing vice-president seeks long runs for maximum manufacturing efficiency. The tax manager is concerned about compliance with government transfer pricing legislation, and company counsel is concerned about the antitrust implications of international pricing practices. With such a large number of divergent and often conflicting interests combined with the limitations of our existing measures of demand, it is premature to expect that we should be able to determine“optimal”prices in international marketing. A more feasible objective for the international executive is to formulate international pricing strategy and policy that will contribute rather than detract from company sales and profit objectives worldwide. 解析:constrain强迫,强制,束缚。optimum price最适当价格。 dumping倾销。antitrust反托拉斯。divergent分歧的,分开的。detract from贬低,减损。premature早熟的,仓促的。

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