单选题

单选题· For questions 23-30, mark one letter A, B or C for the correct answer.

单选题According to the first paragraph, which is the best word to describe air travellers' reaction to airline alliances?

单选题A. New Store Parkin's search for a site for its next store has been ended by Marsden's misfortunes, with Parkin agreeing to buy half of the latter's Birmingham store for￡40m. Parkin's main store is in London, but it opened its second, in Birmingham, three years ago, and has been seeking sites in other large cities. There was surprise that the new store, likely to open next year, is so close to the existing one, where profits have so far beaten Parkin's sales targets, in case it draws customers away from the existing outlet. B. Capacity Cut The packaging industry has typically suffered from a vicious cycle, with rising prices leading to excess capacity, which in turn leads to a collapse in prices, and Johnson Keithley is no exception. The company has been attempting to smooth the boom/bust cycle by better capacity management, but it admitted yesterday that it has been forced to make significant cuts to capacity because of a surprisingly sharp downturn in demand. The group now expects its second-half results to fall below expectations, and warned of further problems on the horizon. C. Hit by Higher Costs Higher raw-material costs have reduced full-year profits at Bonner's, the plastics manufacturer, with prices of polyethylene, the main component of its business, rising 8% since last year. Profits were also held back by the disposal of its packaging division, which accounted for over half of turnover the previous year. Additional costs were incurred by relocating the head office from Wrexham to Cardiff, and I from reorganization and redundancy in its plastics business. Bonner's said that trading in the current year has started slowly, particularly in its European markets. D. Surprise Fall Shares in regional supermarket chain Couldson fell steeply yesterday after the retailer warned of losses at its biggest outlet, in Bristol. The warning was in stark contrast to its trading statement three months ago, which reported a rise in like-for-like sales of 5% in the preceding month. However, trading across the rest of the chain, including seven outlets bought last year from Luxona, showed a healthy improvement. The company has promised to do all it can to stem the decline of the last four weeks at the Bristol outlet. E. Modest Improvement Dorcas Foods has posted a modest rise in interim profits. However, the company says it has had to absorb increased costs at its Quality Sugar subsidiary and the impact of a margin squeeze at its Australian baking operations. In sugar, the continued strength of sterling has capped profits, and with Dorcas's move out of sugar-beet refining, expenditure on redundancy is having a serious impact. At the same time, floods in Australia have led to higher wheat prices, which in turn have reduced margins in the company's baking operations.

单选题Income vs. Leisure Because both leisure and income are (21) ,we confront a tradeoff when deciding whether to go to work. Going to work implies more income but less leisure. Staying home has the opposite consequences. The (22) tradeoff between labor and leisure explains the shape of individual labor-sup ply (23) As we work more hours, our leisure time becomes scarcer—and thus more valuable. We become increasingly (24) to give up any remaining leisure time as it gets ever scarcer. People who work all week long are reluctant to go to work on Saturday. It's not that they are physically exhausted. It's just that they want some time to enjoy the (25) of their la bor. In other words, as the opportunity cost of job time increases, we require (26) higher rates of pay. We will supply additional labor—work more hours—only if higher wage rates are offered: this is the message conveyed by the upward-sloping labor-supply curve. The upward slope of the labor-supply curve is (27) with the changing value of income. Our (28) motive for working is the income a job provides. Those first few dollars are really precious, especially if you have bills to pay and no other source of support. As you work and earn more, however, you discover that your most (29) needs have been satisfied. You may still want more things, but your consumption desires aren't so urgent. In other words, the margin al (30) of income declines as you earn more. You may not be willing to work more hours unless offered a higher wage rate.

完形填空In just eight years, by 2010, there will be 58 million jobs in the United States, (0) the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The bureau (21) between now and 2010 some 22 million new jobs will be created. And 36 million more (22) will result from retirements and others who drop out of the workforce. Nearly all that job (23), incidentally, will come in the service sector. Manufacturing jobs will grow at only (24) of a percent annually. That''s not because those jobs are going overseas, by the way. Blame the slow growth in manufacturing (25) the fast growth in manufacturing productivity. Ed Potter, president of the Employment Policy Foundations in Washington, said the foundation''s analysis of job growth and what''s (26) happening in education show there could be as (27) as 3.5 million professionals at the ,end of this decade. Despite the current recession and layoffs, a (28) of employers by the National Association of Manufacturers found 80 percent of companies say a severe shortage of qualified job (29) already exists. And 60 percent of those companies said the lack of skilled workers is (30) their ability to produce. A. basing on B. basic on C. accordance to D. according to EXAMPLE：The correct answer for blank (0) is D.

