西安翻译学院BEC中级题期末考试题

I.Write the verb in brackets in its correct form and complete these tips for working from home. (1 X 7= 7 points)1 You (need) to find a quiet place to work, where there are no distractions.2 If you (communicate) with a client on the phone today rather than face-to-face, it’s important to dress for work as norm al.3 Now that you (escape) from the office, you’ll still needpeace and quiet at home. Don’t answer the door to neighbours o r make social calls.4 Once you (work) from home for a while, you might feel a bit lonely. It might be worth going into the office once or twice a week.5 After you (be) at the computer fro a few hours, rememberto take a break –why not leave the house and go for a walk out side?6 Be strong. When a friend call and asks you to lunch, say whatyou would say in any other job: “sorry but I (work) on so mething at the moment. How about after five instead?”7 Make sure colleagues and clients can reach you and (answer) the phone as though you are in the office.II.Issues in the recruitment world (2 X 5 = 10 points)In the competitive world of investment banking, good senior executives are not easy to find. So what should the industry's hard-pressed directors do when they need to find seni or staff? Increasingly, they decide to call in the headhunters. These are busy and profitabl e times for the recruitment agencies that dominate the world of executive search and selec tion......They needed new people to revitalise their operations, and the result has been a boom in the recruitment market. Pinnacle, a leading recruitment agency, has helped various UK investment banks to rebuild their entire senior management teams. It is hard to overstate t he significance of this. (8)............But now everything has changed, and Pinnacle is not the only major player in the field. Some analysts believe that rival recruitment specialists ALT Associates has a larger share of the market. However, there is little doubt that over its 13-year history, Pinnacle and it s chairman, Matthew Edwards, have built up an impressive reputation.Edwards estimates that his company controls between 10 and 15 per cent of the headhunti ng market for senior investment banking jobs in the UK. (9)............Rather, it is the high-c alibre jobs and people that Pinnacle deals with that define the company's success. For exa mple, the company was recently commissioned to find a new chairman for NBS Bank, a vacancy that was one of the most talked about in the banking world.Most HR directors recognise that headhunters such as Pinnacle play a valuable role in the recruitment process.(10)............Some are concerned that a few companies, including Pinna cle, have too much power over high-level recruitment.(11)............As Tim Davidson, HR Director at Cawfield Bank, explains, They can be kingmakers. These are the people who de cide who gets a future and who doesn't. If Edwards forms a view about an individual, it can affect their ability to get a particular job. That view could just have been formed on a bad day.' (12)............ Final decisions in the selection process are always taken by his cl ients, he says, whoever they are.The role of headhunters should not be exaggerated. Many companies never use them. But as top executives are hard to find, there will always be a role for people like Matthew Edwards.A Although others may put it lower, it is important to remember that the company's reput ation is not based on market share alone.B Their chief worry is that the headhunters can now make or break managerial careers.C According to Edwards, this is a further indication that the way Pinnacle searches for a candidate tends to favour a certain type of manager.D But this acceptance does not mean they are universally happy, either with the state of the market or with Pinnacle's role within it.E Until a few years ago, even the biggest companies were unlikely to use headhunters to fill more than one or two jobs a year.F Edwards objects to this suggestion, claiming that all he does is find candidates and enc ourage them to apply for a particular post.G A number of big investment banks recently decided to make changes to their managem ent boards after disappointing end-of-year results.III.HOW TO MARKET YOURSELF (3 X 6= 18 points)We manage our own careers now. So knowing how to brand and position yourself in the market as 'Me plc' at different stages of your working life is becoming an increasing ly vital skill. At least that is what image expert Mary Spillane believes. 'Employment as we know it is decreasing. Jobs don't exist, work exists. In the next decade most of us wi ll be suppliers, not staff. We will have clients not bosses. If you are under 30, you proba bly know that there is only one firm to join for life: Me plc. It promotes you and your potential to others.''We're working in multi-national, multicultural, multi-corporate teams and it's important to understand the implications of this. We need to create a personal brand that is unique, but complements the brand of the corporation we are working for. You have to find a wa y to do it so that you are not just a typical employee,' advises Spillane. 'You have to de cide what central values you want to project, and also what may need to alter from situat ion to situation.'Many people only remember Mary Spillane for the years she spent running a cosmetics company, but she actually has master＇s degrees in information science and politics. She used to hide that hard-hitting side, but is now eager to show it and forget about cosmetic s. 'Now that I'm working in the boardrooms of major plcs and global companies, I'm play ing up my degrees and management background so that the image side is seen only as an addition to the value side,' says Spillane.Some contracts take longer than others. 