BEC Vantage Mock 2 Reading Part one Question 1 - 7 Read these sentences and the following job description. Which position does each sentence 1-7 describe? For each sentence, mark one letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet. This job would be unsuitable if were looking for long-term employment. In this job, you would have to report to more than one person. In this job, the official working hours will change from week to week. Previous experiences are actually not required for this job. The successful applicant must be prepared to work long hours for this job. This company likes to promote people from within the firm. The knowledge of computer skills would help you get this job. Marketing Secretary We are seeking a brilliantly organized and mature department secretary to act as PA to the Head of Marketing and provide administrative support to three other busy department heads. He successful applicant must have strong secretarial skill and knowledge of up-to date information technology. A good sense of humor and excellent communication skills are essential.   Science Marketing Assistant This position would suit a recent science graduate with an interest in developing a career in marketing in publishing environment. Marketing experience is preferable but not essential as full training will be given. The company also has a strong internal recruitment policy.   Assistant Museum Manager Reporting directly to the Manager. Your role will to help improve visitor services. The flexible 35-hour week will regularly involve working weekends and evenings. Previous experience of working in a similar role is   International Management Consultant Suitable bilingual applicants will have worked in a similar position here or abroad for at least two years. Excellent communication and presentation skills are vital, as is the willingness to invest the necessary time in order to succeed in a highly competitive and challenging market.   Part Two Questions 8 - 12 Read the text. Choose the best sentence from the list A - I to fill each of the banks. For each bank 8 - 12, mark one letter A - I on your answer sheet. Don’t mark any letter twice. The nature of money See if you can locate a ﹩5,﹩10, or ﹩20 bill printed before 1964 and marked ‘Federal Reserve Note’ over the portrait. In the upper-left portion above the seal, a statement written in fine print says the note is legal tender (法定货币) and that it “is redeemable （可兑现的） in lawful money at the United States Treasury（美国财政部）, or at any Federal Reserve Bank.” Does this mean that the bill is not lawful? At the button center the same bill says, “Will pay to the bearer on demand X dollars.” (8) _____. (9) _____ Many people believe that money has no value unless (10) _____ They think the Federal Reserve note is only a symbol for money, and that real money is precious metal backing the note. Some people look on money as wealth and believe that it must have intrinsic（内在的）value. If we were to study the history of money, we should find that (11) _____ Cattle, shell, beads (珠子), tobacco leaves, and various metals—including iron, zinc（锌），bronze (青铜), and copper — have all been used as a basis of exchange. The precious metals, particularly silver and gold, have proved most satisfactory for this purpose and have been most commonly used in modern times. Until early 1968, the United States backed its Federal Reserve Notes with 25 percent gold, but this did not mean that (12) _____ Clearly, it is not what money is but it does that is important.   It is backed by gold or silver. In different places and at different times a variety of things have been used as money. Money can have various forms. Citizens could use gold as money or convert paper dollar to gold. Therefore, the precious metals can be taken as money. Have you ever examined your paper money closely? So, not only the gold but also the bill are legal tender. Does it mean that your X—dollar bill is not X dollars? I. Much confusion exists about the real nature of money. Part Three Questions 13 - 20 Read this article about work and boredom and answer questions 13 to 20 that follow. Work and Boredom There is certainty much work, which is extremely troublesome, and an excess of work is always very painful. I think, however, that provided work is not excessive in