2017年BEC中级阅读模拟训练试题（27）

2017年BEC中级阅读模拟训练试题（27）

　　阅读第一篇：

　　Let me send you our brochure’ is probably the most commonly used phrase in business. But all too often, it can spell the end of a customer enquiry because many brochures appear to be produced not to clarify and to excite but to confuse. So what goes wrong and how can it be put right? Too often, businesses fail to ask themselves critical questions like, ’Who will the brochure be sent to?’ ’What do we want to achieve with it?’ The truth is that a brochure has usually been produced for no other reason than that the competition has one.

　　However, with a little research, it often transpires that what the client wants is a mixture: part mail shot, part glossy corporate brochure and part product catalogue - a combination rarely found. Having said that, the budget is likely to be finite. There may not be enough money to meet all three marketing needs, so the first task is to plan the brochure, taking into account the most significant of these. The other requirements will have to be met in a different way. After all, introducing the company’s product range to new customers by mail is a different task from selling a new season’s collection to existing customers.

　　The second task is to get the content right. In 95 per cent of cases, a company will hire a designer to oversee the layout, so the final product looks stylish, interesting and professional; but they don’t get a copywriter or someone with the right expertise to produce the text, or at least tidy it up - and this shows. A bigger failing is to produce a brochure that is not customer focused. Your brochure should cover areas of interest to the customer, concentrating on the benefits of buying from you.

　　Instead, thousands of brochures start with a history lesson, ’Founded in 1987, we have been selling our products .. I can assure you that customers are never going to say to themselves, ’They’ve been around for 20 years - I’ll buy from them.’ It’s not how long you’ve been in business that counts, it’s what you’ve done in that time. The important point to get across at the beginning is that you have a good track record. Once this has been established, the rest of the brochure should aim to convince customers that your products are the best on the market.

　　It is helpful with content to get inside the customer’s head. If your audience is young and trendy, be creative and colourful. As always, create a list of the benefits that potential customers would gain from doing business with you, for example, product quality, breadth of range, expertise of staff and so on. But remember that it is not enough just to state these; in order to persuade, they need to be spelt out. One possibility is to quote recommendations from existing customers. This also makes the brochure personal to you, rather than it simply being a set of suppliers’ photographs with your name on the front.

　　At the design stage, there are many production features that can distinguish your brochure from the run of the mill. You may think that things like cutouts or pop-ups will do this for you and thus make you stand out, or you may think they just look like designer whims that add cost. Go through all the options in detail. One of them might be that all-important magical ingredient.

　　13 What point does the writer make about brochures in the first paragraph?

　　A Customer expectations of them are too high.

　　B They ought to be more straightforward in design.

　　C Insufficient thought tends to go into producing them.

　　D Companies should ensure they use them more widely.

　　14 The writer’s advice to companies in the second paragraph is to

　　A produce a brochure to advertise new product lines.

　　B use a brochure to extend the customer base.

　　C accept that a brochure cannot fulfil every objective.

　　D aim to get a bigger budget allocation for producing brochures.

　　15 In the third paragraph, which of the following does the writer say would improve the majority of brochures?

　　A better language and expression

　　B better overall appearance

　　C more up-to-date content

　　D more product information

　　16 In the introduction to a brochure, the writer advises companies to focus on

　　A their understanding of the business environment.

　　B the range of products they offer.

　　C their unique market position.

　　D the reputation they have built up.

　　17 When discussing brochure content in the fifth paragraph, the writer reminds companies to

　　A consider old customers as well as new ones.

　　B provide support for the claims they make.

　　C avoid using their own photographs.

　　D include details of quality certification.

　　18 What does ’run of the mill’ in line 67 mean?

　　A eye-catching

　　B complicated

　　C stylish

　　D ordinary

　　阅读第二篇：

　　You can negotiate virtually anything. Projects, resources, expectations and eadlines are all outcomes of negotiation. Some people negotiate deals for a living. Dr Herb Cohen is one of these professional talkers, called in by companies to negotiate on their behalf . He approaches the art of negotiation as a game because, as he is usually negotiating for somebody else, he says this helps him drain the emotional content from his conversation. He is working in a competitive field and needs to avoid being too adversarial. Whether he succeeds or not, it is important to him to make a good impression so that people will recommend him.

　　The starting point for any deal, he believes, is to identify exactly what you want from each other. More often than not, one party will be trying to persuade the other round to their point of view. Negotiation requires two people at the end saying ‘yes”. This can be a problem because one of them usually begins by saying “no”. However, although this can make talks more difficult, this is often just a starting point in the negotiation game. Top management may well reject the idea initially because it is the safer option but they would not be there if they were not interested.

　　It is a misconception that skilled negotiators are smooth operators in smart suits. Dr Cohen says that one of his strategies is to dress down so that the other side can relate to you. Pitch your look to suit your customer. You do not need to make them feel better than you but, For example, dressing in a style that is not overtly expensive or successful will make you more approachable. People will generally feel more comfortable with somebody who appears to be like them rather than superior to them. They may not like you but they will feel they can trust you.

　　Dr Cohen suggests that the best way to sell your proposal is by getting into the world of the other side. Ask questions rather than give answers and take an interest in what the other person is saying, even if you think what they are saying is silly. You do not need to become their best friends but being too clever will alienate them. A lot of deals are made on impressions. Do not rush what you are saying---put a few hesitations in , do not try to blind them with your verbal dexterity. Also, you should repeat back to them what they have said to show you take them seriously.

　　Inevitably some deals will not succeed. Generally the longer the negotiations go on, the better chance they have because people do not want to think their investment and energies have gone to waste. However , joint venture can mean joint risk and sometimes , if this becomes too great , neither party may be prepared to see the deal through . More common is a corporate culture clash between companies, which can put paid to any deal. Even having agreed a deal, things may not be tied up quickly because when the lawyers get involved, everything gets slowed down as they argue about small details.

　　De Cohen thinks that children are the masters of negotiation. Their goals are totally selfish. They understand the decision-making process within families perfectly. If Mum refuses their request , they will troop along to Dad and pressure him. If al else fails, they will try the grandparents, using some emotional blackmail. They can also be very single-minded and have an inexhaustible supply of energy for the cause they are pursuing. So there are lesson to be learned from watching and listening to children.

　　1、 Dr Cohen treats negotiation as a game in order to

　　A put people at ease

　　B remain detached

　　C be competitive

　　D impress rivals

　　2、 Many people say “no” to a suggestion in the beginning to

　　A convince the other party of their point of view

　　B show they are not really interested

　　C indicate they wish to take the easy option

　　D protect their company’s situation

　　3、 Dr Cohen says that when you are trying to negotiate you should

　　A adapt your style to the people you are talking to

　　B make the other side feel superior to you

　　C dress in a way to make you feel comfortable.

　　D try to make the other side like you

　　4、According to Dr Cohen, understanding the other person will help you to

　　A gain their friendship

　　B speed up the negotiations

　　C plan your next move.

　　D convince them of your point of view

　　5、 Deals sometimes fail because

　　A negotiations have gone on too long

　　B the companies operate in different ways

　　C one party risks more than the other.

　　D the lawyers work too slowly

　　6、 Dr Cohen mentions children’s negotiation techniques to show that you should

　　A be prepared to try every route

　　B try not to make people feel guilty

　　C be careful not to exhaust yourself

　　D control the decision-making process.