剑桥商务英语中级考试真题

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BEC真题一

THE ART OF PERSUASION

'Let me send you our brochure' is probably the most commonly used phrase in business. But all too often, it can spell the end of a customer enquiry because many brochures appear to be produced not to clarify and to excite but to confuse. So what goes wrong and how can it be put right? Too often, businesses fail to ask themselves critical questions like, 'Who will the brochure be sent to?' 'What do we want to achieve with it?' The truth is that a brochure has usually been produced for no other reason than that the competition has one.

However, with a little research, it often transpires that what the client wants is a mixture: part mail shot, part glossy corporate brochure and part product catalogue - a combination rarely found. Having said that, the budget is likely to be finite. There may not be enough money to meet all three marketing needs, so the first task is to plan the brochure, taking into account the most significant of these. The other requirements will have to be met in a different way. After all, introducing the company's product range to new customers by mail is a different task from selling a new season's collection to existing customers.

The second task is to get the content right. In 95 per cent of cases, a company will hire a designer to oversee the layout, so the final product looks stylish, interesting and professional; but they don't get a copywriter or someone with the right expertise to produce the text, or at least tidy it up - and this shows. A bigger failing is to produce a brochure that is not customer focused. Your brochure should cover areas of interest to the customer, concentrating on the benefits of buying from you.

Instead, thousands of brochures start with a history lesson, 'Founded in 1987, we have been selling our products .. I can assure you that customers are never going to say to themselves, 'They've been around for 20 years - I'll buy from them.' It's not how long you've been in business that counts, it's what you've done in that time. The important point to get across at the beginning is that you have a good track record. Once this has been established, the rest of the brochure should aim to convince customers that your products are the best on the market.

It is helpful with content to get inside the customer's head. If your audience is young and trendy, be creative and colourful. As always, create a list of the benefits that potential customers would gain from doing business with you, for example, product quality, breadth of range, expertise of staff and so on. But remember that it is not enough just to state these; in order to persuade, they need to be spelt out. One possibility is to quote recommendations from existing customers. This also makes the brochure personal to you, rather than it simply being a set of suppliers' photographs with your name on the front.

At the design stage, there are many production features that can distinguish your brochure from the run of the mill. You may think that things like cutouts or pop-ups will do this for you and thus make you stand out, or you may think they just look like designer whims that add cost. Go through all the options in detail. One of them might be that all-important magical ingredient.

13 What point does the writer make about brochures in the first paragraph?

A Customer expectations of them are too high.

B They ought to be more straightforward in design.

C Insufficient thought tends to go into producing them.

D Companies should ensure they use them more widely.

14 The writer's advice to companies in the second paragraph is to

A produce a brochure to advertise new product lines.

B use a brochure to extend the customer base.

C accept that a brochure cannot fulfil every objective.

D aim to get a bigger budget allocation for producing brochures.

15 In the third paragraph, which of the following does the writer say would improve the majority of brochures?

A better language and expression

B better overall appearance

C more up-to-date content

D more product information

16 In the introduction to a brochure, the writer advises companies to focus on

A their understanding of the business environment.

B the range of products they offer.

C their unique market position.

D the reputation they have built up.

17 When discussing brochure content in the fifth paragraph, the writer reminds companies to

A consider old customers as well as new ones.

B provide support for the claims they make.

C avoid using their own photographs.

D include details of quality certification.

