1、根據下面內容,回答題
Buffet Zone
Lucy Robertson started working at a take-away food business to supplement her income during her student days at Edinburgh University. Several years later she had bought the business and now, 17 years on, she owns Grapevine Caterers, probably Scotland's leading independent caterers, with a turnover of almost ε6m.
She had never planned to own a business, and had certainly never considered a career in catering. (0)...G… However, her unplanned career began in 1985, when she returned to Edinburgh and discovered that the takeaway she had worked in was up for sale. On impulse, she bought it, but admits that at the time she knew nothing about catering. (8).....It was a difficult time, but essential in terms of gaining the experience she needed. The late 1980s boom was good for business, with large numbers of office workers wanting takeaway food for their lunches. (9)..... "At one point there were 26 food outlets within a 5-kilometre radius," Robertson recalls, as the economy changed and the once packed office blocks started to become vacant, it became clear that Robertson would need to diversify. (10)......It changed the direction of the company for good.
As Robertson began to win catering contracts, she decided that the company would have to move to larger premises. In 1994, the move was made when she bought another catering business that already had a number of profitable contracts for boardroom lunches.
Meanwhile, Robertson's main competitor, the oldest catering company in Edinburgh, was causing her some anxiety. "Customer loyally is not to be underestimated," she warns. But Robertson is not someone who is easily put off. (11)...... Partly as a result of this, turnover doubled, and having outgrown another site, Robertson bought a city-centre location for the group's headquarters.
By now, Grapevine's main competitor was a new catering company called Towngates. Although Robertson tried to raise enough money to buy Towngates, she did not succeed. Then luck intervened and Towngates went bankrupt. (12)......Many accepted and the company's turnover went from ε700,000 to ε1.5 million almost overnight.
However, the company's growth was not as smooth as it sounds in retrospect. Robertson admits, "We were close to the edge during the growth period. Like many under-capitalized companies trying to grow, it might easily have collapsed." But that, she feels, is the challenge of developing your own business.
A.But there are plenty of similar contracts to be won in the east of Scotland before Robertson turns her attention elsewhere.
B.Her way round this particular problem was to recruit the catering manager of the rival company.
C.But this demand was short-lived, and before long, increasing competition made it harder to make a profit.
D."It was a dramatic learning curve and very small amounts of money were earned at first," says Robertson.
E.She decided that the solution, since many companies required working lunches for meetings with clients, was to prepare and deliver meals to business premises.
F.On hearing this, Robertson immediately contacted all of their clients and offered the services of Grapevine Caterers.
G.Instead, she studied accountancy after leaving university, and a steady if unspectacular professional path seemed set.
(8)應選
填空題
2、
For most managers of small and medium-sized enterprises, the job of searching for, interviewing and selecting staff is difficult and time-consuming. ___(0) G___. Interviewing, for example, is a highly skilled activity in itself.
“We have found the whole process very hard,” says Dan Baker, founding partner of a PR company. “In seven years we have grown from five to eighteen staff, but we have not found it easy to locate and recruit the right people.” ___(8)___. As Dan Baker explains, “We went to one for out first recruitment drive, but they took a lot of money in advance and didn’t put forward anybody suitable. In the end we had to do it ourselves.”
Most recruitment decisions are based on a pile of CVs, a couple of short interviews and two cautious references. David Rowe, a business psychologist, studied how appointments were made in five small companies. He claims that selection was rarely based in clear criteria. ___(9)___. This kind of approach to recruitment often has unhappy consequences for both employers and new recruits.
Small companies often know what kind of person they are looking for. ___(10)___. According to David Rowe, this means that small company managers themselves have to devote more time and energy to recruitment. It shouldn’t be something that is left to the evenings or weekends.
Many companies start the recruitment process with over-optimistic ideas about the type of person that will fit into their team. “It’s very easy to say you must have the best people in the top positions,” says Alex Jones, managing partner of an executive recruitment company. “But someone who is excellent in one company may not do so well in another environment. ___(11)___. You can never guarantee a successful transfer of skills.”
Whatever the candidate’s qualifications, their personal qualities are just as important since they will have to integrate with existing members of staff. This is where, the recruitment industry argues, they can really help.
According to Alex Jones, “a good recruitment agency will visit your company and ask a lot of questions. ___(12)___. They can ask applicants all sorts of you with a shortlist of people who not only have the skills, but who are likely to fit in with your company’s way of doing things.”
A. A finance director in a big company, for example, will often make a terrible small company finance director because he or she is used to having a team doing the day-to-day jobs.
B. More often than not, the people making the choice prioritized different qualities in candidates or relied on guesswork.
C. Recruitment would seem an obvious task to outsource, but the company’s experience of recruitment agencies was not encouraging.
