发布时间 : 星期一 文章剑桥商务英语中级习题集（2010年春季）听力原文更新完毕开始阅读4c9eaf563c1ec5da50e27090
[pause] Sixteen
Companies sometimes get the wrong idea about online recruitment. They focus on the fact that it can reduce administration, but forget that it takes specific skills to manage the online process. After all, the recruitment section of the website needs to be organised, applications dealt with quickly and effectively, and so on. People who are used to circulating details of vacancies internally, planning newspaper advertising, acknowledging applications, etc. may not have the abilities required for dealing with online recruitment. [pause] Seventeen
So often, people apply for jobs they know very little about, because positions with the same title can vary considerably in different organisations. So when you’re recruiting, you should use your website to list projects and assignments of the post and give case histories of people in similar posts in the company, perhaps with a personal statement from them. It doesn’t affect the procedure you follow, but it helps potential applicants to decide if it’s a job they really want. [pause]
Now listen to the recordings again. [pause]
Section Two.
Questions 18 to 22.
You will hear another five recordings. Five speakers are talking about how to deal with complaints about goods.
For each recording, decide what action the speaker is recommending. Write one letter (A-H) next to the number of the recording. Do not use any letter more than once.
After you bare listened once, replay the recordings. You have 15 seconds to read the list A-H. [pause]
Now listen, and decide what action each speaker is recommending. [pause] Eighteen
Some people tell you that what a dissatisfied customer really wants is to have the opportunity to spend his money again. You may have to resort to this - a refund or perhaps some form of credit. However, this may lose a customer and will certainly lose that particular deal. Try a bit of persuasion -remind your customer why he chose your product in the first place, give him a new one and save him the trouble of making further decisions. [pause] Nineteen
It’s often the case that a complaint about faulty equipment really means the customer is doing something wrong. Of course, considerable tact is called for when this happens - don’t make them feel foolish. What they need is some guidance - and this should be provided without further cost. Make sure any damage done has been put right, and then set up the familiarisation session. Problem solved, customer happy, equipment saved from any more misuse. [pause] Twenty
When a customer complains, it’s important to be sympathetic, but business-like as well. Do apologise, of course, and then, taking a personal interest in the way the equipment will be used, suggest a newer, more recent model rather than simply replacing the original one. This is often a good solution, because it not only deals with the complaint, but also the client feels they’ve got away with a bit extra to make up for the inconvenience.
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[pause] Twenty-one
I don’t think all complaints can be dealt with in the same way. Basically, you’ve got to solve the immediate problem to try to keep the customer’s confidence. Sometimes guaranteeing your product for a longer period can be a good way to do this. Fix what’s wrong as quickly as possible and show you’re prepared to do so a second time if necessary. Point out that the customer won’t have any worries, at least not until they need an upgrade. [pause] Twenty-two
It’s a good idea to let the customer know why there’s been a problem - it shows you are prepared to be honest, and you might win a bit of sympathy. They realise that things don’t always go right for the supplier either. But the most satisfactory thing to do is to offer a refund. Then, of course, they are more likely to deal with you again when they need a replacement. [pause]
Now listen to the recordings again. [pause]
That is the end of Part Two. [pause]
Part Three.
Questions 23 to 30.
You will hear John Sergeant, a retail analyst, being interviewed about a chain of clothing stores called Sangra.
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 45 seconds to read through the questions. [pause]
Now listen, and mark A, B or C. [pause]
Woman: The big clothing retailer Sangra is currently in the news, and here to talk about its
difficulties is retail analyst John Sergeant.
Man: Hello.
Woman: John, why have Sangra’s sales fallen so much? Man: Well, they’ve started using top designers, but it takes too long to get the designs from
the drawing board into the shops. Sangra haven’t realised that fashion trends are moving faster than ever, and they need to react much more quickly. As a result, they aren’t attracting younger shoppers. It really makes little difference who designs their clothes or what the stores look like if people don’t feel like going in.
Woman: They’ve been very short-sighted, haven’t they? Man: That’s right. Sangra’s strength is in the middle market, but shoppers now want either
expensive designer labels or low prices. At the same time, other stores have started to compete for the same customers, but are offering lower prices. Sangra’s response to these dangers has been an advertising campaign which was right off target, and which actually seems to have lost them customers. And amazingly, they’re still running it.
Woman: The last Chief Executive was thought to be responsible for many of the mistakes,
wasn’t he?
