专业八级分类模拟5
READING COMPREHENSION
Passage 1
When times are good, they are very, very good for consultants. But when they are bad, they are horrid. As the economy stalled in 2009, the global consulting industry shrank by 9.1%. It was the worst year since at least 1982, according to Kennedy Information, an industry monitor.
Now the kids are back in the conference rooms. Companies that shelved plans during the recession are dusting them off and looking for help. And the work is more cheerful. When boss did hire consultants in 2009, 87% of projects were aimed at cutting costs rather than boosting growth, says Kennedy. This year, just 47% of project spending will be on cutting costs. The rest will go on growth plans, from mergers to installing new computer systems. But not all will benefit equally.
Consulting is a diver industry. Best known are the elite strategy consultancies such as Mc ￡ Kiny & Co, the Boston Consulting Group (BCG. and Bain. Firms such as AT Kearney, Booz & Company and Oliver Wyman do the same sort of work but are smaller. A cond category compris the consulting u
nits of the Big Four accounting firms—PwC, Deloitte, KPMG and Ernst & Young. All but Deloitte shed their consulting units in the early 2000s, amid post-Enron fears of conflict-of-interest, but have since grown new ones. A third group consists of technology firms with big consulting business, such as IBM and Hewlett-Packard, which focus on installing and integrating computer systems. Finally, some consultants are hard to distinguish from pure outsourcing firms. Strategy consulting, the most famous variety, is also the most controversial. "I like to con people. And I like to insult people. If you combine 'con' and 'insult', you get consult," obrves Dogbert, a comic-strip character. Many firms share this harsh view of the highly paid advirs who walk in and tell them to re-invent their business. Spending on strategy consulting is expected to grow by an annual average of just 1.1% to 2014 (it currently accounts for 12% of all spending on consulting). But more ordinary work is booming. Kennedy forecasts that consulting on operations-management (advice on how to do the same things better) will grow by 5.1% a year, that on IT by 3.9% and that on personnel by 4.0%, between 2010 and 2014.
North America invented the strategic consultant, but appears not to need many more. Western Europe ems satiated, too. Companies are now packed with MBA-holding boss, many of them former consultants. Well-run companies still know when they need outside experti, which is why st
rategy consulting is far from dead. But it is increasingly overshadowed by the less glamorous variety. Small wonder, then, that the strategy hous are competing for that work. BCG was one of just three big firms to grow (by about 3%) in 2009, and had a good 2010, expanding by some 12%. It is expecting an even better 2012, with 15% growth. One reason is rapid growth in emerging markets. But BCG, like the other strategy firms, has also made money by grabbing a larger share of "downstream" work.
This is bringing the strategy shops into competition with the biggest players: the Big Four audit firms. They are buying specialist firms in areas such as technology and health care, thus expanding their size and reach by both specialism and geography. In America they are forbidden from lling consulting to their audit clients. But elwhere the rules are loor, giving the Big Four a potential "one-stop-shop" offer. Everywhere, they have scale that impress clients. But tho clients are driving harder bargains.
In the past two decades most consulting firms have attached many junior
consultants to projects with just a few nior people and partners, moving this army into the clients' offices and billing for as many hours as possible. But increasingly, clients are refusing to pay for junioexerci用法
4storyr staffs on-the-job training. Instead, they are asking for fewer and better consultants and tting them to work along-side their own staff.
In short, consulting is looking less like a licence to print money and more like temporary labour. Clients can bypass the big names and hire consultancies such as Eden McCallum, a British firm that packages teams of experienced independent consultants, or Point B, an American firm that provides only a project manager, letting the client lect the team. Big consulting firms (with their big brands) can probably coexist with smaller operators. But midsized firms, which cannot command the same fees and loyalty as the big boys, are feeling the squeeze.
1、 Which of the following is NOT the purpo of consulting projects?
A. To reduce costs.
B. To enhance development.
机器人瓦力插曲C. To manage operations.
D. To remodel business.
2、 How many types of consulting companies are there in the consulting industry?
A. Two.
B. Three.
C. Four.
D. Five.myprayer
3、 The spending on strategic consulting is predicted to increa very little becau
A. many firms question the outcome of strategic consulting.
B. many firms are unwilling to re-invent their business.
C. well-managed companies needn't outside experti.
D. the shadow of economic recession has gone away.
4、 Which of the following statements is true according to the fifth paragraph?
A. Strategy consulting firms are no longer needed.
B. Strategy consulting business thrives in Europe.
C. Strategy consultants are in great demand.
D. Some proportion of strategy consulting has been occupied by its peers.
5、 Which of the following statements is NOT true about the Big Four?
