《商务英语阅读》试题第二套
BEC中级第二辑阅读真题及答案详解文件.doc
1 the contact between coach and employee not solving all difficulties at work2 the discussion of how certain situations could be better handled if they occur again3 a coach encouraging an employee to apply what has been taught to routine work situations4 coaching providing new interest to individuals who are unhappy in their current positions5 coaching providing a supportive environment to discuss performance6 employees being asked to analyse themselves and practise greater self-awareness7 coaching enabling a company to respond rapidly to a lack of expertise in a certain areaCoachingACoaching involves two or more people sitting down together to talk through issues that have comeup recently at work, and analysing how they were managed and how they might be dealt withmore effectively on subsequent occasions. Coaching thus transfers skills and information from oneperson to another in an on-the-job situation so that the work experience of the coach is used toadvise and guide the individual being coached. It also allows successes and failures to beevaluated in a non-threatening atmosphere.BCoaching means influencing the learner's personal development, for example his or her confidenceand ambition. It can take place any time during an individual's career. Coaching is intended toassist individuals to function more effectively, and it is a powerful learning model. It begins whereskills-based training ends, and helps individuals to use formally learnt knowledge in day-to-daywork and management situations. Individuals being coached are in a demanding situation withtheir coach, which requires them to consider their own behaviour and question their reasons fordoing things.CThe coach professionally assists the career development of another individual, outside the normalmanager/subordinate relationship. In theory, the coaching relationship should provide answers toevery problem, but in practice it falls short of this. However, it can provide a space for discussionand feedback on topics such as people management and skills, behaviour patterns,confidence-building and time management. Through coaching, an organisation can meet skillsshortages, discuss targets and indicate how employees should deal with challenging situations, allat short notice.DEffective coaches are usually those who get satisfaction from the success of others and who givetime to the coaching role. Giving people coaching responsibilities can support their development,either by encouraging management potential through small-scale one-to-one assignments, or byproviding added job satisfaction to managers who feel they are stuck in their present jobs. A coachis also a confidential adviser, accustomed to developing positive and effective approaches tocomplex management, organisational and change problems.这篇文章讲的是培训（coaching）的作用。
商务英语阅读2B
封线密《商务英语阅读( 二)》课程期末考试试卷（ B 卷）考试专业商务英语 班级 1801-1803班 考试形式闭卷 考试时间 120 分钟 考试学期2018-2019学年第二学期 考试类型考查 命题教师题号 一 二 三 四 五 总分 分 值1020202030１００I. Choice question(本大题共2小题，每小题5分，共10分） 1.Which of the following brand adopts coffee-centric experience?A. KFCB. MacDonald ’sC. StarbucksD. Amazon 2. Which of the following brand makes cosmetics?A. DiorB. H&MC. UniqloD. MacDonaldII. Match the following words with their corresponding meanings. (本大题共5小题，每小题4分，共20分）3. inflation A. an official document that identifies that you as a citizen o f a particular country, andthat you may have to show when you enter or leave a country4.opportunity cost B. the benefits you could have received by taking an alternative action5. passport C. the great boy of the people, as contrasted with the higher classes6. curriculum D. the rise in prices resulting from an increase in demand for goods and services7. the masses E. the subjects that are included in a course of study or taught in a school, college, etc III. Insert the following sentences into the appropriate blank. (本大题共5小题，每小题4分，共20分）Do not cut tax on luxury goodsMany people are debating whether the government should reduce the tax on luxury products. 8 Since consumers of luxury products are generally rich, high taxes will make them part with some of their money, no matter how small that fraction is, and help narrow the wealth gap in the country.The consumption of luxury goods is already high in China. According to the latest report of the World Luxury Association, China's luxury goods market was worth $10.7 billion in 2010, or one-fourth of the world's total. Moreover, China is likely to surpass Japan as the largest luxury goods-consuming country in 2012.9 Compared to China's national GDP, which is less than 10 percent of the total global GDP, its 25 percent share in the global luxury market is irrational.Even without any tax cut, the sales of luxury goods are expected to increase in China. 10 Though many feel a cut in tax will reduce the sales of luxury products, the notion is contrary to thereality in China.There are different definitions of luxury goods. But the most significant characteristic of aluxury product is its high price, which consumers tend to think adds to their social status. 11 By nature, luxury products are targeted at a small section of society. That's why only the high-income groups rush to buy them.12 The government levies taxes on all luxury goods irrespective of whether they are made in China or foreign countries, which reflects the country's unified and fair taxation system. Taxes are levied on imported luxury goods during the import process and on domestic ones at the production and retail stages.According to taxation and Customs laws, Chinese tourists who buy goods worth more than 5,000 yuan ($773) overseas have to declare them and pay value-added and consumption taxes on re-entering the country, which brings the prices of luxury products in overseas and domestic markets on par. But since many travelers do not declare them to Customs, they end up paying less than the actual price.Besides, there is no reason to assume that a reduction in tax on luxury products will boost overall domestic consumption, because most of them are made by overseas companies and, by definition, are imported goods. On the contrary, if we encourage the consumption of such goods, it will harm the competitiveness of domestic enterprises, leading to serious consequences for the Chinese economy.Although many luxury products are made in China, the domestic enterprises making or assembling them receive a tiny amount as "processing" fee, which is just a fraction of the profit that the brand-owning company makes.Take the iPhone for example, which costs $499. The company in China that actually makes them, or the original equipment manufacturer, gets only a few dollars for every product.Therefore, the government cannot expect to boost the domestic market by encouraging the sale of luxury products in China to increase.A. A reduction in tax on luxury goods will only prompt the existing consumers to buy more and/or attract new ones into the market, increasing the already high consumption further.B. In other words, consumers draw satisfaction from the price and show-off factor of expensive products.C. Many Chinese travelers have started buying such products overseas.D. Many luxury brands have intensified their marketing campaigns in China, opening new outlets and even expanding their sales networks in second- and third-tier cities.E. The answer is "no", because luxury goods are not necessities. IV. Fast Reading. (本大题共5小题，每小题4分，共20分）The American economic system is organized around a basically private-enterprise, market-oriented economy in which consumers largely determine what shall be produced by spending their money in the marketplace for those goods and services that they want most. Private businessmen,封 线密striving to make profits, produce these goods and services in competition with other businessmen; and the profit motive, operating under competitive pressures, largely determines how these goods and services are produced. Thus, in the American economic system it