amount, even the dullest is to most people less painful than idleness. Accordingly the more intelligent rich men work nearly as hard as if they were poor, while rich women for the most part keep themselves busy with innumerable trifles of whose earth-shaking importance they are firmly persuaded. Work therefore is desirable; first and foremost, as a prevention of boredom, for the boredom that a man feels when he is doing necessary though uninteresting work is nothing in comparison with the boredom that a man feels when was nothing to do with his days. With this advantage of work is another associated, namely that it makes holidays much more delicious when they come. Provided a man does not have to work so hard as to impair his vigor, he is likely to find far more zest in his free time than an idle man could possibly find. The second advantage of most paid work and some unpaid work is that it gives chances of success and opportunities for ambition. In most work success is measured by income, and while our capitalistic society continues, this is inevitable. It is only where the best work is concerned that this measure ceases to be the natural one to apply. The desire that men feel to increase their incomes is quite as much a desire for success as for the extra comforts that a higher income can obtain. However dull work may be, it becomes bearable if it is a means of building a reputation, whether in the world at largely or only in one’s own circle. Continuity of purpose is one of the most essential ingredients of happiness in the long run, and for most men this comes chiefly through their work. In this respect those women whose lives are occupied with housework are much less fortunate than men, or than women who work outside the home. The domesticated wife does not receive wages, and no means of bettering herself, is taken for granted by her husband (who sees practically nothing of what she does), and is valued by him not for her housework but for quite other qualities. Of course this does not apply to those women who are sufficiently well—to—do to make beautiful houses and beautiful gardens and become the envy of their neighbors, but such women are comparatively few, and for the great majority housework cannot bring as much satisfaction as work of other kings brings to men and professional women. The satisfaction of killing time and of affording some outlet, however modest for ambition, belongs to most work and is sufficient to make even a man whose work is dull happier on the average than a man who has no work at all. But work is interesting; it is capable of giving satisfaction of a far higher order than mere relief from tedium.   Questions 13—16 For questions 13 - 16, choose the correct title for each paragraph from the box below. For each paragraph1 - 4 mark one letter A - G on your Answer Sheet. Do not mark any letter twice. 13. Paragraph1… 14. Paragraph2… 15. Paragraph3…. 16. Paragraph4…. The satisfaction of Killing Time Brought about by Work Even the Dullest Work is Better than Idleness Success Follow the Boring Work The First Advantage of Work Work Gives Chance of Success Example of Housewives Many Women also Go out for Work. 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 sentence 17 - 20 mark one letter A - G on your Answer Sheet. Do not mark any letter twice. 17. Doing dull work is … 18. One advantage of work is that … 19. When work is interesting… 20. There are some women who make their houses and gardens beautiful and become the envy of their neighbors but… Happiness comes from tedium work Far better than idleness It makes holidays much more delicious when they come Nothing is bad than idleness It is capable of giving satisfaction of a far higher order than mere relief from tedium Not all women want to work for earnings Such women are comparatively few Part Four Questions 21 - 35 Read this text. Choose the best word to fill each gap. For each question 21 - 35, mark one letter A, B, C or D on your Answer Sheet. One example has been given as an example. Importance of the Public Image Public image refers to how a company is viewed by its customers, suppliers, and stokeholds (股东) by the financial community, by the communities in which it operates, and by the federal and local example. Public image is controllable (21) _____ just as the product, price, place, and promotional efforts. A firm’s public image (22) _____ a vital role in the attractiveness of the firm and its products to employees, customers, (23) _____ to such outsiders as stockholders, suppliers, creditors (债权人), government officials, as well as diverse special groups. With some things it is (24) _____ to satisfy all the diverse public for example, a new highly automated (自动化的) plant may meet the approval of creditors and the stockholder, but (25) _____ will undoubtedly find resistance from employees whose (26) _____ threatened. On the other hand, high quality products and service standards should bring almost complete approval, (27) _____ low quality products and false claims would be widely looked down upon. A firm’s public image (28) _____ it is good, should be treasured and protected. It is a valuable asset that usually is built up over a long and satisfying relationship of a firm with its publics. If a firm has (29) _____ a quality image, this is not easily countered or imitated by competitors (30) _____ an image may enable a firm to charge higher prices, to woo the best distributors and dealers, to attract the employees, to expect the (31) _____ favorable creditor relationships and lowest borrowing costs. It should also allow the firm’s stock to command a higher price—earning ratio than (32) _____ firms in the same industry without such a good reputation and public image. (33) _____ of factors affect the public image of a corporation (34) _____ include physical facilities, contacts of outsiders with the company employees, product quality and dependability（可靠性）, prices (35) _____ competitors, customer service, the kind of advertising and the media and programs used, and the use of the public relations and publicity.   Example: A. People B. government C. governments D. neighborhoods A B C D □ □ ■ □     21. A. at considerable extent B. to considerable extent C. to considerate extent D. at considerable extent 22. A establishes B. Plays C. makes D. obtains 23. A. but B. however C. and D. as 24. A. possible B. easy C. not impossible D. impossible 25. A they B. some C. it D. we 26. A. plant B. jobs C. machines D. themselves 27. A. while B. when C. as D. and 28. A. although B. if C. even if D. however 29. A. been B. developed C. found D. learned 30. A. With B. Such C. Like D. / 31. A. a more B. more C. most D. the most 32. A. the other B. other C. others D. another 33. A. A great deal B. Many C. A number D. An amount 34. A. They B. It C. Some D. Most 35. A. related to B. connected with C. relative to D. related with Part Five Section A Questions36 - 40 Read this text about negotiation. In most of the lines 36 - 40 there is one extra word, which does not fit in. One or two lines, however, are correct. If the line is correct, put a tick (√) in the space on your Answer Sheet. If there s an extra word in the line, write that word in the space on your Answer Sheet. Example: Most of the world’s business in marine insurance is centered √ In London though whatever there are other important markets whatever Negotiation Diplomacy, friendliness and co—operation are important in selling. There’s widespread belief, which is probably true, that buyers ‘buy from those they like’ and that sellers 36 give a better deal to ‘those they like’. All salespeople have had a certain ‘fear’, 37 or reverence, for buyer they have the power to give or to withhold an order. 38 ‘Negotiation’ is also the part of the sale conversation where bargaining about the 39 conditions of an order takes place. It comes out at the end of the sales talk at the point 40 when the buyer is definitely interested. Because additional persuasion may be required, it’s important not to give away concessions while making the sales presentation.   Section B Questions41 - 45 A student has translated a piece of English materials in a Chinese newspaper back into English and asked you to check it. In each line there is one wrong word. For each numbered line (41 - 45) write the correct word in the space on your Answer Sheet. Example: There should not be any needy for tills request, need The Sharp FO-9000 works in three steps. First, you tell the machine 41. the size of the photo to be sent out, and the FO-9000 scans it onto their hard 42. disk. Then, the fax sends the data though the phone lines 43. to the fax in the other office. Finally, the second fax recreates the image. 