剑桥商务英语BEC高级阅读题精讲

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商务英语BEC高级阅读题精讲1

Problems in the IT industry

In the information technology industry, it is widely acknowledged that how well IT departments of the future can fulfil their business goals will depend not on the regular updating of technology, which is essential for them to do, but on how well they can hold on to the people skilled at manipulating the newest technology. This is becoming more difficult. Best estimates of the current shortfall in IT staff in the UK are between 30,000 and 50,000, and growing.

And there is no end to the problem in sight. A severe industry-wide lack of investment in training means the long-term skills base is both ageing and shrinking. Employers are chasing experienced staff in ever-decreasing circles, and, according to a recent government report, 250,000 new IT jobs will be created over the next decade.

Most employers are confining themselves to dealing with the immediate problems. There is little evidence, for example, that they are stepping up their intake of raw recruits for in-house training, or retraining existing staff from other functions. This is the course of action recommended by the Computer Software Services Association, but research shows its members are adopting the short-term measure of bringing in more and more consultants on a contract basis. However, this approach is becoming less and less acceptable as the general shortage of skills, coupled with high demand, sends contractor rates soaring. An experienced contract programmer, for example, can now earn at least double the current permanent salary.

With IT professionals increasingly attracted to the financial rewards and flexibility of consultancy work, average staff turnover rates are estimated to be around 15%. While many companies in the financial services sector are managing to contain their losses by offering skilled IT staff ’golden handcuffs’ - deferred loyalty bonuses that tie them in until a certain date - other organisations, like local governments, are unable to match the competitive salaries and perks on offer in the private sector and contractor market, and are suffering turnover rates of up to 60% a year.

But while loyalty bonuses have grabbed the headlines, there are other means of holding on to staff. Some companies are doing additional IT pay reviews in the year and paying market premiums. But such measures can create serious employee relations problems among those excluded, both within and outside IT departments. Many industry experts advise employers to link bonuses to performance wherever possible. However, employers are realising that bonuses will only succeed if they are accompanied by other incentives such as attractive career prospects, training, and challenging work that meets the individual’s long-term ambitions.

This means managers need to allocate assignments more strategically and think about advancing their staff as well as their business. Some employers advocate giving key employees projects that would normally be handled by people with slightly more experience or capability. For many employers, however, the urgency of the problem demands a more immediate solution, such as recruiting skilled workers from overseas. But even this is not easy, with strict quotas on the number of work permits issued. In addition, opposition to the recruitment of IT people from other countries is growing, as many professionals believe it will lead to even less investment in training and thus a long-term weakening of the UK skills base.

13 According to the first paragraph, the success of iT departments will depend on

A their success at retaining their skilled staff.

B the extent to which they invest in new technology.

C their attempts to recruit staff with the necessary skills.

D the ability of employees to keep up with the latest developments.

14 A problem referred to in the second paragraph is that

A the government needs to create thousands of new IT posts.

B the pool of skilled IT people will get even smaller in the future.

C company budgets for IT training have been decreasing steadily.

D older IT professionals have not had adequate training.

15 What possible solution to the long-term problems in the IT industry is referred to in the third paragraph?

A ensure that permanent staff earn the same as contract staff

B expand company training programmes for new and old employees

C conduct more research into the reasons for staff leaving

D offer top rates to attract the best specialist consultants

16 In some businesses in the financial services sector, the IT staffing problem has led to

A cash promises for skilled staff after a specified period of time.

B more employees seeking alternative employment in the public sector.

C the loss of customers to rival organisations.

D more flexible conditions of work for their staff.

17 Employers accept that IT professionals are more likely to stay in their present post if they

A are set more realistic performance targets.

B have a good working relationship with staff in other departments.

C are provided with good opportunities for professional development.

D receive a remuneration package at top market rates.

18 According to the final paragraph, the UK skills base will be weakened by

A changes to managers’ strategic thinking.

B insufficient responsibility being given to IT staff.

C the employment of IT staff with too little experience.

D the hiring of IT personnel from abroad.

商务英语BEC高级阅读题精讲2

Look at the statements below and the article about the development of future business leaders on the opposite page.

Which section of the article (A, B, C or D) does each statement (1-7) refer to?

For each statement (1-7), mark one letter (A, B, C or D) on your Answer Sheet.

You will need to use some of these letters more than once.