is the demand of individual consumers, coupled with the desire of businessmen to maximize profits and the desire of individuals to maximize their incomes, that together determine what shall be produced and how resources are used to produce it.An important factor in a market-oriented economy is the mechanism by which consumer demands can be expressed and responded to by producers. In the American economy, this mechanism is provided by a price system, a process in which prices rise and fall in response to relative demands of consumers and supplies offered by seller-producers. If the product is in short supply relative to the demand, the price will be bid up and some consumers will be eliminated from the market. If, on the other hand, producing more of a commodity results in reducing its cost, this will tend to increase the supply offered by seller-producers, which in turn will lower the price and permit more consumers to buy the product. Thus, price is the regulating mechanism in the America economic system.The important factor in a private-enterprise economy is that individual are allowed to own productive resources (private property), and they are permitted to hire labor, gain control over natural resources, and produce goods and services for sale at a profit. In the American economy, the concept of private property embraces not only the ownership of productive resources but also certain rights, including the right to determine the price of a product or to make a free contract with another private individual.13. In Para. 1, “ the desire of individuals to maximize their incomes” means ___. A. Americans never feel satisfied with their incomesB. Americans tend to overstate the amount of their incomesC. Americans want to have their incomes increasedD. Americans want to increase the purchasing power of their incomes14. The first two sentences in the second paragraph clarity the idea to us that ___. A. producers can satisfy the consumers by mechanized production B. consumers can express their demands through producers C. producers decide the prices of productsD. supply and demand regulate prices15. The word “embraces” in Para. 3 probably parallels ___. A. enfold B. hug C. comprehend D. support16. According to the passage, a private-enterprise economy is characterized by ___.A. private property and rights concernedB. manpower and natural resources controlC. ownership of productive resourcesD. free contracts and prices 17. The passage is mainly talking about ___.A. how American goods are producedB. how American consumers buy their goodsC. how American economic system worksD. how American businessman make their profitsV. Reading Comprehension.（本大题共10小题，每小题3分，共30分）Makete Integrated Rural Transport ProjectSection AThe disappointing results of many conventional road transport projects in Africa led some experts to rethink the strategy by which rural transport problems were to be tackled at the beginning of the 1980s. A request for help in improving the availability of transport within the remote Makete District of south-western Tanzania presented the opportunity to try a new approach.The concept of “integrated rural transport ” was adopted in the task of examining the transport needs of the rural households in the district. The objective was to reduce the time and effort needed to obtain access to essential goods and services through an improved rural transport system. The underlying assumption was that the time saved would be used instead for activities that would improve the social and economic development of the communities. The Makete Integrated Rural Transport Project (MIRTP) started in 1985 with financial support from the Swiss Development Corporation and was co-ordinated with the help of the Tanzanian government.Section BWhen the project began, Makete District was virtually totally isolated during the rainy season. The regional road was in such bad shape that access to the main towns was impossible for about three months of the year. Road traffic was extremely rare within the district, and alternative means of transport were restricted to donkeys in the north of the district. People relied primarily on the paths, which were slippery and dangerous during the rains.Before solutions could be proposed, the problems had to be understood. Little was known about the transport demands of the rural households, so Phase I, between December 1985 and December 1987, focused on research. The socio-economic survey of more than 400 households in the district indicated that a household in Makete spent, on average, seven hours a day on transporting themselves and their goods, a figure which seemed extreme but which has also been obtained in surveys in other rural areas in Africa. Interesting facts regarding transport were found: 95% was on foot; 80% was within the locality; and 70% was related to the collection of water and firewood and travelling to grinding mills.Section CHaving determined the main transport needs, possible solutions were identified which might reduce the time and burden. During Phase II, from January to February 1991, a number of approaches were implemented in an effort to improve mobility and access to transport.An improvement of the road network was considered necessary to ensure the import and export of goods to the district. These improvements were carried out using methods that were heavilydependent on labour. In addition to the improvement of roads, these methods provided training in the operation of a mechanical workshop and bus and truck services. However, the difference from the conventional approach was that this time consideration was given to local transport needs outside the road network.Most goods were transported along the paths that provide short-cuts up and down the hillsides,封线密but the paths were a real safety risk and made the journey on foot even more arduous. It made sense to improve the paths by building steps, handrails and footbridges.It was uncommon to find means of transport that were more efficient than walking but lesstechnologically advanced than motor vehicles. The use of bicycles was constrained by their high cost and the lack of available spare parts. Oxen were not used at all but donkeys were used by a fewhouseholds in the northern part of the district. MIRTP focused on what would be most appropriate for the inhabitants of Makete in terms of what was available, how much they could afford and what they were willing to accept. After careful consideration, the project chose the promotion of donkeys - a donkey costs less than a bicycle - and the introduction of a locally manufacturable wheelbarrow.Section D At the end of Phase II, it was clear that the selected approaches to Makete ’s transport problems had had different degrees of success. Phase III, from March 1991 to March 1993, focused on the refinement and institutionalisation of these activities.The road improvements and accompanying maintenance system had helped make the district centre accessible throughout the year. Essential goods from outside the district had become more readily available at the market, and prices did not fluctuate as much as they had done before.Paths and secondary roads were improved only at the request of communities who were willing to participate in construction and maintenance. However, the improved paths impressed theinhabitants, and requests for assistance greatly increased soon after only a few improvements had been completed.The efforts to improve the efficiency of the existing transport services were not very successful because most of the motorised vehicles in the district broke down and there were no resources torepair them. Even the introduction of low-cost means of transport was difficult because of the general poverty of the district. The locally manufactured wheelbarrows were still too expensive for all but a few of the households. Modifications to the original design by local carpenters cut production time and costs. Other local carpenters have been trained in the