2023年BEC高级真题集听力原文

BEC高级真题集听力原文()TEST 1This is the Business English Certificate Higher 2, Listening Test 1.Part One. Questions 1 to 12.You will hear the introduction to a seminar, called the Business Master Class, about the use of Information Technology in the workplace.As you listen, for questions 1 to 12, complete the notes, using up to three words or a number.After you have listened once, replay the recording.You now have forty-five seconds to read through the notes.pauseNow listen, and complete the notes.pauseWoman:Good morning everyone and welcome. Thanks for coming. My name is Jane Watson and I look forward to meeting you all personally. Some of you are here just for today, others, I know, will be attending for all three days. Im just going to say a few words on behalf of my company who have organised this event, Global Conferences plc. As you know, todays seminar is The Business Master Class, to be conducted by our distinguished guest who I will introduce in a moment. But first a few quick points of organisation which perhaps youd like to note. All the sessions will take place in this hotel except for the last session on Tomorrows Software, which will be at the New City Hotel. We will meet there at 2pm and this will give us a chance to see in action some of the things we have been discussing. A map with directions to the New City Hotel is available from me if you wish to make your own way. Alternatively there will be a bus going there at 1.30pm. There is limited car parking at the New City Hotel so if you wish to drive there you will need a permit. You can get one from the conference office.Now to the reason we are all here. We are very fortunate to have a seminar today led by Dr Martin Sangalli, one of the most prominent and well-respected commentators in the world business community. Hes been asked to advise many large corporations. He is a specialist in the strategic use of Information Technology in banking, pharmaceuticals and retail. He has his own company called Logic Solutions, which consults with some of the biggest names in the world of business. He is also an adviser to Intertel and a non-executive director of Global Conferences. Thousands of business and technology managers have benefited from reading his best-selling book, Intelligent Change. Always inspiring and thought provoking, his ideas have helped hundreds of organisations to gain a glimpse of the future. He is Europes most famous IT analyst. Dr Sangalli - welcome.Man:Thank you Jane, for that flattering introduction. I hope I can live up to it. So to begin. There are two main difficulties facing all corporations today. Firstly, how to make themselves more customer-driven. Secondly, and as a result of that, is the question of how to go about the major task of developing and implementing new organisational structures. This is a senior management session and is designed to provide you with two things. I hope that by the end of the session you will be equipped to design your own framework for action. To help you do this you will also be able to take away documentation of real- life case studies that Ive been involved in. So, if you would like to look at the screen.pauseNow listen to the recording again.pauseThat is the end of Part One. You now have twenty seconds to check your answers.pausePart Two. Questions 13 to 22.You will hear five different business people talking about trips they have recently been on.For each extract there are two tasks. Look at Task One. For each question 13-17, choose the purpose of each trip, from the list A-H. Now look at Task Two. For each question 18-22, choose the problem described, from the list A-H.After you have listened once, replay the recording You now have thirty seconds to read the two lists.pauseNow listen, and do the two tasks.pauseMan:Of course, I was looking forward to it. I mean, it meant seeing the results of quite a lengthy process to find the right person, which I myself had invested quite a lot of time in. Its a demanding post, with a lot of responsibility. I think the potential we thought wed spotted is being realised, and that shes going to deliver the sort of new initiatives we hoped for. Shes already got the team adapting to her approach. But I did feel a bit stupid in the meeting, sitting there without the right figures. I just cant believe I didnt pick up the chart. I could still see it, sitting on my desk.Woman:Well, the whole thing was a serious challenge, and if Im honest I didnt really feel up to it in the first place. It wasnt a good time to be going away from the office, and I certainly didnt feel happy, being asked to present pretty different ideas at this stage of the game. I completely understand that the last thing they wanted was to have someone dropping in from above, as it were, and saying, oh, well, weve decided to change the rules, etcetera. Theyd been applying the system as it was in good faith. And then I was just so tired. What with the wedding celebration going on in the hotel, I definitely didnt get enough rest, and that left me disorientated, so I underperformed.Man:I wasnt happy to be going out there when there was so much that had to be dealt with, just left there on my desk. My secretarys extremely good, but she cant do the impossible, obviously. But it was clearly crucial to get some kind of idea of what it looked like, whether we were on to the right kind of thing. Getting the right location and space is vital. Im more or less convinced that this is right for what we want. It will attract customers. The trouble is, I had out-of-date architects plans with me, so I kept getting confused about the dimensions. But the hotel staff were really helpful when we were trying to get the up-to-date stuff faxed through.Woman:Its the first time Ive been over there since we decided to go ahead with the expansion and I must say I was impressed with the number of really good candidates there were. It really is a good region, in terms of being able to attract and recruit the right people and Im confident we chose the right people. I wish the same thing was true for the other branches. What I just cant believe is that I managed to set such a bad example by arriving a whole hour after we should have started. I felt like a real fool, going on about heavy traffic, when Id never accept that kind of excuse myself!Man:They said it was all different, and they certainly werent wrong! I could hardly believe some of it! Its definitely eye-opening to see what policy can mean in