'The City law firms I'm currently working for are really difficult because they don't have any idea of what their brand should be, and ar e still very traditional even when talking about becoming modern. I'm showing them howto do everything from changing their reception areas -which tend to be very off-putting w ith their high-fronted reception desks - to how to make small talk that is less formal and rigid. Companies rebrand themselves all the time, spending millions on new office interior s and so on. But without an underlying change of attitudes, it can prove an empty exercis e.'She argues that for individuals too, there must be more than a surface change, as rebra nding goes deeper than a mere change of wardrobe. Beyond advice on appearance, she tel ls clients, 'Remind yourself of what you are selling: the personal values that comprise you r brand. Learn to present yourself in a way that will project what you want to deliver. Li felong learning is essential, together with the sort of discovery and adventure that promote personal growth. Always have an up-to-the-minute CV ready to print out, refreshing it ev ery few months with your most recent achievements, just to remind others of your brand value.'She believes it is essential that you understand both your public self and your private self, as well as your blind spots and your potential, in order to create an effective brand. The public self is the image you project to the world, the private self is what you know about yourself but others don't, arid blind spots are those things that others see about yo u but you can't see for yourself. By deciding what image you want other people to see, e mphasising more of your private self and sorting out a few blind spots, you will increase not only your potential to influence others, but also your self-esteem and self-confidence.' 13 In the first paragraph, Mary Spillane says people should learn how to market themselv es becauseA it encourages companies to give them a job for life.B in the future it will be a company requirement.C in many careers it is becoming difficult to succeed.D it will help them adapt to developments in the job market.14 Spillane says that, when creating a personal brand, it is important toA change things depending on the circumstances.B decide what image people would like you to present.C make sure that colleagues feel at ease with your image.D follow the example of someone in the company you work for.15 What do we learn about Spillane in the third paragraph?A She is embarrassed about her career with a cosmetics company.B She doesn't like talking about her academic background.C She has qualifications many people are unaware of.D She worries about how other people see her.16 Which problem does Spillane refer to when talking about the companies she is present ly working with?A They find it difficult to accept her ideas.B They are unaware of how to rebrand themselves.C They don't want to spend large amounts of money.D They are unwilling to modernise their work environment.17 When advising people on rebranding themselves, Spillane tells them toA attend courses to gain specialist skills.B update regularly their written proof of what they can do.C try out different ways of presenting themselves to others.D remember that what they look like is the most important point.18 Spillane says that, in order to rebrand yourself successfully, it is important toA ask for other people's opinions about your image.B feel confident about what you are trying to achieve.C learn how to make use of all aspects of your character.D model yourself on people with a certain amount of influence.IV.Fighting Fit (2 X 15= 30 points)Fine Fitness, the health and fitness club operator, announced an impressive set of res ults 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 Sam antha 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 th e 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 re tention (28) of more than 70 per cent. This can be seen as clear (29) of the appeal of Fi ne 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 Informing20 A taken B felt C experienced D caught21 A released B issued C opened D revealed22 A stays B remains C maintains D keeps23 A track B direction C way D line24 A falling B breaking C cutting D slowing25 A bringing B putting C getting D mounting26 A shown B resulted C proved D demonstrated27 A installed B formed C established D confirmed28 A rates B standards C proportions D volumes29 A witness B sign C display D evidence30 A purely B merely C simply D barely31 A union B consolidation C alliance D combination32 A trade B office C commerce D business33 A trial B venture C proposal D speculationV.Meetings That Work (2 X 12= 24 points)0 A vital skill for anyone running a business it is the ability to communicate00 effectively. This is particularly important in a meeting where complex arguments34 need to be put forward and where it is too vital to get the best out of the situati on35 and those present in as little time as possible. Before calling a meeting, ask36 yourself if you actually need one, since so many are unproductive results and do37 not really need to take place. Sending an email or by using another means of38 communication, such as a simple phone call, might achieve the desired results in39 half the time. Having established the need for a meeting, so inform those you40 wish to attend and ask people to be punctual. Concerning the key to a good41 meeting is an agenda, which needs to be sent out in advance and should state the42 date, time and location. It should also contain the names of those ones who will43 be present and setthat out, starting with the most important, the points for44 discussion. Ask in advance for suggestions for items to be discussed about but45 set a deadline for submissions in order to reduce the amount of time that has to be spent under 'Any Other Business'.VI.Writing (1 X 11= 11 points)● You have been informed that next Wednesday your company’s computer system wi ll be closed down so that improvements can be made.● Write a n E-mall to all staff in your department:● saying what time on Wednesday the system will be closed down●suggesting how staff should prepare for this●saying how the system will be better after the improvements.●Write 40-50 words.。