PART ONE A. The United States Telecom Association The United States Telecom Association is the nation's oldest and most influential trade association of its kind. For more than a century, USTA has represented the interests of service providers in the dynamic telecommunications industry. From its inception, USTA has personified the entrepreneurial spirit of the telecom industry. The evolution of USTA as an industry force parallels the evolution of the telephone industry itself. With the new century, USTA completed an ambitious restructuring with a business plan that unites a diverse industry to deliver influence in Washington. USTA remains committed to representing its members before the Congress, federal and state regulators, the courts and the media, working to deliver significant victories for the telecommunications industry. B. LookSmart LookSmart is a leader in commercial search services and a developer of innovative web search solutions. Combining award-winning technology, editorial expertise, and community-based initiatives, LookSmart provides users with highly relevant search results, while delivering targeted sales leads to online businesses. LookSmart results reach Internet users worldwide through top portals, ISPs, and search services including Lycos, InfoSpace, CNET, and LookSmart. com. LookSmart is based in San Francisco. C. Nation Media Group The Nation Media Group (NMG) founded by His Highness the Aga Khan, is the largest independent media group in East Africa. It has been quoted on the Nairobi Stock Exchange since October 1973. Greater participation in the shareholding by East African nationals has increased following NMG's regional expansion. The Nation Media has its home base at the Nation Centre on Kimathi Street in Nairobi, Kenya, but has bureaux in the major towns across the country. It also has offices in the capital cities of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and Kampala, Uganda, for its East African operations. As the leading multimedia house in the East African region, it has a strong presence in both print and electronic media as well as the Internet, attracting a regular audience unparalleled in the region. The Group's performance over the years has been outstanding even in the leaner economic times of recent years and shows continuous growth and profits for the company as well as the shareholders. D. Dice Inc. Dice Inc. is the leading provider of online recruiting services for technology professionals. Dice Inc. provides services to hire, train and retrain technology professionals through its two operating companies, Dice. com, the No. 1 technology-focused job board, and MeasureUp, a leading provider of assessment and preparation products for professional technology certifications. It has built its leadership position over a decade, and both customers and job seekers recognize Dice. com as the No. 1 technology-focused job board. E. C. alpine Corporation Calpine Corporation is one of North America's leading power companies--innovative, fully integrated and committed to fulfilling the continuing need for clean, efficient, reliable electricity in an environmentally responsible manner. Headquartered in San Jose, Calif., Calpine has 89 energy centers in 21 states in the U. S., as well as in Canada and the United Kingdom. The centers serve a variety of end users, including electric utilities, municipalities, industrial companies and government institutions. These plants have a capacity of more than 22,000 megawatts. The company increased its generating capacity by more than 70 percent in 2002 and, with over 10 projects under construction, expects a capacity of more than 29,000 megawatts by the end of 2005.
1. The company attaches importance to environmental protection.
E
2. The company enjoys reputation among technology professionals.
D
3. The company can provide services something like Google's.
B
4. The company is the representative in its line.
A
5. The company is located in the third-world countries.
C
6. The company has developed in line with the industry it belongs to.
A
7. The company is enhancing its productivity.
E
8. The company has two operation firms.
D
PART TWO
EVERYBODY WANTS CONSULTANTS
Management consultancy firms have always found it easy to lure business school graduates, with the students themselves rating the sector top of their wish list. What has been proving more difficult is appealing to people who already occupy managerial positions within companies. It is this obstacle to successful growth that consultancies are seeking to overcome. One of the main attractions of consultancy has always been the high level of starting salaries. 1 In industrial companies, pay rises usually come in steps and are wide apart, while consultants' pay tends to increase constantly and follow a steeper curve. Consultants also appreciate their autonomy, and the opportunity to broaden their experience, acquiring competences in several sectors. The rewards of the job are more tangible than those for managers employed by companies. Consultants enjoy predicting the changes that their recommendations will make. 2 In fact, such factors mean some consultants play down the importance of pay as a motivating factor. 3 For example, consultants may be working in teams where as many as ten different nationalities are represented. Despite all this, moves out of consultancy into the corporate world are more common than the other way round. 4 As a result of such ambition, retaining talented staff is a constant challenge for consultancy firms. In this respect, they are sometimes victims of their own strengths, having drawn in recruits with promises that after two years in consultancy young graduates will be able to do almost any job. 5 The temptation is worrying for consultancy firms as demand for their services, and so their people, continues to grow at a prodigious rate, creating a huge recruitment need. 6 But so far, consultants recruited from the outside, as opposed to fresh from business schools, who adapt successfully remain a minority. This is largely due to the strong corporate cultures they have been part of. It will be interesting to see how the situation develops over the next few years. Whatever happens, it is clear that there will be plenty of demand for consultants. A. It feels even better if they are still around when these are implemented. B. They claim rather that they benefit from the whole working style, partly due to the degree of diversity within the job. C. These also then grow faster than in other sectors, according to frequently published comparisons. D. But people in industry also consider such adaptability valuable and make very attractive offers to consultants, which are hard to resist. E. It leaves them no choice but to develop the ability to integrate managers switching from industry. F. The growing trend of hiring consultants from companies owes much to the shortage of qualifying graduates. G. It is a path which is particularly visible among new graduates, who tend to view consultancy as a stepping stone towards a managerial position.
