【正确答案】
C
【答案解析】[解析] 23-30
M: As you know, the main supplier of our company announced suddenly last month that they were closing down shortly, leaving us in a very difficult situation. I short listed four potential replacement suppliers, and have visited them all. I'll report on each, though I've only found one company that meets our needs entirely.
Initially, I was optimistic about the first company I saw. I was given an enthusiastic welcome and generous hospitality by the manager, but when he took me on a tour of the factory, I began to have a few doubts about his commercial expertise. The factory is enormous, I think, almost too big to be practical. There is certainly enough machinery to produce the quantities we need, and that, of course, is vital.
However, I had one main concern. Half the factory wasn't in use because several important customers had cancelled orders. I was reassured that orders are dispatched quickly, and delivery times are impressive, and distribution isn't a problem, but I'd need to inspect their products more closely to see if the quality's what we require.
The second company looked promising too, because they are based in the region that produces the natural resources to make our products. Everything needed for their activities is available on their doorstep. They have a good working relationship with the local mine owners, who are known to have good safety records. During my visit, the company went into great detail about the quality inspections carried out on the material before it leaves the mines.
This company seemed to have no problems with transport until I looked more closely. The factory is in a very mountainous region, about six hundred kilometers from the capital city. The roads are really inadequate, the journey by road can take days. We can't risk depending on such poor transportation.
The third company I looked at, on the other hand, is on the coast, with good access to the main seaport. Transport and shipping of goods are well organized. The production unit is newly--built and equipped with the help of investment from the Ministry of Industry. What's more, company workers are involved in decision-making, and industrial relations are excellent. Perfect so far.
Unfortunately, though, their finished products are not of the quality we demand. When I did a quick inspection, I found a higher percentage of faults than we'd be prepared to tolerate.
The final company I visited seemed to have everything, though. It's ten years old, well established, located between the capital and a major seaport. The company has grown rapidly and has just modernized its factory with the most up-to-date equipment available on the market. The production unit is now fully automated, and efficiency is the company's great strength.
This company has a good reputation for the quality of its finished goods. I'm confident we'll be able to negotiate on this. The key point is their ability to meet deadlines of a long-term contract. It's easy to meet one deadline, of course, the difficult thing is to do it all the time.
第一家公司的优势在于生产能力“The factory is enormous...enough machinery to produce the quantities we need...”选项B是令人怀疑的，如原文“have a few doubts about his commercial expertise”.