剑桥商英高级真题集听力原文第十二篇10
TEST 10
This is the Business English Certificate Higher 4, Listening Test 2
Part One. Questions 1 to 12
You will hear a speaker giving a group of managers advice on how to run a project.
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 45 seconds to read through the notes.
[pause]
Now listen, and complete the notes.
[pause]
Woman: Um, OK, er, can I have your attention, please? Thanks. Now, er, people ask me ‘how do I know if a project is good and, if so, how do I then keep it on track?’ Well, there are no magic formulas, but I do have a few tips for choosing and managing projects that I’d like to share with you today.
First of all, choose carefully! Your project needs to be large enough to be worthwhile and one in which your basic skills will enable you to succeed. This means sifting through proposals very carefully, and so it’s essential that you allocate enough hours to the selection process. When you’ve done that, you need to work out how long the project will take. It’s pretty tough to maintain a project’s freshness and flexibility, so you don’t want it running on too long - therefore, you need to set a sensible, manageable timescale.
When you start, you need to think about how your project will be better than the last one, and this means you should constantly keep the customer’s circumstances in mind and think about what they want. Employees will be enthusiastic about the project if you emphasise how important it is. So you should aim to convince them of how crucial teamwork is, and if you can do that, you’re more likely to get the best results. Also, good managers have a constantly updated picture of the project performance, and to achieve this, you need to be efficient at record-keeping.
As the project gets going, you should always keep employees informed and involved in what’s going on, so that they understand any constraints. At the same time, this will help them to appreciate the progress being made. And try meeting across boundaries. In well-managed projects, you’ll find that any meetings that are held are not exclusive to the project workers, but include people from different disciplines who work in the same organisation. These ‘outsiders’ may come up with fresh approaches, which can speed up the whole project.
Now, encountering problems is almost inevitable; you need to recognise that and deal with them. To do this successfully, you need to share information about anything which is not going well. This will allow you to make decisions quickly and minimise any big changes. These may come as a result of the customer altering their requirements. It’s vital to be able to adjust to these developments, so make an attempt to be as flexible as you can in your dealings with them.
The prospect of success rises when those involved are consciously trying to do better than any other businesses or even past practices within their own company, so it’s important to breed competitiveness - the more the better if you want to get the best result.
And finally, don’t forget that companies that appear to be doing well all the time owe their success, in part, to a willingness to diversify when the market moves or alters, or as they recognise where they can make a better contribution. And, when you’re contemplating a risky project, make sure you employ people who have several skills. This means they could be transferred if the original project doesn’t succeed.
Well, er, I hope that’s helped. Urn, now, if anybody has any questions...
[pause]
Now listen to the recording again.
[pause]
That is the end of Part One. You now have 20 seconds to check your answers.
[pause]
Part Two. Questions 13 to 22.
You will hear five different people talking about the companies they work for.
For each extract, there are two tasks. Look at Task One. For each question, 13-17, choose the recent change in the company the person mentions, from the list A-H. Now look at Task Two. For each question, 18-22, choose the strength of the company the person mentions from the list A-H.
After you have listened once, replay the recording.
You now have 30 seconds to read the two lists.
[pause]
Now listen, and do the two tasks.
[pause]
Speaker One
Man: There seem to have been so many changes already this year.., it’s hard to keep up, to keep taking things on board. The CEO’s nothing if not dynamic, that’s for sure! Well, they say this new system will work better, compared to the previous one, with its habit of crashing the network on a weekly basis. It’s certainly been tough, battling to meet our performance targets, only to find your PC can’t access anything all afternoon. It’s just so frustrating! So let’s hope it proves to be one innovation that’s of real benefit, that helps us help clients with what they need.., because that’s what we’re best at, the front line, and I hope we never lose sight of that. Satisfying them is what’s rewarding, after all.
Speaker Two
Woman:?? It always comes down to people in the end, and that’s why keeping staff happy is so crucial to success. We have to have a culture of creativity, of imagination, to keep improving. Our growth and profits come from our ability to keep bringing out new models, new features, that keep us ahead, and of course, those ideas all come from people. That’s why I think this latest in-company development makes sense. Instead of having different people spread about in different departments all over the company, while trying to think in related ways, it’s much better to group them in one section, especially since we’ve got the space. I think it’s a good example of intelligent management - proper strategic thinking at its best. I’ll be very interested to see what fresh angles come out of the new set-up.
Speaker Three
Man: Well, yes, it’s very much in line with the way we usually go about things, so I’m sure it’ll prove to be a change for the better. I mean, if we’re saying we want to monitor things, to relate achievement to targets and so on, then of course we should be looking to have more aspects tied in and programmed. It’s only fair that the sales staff should become involved in the setting of targets in the first place, so that’s a useful improvement, which’ll make them feel more accountable for results. I also think it could have an impact on how they deal with their customers, because they’ll have more of a stake. We’ve always been good at bringing staff on, providing attractive career paths, quarterly bonuses and so on, that keep them motivated.