1.
C
2.
A
3.
B
4.
G
5.
D
6.
E
PART THREE As a manager in the service industry sector, I've looked at hundreds of CVs in my time. They are not necessarily the bland documents some bosses might think they are! They are full of little pointers towards individuals' personalities and suitability for the job. The first thing I always look at is an applicant's employment record. I check for continuity and stability. If somebody has a long list of previous jobs, all of varying length, alarm bells start ringing. Rather than an irregular route from job to job, what I hope to see is stable career progression. What does their career path look like-is it all steps forward, or are there a lot of sideways moves? And I am always pleased to find a family person with children, because in my experience they tend to be responsible and reliable. I never rely on CVs alone. We get applicants to fill in one of our own application forms. We ask why they've applied, what their aspirations and personal goals are, and also about their interests and hobbies and any clubs they belong to. That gives you a useful insight into their personality and lifestyle. The application form also enables us to test how much people have actually been progressing in their careers, because we ask for details of the salaries they have received for each job. It's always worth looking at CVs and designing application forms with great care. Taking on employees might be rewarding, but it is also a big investment for any business. Mistakes in choosing staff can cost companies dear, so it makes sense to spend time ensuring you get the right person. In the service sector, one of the aims of companies is to maintain and improve customer service, and this is achieved partly through low staff turnover. You need to take on people who understand that, and will want to stay. That's why, when you've taken staff on, the next thing is getting the best out of them. My management style comes from the days when I took over my first business, an ailing road haulage firm which I was certain I could turn into a profitable company. The first thing is to treat others as you'd like to be treated yourself. As soon as I took over the business, I talked to everybody individually, and looked for ways to make sure their particular skills benefited the company. I didn't have much experience then of managing people, but above all I always tried to be fair and honest with everyone. As a result, I think the staff knew that and accepted my decisions, even if they didn't agree with them all. Also, bosses must be able to communicate. You also need to create team spirit, and build on the strength of the team. I explained my plans for the company to all the staff, and let them know what I needed from them. The lorry drivers responded brilliantly, and were the key to turning the business round. They understood that we had to develop a professional reputation, and from then on the days of poor quality deliveries were over. Lastly, I am a great believer in profit-sharing. It takes a team to make a company work, so profits should be shared by all. Job satisfaction is important, but it doesn't pay the rent. Shared profit and bonuses help to strengthen team spirit by giving everyone a common goal that they work towards together.
1. What fact does the writer hope to learn from applicants' CVs?
A.that they have experience of many different jobs
B.that their careers have developed steadily
C.the opinion their employers had of them
D.whether they are married or single
A B C D
B
2. The writer says the application form is useful because it
A.reveals something of the applicant's character.
B.gives information about the applicant's family.
C.explains what skills the applicant has for the job.
D.shows how much the applicant wants to earn.
A B C D
A
3. According to the writer, why are CVs and application forms so important?
A.Interviewing people is an expensive process.
B.They indicate whether applicants really want the job.
C.They indicate whether applicants are efficient or not.
D.Employing the wrong people can be disastrous.
A B C D
D
4. One reason why the writer was successful in her first business was that
A.she was used to dealing with people.
B.she was open with the staff.
C.the business was already doing well when she started.
D.the staff agreed with all her decisions.
A B C D
B
5. The writer believes profit-sharing is a good idea because
A.it encourages a competitive spirit.
B.everyone earns the same salary.
C.everyone shares the same aim.
D.it creates job satisfaction.
