part one
part one in the reading test paper contains short texts taken from newspapers, magazines, directories and books usually in the form of advertisements as well as product, job and course descriptions. all the texts used are of a similar type: eg all advertisements for posts,
all book reviews, all management training courses, etc. the questions test primarily an ability to understand subtle but important differences between short descriptions. specific business vocabulary is not tested here.
the questions take the form of a multiple-matching test. there are 7 sentences (and 1 example) which you are required to match with the most appropriate of 4 short texts. ways of answering the questions in this part will vary, but perhaps the best way is to start by glancing quickly through the 4 texts in order to obtain a general idea of what each text is about. then read carefully the first sentence, matching it with the most appropriate text. think again and check your answer very carefully before moving -on to the second sentence. repeat and follow the same procedure for all the
remaining sentences.
in the following example the advertisements for 4 computer programmes are preceded by 7 sentences (and 1 example) referring to them. you are instructed to read these sentences and the advertisements for computer programmes which follow them. for each sentence you must mark one letter
(a, b, c or d).
example
the chief purpose of this programme is to improve the quality of the talks you give.
answer d
1 . you can use this programme to put your business tasks and projects in order of importance or urgency.
answer c
2. this computer programme helps you to examine your company s profits and losses.
answer a
3. this programmes combines a diary with an address book.
answer c
4. your can express information in simple and clear visual forms.
answer b
5. you can use this programme for making a record of your company s finances.
answer a
6. you can use this programme to make sure that your talks and demonstrations are neither too long nor too short.
answer d
7. although you cannot put the information into slides, this programme can nevertheless be useful for public lectures about your company.
answer d
a cash control
why not employ your own accountant? thousands of small businesses now trust cash control to organise their accounts, saving huge sums of money. containing powerful tools for analysing all types of business accounts, the programme is designed to handle the special needs of any business.
b super chart express
simply type headings and subheadings, and then press a button. the programme will do the rest, converting the text you have entered into an easy-to-understand chart or diagram. this can then be edited , and both text and shapes changed in whatever way you wish. essential for discussion sessions, board meetings and for public presentations of your company and its products.
c day-to-day
this popular organiser will help you to keep track of your projects and maintain control of all your appointments and meetings. the programme is much more than a simple calendar and will help you to prioritise your work.
fully integrated in the programme is a contacts section, making it easy to enter the names and full details of all your business contacts so that you can get in touch with them immediately by post, phone or fax.
d presenter 3
helps you to give effective and successful presentations. it improves all kinds of visuals and transforms them into slides. harts and graphs are simple to produce. a rehearsal feature in the programme enables you to practise your ,delivery and perfect your timing.
part two
part two in the reading test paper contains a text on a business topic. all the texts used in the various bec 2 papers
are taken from newspapers, magazines, letters, reports and books. each text contains 6 gaps which must be completed with the most appropriate sentence chosen from 9 possible sentences following the text. you must identify the most appropriate sentence which can fill a particular gap. to do this, you will need to be able to understand the general meaning of the text (even with the gaps in it) and also the more specific meaning of each part of it. sometimes cohesive devices such as in addition, for example and however may be of help to you in identifying the relevant parts of the text where the sentences belong. it is also important for you to pay particular attention to the use of nouns, pronouns and demonstrative adjectives to put the sentences in the most appropriate gaps (eg it in sentence e in the example which follows here, these qualities in sentence b, etc). , sometimes whole phrases will help you (eg those early days in sentence c).
no sentence should be used more than once to fill a gap. note also that the first gap is always used as an example.
the text contained in the worked example here is taken from an advertisement for jobs in a large company. for each gap in the text, you are instructed to choose the best sentence (a - i).