Man: Throughout the nineteen nineties, the company was managed by Denis Howard, who
was a strong leader. He decided on the policy of acquisition, and to be fair to him, he managed to persuade the Board. But when sales fell, Howard was forced out. If he’d already got somebody in position to take over, everything might have been fine, but as it was, a boardroom argument broke out. That’s when the company’s problems
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Woman: Man:
Woman: Man:
Woman: Man:
Woman: Man:
Woman: Man:
Woman: Man: [pause]
Now listen to the recording again. [pause]
That is the end of Part Three. You now have ten minutes to transfer your answers to your Answer Sheet. [pause]
Note: Teacher, stop the recording here and time ten minutes. Remind students when there is one minute remaining.
That is the end of the test.
started.
So what s happening now?
The new management’s started a high-cost policy of introducing what they call the ‘lifestyle’ idea into the stores, grouping merchandise according to the target customer. For example, instead of dresses in one area, shoes in another, they have one section aimed at active adults, another at teenagers, and so on. The staff seem to be behind them, but they’re finding that most of the stores just don t have the floor space for it. Is this the solution to the company’s problems?
Not really. They re also trying to make savings, like cutting the number of higher-paid staff to improve productivity; but the effect is minimal. The fact is that margins in retailing are being cut, and Sangra will have to do the same if they’re to succeed. I’m sure this will be their next step. Or else they’ll have to start shutting poorly performing stores, but that means shutting all of them.
Do you think it’s suffering from its old- fashioned, top-down style of management? Yes, but they’re beginning to change. They’re going to have to take much more notice of what shoppers want, but at the moment, they’re working to reduce the time it takes for new products to be manufactured, so for the first time they and their suppliers are co- operating to make improvements. To be honest, if the management were less autocratic, they could also learn a lot from their staff. What would be your advice to Sangra?
They need to remember that their years of success came from supplying a broad range of ordinary clothes. They’ve made too many mistakes recently, like moving into designer items. They should stop playing with new ideas and just do what they’re good at. There isn’t really a safe alternative.
How is the company likely to change in the next few years?
Their main activity will still be the same, even if they decide to follow the trend into big out-of-town stores. Their venture into financial services and food halls, both of which are due to start this year, will have a considerable effect, though whether for good or bad remains to be seen. And we may well find Sangra stores opening abroad, and my guess is that it’ll be through acquisition. John Sergeant, thank you very much. Thank you.
TEST 10
This is the Business English Certificate Vantage 4, Listening Test 2.
Part One. Questions 1 to 12.
You will hear three telephone conversations or messages.
Write one or two words or a number in the numbered spaces on the notes or forms below. After you have listened once, replay each recording. [pause]
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Conversation One. Questions 1 to 4. Look at the note below.
You will hear a man clarifying some information about a balance sheet. You have 15 seconds to read through the note. [pause]
Now listen, and fill in the spaces. [pause] Man: Hi, Tom here. Could I speak with Bill? Woman: Sorry, he’s out. Can I take a message? Man: Thanks. It’s about some queries Bill had about the balance sheet I prepared. Woman: Which balance sheet exactly? The one for the last financial year? Man: Actually, it was the one for the last quarter. Woman: OK, got that. Man: There were several things Bill wanted to check. Firstly, he asked about the liabilities
figures. He thought the figures in column A might be for current liabilities, but in fact those figures indicate the long-term ones.
Woman: OK, I’ve got that. What next? Man: The assets figures. He wondered exactly what they cover. Actually, I’ve put the
current assets there, but I’ve still got to work out the fixed assets and the intangible assets before I include them.
Woman: Thanks. Anything else? Man: One last thing. Also about assets. Bill wasn’t sure what the figures in brackets in
section four refer to. He thought they might represent average figures for the last two years or something like that. In fact, they show losses over that period.
Woman: Thanks. I’ll pass all that on. [pause]
Now listen to the recording again. [pause]
Conversation Two. Questions 5 to 8. Look at the notes below.
You will hear a man leaving a voicemail message about a negotiating problem. You have 15 seconds to read through the notes. [pause]
Now listen, and fill in the spaces. [pause]
Hi, George. This is Kristoff calling from Australia. It’s about the contract negotiation for constructing the factory in Melbourne. Our client doesn’t want to agree the date for the completion of the second stage, even though it was accepted when we put in our tender. We specified that we couldn’t complete in less than six months. Now they’re saying they want it brought forward a month. This is a problem, because they want to put in a penalty clause which states that for every week we are late, we have to pay three per cent of the total cost. I can’t agree to this at all. We’re already using our best technical employees, and the only way we can complete in five months is if we use more unskilled staff right from the beginning, which’ll mean a substantial investment which we hadn’t budgeted for. There’s one incentive, however; instead of the usual bonus, we’ll be awarded the contract for their next project if we can meet their new deadline. [pause]
Now listen to the recording again.
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