1、剑桥商务英语中级真题阅读精选及答案2011年剑桥商务英语中级真题阅读精选1Questions 1-7Look 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)
2、 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 fo
3、r 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.
4、7 Firms who work hard on their reputation as an employer will interest high-flyers.The Stars of the FutureA 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, organisation
5、s 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 Tomorrows Leaders Research Group (TLRG). The group contains representatives from 20 firms, and meets regularly to discuss the l
6、eadership development of the organisations high-flyers.B TLRG recognises just how significant line managers are in the process of leadership development. Unfortunately, with todays flat organisations, where managers have functional as well as managerial responsibilities, people development all too o
7、ften 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 th
8、at 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 hi
9、gh-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 companys HR specialists need to take action and engage with
10、 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
11、 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。一个是题目说明的第一句话，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
12、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开掘接班人的模式；即第五题的答案B段讲了直属经理line managers对于开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。 题目解析：7个题干基本是将原文中的句子用另外的词语和句型表述出来，所以题干中的关键词都能在正文里 找到与之匹配的
13、，比方第四题题干里的expert对应D段的specialists,第六题的too busy to对应于B段里的heavy workloads，第七题的interest对应于C段的appeal。第一题说“经理们必须采取措施使潜力股们相信他们对公司的价值”，也就是要让潜力股们对公司忠诚，即C段说的creating “attraction centres”和loyalty。第二题说“组织必须把目光投向正在培养中的潜力股以外的地方”，即D段最后两句话所说的寻找新一代的潜力股。第三题和B段的最后一句话完全是一个意思：怕培养潜力股的投入收不回成本。第四题说开发潜力股，经理们需要在公司内部得到专家支持。答案
14、是D段的第一句话：公司的人力资源专家需要采取行动。HR specialists就是expert。第五题说公司现在没有在指导策略的支持下区分潜力股。也就是说公司是依靠自己来开掘人才的。答案是A段的第一句：现行的研究满足不了需要，所以公司只能形成自己的一套体系。第六题，经理们太忙了，无暇顾及潜力股的发展。答案是B段的：Unfortunately, with todays flat organisations, where managers have functional as well as managerial responsibilities, people development all t
15、oo often falls victim to heavy workloads.。不幸落在了高工作负荷的人的肩上。高工作负荷，也就是too busy。第七题，看重作为雇主名声的公司可以吸引潜力股。答案是C段的这么一句：if their companies are known as ones that develop their people, they will have a greater appeal to high-flyers。如果公司是以开发职工而著称的话，将会对潜力股产生更大的吸引。以开发职工而著称known as ones that develop their people，名
16、声很好，也就是看重自己作为雇主的名声。疑似生词：1、line managers 直属经理，业务经理2、flat organization 扁平化的组织，即企业中的单层管理组织对应的单词hierarchy 等级制的公司3、poach vt. (侵入他人地界)偷猎(或捕鱼), 水煮，剽窃，挖角eg: A rival firm poached our best computer programmers.我公司的竞争对手把我们最好的电脑程序编制员挖走了。4、runs deep 纯粹是想说一下那句著名的谚语：Still water runs deep静水流深。5、fall victim to 成为。的受
17、害者6、retention 保留，在文中指留住职工。是风险管理中常见的专业名词。2011年剑桥商务英语中级真题阅读精选2第四辑真题TEST2 READING RART 1Look at the statements below and the advice to businesses on the opposite page about using other companies to run their IT services.1、the need to teach skills to employees working on the outsourced process2、remember
18、ing the initial reason for setting up the outsourced project3、the need to draw up agreements that set out how integration is to be achieved4、addressing the issue of staff who work on the outsourced process being at a distant site5、the importance of making someone responsible for the integration proc
19、ess6、staff on the outsourced project familiarising themselves with various details of the business7、problems being associated with an alternative to outsourcingWhen a business decides to outsource its IT services, it needs to consider the question of integration. Four experts give their views.A.Gian
20、luca Tramcere, Silica SystemsAn outsourced IT service is never a fully independent entity. It is tied to the home companys previous and continuing systems of working. But despite the added responsibility of managing new ways of working, many businesses ignore the integration process. They fail to es