1 Managers need to take action to convince high-flyers of their value to the firm.

2 Organisations need to look beyond the high-flyers they are currently developing.

3 There is a concern that firms investing in training for high-flyers may not gain the benefits themselves.

4 Managers need expert assistance from within their own firms in developing high-flyers.

5 Firms currently identify high-flyers without the support of a guidance strategy.

6 Managers are frequently too busy to deal with the development of high-flyers.

7 Firms who work hard on their reputation as an employer will interest high-flyers.

The Stars of the Future

A Existing management research does not tell us much about how to find and develop high-flyers, those people who have the potential to reach the top of an organisation. As a result, organisations are left to formulate their own systems. A more effective overall policy for developing future leaders is needed, which is why the London Business School has launched the Tomorrow’s Leaders Research Group (TLRG). The group contains representatives from 20 firms, and meets regularly to discuss the leadership development of the organisations’ high-flyers.

B TLRG recognises just how significant line managers are in the process of leadership development. Unfortunately, with today’s flat organisations, where managers have functional as well as managerial responsibilities, people development all too often falls victim to heavy workloads. One manager in the research group was unconvinced by the logic of sending his best people away on development courses, ’only to see them poached by another department or, worse still, another firm’. This fear of losing high-flyers runs deep in the organisations that make up the research group.

C TLRG argues that the task of management is not necessarily about employee retention, but about creating ’attraction centres’. ’We must help line managers to realise that if their companies are known as ones that develop their people, they will have a greater appeal to high-flyers,’ said one advisor. Furthermore, selecting people for, say, a leadership development programme is a sign of commitment from management to an individual. Loyalty can then be more easily demanded in return.

D TLRG has concluded that a company’s HR specialists need to take action and engage with line managers individually about their role in the development of high-flyers. Indeed, in order to benefit fully from training high-flyers as the senior managers of the future, firms must actually address the development of all managers who will be supporting the high-flyers. Without this, managers will not be in a position to give appropriate advice. And when eventually the high-flyers do move on, new ones will be needed to replace them. The next challenge will be to find a new generation of high-flyers.

首先得搞明白的是这篇文章到底讲的什么。不用看具体内容，有两个地方直接告诉了。一个是题目说明的句话，另一个是正文的标题。从这两个地方就可以看出全文探讨的是公司未来接班人——也就是潜力股——的培养问题。

A段讲了TLRG这个贯穿全文的研究组织诞生的原因：现行的研究满足不了需要，于是大多数公司只能自己探索发掘接班人的模式;(即第五题的答案)

B段讲了直属经理(line managers)对于发掘接班人的重要性(真是干什么都要从基层抓起)，以及经理们的一些疑虑;

C段讲的是接班人问题对公司的重要性，并且应该让院线经理们明白这种重要性;

D段是针对前面列出的问题，提出的解决建议，什么专家协助等等。

整篇文章分为四个部分，层层递进，有很强的逻辑性。拿这样的文章来做阅读材料应该是相对容易把握的。

商务英语BEC高级阅读题精讲3

There is a commonly held view that the only way to get (0) decent pay increase is to move on: to go out into the job market and find someone (31) is prepared to pay you a figure more in line (32) the talents you can offer. Whilst changing employers from time (33) time is something we probably all need to do to advance our careers in the directions we want them to take, it is nevertheless an activity that carries quite definite risks. Irrespective of (34) well we research prospective employers, a new job is still largely a step into the unknown . It may turn (35) to be a good move or it could prove to be a complete disaster : most of us (36) had experience of both. The point here, though, is that changing employers is not something we want to be doing all the time and certainly not (37) time we feel the urge for better pay . We’d (38) taking more risks than we needed to just to achieve a pay rise. Getting a pay rise should always be viewed (39) a serious business. There are no quick fixes or gold methods with “ guaranteed “ results. Quick fixes only serve to trivialize the issues and could (40) some circumstances get you into very serous trouble indeed.

