Thanks to a variety of relatively inexpensive communications devices with businessapplications, even small businesses in the United States are able to get into internationalmarkets.

　　English is still the international language of business. But there is an ever-growing need forpeople who can speak another language. A second language isn’t generally required to get a jobin business, but having language skills gives a candidate the edge when other qualificationsappear to be equal.

　　The employee posted abroad who speaks the country’s principal language has an opportunityto fast-forwardcertain negotiations, and cam have the cultural insight to know when it is betterto move more slowly. Theemployee at the home office who can communicate well with foreignclients over the telephone or by fax machine is an obvious asset to the firm.

　　練習題：

　　Choose correct answers to the question:

　　1. What is the author’s attitude toward high-tech communications equipment?

　　A. Critical.

　　B. Prejudiced.

　　C. Indifferent.

　　D. Positive.

　　2. With the increased use of high-tech communications equipment, businesspeople________.

　　A. have to get familiar with modern technology

　　B. are gaining more economic benefits from domestic operations

　　C. are attaching more importance to their overseas business

　　D. are eager to work overseas

　　3. In this passage,“out of sight and out of mind” (Lines 2-3, Para. 3) probably means________.

　　A. being unable to think properly for lack of insight

　　B. being totally out of touch with business at home

　　C. missing opportunities for promotion when abroad

　　D. leaving all care and worry behind

　　4. According to the passage, what is an important consideration of internationalcorporationsin employingpeople today?

　　A. Connections with businesses overseas.

　　B. Ability to speak the client’s language.

　　C. Technical know-how.

　　D. Business experience.

　　5. The advantage of employees having foreign language skills is that they can________.

　　A. better control the whole negotiation process

　　B. easily find new approaches to meet market needs

　　C. fast-forward their proposals to headquarters

　　D. easily make friends with businesspeople abroad

　　1.[D] 事實辨認題。題目詢問的是作者對于髙科技通訊設備的態度是什么。根據文章的第1段特別是最后一句中的benefit,可推斷作者是持肯定態度的，即答案為D。

　　2.[C] 事實辨認題。根據第2段第1句中的who have a growing respect... abroad可看出，隨著髙科技通訊設備的廣泛使用，商人們越來越重視海外商務的經濟價值,C與之一致。"

　　3.[C] 語義推斷題。根據第3段第2、3句中說的“他確信國外的事務對公司的成功計劃至關重要，派往國外時或之 后常能得到升遷。”可知，在海外的管理人員不再會擔心被遺忘而錯過升職機會，因此“眼不見，心不念”即為C“在國外時錯過國內升職機會”。

　　4.[B] 事實辨認題。題目詢問的是根據短文，當今在雇傭雇員時，國際化的公司應該著重考慮什么。這是第5段的話題，其中核心詞是language,只有B“會說顧客的語言”符合。

　　5.[A] 事實辨認題。題目詢問的是具有外語能力的雇員的優勢究竟是什么。根據最后一段第1句可知，“派往國外的雇員若能講該國的主要語言，就有機會加快談判進程,而且能知道什么時候最好放慢節拍。” A“具有外語 能力的雇員的優勢就是他們可以)更好地控制整個談判的過程”與之一致，故為答案。