A. They have acquired companies in technological field.
B. They can offer consulting rvice to their audit clients anywhere.
C. They have their own consulting branch.
D. They are globally-operated firms.
Passage 2
This was only one of the problems that confronted Elizabeth at her accession. There were others even more pressing if the kingdom were to be safe and prosperous. Internally it was divided by deep disnsions amongst its people; externally it was weak by comparison with its nearest continental ne
ighbors. Within less than twenty years it had been forcibly subjected to three different kinds of religion, a sort of Anglo-Catholicism under Henry Ⅷ, an extreme Protestantism under Edward and the old orthodox Catholicism under Mary. Such a thing as toleration, each person worshipping according to his own conscience, was inconceivable; all had to worship the same way, and each change had been accompanied by percution and left a legacy of hatred amongst tho who preferred another way. Whatever cour the new Queen adopted she would make enemies, while to adopt none would be the worst cour of all, since that would leave it to the various creeds to fight it out amongst themlves until one had crushed the rest. Apart from the religious quarrels there were ctional differences. The West, including Wales and the North, had different ways of life and thought from tho parts nearer the capital and did not want to be interfered with; while in Ireland, English domination over a hostile race could only be maintained by a constant expenditure of lives, money and
hesitated
watchfulness.
Alongside and cloly related to the perils threatening the country from within were the perils threatening it from without. France and Spain, the two great Powers, long locked in a struggle for the mastery of the Continent, could tolerate no neutrals: at least none like England, which, becau of h
er position, could clo the vital passage through the Channel and the North Sea to either by becoming the ally of the other. Either, on the other hand, might endanger and perhaps entirely stop England's trade with the Continent through tho waters; France had already done it grave damage and might jeopardize it further by her recent izure of Calais. Moreover, France virtually controlled Scotland, where the mother of the young Queen ruled as Regent for her daughter, lately married to the Dauphin in Paris, and where French troops lay encamped along England's single land frontier. Little as Englishmen like being attached to either of the two great powers, they could not very well avoid being bound to an extent to one or the other of them, since alone they would have succumbed to either; as they had discovered no t long since that without Spain they could neither defend nor retake Calais.
A visiting diplomat to the little island kingdom summing up his impressions, compared it to "a bone thrown between two dogs."
The comparison was apt as far as it went, but it left two factors out of account. One was the bursting energy of the English people, who took by no means so gloomy a view of their future as the facts emed to justify. The other was their new Queen, on whom they had increasingly fixed their faith as things went from bad to wor under her predecessor. So great had her popularity grown before the
end that not only had Mary not dared to prevent, but had been compelled against her will to connt to her accession, which her subjects welcomed with an enthusiasm that was almost hysterical.
6、 What problem did Elizabeth face domestically before she took the throne?
A. Disagreement in opinion.
B. Disagreement in worship.
C. Quarrel over the different social ctions.
D. Disagreement among people in religion.
7、 If Queen Elizabeth didn't believe in any of the three kinds of religion,
A. people in different religion might fight out the result.
B. she might become the enemy of tho who believed in them.
C. Protestantism would dominate the whole country.
D. three kinds of religion might divide the country into three parts.
8、 All of the following were the reasons why England dared not offend France EXCEPT that
A. a part of the country was under the control of France.
B. France might ally with other European countries to attack England.
C. French soldiers were stationed at the border of England.
D. France might t up trade barriers between England and other countries.
9、 It can be inferred from the last paragraph that
A. English people began to rebel against Mary's ruling.
B. after Elizabeth ascended the throne, she won her popularity quickly.
C. her predecessor didn't expect Elizabeth to come to the throne.
D. English people forced Mary to abdicate the throne.
10、 The author's attitude towards Elizabeth's accession is
A. enthusiastic.
B. admiring.
certificateC.
ambivalent. D. objective.
Passage 3
If you want to e what it takes to t up an entirely new financial center (and what is best avoided), head for Dubai. This tiny, sun-baked patch of
sand in the midst of a war-torn and isolated region started with few advantages other than a long tradition as a hub for Middle Eastern trade routes.
But over the past few years Dubai has built a new financial center from nothing. Dozens of the world's leading financial institutions have opened offices in its new financial district, hoping to grab a portion of the $2 trillion-plus investment from the Gulf. Some say there is more hype than business, but few big firms are willing to risk missing out.
Dealmaking in Dubai centers around The Gate, a cube-shaped structure at the heart of the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC.. A brainchild of the ruling AI-Maktoum family, the DIFC is a tax-free zone for wholesale financial rvices. Finns licend for it are not approved to rve the local financial market. The DIFC aims to become the leading wholesale financial centre in the Gulf, offering one-stop shopping for everything from stocks to sukuk (Islamic) bonds, investment banking and insurance. In August the Dubai bour made a bid for a big stake in OMX, a Scandinavian exchange operator that also lls trading technology to many of the world's exchanges.