we are one of the oldest and most successful companies operating in asia........... example .........., recently we entered the highly competitive european market with our advanced manufacturing and production techniques together with our expanding distribution facilities. expert financial management has always played a key part in the success of our company influencing not only our production and sales departments but also other important sections of the company
.......... 8.......... this department itself is now proving to be a highly profitable part of the company.we were first established almost one hundred years ago and we are proud of our great tradition .......... 9.......... a successful career in our company is now governed solely by what an individual can do. hence intelligence, initiative, determination and the ability to work hard are the only criteria which we recognise in deciding on promotion and reward .......... 10.......... no previous experience is required as we are primarily interested in appointing candidates with a good mathematical ability .......... 11..........however, it should be noted that, though desirable, a degree is not absolutely necessary as we are particularly keen on appointing individuals with good communication and interpersonal skills. ..........12..........
please send a detailed cv to reach us before this date,drawing attention to the achievements and qualities which you feel will benefit the company.
example i
a the closing date for, applications is 28 may.
b candidates with these qualities will find they have a fast route to promotion to the very senior level in the company.
c in addition, we have developed rapidly and become widely respected since those early days.
d graduates are especially welcome to apply for the four posts for which we are recruiting.
e for example, it has helped us to build up a very effective research and development department.
f ring the chief personnel officer for any further information you may wish to have.
g however, we also see ourselves as being open to new ideas and methods of achieving our goals.
h however, it is still proving very difficult to re-organise our accounts department.
i our name is now a by-word for progress and quality throughout asia.
8 e 9 g 10 b 11 d 12 a
part two
part two in the reading test paper contains a text on a business topic. all the texts used in the various bec 2 papers
are taken from newspapers, magazines, letters, reports and books. each text contains 6 gaps which must be completed with the most appropriate sentence chosen from 9 possible sentences following the text. you must identify the most appropriate sentence which can fill a particular gap. to do this, you will need to be able to understand the general meaning of the text (even with the gaps in it) and also the more specific meaning of each part of it. sometimes cohesive devices such as in addition, for example and however may be of help to you in identifying the relevant parts of the text where the sentences belong. it is also important for you to pay particular attention to the use of nouns, pronouns and demonstrative adjectives to put the sentences in the most appropriate gaps (eg it in sentence e in the example which follows here, these qualities in sentence b, etc). , sometimes whole phrases will help you (eg those early days in sentence c).
no sentence should be used more than once to fill a gap. note also that the first gap is always used as an example.
the text contained in the worked example here is taken from an advertisement for jobs in a large company. for each gap in the text, you are instructed to choose the best sentence (a - i).
we are one of the oldest and most successful companies operating in asia........... example .........., recently we entered the highly competitive european market with our advanced manufacturing and production techniques together with our expanding distribution facilities. expert financial management has always played a key part in the success of our company influencing not only our production and sales departments but also other important sections of the company
.......... 8.......... this department itself is now proving to be a highly profitable part of the company.we were first established almost one hundred years ago and we are proud of our great tradition .......... 9.......... a successful career in our company is now governed solely by what an individual can do. hence intelligence, initiative, determination and the ability to work hard are the only criteria which we recognise in deciding on promotion and reward .......... 10.......... no previous experience is required as we are primarily interested in appointing candidates with a good mathematical ability .......... 11..........however, it should be noted that, though desirable, a degree is not absolutely necessary as we are particularly keen on appointing individuals with good communication and interpersonal skills. ..........12..........
please send a detailed cv to reach us before this date,drawing attention to the achievements and qualities which you feel will benefit the company.
example i
a the closing date for, applications is 28 may.
b candidates with these qualities will find they have a fast route to promotion to the very senior level in the company.
c in addition, we have developed rapidly and become widely respected since those early days.
d graduates are especially welcome to apply for the four posts for which we are recruiting.
e for example, it has helped us to build up a very effective research and development department.
f ring the chief personnel officer for any further information you may wish to have.
g however, we also see ourselves as being open to new ideas and methods of achieving our goals.
h however, it is still proving very difficult to re-organise our accounts department.
part three
the texts used in this part of bec 2 are also taken from newspapers, magazines, books, reports, letters and (longer)
memos. again, the questions following the text are of the multiple-matching type. however, in this part the questions
fall into two different categories. the first 4 questions require you to be able to identify the main gist or central point of each paragraph in the text while the second 4 questions require you to complete sentences about the text. thus the first set of questions serve to test a general understanding of the text while the second set test a more detailed understanding of parts of the text.