18 What does 'run of the mill' in line 67 mean?

A eye-catching

B complicated

C stylish

D ordinary

《The art of persuasion》，劝说的艺术。这里的劝说(persuasion)带点广告的意思，是指怎么样设计广告手册(brochure)才能吸引顾客，也就是劝顾客掏钱购买产品。

第一段引出话题，说广告手册常常设计得不合理，会把客户弄糊涂，从而结束客户的咨询。很多企业并没有思考一些关键性的问题，比如想通过广告手册达到什么目的。通常企业设计广告手册的原因是竞争对手拥有它。

13题问第一段中作者对广告手册所做的观点是什么。答案是后面几句：businesses fail to ask themselves critical questions like….企业没有问自己一些关键性的问题。从这段话可以看出，作者认为企业在设计广告手册时的考虑是不周全的，没有进行深入思考。所以答案是C：设计他们时考虑得并不充分。A不对，没有提到客户的期望，只是说广告手册可能会把客户弄糊涂。B也不对，第一段并没有提到design的问题。D在原文中也没有提到。这题稍微需要理解和概括。

第二段是讲广告手册设计时的一些考量。开头先说客户需要的广告手册是一个混合体，很难找到。而往往客户手册的预算是有限的，所以设计时不可能满足所有的市场需要，应该优先考虑最关键的部分。

14题问作者在第二段中对公司的建议是什么。原文说的很明白：There may not be enough money to meet all three marketing needs, so the first task is to plan the brochure, taking into account the most significant of these.不可能满足所有的市场需要，所以优先考虑最关键的部分，其他的需要用另外的方式来满足。理解了内容不难选出答案是C：接受一个广告手册不可能满足所有目标的事实。

第三段紧接着第二段所说的首要任务(first task)，提出了次要任务(second task)：把广告手册的内容找准。在95%的情况下，公司会雇人好好设计广告手册，但是却不会找有相关技能的广告文字撰稿人制作内容，或者至少给收拾下。还有一个更大的失败之处在于制作出的广告手册不是以客户为中心的。广告手册应该涉及到客户感兴趣的领域，集中在从你那购买所能获得的好处上。

15题问作者在第三段说怎么样才可以改善大部分的广告手册。根据前面的内容概括，很显然答案在A和D之间。选A是根据题干中的the majority of brochures来的，原文中提到In 95 per cent of cases, a company will hire a designer to oversee the layout….. but they don't get a copywriter or someone with the right expertise to produce the text.在95%的情况下公司只注重设计而不注重表述内容，这里的95 per cent of cases可以对应the majority of brochures。get a copywriter or someone with the right expertise to produce the text，找一个有相关技能的广告文字撰稿人来制作文字，也就是A所说的更好的语言和表达。

第四段说明了广告手册刚刚诞生时的一些情况。客户更看重的不是企业所存在的时间，而是企业的名声和所干的实事。所以在广告手册的起步阶段，最重要的是企业要拥有一个良好的业绩记录。一旦这些建立起来了，广告手册就可以致力于让客户相信你的产品是市场上最好的。

16题问在广告手册的引进阶段，作者对公司们的建议是什么。原文很明确：The important point to get across at the beginning is that you have a good track record.。通过这一阶段最重要的是你必须有一个良好的业绩记录。也就是D选项所说的公司要注重他们所建立起来的名声。其他几个选项都没有提到。第五段说的是广告手册内容的一些注意事项。内容中要包含与你做生意时可能获得的一些好处。公司要对手册上的声明做详细说明。还可能引用现存客户的一些建议。这些可以使得广告手册显得很个人化，而不是堆砌供应商的照片然后把自己的名字印在最前面。

17题问第五段对广告手册内容的讨论中，作者的建议是什么。答案是原文的这么一句：it is not enough just to state these; in order to persuade, they need to be spelt out。仅仅只是声明是不够的，为了可以说服，他们需要被详细说明。也就是B选项所说的为所做的声明提供支持。A和D没有提到，C不对，不是说避免使用他们的照片，而是说不能仅仅只呈上他们的照片，还要有别的东西，比如客户的建议。

最后一段是说的设计阶段的注意事项，需要具备哪些特征才能让你的广告手册脱颖而出。18题要联系上下文进行理解，原文是说“there are many production features that can distinguish your brochure from the run of the mill.”有很多生产特征能让你的广告手册区别于其他的，后文有一个make you stand out，理解这里的含义，就是要和普通的一般的广告手册相区分。所以选择ordinary。

几个疑似生词：

transpire：When it transpires that something is the case, people discover that it is the case. 为人所知

spell something out：to explain something clearly and in detail

e.g:The report spelled out in detail what the implications were for teacher training.

track record:all the past achievements, successes or failures of a person or an organization 业绩记录

BEC真题二

Finding the right people

When a small company grows, managers must take on many new roles. Besides the day-to-day running of the business, they find themselves responsible for, among other things, relations with outside investors, increased levels of cashflow and, hardest of all, recruitment.

