剑桥商务英语中级-54
(总分85,考试时间90分钟)
READING
PART ONE
·Which paragraph (A, B, C or D) does each statement (1-7) refer to?
·For each ntence, mark one letter (A, B, C or D) on your Answer Sheet.
·You will need to u some of the letters marc than once.
Conversations Can Be the Key to a Manager's Success
A. Retaining top talent is one of the greatest challenges in today's corporate world. And managers play a critical role in influencing an employee's decision to stay with, or leave, a company. So what can managers do to help? They should listen. Smart managers realize t
hey have to make listening a priority. If they don't, team members may become disgruntled and U other channels to communicate their messages which can nd ripples throughout an organization. Managers who lack opportunities to listen, really listen, to the issues expresd by team members, can create opportunities through regular conversations.
B. How often should you have conversations? Depending on the size of your team, have at least one or two uninterrupted conversations a month with each team member. Having regular conversations will go a tong way to establish trust and build healthy relationships between you and your team members. The informal meetings typically last half an hour or so. They 'allow you to stay on top of important issues, to be more attuned to the individual's needs and goals and to offer ongoing support. Frequent one-on-one meetings can also help to eliminate any surpris to you or the other person.
C. With so much going on in the workplace, it may be challenging, to concentrate on the issue that needs the most attention. Avoid tangential issues. As a manager, your time
is limited, so make the most of it. Being clear about the objective of the conversation will help to keep the discussion on track. Remember what may be an important issue to a team member may be less so to you: however, the individual may need your support working through that issue to focus on more important goals.
D. Keep the discussion focud on the future — what needs to happen and what is likely to happen. This is not the time to get bogged down in what has happened in the past or to review performance history. Instead the conversation should be designed to help the ream member move forward and take action on specific issues that are most relevant. Take a collaborative approach to exploring possibilities.
1. A manager should have a clear goal before talking to employees.
2. People in management positions can listen to employees through regular conversations.
3. Regular conversations enable managers to understand employees' needs and goals.
4. The conversation should be specific and relevant to employees' issues.
5. Intelligent managers are aware of the great importance of listening to employees.
6. Conversations should not dwell on the past.
7. Trust can be built through frequent conversations, but it may take a long time.
PART TWO
·hoo the best ntence from below the passage to fill each of the gaps.
·or each gap (8-12) , mark one letter (A-G) on your Answer Sheet.
·o not u any letter more than once.
Insight into Management Psychology
If overflowing in-trays frighten you or solving problems makes you sweat, there's a new range of business books called The Management Guides that you can turn to with confid
ence. They're short, pocket-sized, and very reasonably priced at ￡ 2.99 each. In addition, they're written in accessible language by Kathy Harman, a chartered occupational psychologist who heads her own London consultancy business. She says that the guides are intended for professionals working in small **panies, where thinking about management can be a low priority becau of endless lists of other responsibilities.
1 After this initial message to the reader, the following pages contain ctions on every aspect of business, from managing your own time and lecting employees to planning ahead for the future.
One of the reasons Harman wrote the guides was that she knows not every business is able to invest in training. The difficulty, especially for small business, is that, "People are professionals first and foremost and somehow they are just expected to pick up management skills as they go along." 2 And becoming one. she recognizes, is especially difficult if you're not ud lo communicating effectively or delegating work.
She adds. "It's all very well managing areas that you have control over and you can do
all the planning you feel is necessary, but there are always going to be other people out there who do the most unexpected things." 3 Such a choice of approaches is esntial to any business: this can only be achieved by managers having good, friendly relationships with all their staff and business contacts. "The important thing in management," says Harman. " is the human element."
