单选题17 These documents arrived on Thursday, A. arrived they? D. didn't there? C. didn't they? D. weren't they?

单选题What does the writer say is an additional problem for entrepreneurs in the fourth paragraph?

单选题13 When writing the report of the meeting? A. have you finished B. are you finishing C. do you finish D. will you have finished

单选题 HOW THE CREDIT CARD CAPTURED AMERICA The proliferation of platinum American Express cards in the 1980s spawned rumors of an ultimate, highly exclusive, never publicized "Black Card". Carried by billionaires, it reportedly allowed holders to demand private shopping sprees at the world's most exclusive shops and to summon helicopters in the middle of Sahara. American express vehemently denies the existence of such a charge card. But the persistence of the myth suggests the social importance credit cards have for so many Americans. As one business writer puts it, "to have one's credit cards canceled is now akin to being excommunicated by the medieval church." America's love affair with the credit card began in 1949, when businessman Frank X. McNamara finished a meal in a New York restaurant and then discovered he had no cash. In those days, gasoline and store charge cards were common, but cash was standard for almost everything else. The embarrassed McNamara called his wife, who rushed over to bail him out. His predicament gave him the idea for Diners Club. Within a year some 200 people carried the world's first multi-use credit card. The problem was to persuade enough people to carry the cards. Diners Club turned to promotions. It gave away a round-the-world trip on a popular television show. The winners charged their expenses and made it "from New York to New York without a die in their pockets". Banks, sensing among less affluent a pent-up desire to spend, began issuing cards of their own. The first to turn a profit was Bank of America's Bank Americard. Bankers from all over the country descended on its California headquarters to learn the secret of its success--so many that in 1966 Bank Americard, today known as Visa, began forming alliances with banks outside the state. The Bank Americard network soon faced a competitor when Wells Fargo Bank joined with 77 others to create what became Master Charge. After scooping up 1.3 million more "Everything Card" holders from what was then First National City Bank, Master Charge--today's Master Card--became for a while the biggest bank card in the country. Five million holiday credit-card shoppers would have created a bonanza for the banks, but in the rush to market, the hanks had been less than cautious in assembling their lists. Some families received 15 cards. Dead people and babies got cards. Even a dachshund named Alice Griffin was sent one that promised she would be welcomed as a "preferred customer" at Chicago's finest restaurants. Hundreds of Chicagoans discovered they could use or sell a car they "found", and by law, the person whose name appeared on it was liable for the charges--even if he or she had never requested or received the card.When the prime rate hit 20% in 1981, the banks found that consumers didn't mind paying rates of 18--22% on their credit-card balance. High interest rates helped attract new players into the credit-card area, including sears' Discover Card and Visa. Airlines, car and insurance companies, even long-distance phone companies allied themselves with banks to offer credit cards. Experts estimate there are from 15, 000 to 19, 000 different cards available in the country. Of course, credit cards have not only replaced cash for many purposes, but also in effect have created cash by making it instantly available virtually everywhere. The credit-card advance is becoming as ubiquitous as the automated teller machine.

单选题 PEARL RELOCATES The Pearl Group is to relocate its London headquarters and five regional offices to Peterborough in a move involving 2,000 jobs. Pearl has obtained a 20-acre site at Peterborough Business Park, on which it will develop a 250,000 square feet building at a cost of￡25 million. Construction is planned to start next spring, with the new building ready for occupation two years later. In the meantime, Pearl will start moving staff into temporary accommodation in Peterborough later this year. It is the second major endorsement of Peterborough by the Pearl Group. Some years ago, Pearl Assurance obtained a I0-acre site from the Peterborough Development Corporation at Thorpe Wood for its computer and accounts centre. The 400 staff who currently work at Thorpe Wood will transfer to the new offices and the older building, says Pearl, "will be surplus to requirements and will be further developed as an investment." A further 1,600 staff employed by the Group will be given the opportu- nity to move to Peterborough. Pearl estimates that its relocation decision will create an annual demand of between 200 and 300 jobs in the Peterborough area. Group Chairlnan Einion Holland said: "To maintain its position as one of the UK's leading life offices, Pearl must be able to offer its customers the products they want at the right price. "This requires the combination of operational flexibility and efficiency and low costs, which it would have been impossible to achieve at our existing Chief Office. "The ability to centralise our opera- tions in Peterborough and to develop the most up-to-date computer systems which only a purpose-designed build- ing will allow, will bring important long-term benefits for our customers, shareholders and employees." Pearl has occupied the same High Holborn building since 1915. Now the entire building is in need of major refurbishment, but no decision has yet been made about its development. It is estimated that among the long- term savings created by the move to Peterborough will be running costs of ￡1 million a year, and London weighting of ￡2 million. Peterborough beat off competition from other places because of Pearl's experience of the successful earlier relocation, and because of the quality of the site at the business park. For Peterborough, it is the biggest single relocation out of more than 420 firms attracted since the city's expan- sion programme began, beating the move of travel organisation Thomas Cook from London to Thorpe Wood which involved more than 1,000 jobs. Development Corporation General Manager Kenneth Hutton said: "This is the best news we have had. We have been working on this project for many months, and we knew that Pearl was looking at several other places very seriously. Peterborough won because it was the best."

