Questions 21 to 25 are based on the following passage:
New technology links the world as never before. Our planet has shrunk. It’s
now a “global village” where countries are only seconds away by fax or phone or
satellite link. And. of course, our ability to benefit from this high-tech
communications equipment is greatly enhanced by foreign language skills.
Deeply involved with this new technology is a breed of modern
businesspeople who have a growing respect for the economic value of doing
business abroad. In modern markets, success overseas often helps support
domestic business efforts.
Overseas assignments are becoming increasingly important to advancement
within executive ranks. The executive stationed in another country no longer
need fear being “out of sight and out of mind.” He or she can be sure that the
overseas effort is central to the company’s plan for success, and that
promotions often follow or accompany an assignment abroad. If an employee can
succeed in a difficult assignment overseas, superiors will have greater
confidence in his or her ability to cope back in the United States where
cross-cultural considerations and foreign language issues are becoming more and
more prevalent (普遍的).
Thanks to a variety of relatively inexpensive communications devices with
business applications, even small businesses in the United States are able to
get into international markets.
English is still the international language of business. But there is an
ever-growing need for people who can speak another language. A second language
isn’t generally required to get a job in business, but having language skills
gives a candidate the edge when other qualifications appear to be equal
The employee posted abroad who speaks the country’s principal language has
an opportunity to fast-forward certain negotiations, and cam have the cultural
insight to know when it is better to move more slowly. The employee at the home
office who can communicate well with foreign clients over the telephone or by
fax machine is an obvious asset to the firm.
21. What is the author’s attitude toward high-tech communications
equipment?
A) Critical.
B) Prejudiced.
C) Indifferent.
D) Positive.
22. With the increased use of high-tech communications equipment,
businesspeople ______.
A) have to get familiar with modern technology
B) are gaining more economic benefits from domestic operations
C) are attaching more importance to their overseas business
D) are eager to work overseas
23. In this passage, “out of sight and out of mind” (Lines 2-3, Para. 3)
probably means ____.
A) being unable to think properly for lack of insight
B) being totally out of touch with business at home
C) missing opportunities for promotion when abroad
D) leaving all care and worry behind
24. According to the passage, what is an important consideration of
international corporations in employing people today?
A) Connections with businesses overseas.
B) Ability to speak the client’s language.
C) Technical know-how.
D) Business experience.
25. The advantage of employees having foreign language skills is that they
can _______.
A) better control the whole negotiation process
B) easily find new approaches to meet market needs
C) fast-forward their proposals to headquarters
D) easily make friends with businesspeople abroad
Passage Four
Questions 26 to 30 are based on the following passage:
In recent years, Israeli consumers have grown more demanding as they’ve
become wealthier and more worldly-wise. Foreign travel is a national passion;
this summer alone, one in 10 citizens will go abroad. Exposed to higher
standards of service elsewhere, Israelis are returning home expecting the same.
American firms have also begun arriving in large numbers. Chains such as KFC,
McDonald’s and Pizza Hut are setting a new standard of customer service, using
strict employee training and constant monitoring to ensure the friendliness of
frontline staff. Even the American habit of telling departing customers to “Have
a nice day” has caught on all over Israel. “Nobody wakes up in the morning and
says, ‘Let’s be nicer,’” says Itsik Cohen, director of a consulting firm.
“Nothing happens without competition.”
Privatization, or the threat of it, is a motivation as well. Monopolies
(垄断者) that until recently have been free to take their customers for granted now
fear what Michael Perry, a marketing professor, calls “the revengeful (报复的)
consumer.” When the government opened up competition with Bezaq, the phone
company, its international branch lost 40% of its market share, even while
offering competitive rates. Says Perry, “People wanted revenge for all the years
of bad service.” The electric company, whose monopoly may be short-lived, has
suddenly mopped requiring users to wait half a day for a repairman. Now,
appointments are scheduled to the half-hour. The graceless El Al Airlines, which
is already at auction (拍卖), has retrained its employees to emphasize service and
is boasting about the results in an ad campaign with the slogan, “You can feel
the change in the air.” For the first time, praise outnumbers complaints on
customer survey sheets.
26. It may be inferred from the passage that _______.
A) customer service in Israel is now improving
B) wealthy Israeli customers are hard to please
C) the tourist industry has brought chain stores to Israel
D) Israeli customers prefer foreign products to domestic ones
27. In the author’s view, higher service standards are impossible in Israel
________.
A) if customer complaints go unnoticed by the management
B) unless foreign companies are introduced in greater numbers
C) if there’s no competition among companies
D) without strict routine training of employees
28. If someone in Israel today needs a repairman in case of a power
failure, ________.
A) they can have it fixed in no time
B) it’s no longer necessary to make an appointment
C) the appointment takes only half a day to make
D) they only have to wait half an hour at most
29. The example of El A1 Airlines shows that _______.
A) revengeful customers are a threat to the monopoly of enterprises
B) an ad campaign is a way out for enterprises in financial difficulty
C) a good slogan has great potential for improving service
D) staff retraining is essential for better service
30. Why did Bezaq’s international branch lose 40% of its market share?
A) Because the rates it offered were not competitive enough.
B) Because customers were dissatisfied with its past service.
C) Because the service offered by its competitors was far better.
D) Because it no longer received any support from the
government.
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