new design so that they can respond to requests. Nevertheless, a locally produced wooden wheelbarrow which costs around 5000 Tanzanian shillings (less than US$20) in Makete, and is about one quarter the cost of a metal wheelbarrow, is still too expensive for most people.Donkeys, which were imported to the district, have become more common and contribute, in particular, to the transportation of crops and goods to market. Those who have bought donkeys are mainly from richer households but, with an increased supply through local breeding, donkeys should become more affordable. Meanwhile, local initiatives are promoting the renting out of the existing donkeys.It should be noted, however, that a donkey, which at 20,000Tanzanian shillings costs less than a bicycle, is still an investment equal to an average household ’s income over half a year. This clearly illustrates the need for supplementary measures if one wants to assist the rural poor.Section EIt would have been easy to criticise the MIRTP for using in the early phases a “top-down ”approach, in which decisions were made by experts and officials before being handed down tocommunities, but it was necessary to start the process from the level of the governmental authorities of the district. It would have been difficult to respond to the requests of villagers and other rural inhabitants without the support and understanding of district authorities.Section FToday, nobody in the district argues about the importance of improved paths and inexpensive means of transport. But this is the result of dedicated work over a long period, particularly from the officers in charge of community development. They played an essential role in raising awareness and interest among the rural communities.The concept of integrated rural transport is now well established in Tanzania, where a major program of rural transport is just about to start. The experiences from Makete will help in this initiative, and Makete District will act as a reference for future work.Questions 18-22 Do the following statements agree with the claims of the writer? Write YES if the statement agrees with the claims of the writer; NO if the statement contradicts the claims of the writer; NOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this. 18 MIRTP was divided into five phases.19 Prior to the start of MIRTP the Makete district was almost inaccessible during the rainy season. 20 Phase I of MIRTP consisted of a survey of household expenditure on transport.21 The survey concluded that one-fifty or 20% of the household transport requirement as outside the local area.22 MIRTP hoped to improve the movement of goods from Makete district to the country ’s capital. Questions 23-26 Complete each sentence with the correct ending. A-J, below. 23 Construction of footbridges, steps and handrails 24 Frequent breakdown of buses and trucks in Makete 25 The improvement of secondary roads and paths 26 The isolation of Makete for part of the yearA. provided the people of Makete with experience in running bus and truck services.B. was especially successful in the northern part of the district.C. differed from earlier phases in that the community became less actively involved.D. improved paths used for transport up and down hillsides.E. was no longer a problem once the roads had been improved.F. cost less than locally made wheelbarrows.G. was done only at the request of local people who were willing to lend a hand. H. was at first considered by MIRTP to be affordable for the people of the district. I. hindered attempts to make the existing transport services more efficient. J. was thought to be the most important objective of Phase III. Question 27 Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.Which of the following phrases best describes the main aim?A. to suggest that projects such as MIRTP are needed in other countriesB. to describe how MIRTP was implemented and how successful it wasC. to examine how MIRTP promoted the use of donkeysD. to warn that projects such as MIRTP are likely to have serious problems 密封线。
商务英语4机考第二套阅读理解Advertisement ca
商务英语4机考第二套阅读理解Advertisement ca1、Look at those black clouds! Take ______ umbrella or ______ raincoat with you. （）[单选题] *A. a; anB. an; a(正确答案)C. an; anD. a; a2、33．Body language is even___________ and ___________ than any other language. [单选题] *A．stronger, loudB．strong, louderC．strong, loudD．stronger, louder (正确答案)3、—Can you play the violin at the art festival?—No, I ______. But I am good at playing the drums.（）[单选题] *A. canB. can’t(正确答案)C. doD. don’t4、—______ you speak French?—Yes, I can.（）[单选题] *A. NeedB. Can(正确答案)C. MightD. Must5、—______ do you play basketball?—Twice a week.（）[单选题] *A. How often(正确答案)B. How muchC. How manyD. How long6、I have worked all day. I'm so tired that I need _____ . [单选题] *A. a night restB. rest of nightC. a night's rest(正确答案)D. a rest of night7、What surprised me ______ was that he succeeded. [单选题] *A. most(正确答案)B. mostlyC. almostD. at most8、Mary _______ Math. [单选题] *A. is good at(正确答案)B. do well inC. is good forD. is good with9、——Have you（）your friend Bill recently? ———No, he doesnt often write to me. [单选题] *A. heard aboutB. heard ofC. heard from (正确答案)D. received from10、Words are windows（）you can look into the past. [单选题] *A. through which(正确答案)B. through thatC. whichD. whose11、If you want to be successful one day, you have to seize every _______ to realize your dream. [单选题] *A. changeB. chance(正确答案)C. chairD. check12、You have been sitting on my hat and now it is badly out of（）. [单选题] *A. dateB. shape(正确答案)C. orderD. balance13、_______! Jack,the floor is wet. [单选题] *A. Be careful(正确答案)B. Be careful toC. Be careful forD. Be careful with14、During the Mid-Autumn Festival, family members often gather together _________ ameal, admire the moon and enjoy moon cakes. [单选题] *A. shareB. to share(正确答案)C. having sharedD. shared15、My father and I often go ______ on weekends so I can ______ very well. （）[单选题] *A. swim; swimmingB. swims; swimC. swimming; swimmingD. swimming; swim(正确答案)16、I could ______ control my feelings and cried loudly when I heard the bad news. [单选题] *A. hardly(正确答案)B. ?reallyC. clearlyD. nearly17、There is something wrong with my teeth. I’ve had?a _______. [单选题] *A. toothache(正确答案)B. headacheC. stomachacheD. heartache18、—Do you like to watch Hero?—Yes. I enjoy ______ action movies. （）[单选题] *A. watchB. watching(正确答案)C. to watchD. watches19、_____ the plan carefully,he rejected it. [单选题] *A. To have consideredB.To considerC. Having considered(正确答案)D. Considering20、It _______ him ten minutes to solve the problem. [单选题] *A. spentB. took(正确答案)C. costD. paid21、He always did well at school _____ having to do part-time jobs every now and then. [单选题] *A despite ofB. in spite of(正确答案)C. regardless ofD in case of22、Thank you very much. You gave us ____ our factory needed. [单选题] *A. informationB. informationsC. the information(正确答案)D. the informations23、Which is _______ city, Shanghai, Beijing or Chengdu? [单选题] *A. largeB. largerC. largestD. the largest(正确答案)24、I walked too much yesterday and （）are still aching now. [单选题] *A. my leg's musclesB. my leg muscles(正确答案)C. my muscles' of legD. my legs' muscles25、In winter, animals have a hard time_____anything to eat. [单选题] *A.to findB.finding(正确答案)C.foundD.to finding26、—I can’t always get good grades. What should I do?—The more ______ you are under, the worse grades you may get. So take it easy!（）[单选题] *A. wasteB. interestC. stress(正确答案)D. fairness27、_________ we don't stop climate change, many animals and plants in the world will be gone.[单选题] *A.AlthoughB.WhileC.If(正确答案)D.Until28、_________ along the old Silk Road is an interesting and rewarding experience. [单选题]*A. TravelB. Traveling(正确答案)C. Having traveledD. Traveled29、John had planned to leave but he decided to stay in the hotel for _____ two days because of the heavy rain. [单选题] *A. otherB. another(正确答案)C. the otherD. others30、There _____ wrong with my radio. [单选题] *A. are somethingB. are anythingC. is anythingD. is something(正确答案)。
