商务英语BEC初级备考练习题

2016年商务英语BEC初级备考练习题

　　1. Answer the questions on the text

　　1) What is Patagonia’s work environment like?

　　Patagonia has freeform work environments which have become common enough that barefoot employees, cavorting pets and organic chefs hardly merit a second glance. But the bicycles, the surfboards, the solar panels, the Tibetan prayer flags, the shed full of convalescing owls and hawks all suggest that it is not traditional corporate-land, either. The place is all business, but it's business conducted upside down and inside out. Simply put, it's radical.

　　2) How does Chouinard view average American businesses?

　　To Chouinard, the average suit ranks somewhere between alcoholic and criminal on the respect scale, and American business, when powered by the endless consumption and discarding of stuff, is unimaginative at best and evil at worst, responsible for clear-cutting forests, polluting oceans, and bulldozing wetlands to make way for the next condo development. Its modus operandi is unsustainable growth, which he compares to an "out-of-control tumor."

　　3) What was Chouinard’s first try in the business world?

　　Back in Burbank, Chouinard installed a coal forge in his parents' garage and became a self-taught blacksmith, hammering out pitons - three-inch strips of steel used for anchoring climbing ropes. Chouinard's pitons were stronger and more elegant than their predecessors, a triumph of minimalist engineering. He sold them out of the back of his car for $1.50 and tried to live on the proceeds.

　　4) What is the “dirtbag” way according to Chouinard? How does he view it?

　　Chouinard describes as the "dirtbag" way as living as close to the wild as possible with as little as possible. To Chouinard, the “dirtbag” way never seemed like privation. Rather, it was freedom.

　　5) How do Chouinard and Malina define Patagonia?

　　It wouldn't release toxins into rivers or cause nervous breakdowns or chase endless growth. It wouldn't make disposable crap that people didn't really need. Anything it produced would be of the highest quality, manufactured in the most responsible way. When the surf was up or the powder wafted down, employees would be where they ought to be: outside. If an employee's child was sick, the parent would also be where he ought to be: at home. They would keep Patagonia privately held and say no to anything that compromised their values.

　　6) What big lessons did Chouinard learn from scaling the likes of Yosemite’s EL Capitan?

　　The biggest was that reaching the summit had nothing to do with where you arrived and everything to do with how you got there. Likewise, he thought, with business: The point was not to focus on making money; focus on doing things right, and the profits would come.

　　7) Who are Patagonia’s potential customers?

　　There is no one type of customer here. There are couples pushing double-wide strollers, teenagers and grandparents, and even a woman in high heels.

　　8) What was the result of Chouinard’s effort to use organic cotton?

　　Patagonia's cotton sales rose 25 percent and, more important, established an organic-cotton industry so that other companies could cross over. Demand grew and prices decreased, leading to even more demand. In 2006, Wal-Mart became the world's largest purchaser of organic cotton.

　　9) Summarize the measures that Patagonia took in search of greener materials.

　　a) use organic cotton instead of non-organic cotton

　　b) use recycled polyester to produce

　　c) stop using Chlorine in wool products

　　d) use a product made of crushed crab shells for odor control instead of antimicrobial silver which is a groundwater pollutant.

　　e) advise customers to use the shipping by ground or sea—which is more energy-saving than airfreight.

　　10) Why does Chouinard plan to shift his business to watersports?

　　Climate change. "We're getting into the surf market, because it's never going to snow again, and the waves are going to get bigger and bigger,"

　　2. Fill in each blank of the following sentences with one of the phrases in the list given below. Make changes when necessary.

　　1) After school Alan always threw himself into computer games.

　　2) Some of his good luck must have rubbed off on me.

　　3) We are taught from childhood to distance ourselves from a bad neighbor so as to avoid possible negative consequences from being in his proximity.

　　4) He was pissed off by the man’s rude behavior and began to call names.

　　5) Susan has an annoying habit of spying on her neighbors.