For most managers of small and medium-sized enterprises, the job of searching for, interviewing and selecting staff is difficult and time-consuming. (0) ... .G... . Interviewing, for example, is a highly skilled activity in itself.

'We have found the whole process very hard,' says Dan Baker, founding partner of a PR company. 'In seven years we have grown from five to eighteen staff, but we have not found it easy to locate and recruit the right people.' (8).........As Dan Baker explains, 'We went to one for our first recruitment drive, but they took a lot of money in advance and didn't put forward anybody suitable. In the end we had to do it ourselves.'

Most recruitment decisions are based on a pile of CVs, a couple of short interviews and two cautious references. David Rowe, a business psychologist, studied how appointments were made in five small companies. He claims that selection was rarely based on clear criteria. (9).........This kind of approach to recruitment often has unhappy consequences for both employers and new recruits.

Small companies often know what kind of person they are looking for. (10)......... According to David Rowe, this means that small company managers themselves have to devote more time and energy to recruitment. It shouldn't be something that is left to the evenings or weekends.

Many companies start the recruitment process with over-optimistic ideas about the type of person that will fit into their team. 'It's very easy to say you must have the best people in the top positions,' says Alex Jones, managing partner of an executive recruitment company. 'But someone who is excellent in one company may not do so well in another environment.(11).........You can never guarantee a successful transfer of skills.'

Whatever the candidate's qualifications, their personal qualities are just as important since they will have to integrate with existing members of staff. This is where, the recruitment industry argues, they can really help.

According to Alex Jones, 'A good recruitment agency will visit your company and ask a lot of questions. (12).........They can ask applicants all sorts of questions you don't like to ask and present you with a shortlist of people who not only have the skills, but who are likely to fit in with your company's way of doing things.'

A finance director in a big company, for example, will often make a terrible small company finance director because he or she is used to having a team doing the day-to-day jobs.

B More often than not, the people making the choice prioritised different qualities in candidates or relied on guesswork.

C Recruitment would seem an obvious task to outsource, but the company's experience of recruitment agencies was not encouraging.

D They need paying for that, of course, but you will have them working for you and not for the candidate.

E They are usually in very specific markets and the problem they face is that recruitment agencies may not really understand the sector.

F This means that companies cannot spend more than the standard ten minutes interviewing each applicant.

G Yet few are trained and competent for all aspects of the task.

Finding the right people，寻找合适的人。是说的小公司在起步发展阶段找到合适人才的难度和重要性。第一段总论小公司的经理们往往身兼数职，而其中最有难度的，还是招人。文章介绍了找到合适的人应该注意的问题，并且说招人这种事不可能过度寄希望于招聘机构。

第八题，这一题的前面说招人相当的困难，后面一个as Dan Baker explains，说曾经找过招聘机构，结果人家要提前收钱并且也没有提供合适的人，最后还是得靠自己。从这里的as …explains和后面的解释可以看出，第八空的内容应该是和招聘机构有关，招聘机构并不能满足公司的需要。选项C正好满足这一特点：招聘看起来像是个很明显的适合交外办理的任务，但是这个公司同招聘机构打交道的经历不那么的鼓舞人。was not encouraging是关键点。

第九题，这一段都是讲招人的决策不够科学。基于简历或者是简短的面试，很少有明确的准则。第九空的后面是This kind of approach to recruitment often has unhappy consequences。可见第九空的内容还是和招聘的方法有关，并且是负面的。B选项符合这一条件：通常(more often than not是often的意思，插入语)，做决定的人将候选人身上的不同素质按优先顺序给排好，或者依赖于猜测。