reality. But the way theyre applying it, I mean the actual techniques, really is impressive. I didnt say anything, of course, just took my notes, and I will be drawing up my report as soon as I can. FI1 definitely be recommending that some of their ways of going about things get applied in the other branches. It was confusing at the same time, I have to admit. They were showing me all these graphs, different models of analysis, and I couldnt really follow that way of presenting the data. And then that guys accent! Great hotel, though.pauseNow listen to the recording again.pauseThat is the end of Part Two.pausePart Three. Questions 23 to 30.You will hear part of a conversation between a management consultant and the Human Resources manager of Jenkins, a company which manufactures childrens clothing.For each question 23-30, mark one letter, A, B or C, for the correct answer.After you have listened once, replay the recording.You have forty-five seconds to read through the questions.pauseNow listen, and mark A, B or C.pauseWoman:Good morning, nice to meet you. Do sit down.Man:Thank you.Woman:Now, youre Human Resources manager of Jenkins, arent you? Give me some background on the company - so I get a general picture.Man:Stephen Jenkins founded the company nearly thirty years ago, and named it after himself, and he ran it for a long time. Last year one of our competitors proposed combining, with the idea that separately the two companies were too small to survive. They were probably right, but anyway Stephen turned down the offer. Then, because he was getting on, he handed over the day-to-day running to his daughter, Catherine, while retaining full control himself.Woman:And you make childrens clothes, dont you? Arent there problems in the sector?Man:Well, we mostly sell to retail chains, which sell them under their own brand labels. Things arent as easy as they were, what with cheap imports, and the more expensive childrens boutiques making inroads at the top end of the market. But we position ourselves in the middle range, so were not too badly affected. Were under increasing pressure to cut our profit margins, though, because of growing competition between High Street retailers.Woman:What would you say is the companys strength?Man:It certainly helps that we supply those large retailers I mentioned, and in fact some of them have been customers for years. I suppose, though, that we wouldnt have survived this long if it wasnt for the fact that we wont send anything out unless it meets very exacting standards. Our customers appreciate that, plus the fact that we aim to keep the time from order to delivery very short, and theyre prepared to pay a premium for it.Woman:What about weaknesses?Man:Well, weve got a poor record in providing training on the machines were currently using. And I have to say that Stephen used to run the company in a very old-fashioned, autocratic way, which alienated a lot of the workers. Despite Catherines more enlightened approach, its an uphill struggle to try to change attitudes and improve co-operation.Woman:Never an easy task!Man:No.Woman:You mentioned on the phone that theres a problem with a particular group of workers.Man:Yes, theres a very high turnover among the machinists, thats the people who actually make the clothes. They say theyre faced with unreasonable demands all the time, like having to learn to operate several machines instead of just one or two. Many of them think they could get an easier job for the money, because there are plenty of other jobs on offer locally. The reasonably healthy state of our order books gives them a certain amount of job security, but they just dont seem to care.Woman:Hows their work organised?Man:Weve changed to a sectionalised flow approach, which means the machinists work in teams. Rather than each machinist being assigned a complete item of clothing, the work is divided into batches involving various operations, each of them undertaken by one machinist. As that person finishes, the work is passed on to the machinist responsible for the next stage.Woman:Has that had any impact on what you produce?Man:Yes, its enabled Catherine to introduce a policy of rapid diversification of the product range, so the number of itemised clothes has leapt. Thats the total number of different styles, in all the different sizes. And thats reduced batch sizes: long runs on an item are a thing of the past. At least half the styles used to be carried through from one year to the next, but now only a quarter are, so as you can see, its had quite an impact on the rate of change.Woman:Whats the effect on the machinists?Man:That policy was part of a raft of changes, one of which is that the machinists are now paid on a piecework basis, rather than at an hourly rate. Theyre furious about that, though to be fair, the rate thats paid for learning to use a new machine has been calculated so as to make sure that no- one loses out in the short term. And theyre also aggrieved because so much is new, and far more batches of work fail quality inspections and have to be redone.Woman:Now tell me something about training.pauseNow listen to the recording again.pauseThat is the end of Part Three. You now have ten minutes to transfer your answers to your Answer Sheet.Note: Teacher, stop the recording here and time ten minutes. Remind students when there is one minute remaining.pauseThat is the end of the test.TEST 2This is the Business English Certificate Higher 2, Listening Test 2.Part One. Questions 1 to 12.You will hear a consultant giving a talk to a group of UK business people about exporting to the United Arab Emirates (UAE).As you listen, for questions 1 to 12, complete the notes, using up to three words or a number.After you have listened once, replay the recording.You now have forty-five seconds to read through the notes.pauseNow listen, and complete the notes.pauseMan:Welcome ladies and gentlemen to the fourth in our series of brief country profiles for companies who are thinking of extending their trading activities into new areas. Our chosen country this afternoon is the United Arab Emirates or UAE. Now, in geographical terms it is relatively small but what makes it very significant in commercial terms is its high purchasing power. The two most important cities, from a commercial point of view at least, are Dubai City and Abu Dhabi City, particularly the former. It is important to remember that the UAE has always been a distribution centre through which goods pass to