C
One hundred and thirteen million Americans have at least one bank-issued credit card. They give their owners automatic credit in stores, restaurants, and hotels, at home, across the country, and they make many banking services available as well. More and more of these credit cards can be read automatically, making it possible to withdraw or deposit money in scattered locations, whether or not the local branch bank is open. For many of us the “cashless society” is not on the horizon---it’s already here.
While computer offer these conveniences to consumers, they have many advantages for sellers too. Electronic cash registers can do much more than simply ring up sales. They can keep a wide range of records, including who sold what, when and to whom. This information allows businessmen to keep track of their list of goods by showing which items are being sold and how far they are moving. Decisions to reorder or return goods to suppliers can then be made. At the same time these computers record which hours are busiest and which employees are the most efficient, allowing personnel and staffing assignments to be made accordingly. And they also identify preferred customer for promotional campaigns. Computers are relied on by manufacturers for similar reasons. Computer analyzed marketing reports can help to decide which products to emphasize now, which to develop for the future and which to drop. Computers keep track of goods in stock, of raw materials on hand, and even of the production process itself.
Numerous other commercial enterprises, from theaters to magazine publishers, from gas and electric utilities to milk processors, bring better and more efficient services to consumers through the use of computers.
28. From the last sentence of the first paragraph we learn that ___________ .
A. in the future all the Americans will use credit cads
B. credit cards are mainly used in the United States today
C. nowadays many Americans do not pay in cash
D. it is now more convenient to use credit cards than before
29. If computers record which hours are busiest and which employees are the most efficient, what will businessmen do?
A. They will fire some employees and raise the work efficiency.
B. They will arrange for different employees to do different jobs according to their abilities and performance.
C. They will assign more work for the employees to do.
D. They will allow the personnel to do whatever work they want to do.
30. What does the underlined phrase “ring up sales” in paragraph two mean?
A. make an order of goods.
B. record sales on a cash register.
C. call the sales manager.
D. keep track of the goods in stock.
31. What does the passage mainly discuss?
A. Approaches to the commercial use of computers.
B. Advantages of credit cards in business.
C. Significance of automation in commercial enterprises.
D. Conveniences brought about by computers in business.
D
Culture is one of the most challenging elements of the international marketplace. This system of learned behavior patterns characteristic of the members of a given society is constantly shaped by set of dynamic variables: language, religion, values and attitudes, manners and customs, aesthetics, technology, education, and social institutions. To cope with this system, an international manager needs both factual and interpretive knowledge of culture. To some extent, the factual knowledge can be learned; its interpretation comes only through experience.
The most complicated problems in dealing with the cultural environment stem from the fact that one cannot learn culture—one has to live it. Two schools of thought exist in the business world on how to deal with cultural diversity. One is that business is business the world around, following the model of Pepsi and McDonald’s. In some cases, globalization is a fact of life; however, cultural differences are still far from converging.
The other school proposes that companies must tailor business approaches to individual cultures. Setting up policies and procedures in each country has been compared to an organ transplant; the critical question centers around acceptance or rejection. The major challenge to the international manager is to make sure that rejection is not a result of cultural myopia or even blindness.
Fortune examined the international performance of a dozen large companies that earn 20 percent or more of their revenue(税收) overseas. The internationally successful companies all share an important quality: patience. They have not rushed into situations but rather built their operations carefully by following the most basic business principles. These principles are to know your adversary, know your audience, and know your customer.
32. According to the passage, which of the following is true?
A. All international managers can learn culture.
B. Business diversity is not necessary.
C. Views differ on how to treat culture in business world.
D. Most people do not know foreign culture well.
33. What does the underlined word “myopia” (in para. 3) mean?
A. difference B. similarity
C. foresight D. shortsightedness
34. We can infer from the passage that this article is supposed to be most useful for those_______
A. who are interested in researching the topic of cultural diversity
B. who have connections to more than one type of culture.
C. who want to travel abroad.
D. who want to run business on International Sale
35. According to Fortune, successful international companies______________ .
A. earn 20 percent or more of their revenue overseas
B. all have the quality of patience
C. will follow the overseas local cultures
D. adopt the policy of internationalization