第十题，这一题的后面说this means the small company managers themselves have to devote more time and energy to recruitment。这意味着小公司自己要多花时间和精力在招人上。这里的this means的this是个暗示，可以看出第十题这里应该填入的是一些不太有利的因素，使得公司只有自己去招人。E选项符合这一要求：他们通常处于一些特殊市场上，面临的问题是招聘机构并不真正理解这一行业。

第十一题，这一段是讲招的人能否适应公司的环境的问题。这一空前面说的很明确：But someone who is excellent in one company may not do so well in another environment。在一个公司出色的人并不一定能在另一个环境里干的好。这一空的后面一句也是补充说明这一观点的。可见第十一空的内容仍然是这个，没有转折。A选项填入正好，是举例说明11空前面的观点：比方说，一个大公司的财务总监在小公司往往会干的很糟糕，原因是他或她已经习惯有一个团队来进行每日的工作。

第十二题，最后一段是和招聘机构相关的。前面说招聘机构会上门服务并且询问很多的问题。这一空的后面说的是招聘机构如何帮助招人。选项D可以填入，D的They need paying for that的that是个暗示，指代前面的上门服务。D选项的后半部分说要让招聘公司为你而不是为候选人服务，可以和这一段的后半部分对应上。

BEC真题三

When two brands are better than one

Elena Alvarez takes a look at the effectiveness of marketing partnerships

In the corporate world, rivalry is more common than co-operation. But increasingly; companies have been setting aside their differences; the new idea is that two brand names are better than one. Sharing databases, strategies and communication systems can be the most effective means of attracting customers. (G )This partnership will give it access to the utility company's database of thousands of corporate clients, who will be offered special deals on all its products.

The philosophy behind such joint ventures is simple. In economically challenging times, marketing partnerships provide a cost-effective method of increasing brand awareness and sales. As one expert in the field puts it, 'Clever marketing partnerships allow brands to target the right people, cutting down the above-the-line spend.' (8) .....E....... It is better to simplify the

process and give them one focal point.

Recent research has indicated that marketing partnerships can be up to 27 per cent more productive than single company campaigns.(9) .......B..... In particular, it is ideal for bringing instant branding to companies that lack immediate consumer appeal.

One well-established UK phone manufacturer, ITB, was quick to realise this, and formed an alliance with 7a/fc a leading women's magazine. The phone company has benefited from the strong branding of the magazine, which has its customer base among professional women in their early 20s. (10) ....D........ This combined approach also offered ITB a quick route into image enhancement, and this is true of many other marketing partnership deals. To give another illustration, it is no coincidence that some well-known cartoon characters are currently enhancing the image of Nasco household cleaning products.(11).....F.......And, of course, this strategy should also guarantee that consumers' children insist on these products rather than rival brands.

However, while association with a powerful brand can give a significant boost to sales, being connected to a devalued brand can have a negative result. The problems of one brand inevitably impact on the other in a partnership.(12).....A.......A company may take years to recover from this sort of bad publicity. Indeed, there are numerous examples of disastrous marketing alliances. In such cases, not enough thought has been given to the partnership and the reasons behind it, and it has brought little value to either the customer or the companies involved.

A In such circumstances, the effects are frequently major and can be long-lasting.

B Some experts therefore predict that this style of marketing will take up an increasingly large proportion of many companies' total marketing budgets.

C Successful marketing partnerships can consequently bring a financial advantage even to small and struggling companies such as these.

D In return, its partner enjoys a broader distribution platform from which to promote its brand.

E With only a finite number of consumers in any target market, there is no need to overwhelm prospects with competing messages from different organisations.

F These are fairly standard items, but clearly the company hopes to transform them by broadening the associations consumers have with the brand.