完形填空Promotions, Transfers, and Separations In the past, employees stayed with a company for most or all of their working life. Today''s employees, however, are more (0) to change jobs several times as they search for better opportunities. In the United States, most organizations experience (21), costly employee (22) as employees leave for one reason or another. Turnover occurs because of promotions, transfers, and separations. A promotion is an advancement, or (23) movement within an organization to a position with increased authority, responsibility, and salary. In some companies, (24)—the length of time a person has been with the company—is the key issue in determining who should be promoted. A transfer is a horizontal move from one job to another within a company. Transfers allow workers to obtain new skills or to find a new (25) within an organization when their old position has been (26) because of automation, decreased sales, or some other factors. A separation is the departure of the employee from the organization. Separations occur because of resignation, layoff, and retirement. Resignation is giving up one''s job (27). A layoff is (28) of employment due to slow business conditions, the elimination of specific jobs, or the closing of work facilities. Retirement is separation because of age or after a specified number of years of service. A well-organized human resources department strives to (29) losses due to separations and transfers because recruiting and training new employees is very expensive. A high turnover (30) in an organization may signal problems with the selection or training process or with the compensation program. A. able B. impossible C. about D. likely EXAMPLE：The correct answer for blank (0) is D.

完形填空Job Enrichment While pay is an attempt to (0) zestful employees, job enrichment is an effort to motivate via the work itself. Job enrichment is the (21) of changing the job so that the work will appeal to employees'' higher-level needs. Its aim is to make the work more meaningful. First, job enrichment is merely (22) up, working harder at what you are doing. Second, it is not job (23), merely adding another meaningless job. Some managers assume they are enriching subordinates'' work by adding their duties, but the duties must make the job more meaningful in order to be enriching. Third, rotating (24) tasks does not help, at least not very much. Fourth, job enrichment does not mean (25) away all the hard parts and making the task more routine. Then what is job enrichment? Job enrichment is based on Frederick Herzberg''s two-factor theory of (26) Herzberg argued that because job rotation and job enlargement do not provide workers with any additional responsibility or (27) over their jobs, they do not really enhance employee motivation. Job enrichment (28) to increase both the number of tasks a worker does and the control the worker has over the job. Many companies (29) job enrichment to improve the quality of work life for their employees. The (30) benefits of job enrichment are great, but it requires careful planning and execution. A. reward B. encourage C. stimulate D. promote EXAMPLE：The correct answer for blank (0) is A.

完形填空Targeted Talent Management Most large organizations (0) about Talent Management as part of their wider (21). It is a crucial way of securing, developing and motivating people with the right skills and approaches to meet business (22). But how many of our strategic goals are fully (23) by our talented people? All too often, we find that we don''t have the right people in place to fill a (24) when it appears, or we simply can''t keep (25) of the individuals we want. Even worse, talented people may simply not be operating at the (26) we require. So what can we do to (27) these missed opportunities? I believe that the biggest single challenge is achieving genuine "connectedness" between Talent Strategy and Business Strategy. A wide range of people processes often take place without a clear relationship with the (28) aims and culture of the business. Think about (29), performance management and development - to what extent are these processes based on a clear analysis of the talents and skills that people will need to operate at the next level? To what extent do you build people''s capability and (30) to meet the needs of the business in a few years'' time? It is vitally important to build a clear definition of what each organisation really means by talent throughout the organisation. The acid test is simple - do people with these qualities deliver the kinds of business success we are aiming for? A. tell B. speak C. say D. talk EXAMPLE：The correct answer for blank (0) is D.

