BEC阅读：BEC中级阅读第七课时

　　练习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 present two-shift system to a three-shift one.

　　B. And also when the new robots are installed in September, we feel certain that such problems will become a thing of the past.

　　C. Unfortunately, as you know, there has been a major problem with recognizing the maintenance schedule.

　　D. The wide range of machine we operate is not fully supervised at all times.

　　E. The cause of the breakdown was very simple.

　　F. They submitted their report on April 5.

　　G. There have been a number of delays and breakdowns in production recently which have been reported in the press.

　　H. The firm has been advertising for maintenance engineers for some weeks.

　　I. All the facilities in the plant will be coordinated to enable the workers to step up production of the new range of machines.

　　答案：1. E;2. F;3. A;4. H;5.B

　　试题 14

　　PART TWO

　　Questions 8-12

　　 Read the article below about job interviews.

　　 Choose the best sentence from the list on the opposite page to fill each of the gaps.

　　 For each gap 8-12 mark one letter (A-I) on your Answer Sheet.

　　 Do not use any letter more than once.

　　How to Succeed at Interviews

　　The aim of a job interview is to establish whether you are likely to do well in a particular job in a specific organisation. This is not only a matter of having the necessary technical knowledge and skills. You must also have the motivation, the ability to adapt to new ways of working and to a new work environment, and the personality to do the job and fit into a new team. (example)____. These include getting on with people, oral and written communication, teamworking, problem solving and good time management.

　　Most people think that interviewers know what they are looking for and will recognise it when they see it. (8) ____. This applies to recruiters as much as anyone else. In fact a former head of selection at one big firm used to say that “some interviewers are so poor they would do better to rely on chance”.

　　In companies which recognise this, various methods are used to try to find the right person (9) ____. Research has shown that this approach is more reliable than the ordinary job interview, though not as effective as using personality tests or assessment centres.

　　In a structured interview the interviewer groups the qualities listed in the job specification under various headings. There are two well-established structures for this: the National Institute of Industrial Psychology’s Seven-Point Plan and the Five-Fold Grading System. Both these systems cover factors such as physical appearance, qualifications, general intelligence, motivation and previous experience.(10) ____.

　　However, they should not give equal weight to each one. Some factors are more important in one job than another. For example, physical appearance and manner will be more important in a sales position than in a researcher who works behind the scenes. It is also a fact that the impact the candidate makes in the first three of four minutes of an interview is of major importance.(11) ____.A decision not to hire is often made during those first few minutes.

　　It is not always possible to tell whether structured interview techniques are being used. If interviewers ask questions systematically, using some kind of checklist, and occasionally make a brief note, they probably are. On the other hand, if the interviewer goes through your application form to confirm what you have already said, or asks irrelevant questions, or jumps from one topic to another the interview is unlikely to be structured. Before you attend any interview, look again at the job description and the personal specification. (12) ____. If you already have a mental list of the key points that you need to mention, you are unlikely to waste time giving irrelevant information or to omit important points in your favour.

　　A Study them closely and assess what your interviewer will be looking for.

　　B However, people are actually not very good at assessing one another.

　　C A number of skills are common to most of these interviewing situations.

　　D Although a favourable impression may be reversed later in the interview, a negative impression is rarely changed.

　　E The most common is the structured interview.

　　F The effectiveness of the interviewer can be improved by training.

　　G For each of these areas the interviewers score candidates against how well they fit the job specification.

　　H The ability to cope with stress and get on with people is essential.

　　I But there are other personal skills that affect your success in a job.

　　答案：8.B 9.E 10.G 11.D 12.A