G For example, Profit Plus, a large UK financial services company, has recently joined forces with a leading supplier of electricity.

这篇文章名为《When two brands are better than one》，两个品牌强于一个，讲的是市场合作(marketing partnership)的好处。第一段总论这种合作的好处，可以共享数据、策略和交流系统。第二、三段接着说市场合作的优势，好的市场合作可以使品牌对准正确的目标人群，同时提高生产效率。第四段是列举实例来说明这种合作是怎样有利于双方的，第五段讲的是与一个贬值的品牌合作的后果。

第八题。第二段前面说市场合作提供了一种提高品牌知名度和销售的有成本效益的方法。然后一个专家指出市场合作可以使品牌对准目标人群，并削减线上支出。第八空的后面说使过程简化会比较好。整个这一段都是在讲市场合作的好处，从内容上看，E是最适合填入第八空的。但E选项的内容需要重点理解：任何一个目标市场上都只有有限的消费者，没有必要通过从不同的机构竞争信息的方式来赢得潜在客户。E的说法是从反面来证明市场合作的优势和必要性。prospects在这里是潜在客户的意思。

这题可以辅助以排除法来做。题目给定的几个选项，很多都有代词、短语等等，用在这里衔接不上。比如A的in such circumstances，B的therefore，C的such as these，D的in return，F的these。如果要选择这些选项，上下文一定会有相应的提示。

第九题。前面介绍说市场合作比单个公司单打独斗的效率提高了27%。B选项无论是内容还是连词therefore都能用在这里：一些专家因此推测这种市场类型在很多公司总的市场预算中占据的比重将逐渐增加。不选A，因为前面并没有与the effects相关的内容。C不选，上文没有提到companies such as these，D的in return和F的these也不匹配。

第十题。这一段是以两个公司的市场合作为例来做进一步说明的，一个手机生产商和一个女性杂志的合作。第十空前面说手机公司从杂志的强烈品牌中获益。这一空的后面有一个this combined approach，从内容上看，第十空应该说相应的杂志是如何从手机公司身上获益。D选项的内容完全吻合，词组in return可以算是一个答案信号：作为回报，它的合作者拥有了一个更宽广的分发平台，并从中提高了品牌的知名度。

第十一题。这一空前面是列举的另一个例子，一些知名的卡通形象正在加强Nasco家用清洁产品的形象。也就是说家用清洁产品公司正在和卡通公司合作。这一空的后面也是讲的这种策略有什么好处。所以这一空应该填入两个公司的合作的原因、好处等等。F的内容吻合：这些都是相当标准化的产品，但是很明显公司是想通过加大消费者和品牌之间的联系来进行一些改变。These are fairly standard items，说的是这些家用清洁产品。

第十二题。最后一段讲的是和一个贬值的品牌合作所带来的影响。前面说不可避免的会影响到(inevitably impact on the other)，空格后面有一个may take many years to recover，所以应该选A，A的the effects正好对应于前面的impact：在这种情况下，这些影响通常很大并且会持续很久。

最后强调下prospect

在商务英语里，这个词有自己特定的含义：潜在客户。

a person, company, etc. who is a possible customer

e.g:We follow up the most likely prospects first.

BEC真题四

1、This development is in an area where the potential for consumer spending is the highest in the country.

2、The partners constructing this centre have been responsible for numerous other developments.

3、The centre may become a model for future urban development plans.

4、This centre is being marketed by the developers as the best place in the area to shop.

5、Other shopping destinations are located close to the agreed site for this centre.

6、Plans for this development have been presented to people who live in the area for comment and approval.

7、This development is being built in an area which has experienced sustained growth over time.

A

The Birmingham Alliance will provide Birmingham with one of Europe's largest regional shopping centres, right in the heart of the city. The Alliance, an initiative between three of the largest developers in the country, all with extensive experience of urban regeneration schemes, will facilitate an £800m investment in Birmingham. This will regenerate 40 acres of the city centre within the next decade. Planning permission is in place for the new scheme, which will be a short distance from existing prime retail areas. The development will be well serviced by all forms of public transport, as well as providing parking space for 3,200 cars.

