2009和2010年专业八级(TEM8)全真试题(完整WORD版)(2)

Although our son had studied Islam briefly, it is impossible to be prepared for every awkward question that might come up, such as during our visits to the Topkapi Sarayi, the Ottoman Sultans' palace. No guides were available so it was do-it-yourself, using our guidebook,

which cheated us of a lot of interesting history and anecdotes that a professional guide could provide. Next time, we resolved to make such arrangements in advance.

On this trip, we wandered through the magnificent complex, with its imperial treasures, its courtyards and its harem. The last required a bit of explanation that we would have happily lef~to a learned third party.

11. The couple chose Istanbul as their holiday destination mainly because A. the city is not too far away from where they lived. B. the city is not on the list of the U.S. State Department. C. the city is between the familiar and the exotic. D. the city is more familiar than exotic.

A. The family found the city was exactly what they had expected. B. Their friends were opposed to their holiday plan.

C. They could have been more cautious about bringing kids along. D. They were a bit cautious about the quality of water in the city.

13. We learn from the couple's shopping experience back home that A. they were used to bargaining over price. B. they preferred to buy things outdoors. C. street markets were their favourite.

D. they preferred fashion and brand names.

14. The last two paragraphs suggest that to visit places of interest in Istanbul A. guidebooks are very useful. B. a professional guide is a must.

C. one has to be prepared for questions.

D. one has to make arrangements in advance.

15. The family have seen or visited all the following in Istanbul EXCEPT A. religious prayers. B. historical buildings. C. local-style markets.

D. shopping mall boutiques. TEXT B

Last month the first baby-boomers turned 60. The bulky generation born between 1946 and 1964 is heading towards retirement. The looming "demographic cliff" will see vast numbers of skilled workers dispatched from the labour force.

The workforce is ageing across the rich world. Within the EU the number of workers aged

between 50 and 64 will increase by 25% over the next two decades, while those aged 20-29 will decrease by 20%. In Japan almost 20% of the population is already over 65, the highest share in the world. And in the United States the number of workers aged 55-64 will have increased by more than half in this decade, at the same time as the 35- to 44-year-olds decline by 10%.

Given that most societies are geared to retirement at around 65, companies have a looming problem of knowledge management, of making sure that the boomers do not leave before they have handed over their expertise along with the office keys and their e-mail address. A survey of human-resources directors by IBM last year concluded: "When the baby-boomer generation retires, many companies will find out too late that a career's worth of experience has walked out the door, leaving insufficient talent to fill in the void."

Some also face a shortage of expertise. In aerospace and defence, for example, as much as

40% of the workforce in some companies will be eligible to retire within the next five years. At the same time, the number of engineering graduates in developed countries is in steep decline.

A few companies are so squeezed that they are already taking exceptional measures. Earlier this year the Los Angeles Times interviewed an enterprising Australian who was staying in

Beverly Hills while he tried to persuade locals to emigrate to Toowoomba, Queensland, to work

If you look hard enough, you can find companies that have begun to adapt the workplace to older workers. The AARP, an American association for the over-50s, produces an annual list of the best employers of its members. Health-care firms invariably come near the top because they

are one of the industries most in need of skilled labour. Other sectors similarly affected, says the Conference Board, include oil, gas, energy and government.

Near the top of the AARP's latest list comes Deere & Company, a no-nonsense

industrial-equipment manufacturer based in Illinois; about 35% of Deere's 46,000 employees are over 50 and a number of them are in their 70s. The tools it uses to achieve that - flexible

working, telecommuting, and so forth - also coincidentaUy help older workers to extend their working lives. The company spends "a lot of time" on the ergonomics of its factories, making jobs there less tiring, which enables older workers to stay at them for longer.

Likewise, for more than a decade, Toyota, arguably the world's most advanced

manufacturer, has adapted its workstations to older workers. The shortage of skilled labour available to the automotive industry has made it unusually keen to recruit older workers. BMW recently set up a factory in Leipzig that expressly set out to employ people over the age of 45. Needs must when the devil drives.

Other firms are polishing their alumni networks. IBM uses its network to recruit retired

people for particular projects. Ernst & Young, a professional-services firm, has about 30,000 registered alumni, and about 25% of its "experienced" new recruits are former employees who return after an absence.

But such examples are unusual. A survey in America last month by Ernst & Young found

that "although corporate America foresees a significant workforce shortage as boomers retire, it is not dealing with the issue." Almost three-quarters of the 1,400 global companies questioned by Deloitte last year said they expected a shortage of salaried staff over the next three to five years. Yet few of them are looking to older workers to fill that shortage; and even fewer are…… 此处隐藏：5833字，全部文档内容请下载后查看。喜欢就下载吧 ……