商务英语阅读第二版叶兴国
2. Why can storytelling be used as an effective method to strengthen organizational bonds in a corporation?
2
CONTENTS
1 Text A ：Voice of Courage Text B: Tell Stories to strengthen 2 Organizational Bonds
ULOnGit1O Effective Communication
1
1. During difficult times, a leader is supposed to encourage his or her people to pull through. This requires one to have some charisma. What can be the effctive methods to call forth people's spontaneous enthusiasm and cooperatoin?
Voice of Courage
1300万人失业， 3400万人没有任何收入。人们依靠私人施舍、 市和州政府少得可怜的公共救济，以及自己微不足道的积蓄度日。 为了求得美国人民对政府的支持，缓解萧条，美国总统富兰克 林·罗斯福利用炉边谈话节目通过收音机向美国人民进行宣传。 他的谈话不仅鼓舞了美国人民，坚定了人民的信心，而且也宣传 了他的货币及社会改革的基本主张，从而赢得了人们的理解和尊 敬。对美国政府度过艰难，缓和危机起到了较大作用。
在演讲的中段，罗斯福简单地说：“我向你们保证，把钱存在 重开的银行里比你们把钱藏在床垫底下更安全。”
5. Preparations for a bill to spend the end of Prohibition began that night. 当天晚上，罗斯福又开始准备议案以加速结束禁酒令。 Prohibition ：用作大写时，意思是：“禁酒”，指美国 1920年 至1933年期间的禁酒。
商务英语阅读第二版 How China Works )
Chapter 1 A How China Works Class_______ No._____ Name_________ Score ______I. Write down English phrases and expressions according to the given Chinese.（每小题4分，本小题共20分）1)削减房贷2)大幅提升盈利能力3)资金密集型行业4)支撑经济增长5)进行民意测验6)遭遇信贷危机II. Translate the first sentence into English and the second sentence into Chinese, using the phrases provided as the clue. （每句6分，本小题共12分）1)让农民变成(turn…into…)拥有土地的消费者可以长时期(go a long way toward…)大大推进创造一个消费型的社会，让中国减少对出口的依赖，让世界经济重获平衡(rebalancing…)。
2)While the yuan did fall a bit in recent months, most economists believe Beijing willcontinue to allow a modest appreciation, weighing its need for export competitiveness against the world’s need for more balanced trade flows.III. Read the following passages and finish the exercises followed. (1-4每空1.5分；5-16每空1分；本小题共18分)答案1___2____3____4___ 5___6___7___8___ 9___ 10___11___12___ 13___14___15___16___Passage ALatin America’s second-largest economy has emerged as a powerful exporter••••••The shift in production at Siemens(from China to Mexico) is part of a little publicised manufacturing revolution in Mexico taking place across a range of industries from cars and aircraft to refrigerators and computers. For the first time in a decade, Latin America’s second-largest economy has become a credible competitor to China.During the first half of this year, Mexico accounted for 14.2 per cent of manufactured imports into the US, the world’s largest importer. In 2005, Mexico’s share was just 11 per cent. Surprisingly, China, which gained huge chunks of the US import market for many years, has started to lose ground. From a high of 29.3 per cent of the total at the end of 2009, it has now shrunk to 26.4 per cent.While winning a bigger slice of the US market, Mexico has diversified its customers. A decade ago, about 90 per cent of the country’s exports went to the US. Last year, that figure fell to less than 80 per cent. Suddenly, it seems, Mexico has become the preferred centre of manufacturing for multinational companies looking to supply the Americas and, increasingly, beyond. Today, Mexico exports more manufactured products than the rest of LatinAmerica put together.The result of this turnround can often seem counter-intuitive. Chrysler, for example, is using Mexico as a base to supply some of its Fiat 500s to the Chinese market. During last year’s inauguration of the US company’s $500m investment in Mexico, Felipe Calderón, the country’s president, told the nation: “I think it is the first time that a Mexican vehicle, at least in recent times, is to be exported to China ... we always thought it was going to be the other way around.”••••••Mexico’s new-found competitiveness has become so clear that Marco Oviedo of Barclays co ncludes: “After lagging Chinese manufacturing exports for a decade, Mexico has taken the lead post-2008-09. We believe this change is likely to be structural and persistent.”Go back to the beginning of the century and none of this seemed possible. Back then, as China burst on to the global stage following its accession to the World Trade Organisation in 2001, Mexico seemed to be in serious trouble.For much of the rest of Latin America, China was a voracious customer of agricultural and mineral commodities. By contrast, Mexico saw China as an unstoppable competitor that produced exactly the same sorts of cheap manufactured goods at a tiny fraction of the cost.Against that backdrop, it is hardly surprising that Mexico was the last WTO member to vote for Chi na’s accession –a vote that it gave only after a long and bitter negotiation.But several important shifts have taken place since then that have improved Mexico’s comparative advantages, giving it a new and dynamic role as a global manufacturer. The first is that Mexico has embraced trade and openness like few other countries in the world.Its free trade agreements with 44 countries – more than twice as many as China and four times more than Brazil –have given companies based in Mexico the ability to source parts and inputs from a wide range of nations, often without paying duty.Partly as a result, the sum of Mexico’s imports and exports as a percentage of its gross domestic product, a strong indicator of openness, rose to 58.6 per cent in 2010. In the case of China, it was 47.9 per cent, and just 18.5 per cent in the case of Brazil. HSBC in Mexico City estimated recently that the figure for Mexico could increase to as much as 69 per cent this year.There is also an increased confidence inspired by agreements, particularly the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement, which binds Mexico with the US and Canada. “Nafta creates a rule of law, which is not perceived to be a particularly Mexican concept ... it forces you to do what is right, and to do it for eve r, ” says Luis de la Calle, an economist and trade expert who helped negotiate Nafta for Mexico.As if to prove the point, Mr de la Calle devised an unorthodox index based on how many alphabetical letters appear about a given country in the US Trade Repres entative’s annual report on barriers to US exports and investment, divided by US exports to that same country. Last year, from a list of 22 countries, Mexico beat Canada to the top place of best-behaved countries. Pakistan was the worst offender and China was 10th worst.. . .Of course, Mexico is not without its problems. While the country is making strides in its attempts to diversify, it is stillheavily beholden to the ups and downs in the US.But perhaps the most alarming concern of foreign investors and the general population alike is the deterioration in security.The murder rate has almost tripled to about 22 per 100,000 inhabitants from just over eight when Mr Calderón declared an all-out offensive against the country’s drug cartels at the end of 2006. The war, which has claimed at least 55,000 lives over the past six years, has dominated headlines about Mexico as the press reports on a seemingly endless flow of horror stories involving beheadings, kidnappings and massacres.This year, it also prompted the US state department to issue a travel advisory telling US citizens to put off “non-essential travel” to many areas of Mexico, and warning that nearly half of the country’s 31 states are so dangerous that travellers should avoid them if possible.So far, the violence has had little impact on multinationals, which generally operate in safe industrial parks around the country. But there are no guarantees that