商务英语(BEC)中级考试历年真题(21)

HOW TO MARKET YOURSELF

　　We manage our own careers now. So knowing how to brand and position yourself in the market as Me plc at different stages of your working life is becoming an increasingly vital skill. At least that is what image expert Mary Spillane believes. Employment as we know it is decreasing. Jobs dont exist, work exists. In the next decade most of us will be suppliers, not staff. We will have clients not bosses. If you are under 30, you probably know that there is only one firm to join for life: Me plc. It promotes you and your potential to others.

　　re working in multi-national, multicultural, multi-corporate teams and its important to understand the implications of this. We need to create a personal brand that is unique, but complements the brand of the corporation we are working for. You have to find a way to do it so that you are not just a typical employee, advises Spillane. You have to decide what central values you want to project, and also what may need to alter from situation to situation.

　　Many people only remember Mary Spillane for the years she spent running a cosmetics company, but she actually has masters degrees in information science and politics. She used to hide that hard-hitting side, but is now eager to show it and forget about cosmetics. Now that Im working in the boardrooms of major plcs and global companies, Im playing up my degrees and management background so that the image side is seen only as an addition to the value side, says Spillane.

　　Some contracts take longer than others. The City law firms Im currently working for are really difficult because they dont have any idea of what their brand should be, and are still very traditional even when talking about becoming modern. Im showing them how to do everything from changing their reception areas -which tend to be very off-putting with their high-fronted reception desks - to how to make small talk that is less formal and rigid. Companies rebrand themselves all the time, spending millions on new office interiors and so on. But without an underlying change of attitudes, it can prove an empty exercise.

　　She argues that for individuals too, there must be more than a surface change, as rebranding goes deeper than a mere change of wardrobe. Beyond advice on appearance, she tells clients, Remind yourself of what you are selling: the personal values that comprise your brand. Learn to present yourself in a way that will project what you want to deliver. Lifelong learning is essential, together with the sort of discovery and adventure that promote personal growth. Always have an up-to-the-minute CV ready to print out, refreshing it every few months with your most recent achievements, just to remind others of your brand value.

　　She believes it is essential that you understand both your public self and your private self, as well as your blind spots and your potential, in order to create an effective brand. The public self is the image you project to the world, the private self is what you know about yourself but others dont, arid blind spots are those things that others see about you but you cant see for yourself. By deciding what image you want other people to see, emphasising more of your private self and sorting out a few blind spots, you will increase not only your potential to influence others, but also your self-esteem and self-confidence.

　　13 In the first paragraph, Mary Spillane says people should learn how to market themselves because

　　A it encourages companies to give them a job for life.

　　B in the future it will be a company requirement.

　　C in many careers it is becoming difficult to succeed.

　　D it will help them adapt to developments in the job market.

　　14 Spillane says that, when creating a personal brand, it is important to

　　A change things depending on the circumstances.

　　B decide what image people would like you to present.

　　C make sure that colleagues feel at ease with your image.

　　D follow the example of someone in the company you work for.

　　15 What do we learn about Spillane in the third paragraph?

　　A She is embarrassed about her career with a cosmetics company.

　　B She doesnt like talking about her academic background.

　　C She has qualifications many people are unaware of.

　　D She worries about how other people see her.

　　16 Which problem does Spillane refer to when talking about the companies she is presently working with?

　　A They find it difficult to accept her ideas.

　　B They are unaware of how to rebrand themselves.

　　C They dont want to spend large amounts of money.

　　D They are unwilling to modernise their work environment.

　　17 When advising people on rebranding themselves, Spillane tells them to

　　A attend courses to gain specialist skills.

　　B update regularly their written proof of what they can do.

　　C try out different ways of presenting themselves to others.

　　D remember that what they look like is the most important point.

　　18 Spillane says that, in order to rebrand yourself successfully, it is important to

　　A ask for other peoples opinions about your image.

　　B feel confident about what you are trying to achieve.

　　C learn how to make use of all aspects of your character.

　　D model yourself on people with a certain amount of influence.