44. The machine measures 16 inches height by 18 wide by 17 deep 45. and weight 88pounds. The price is high: $63,990 a pair, since what use is only one?   Writing Part One Question 46 You are the Chiefly Accountant for an Import Export Agency. You have seen an advertisement for a training course about a new financial management program. Write a memo of 30—40 words to your boss to include: ------ a request to go on the course ------ some details about the course (e.g. date, cost) ------- why you think the course will be useful- ------ write on your Answer Sheet. Part Two Question 47 Miss peters has placed an order with Mr. Frederic. This is the first order his company has ever got from her company. Mr. Frederic decides to keep his new customer and is thinking of increasing his company’s sales to her. ----- supposed you are a secretary of Mr. Frederic, he asked you to write this letter. ----- please write the letter. References Reading Part one 1. C “如果想寻求一个长期性的工作,这个职能是不适合你的”由C段最后一句可知。 2. A “你将给不止一个人做报告”由A段的第一句可知。 3. C “正式工作时间各周会有变化”C段第二句有“flexible” 4. B “这项工作不需先前的工作经历由”B段一句可知. 5. D “成功的求职者需有较长的工作时间作好准备”D段最后一句提到竞争激烈。 6. B “这家公司喜欢从内部提拔员工”由B段最后一句可知。 7. A “计算机知识有助于得到这分工作”A段第二句提到“information technology”. Part two 8. H 此段讲的是票据能否当货币。 9. I 从后文知，此段在讨论货币的属性问题。 10. A 后文提到，一些人认为，money是由贵金属支付的票据。 11. B 后文提到，很多东西 不同时候都作过货币用。 12. D 由常识也可知道，纸币不能随意兑换金银。 Part three 13. D 此段讲工作的好处。尽管有些乏味，但总比无聊强。 14. E 此段讲工作的第二个好处，从第一句可知。 15. F 此段讲的是house wife 的有关情况。 16. A A为此段的主要思想。 17. B 第一段是此段的主要思想。 18. C 答案在第二段二句话。 19. E 答案在最后一句话。 20. G 答案在倒数第二段。 Part four 21. B considerable 是“相当的”意思，而considerate是“考虑周到”的意思；英语中，‘在……程度上’的固定短语是to……extent, to 不能用at代替。 22. B play a role in……是固定短语，意思是：在……中起到作用。 23. C 本题需要对句子的意思及结构进行分析。The attractiveness of the firm and its products to……公司及产品对……的吸引，介词to的宾语是employees, customers; 在空格后又有一个to ,这个to和前一个是并列成分，它后面也有自己的宾语，这两个to结构要用连词相连，即，attractiveness to ……and to…… 24. D 根据后面的例子提供的内容，应该选impossible. 25. C 在选择代词是，要明确它代的是那一个词。句子中代替的是a new highly automated plant（一家高度自动化的工厂）所以选it. 26. B 根据上下文，应选jobs. 一家高度自动化的工厂可能受到贷款人和股东的赞许，但无疑会遭到职工的反对，因为他们看到，他们的工作受到了威胁；而不是他们本身受到威胁，不选themselves. 27. A 前半句说的是赞许，后半句说的嘲笑，可见句子的前后两部分行成对比，因而选while. 28. B A与C都会使句子在逻辑上发生问题，D是语法错误。 29. B 形象不能找到，也不能学到，故不选C和D. develop可解释为：形成，培养。 30. B A与C不符合语法规则。D 在意思上不对。 31. D 这个句子有几个并列的动词不定式。To charge ……，to attract……，to expect……，除了第一个动词后跟的是有形容词比较级修饰的名词外，其他三个动词都有最高级修饰的名词。根据前后的并列成分，应选最高级形式。 32. B 好的公众形象能让公司的股票拥有比同行业中其他公司更高的价格赢利率。如选A，即，the other firms,指特定的一些公司；others是代词,不能修饰名词。Another是“另一”的意思。只有other是正确的。 33. C 这里所给的四个短语和单词都有许多的意思，但a great deal of 和an amount of修饰不可数名词；如用many应是many factors。只有a number of是正确的。 34. A 这里的代词代替a number of factors,所以选they,而不能选别的。 35. C 影响公众形象的另一个因素是：相对于竞争对手的相对价格。A,B,D只有“相联系”的意思，C有相对于的意思，所以选C. Part five 36. had，此处的have 表示“有”而非完成时。 37. 无多余词。 38. also, 此处无“也”之意。 39. out, 此句意为“它出现于……”，out纯属多余。 40. 无多余词。 41. its，此文的FO-9000是一种复印机，所以their该为its. 42. through though是错词，应改为through。 43. another other改为another, other只可修饰复数名词。 44. high height改为high, height为名词。 45. weight weight改为weighs, weight是名词，应改为动词。 Writing Part one (Sample for reference) To The Managing Director (or similar title) From Chief Accountant Re Smart Finance training course Request I should like to attend this course about a new financial management program. Course details The course is on 23 September and costs US﹩500. Usefulness I think that attending this course will help me to do my job better in future. Part two (Sample for reference) Dear Miss Peters: For you first-time order, I want to thank you on behalf of the company. This is your initial order and I know of no greater kick a sales manager can get than the beginning of business with a new customer. The signing of an order is an expression of confidence, and I want to know that we are fully aware of the responsibility we have for maintaining that confidence. The most important thing to the buyer of any product is the supplying organization, its resources, its facilities, its reputation, and its standards of service. You have at your disposal every facility of our company. We would like to be useful to you beyond the mere necessities of business transaction. We appreciate your business. We want to continue to deserve it. Sincerely, Ali Frederic President