organised crime will not start to try to extort large foreign companies in the future – and in the same way it has been doing with smaller, domestic companies.Until that happens, foreign companies continue to eye Mexico – in part because China has not turned out to be quite the manufacturing nirvana that it once appeared. While executives long complained of Chinese red tape and the threat to intellectual property there, they were willing to balance those risks against cheap labour and transport.But rising wages and higher fuel prices have made it increasingly expensive to export from China to the US market. This is all to Mexico’s advantage. In 2009, Mexico overtook South Korea and China to became the world’s leading producer of flatscreen television sets. The bulkier the item, the more Mexico makes sense. According to Global Trade Atlas, the country is also the leading manufacturer of two-door refrigerators.Thanks to a 2,000-mile border with the US, and extensive rail and road links, it is not only cheap but fast and easy to ship goods north. Shipments from China to the US typically take between 20 days and two months. From Mexico, they take a week at most and usually just two days.For many industries operating in today’s cost-conscious environment, “Made in Mexico” is becoming a serious consideration in their attempts to shorten supply chains, which potentially allows them to cut costs because quicker delivery times mean that they can minimise the amount of money invested in inventories. As Bruno Ferrari, Mexico’s economy minister, told the Financial Times recently: “The proximity that Mexico offer s industry allows companies to reduce their financing costs.”Rising labour costs in China have presented Mexico with an additional opportunity. According to HSBC, Mexican wages were 391 per cent higher than those of China a decade ago. Today, they are just 29 per cent more. Experts predict that Chinese wages will even overtake those of Mexico within five years.Mr de la Calle argues that demographics are behind this. While China is experiencing a squeeze in its working-age population.By contrast, more tha n half Mexico’s 112m population is under 29, so there will be an abundance of cheap labour until at least 2028. “Right now, you have to look at Mexico and conclude that it has the best demographics in the world,” says Mr de la Calle.At the same time, Mexi co’s plentiful working population is becoming more skilled. According to Unesco, the number of engineers, architects and others in disciplines related to manufacturing graduating from Mexican universities hasrisen from almost 0.4 per 1,000 people in 1999 to more than 0.8 today. To set that in a regional context, the number for the US over the same period has remained roughly flat at 0.6 per 1,000.Skilled workers are providing an increasingly attractive environment for high-tech companies – Mexico has in recent years become a world leader in the production of computers and mobile telephones – as well as for car companies, almost all of which are now using Mexican engineers to design parts.. . .Questions 1)-4) are based on the above passage.1). Do you know who is the largest economy in Latin America?A. USAB. MexicoC. ArgentinaD. Brazil2). What was true at the beginning of the century?A. Mexico joined the WTO in 2001.B. China joined the WTO in 2001.C. China's labour cost was higher than Mexico back then.D. Some things happened then impaired Mexico’s comparative advantages.3). Which of the following is not a consequence of Mexico's "embracing trade and openness like few other countries in the world"?A. Free trade agreements reduced costs for companies to do business.B. Mexico's international-trade-to-GDP ratio has risen sharply.C. Openness to the world creates a rule of law.D. Red tape and threat to intellectual property emerged.4). Which of the following is Mexico's advantage over China?A. public security situationB. highly dependent on USC. higher rate of working-age populationD. all of abovePassage BVladimir Putin was on course last night to win the expected first-round v ictory in Russia’s presidential election. But this is not business as usual. The middle-class protests of recent weeks show that politics, after a 12-year slumber, have reawoken. Just months ago, it was assumed Mr Putin could be back for two more presidential terms. Instead, yesterday’s poll marks the beginning of what is in all probability his final six-year term; the beginning of the end of the Putin era.Two big questions remain. One is whether Mr Putin will even complete the full six years of the coming term. The second is whether the Putin “system”, even if in modified form, will survive under a new leader from within the ruling group, or whether it will sooner or later give way to something new – in an orderly or disorderly way.What is clear is that M r Putin’s popularity is in decline. Pre-election polls suggested he now enjoys less than 50 per cent support in Moscow and St Petersburg, Russia’s political capitals. His base remains stronger in rustbelt cities and the countryside. But even there, focus group research and anecdotal evidence suggest creeping disillusionment.The discontent is not, primarily, economic. Russians live far better today than when Mr Putin became president 12 years ago, thanks to soaring oil prices. Working-class Russians are often more reliant on the state for jobs and benefits, and so less ready to go on to the streets. But they share many middle-class concerns: rampant corruption, official cronyism, lack of representation and legal protections. The surge in living standards that once anaesthetised them against these downsides of Putinism has slowed. And barring further, unlikely, oil price rises, Russia’s growth outlook is today less rosy.A decline in Mr Putin’s popularity has important implications. Broad support from ordinary Russians has been thefoundation of his authority. It enabled him to consolidate the elites – oligarchs, security services, senior bureaucrats – who run Russia in the absence of real democratic institutions. If his support wanes further, the elites could fracture and start promoting alternative candidates, with unpredictable consequences.One potential way to resuscitate Mr Putin’s popularity would be to tackle Russians’ concerns over corruption and rule of law head-on, and to conduct economic reforms to stimulate investment and growth. Those things are challenging. But Russia has detailed liberalising plans drawn up, and resources to cushion the social impact. It has six years in which it could start modernising what is now a middle-income country, and prepare it for genuinely free presidential elections in 2018. It could be done.More likely, sadly, the regime will attempt to buy popularity with a spending spree that, with Russia’s budget already requiring oil at $120 a barrel to break even, could threaten its hard-won fiscal stability. Real reform threatens vested interests around Mr Putin. We can only hope the returning president is sincere, at least, in claiming the Kremlin does not plan a post-election crackdown on opposition.In response, the west must tread a fine line. It should continue to entice Russia to be a responsible member of the international community, drawing it into institutions such as the World Trade Organisation. But it should not hesitate to target officials involved in abuses