完形填空Are Improvements Worth Paying for? As goods and services improved, people were persuaded to spend their money in changing from old to new, and found the change worth the expense. When an airline equipped itself with jets, for example, its costs and therefore airfares would (0) , but the new planes meant such an improvement that the higher cost was justified. A new car or wireless washing machine, electric kettle made life so much more comfortable than the old one that the high cost of replacement was amply (21). Manufacturers still cry their wares as persuasively as (22) but are the improvements really worth paying for? In many fields things have now reached such a high standard of performance that (23) progress is very limited and very, very expensive. Airlines, for example, go to enormous expense (24) buying the latest prestige jets, in which vast research costs have been (25) on relatively small improvements. If we scrape these vast costs we might lose the chance of paring minutes (26) flying times; but wouldn''t it be better to see air fares drop dramatically, as capital costs become relatively insignificant? Again, in the context of a 70 m.p.h. limit, with platoons of cars traveling so densely (27) control each other''s speeds, improvements in performance are virtually irrelevant. Small improvements here are unlikely to be worth the thousands anybody replacing a(an) (28) family car every two years may ultimately have spent on them. Let us (29) have cars—or wirelesses, electric kettles, washing machines, light; bulbs—which are made to last, and not made to be replaced. Significant progress is obviously a good thing; but the insignificant (30) from model-change to model-change is not. A. go up B. go back C. go down D. go off EXAMPLE：The correct answer for blank (0) is A.

完形填空Business is the organized effort of individuals to produce and sell, for a profit, the goods and services that (0) society''s needs. Four kinds of resources—material, human, financial, and informational—must be (21) to start and operate a business. The three general types of businesses are manufacturers, service businesses, and marketing middlemen. Profit is what remains after all business expenses are (22) from sales revenue. It is thus the payment that business owners receive for (23) the risks of business primarily the risks of not receiving payment and of losing whatever has been (24) in the firm. Most often, a business that is operated to satisfy its customers earns a reasonable profit. By studying business, you can become a more (25) consumer and investor and be a better employee. And with a working knowledge of business, you may decide to open your own business. Since its beginnings in the seventeenth century, American business has been based on private ownership of (26) and freedom of enterprise. And from this beginning, through the Industrial Revolution of the early nineteenth century, to the (27) expansion of American industry in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, our government (28) an essentially laissez-faire attitude toward business. However, during the Great (29) of the 1930s, the federal government began to provide a number of social services to its citizens. Government''s role in business has expanded (30) since that time. A. please B. gratify C. content D. satisfy EXAMPLE：The correct answer for blank (0) is A.

完形填空When you are negotiating with someone, listen for the (0) that he or she might be sending to you. For example, the word "difficult" does not (21) the same as impossible. Imagine you are staying in a hotel, and you want to change your room. The manager''s answer, "That would be difficult, Sir", does not mean that he is saying "no". It just means that he wants to know (22) you are prepared to offer him in return for the change of room. If you (23) you will cause him a lot of trouble if he does not change your room, he might (24) it would be better for him to do as you ask. If you are buying a new car, and want to pay less than the price being asked, then the salesman''s (25), "I''m sorry, but we never negotiate on the price" means that they do negotiate on other things, like the (26) time or the "extras" that might be available as part of the purchase. In all of these (27) the message is never communicated in clear terms. In any negotiation, the two "players" wish to get as much out of it as they can, of course. In the three (28) above the salesmen and the hotel manager are hoping that you will accept their price or conditions but their "messages" make it clear that there may be (29) for movement and compromise. In a successful negotiation, the two sides move towards each other and reach agreement on conditions that (30) both sides. A. phrases B. words C. meanings D. messages EXAMPLE：The correct answer for blank (0) is D.

写作题Question 2 Your company is concerned about the customers'' inability to placing orders because of tied up phone lines. Your manager has asked you to write a proposal for a rearrangement of phone line use in the company. Write your proposal, including the following: a description of the problem an explanation of what has caused the problem a recommendation for a rearrangement a description of possible benefits from the rearrangement Question 3 Your company hopes to maintain its highly valued reputation for being ethical. However, it may be vulnerable to lawsuits against the employees'' use of pirated software. You have been asked to write a report concerning the acquisition and distribution of pirated software in your company. Write the report for your manager, including the following information: how extensive is the use of pirated software in your company how pirated software is acquired and distributed among the employees how pirated software can be cleaned out of the company Question 4 Your company has decided to give a banquet to its major clients before the Christmas season. In charge of scheduling this banquet, you need to write a letter to the CEO to get his approval of your choice for the place to hold the banquet. Write the letter to the CEO: explaining the purpose of writing this letter describing the research you have made on the hotels and restaurants that are considered candidates for the place explaining why you are in favor of this particular hotel reemphasizing your hope to get his approval or suggestion

