單項(xiàng)選擇題
1、根據(jù)下面資料,回答題
Morning,NoonandNight The long-hours culture at work
Working an eight-hour day is a luxury for most professional people. Nowadays, the only way to guarantee an eight-hour working day is to have a kind of job where you clock on and off. Those professionals who have managed to limit their hours to what was, 20 years ago, averagely do not wish to identify themselves. "1 can quite easily achieve my work within a normal day, but I don't like to draw attention to it," says one sales manager. "People looked at me when I left at 5 o'clock. Now, I put paperwork in my bag. People assume I'm doing extra hours at home."
But more typical is Mark, who works as an account manager. He says, "My contract says I work from 9 until 5 with extra hours as necessary. It sounds as if the extra hours are exceptional. In fact, my job would be enough not only for me, but also for someone else part- time. The idea of an eight-hour day makes me laugh!" He says he has thought about going freelance but realizes that this doesn't guarantee better working hours.
Professor Cary Cooper, occupational psychologist at the University of Manchester, is the author of the annual Quality of Working, Life survey. The most recent survey found that 77% of managers in Britain work more than their contracted hours, and that this is having a damaging effect for their health, relationships and productivity. Professor Cooper is critical of the long-hour culture. He says that while bosses believe long hours lead to greater efficiency, there is no evidence support this. "In fact, the evidence shows that long hours make you ill." There are, he says, steps that can be taken. One is to accept that the in-tray will never be empty. "There are always things to do. You just have to make the rule that on certain days you go home early. Prioritizing work and doing essential tasks first helps," he says. He also thinks it's time to criticize bad employers and unreasonable terms of employment. By all means, show commitment where necessary but when expectations are too high, people have to begin saying openly that they have a life outside of work.
Personal development coach Mo Shapiro agrees that communication is important. Staff needs to talk to managers about the working practices within a company. Both parties should feel that the expectations are realistic and allow them to have responsibilities and interests outside work. She recognizes, however, that in many organizations the response might well be, "If you want interests outside work, then find another job".
She believes that senior staff has a duty to set an example. "1 recently worked for a firm of solicitors where the partners started at 7:30 am. What kind of message is that to send to the staff?" She believes there is no shame in working sensible hours - in fact quite the reverse."Some people might be in at 7:30 but will be doing very little. You can work really hard from9 to 5 and achieve the same. If you find it difficult to achieve an eight-hour day, there is, as a last resort, the old trick of leaving your jacket on your chair and your computer switched on, even after you have left the building.
What does the writer say in the first paragraph about people who work an eight-hour day?
A. They are reluctant to admit to this.
B. They are disliked by their colleagues.
C. They are limited to certain professions.
D. They often catch up on work in the evenings.
2、根據(jù)下面資料,回答題 Sell, Sell, Sell Last year over ε 13bn was spent on advertising in the UK and research indicates that most people will have seen 2m sales messages by the time they are 30. Advertising is big business and often acts as the interface between commerce and culture. While there are many adverts that just irritate, there are some that are miniature works of art. (0).. G... The advertisers themselves believe they are delivering an important message because they are protecting and promoting a client's brand and extending greater choice to the consumer. (8)Instead of being free, many TV channels would only be available on subscription packages of about ε 500 per month and newspapers might cost six times more than their present cover pdce.There are many different models of advertising practice, but no one is precisely sure what makes a good advert. (9) While some try to get you to buy a product, others, such as anti- smoking campaigns, aim to get you not to do something. Some