Henry Ford, the famous U.S. inventor and car manufacturer, once said, "The business of Ame

Henry Ford, the famous U.S. inventor and car manufacturer, once said, "The business of America is business." By this he meant that the U.S. way of life is based on the values of the business world.

Few would argue with Ford's statement. A brief glimpse at a daffy newspaper vividly shows how much people in the United States think about business. For example, nearly every newspaper has a business section, in which the deals and projects, finances and management, stock prices and labor problems of corporations are reported daily. In addition, business news can appear in every other section. Most national news has an important financial aspect to it. Welfare, foreign aid, the federal budget, and the policies of the Federal Reserve Bank are all heavily affected by business. Moreover, business news appears in some of the unlikeliest places. The world of arts and entertainment is often referred to as "the entertainment industry" or "show business".

The positive side of Henry Ford's statement can be seen in the prosperity that business has brought to U.S. life. One of the most important reasons so many people from all over the world come to live in the United States is the dream of a better job. Jobs are produced in abundance because the U.S. economic system is driven by competition. People believe that this system creates more wealth, more jobs, and a materially better way of life.

The negative side of Henry Ford's statement, however, can be seen when the word business is taken to mean big business. And the term big business—referring to the biggest companies—is seen in opposition to labor. Throughout U.S. history working people have had to fight hard for higher wages, better working conditions, and the fight to form. unions. Today, many of the old labor disputes are over, but there is still some employee anxiety. Downsizing—the driving away of thousands of workers to keep expenses low and profits high—creates

feelings of insecurity for many.

The United States is a country ______ .

A．which encourages free trade at home and abroad

B．where people's chief concern is how to make money

C．where all businesses are managed scientifically

D．which normally works according to the federal budget

passage two：questions 26～30 are based on the following passage. Henry Ford, the famous U.S. inventor and car manufacturer, once said, “The business of America is business.” By this he meant that the U.S. way of life is based on the values of the business world.

Few would argue with Ford’s statement. A brief glimpse at a daily newspaper vividly shows how much people in the United States think about business. For example, nearly every newspaper has a business section, in which the deals and projects, finances and management, stock prices and labor problems of corporations are reported daily. In addition, business news can appear in every other section. Most national news has an important financial aspect to it. Welfare, foreign aid, the federal budget, and the policies of the Federal Reserve Bank are all heavily affected by business. Moreover, business news appears in some of the unlikeliest places. The world of arts and entertainment is often referred to as “the entertainment industry” or “show business.”

The positive side of Henry Ford’s statement can be seen in the prosperity that business has brought to U.S. life. One of the most important reasons so many people from all over the world come to live in the United States is the dream of a better job. Jobs are produced in abundance （大量地） because the U.S. economic system is driven by competition. People believe that this system crates more wealth, more jobs, and a materially better way of life.

The negative side of Henry Ford’s statement, however, can be seen when the word business is taken to mean big business. And the term big business—referring to the biggest companies, is seen in opposition to labor. Throughout U.S. history working people have had to fight hard for higher wages, better working conditions, and the fight to form. unions. Today, many of the old labor disputes are over, but there is still some employee anxiety. Downsizing—the laying off of thousands of workers to keep expenses low and profits high—creates feelings of insecurity for many.

第26题：The United States is a typical country ________.

A．which encourages free trade at home and abroad

B．where people’s chief concern is how to make money

C．where all businesses are managed scientifically

D．which normally works according to the federal budget

Section B

Directions: There are 2 passages in this section. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A, B, C and D. You should decide on the best choice.

Henry Ford, the famous U.S. inventor and car manufacturer, once said, "The business of America is business." By this he meant that the U.S. way of life is based on the values of the business world.