D. They need paying for that, of course, but you will have them working for you and not for the candidate.
E. They are usually in very specific markets and the problem they face is that recruitment agencies may not really understand the sector.
F. This means that companies cannot spend more than the standard ten minutes interviewing each applicant.
G. Yet few are trained and competent for all aspects of the task.
3、
Questions 8-12
·Read the text below about work uniforms.
·Choose the best sentence from the opposite page to fill each of the gaps.
·For each gap 8-12, mark one letter A-I on your Answer Sheet.
Altered Images
We have teamed up with The Career and Workwear Show to find the best-dressed organization. Two hotel groups and a management center have made it to the shortlist.
Uniforms project an instant image about a business, as well as creating a team spirit among staff. Choose the wrong workwear and you risk upsetting your customers and employees.
Three entrants have been shortlisted in the competition to find the best-dressed business: Country Hotel Group, Goring Residential Management College and Major Hotels. (example) ----------.
A detailed entry form set out to discover the thought processes the entrants had used before they selected their new uniforms. (8) ____. In addition to price and style the judges wanted to know how the organisation introduced the new look and what lessons it had learnt.
The Country Hotel Group was looking for a uniform that was comfortable to wear and presented a relaxed country image to guests. The firm admits to placing a great emphasis on the clothing and appearance of its staff. (9) ____. A brief was issued to a number of companies who then had to present their ideas in a fashion show format to 50 employees. After the design was chosen, one hotel tried out the uniform for three months. (10) ____
The aim of the new uniform at Goring Residential Management College was to make staff instantly recognisable to course participants. The chosen design from Classy Rags established a clear corporate image at the college. There were many different outfits but only three fabrics had been used throughout the range and therefore the uniform was easily recognisable. One of the judges in the competition, fashion journalist Sally Bain, was also impressed with the value for money aspect of the uniforms. (11) ____
At Major Hotels a new uniform was needed to replace the old one which was considered to be ‘old-fashioned and unattractive.’ The new design was well received by the reception staff of the hotel chain. (12) ____. The new bottle-green uniforms were selected from Rayner Corporate Clothing. It was felt that it was a functional choice of colour and made a pleasant change from the more traditional black.
Do not use any letter more than once.
A. Feedback was then collected from staff at the hotel and minor changes were made before the uniform was introduced across all hotels.
B. The award will be presented to the competition winners at The Career and Workwear Show which will be held at Business Design Centre in London.
C. They all believe that its introduction has led to a modern, more professional corporate image and greater confidence among them.
D. One entry predicted that uniform fabrics would incorporate security aids which are read by sensors on doors and only allow access to authorised personnel.
E. In her opinion this had been achieved at half the cost of the other entries, with the average cost per person being £201,and each uniform being expected to last two years.
F. It asked why the uniform was introduced, who it was designed to be worn by, and how the firm went about selecting a supplier.
G. She felt that the head receptionist at the hotel should be asked to put forward the views and preferences of the team.
H. In its entry it said:‘Substantial investment has been made in this uniform because uniforms are seen as a very important area.’
I. One reason for this is that all three proved to the judges that they had thoroughly researched their choice of new uniforms.
4、
Questions 8 - 12
·Read this advertisement about business book reviews.
·Choose the best sentence from the opposite page to fill each of the gaps.
·For each gap 8 - 12, mark one letter A - I on your Answer Sheet.
·Do not mark any letter twice.

A) These introductory texts are the most important books and using them can pay big dividends.
B) Discover practical tips and techniques you can apply without delay.
C) In order to avoid this problem, we select for you only the truly worthwhile titles and reject the rest.
D) According to studies published in psychology journals, you retain the content of a summary better than a book.
E) He or she would take the most important ideas from each one, and compile them into a neat executive summary.
F) With the breadth and depth of knowledge gained from books, it is less likely that you'll be caught off guard.
G) Each contains all the key points in the original book, but instead of 200 to 500 pages there are only eight pages.
H) There's a sample of the superb business titles that we summarise for you.
I) With all the reading you have to do in the normal course of your work, you find it impossible to keep up with all the new business books.
5、
Questions 8-12
·Read this text on Dave’s dream.
·Choose the best sentence from the Opposite page 68 to fill each of the gaps.
·For each gap 8-12, mark one letter A - I on your Answer Sheet.
·Do not mark any letter twice.