adverts are not aimed at consumers at all, but at retailers, shareholders or employees. For example, manufacturers often advertise their products in trade magazines to reassure retailers that a new brand will be widely promoted. Petrol companies often choose to emphasize how environmentally friendly they are; this is to offset any negative public perceptions of the industry rather than to persuade consumers to buy an individual brand of petrol. (10) This is because petrol is regarded, in advertising terms, as a distress purchase. We get it because we can't do without it, not because we really want it. In general, however, the main aim of advertising is to attribute emotional qualities to a product in order to create an individual brand that the consumer can associate with. Working out whether an advert has been successful is extremely difficult. (11) For example, what persuaded them to buy a car? You cannot be sure whether it was the advertising, the price, the opposition's distribution, changes in the law or changes in consumer attitudes that was the determining factor. What advertising can't do is make consumers buy something they don't want. It can perhaps persuade you to try something once, but if you don't like what you get, you won't try it again, (12) In other words, where there is no emotional engagement, such as a consumer's feelings about a bag of peas, beliefs are much harder to shift. A.Moreover, it is almost impossible to get people to change the way they view things they are indifferent to. B.Over the last ten years, other forms of advertising, such as direct marketing, have become increasingly popular as well as scientific. C.They don't, as the industry well knows, care enough to be brand loyal to such a product. D.Whether you accept this argument or not, you have to recognize that without advertising our world would be very different. E.The problem lies in isolating precisely what motivates people to behave in a particular way. F.This is partly because not all advertisements are designed to do the same thing. G.The production costs involved in these can reach higher figures than those for the average movie.
(8)應(yīng)選
3、根據(jù)下面資料,回答題 A Too often we accuse others of not listening, pretending that we ourselves are faultless, yet in our hearts we know that many of the mistakes we make come about because we haven't listened carefully enough. We get things wrong because we haven't quite understood what someone meant when they were talking to us. Anyone who has ever taken the minutes of a long meeting will know how hard it is to remember - despite the benefit of notes - exactly what everyone said. But success depends on getting things right - and that means listening. B Listening is not the same thing as hearing; it is not an effortless activity. It demands attention and concentration. It may mean quizzing the speaker for additional information or for clarification - it is always better to ask than to continue regardless and get things wrong. However, if you allow your mind to wander onto something else, even for a few minutes, you'll miss what the speaker is saying - probably at the very moment when he or she is saying something critical. And not having heard, you won't know you've missed anything until it's too late. C The most common bad habit we have is to start thinking of what we are going to say about the subject long before the other speaker has finished. We then stop listening. Even worse, this often adds rudeness to inattentiveness, as once you have decided what to say there is a fair chance you will interrupt to say it. Good listeners don't interrupt. In fact, it is often worth explaining the main idea of what you have just been told before going on to make your own points. Nobody is offended by this and it shows that you have listened well. D Above all, be patient and accept that many people are not very good communicators. It's helpful to remember that the ways people move and position themselves while they are speaking can reveal a great deal about what they are saying. Equally importantly you should put yourself in the other person's shoes, both intellectually and emotionally; it will help you to understand what they are getting at and form a response. But don't be too clever. Faced with a know-all, many people keep quiet because they see no point in continuing. Sometimes it is necessary to insist on further explanation.