the first 4 questions require you to choose the most, appropriate title for each numbered paragraph in the text from
7 titles contained in a box. 4 of the titles are summaries of one of the paragraphs in the text while 3 are included as
distractors. the titles are sometimes quite short but nevertheless they provide an accurate summary of the text. the
distractors (ie the incorrect answers) all seem possible and are partly justified by the text (but they are clearly unsuitable titles, especially when compared to the correct titles).
after gaining a good idea of the text from doing the first 4 questions, you should now attempt the second 4 questions. here you should try to complete the first of the 4 incomplete sentences with the most appropriate phrase from the list of 7 phrases in the box. weigh each alternative very carefully before moving on to the second of the 4 questions. after
checking that you have chosen the most suitable phrase and considering carefully each of the other phrases before dismissing there, move on to the third question, repeat the procedure and finally do the 4th question.
the text used in the following example of part three concerns proposals for solving delivery problems in a company. the two types of questions described above follow the text.
1.i suggest we examine the problem of delivery very carefully. it is now urgent that we should improve our delivery dates. we can no longer rely on rail transportation as trains carrying freight are very slow and many our new customers cannot be reached -by rail. unfortunately, the costs transportation by road have increased to such an extent that r is often necessary to waft until we have a full load destined for a particular place before we can dispatch the goods. as a result of our attempt to economise in this way, the delivery of many of our goods is becoming subject to fairly long delays.
2.our primary aim, therefore, is to reduce delivery times while keeping transport costs as low as possible. this can
only be done satisfactorily we ourselves deliver our goods rather than handing this part of our operations over to other
companies specialising in freight transportation. consequently, the first suggestion i have to make is that we invest in transportation and develop a fleet of trucks for our purposes. my second suggestion now concerns the types of trucks which we should purchase. since we cannot afford to wait until the usual large container truck has been filled, i recommend that we use smaller vans to deliver many of our orders. although we should, of course, require one or two large trucks, most of our fleet would consist of smaller trucks or vans.
3.i suggest we now get as many details as possible of the range of small trucks and vans available for purchase. we want to find out about the costs of new vehicles as well as second-hand trucks and vans in good condition. while we are engaged in this exercise, i suggest we also obtain information about the costs of renting vans similar to those we are considering purchasing. we should make sure of getting good quality, reliable vans at a competitive price which includes all maintenance and repairs. we should also require an agreement on the part of the van hire company to exchange any old van for a newer one once it becomes unreliable.
4.next we want to compare all the information we have obtained, listing the advantages and disadvantages of buying new vans rather than good second-hand vans. after we have done this, i suggest we compare these advantages and disadvantages with those of renting vans. it is crucial for us to consider carefully all the facts before we finally choose which option is best for our objectives. once we have decided, i suggest we proceed without any delay.
13. paragraph 1 .......... c..........
14. paragraph 2 .......... g..........
15. paragraph 3 .......... a..........
16. paragraph 4 .......... f..........
a gather information and examine options
b describe ideal future situation
c identify problems
d recommend types of vehicles
e reach an agreement or make a compromise
f evaluate and decide
g define objectives and make proposals
17. the writer first recommends
.......... d..........
18 the delivery problem has been caused by
.......... c..........
19. after carefully examining all the information they have gathered, the writer suggests
.......... a..........
