国际商务英语一级考试练习题及答案

1. We are _______ a copy of our catalogue for your reference.

A. send B. covering C. closed D. enclosing

2. Many international companies produce a large number of products, often divided into

product________.

A. categories B. mix C. brands D. lines

3. The credit of letter will be confirmed by the Bank of China, Shanghai, that will _______

your draft on the documents at sight for the amount of your invoice.

A. accept B. pay for C. receive D. obtain

4. Indent is often used by ______ or ______ in other countries.

A. agents … madmen B. sellers … buyers

C. retailers … wholesalers D. distributors … brokers

5. Companies wishing to ______ more money for development can sometimes issue new

shares.

A. rise B. raise C. increase D. develop

6. We cannot accept any fresh orders _______ heavy commitments.

A. due to B. owing to C. because D. on account of

7. Please see to it that the goods we ordered are shipped as soon as the covering letter of

credit ______ you.

A. gets B. comes C. arrives D. reaches

8. The direct steamer sailing ______ your port calls at our port only around the end of the

month.

A. under B. on C. with D. for

9. An order is a request to supply a specified quantity of goods, which may result from

________ or_________ with subsequent quotations.

A. an offer … a bid B. an offer … an inquiry

C. a bid … a counter-offer D. a counter-offer … a counter-offer

10. The letter we sent last week is an enquiry _______ color TV sets.

A. about B. for C. of D. as

11. Your delay in shipment will______ us in great difficulty.

A. cause B. lead C. conclude D. involve

12. We place this order ______ the understanding that the discount is 10%.

A. based on B. with C. on D. through

13. We would like to take this ______ to establish business relations with you.

A. opening B. opportunity C. step D. advantage

14. If you can make us a firm offer at a ______ price, we will place an order with your

corporation.

A. competitive B. comparative C. subjective D. objective

15. We should be pleased to send you some samples of our new typewriter on approval,

______ our own expense.

A. at B. on C. for D. in

16. Our bank offers minimum interest ______ for seller financing and for loans of cash.

A. levels B rates C. bases D. percentage

17. Taking into consideration our long-standing business relations with you, we accept ___by

D/P.

A. inquires B. payment C. installment D. counter-offer

18. When the seller receives the buyer’s counter-offer, and he finds some terms and

conditions unacceptable to him, he will state his own opinions in a letter, which is called

as _____

A. bid B. offer C. inquiry D. counter-counter-offer

19. The shipment time is June or July at our _____ and the goods will be shipped in

one_____.

A. choice, shipment B. option, lot C. decision, cargo D. option, consignment

20. Managers set _____and decide how their company can achieve them.

A. limits B. amounts C. details D. objectives

Reading 1

Effective communication is essential for all organizations. It links the

activities of the various parts of the organization and ensures that everyone is

working towards a common goal. It is also extremely important for motivating

employees. Staff need to know how they are getting on, what they are doing right

and in which areas they could improve. Working alone can be extremely difficult

and it is much easier if someone takes an interest and provides support.

Employees need to understand why their job is important and how it contributes

to the overall success of the firm. Personal communication should also include

target setting. People usually respond well to goals, provided these are agreed

between the manager and subordinate and not imposed.

However, firms often have communications problems that can undermine

their performance. In many cases, these problems occur because messages are

passed on in an inappropriate way. There are, of course, several ways of

conveying information to others in the organization. These include speaking to

them directly, e-mailing, telephoning or sending a memo. The most appropriate

method depends on what exactly it is you are communicating. For example,

anything that is particularly sensitive or confidential, such as an employee’s

appraisal, should be done face-to-face.

One of the main problems for senior executives is that they do not have the

time or resources needed to communicate effectively. In large companies, for

example, it is impossible for senior managers to meet and discuss progress with

each employee individually. Obviously this task can be delegated but at the cost

of creating a gap between senior management and staff. As a result, managers

are often forced to use other methods of communication, like memos or notes,

even if they know these are not necessarily the most suitable means of passing on

messages.

The use of technology, such as e-mail, mobile phones and network systems, is

speeding up communication immensely. However, this does not mean that more

investment in technology automatically proves beneficial: systems can become

outdated or employees may lack appropriate training. There are many

communications tools now available but a firm cannot afford all of them. Even if

it could, it does not actually need them all. The potential gains must be weighed

up against the costs, and firms should realize that more communication does not

necessarily mean better communication.

As the number of people involved in an organization increase, the use of

written communication rises even faster. Instead of a quick conversation to sort

something out numerous messages can be passed backwards and forwards. This

can lead to a tremendous amount of paperwork and is often less effective than

face to face communication. When you are actually talking to someone, you can

discuss things until you are happy they have understood and feedback is

immediate. With written messages, however, you are never quite sure how it will

be received. What you think you have said and what the other person thinks you

have said can be very different.

1. In the first paragraph the writer recommends that communication with staff

should include

A. some feedback on their job performance

B. an explanation of how company targets have been set.

C. information on promotion prospects within the company.

D. an indication of which duties they can expect assistance with.

2. According to the writer, the best way of achieving effective communication is

to

A. adapt the message to suit a particular audience.

B. make the content of messages brief and direct.

C. select the most suitable means of conveying a particular message.

D. ensure that information is targeted at the appropriate group of people.

3. What does the writer say about the communication options available to senior

managers?