neighbouring countries. Another point is that in recent years the UAE government has made the legal framework much more user-friendly by simplifying commercial law.What are they like as people to trade with? What are they looking for from you, the potential exporter? Firstly, UAE customers are very knowledgeable about the latest trends. Theyre not interested in last years fashions or products. They are only interested in the most up-to-date, high-quality products at a keen price.Like everyone else they dont like unreliability, whether in terms of getting the goods there when you promised them or the performance of the product itself. Above all, however, they insist on your meeting their high expectations regarding after-sales service. And being a small market, geographically speaking, businessmen tend to know each other, so once you do a good job for one customer, then the news travels fast round the UAE and youll soon be getting orders from other agencies or whatever, because theyve heard about you. But be warned - it also works the other way!Another point to bear in mind thats true of nearly all markets, but, believe me, it is particularly true of the UAE: dont imagine mailshots or emails are going to produce good results. Local businesspeople dont just prefer a personal visit, they insist on it; its the only approach possible.Now, how to get started: so what are the various ways of selling goods and services in the UAE? What I would recommend, to make your first contacts, is attending a trade fair - one of the many held in Dubai. Having made your contacts, there are various options open to you. The most popular way to start is with direct sales to local contractors. This method is fine for one-off deals or where you just want to try things out. On the other hand, if youre thinking of supplying goods or services to a government body then youve got to have a local agent. Lastly, theres the branch office option or the possibility of going into a joint venture with a local partner. It is always an expensive option, and the UAE is no exception in this. In general, I would advise exporters to gain at least five years experience in the case of the UAE before opening a branch office there, although of course there could be exceptions to this.Now as far as import documentation is concerned.pauseNow listen to the recording again.pauseThat is the end of Part One. You now have twenty seconds to check your answers.pausePart Two. Questions 13 to 22.You will hear five different people talking about the relocation of their business premises.For each extract there are two tasks. Look at Task One. For each question 13-17, choose the reason given for deciding to relocate the company premises, from the list A-H. Now look at Task Two. For each question 18-22, choose the problem described that arose after the relocation, from the list A-H.After you have listened once, replay the recording.You now have thirty seconds to read the two lists.pauseNow listen, and do the two tasks.pauseMan:It seemed like the right thing to do at the time, and it has paid off in some ways. Certainly, we did need to make savings in order to compete with other companies. We were paying out far too much on basic services. It just wasnt allowing for realistic profit margins. Well, the new premises are attractive. The whole place looks much smarter, more in line with the image were looking to project. And theres no problem, yet, with getting the customers in. Its pretty busy, in fact. The advertising does seem to be helping to keep the products moving. But in terms of staffing, while theres no problem recruiting them round here, it is proving tricky to get their skills up to standard. Were just too busy dealing with the customers to have time to work on that.Man:Its gone fairly well. I mean, it was never going to be straightforward, shifting an operation of this size somewhere completely different. Anyway, it had to be done, because so much of the shopfloor was empty. We just didnt require that sort of area for the equipment. The suppliers seem to have adapted well. Productivitys up, the managers are happy, the facilities arent perfect, but theyll do. What we didnt do was to properly predict how many new operatives wed be needing, and that does mean that the ones we have got are having to do far too much overtime to make up the shortfall. Still, I hope the new adverts will attract a new wave of applications.Woman:I dont know - I just cant get used to it. Everythings so different here. Not just the building, although of course thats a big factor. But its also their ways of going about things. Its a completely different corporate culture theyve brought with them. I guess it must be a recipe for success, otherwise they wouldnt have been able to buy us out. But it would help if this place was better. I mean, the whole buildings so ugly. Just to look at it when you arrive in the morning makes you feel depressed. And the canteens too small for all of us, and theres only one lift. Most of the managers seem unhappy, and I dont blame them. Im not sure how long Im going to stay, to be honest.Man:I feel we had little choice but to go. I think it would have been very different if it had been part of our plan. Right up until the last minute, I thought we were going to be able to renegotiate, but they were just so stubborn about the terms, so it was impossible to sign the renewal. Well, at least weve finally got the computers, phones and so on sorted out that was a real nightmare at the beginning. And the paperworks back under control, so the managers are looking a bit more content. Its a pity its so much harder to get to than the last place, and it means more people are inevitably turning up late. Im really not sure what to do about that side of things.Woman:I still dont know if we made the right decision, to be honest. I thought it was logical at the time, that it was fairly straightforward to shift the equipment, arrange a new lease, and so on, and that wed then be much better placed for getting deliveries. And that has worked out OK; I mean, they are managing to get things to us on time now, with the shorter distance to come. But in the food business, you depend on your reputation, and I think that one bad review has done us an awful lot of damage. Were just not getting enough customers through the door. The waiters are spending time doing nothing, because of the empty tables.Now listen to the recording again.pauseNow listen to the recording again.pauseThat i