写作题Question 2 Your company hopes to get insights into the hiring of adults with mild mental retardation and its effects on the running of the company. You have been asked to write a proposal for strategies of employing mentally disabled people in your company. Write your proposal, including the following: a brief description of the current policy of the company regarding the hiring of disabled people an analysis of mentally disabled people''s capability of performing certain tasks in your company a description of the benefits from hiring these people recommendations for training strategies Question 3 Your company, an international hotel business, has been considering expansion in a foreign country. You have been asked to write a brief report which evaluates a particular city''s potential of being the site for a new hotel. Write the report for your manager, including the following information: why the city is a good location for a new hotel what merit special attention if the hotel has to be successful what needs further notice Question 4 Your manager has received a request from one employee for reimbursement for expenses of a business visit to customers. The manager has decided that some of the expenses should not be covered by the company. You have been asked to write a letter informing this employee of this decision. Write the letter to the employee, acknowledging his right for reimbursement for some business expenses clarifying the expenses that will not be covered and explaining why stating the procedure for getting reimbursement from the company

写作题Question 2 Your company needs to secure credibility in ways other than advertisements. Your manager feels that the company can gain reputation if more of its employees publish articles in journals. You have been asked to write a proposal regarding the need to encourage the employees to write articles for professional journals. Write your proposal, including the following: a brief description of the employees'' engagement in writing article for scholarly journals an explanation of why published articles can contribute to the company''s credentials and credibility in terms of its technical expertise recommendations for incentive measures that urge the employees to consider writing articles for journals Question 3 Your company has been keen on screening out socially inappropriate messages from all of its advertisements. You have been instructed to write a report about biased ads which foster a negative stereotype of some group. Write the report for your manager, including the following information: what stereotypes of people have been evidenced in the ads why it is compelling to stop running or changing the ads in their current forms what general lesson can be learnt from this incident Question 4 Your company, which runs a transportation business, has received a letter requesting adjustment on damaged shipment from a client. You are responsible for writing letters to inform clients of how reimbursement is made to clients under such circumstances. Writing the letter to this client: expressing your awareness of this affair and your apology for the damage informing him of the granted adjustment reminding him of what needs to be done before the reimbursement is made

写作题Question 2 Your company has received a request from a customer for priority service and decided that it would be appropriate to grant this request. You have been asked to write a letter to explain to the customer why his request is not accommodated. Write the letter to the customer: expressing concerns with the customer''s difficulties emphasizing the company''s commitment to providing service to the customers clarifying the company''s policy and why the request is not justifiable Question 3 Your company has been forced to downsize, and it wants to provide the best possible support to employees who now must look for other jobs. The director of human resources has asked you to write a report of effective outplacement support that has been provided in other companies. Write the report for the director, including the following information: what help has been provided by other companies what have been the effective ways of providing such help what outplacement support the company can provide for its own employees Question 4 Your company has realized that too much time has been wasted by its employees on using computers in inefficient ways. You have been asked to write a proposal for efficient use of computers by the employees. Write your proposal, including the following: a description of the employees'' inefficient use of computers suggestions for improvements with their use of computers an explanation of the benefits from these improvements recommendations for administrative policies that assure the changes

写作题Question 2 Your company, a center for adults with handicaps, has been unsatisfied with its failure to respond to people who need to know the whereabouts of the clients. You have been asked to write a proposal concerning the possible improvement with the center''s service. Write your proposal, including the following: a description of problems causing people to lose track of where the clients are an explanation of why knowing where the clients are is important a recommendation for the kind of change that should be made to the service Question 3 Your company has been under the pressure from both inside and outside to eliminate its sexist discriminations particularly against female employees. You have been asked to write a report examining potentially sexist decisions and politics permeating the company''s management. Write the report for your director, including the following information: why the company''s policies and procedures need to be scrutinized for sexism what policies and procedures are likely to be considered sexist what solutions should be created Question 4 Your company needs to hire an accounting firm for auditing service in order to get a major loan. You have been asked to write a letter of inquiry to an accounting firm about audits. Write the letter to a manager of the firm: stating your need for their service explaining the purpose of having your financial records reviewed describing the business you are engaged in expressing your hope for quick response from the accounting firm