such as the death of the lawyer Sergei Magnitsky. It should engage with the liberal opposition, but avoid heavy-handed “democracy promotion” that would fuel Mr Putin’s unfounded claims that protests against him are a western plot. Without interfering, it should do everything possible to help ensure the Putin era ends not in disorder, but with a calm transition to a more democratic, rules-based future.Questions 5)-8) are based on the above passage.5) According to the author, Russians are discontent with Mr. Putin for all BUTA. Living StandardsB. CorruptionC. CronyismD. Lack of representation and legal protections6) According to the passage, to regain his popularity, Mr. Putin should do all EXCEPTA. Penalize corruptionB. Suppress protesting activitiesC. Stimulate investmentD. Improve the rule of law system7) According to the author, between Russia and the west, which of the following descriptions is correct?A. Russia was not considered to be a responsible member of international affairs.B. Russia was not a member of the World Trade Organisation yet.C. The west once irritated Mr Putin with its heavy-handed “democracy promotion” .D. All of the above8) According to the passage, which of the following statements is INCORRECT?A. Mr Putin will probably end his presidential term in only six years.B. Mr. Putin's popularity in central cities has declined.C. Broad support from ordinary Russians has limited importance for Putin's governance.D. Mr. Putin has considered several protests against him were plotted by the western world.Passage CThe more unequal a society, the greater the incentive for the rich to pull up the ladder behind themWhen the world’s richest countries were booming, few people worried over much that the top 1 per cent were enjoying an ever-growing share of that prosperity. In the wake of a depression in the US, a fiscal chasm in the UK and an existential crisis in the eurozone –and the shaming of the world’s bankers – worrying about inequality is no longer the preserve of the far left.There should be no doubt about the facts: the income share of the top 1 per cent has roughly doubled in the US since the early 1970s, and is now about 20 per cent. Much the same trend can be seen in Australia, Canada and theUK – although in each case the income share of the top 1 per cent is smaller. In France, Germany and Japan there seems to be no such trend. (The source is the World Top Incomes Database, summarised in the opening paper of a superb symposiu m in this summer’s Journal of Economic Perspectives.)But should we care? There are two reasons we might: process and outcome. We might worry that the gains of the rich are ill-gotten: the result of the old-boy network, or fraud, or exploiting the largesse of the taxpayer. Or we might worry that the results are noxious: misery and envy, or ill-health, or dysfunctional democracy, or slow growth as the rich sit on their cash, or excessive debt and thus financial instability.Following the crisis, it might be unfashionable to suggest that the rich actually earned their money. But knee-jerk banker-bashers should take a look at research by Steven Kaplan and Joshua Rauh, again in the JEP symposium. They simply compare the fate of the top earners across different lines of business. Worried that chief executives are filling their boots thanks to the weak governance of publicly listed companies? So am I, but partners in law firms are also doing very nicely, as are the bosses of privately owned companies, as are the managers of hedge funds, as are top sports stars. Governance arrangements in each case are different.Perhaps, then, some broad social norm has shifted, allowing higher pay across the board? If so, we would expect publicly scrutinised salaries to be catching up with those who have more privacy –for instance, managers of privately held corporations. The reverse is the case.The uncomfortable truth is that market forces – that is, the result of freely agreed contracts – are probably behind much of the rise in inequality. Globalisation and technological change favour the highly skilled. In the middle of the income distribution, a strong pair of arms, a willingness to work hard and a bit of common sense used to provide a comfortable income. No longer. Meanwhile at the very top, winner-take-all markets are emerging, where the best or luckiest entrepreneurs, fund managers, authors or athletes hoover up most of the gains. The idea that the fat cats simply stole everyone else’s cream is emotionally powerful; it is not entirely convincing.In a well-functioning market, people only earn high incomes if they create enough economic value to justify those incomes. But even if we could be convinced that this was true, we do not have to let the matter drop.This is partly because the sums involved are immense. Between 1993 and 2011, in the US, average incomes grew a modest 13.1 per cent in total. But the average income of the poorest 99 per cent – that is everyone up to families making about $370,000 a year – grew just 5.8 per cent. That gap is a measure of just how much the top 1 per cent are making. The stakes are high.I set out two reasons why we might care about inequality: an unfair process or a harmful outcome. But what really should concern us is that the two reasons are not actually distinct after all. The harmful outcome and the unfair process feed each other. The more unequal a society becomes, the greater the incentive for the rich to pull up the ladder behind them.At the very top of the scale, plutocrats can shape the conversation by buying up newspapers and television channels or funding political campaigns. The merely prosperous scramble desperately to get their children into the right neighbourhood, nursery, school, university and internship –we know how big the gap has grown between winners and also-rans.Miles Corak, another contributor to the JEP debate, is an expert on intergenerational income mobility, the question of whether rich parents have rich children. The painful truth is that in the most unequal developed nations – the UK and the US – the intergenerational transmission of income is stronger. In more equal societies such as Denmark, the tendency of privilege to breed privilege is much lower.This is what sticks in the throat about the rise in inequality: the knowledge that the more unequal our societies become, the more we all become prisoners of that inequality. The well-off feel that they must strain to prevent their children from slipping down the income ladder. The poor see the best schools, colleges, even art clubs and ballet classes, disappearing behind a wall of fees or unaffordable housing.The idea of a free, market-based society is that everyone can reach his or her potential. Somewhere, we lost our way.Questions 9)-12) are based on the above passage.9) In which developed country we cannot observe a widening income gap?A. UK.B. Canada.C. Australia.D. Germany.10) Why should we care about the widening income gap, according to the writer?A. It implies that the gains of the rich are ill-gotten.B. It means the old-boy network is too strong a vested interest.C. It might result in envy or dysfunctional democracy.D. It is a result of slow growth as the rich sit on their cash.11) What is not a cause for the widening income gap?A. Chief executives of large companies are being paid too much.B. Technological changes favor