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单选题What'stheespeciallybigissuethatholdsbacktheInternet?

单选题·Choose the best word to fill each gap, from A, B, C or D on the opposite page.·For each question 19-33, mark one letter (A, B, C or D) on your Answer Sheet.·There is an example at the beginning (0). {{B}}THE ROLE OF BRAND IMAGE{{/B}}Although brand image is not the only rest why certain products are successful, it is an extremely important part of an overall marketing strategy. In fact, many manufacturers {{U}} {{U}} 1 {{/U}} {{/U}}such a high value on their brands that they employ legal experts to {{U}} {{U}} 2 {{/U}} {{/U}}them from misuse by imitators and counterfeit traders. In addition, companies {{U}} {{U}} 3 {{/U}} {{/U}}employees with handbooks which {{U}} {{U}} 4 {{/U}} {{/U}}how their logos should be used - for example the size and colour of graphics and suitable ways of displaying the product.Originally the brand was little more than a graphic that helped people to {{U}} {{U}} 5 {{/U}} {{/U}}a particular product, but as advertising developed, it grew in {{U}} {{U}} 6 {{/U}} {{/U}}As the famous brands became {{U}} {{U}} 7 {{/U}} {{/U}}with quality in the minds of consumers, manufacturers found they could {{U}} {{U}} 8 {{/U}} {{/U}}top prices for these products in order to recover some of the heavy {{U}} {{U}} 9 {{/U}} {{/U}}of advertising. As firms realised their potential value, brands quickly became registered trade marks. Today, branding is widespread and is used to sell both products and services.Most companies {{U}} {{U}} 10 {{/U}} {{/U}}to achieve 'multiple appeal' with their brands. This means that the brand appeals to people of different age groups and lifestyles. The problem for the brand manufacturer is how to keep old customers and at the same time to {{U}} {{U}} 11 {{/U}} {{/U}}new ones.A powerful brand is good for sales, but first this has to be {{U}} {{U}} 12 {{/U}} {{/U}}and then maintained through a continuous {{U}} {{U}} 13 {{/U}} {{/U}}of image design and advertising. If multiple appeal {{U}} {{U}} 14 {{/U}} {{/U}}then regular evaluation of the brand will show this and should {{U}} {{U}} 15 {{/U}} {{/U}}in the product being redesigned or the advertising being changed.

单选题Production Production, in economics, means all those activities of mankind that have to do with the creation of wealth, i.e. with making raw materials useful so that to (0) A. human wants. The farmer makes use of the (19) of nature to grow wheat. The miller (20) the wheat into flour. And the (21) turns flour into bread. These producers, each in his own way, (22) form utility to goods. Another class of producers, who transport goods from place to place, add place utility to goods. A third class, who do such things like canning, storage, and refrigeration, add (23) utility. Although businessmen think of them as marketing, economists regard the creation of time and place utilities (24) a part of production because, until goods are made (25) at the right time and place, they can not satisfy human wants. Production is (26) to satisfy human wants, and the ability to produce is (27) by three basic factors necessary for production. These three basic factors of production are capital, land and labour. Capital (28) to man-made resources that are used to produce other goods and services. Land, which includes natural resources, is the non-human non-man-made part of resources. Labour is the human part--the service given by people in the process of production. These three primary factors of production are sometimes added a fourth: the entrepreneur or enterpriser, who (29) the forces of production and takes the risks. (30) under capitalism production is for a market, an important role of the entrepreneur is to predict (31) the economic demand for goods and to produce the (32) and quantity of goods that will (33) that demand.

单选题·For each question 23-30, mark one letter (A, B or C) for the correct answer.·After you have listened once, replay the recording.