4、根據(jù)下面資料,回答題 Getting the Most out of Meetings One aspect of business life which many managers are unhappy with is the need to attend meetings. Research indicates that managers will spend between a third and a half of their working lives in meetings. Although most managers would agree that it is hard to think of an alternative to meetings, as a means of considering information and making collective decisions, their length and frequency can cause problems with the workload of even the best-organized executives. Meetings work best if they take place only when necessary and not as a matter of routine. One example of this is the discussion of personal or career matters between members of staff and their line and personnel managers. Another is during the early stages of a project when the team managing it needs to learn to understand and trust one another. Once it has been decided that a meeting is necessary, decisions need to be taken about who will attend and about the location and length of the meeting. People should only be invited to attend if they are directly involved in the matters under discussion and the agenda should be distributed well in advance. An agenda is vital because it acts as a road map to keep discussion focused and within the time limit allocated. This is also the responsibility of the person chairing the meeting, who should encourage those who say little to speak and stop those who have a great deal to say from talking too. much. At the end of a well organized meeting, people will feel that the meeting has been a success and be pleased they were invited. They will know not only what decisions were made but also the reasons for these decisions. Unfortunately, at the end of a badly organized meeting those present will leave feeling that they have wasted their time and that nothing worthwhile has been achieved. Much thought has been given over the years to ways of keeping meetings short. One man who has no intention of spending half his working life in meetings is Roland Winterson, chief executive of a large manufacturing company. He believes that meetings should be short, sharp and infrequent. "1 try to hold no more than two or three meetings a week, attended by a maximum of three people for no longer than half an hour," he says. "They are clearly aimed at achieving a specific objective, such as making a decision or planning a statement, and are based on careful preparation. I draw up the agenda for every meeting and circulate it in advance; those amending are expected to study it carefully and should be prepared to both ask and answer questions. Managers are best employed carrying out tasks directly connected with their jobs not attending endless meetings. In business, time is money and spending it in needless meetings that don't achieve anything can be very costly. Executives should follow the example of lawyers and put a cost on each hour of their time and then decide whether attending a long meeting really is the best way to spend their time." What do most managers think about meetings? A. Meetings take up most of their working life. B. Meetings allow them to monitor decision-making. C. Meetings prevent them from establishing a routine. D. Meetings are the only way they know of achieving certain objectives.
5、根據(jù)下面內(nèi)容,回答題 A The Birmingham Alliance will provide Birmingham with one of Europe's largest regional shopping centres, right in the heart of the city.The Alliance, an initiative between three of the largest developers in the country, all with extensive experience of urban regeneration schemes, will facilitate an 800m investment in Birmingham.This will regenerate 40 acres of the city centre within the next decade.Planning permission is in place for the new scheme, which will be a short distance from existing prime retail areas.The development will be well serviced by all forms of public transport, as well as providing parking space forε 3,200 cars. B The private-public partnership between Legal & General and Bracknell Town Council will manage the ~ 500m regeneration of the town's centre.The proposals, which are awaiting the outcome of consultation with local residents, provide for approximately 102,000 m2 of retail and leisure facilities, ε200 residential units and office accommodation.This development is expected to set the standard for town centre regeneration schemes to come because of the way it integrates the business and community sectors.It will also facilitate great improvements in the region's transport infrastructure. C Bluewater is a symbol of retail excellence, achieved through a unique combination of design, retail mix, leisure, catering and hospitality.The centre, surrounded by parkland, is situated in the country's most affluent region.Eleven million people, with a combined spending power predicted to exceed a record 5.5bn, live within 60 minutes of the centre.The developers set a precedent in the industry by gating the country's three best-known department stores to open very large branches within the centre, as well as over 300 leading fashion and lifestyle stores. D Following its recent stock market success, Lend Lease is now developing Overgate shopping centre in Dundee.Construction is well under way, and with several of the country's best-known retailers already secured, Lend Lease is promoting the centre as the unrivalled shopping destination of the region.The economic base of the area has improved continuously over the past decade, due to the fast expansion of the biomedical and service sectors.With an estimated potential market of 500,000 people, Overgate is proving attractive to leading UK retailers. This development is in an area where the potential for consumer spending is the highest in the country.