A B C D
C
6. Which would make the best title for this text?
A.Profit-sharing as motivation
B.How I turned a business round
C.People-the key to business success
D.The importance of a well-presented CV
A B C D
C
PART FOUR
Pricing policies
Whenever a product or service is made available for sale, one of the most important 1 to be made is the one related to the price to be charged. To have no coherent policy 2 price-merely to 'think of a number'-is to 3 trouble. The basic point as far as pricing is 4 is to answer the question, ' 5 what level should we pitch our prices?' A relatively high price (in comparison to the competition) 6 that the product has something special about it not found in the other products. In other words, the customer is expected to pay a 7 for the extra-special qualities to be found in the product. This also applies to services like any form of maintenance or repair work. Unfortunately, it is a well-established economic law that the higher the price, the lower the 8 sold. Nonetheless, both ends of the market can be equally profitable. The question of discounts is important too. Some organisations offer discounts out of 9 while others never give any kind of discount. A 'quantity discount' can attract customers: the more they buy, the lower the unit price. 'Prompt-payment discounts' are another 10 to the customer (usually retailers), whereby if payment is made quickly (say, within ten days), the amount payable is less than it would normally be.
1.
A.decisions
B.considerations
C.conclusions
D.resolutions
A B C D
A
2.
A.relating
B.observing
C.regarding
D.accounting
A B C D
C
3.
A.appeal
B.welcome
C.request
D.invite
A B C D
D
4.
A.implicated
B.concerned
C.included
D.referred
A B C D
B
5.
A.At
B.To
C.By
D.With
A B C D
A
6.
A.expresses
B.marks
C.exhibits
D.indicates
A B C D
D
7.
A.premium
B.bonus
C.commission
D.reward
A B C D
A
8.
A.mass
B.volume
C.bulk
D.capacity
A B C D
B
9.
A.practice
B.course
C.procedure
D.habit
A B C D
D
10.
A.inducement
B.motive
C.influence
D.provocation
A B C D
A
PART FIVE
How to make more of meetings
You should know what ends you want to achieve in a meeting before it starts and prepare for it by reading any papers circulated beforehand, and carefully thinking about 1 you want to say. This may sound rather boring, but solid preparation is the key to successful meetings. A great 2 of time and energy can be wasted through simple lack of planning. The most important issues are not always given the most time in the general running of meetings. People are often unwilling 3 discuss important budgetary matters because they do not fully understand them, but 4 becomes an expert when it comes to discussing the colour of the new curtains, or what type of coffee to buy! The discussion of 5 trivial matters as these, therefore, should be saved until the end of the meeting. During the meeting it is essential to stick to the agenda so 6 to avoid the common problem of repetition. At the same time you 7 to be sensitive to other people's ideas and feelings, and never lose your temper. Be prepared to accept 8 implement a suggestion that is contrary to 9 own ideas if it is an improvement on them; such honesty and flexibility are signs of good leadership and earn respect. Finally, remember that when a decision is made it is important to act 10 it and to honour all the commitments you have made in the meeting.
1.
what/anything/everything/all
2.
deal/amount
3.
to
4.
everyone/everybody
5.
such
6.
as
7.
need/have/ought
8.
and
9.
your
10.
upon/on
PART SIX ● In most of the lines, there is one extra word. It is either grammatically incorrect or does not fit in with the meaning of the text. Some lines, however, are correct. ● If a line is correct, write CORRECT on your Answer Sheet. ● If there is an extra word in the line, write the extra word in CAPITAL LETTERS on your Answer Sheet. ● The exercise begins with two examples (0 and 00).
Poor support for hotel students
0 Is there anyone in the hotel industry who will, instead of just complaining that they 00 can't find reliable, qualified staff, not to mention retain them, is actually prepared 1 to help students with continued professional development? At present time I'm an 2 associate member of a professional body in the hotel management. In order to 3 upgrade to full membership, I decided how to undertake the Professional Certificate. 4 As part of the course, I had requirement to complete an assignment on front-office 5 operations. This seemed straightforward, but I couldn't yet find one establishment 6 that was prepared to allow me to visit and gather the information I required. Some of 7 the 12 hotels I contacted, only two actually had the decency to explain that 'normally 8 it would be OK', but at the moment they couldn't spare the time or staff. Just as for 9 the rest, it was simply 'No'. Would someone please tell to me, and all the other 10 dedicated hospitality professionals out there who are trying to further on their career 11 prospects via continued professional development, exactly how we attain the 12 qualifications that the industry requires us, when the industry seems unwilling to help?