国际商务英语一级考试练习题及谜底

1. We are _______ a copy of our catalogue for your reference.

A. send

B. covering

C. closed

D. enclosing

2. Many international companies produce a large number of products, often divided into

product________.

A. categories

B. mix

C. brands

D. lines

3. The credit of letter will be confirmed by the Bank of China, Shanghai, that will _______

your draft on the documents at sight for the amount of your invoice.

A. accept

B. pay for

C. receive

D. obtain

4. Indent is often used by ______ or ______ in other countries.

A. agents … madmen

B. sellers … buyers

C. retailers … wholesalers

D. distributors … brokers

5. Companies wishing to ______ more money for development can sometimes issue new

shares.

A. rise

B. raise

C. increase

D. develop

6. We cannot accept any fresh orders _______ heavy commitments.

A. due to

B. owing to

C. because

D. on account of

7. Please see to it that the goods we ordered are shipped as soon as the covering letter of

credit ______ you.

A. gets

B. comes

C. arrives

D. reaches

8. The direct steamer sailing ______ your port calls at our port only around the end of the

month.

A. under

B. on

C. with

D. for

9. An order is a request to supply a specified quantity of goods, which may result from

________ or_________ with subsequent quotations.

A. an offer … a bid

B. an offer … an inquiry

C. a bid … a counter-offer

D. a counter-offer … a counter-offer

10. The letter we sent last week is an enquiry _______ color TV sets.

A. about

B. for

C. of

D. as

11. Your delay in shipment will______ us in great difficulty.

A. cause

B. lead

C. conclude

D. involve

12. We place this order ______ the understanding that the discount is 10%.

A. based on

B. with

C. on

D. through

13. We would like to take this ______ to establish business relations with you.

A. opening

B. opportunity

C. step

D. advantage

14. If you can make us a firm offer at a ______ price, we will place an order with your

corporation.

A. competitive

B. comparative

C. subjective

D. objective

15. We should be pleased to send you some samples of our new typewriter on approval,

______ our own expense.

A. at

B. on

C. for

D. in

16. Our bank offers minimum interest ______ for seller financing and for loans of cash.

A. levels B rates C. bases D. percentage

17. Taking into consideration our long-standing business relations with you, we accept ___by D/P.

A. inquires

B. payment

C. installment

D. counter-offer

18. When the seller receives the buyer’s counter-offer, and he finds some terms and

conditions unacceptable to him, he will state his own opinions in a letter, which is called as _____

A. bid

B. offer

C. inquiry

D. counter-counter-offer

19. The shipment time is June or July at our _____ and the goods will be shipped in one_____.

A. choice, shipment

B. option, lot

C. decision, cargo

D. option, consignment

20. Managers set _____and decide how their company can achieve them.

A. limits

B. amounts

C. details

D. objectives

Reading 1

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 with 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.

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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.

Reading 2

Tariffs ( 关税) may be used simply to obtain revenue. In some developing countries, revenue tariffs provide an important part of the government’s in come. Often, however, tariffs are protective, and are designed to carry out a particular economic policy. They may help to reduce a balance of payment deficit or to protect an infant industry against strong international competition from older corporations. A revenue tariff will always provide some protection, and a protection tariff will produce some revenue. Therefore, it is difficult to distinguish between revenue and protective tariffs from economic evidence alone.

Many different types of non-tariff barriers have been used, but the best known of these are quota systems ( 配额制) . A quota is an upper limit which is set on imports of a commodity for a fixed period of time. Some quotas apply to the physical quantities of particular goods, whereas others are based on the total value of all imports. In the latter case, the quotas are usually combined with a system of exchange control in an attempt to prevent a balance of payment deficit. Quotas are also used to protect domestic industries. Under most quota systems, importers must obtain government licences for the goods they wish to import. It should be noted that a quota system is always protectionist and provides no revenues to the country.

When a tariff is imposed on an import, the direct impact on price is to raise it by the amount of the tariff. Market factors, however, can modify this effect. Hence, the final price increase due to a tariff may be less than, equal to, or more than the amount of the tariff. In contrast, the impact of a quota on price is much harder to predict. The effects are particularly uncertain with goods which are not produced at all domestically. For instance, many countries do not have their own car industry, so that an import quota can cause a considerable shift in automobile prices.

1. What’s the main purpose of imposing tariffs?_________

A. Prohibit imports.

B. Reduce a balance of payment deficit.

C. Promote competition.

D. Raise revenue and protect domestic industries.

2. They may help to reduce a balance of payment deficit or to protect an infant

industry against strong international competition from older corporations.

“Infant ”means_____.

A. strong

B. new

C. child

D. manufacturing

3. In the latter case, the quotas are usually combined with a system of exchange

control in an attempt to prevent a balance of payment deficit. “The latter case ” refers to ______.

A. quotas which are set on imports of a commodity

B. quotas which apply to physical quantities of goods

C. quotas which are based on the total value of imports

D. quotas which provide revenue to the country

4. The final increase due to a tariff may be_______.

A. less than the amount of the tariff

B. equal to the amount of the tariff

C. more than the amount of the tariff

D. All of the above

5. According to the passage, which statement is not true ?

A. The best known of non-tariff barriers are quota system.

B. The impact of a quota on price is much harder to predict.

C. The effects of quota on price are certain with goods which are also produced domestically.

D. A revenue tariff will always provide some protection.

Cloze.

Latin American stocks fell for a second day on Friday in reaction to Asia’s currency and stock market crash. There were fears that the Asian crisis could influence investors in other emerging markets.

Argentina and Mexico__1___ the highest falls, with their indexes down by 4% by the__2___ of trading on Friday Brazil’s Bovespa index, which on the same day __3___ by far the steepest plunge in the Americas, was down 2.9%.

“ What’s happening in Hong Kong has been a terrible__4___ to the system, ” said Richard Watt, who__5___ 3.5 billion dollars in emerging market investments for BEA Associates in New York. Investors in Brazil were concerned that its economic problems were dangerously__6___ to those that have caused the currency and market plunges in Thailand, Malaysia and other Asian__7___.

“ Brazil’s economy is far from __8___ said lan Campbell, chief economist at ABN Amro Bank NV Amsterdam.” Its current account and fiscal __9___ are large and its currency is overvalued. “There’s no help in trying knife, ” said Jane Heap, Latin American stock strategist at Deutsche Morgan Grenfell. “There’s no

room for renewal in Brazil until the US and Asia get back to normal.”

There were also concerns that foreign investors who specialize in emerging markets could be forced to sell their shares in Latin America to __10___losses.

“ There’s a lot of nervousness about whether investors will put their money out of stocks, because of instability in Asia. ” said German Guerrero, chief trader at the Chilean brokerage Celfin SA.

Chilean markets were down only slightly in afternoon trading. The Chile selective stock index fell0.72% and the Chile general stock index was down0.64%.

1D 2 D 3 C 4 A 5 B 6 B 7 D 8 D 9 A 10 B

11 B 12 C 13 B 14 A 15 A 16 B 17 B 18 D 19B 20 D

Reading1

1 D

2 B

3 C

4 D

5 C

Reading 2

1 C

2 D

3 A

4 C

5 B

Cloze.

1 B

2 C

3 D

4 A

5 D

6 B

7 C

8 A

9 B 10 C