6、根據(jù)下面內(nèi)容,回答題: Department Store Magic For most of the 20th century Smithson's was one of Britain's most successful department stores,but by the mid-1990s,it had become dull.Still profitable,thanks largely to a series of successful advertising campaigns,but decidedly boring.The famous were careful not to be seen there,and its sales staff didn’t seem to have changed since the store opened in l908. Worst of all,its customers were buying fewer and fewer of its own-brand products,the major part of its business,and showing a preference for more fashionable brands. But now all this has changed,thanks to Rowena Baker,who became Smithson’s first woman Chief Executive three years ago.Since then,while most major retailers in Britain have been losing money,Smithson’s profits have been rising steadily.When Baker started,a lot of improvements had just been made to the buildin9,without having any effect on sales, and she took the bold decision to invite one of Europe’s most exciting interior designers to develop the fashion area,the heart of the store.This very quickly led to rising sales,even before the goods on display were changed.And as sales grew,so did profits. Baker had ambitious plans for the store frOm the start.“We’re playing a big game,to prove we’re up there with the leaders in our sector,and we have to make sure people get that message.Smithson’s had fallen behind the competition.It provided a traditional service targeted at middle—aged,middle—income customers,wh0’d been shopping there for years, and the customer base was gradually contractin9.Our idea is to sell such an exciting variety of goods that everyone will want to come in,whether they plan to spend a little or a lot.”Baker’s vision for the store is clear,but achieving it is far from simple.At first,many employees resisted her improvements because they just wouldn’t be persuaded that there was anything wrong with the way they’d always done things,even if they accepted that the store had to overtake its competitors.It took many long meetings,involving the entire workforce,to win their support。It helped when they realised that Baker was a very different kind of manager from the ones they had known. Baker’s staff policies contained more surprises.The unifbrm that had hardly changed since day one has now disappeared.Moreover,teenagers now get young shop assistants,and staff in the spots departments are themselves sports fans in trainers.As Baker explains,“How can you sell jeans if you’re wearing a black suit?Smithson’s has a new identity,and this needs to be made clear to the customers.”She’s also given every sales assistant responsibility for ensuring customer satisfaction,even if it means occasionally breaking company rules in the hope that this will help company profits.Rowena Baker is proving successful,but the City’s big investors haven’t been persuaded. According to retail analyst,John Matthews,“Money had already been invested in refurbishment of the store and in fact that led to the boost in sales. She took the credit, but hadn't done anything to achieve it. And in my view the company's shareholders are not convinced. The fact is that unless she opens several more stores pretty soon, Smithson's profits will start to fall because turnover of the existing store will inevitably start to decline." According to the writer, in the mid-1990s Smithson's department store_______ A. was making a loss B. had a problem keeping staff C. was unhappy with its advertising agency D. mostly sold goods under the Smithson's name
填空題 7、 1. Problems at Southford Plant Dear MR Ballard, You asked for a brief report concerning the recent events at the Southford Plant. We have consulted the files and spoken to relevant members of the higher management and thus are able to provide an explanation for the breakdown reported in the press on 17 May of this year. ____1____ The handling equipment used to deliver the components to the assembly line has been known to be in need of an overhaul for the past six months. The plant has been working to full capacity to finish the American orders according to schedule. As you know, we had commissioned a study by Industrial Research Consultants. ____2____ In it they warned that there was not enough space available to store sufficient components ____3____ We had decided to install fully automated robot system. However, at the same time it was clear to our production director that given the present maintenance staff, we would not have sufficient staff available if big problems were to arise____4____But we were still only working a two-shift system so the machines were not getting the necessary cover. We all agree that the breakdown was extremely unfortunate and yet we must admit that, under the circumstance, it was not entirely unexpected. We now believe that we have managed to sort out the major problems which we had been having with the conveyor equipment ____5____ Added to this is the fact that personnel department has been successful in recruiting some highly qualified maintenance staff who makes us confident that a repetition of the 16 May now seems entirely unlikely. A.They also recommended expanding the pr