B

The private-public partnership between Legal & General and Bracknell Town Council will manage the £500m regeneration of the town's centre. The proposals, which are awaiting the outcome of consultation with local residents, provide for approximately 102,000m2 of retail and leisure facilities, 200 residential units and office accommodation. This development is expected to set the standard for town centre regeneration schemes to come because of the way it integrates the business and community sectors. It will also facilitate great improvements in the region's transport infrastructure.

C

Bluewater is a symbol of retail excellence, achieved through a unique combination of design, retail mix, leisure, catering and hospitality. The centre, surrounded by parkland, is situated in the country's most affluent region. Eleven million people, with a combined spending power predicted to exceed a record 5.5bn pound, live within 60 minutes of the centre. The developers set a precedent in the industry by getting the country's three best-known department stores to open very large branches within the centre, as well as over 300 leading fashion and lifestyle stores.

D

Following its recent stock market success, Lend Lease is now developing Overgate shopping centre in Dundee. Construction is well under way, and with several of the country's best-known retailers already secured, Lend Lease is promoting the centre as the unrivalled shopping destination of the region. The economic base of the area has improved continuously over the past decade, due to the fast expansion of the biomedical and service sectors. With an estimated potential market of 500,000 people, Overgate is proving attractive to leading UK retailers.

这套题目的难度不一般，我估计能把这套题给吃透了，以后基本可以笑傲阅读的第一部分了。文章有点散，题目的信息也是相当隐晦，很可能看了半天依然找不着北。写到这里多啰嗦几句，越是这种时候越要沉住气：所有人都一样，别人不会感觉比你容易。这是整个BEC考试的第一部分，如果不对付好了，后面会溃不成军。

文章ABCD四个部分分别介绍了四个不同的连锁店的发展情况(retail development)，因为是基本情况的介绍，所以有点泛，没法提炼重点，只能尽可能多的把文章里的疑似重点词汇划出来，以待备用。

第一题，说这个地区的消费支出潜力是整个国家最高的，这里的highest是关键词。答案是C段的这句话：Eleven million people,with a combined spending power predicted to exceed a record 5.5bn pound.意思是综合消费能力预计将超过记录。预计(predict)，也就是潜力(potential)。hightest，也就是exceed a record。前面有个affluent，是形容词，富裕的。

第二题，说建筑这个中心的合作方曾多次负责其他的项目发展。答案是A段的一句话：an initiative between three of the largest developers in the country, all with extensive experience of urban regeneration schemes.意思是这三个国内最大的开发商都拥有广泛的城市建造经验。这里的with extensive experience就是题干所说的have been responsible for numerous other developments.

第三题，说这个中心可能会成为未来城市发展规划的范例。答案是B段的一句：This development is expected to set the standard for town centre regeneration schemes to come。这种发展有望为即将到来的城市中心再建方案树立标准。set the standard对应于model，plans对应于schemes。

第四题，关键词是best，答案是D段的这么一句：Lend Lease is promoting the centre as the unrivalled shopping destination of the region.是说Lend Lease打算促使该中心成为这个地区无与伦比的消费目的地。Unrivalled对应于best。

第五题，关键词是一个close，答案是A段的：Planning permission is in place for the new scheme, which will be a short distance from existing prime retail areas。A short distance from也就是close。

第六题，说这个发展方案提交给了住在这里的人，等待他们的评价和同意。答案是B段的“The proposals, which are awaiting the outcome of consultation with local residents”，这个提议还在等当地居民商议的最后结果，完全一个意思。

第七题，说建造在了一个曾经历了持续增长期的地区，答案是D段的“The economic base of the area has improved continuously over the past decade”，这个地方的经济基础连续改善了十年。sustained growth对应于improved continuously。