1、剑桥商务英语中级模拟42剑桥商务英语中级模拟42READINGPART ONERead the following passage consisting of four paragraphs (A-D.Which paragraph (A, B, C or D. does each statement (1-7) refer to?For each sentence, mark one letter (A, B, C or D. on your Answer Sheet.You will need to use some of these letters marc than once.Conv
2、ersations Can Be the Key to a Managers Success A. Retaining top talent is one of the greatest challenges in todays corporate world. And managers play a critical role in influencing an employees decision to stay with, or leave, a company. So what can managers do to help? They should listen. Smart man
3、agers realize they have to make listening a priority. If they dont, team members may become disgruntled and Use other channels to communicate their messages which can send ripples throughout an organization. Managers who lack opportunities to listen, really listen, to the issues expressed by team me
4、mbers, can create opportunities through regular conversations. B. How often should you have conversations? Depending on the size of your team, have at least one or two uninterrupted conversations a month with each team member. Having regular conversations will go a tong way to establish trust and bu
5、ild healthy relationships between you and your team members. These informal meetings typically last half an hour or so. They allow you to stay on top of important issues, to be more attuned to the individuals needs and goals and to offer ongoing support. Frequent one-on-one meetings can also help to
6、 eliminate any surprises to you or the other person. C. With so much going on in the workplace, it may be challenging, to concentrate on the issue that needs the most attention. Avoid tangential issues. As a manager, your time is limited, so make the most of it. Being clear about the objective of th
7、e conversation will help to keep the discussion on track. Remember what may be an important issue to a team member may be less so to you: however, the individual may need your support working through that issue to focus on more important goals. D. Keep the discussion focused on the future what needs
8、 to happen and what is likely to happen. This is not the time to get bogged down in what has happened in the past or to review performance history. Instead the conversation should be designed to help the ream member move forward and take action on specific issues that are most relevant. Take a colla
9、borative approach to exploring possibilities.1、 A manager should have a clear goal before talking to employees.2、 People in management positions can listen to employees through regular conversations.3、 Regular conversations enable managers to understand employees needs and goals.4、 The conversation
10、should be specific and relevant to employees issues.5、 Intelligent managers are aware of the great importance of listening to employees.6、 Conversations should not dwell on the past.7、 Trust can be built through frequent conversations, but it may take a long time.PART TWOead the article below about
11、a psychologists advice to managers.hoose the best sentence from below the passage to fill each of the gaps.or each gap (8-12) , mark one letter (A-G. on your Answer Sheet.o not use any letter more than once.Insight into Management PsychologyIf overflowing in-trays frighten you or solving problems ma
12、kes you sweat, theres a new range of business books called The Management Guides that you can turn to with confidence. Theyre short, pocket-sized, and very reasonably priced at 2.99 each. In addition, theyre written in accessible language by Kathy Harman, a chartered occupational psychologist who he
13、ads her own London 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 pag
14、es 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
15、 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 youre not used lo communicating effectively or delegating work. She adds. Its all very well managing are
16、as 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 rel
17、ationships 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 youve ever managed anyone. she says, youll know that youre not allowed to be fed up because w
18、hen the staff come to you, they dont 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 most senior managers have had stone kind of ps
19、ychological training, while in this country mom managers get their management psychology second-hand by listening to other managers. The overall message from Harman is a simple one. and its got nothing m do with technology or databases. 12 More and more managers, site says, are realizing this and be
20、ginning to appreciate that without the right staff at all levels, you really havent 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 doesnt n
21、ecessarily make you a good manager.C. This question that most of them ask is, Can we actually afford a management training course?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. Its about creating a working environm
22、ent 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 quotes, This book is for those who would like to manage better but arc too busy to begin.G. Theyre short, pocket-sized, and very reasonably priced at 2.99
23、 each.PART THREERead the following article about investing in shares and the questions below the passage.For each question (13-18), mark one letter (A, B, C or D. on your Answer Sheet for the answer you choose.Tips for Buying Shares Investing in the stock market has always been more profitable than
24、putting money info a traditional savings account. However, it is only in the last few years that private share ownership has become accepted as a reliable form of investment. There are many reasons why more and more people are now buying shares. To begin with. the whole process is now far more flexi
25、ble and user-friendly and public awareness of investment products and their tax implications is a lot higher. Even more importantly, this awareness means people now realise that the medium to long term shares are far more profitable than deposit accounts. Today, people are also more likely to invest
26、 m a company for ethical reasons or as a show of support for that company. When deciding to invest in shares, it is essential to think about your objectives. In order to avoid an expensive mistake, you need to consider your existing short and long-term financial commitments and how quickly you expec
27、t to see a return on your investment. Most importantly, you need to decide the extent to which you are prepared to speculate and then select the investment products which best reflect your attitude towards the perils inherent in any stock market investment Recently, newspapers have been full of stor
28、ies of investors realising massive profits. usually in connection with the flood of Internet companies that have issued shares in the last twelve months. Such companies, however, are anything but a safe investment. Although people have been attracted by phenomenal rate at which these companies are e
29、xpanding, many investors have seen their shares fall well below the issue price within months of buying them. Private investors unwilling to tolerate high levels of risk can buy shares in blue chip companies, which are established organisations such as banks or large international corporations. Alth
30、ough such an investment may minimise risks, it also limits the potential profits. Some investors try to remove the element of risk by closely monitoring stock market movements on a daily basis or by paying a regular sum into a managed fund over a long period of time. However. no matter how carefully
31、 people follow the markets or what expert advice they receive, statistics show that the safest option is to spread risk by investing in a wide range of different companies across different sectors. As a first-time investor, it is vital to seek professional advice. Consultants can provide information
32、 on how to invest in the most attractive companies. They can explain how stocks. shares and bonds actually work. how much each type of investment costs and. most importantly, which products best match their clients requirements. One reliable way of managing investments is through a broker. An alternative method is to deal in shares on the Internet. This incurs none of the regular brokers commission and investors can therefore easily afford to buy and sell shares more