2、根據(jù)下面資料,回答題 Sell, Sell, Sell Last year over ε 13bn was spent on advertising in the UK and research indicates that most people will have seen 2m sales messages by the time they are 30. Advertising is big business and often acts as the interface between commerce and culture. While there are many adverts that just irritate, there are some that are miniature works of art. (0).. G... The advertisers themselves believe they are delivering an important message because they are protecting and promoting a client's brand and extending greater choice to the consumer. (8)Instead of being free, many TV channels would only be available on subscription packages of about ε 500 per month and newspapers might cost six times more than their present cover pdce.There are many different models of advertising practice, but no one is precisely sure what makes a good advert. (9) While some try to get you to buy a product, others, such as anti- smoking campaigns, aim to get you not to do something. Some adverts are not aimed at consumers at all, but at retailers, shareholders or employees. For example, manufacturers often advertise their products in trade magazines to reassure retailers that a new brand will be widely promoted. Petrol companies often choose to emphasize how environmentally friendly they are; this is to offset any negative public perceptions of the industry rather than to persuade consumers to buy an individual brand of petrol. (10) This is because petrol is regarded, in advertising terms, as a distress purchase. We get it because we can't do without it, not because we really want it. In general, however, the main aim of advertising is to attribute emotional qualities to a product in order to create an individual brand that the consumer can associate with. Working out whether an advert has been successful is extremely difficult. (11) For example, what persuaded them to buy a car? You cannot be sure whether it was the advertising, the price, the opposition's distribution, changes in the law or changes in consumer attitudes that was the determining factor. What advertising can't do is make consumers buy something they don't want. It can perhaps persuade you to try something once, but if you don't like what you get, you won't try it again, (12) In other words, where there is no emotional engagement, such as a consumer's feelings about a bag of peas, beliefs are much harder to shift. A.Moreover, it is almost impossible to get people to change the way they view things they are indifferent to. B.Over the last ten years, other forms of advertising, such as direct marketing, have become increasingly popular as well as scientific. C.They don't, as the industry well knows, care enough to be brand loyal to such a product. D.Whether you accept this argument or not, you have to recognize that without advertising our world would be very different. E.The problem lies in isolating precisely what motivates people to behave in a particular way. F.This is partly because not all advertisements are designed to do the same thing. G.The production costs involved in these can reach higher figures than those for the average movie.
(8)應(yīng)選
3、根據(jù)下面資料,回答題 A Too often we accuse others of not listening, pretending that we ourselves are faultless, yet in our hearts we know that many of the mistakes we make come about because we haven't listened carefully enough. We get things wrong because we haven't quite understood what someone meant when they were talking to us. Anyone who has ever taken the minutes of a long meeting will know how hard it is to remember - despite the benefit of notes - exactly what everyone said. But success depends on getting things right - and that means listening. B Listening is not the same thing as hearing; it is not an effortless activity. It demands attention and concentration. It may mean quizzing the speaker for additional information or for clarification - it is always better to ask than to continue regardless and get things wrong. However, if you allow your mind to wander onto something else, even for a few minutes, you'll miss what the speaker is saying - probably at the very moment when he or she is saying something critical. And not having heard, you won't know you've missed anything until it's too late. C The most common bad habit we have is to start thinking of what we are going to say about the subject long before the other speaker has finished. We then stop listening. Even worse, this often adds rudeness to inattentiveness, as once you have decided what to say there is a fair chance you will interrupt to say it. Good listeners don't interrupt. In fact, it is often worth explaining the main idea of what you have just been told before going on to make your own points. Nobody is offended by this and it shows that you have listened well. D Above all, be patient and accept that many people are not very good communicators. It's helpful to remember that the ways people move and position themselves while they are speaking can reveal a great deal about what they are saying. Equally importantly you should put yourself in the other person's shoes, both intellectually and emotionally; it will help you to understand what they are getting at and form a response. But don't be too clever. Faced with a know-all, many people keep quiet because they see no point in continuing. Sometimes it is necessary to insist on further explanation.