《How to market yourself》，怎样开发你自己。这篇文章主要是一个专家(Mary Spillane)对个人在职业生涯中的一些建议，包括怎么定位、怎样正确认识自己等等。很实用很中肯的一篇文章。看来这国外的专家并不也是夸夸其谈之辈啊。

　　13题，问第一段Mary Spillane认为人们应该学会开发他们自己的原因是什么。第一段里这个专家认为就业机会在减少，job不存在了，存在的是work，在未来十年所有人都将成为才华和能力的提供者(supplier)，而不是员工(staff)，老板将变成自己的客户。从专家的这段话可以看出她认为人们应该学会开发自己的原因是适应就业市场的发展，也就是D答案所说的。A在原文没有提到，B的理解有误，原文说there is only one firm to join for life: Me plc。生活中只有一个值得加入的公司：自我公司。这句的意思还是说人们要学会开发自己，而不是将来有公司需要。C在原文中也没有提到。

　　14题，问在创造个人品牌的时候，很重要的是什么。答案是第二段的最后一句：You have to decide what central values you want to project, and also what may need to alter from situation to situation.你必须决定自己要建立的中心价值什么，同时还有哪些是需要随着环境的改变而改变的。A的表述正确，根据环境来改变事情。B不对，不是说决定人们想要你呈现的形象，而是自己决定自己想要建立的中心价值。C、D在原文都没有提到。

　　15题，问第三段可以了解到Spillane的什么事。第三段介绍说这个女人曾经经营过一家化妆品公司，但其实她还拥有信息科学和政治的硕士学位。当在化妆品公司的时候她试图把学历的一面深藏不露，但是现在换了一家公司，她迫不及待的想将这一面给展现出来。从这些可以看出这个女人的思路：需要哪一面就表现哪一面。15题的答案是C：她拥有的素质很多人都不知道。A不对，没有提到尴尬，B不对，在适当的时候才会去谈论自己的学历背景，D在原文也没有提到。

　　16题，问Spillane指出了现在工作公司的什么问题。答案是第四段的这么一句：they dont have any idea of what their brand should be, and are still very traditional even when talking about becoming modern.对于自己的品牌应该是怎么样的他们没有任何概念，同时在谈到变得现代时依然很传统。这一段是讲这个公司在转变时的一些问题，他们投入了巨大的财力想重新树立自己的品牌，但是没有一个深层次的态度的转变，是很难有实效的。答案是B，不知如何重新树立自己的品牌。A不对，没有说不愿意接受，C不对，公司投入巨大，D不对，不是不愿意现代化，而是不知道怎么现代化，说要现代化还是显得很传统。

　　17题，问对于想要重新树立自己品牌的个人，Spillane的建议是什么。答案是第五段的最后一句：Always have an up-to-the-minute CV ready to print out, refreshing it every few months with your most recent achievements时刻要有一个准备打印的最新的简历，每隔几个月用你最新的成绩来更新一次。总结起来就是B选项所说的“固定更新关于自己能做什么的书面证明”。

　　18题，问为了能成功的重新树立自己的个人品牌，很重要的是什么。最后一段强调了人应该了解自己的几个方面：公我(public self)、私我(private self)、盲点和潜力,并且分别介绍了四种方面的含义。答案是这么一句，需要提炼总结：By deciding what image you want other people to see, emphasising more of your private self and sorting out a few blind spots。更多的强调私我，并且挑选出一些盲点。总结起来就是B所说的：学会怎样全面利用自己性格的各个方面。

　　理解一下D选项一个词组的含义：model yourself on(after) somebody：to try to be like someone else because you admire them最后说点不是题外话的题外话。

　　这篇文章其实并不难，但是很有实用价值。某些地道的商务英语表述可以用在口语里，而更具意义的是，这篇文章里提到了一些关于个人职业的建议，很中肯，值得人参考。

　　1、jobs dont exist, work exists. In the next decade most of us will be suppliers, not staff. We will have clients not bosses.

　　这是一种比较新颖的工作观，不应该把自己看做是给老板打工的。每个人都是自己的老板，出售自己的才学和能力，老板只是自己的客户。有了这样的心态，人在工作中就会变得积极主动。不过有一点，客户的质量一定要好好把关啊。

　　2、You have to decide what central values you want to project, and also what may need to alter from situation to situation.

　　树立属于自己的品牌，并且相机而动。

　　3、Remind yourself of what you are selling: the personal values that comprise your brand. Learn to present yourself in a way that will project what you want to deliver.

　　一个企业要想立足商界需要核心价值，同样的，一个人要立足社会也需要核心价值。关键在于你如何定位自己。找准了定位，就不会迷失方向。