20. the writer wants to find out about van hire while
.......... b..........
a acting as quickly as possible
b asking about new and second-hand vans
c waiting for full loads before sending goods
d buying vans instead of large trucks
e maintaining and repairing the vans they buy
f exchanging unreliable vans for new ones
g trying to find out where the vans can be repaired
part three
the texts used in this part of bec 2 are also taken from newspapers, magazines, books, reports, letters and (longer)
memos. again, the questions following the text are of the multiple-matching type. however, in this part the questions
fall into two different categories. the first 4 questions require you to be able to identify the main gist or central point of each paragraph in the text while the second 4 questions require you to complete sentences about the text. thus the first set of questions serve to test a general understanding of the text while the second set test a more detailed understanding of parts of the text.
the first 4 questions require you to choose the most, appropriate title for each numbered paragraph in the text from
7 titles contained in a box. 4 of the titles are summaries of one of the paragraphs in the text while 3 are included as
distractors. the titles are sometimes quite short but nevertheless they provide an accurate summary of the text. the
distractors (ie the incorrect answers) all seem possible and are partly justified by the text (but they are clearly unsuitable titles, especially when compared to the correct titles).
after gaining a good idea of the text from doing the first 4 questions, you should now attempt the second 4 questions. here you should try to complete the first of the 4 incomplete sentences with the most appropriate phrase from the list of 7 phrases in the box. weigh each alternative very carefully before moving on to the second of the 4 questions. after
checking that you have chosen the most suitable phrase and considering carefully each of the other phrases before dismissing there, move on to the third question, repeat the procedure and finally do the 4th question.
the text used in the following example of part three concerns proposals for solving delivery problems in a company. the two types of questions described above follow the text.
1.i suggest we examine the problem of delivery very carefully. it is now urgent that we should improve our delivery dates. we can no longer rely on rail transportation as trains carrying freight are very slow and many our new customers cannot be reached -by rail. unfortunately, the costs transportation by road have increased to such an extent that r is often necessary to waft until we have a full load destined for a particular place before we can dispatch the goods. as a result of our attempt to economise in this way, the delivery of many of our goods is becoming subject to fairly long delays.
2.our primary aim, therefore, is to reduce delivery times while keeping transport costs as low as possible. this can
only be done satisfactorily we ourselves deliver our goods rather than handing this part of our operations over to other
companies specialising in freight transportation. consequently, the first suggestion i have to make is that we invest in transportation and develop a fleet of trucks for our purposes. my second suggestion now concerns the types of trucks which we should purchase. since we cannot afford to wait until the usual large container truck has been filled, i recommend that we use smaller vans to deliver many of our orders. although we should, of course, require one or two large trucks, most of our fleet would consist of smaller trucks or vans.
3.i suggest we now get as many details as possible of the range of small trucks and vans available for purchase. we want to find out about the costs of new vehicles as well as second-hand trucks and vans in good condition. while we are engaged in this exercise, i suggest we also obtain information about the costs of renting vans similar to those we are considering purchasing. we should make sure of getting good quality, reliable vans at a competitive price which includes all maintenance and repairs. we should also require an agreement on the part of the van hire company to exchange any old van for a newer one once it becomes unreliable.
part four
as with the previous parts of bec 2, the texts used in this part are also taken from newspapers, magazines, reports,
letters and books. however, they are much shorter than the texts used in parts three and four. moreover, although
vocabulary and reading skills cannot really be separated, this part concentrates on the testing of vocabulary rather than reading.
the text itself contains 15 gaps and is followed by 15 multiple-choice questions, each containing 4 choices: a, b, c
and d. the questions are printed on the opposite side of the page to the text so that you can easily refer to the text
while you are choosing the correct word from the words given in the questions. before you choose the letter of the correct word to fill the gap in the text, however, you should try to understand each sentence in the text and read all the sentence before you choose the best word. a general understanding of the complete text is also important even
though this is a test of vocabulary rather than of reading comprehension.
in the following example, you are asked to read an advertisement about appointments for sales executives. you
must then choose the best word to fill each gap and to mark one letter a, b, c or d. as usual in this chapter of worked examples, the correct letter has been circled for you.
appointments
sales executives
we are looking for someone aged between 25 and 35 with a minimum of 3 years experience in sales of materials
(preferably paints) for new industrial buildings. in addition, the person appointed must have ....... example.......... completed some form of .......... 21.......... training in sales and marketing. only .......... 22.......... and hard-working candidates need apply as pride in their performance and determination to succeed are .......... 23.......... . our attractive
.......... 24.......... include a good salary, commission, car and,generous mileage .......... 25..........