4、根據(jù)下面資料,回答題 Getting the Most out of Meetings One aspect of business life which many managers are unhappy with is the need to attend meetings. Research indicates that managers will spend between a third and a half of their working lives in meetings. Although most managers would agree that it is hard to think of an alternative to meetings, as a means of considering information and making collective decisions, their length and frequency can cause problems with the workload of even the best-organized executives. Meetings work best if they take place only when necessary and not as a matter of routine. One example of this is the discussion of personal or career matters between members of staff and their line and personnel managers. Another is during the early stages of a project when the team managing it needs to learn to understand and trust one another. Once it has been decided that a meeting is necessary, decisions need to be taken about who will attend and about the location and length of the meeting. People should only be invited to attend if they are directly involved in the matters under discussion and the agenda should be distributed well in advance. An agenda is vital because it acts as a road map to keep discussion focused and within the time limit allocated. This is also the responsibility of the person chairing the meeting, who should encourage those who say little to speak and stop those who have a great deal to say from talking too. much. At the end of a well organized meeting, people will feel that the meeting has been a success and be pleased they were invited. They will know not only what decisions were made but also the reasons for these decisions. Unfortunately, at the end of a badly organized meeting those present will leave feeling that they have wasted their time and that nothing worthwhile has been achieved. Much thought has been given over the years to ways of keeping meetings short. One man who has no intention of spending half his working life in meetings is Roland Winterson, chief executive of a large manufacturing company. He believes that meetings should be short, sharp and infrequent. "1 try to hold no more than two or three meetings a week, attended by a maximum of three people for no longer than half an hour," he says. "They are clearly aimed at achieving a specific objective, such as making a decision or planning a statement, and are based on careful preparation. I draw up the agenda for every meeting and circulate it in advance; those amending are expected to study it carefully and should be prepared to both ask and answer questions. Managers are best employed carrying out tasks directly connected with their jobs not attending endless meetings. In business, time is money and spending it in needless meetings that don't achieve anything can be very costly. Executives should follow the example of lawyers and put a cost on each hour of their time and then decide whether attending a long meeting really is the best way to spend their time." What do most managers think about meetings? A. Meetings take up most of their working life. B. Meetings allow them to monitor decision-making. C. Meetings prevent them from establishing a routine. D. Meetings are the only way they know of achieving certain objectives.
5、根據(jù)下面內(nèi)容,回答題 A The Birmingham Alliance will provide Birmingham with one of Europe's largest regional shopping centres, right in the heart of the city.The Alliance, an initiative between three of the largest developers in the country, all with extensive experience of urban regeneration schemes, will facilitate an 800m investment in Birmingham.This will regenerate 40 acres of the city centre within the next decade.Planning permission is in place for the new scheme, which will be a short distance from existing prime retail areas.The development will be well serviced by all forms of public transport, as well as providing parking space forε 3,200 cars. B The private-public partnership between Legal & General and Bracknell Town Council will manage the ~ 500m regeneration of the town's centre.The proposals, which are awaiting the outcome of consultation with local residents, provide for approximately 102,000 m2 of retail and leisure facilities, ε200 residential units and office accommodation.This development is expected to set the standard for town centre regeneration schemes to come because of the way it integrates the business and community sectors.It will also facilitate great improvements in the region's transport infrastructure. C Bluewater is a symbol of retail excellence, achieved through a unique combination of design, retail mix, leisure, catering and hospitality.The centre, surrounded by parkland, is situated in the country's most affluent region.Eleven million people, with a combined spending power predicted to exceed a record 5.5bn, live within 60 minutes of the centre.The developers set a precedent in the industry by gating the country's three best-known department stores to open very large branches within the centre, as well as over 300 leading fashion and lifestyle stores. D Following its recent stock market success, Lend Lease is now developing Overgate shopping centre in Dundee.Construction is well under way, and with several of the country's best-known retailers already secured, Lend Lease is promoting the centre as the unrivalled shopping destination of the region.The economic base of the area has improved continuously over the past decade, due to the fast expansion of the biomedical and service sectors.With an estimated potential market of 500,000 people, Overgate is proving attractive to leading UK retailers. This development is in an area where the potential for consumer spending is the highest in the country.