答案及解析：

关于加薪的文章，教你怎么样实现加薪。这道题目不难，但是抛开题目，单说文章里谈的加薪的方法，各位还是要辩证的看。要想人生份工作就找到自己满意的，是挺难，可是以加薪为目的跳槽，也未必是什么明智的好办法。

31题，太明显的定语从句，前面是someone，那么当然填入表示人的关系代词who。

32题，in line with，和什么一致，固定搭配，在中级的选词版完型里常考到这个词组。这句的意思是，找个一个愿意给你提供和你才能更加一致的薪水的人。

33题，from time to time，时不时的。changing employers from time to time，时不时的换老板。

34题，Irrespective of，同regardless of一样，后面接让步状语从句，不管我们对可能的雇主研究的多么好，新的工作都是一个未知数。用how well。

35题，turn out to be，固定用法。

36题，换工作，要么是个好的举措，要么将成为灾难。而我们大多数人这两种经历都有。有这种经历，是过去完成时，用have+done。

37题，理解前后文意思。换老板不是件我们经常愿意做的事情，并且也不是一想要加薪就要换老板。用every time，表示每次要加薪就准备换老板。

38题，这题有点难度，考验人的语法功底。首先这个句子是虚拟语气，We’d是we would的缩写，而不是we had。是表示对将来的假设，我们要承担更多的风险。所以用would be。

39题，比较明显的，view as，将什么视作什么。

40题，和circumstance相关的词组，很容易想到under/on some circumstance，在某种情况下。

商务英语BEC高级阅读题精讲4

Read the following article about business schools and the questions on the opposite page .

For each question 15 – 20 , mark one letter (A, B, C or D ) on your Answer Sheet for the answer you choose.

In terms of pure quantity of research and debate, business schools have performed amazingly in promoting management as a distinctive activity. No other discipline has produced as much in such a short period. It is unclear yet how much of it will stand the test of time, but for sheer industry, the business school deserve credit. Not a day goes by without another wave of research papers, books, articles, and journals.

In these terms, schools have produced a generally accepted theoretical basis for management. When it comes to knowledge creation, however, they find themselves in difficulties. They are caught between the need for academic rigour and for real-world business relevance, which tend to pull in opposite directions. The desire to establish management as a credible discipline leads to research that panders to traditional academic criteria. The problem for business school researchers is that they seek the approval of their academic peers rather than the business community. In the United States this has led to the sort of grand ‘paper clip counting’ exercises that meet demands for academic rigour but fail to add one iota to the real sum of human knowledge.

Business schools have too often allowed the constraints of the academic world to cloud their view of the real world. Business school researchers seek provable theories – rather than helpful theories. They have championed a prescriptive approach to management based on analysis and, more recently, on fashionable ideas that soon disappear into the ether. The ‘one best way’ approach encourages researchers to mould the idiosyncrasies of managerial reality into their tightly defined models of behaviour. Figures and statistics are fitted into linear equations and tidy models. Economists and other social scientists label this cure smoothing. Meanwhile, reality continually refuses to co-operate.

Central to this is the tension between relevance and rigour. In a perfect world, there would be no need to choose between the two. But in the business school world, the need to satisfy academic criteria and be published in journals often tilts the balance away from relevance. In other words, it is often easier to pursue quantifiable objectives than it is to add anything useful to the debate about management. To a large extent, the entire business school system works against useful, knowledge-creating research. Academics have five years in which to prove themselves if they are to make the academic grade. It seems long enough. But it can take two or even three years to get into a suitable journal. They therefore have around three years, probably less, to come up with an area of interest and carry out meaningful and original research. This is a demanding timescale. The temptation must be to slice up old data in new ways rather than pursue genuinely groundbreaking, innovative research.

It is a criticism also made by some business school insiders. “Academic journals tend to find more and more techniques for testing more and more obscure theories. They are asking trivial questions and answering them exactly. There has to be a backlash,” says Julian Birkinshaw of London Business School. In large part, the problem goes back to a time when business schools were trying to establish themselves. Up until the 1960s, American business schools were dismissed as pseudo-academic institutions, including the universities of which they often formed a part, regarded them as a little more than vocational colleges. Since then, most of the leading schools have undergone major reassessments and introduced sweeping changes. However, it is questionable whether those changes have gone far enough.

15.What does the first paragraph suggest about the research generated by business schools?

A Its quality is variable.

B Its lasting value is uncertain.

C It has always been produced too quickly.

D It has had no influence on management.

16.In paragraph two, the writer argues that business school research

A takes a negative view of the business community.

B has failed to give credibility to management as a discipline.

C is directed at the wrong audience.

D does not stand up to academic scrutiny.

17.In the third paragraph, the writer criticizes the theories of management produced by business schools for being

A incomprehensible.