Few would argue with Ford's statement. A brief glimpse at a daily newspaper vividly shows how much people in the United States think about business. For example, nearly every newspaper has a business section, in which the deals and projects, finances and management, stock prices and labor problems of corporations are reported daily. In addition, business news can appear in every other section. Most national news has an important financial aspect to it. Welfare, foreign aid, the federal budget, and the policies of the Federal Reserve Bank are all heavily affected by business. Moreover, business news appears in some of the unlikeliest places. The world of arts and entertainment is often referred to as "the entertainment industry" or "show business".

The positive side of Henry Ford's statement can be seen in the prosperity that business has brought to U.S. life. One of the most important reasons so many people from all over the world come to live in the United States is the dream of a better job. Jobs are produced in abundance because the U.S. economic system is driven by competition. People believe that this system creates more wealth, more jobs, and a materially better way of life.

The negative side of Henry Ford's statement, however, can be seen when the word business is taken to mean big business. And the term big business--referring to the biggest companies, is seen in opposition to labor. Throughout U.S. history working people have had to fight hard for higher wages, better working conditions, and the fight to form. unions. Today, many of the old labor disputes are over, but there is still some employee anxiety. Downsizing--the laying off of thousands of workers to keep expenses low and profits high--creates feelings of insecurity (不安全) for many.

The United States is a typical country______.

A．which encourages free trade at home and abroad

B．where people's chief concern is how to make money

C．where all businesses are managed scientifically

D．which normally works according to the federal budget

&8226;Read the article below about the importance of human resource (HR) management.

&8226;Choose the best sentence from the opposite page to fill each of the gaps.

&8226;For each gap (8-12), mark one letter (A-G) on your Answer Sheet.

&8226;Do not use any letter more than once.

Human resource management

It is nearly a century since the car manufacturer Henry Ford said, 'You can destroy my factories and offices, but give me my people and I will build the business right back up again.' In the light of this statement, it is odd that people management has taken so many years to move up the agenda. But a few business theorists are beginning to argue that managing people well can add more to the bottom line than anything else.

Mike Manzotti, a leading American author in this area, has strong views about the growing importance of human resources in today's business world. (8) . A company with high staff commitment, for example, has an asset that its rivals find hard to copy. Research in Britain would appear to support this notion. A recent business school survey into the performance of eight multinationals found that people management could be the most decisive factor in a company's performance. Another study indicated the same thing in medium-sized manufacturing firms. (9) . After all, how can an organisation evaluate the commitment of its staff?

For this reason, the researcher George Hessenberg argues that a scientific approach is needed. He feels that when HR professionals suggest changing an organisation's compensation structure or being more selective in recruiting, they are asking for things that require resources. (10) .

Some new approaches are emerging that attempt to do just that, including the scheme devised by consultants Couze Jordan. The scheme, which covers communication, recruitment, and use of resources, predicts that significant improvements in these areas achieve an increase in shareholder value of up to 30 per cent.

Another programme, launched by James Lester, an independent human resources expert, approaches the problem from a perspective that is designed to appeal to a wide range of managers. (11) . Both, he argues, involve appropriate decisions being made about the allocation of resources within a particular budget.

Lester's expertise enables him to carry out an organisational audit for his clients to identify which areas of HR are in most need of improvement. This is because there is no point in businesses spending large amounts without knowing if the investment is worthwhile. (12) . Lester's advice, however, is for companies to think twice before hiring people, since it is vital they assess whether they are getting value for money.

A But the findings are inconclusive because of the difficulty of collecting reliable evidence.

B He argues that the role of a skilled, motivated and flexible workforce has become more significant as traditional sources of competitive advantage diminish.

C For example, a common mistake is to spend a fortune on recruitment to cover up for deficiencies in training.

D However, most leading experts in the field believe that there is sufficient evidence to support this model of workplace dynamics.

E He compares the positive use of human resources to effective fund management, as this is something that senior executives can relate to.

F He believes, however, that the only way they will gain approval for these potentially expensive initiatives is to have some data that demonstrates positive financial benefits.

G In the light of this statement, it is odd that people management has taken so many years to move up the agenda.

(8)