6、根據(jù)下面內(nèi)容,回答題: Department Store Magic For most of the 20th century Smithson's was one of Britain's most successful department stores,but by the mid-1990s,it had become dull.Still profitable,thanks largely to a series of successful advertising campaigns,but decidedly boring.The famous were careful not to be seen there,and its sales staff didn’t seem to have changed since the store opened in l908. Worst of all,its customers were buying fewer and fewer of its own-brand products,the major part of its business,and showing a preference for more fashionable brands. But now all this has changed,thanks to Rowena Baker,who became Smithson’s first woman Chief Executive three years ago.Since then,while most major retailers in Britain have been losing money,Smithson’s profits have been rising steadily.When Baker started,a lot of improvements had just been made to the buildin9,without having any effect on sales, and she took the bold decision to invite one of Europe’s most exciting interior designers to develop the fashion area,the heart of the store.This very quickly led to rising sales,even before the goods on display were changed.And as sales grew,so did profits. Baker had ambitious plans for the store frOm the start.“We’re playing a big game,to prove we’re up there with the leaders in our sector,and we have to make sure people get that message.Smithson’s had fallen behind the competition.It provided a traditional service targeted at middle—aged,middle—income customers,wh0’d been shopping there for years, and the customer base was gradually contractin9.Our idea is to sell such an exciting variety of goods that everyone will want to come in,whether they plan to spend a little or a lot.”Baker’s vision for the store is clear,but achieving it is far from simple.At first,many employees resisted her improvements because they just wouldn’t be persuaded that there was anything wrong with the way they’d always done things,even if they accepted that the store had to overtake its competitors.It took many long meetings,involving the entire workforce,to win their support。It helped when they realised that Baker was a very different kind of manager from the ones they had known. Baker’s staff policies contained more surprises.The unifbrm that had hardly changed since day one has now disappeared.Moreover,teenagers now get young shop assistants,and staff in the spots departments are themselves sports fans in trainers.As Baker explains,“How can you sell jeans if you’re wearing a black suit?Smithson’s has a new identity,and this needs to be made clear to the customers.”She’s also given every sales assistant responsibility for ensuring customer satisfaction,even if it means occasionally breaking company rules in the hope that this will help company profits.Rowena Baker is proving successful,but the City’s big investors haven’t been persuaded. According to retail analyst,John Matthews,“Money had already been invested in refurbishment of the store and in fact that led to the boost in sales. She took the credit, but hadn't done anything to achieve it. And in my view the company's shareholders are not convinced. The fact is that unless she opens several more stores pretty soon, Smithson's profits will start to fall because turnover of the existing store will inevitably start to decline." According to the writer, in the mid-1990s Smithson's department store_______ A. was making a loss B. had a problem keeping staff C. was unhappy with its advertising agency D. mostly sold goods under the Smithson's name
填空題 7、 1. Problems at Southford Plant Dear MR Ballard, You asked for a brief report concerning the recent events at the Southford Plant. We have consulted the files and spoken to relevant members of the higher management and thus are able to provide an explanation for the breakdown reported in the press on 17 May of this year. ____1____ The handling equipment used to deliver the components to the assembly line has been known to be in need of an overhaul for the past six months. The plant has been working to full capacity to finish the American orders according to schedule. As you know, we had commissioned a study by Industrial Research Consultants. ____2____ In it they warned that there was not enough space available to store sufficient components ____3____ We had decided to install fully automated robot system. However, at the same time it was clear to our production director that given the present maintenance staff, we would not have sufficient staff available if big problems were to arise____4____But we were still only working a two-shift system so the machines were not getting the necessary cover. We all agree that the breakdown was extremely unfortunate and yet we must admit that, under the circumstance, it was not entirely unexpected. We now believe that we have managed to sort out the major problems which we had been having with the conveyor equipment ____5____ Added to this is the fact that personnel department has been successful in recruiting some highly qualified maintenance staff who makes us confident that a repetition of the 16 May now seems entirely unlikely. A.They also recommended expanding the pr