　　6) She signed on for a concentrated course in the basics of nursing by the Red Cross.

　　7) The agreement on the venture follows Samsung's recent pledges to break into new industries to develop future growth engines.

　　8) According to the agenda, the President will be in residence of this hotel this weekend.

　　9) Chua's celebration of Chinese parenting and her bizarre assertions fly in the face of everything Western parents hold dear.

　　10) As a result, durable goods tend to punch above their weight) in determining if the economy is booming or slumping.

　　11) The basketball players are suiting up in the locker room.

　　12) Saddled with) the heavy burden of supporting the whole family, he could not pursue the dream of his own.

　　3. Match the terms in column A with the explanations in column B

　　A B ___

　　1) going public A) A sector in which companies in the active

　　outdoor recreation business provide products

　　and services for a variety of outdoor activities

　　such as bicycling, boating and climbing. 2

　　2) outdoor industry B) A term commonly used to describe the world

　　of corporations within the United States not

　　under government ownership. 3

　　3) corporate America C) The process of performing an initial public

　　offering (IPO) by a firm, and for the first time

　　the general public can buy its shares. 1

　　4) environmental assessment D) Things that define or constrain aspects of

　　business that are intended to assert business

　　structure or influence the behavior of

　　business. 8

　　5) wilderness adventure E) Activities, often regarded as sports or recreations,

　　performed by people in areas of natural land

　　without much cultivation or very sparsely

　　populated. 5

　　6) flextime F) Programs by governments, enterprises or

　　individuals to create sensibility of

　　environmental protection and to encourage

　　environment-friendly behaviors like energy

　　efficiency, recycling, and healthy housing. 9

　　7) gross revenue G) Process of estimating and evaluating significant

　　short-term and long-term effects of a program

　　or project on the environmental quality of

　　a location. 4

　　8) rules of business H) Money generated by all of a company's

　　operations, before deductions for expenses. 7

　　9) green initiatives I) Non-traditional work scheduling practice which

　　allows employees to choose their individual

　　working hours certain limits. 6

　　10) patented product L) A product in respect of which a patent has been

　　granted and its production and sale are legally

　　protected by the patent. 10

　　4. Translate the following passage into Chinese.

　　全球变暖可能是世界领袖们面临的最复杂的问题。一方面，由于不断壮大的科技力量指出因人类活动(主要是矿物燃料和林木燃烧)而产生的温室气体危险持续恶化，因此来自科技界的警告变得越来越强烈。另一方面，在减少有害物质排放的全球共同行动开始之前必须先解决好相关的科技、经济和政治问题，但现在面对全球经济萧条，这些问题已变得复杂化了。

　　2010年末在墨西哥的坎昆举行了全球气候变化谈判，但最棘手的问题并未得到解决，会议只取得了十分有限的成果。不过，虽然坎昆会议所通过的措施可能对地球变暖的短期效应微不足道，但对解决这一问题的国际进程来说却赢得了重要的信任票。

　　会议达成的协议离科学家所说的为避免今后数十年气候恶化所需的广泛措施还相差甚远。假如世界各国能够克服情绪化争论的话，它则为今后采取更强有力的措施奠定了基础，遗憾的是近些年来气候变化的谈判正是毁于这样的争论。被称作坎昆协定的一蓝子协议，决定再给190多个参会国一年时间来决定是否延长已受损了的京都议定书。该议定书是1997年签订的，它要求绝大多数富裕国家削减有害物体的排放，同时要求资助发展中国家争取今后获得更为清洁的能源。

　　国际争论的核心问题是以下重大议题：富国与穷国间谁应先采取步骤，谁来支付改变能源使用项目单上的大部分费用。

　　2011年1月2日美国环保署强制推出了首批温室气体排放规定。这些规定对公用事业、炼油设施和主要制造商的瞬即效应不会很大，因为新规定针对的是那些计划兴建的大型新设施或要准备进行大规模改造的现有工厂。不过，在今后10年环保署打算要真正监管所有的温室气体来源，对几乎所有产业和区域都要强制实行效率和排放的要求。

　　5. Read the following text and choose the best answer from A to F below to fill in each of the gaps in the text.

　　1) Unfortunately it is also one of the most polluting.