单选题MULTICOPY PRINTING Martin Charlesworth pays a visit to discover the secret of Success at a busy printing firm. From designing and printing corporate brochures and business cards to photocopying students' essays it's all in a day's work for Multicopy Printing. The family-run firm is one of the most successful printing, copyshop and design offices in the region. Although it is a (19) small company, it thinks big. The company has made a considerable (20) in high-tech machinery to (21) up in this rapidly changing industry. The company's success has recently enabled it to modernise and (22) its premises. Multicopy's Managing Director, Colin Marsh, says, 'It was very (23) before. We may get up to two tonnes of paper delivered a day and we were running out of space to (24) it. Now, we're the only business in this area (25) a print service from start to finish all under one roof. A vast amount of work can be (26) in a very short space of time.' The firm was (27) up 22 years ago by Colin's father, who was the area manager for a national (28) of printers before deciding to go into business on his own. In those days, it was mostly small printing (29) such as letterheads and photocopying. The business grew rapidly in the mid-1980s with the (30) of new technology. Nowadays the core photocopying business is high-volume, sometimes up to 300,000 copies for one job, and it often needs to meet (31) deadlines for commercial outlets. But despite Multicopy's recent success, it has not forgotten its (32) and part of the everyday (33) still consists of doing small numbers of photocopies for members of the general public.

单选题· Read the letter below from an agency providing temporary staff for companies.· Choose the correct word A, B, C or D from below the passage to lib each gap.· For each question (19-33), mark one letter (A, B, C or D) on your Answer Sheet. Dear Client, Future Offices is advising businesses to plan as far ahead as possible to ensure guaranteed staff cover during holiday periods. There is now a{{U}} (19) {{/U}}shortage of skilled secretarial and administrative stall' and this is{{U}} (20) {{/U}}to get worse over the next twelve months. Businesses which require staff with experience of specialist computer applications are the most at{{U}} (21) {{/U}}. You are advised to{{U}} (22) {{/U}}our agency well before the staff are actually needed to be certain of filling gaps with adequately{{U}} (23) {{/U}}personnel. If you don't, it's almost{{U}} (24) {{/U}}that you will be left without the skills needed to{{U}} (25) {{/U}}your office running smoothly. Tile{{U}} (26) {{/U}}for the shortage of secretarial staff appears to be a combination of two{{U}} (27) {{/U}}. There has been an{{U}} (28) {{/U}}in demand for secretarial services over the last few years, and at the same time there has been a{{U}} (29) {{/U}}of students deciding to choose secretarial studies. Office Angels Agency would{{U}} (30) {{/U}}to emphasize that business should not underestimate the difficulty of{{U}} (31) {{/U}}experienced temporary staff. It is also necessary to make the{{U}} (32) {{/U}}that businesses should be prepared for the tact that they may have to pay mere for this kind of{{U}} (33) {{/U}}in the future.

单选题The Bank with Ideas With several hundred years of history behind it, the APL Bank has few problems in convincing businesses that it is a reputable and secure 1 of a range of banking services. Now, it is demonstrating to business customers that it is flexible and responsive enough to 2 their changing needs in the 21st century. Based in London, APL offers banking services to businesses throughout the UK via its branch 3 Most customer service provision is 4 out by personal account managers based in local branches, together with 5 staff at company headquarters. An important 6 for APL has been to make it easy for customers to 7 business with the bank. They can contact their account manager by direct line or email; if the manager is on holiday, a carefully chosen colleague becomes the "account contact" and 8 with the customer during the manager"s 9 In addition, for those who want 10 to their bank at any time of day or night there is now a 24-hour phone-based service. In order to remain competitive and build customer loyalty, the bank guarantees to turn around urgent loan 11 within 24 hours. This focus on the customer has also been a driving 12 in APL"s recruitment and development policy. For example, newly inducted staff 13 a "customer service review" to find out what it is like to be on the other side of the desk, asking to borrow money. Together, these 14 in banking have achieved excellent results. The customer 15 is growing fast, and last year the bank gained 36,000 new business accounts.

单选题Most managers make decisions under conditions of risk. and the managers at Super Drinks are no exception. With 10 percent of the domestic soft-drink market under its (19) the company has now (20) its horizons and moved into the wine industry. Having (21) ＄110 million buying the Taste Wine corporation. Super Drinks are currently in the process of (22) to the wine business the same tools that have made coke a popular soft drink in the world -- money, muscle and marketing. The firm is trying to (23) its newly acquired wine business to the soft-drink mold that has proved (24) . Can Super Drinks make this (25) pay off? The company is optimistic. For example. while Taste grossed only ＄65 million the year it was (26) , Super Drinks' executives believe it will gross over ＄1 billion by the end of the 2010s. nearly 15 times Taste's current (27) . On the other hand. there are several things that Taste has going for. One is the Super Drinks' money and management expertise that are available for this wine (28) The other is that while Taste, in the past, (29) only the New York table wine business and produced sweeter wines that (30) less than 10 percent of the domestic market, the Taste wine brand was the most commonly (31) of all. Building on these (32) , the management hopes to. via effective decision making, make Taste wine almost as (33) as Super Drinks.