Dubai may have generated the biggest splash thus far, but much of the Gulf region has en a surge of activity in recent years. Record flows of petrodollars have enabled governments in the area to spend billions on infrastructure projects and development. Personal wealth too is growing rapidly. According to Capgemini and Merrill Lynch, the number of people in the Middle East with more than $1m in financial asts ro by nearly 12% last year, to 300,000. Qatar, Bahrain and Abu Dhabi also have big aspirations for their financial hubs, though they keep a lower profile than Dubai. They, too, are trying to learn from more established financial centers what they must do to achieve the magic mix of transparent regulation, good infrastructure and low or no taxes. Some of the fiercest competition among them is for talent. Most English-speaking professionals have to be imported.
Each of the Gulf hubs, though, has its own distinct characteristics. Abu Dhabi is trying to prent itlf as a more cultured, less congested alternative to neighboring Dubai, and is building a huge Guggenheim muum. Energy-rich Qatar is an important hub for infrastructure finance, with ambitions to develop further business in wealth management, private equity, retail banking and insurance. Bahrain is well established in Islamic banking, but it is facing new competition from London, Kuala Lumpur and other hubs that have caught on to Islamic finance. "If you've got one string to your bow and suddenly someone takes it away, you're in trouble," says Stuart Pearce of the Qatar Financial Centre about Bahrain.
Saudi Arabia, by far the biggest economy in the Gulf, is creating a cluster of its own economic zones, including King Abdullah City, which is aimed at foreign investors eking a prence in the country. Trying to cut down on the number of "suitca bankers" who fly in from nearby centers rather than live in the country, the Saudis now require firms working with them to have local business licens. Yet the bulk of the region's money is still flowing to established financial centers in Europe, America and other parts of Asia. The financial hubs there offer lessons for aspiring centers in other parts of the developing world. Building the confidence of financial markets takes more than new skyscrapers, tax breaks and incentives. The DIFC, for instance, initially suffered from suspicions of government m
eddling and from a high turnover among nior executives. Trading on its stock market remains thin, and the government ems unwilling to float its most successful companies there. Making the dert bloom was never easy.
11、 According to the passage, Dubai has built a new financial center
A. becau of its innate advantages over other countries.
B. thanks to the $2 trillion-plus investment from the Gulf.
C. from its past tradition as a trade center in the Gulf.
D. for it's a war-torn and isolated region in the world.
12、 According to the passage, which of the following about Dubai is INCORRECT?
A. It enjoys record flows of petrodollars.
B. Personal wealth too is growing rapidly
C. It is the biggest economy in the Gulf.
D. Billions are spent on infrastructure.
13、 The fiercest competition among the countries aspiring for their financial hubs is
A. regulation.
B. infrastructure.
C.
tax. D. talent.
14、 Which of the following is NOT true about Saudi Arabia?
A. It is building a cluster of its own economic zones.
B. It is trying to decrea the number of "suitca bankers".
C. It is very strict about granting local business licens.
D. It can't attract the bulk of the region's money to flow in.
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15、 By saying "making the dert bloom was never easy" in the last paragraph, the author means
春节英语
A. new skyscrapers need to be built to guarantee the confidence of financial markets.
B. cutting on taxes and giving more incentives brings the confidence of financial markets.
C. the government is trying to bring the confidence of financial market s down.
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D. it takes great efforts to build the confidence and prosperity of financial markets.
Passage 4
Margaret Spellings, the cretary of education, announced a pilot reform to the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB., George Bush's education law, whic h was pasd in 2002. Up to ten states, she said, would be allowed to target their resources at the most verely struggling schools, rather than at the vast number needing improvement. The change drew a predictable mix of prai and censure. Above all, though, it was a reminder of utter inaction elwhere. Congress, which was suppod to re-authorize the law last year, has made little progress. On the campaign trail, concerns over Iraq and the economy have made education a minor issue. Contrary to appearances, the law's main tenets are unlikely to be abandoned completely. But for the Democratic candidates in particular, a pr
oper debate on NCLB is to be avoided like political quicksand.
Most politicians agree that the law has the right goals—to rai educational standards and hold schools accountable for meeting them. NCLB requires states to test pupils on math and reading from third to eighth grade (that is, from the ages of eight to 13), and once in high school. Some science testing is being added. Schools that do not make "adequate yearly progress" towards meeting state standards face sanctions. Pupils in failing schools can suppodly transfer to a better one or get tutoring.
Most also agree that NCLB has big flaws that must be fixed. Few pupil s in bad schools actually transfer less than 1% of tho eligible did so in the 2003-2004 school year. Teachers' unions say the tests are focud too narrowly on math and reading, fail to measure progress over time and encourage "teaching to the test". They also complain that the law lacks proper funding. The Thomas B. Fordham Foundation, a conrvative policy group, has expod wide gaps in state standards. Test-data reflect this. In Mississippi 90% of fourth-graders were labeled "proficient" or better in the state reading test in 2006-2007. Only 19% reached that level in a national test.
雨伞的英文John McCain, the Republican presidential nominee, offers NCLB tepid support