　　2) The European Union already restricts emissions from cement kilns, and other jurisdictions are likely to follow suit.

　　3) In 2006, for example, Holcim's emissions per tonne were 16% below the level of 1990.

　　4) The cuts come in three main areas.

　　5) But all three tactics have their limits.

　　6) Holcim's total emissions, for example, have risen by two-thirds since 1990.

　　Supplementary Reading

　　Wal-Mart: Measuring Just How Green

　　1) War-Mart will begin its green initiative with suppliers in the following product categories EXCEPT .

　　A. toothpaste and soap

　　B. milk, beer and soda

　　C. DVD players and vacuum cleaners

　　D. DVDs and vacuum cleaners

　　2) According to the passage, the CDP is an organization that focuses on .

　　A. global warming and carbon emission

　　B. climate change and global warming

　　C. carbon emission and climate change

　　D. climate change and animal protection

　　3) Which of the following statements is NOT the environmentalists’ opinion about War-Mart’s green initiative?

　　A. Some people believe Wal-Mart has been using green initiatives to burnish its image which has been stained by its worker pay and benefits policies.

　　B. Some environmentalists are supportive of Wal-Mart’s green initiative and are ready to cooperate.

　　C. Some environmental activists are cautiously optimistic about Wal-Mart’s green initiative.

　　D. Even the most radical environmental activists acknowledge that if War-Mart really pushes for change with the latest initiative, it has the size and scale to make a real difference.

　　4) What will be the key test to Wal-Mart?

　　A. How Wal-Mart balances the green of the environment with the green of its balance sheet.

　　B. How Wal-Mart balances the green of the environment with the green of its products.

　　C. How Wal-Mart balances the green of its products with the green of its balance sheet.

　　D. How Wal-Mart balances the green of the environment with the green of its marketing strategies.

　　5) Which of the following states is true?

　　A. War-Mart will cut off those suppliers who do not use energy in a green way.

　　B. War-Mart will stop doing business with high-polluting companies.

　　C. War-Mart hasn’t decided how it will use the new measurement system.

　　D. War-Mart will only do business with those that supplies the lowest-cost goods.

　　6) After being advised by which company did War-Mart launch its green initiative?

　　A. McKinsey & Co.

　　B. Accenture

　　C. Arthur Anderson

　　D. the Boston Consulting Group

　　7) Wal-Mart’s plan to double the fuel economy of its trucks by 2015 would save:

　　A. 20 million gallons of diesel fuel a year

　　B. 3.5 million gallons of diesel fuel a year

　　C. 60 million gallons of diesel fuel a year

　　D. 3 billion gallons of diesel fuel a year

　　8) According to Heather Rogers, it would be more meaningful for Wal-Mart to focus on items like than on “low tech” products:

　　A. tooth paste and soup

　　B. cell phones and DVD players

　　C. DVDs and DVD players

　　D. milk, beer and soda

　　9) Wal-Mart admitted to emit in 2005

　　A. 1.5 million metric tons of carbon dioxide

　　B. 2.5 million metric tons of carbon dioxide

　　C. 28 million metric tons of carbon dioxide

　　D. 15.3 million metric tons of carbon dioxide

　　10) Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?

　　A. Some skeptics say the number from War-Mart’s environmental efforts just don’t add up.

　　B. Critics suspect that War-Mart uses its green initiatives to deflect attention from its workplace policies as well as financial performance in recent years.

　　C. Many War-Mart’s skeptics see the latest initiative with the CDP as full of promise.

　　D. One skeptic suggests that War-Mart maintain its carbon emission.