BEC阅读考试真题详解(4)

2024年3月19日发(作者：劳孝舆)

BEC阅读考试真题详解(4)

There have long been markets in tin, cocoa, silver and

thelike. There ud to be curity in thinking that somewhere

therewas a product, something you could touch and e. Now

thereare new markets in abstractions, trade in ideas and

ne has knowledge but there ud to be no

way to tradeit ------except through jobs. That simple fact of

economic lifewas the basis for white collar employment for

centuries. Thewhole job culture grew up becau there was no

alternative wayto ll knowledge , other then the worker or

manager providing, for a fixed price, his or herknowledge to

an employer to own or control. The quantity of knowledge

provided has typicallybeen measured in time.

But today we stand at the threshold of a new era. The

information economy has matured andbecome smarter.

According to many business commentators, we are now living

in a knowledgeeconomy .There has always been a market for

1

knowledge, of cour. The publishing industry isbad on it.

But today the internet is making the distribution of knowledge

ever easier. The dayswhen the publisher decided what got

published are over. Anyone with a PC and a modem can talkto

the world. This is reducing the friction in the knowledge

economy.

Everyone has knowledge of whatever industry she or he

is in. say you are a computer dealer,for example. Over the

years your have complied a list of the ten best lowest price

places to buywholesale computer equipment. Now you can

ll your knowledge to newer, younger computerdealers who

have no way to build up this knowledge without losing

thousands of pounds finding itout the hard way. Until now,

such knowledge remained curely locked in the recipient’s

head,accumulated and then worthlessly withered away. This

no longer needs to be the ca. Suchknowledge can be sold

via websites.

Knowledge has a distinct advantage in today’s

marketplace. It’s a renewable resource. Betteryet, its worth

actually increas, . “knowledge is the only ast that growss

with u. “ obrvesScanford University Professor Paul Romer.

But what exactly is knowledge and how can it bepackaged to

2

trade on an open market” “ knowledge is experiential

information, intelligence appliedthorough and gained from

experience.” Say Jonph Pine and James Gilmore in their

book TheExperience Economy.

The value of knowledge often depends on variables such

as time and the credibility of n knowledge may

have a very limited shelf life. In sights concerning how to t

up aninternet business in one country, might be worth a

fortune on one day and nothing the next ,depending on

changes in government policy. Markets in knowledge will be

significance for onething. They reprent one of the most

original us of the web technology. In some corner of

theglobe there is a company wanting to source plastic widgets

from Poland, and somewhere elanother company that

wishes to t up a plastics factory there. It’s simply a ca of

connectingthe two.

is a good example of a knowledge trader. It

is targeted at food rvicemanagers throughout the

hospitality industry. “we started with the context rather than

extractingmoney from suppliers. “ explains founder Mike Day.

“ we offer food rvice professionals interactivesupport to

increa sales and profits. People don’t want another

3

one-dimensional site full ofadvertising that doesn’t help them

to do their job more effectively，it has to be

customidoffering real solutions to real problems. “ the site’s features include access to online training and atariff tracker

to restaurants can check prices throughout the ctor.

15. what point is made in the first paragraph?

A Interest in commodity markets has decread.

B Overall levels of experti have improved.

C Opportunities to exploit your knowledge were limited

in the past

D External market forces have meant knowledge is

underpriced.

16 what are we told about the current impact of the

internet in the

cond paragraph?

A publishers benefit from their exploitation of the

internet.

B the internet has made it easier to analy business

trends.

C It is difficult to calculate the true economic value of the

internet.

D The internet facilitates the development of the

4

knowledge economy.

17 In the third paragraph, what does the writer say about

knowledge?

A Acquiring knowledge can be expensive

B The most valuable knowledge concerns IT

C Trading knowledge rais issues of curity.

D New business find it hard to trade in knowledge.

18. What point is made about knowledge in the fourth

paragraph?

A It provides specialist information

B Its appeal lies in its exclusivity

C it can generate new ideas

D Its value accumulates.

19 which application of knowledge does the writer

regard as particularly uful?

A analyzing manufacturing trends

B introducing compatible parties

C interpreting time constraints

D advising on legislation

20 what key feature is provided by ?

A approaches that reflect the provider’s own experience

B access to appropriately trained potential employees.

5

C advice which directly benefits the bottom line

D advertising which is carefully targeted

6