21、tablish contracts that define the ways in which the two companies will work alongside one another, and focus solely on the technological aspects of service delivery.B.Kevin Rayner, DomolaBusinesses need to build integration competency centres dedicated to managing the integration effort. It is criti
22、cal to have an individual in charge to check that the external and internal business operations work together. Although companies often think of outsourcing as a way of getting rid of people and assets, they need to remember that, at the same time, outsourcing involves gaining people. Because there
23、is a new operation being carried out in a different way outside of the home business, this creates a training element.C.Clayton Locke, Digital SolutionsCommunication is the key to success, and outsourcing to other regions or countries can lead to a range of problems. For any such initiative, it is n
24、ecessary to create a team where there is good, open communication and a clear understanding of objectives and incentives. Bringing people to the home location from the outsourced centre is necessary, since it can aid understanding of the complexities of the existing system. To integrate efficiently,
25、 outsourcing personnel have to talk to the home companys executives and users to understand their experiences.D.Kim Noon, J G TechOne way to avoid the difficulties of integration is to create a joint-venture company with the outsourcer. Thus, a company can swap its assets for a share of the profits.
26、 Yet joint ventures bring potential troubles, and companies should be careful not to lose sight of the original rationale for outsourcing: to gain cost efficiencies and quality of service in an area that for some reason could not be carried out entirely in-house. The complexities and costs of a join
27、t-venture initiative should not be underestimated. 这篇文章讲的是外购outsourcing,分别有四位专家就这个问题给出了自己的看法。A段的专家强调建立合同的重要性，B段专家认为要派专人负责，C段专家讲外派人员和本公司之间要有一个互动，D段专家讲如果与外包商outsourcer组成联合企业的话可能带来的一系列问题。如果对文章有个大概、基本的了解，很多题目不用细看就可以得出结论。第一题的答案稍微有些隐晦，在B段的最后一句。“Because there is a new operation being carried out in a diffe
28、rent way outside of the home business, this creates a training element.”因为新的操作是在本公司以外的地方以一种新的方式被执行，所以产生了培训成分。这里的training对应第一题的“teach skills to employees”。第二题的答案在D段中间: companies should be careful not to lose sight of the original rationale for outsourcing.这里的rationale是基本原理、根本原因的意思。第三题的答案在A段，非常明显的“est
29、ablish contracts”。第四段的答案是C段的最后一句话，outsourcing personnel have to talk to the home companys executives and users to understand their experiences.这里的talk to对应address，向.谈话。第四题的意思是“说明在远址工作的外购人员的事情”，也就是C段最后一句说的外购人员向公司汇报他们的经历。第五段的答案在B段，相当明显：It is critical to have an individual in charge to check that the e
30、xternal and internal business operations work together。需要派专人负责integration。第六题说“外派人员要熟悉自身工作的不同细节”，对应C段的“create a team where there is a clear understanding of objectives and incentives.”打造一个对目标和动机都有清晰理解的团队。第七题稍微绕一点。题目里的“an alternative to outsourcing”指的是D段里的“create a joint-venture company with the outs
31、ourcer”，建立一个联合企业。D段里的专家一直在强调联合企业的麻烦和复杂性joint ventures bring potential troubles，所以是正确答案。2011年剑桥商务英语中级真题阅读精选3第四辑真题TEST 2 READING PART 2Read the article below about the changing role of human resources departments.The best person for the jobEmployees can make a business succeed or fail, so the people w
32、ho choose them have avitalrole to play.Employees are a companys new ideas, its public face and its main asset. Hiring the right people is therefore a significant factor in a companys success.(0) G If the human resources department makes mistakes with hiring, keeping and dismissing staff, a business can disappear overnight. Many companies now realise that recruiting the best recruiters is the key to success.Sarah Choi, Head of HR at Enco pic, believes that thinking commercially is a key quality in HR. Every decision an HR manager m
