2013年BEC商务英语中级考试模拟试题卷及答案A

1. This course is for people with little or no experience of the topic.
2. You will learn what a lender can do if a company does not repay a loan.
3. Companies can decide where their employees will take the course.
4. You will learn to assess whether a business can pay back the money it owes.
5. This course will help you to deal with the paperwork involved in processing loans.
6. You will look at the legal    aspects of hiring equipment.
7. This course will concentrate on the laws that apply when a business borrows money.
A        Loans Administration
This course looks at the administrative functions of a bank's loans department, e.g. dealing with credit applications and keeping records of loan transactions. We will use real application forms of the type that administrative staff in loans departments regularly handle. It will be particularly useful for experienced staff with day-to-day administrative responsibility for loan portfolios. Although most clients choose to enjoy our beautiful premises, the course can be run at the client company or elsewhere.
B        Cashflow Analysis
On this advanced course you will build up a database of a company's cashflow over time and identify and interpret patterns of change. You will analyze the cashflow of a few sample companies and use your analysis to judge their ability to settle their debts. This course will help you perform an advanced cashflow analysis of your own company.
C        Loan Contracts
Open to anyone who completed our introductory course to legal contracts in business, this course looks at the legal principles involved when a company takes out a loan; and outlines how to take legal action against a company that defaults on its repayments. You will compare the interests and responsibilities of both parties to a loan contract.
D        Leasing & Asset Finance
This is a course for those new to leasing. It will provide you with a basic understanding of why companies prefer to lease property or machinery, rather than buy. You will learn about both the expenses and tax benefits of leasing and you will study a variety of lease agreements and the laws relating to them.
Part Two
Questions 8-12
The Psychology of Management
If overflowing in-trays frighten you or solving problems makes you sweat, there's a new range of business books called The Management Guides that you can turn to with confidence. (0)__G__. In addition, they're written in accessible language by Kathy Harman, a chartered occupational psychologist who heads her own London-based consultancy business. She says that the guides are intended for professionals working in small British companies, where thinking about management can be a low priority because of endless lists of other responsibilities.
(8)     After this initial message to the reader, the following pages contain sections on every aspect of business, from managing your own time and selecting employees to planning ahead for the future.
One of the reasons Harman wrote these guides was that she knows not every business is able to invest in training. The difficulty, especially for small businesses, is that, "People are professionals first and foremost and somehow they are just expected to pick up management skills as they go along." (9)    . And becoming one, she recognizes, is especially difficult if you're not used to communicating effectively or delegating work.
She adds, "It's all very well managing areas that you have control over and you can do all the planning you feel is necessary, but there are always going to be other people out there who do the most unexpected things," (10)     . Such a choice of approaches is essential to any business; this can only be achieved by managers having good, friendly relationships with all their staff and business contacts. "The important thing in management," says Harman, "is the human element."
Her advice to managers everywhere is to maintain professionalism at all times. "If you've ever managed anyone," she says, "you'll know that you're not allowed to be fed up because when the staff come to you, they don't want to know about your problems, they want their problems solved."
Harman feels confident about making such an analysis because of her years of training as an occupational psychologist. (11)    . "What you find there is that more senior managers have had some kind of psychological training, while in this country most managers get their management psychology second-hand by listening to other managers."
The overall message from Harman is a simple one, and it's got nothing to do with technology or databases. (12)     . "More and more managers," she says, "are realizing this and beginning to appreciate that without the right staff at all levels, you really haven't got a business. People are your principal resource."
A        And when they do, managers need a variety of strategies to fall back on.
B        This, of course, is unlikely to be easy, because being an expert in your field doesn't necessarily make you a good manager.
C        The question that most of them ask is ,"Can we actually afford a management training courses?"
D        Although this area of study is becoming more acceptable in the business world, Britain is a long way behind the rest of Europe.
E        It's about creating a working environment that promotes the well-being of everyone, from the post room to the board room.
F        This is illustrated at the beginning of each guide with the quote, "This book is for those who would like to manage better but are too busy to begin."
G        They're short, pocket-sized, and very reasonably priced at '2.99 each.
Part Three
Questions 13-18
The importance of good communication
Effective communication is essential for all organizations. It links the activities of the various parts of the organization and ensures that everyone is working toward a common goal. It is also extremely important for motivating employees. Staff need to know how they are getting on, what they are doing right and in which areas they could improve. Working alone can be extremely difficult and it is much easier if someone takes an interest and provides support. Employees need to understand why their job is important and how it contributes to the overall success of the firm. Personal communication should also include target setting. People usually respond well to goals, provided these are agreed between the manager and subordinate and not imposed.
However, firms often have communications problems that can undermine their performance. In many cases, these problems occur because messages are passed on in an inappropriate way. There are, of course, several ways of conveying information to others in the organization. These include speaking to them directly, e-mailing, telephoning or sending a memo. The most appropriate method depends on example, anything that is particularly sensitive or confidential, such as an employee's appraisal, should be done face-to-face.
One of the main problems for senior executives is that they do not have the time or resources needed to communicate effectively. In large companies, for example, it is impossible for senior managers to meet and discuss progress with each employee individually. Obviously this task can be delegated but at the cost of creating a gap between senior management and staff. As a result, managers are often forced to use other methods of communication, like memos or notes, even if they know these are not necessarily the most suitable means of passing on messages.
The use of technology, such as e-mail, mobile phones and network systems, is speeding up communication