our client is a .......... 26.......... company in the .......... 27.......... of paints and related products. it .......... 28.......... the manufacture of high-quality paints for the exterior of buildings as well as for machinery of all .......... 29..........
working .......... 30.......... with distributors as well as people in the construction .......... 31.......... , the person appointed will be responsible for .......32.......... new business, covering a wide range of industries. the position is .......33....... ,
and the successful candidate will be part of a ........ 34.........., and rapidly developing company with high .......... 35...........
example
a suitably b acceptably c satisfactorily d appropriately
answer: c
21. a desirable b convenient c relevant d befitting
answer: c
22. a objective b ambitious c hopeful d ideal
answer b
23. a central b outstanding c crucial d superior
answer c
24. a supports b advantages c gains d benefits
answer d
25. a bonus 8 permission c allowance d agreement
answer c
26. a main b foremost c primary d leading
answer d
27. a region b field c speciality d interest
answer b
28. a specialises in b, attends to c focuses on d concentrates on
answer a
29. a types b classes c models d groups
answer a
30. a nearly b carefully c closely d. diligently
answer c
31. a profession b industry c trade d commerce
answer b
32. a activating b provoking c causing d generating
answer d
33. a competitive b difficult c challenging d aggressive
answer c
34. a progressive b. continuous c successive d advanced
answer a
35. a standards b grades c levels d principles
answer a
part five
there are two different secions in this part of the test. both sections contain very short texts intended to test your
ability to correct grammatical errors.
the first section contains a text in which extra words have been inserted into 3 or 4 of the 5 numbered lines. the extra
words make the sentence in which they appear grammatically incorrect. you are asked to identify any extra -word and write r out. the following are a few examples of the types of extra words which may be inserted and which constitute grammatical errors:
............ an advantage which it will be very useful
it will be more better............
we will must go there............
they have went to............
they are affect............
issue most that kinds of things............
............ are a few of things you must do
............ reach to home
each office will to be equipped with............
............ should invest in a training and research.
it will affect the industry and commerce throughout china:
remember, however, that 1 or 2 lines will be correct, and you will be required to put a tick to show this.
the following example is given:
example: most of the world s business in marine insurance is centred......tick......in london though whatever there are other important markets. ............whatever............
advertisement: training courses
we provide courses which are both theoretical and practical, staffed by
36. professional consultants with the extensive experience in the construction
37. industry. you will be trained not only in the methods of managing
38. construction companies on a daily basis but you will must also learn how
39. government regulations are affect the industry. courses generally last
40. 3 days and are given in our special centre. for more larger companies, however, in-house training can be provided at convenient times.
36 the 37 tick 38 must 39 are 40 more
the second section contains a reading text of similar length with 5 numbered lines. in each of the numbered lines there is one wrong word which you must identify and correct. again, the test is concerned with recognising and
correcting errors of grammar.
sometimes the errors are concerned with word forms (eg adjectives instead of adverbs or nouns); sometimes the verb is in the wrong tense or incorrect form (eg the -ing form or -ed form instead of the infinitive, the 3rd person singular s ending instead of the third person plural, etc); sometimes the plural form of a noun is used instead of the singular form (eg experiences instead of experience); and sometimes the wrong preposition is used (eg to after arrive instead of ao. there will be, of course, other kinds of errors (eg welcomed instead of welcome): the ones given here constitute art
attempt to show you some of the grammatical rules which have not been observed for. the purpose of this test.
example: there should not be any needy for this request ...... need ......
i wish to apply for the position of cashier, advertised on 28th june in the
41. daily china post . i obtain a diploma in financial management and
42. accounting at the south-western technical institute at 1994. since then 1
43. have had two years experiences of working in the accounting office of sun
44. enterprises ltd, a large chemistry plant in tientsin. i have also just
45. completed a language course in business english, and can dealing with most foreign correspondence in english.
41 obtained 42 in 43 experience 44 chemical 45 deal