Icon Acoustics: Bypassing Tradition
Like most entrepreneurs, Dave Fokos dreams a lot. He imagines customers eagerly phoning Icon Acoustics in Billerica, Massachusetts, to order his latest, custom-made stereo peakers ____example____
Like most entrepreneurs, Dave has taken a long time to develop his dream. ____(8)____ Dave discovered that he had a strong interest in studio engineering, He took independent-study courses in this area and by graduation had designed and built a pair of marketable stereo speakers. Following graduation, Dave pursued his interest in audio engineering. He landed a job as a loudspeaker designer with Conrad-Johnson, a high-end audio-equipment manufacturer headquarters in Fairfax, Virginia ____(9)____
Dave identified a market niche that he felt other speaker firms had overlooked ____(10)____These affluent, well-educated customers are genuinely obsessed with their stereo equipment. ‘They’d rather buy a new set of speakers than eat,’ Dave observes.
Dave faced one major problem---how to distribute Icon’s products. He had learned from experience at Conrad-Johnson that most manufacturers distribute their equipment primarily through stereo dealers. Dave did not hold a high opinion of most such dealers; he felt that they too often played hardball with manufacturers, forcing them to accept thin margins. ____(11)____This kept those firms that offered more customized products from gaining access to the market. Perhaps most disturbing, Dave felt that the established dealers often sold not what was best for customers, but whatever they had in inventory that month.
Dave dreamed of offering high-end stereo loudspeakers directly to the audio-obsessed, bypassing the established dealer network. ____(12)____ “My vision for the future is one where all manufacturers sell their products directly to end user. In this way, even the audiophiles in Dead Horse, Alaska, can have access to all that the audio-manufacturing community has to offer.”
Example: I.
A. At the age of 28, Dave set out to turn his dreams into reality.
B. Furthermore, the dealers concentrated on only a handful of well-known producers
C. Who provided mass-produced models.
D. The firms tend to plow their money in to developing their products and have little left over to market them.
E. Within four years, Dave had designed 13 speaker models and decided to start his own company.
F. To serve the audio-addicts segment, Dave offers only the highest-quality speakers.
G. It all began while majoring in electrical engineering at Cornell.
By going directly to the customers, Dave could avoid the dealer markups and offer top-quality products and service at reasonable price.
H. This niche consisted of “audio-addicts”----people who love to listen to music and appreciate first-rate stereo equipment.
I. He sees sales climbing , cash flowing, and hundreds of happy workers
Striving to produce top-quality products that delight Icon’s customers.
6、
Questions 8 - 12
Read this advertisement about business book reviews.
Choose the best sentence from the opposite page to fill each of the gaps.
For each gap 8 - 12, mark one letter A - I on your Answer Sheet.
Do not mark any letter twice.

A) These introductory texts are the most important books and using them can pay big dividends.
B) Discover practical tips and techniques you can apply without delay.
C) In order to avoid this problem, we select for you only the truly worthwhile titles and reject the rest.
D) According to studies published in psychology journals, you retain the content of a summary better than a book.
E) He or she would take the most important ideas from each one, and compile them into a neat executive summary.
F) With the breadth and depth of knowledge gained from books, it is less likely that you'll be caught off guard.
G) Each contains all the key points in the original book, but instead of 200 to 500 pages there are only eight pages.
H) There's a sample of the superb business titles that we summarise for you.
I) With all the reading you have to do in the normal course of your work, you find it impossible to keep up with all the new business books.
7、
Questions 17-20
• Using the information in the text, complete each sentence 17-20 with a phrase A-G from the list below.
• For each question 17-20, mark one letter (A-G) on your Answer Sheet.
• Do not use any letter more than once.
17 Most people agree that the recent increase in stress is due to changes in ____________.
18 The trainees are taught that the right level of stress at work is important for good.
19 Trainees learn that one way of limiting stress is by deciding upon.
20 One of the most important parts of the course is learning how to react to___
A levels of performance
B shorter deadlines
C employment practices
D higher levels of sickness
E unfair demands
F successful management structure
G practical targets
8、
PART TWO
Questions 8-12
•Read the extract below from an article about the coffee industry.
•Choose the best sentence from the list on the opposite page to fill each of the gaps.
•For each gap 8-12, mark one letter (A-I)on your Answer Sheet.
•Do not use any letter more than once.
