2016年商务英语BEC中级阅读理解指导（二）_第3页

　　( )2. The export of textiles .

　　A. has declined

　　B. has declined sharply

　　C. has increased slightly

　　D. has increased sharply

　　( )3. The export of basic materials .

　　A. has increased

　　B. has declined

　　C. has remained steady

　　D. has little changed

　　( )4. What is the most striking change in UK exports?

　　A. The swing away from the traditional Commonwealth markets and a growing dependence on the market in Western Europe.

　　B. Changes in the commodity composition of exports.

　　C. The increase of the share of manufactured goods and the decline of the share of basic materials.

　　D. the beneficial effect of the export of oil on the UK’s visible trade balance.

　　( )5. Which statement is not true?

　　A. UK is exporting more to Western Europe.

　　B. trade between UK and Western Europe has been the fastest growing sector of world trade.

　　C. UK will possibly import less oil over the next decade.

　　D. UK is exporting more chemicals.

　　Passage Two

　　Is a quiet revolution under way in the nation’s shopping habits? Are we gradually allowing an increasingly select number of large companies to take care of all our basic requirements? The supermarket chains certainly hope so. ‘People don’t have the time to shop around any more. If they’re happy with the quality of a company’s service, then they’re likely to buy other product types from them as well,’ says Jim Austin, an industry analyst.

　　With the major supermarket brands such as Tesco, J Sainsbury and Asda already offering financial services, credit cards, own-label clothing, mobile phones, and cut-price electrical goods including computers, Austin believes that the supermarkets’ diversification is set to continue.

　　‘The UK retail food market is saturated, so their only real prospect of growth is either to enter foreign markets or diversify into new markets at home..’ Tesco and J Sainsbury have done both. Having already bought foreign subsidiaries, both large supermarket chains have set up their own banks in order to offer customers financial services such as personal loans, mortgages and savings accounts.

　　Together, the two new banks took over ￡2bn of customer deposits within the first year of trading. ‘They are winning business by using a lower cost base to offer their customers better interest rates on savings than traditional banks,’ says Austin.

　　However, there are question marks over long-term profitability. The traditional providers say there is bound to come a point when the new banks will eventually want to widen margins and boost profits. ‘When they start to raise prices, they might create bad publicity, which could hurt their brand,’ says one observer. ‘How will a major supermarket react, for instance, when it is faced with having to repossess a regular shopper’s home?’

　　Shoppers, however, do not share these fears. A recent survey of 1,000 people by brand consultants Cook & Pearson concludes that shoppers will continue to buy a wider range of goods and services from supermarkets. Many people said that they would be prepared to buy a supermarket own-label car or even a house from a supermarket-branded estate agent. Interest was also shown in combining a food shopping trip with a visit to a supermarket dentist.