the highly skilled.C. Winner-take-all markets are emerging.D. Globalisation.12) What is the "painful" conclusion drawn by the JEP resaerch by Steven Kaplan and Joshua Rauh?A. Income gap is small in France, Germany and Japan.B. Intergenerational income mobility has something to do with income equality.C. Intergenerational transmission of income is higher in developed countries.D. A free, market-based society is the best system to reduce the gap.Passage DUS regulators are investigating the hiring practices of JPMorgan Chase in Hong Kong, in a move that could cast an unflattering light on the relationships between Wall Street banks and the sons and daughters of Chinese government officials.JPMorgan disclosed in a recent regulatory filing that it has received a request from the US Securities and Exchange Commission “seeking information and documents relating to, among other matters, the firm’s employment of certain former e mployees in Hong Kong and its business relationships with certain clients”.A person familiar with the investigation said that it involves the bank’s hiring of Tang Xiaoning, son of a former Chinese banking regulator who is now chairman of the state-owned China Everbright Group, and Zhang Xixi, the daughter of a Chinese railway official.A Beijing-based spokesperson for JPMorgan said the bank was fully co-operating with the US authorities but declined to comment further.The investigation is likely to cause consternation on Wall Street and in the corridors of power in China, where hiring the sons and daughters of prominent politicians or business leaders is considered de rigueur as part of a system that places heavy emphasis on “guanxi,” or personal conne ctions, as a way of securing new business.In their rush to capitalise on China’s economic growth, virtually all the big Wall Street and European financial institutions with operations in the country have habitually hired “princelings”, as the children of senior Chinese officials are known.Goldman Sachs once hired Jiang Zhicheng, grandson of the former Chinese president Jiang Zemin, for its direct private investment arm, for instance.A senior Chinese official told the FT that the Chinese government had not launched its own investigation into JPMorgan or its hiring practices in the country, but that the revelations are causing concern because the practice of hiring the children of senior officials to work at financial institutions is very common.Some individual Chinese officials are worried their own children could also be named in media reports or in investigations in the US, the senior official said.Two people familiar with the matter confirmed that Tang Xiaoning and Zhang Xixi had previously worked at JPMorgan and that Mr Tang left the company in December 2012. Attempts to reach Mr Tang and Ms Zhang were unsuccessful.A spokesman for the SEC declined to comment on the investigation, which was first reported by the New York Times.US authorities ha ve to date rarely investigated Wall Street’s business practices in China, though a former Morgan Stanley adviser was last year sent to prison after bribing a Chinese official to win lucrative real estate investments for the bank.In recent years, foreign banks are said to have found it increasingly difficult to attract the offspring of the country’s most senior leaders thanks to the rise of a domestic private equity industry that provides lucrative opportunities for Chinese investors with powerful family backgrounds.In private conversations, executives at western banks admit they are now more likely to hire the children of vice-ministers or provincial vice-governors, whereas a few years ago the parents of their recruits were usually minister level or above.The investigation could add to JPMorgan’s recent regulatory woes. The investment bank faces a string of regulatory investigations related to its $6bn “London Whale” trading loss, as well as questions over its commodities and energy businesses.With additional reporting by Kara Scannell and Stephen Foley in New York.Questions 13)-16) are based on the above passage.13) Where is JPMorgan's hiring practices being scrutinized?A. London.B. New York.C. Hong Kong.D. Shanghai.14) Why the investigation is likely to cause consternation?A. Wall Street giants fear being kicked out of China.B. Officials fear being removed from office.C. A social system that emphasizes on “guanxi” might be altered.D. The common business model of hiring princelings might be finished.15) Why is it "increasingly difficult to attract the offspring of the country’s most sen ior leaders"?A. US regulators have been taking actions.B. China's domestic private equity industry is booming.C. Officials are worried that their names might be mentioned on media.D. General Secretary Xi launched a campaigne against “the four winds”.16) JPMorgan is facing with several regulatory woes, except?A "Occupy Wall Street" Movement.B"London Whale" trading loss.C Questions about its commodities and energy businesses.D Hiring practises in Hong Kong.（本小测满分50分，阅读答案不抄到第1页阅读答案横线处者扣2分。
商务英语阅读(第二版)-王关富Unit2The-World-Economic-Forum-课后答案
Unit 2A Changed Global RealityExercises1. Answer the questions on the text:1) What are the features of the two major economies that the world has seen for morethan 200 years?One has dominated technological innovation and trade and amassed great wealth.The second—much of it politically under the thumb of the first —has remained poor and technologically dependent.2) How much did low-and-middle-income countries contribute to world growth in2010?Almost half (46%)3) Taking a long term view, why is it good news that developing countries are growingfast?As billions of poor people become more prosperous, they will be able to affordcomforts their counterparts in the rich world have long considered the normalappurtenances of life.4) What are the worst-case scenarios that Europe has so far avoided?A collapse of the euro, a debt crisis that spills from small economies such asGreece and Ireland to much bigger ones like Italy and Spain, and bitter socialunrest in those nations that are having to massagewages down while cutting public budgets.5) Why does Jim Walker think that 2011 will be a “year of reckoning ”?Because Jim Walker thinks that the rebound in the US is a mirage created byexcessive stimulus. He expects the US to slip into the double dip it dodged in 2010.6) Why has the private-sector debt crisis of 2008-2009 morphed into a public-sectordebt crisis in 2010-11?It has been the result of the debt and deficits amassed in the process of stimulating economies and bailing out banks during the downturn.7) What are the risks that emerging economies face?a. sharp rise in inflationb. rising oil pricesc. soaring food price8) What did China and India do to cope with inflation and rising food prices?China raised the reserve-requirement ratio;India resorted to diplomatic means when Pakistan temporarily cut off some exports of onions to the country.9) How can the disaffection with global capitalism in the developed world be preventedfrom turning into a backlash against it?It would help if there were mecha ni sms in place to man age the stresses in theintern atio nal economy.10) What is the most serious divisio n betwee n coun tries that policymakers have tocontend with?Econo mic disparity2. Fill in each bla nk of the follow ing senten ces with one of the phrases