Coffee is worth approximately $50-60bn per annum in terms of world sales. It is a truly international commodity, and today more than 50 countries in the world grow coffee beans. (example) ______I_____. ICO organization helps coffee producers and promotes coffee conumption worldwide.ICO estimates that world production next year will reach 97.5 million bags.11.3 million bags higher than the current year. (8) ____________. As the largest producing country, Brazil is particularly important in the coffee world. In 1994 Brazil was responsible for 25% of world production, Colombia was next with 13.4%, Indonesia had 7.5%, Mexico 4.7%, Guatemala 3.8% and Ethiopia and Vietnam were equal with 3.4%.Coffee is a tough crop, and can be grown in areas where it is difficult or impossible to grow other crops. (9) However, disease is always problem for coffee production, as we can see in some parts of South America at the moment.ICO is active in educating farmers about avoiding disease and dealing with problems when they occur.The distribution chain varies from country to country, explains Pablo Dubois. In most countries the smaller farmers sell their crop to a local trader, who then sells it on to exporters. There are, however, other distribution systems. (10) ____________. Some countries, like Vietnam, have special government marketing organizations for coffee.Coffee prices often vary greatly from one year to the next. In 1997, for example, there was a large rise in the world price, which was immediately felt by the consumer. Rising prices always result in a drop in sales, which will have a bad effect on those developing countries, which are highly dependent on foreign exchange from coffee exports. (11)____________.In the opinion of Pablo Dubois, the biggest problem for his organisation is to create greater consumer awareness of the different varieties of coffee and different ways of preparing it. (12)____________. ICO is therefore concentrating its promotional activities on Russia and China. It is also encouraging environmentally friendly coffee production, and last year's seminar on coffee and the environment created a lot of interest.The future looks bright for the coffee industry. It is estimated that consumption over the next few years will continue to rise steadily. New markets like Eastern Europe and China are expected to develop fast.
A. As a result, the membership now represents 94% of all exporters and 60% of all importers.
B. In some of these countries, this can amount to as much as 50% of all export earning.
C. In North America, most consumers already have above average knowledge of the range available.
D. For example, frost and wind are particularly damaging to coffee crops.
E. Larger coffee growers, for example, frequently export directly.
F. The main reason for this is higher Brazilian output as production recovers from weather damage to crops.
G. It is cultivated in mountain regions which can only be reached by animal transport, and in other difficult areas where modern agricultural equipment cannot be used.
H. This is because there is a demand for coffee in Germany, and it is also sold in the UK and in the US.
I. This make the coffee industry fairly universal, according to Pablo Dubois, Head of the International Coffee Organisation (ICO), based in London.
簡答題
9、 • Read the article below about the winner of a business award .
• In most of the lines 34-45 there is one extra word . It is either grammatically incorrect or
doesn’t fit in the meaning of the text . Some lines, however, are correct .
• If a line is correct , write CORRECT on your Answer Sheet .
• If there is a extra word in the line , write the extra word in CAPITAL LETTER on your Answer Sheet.
• The exercises begins with two examples , (0) and (00) .
Examples
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BUSINESS MANAGEMENT |
0 Many organizations are seeking to take advantage of flatter management 00 structures by moving through to self-managed teams. In our experience, these 34 teams produce us very impressive results. However, as the companies 35 we work with can tell to you, they are neither a ‘soft option ’ nor a ‘quick fix’. 36 self-managed teams operate in dramatically different ways from the other 37 teams and they can only succeed in if the organizational culture, along with a 38 number of systems and procedures, are been re-shaped. Thus, changing to 39 self-managed teams requires not only most top level support but a clear 40 understanding of the concept which at all levels. Often staff who find themselves 41 at the lower levels of a traditional structure imagine that by operating in self- 42 managed teams simply means by that they will be free to do what they want 43 without having to be obey the orders of upper management and this simply is 44 not the case. One of the most important areas we address with our clients 45 is the need to re-educate staff with a regard to the practical meaning of the Word ‘team’. Such re-education is required from shop floor to board level. |
10、• Read the article below about the winner of a business award .
• In most of the lines 34-45 there is one extra word . It is either grammatically incorrect or
doesn’t fit in the meaning of the text . Some lines, however, are correct .
• If a line is correct , write CORRECT on your Answer Sheet .
• If there is a extra word in the line , write the extra word in CAPITAL LETTER on your Answer Sheet.
• The exercises begins with two examples , (0) and (00) .
Examples
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PERSONAL ASSISTANT OF THE YEAR |
0 Anne-Marie Garrard was shocked when it was announced that she had won the 00 Personal Assistant of the Year award . “The other candidates seemed me 34 to be very strong , and I have to say I found that the selection procedure really 35 hard.” she says. “I don’t think I had any of chance of winning. When I heard my 36 name , my legs were so weak I could only hardly stand up .”she laughs. So 37 how is “the best” personal assistant chosen from a group of so extremely good 38 and very different from individuals ? The final decision was reached after 39 day-long session of tests , interviews and exercises . Garrard believes of 40 the skills she uses in her job helped her how to perform well. For instance ,although 41 most of her work is for her company’s Managing Director , she works for six bosses 42 in all , so she always tried out to be prepared for anything that might happen. 43 As for the future , her firm has close up for its summer break ; as soon as 44 they will open again , there is a pay rise waiting for her . But Garrard is 45 going to be relax . She says , “There’s always room for personal development. You must keep trying to improve. |