A. Sending memos to staff is one of the most efficient methods.

B. It is important to find the time to discuss certain matters with staff.

C. They should increase the range of options that they use.

D. Getting junior managers to talk to staff can create different problems.

4. What advice is given about the communication tools made available by

technology?

A. Aim to limit staff use of certain communication tools.

B. Evaluate them in terms of the expenditure involved.

C. Select them on the basis of the facilities they offer.

D. Encourage more staff to attend training courses in their use.

5. According to the writer, a problem with written communication is that

A. the message can be interpreted differently to what was intended.

B. it can be easy for people to ignore the contents of a written message.

C. most people are more comfortable with face-to-face communication.

D. it is possible for correspondence to get lost within a large organization.

Reading 2

Tariffs ( 关税 ) may be used simply to obtain revenue. In some developing

countries, revenue tariffs provide an important part of the government’s in come.

Often, however, tariffs are protective, and are designed to carry out a particular

economic policy. They may help to reduce a balance of payment deficit or to

protect an infant industry against strong international competition from older

corporations. A revenue tariff will always provide some protection, and a

protection tariff will produce some revenue. Therefore, it is difficult to

distinguish between revenue and protective tariffs from economic evidence alone.

Many different types of non-tariff barriers have been used, but the best

known of these are quota systems ( 配额制 ) . A quota is an upper limit which is

set on imports of a commodity for a fixed period of time. Some quotas apply to

the physical quantities of particular goods, whereas others are based on the total

value of all imports. In the latter case, the quotas are usually combined with a

system of exchange control in an attempt to prevent a balance of payment deficit.

Quotas are also used to protect domestic industries. Under most quota systems,

importers must obtain government licences for the goods they wish to import. It

should be noted that a quota system is always protectionist and provides no

revenues to the country.

When a tariff is imposed on an import, the direct impact on price is to raise it

by the amount of the tariff. Market factors, however, can modify this effect.

Hence, the final price increase due to a tariff may be less than, equal to, or more

than the amount of the tariff. In contrast, the impact of a quota on price is much

harder to predict. The effects are particularly uncertain with goods which are

not produced at all domestically. For instance, many countries do not have their

own car industry, so that an import quota can cause a considerable shift in

automobile prices.

1. What’s the main purpose of imposing tariffs?_________

A. Prohibit imports.

B. Reduce a balance of payment deficit.

C. Promote competition.

D. Raise revenue and protect domestic industries.

2. They may help to reduce a balance of payment deficit or to protect an infant

industry against strong international competition from older corporations.

“Infant ”means_____.

A. strong B. new C. child D. manufacturing

3. In the latter case, the quotas are usually combined with a system of exchange

control in an attempt to prevent a balance of payment deficit. “The latter

case ” refers to ______.

A. quotas which are set on imports of a commodity

B. quotas which apply to physical quantities of goods

C. quotas which are based on the total value of imports

D. quotas which provide revenue to the country

4. The final increase due to a tariff may be_______.

A. less than the amount of the tariff

B. equal to the amount of the tariff

C. more than the amount of the tariff

D. All of the above

5. According to the passage, which statement is not true ?

A. The best known of non-tariff barriers are quota system.

B. The impact of a quota on price is much harder to predict.

C. The effects of quota on price are certain with goods which are also

produced domestically.

D. A revenue tariff will always provide some protection.

Cloze.

Latin American stocks fell for a second day on Friday in reaction to Asia’s

currency and stock market crash. There were fears that the Asian crisis could

influence investors in other emerging markets.

Argentina and Mexico__1___ the highest falls, with their indexes down by

4% by the__2___ of trading on Friday Brazil’s Bovespa index, which on the

same day __3___ by far the steepest plunge in the Americas, was down 2.9%.

“ What’s happening in Hong Kong has been a terrible__4___ to the system, ”

said Richard Watt, who__5___ 3.5 billion dollars in emerging market

investments for BEA Associates in New York. Investors in Brazil were concerned

that its economic problems were dangerously__6___ to those that have caused

the currency and market plunges in Thailand, Malaysia and other Asian__7___.

“ Brazil’s economy is far from __8___ said lan Campbell, chief economist at

ABN Amro Bank NV Amsterdam.” Its current account and fiscal __9___ are

large and its currency is overvalued. “There’s no help in trying knife, ” said Jane

Heap, Latin American stock strategist at Deutsche Morgan Grenfell. “There’s no

room for renewal in Brazil until the US and Asia get back to normal.”

There were also concerns that foreign investors who specialize in emerging

markets could be forced to sell their shares in Latin America to __10___losses.

“ There’s a lot of nervousness about whether investors will put their money

out of stocks, because of instability in Asia. ” said German Guerrero, chief trader

at the Chilean brokerage Celfin SA.

Chilean markets were down only slightly in afternoon trading. The Chile

selective stock index fell0.72% and the Chile general stock index was

down0.64%.

1D 2 D

11 B 12 C

Reading1

1 D 2 B

3 C 4 A 5 B

13 B 14 A 15 A

3 C 4 D 5 C

6 B 7 D

16 B 17 B

8 D 9 A

18 D 19B

10 B

20 D

Reading 2

1 C 2 D 3 A 4 C 5 B

Cloze.

1 B 2 C 3 D 4 A 5 D 6 B 7 C 8 A 9 B 10 C