in the listgive n below:1) The search for the childwas scaled back sharply today, with almost a third of thevolun teers head ing home.2) The former Federal Reserve Chairman says there is a risk that the US could slipinto a recession by yea'end.3) The CEO of the firm said that they would switch priority from traditional labor- intensive productsto more hi-tech and value-added on es.4) In the aftermath of the financial crisis the group has put on hold some of itsambitious regi onal expa nsion pla ns.5) Toyota Motor Corp. is offeri ng widespread job buyouts to its US workers for the first time and cutting the workweek at some of its American plants by 10% to contend with falling sales.6) Eve ntually, it must morph in to a system that fun cti ons on stability, or it will failand cause an un stoppable breakdow n and widespread hardship.7) Unfortun ately most of the cen tral banks in the world today are still firmly underthe thumb of politicians.8) The stock market's en dura nee could depe nd heavily on whether econo mic andcorporate performa nee rema ins un certa in,or beg ins in dicati ng that theeconomy truly is out of the woods.9) Survivors were encouragedto talk about their horrible experiencesto help themcome to terms with the flood disaster.10) Other coun tries—no tably Australia—have also avoided a bust in their hous ingmarkets, and have in stead see n prices in creasflatten out3. Match the terms in column A with the explanations in column B:_______ A _____________ ______________________ B _1) double-dip recession A) A physical substanee, such as food, grains, and metals,which is in tercha ngeable with ano ther product of thesame type, and which investors buy or sell, usuallythrough future con tracts72) credit rati ng B) A measure that exam in esthe weighted average ofprices of foodstuffs, ofte n used as an importa nt factorto assess the cost of liv ing93) austerity C) A gover nment policy of deficit-cutti ng, lower spe nding,and a reduct ion in the amount of ben efits and publicservices provided, sometimes coupled with in creases intaxes to pay back creditors to reduce debt.4) private sector D) A central bank regulation that sets the minimumreserves each commercial bank must hold to customerdeposits and no tes105) protective tariff E) The part of the economy that is not state con trolled,and is run by in dividuals and compa nies for profit.46) beggar thy neighbor F) An expression in economics describing policy thatseeks ben efits for one country at the expe nse of others.Such policies attempt to remedy the economic problemsin one country by means which tend to worse n theproblems of other coun tries67) commodity G) A published ranking based on detailed financialanalysis by a credit bureau, of one' financial history,specifically as it relates to one' ability to meet debtobligati ons. 28) sovereign-debt crisis H) A crisis in which a national government owes so muchdebt that it is unable to repay or on the edge of bankruptcy.89) food-price index I) A tariff which tries to ban imports to stop themcompeti ng with local products 510) reserve requirement J) A situation where economic growth slides back ton egative after a short-lived growth and the economymay move into a deeper and Ion ger dow nturr!4. Tran slate the followi ng into Chin ese:星期五，世界上20个主要经济体的领导人结束了在这座东北亚首都城市举行的为期两天的峰会。
BEC中级第二辑阅读真题及答案详解内含2份tests
1 the contact between coach and employee not solving all difficulties at work2 the discussion of how certain situations could be better handled if they occur again3 a coach encouraging an employee to apply what has been taught to routine work situations4 coaching providing new interest to individuals who are unhappy in their current positions5 coaching providing a supportive environment to discuss performance6 employees being asked to analyse themselves and practise greater self-awareness7 coaching enabling a company to respond rapidly to a lack of expertise in a certain area CoachingACoaching involves two or more people sitting down together to talk through issues that have come up recently at work, and analysing how they were managed and how they might be dealt with more effectively on subsequent occasions. Coaching thus transfers skills and information from one person to another in an on-the-job situation so that the work experience of the coach is used to advise and guide the individual being coached. It also allows successes and failures to be evaluated in a non-threatening atmosphere.BCoaching means influencing the learner's personal development, for example his or her confidence and ambition. It can take place any time during an individual's career. Coaching is intended to assist individuals to function more effectively, and it is a powerful learning model. It begins where skills-based training ends, and helps individuals to use formally learnt knowledge in day-to-day work and management situations. Individuals being coached are in a demanding situation with their coach, which requires them to consider their own behaviour and question their reasons for doing things.CThe coach professionally assists the career development of another individual, outside the normal manager/subordinate relationship. In theory, the coaching relationship should provide answers to every problem, but in practice it falls short of this. However, it can provide a space for discussion and feedback on topics such as people management and skills, behaviour patterns,confidence-building and time management. Through coaching, an organisation can meet skills shortages, discuss targets and indicate how employees should deal with challenging situations, all at short notice.DEffective coaches are usually those who get satisfaction from the success of others and who give time to the coaching role. Giving people coaching responsibilities can support their development, either by encouraging management potential through small-scale one-to-one assignments, or by providing added job satisfaction to managers who feel they are stuck in their present jobs. A coach is also a confidential adviser, accustomed to developing positive and effective approaches to complex management, organisational and change problems.这篇文章讲的是培训（coaching）的作用。
王关富商务英语阅读 第二版chapter 2 详解
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Given that the scale of the downturn was so epochal, it should not be surprising that the nature of the recovery would likewise be the stuff of history. And it has been. As they make their way to Davos for the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) by helicopter, bus, car or train (which is the right way to do it), the members of the global economic and political elite will find themselves coming to terms with something they have never known before. Given –considering 鉴于 考虑到 Epochal 新纪元的;划时代的;有重大意义的 epoch 时代纪元 Epochal decisions made by Roosevelt and Churchill. 罗斯福和邱吉尔做出的有重大意义的决定 epochal stupidity. 无与伦比的愚蠢 Make one‘s way to 前往某处 He looked around , then made his way to the lavatory. DAVOS Davos 瑞士达沃斯 是“世界经济论坛”the World Economic Forum (WEF) 的主办 地. Come to terms with 勉强接受 妥协 安于 It took a long time for him to come to terms with his disability. Buyers can‘t come to terms with the car‘s styling, and its high price proved a bitter pill.不得不接受的现实 考虑到经济衰退幅度如此的跨时代，经济复苏进程会很慢也是理所当然的，对此我们 不应该感到吃惊。事实也正如我们所料，复苏进程确实很慢。全球经济政治精英乘直 升飞机、大巴、小汽车或是火车前往达沃斯参加一年一度的世界经济论坛会议，此次 会议上，全球经济政治精英会发现自己开始接受一些闻所未闻的事情。