Speaker Four
Woman:?? Well, in a small company like ours, everything has to count for something, otherwise we’ll sink.., competition’s so tight now, we have to be sure that we’re doing the right thing. Without scale, we’re never going to be able to compete on price - that’s just a fact of life - but where we’ve always been good, I think, is on getting our name noticed out there. Ingenious promotions, placements, high-profile local sponsorship, that kind of thing.., it all adds up. And I think they’ve put the right person in charge this time. John’s skills will transfer very well from his old section, and his IT knowledge is second to none, which will come in very handy here as we battle away with our rather antiquated computers!
Speaker Five
Man:? I have to say I feel almost uneasy about our success.., it’s as if it’s too good to be true, and that eventually all this expansion will have to come to a halt. I don’t know if I trust the long- term predictions for growth. But then again, I guess we really have got the right package - a reliable product that customers know they can trust in a market where things are changing so rapidly that they can often feel rather bewildered by all the new developments. What they want to be sure of is getting value for money, and we’re succeeding by offering high-quality products that don’t cost the earth. Anyway, I suppose this refurbishment is the right thing to do, to rearrange the sections like this.., it’s certainly easier than looking for a new site, at any rate.
[pause]
Now listen to the recording again.
[pause]
That is the end of Part Two.
[pause]
Part Three. Questions 23 to 30.
You will hear two managers, Peter and Sarah, who are taking an MBA course, discussing their experiences and views of business.
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 now have 45 seconds to read through the questions.
[pause]
Now listen, and mark A, B or C.
[pause]
Man:Well, Sarah, what do you make of this assignment? Quite tough, isn’t it?
Woman:Hm, Peter, it’s not the easiest, that’s for sure! But this course was never going to be a holiday, was it?
Man:Definitely not! Anyway, the job this time seems to be pretty detailed, analytical...
Woman: Mm. But we have to be looking at the wider picture, don’t we?... I mean, the strategies these organisations put in place...
Man: Yes, how they structure employees...
Woman: And it’s that aspect of organisations we’re supposed to be reviewing.
Man: Yup. I must say, I think the course in general is pretty well put together...
Woman:?? Yeah, the lecturing input’s pretty high standard, isn’t it?
Man: No better than I expected.., though it’s probably a bit tipped in favour of the theoretical side, I’d say. But whatever, I do feel everyone’s particular situation’s taken account of, so we all ?feel it’s tailor-made for us, somehow, if you see what I mean.
Woman:Mm, I do, though I can’t say I’m entirely happy...
Man: Oh?
Woman: Well, we do all the reading - and I’ve learnt a lot from that in itself- and then get into our respective groups, but then I find we’ve all got different concerns...
Man:Contexts...
Woman:Yeah, yeah, that it doesn’t really gel, even in the two-hour slots they give us, which ought to be enough, surely.
Man: But don’t you find that’s true in any work situation?
Woman:?? Not necessarily, no. Well, er, perhaps I’m not at my best in teams, full stop. My motivation comes from seeing steps, you know? A line of particular projects coming up, and the challenge of knocking each one into shape and then going onto the next~ I think that’s the best way to be satisfying client demand, whether you’re dealing directly with them or not. I used to be more face-to-face, but I have less of that ?now.
Man:That’s interesting, ‘cause where I’d like to be further on down the line is in dealing with building up brand image for my company... you know, seeing what strategies can be put in place to increase the perceived quality of what you’ve got on offer.., so that’s similar to what you’re saying in some ways...
Woman:In some ways, yes.., course, the question is, how do you get there?
Man: To the dream job...
Woman:?? I expect we both need to talk to a recruitment consultant in the near future.
Man: They are the ones with the contacts...
Woman:?? Mm-hm, yeah, but often in a specialised field... I mean more that they’re in a position to make you see what employers actually require ... you know, take you out of your dream world...
Man: Yeah...
Woman: and get you into the business of focusing the value of what you offer more precisely onto what a company’s looking for. Though their commission can be sky-high.
Man: Yes! Do you know, another thing I’d be looking for is the chance to work from home more.
Woman: Escape commuting? Wouldn’t we all?!
Man: Seriously, don’t you feel it would do wonders for your output, that you’d just get more done in a day? Half the time, I feel exhausted before I even get to the office...
Woman: Oh, I know what you mean... But what about the energy you get from colleagues?
Man:Well, nothing can replace the creative buzz you get off interacting with them, really exchanging ideas.., it’s only whether the price of that is worth it...
Woman: Mm... well, who knows what the future will hold for us? People are saying computer applications will mean more and more accuracy in harnessing relevant data.
Man: I’m not convinced... I certainly think specialisation’s going to be the key, knowing your own region, and that comes from hands-on experience.
Woman: What’s special about it, yeah, sure, so how to focus your sales efforts accordingly...
Man:Mm, because customers will always respond to focused marketing.
Woman: Oh, absolutely. Anyway, what’s your view on...
[pause]
Now listen to the recording again.
[pause]
That is the end of Part Three. You now bare 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.
[pause]
That is the end of the test.
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