Turnover reached a peak in 2001, only to fall slightly the following year, while profits c
Section B
Directions: In this section, you will hear 3 short passages. At the end of each passage, you will hear some questions. Both the passage and the questions will be spoken only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A, B, C and D.
听力原文: Flexible working hours were invented in Germany in the late 1960s, but reached Britain in 1972. The system allows workers to start and finish work whenever they want, with only two requirements. These are: firstly, that all workers must be present for certain "key" times in the day, and secondly, that all workers must work the agreed total number of hours per week.
The system has proved an almost total success wherever it has been tried. A survey of 700 workers on flexible hours showed three main advantages: a better balance between working and private life, avoidance of the need to travel during rush hours and the ability to be able to finish a certain task before leaving.
From the employer's point of view, the system tends to increase productivity, reduce labor turnover first, "Flexible time" was mainly confined to white-collar workers, but it is now being applied to manual workers too.
(27)
A.British,
B.Americans.
C.Germans.
D.Japanese.
SECTION B PASSAGES
Directions: In this section, you will hear several passages. Listen to the passages carefully and then answer the questions that follow.
听力原文: Flexible working hours were invented in Germany in the late 1960s, but reached Britain in 1972. The system allows workers to start and finish work whenever they want, with only two requirements. These are: firstly, that all workers must be present for certain "key" times in the day, and secondly, that all workers must work the agreed total number of hours per week.
The system has proved an almost total success wherever it has been tried. A survey of 700 workers on flexible hours showed three main advantages: a better balance between working and private life, avoidance of the need to travel during rush hours and the ability to be able to finish a certain task before leaving.
From the employer's point of view, the system tends to increase productivity, reduce labor turnover first. "Flexible time" was mainly confined to white collar workers, but it now being applied to manual workers too.
What people firstly used flexible working hours?
A.British.
B.Americans.
C.Germans.
D.Japanese.
The system has proved an almost total success whenever it has been tried. A survey of 700 workers on flexible hours showed three main advantages: a beer balance between working and private life, avoidance of the need to travel during rush hours and ability to be able to finish a certain task before leaving.
From the employer's point of view, the system tends to increase productivity, reduce labour turnover and give the workers a greater sense of duty.
Flexible working hours were firstly used by the ______.
A.British
B.Americans
C.Germans
D.Japanese
Task 1
Directions: After reading the following passage, you will find 5 questions or unfinished statements, numbered 36 through 40. For each question or statement there are 4 choices marked A, B, C, and D. You should make the correct choice.
A major new development in systems of work in Britain is taking place. Flexible working hours, or "Flextime", are catching on fast, and this trend is continuing. In 1973, over 500 organizations had adopted the idea, and by 1974, this number had risen to over 200,000. Flexible working hours were invented in Germany in the late 1960's, but reached Britain only in 1972. The system allows workers to start and finish work whenever they want, with only two requirements. These are, firstly, that all workers must be present for certain "key" times in day, and secondly, that all workers must work an agreed total number of hours per week.
The system has proved an almost total success whenever it has been tried. A survey of 700 workers on flexible hours showed three main advantages: a beer balance between working and private life, avoidance of the need to travel during rush hours and ability to be able to finish a certain task before leaving.
From the employer's point of view, the system tends to increase productivity, reduce labour turnover and give the workers a greater sense of duty.
Flexible working hours were firstly used by the ______.
A.British
B.Americans
C.Germans
D.Japanese
The G-8 summit reached an agreement on ______ across the Middle East.
A.providing aid and promoting democracy
B.promoting democracy
C.controlling a deadly disease
D.Both B and C
The talks______.
A.would last for a week
B.will have to give China a chance to speak
C.is a pre-meeting before this month's summit
D.have reached a disagreement
Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the story?
A.The sea looked like a piece of gold.
B.Seabirds flew away when Tim arrived.
C.Tim was the only person on the beach.
D.The sky got dark as Tim reached the cave.
the falling of composite index rose by 1. 3 per cent on the week.
A. Bangkok rose 2 per cent on the day and 3.4 per cent over the week as buyers moved in to large market capitalization stocks. The SET index rose 27.55 to 1,383.57 in turnover of Bt 8.5 bn, down from Thursday's Bt 10bn.
B. Taipei was pulled lower by late profit-taking in industrials after Thursday's rebound ,and the weighted index fell 45.59 to 5,806.77, or 1.7 per cent, over the week. Turnover rose to T $41.51 bn from T $ 35. 78bn.
C. Manila opened strongly on foreign buying of blue chips but dipped at the close as profits were taken. The composite index fell 10.07 to 2 ,907. 00 , 1.3 per cent higher on the week
D. Hong Kong finished a mixed day slightly lower ,sapped by profit-taking on confirmation of US renewal of China's MFN trade status and concerns over the lower domestic property market. The Hang Seng index fell 11.58 to close at 9,470.13, 1.7 per cent lower on the week.
The company, a marginal manufacturer, sold its 30, 000 tonnes a year Kawasaki plant to Asahi Chemical, Japans largest polystyrene manufacturer with capacity of about 333, 000 tonnes a year, equivalent to about 25 percent of the market. The move was the latest in a series of alliances and mergers as the troubled industry restructures.
Mitsubishi Petrochemical, the country's biggest plastics group, reported a loss of 8,39bn ($ 80m) compared with pre-tax profits last year of 8.25bn. The group made an operating loss of 13.8bn, the first since 1982. The poor result came despite cost-cutting measures, lower raw material prices, and 4bn worth of profits from equity sales.
Turnover fell 12.2 percent from 372bn to 326bn, as prices and volumes declined. Earnings per share, which reached 52. 5 in 1991, fell to a loss per share of 9.44. The group, which is scheduled to merge with Mitsubishi Kasei on October 1st, cut its dividend from 8 per share to 4.
Mitsubishi Kaseis pre-tax profits fell 76.8 percent from 9.3bn last year to 2.2bn. The group reported its first operating loss in 40 years at 467m, and only managed to post positive pre-tax results by selling 15.7bn worth of equities. Turnover fell 1.8 percent, the fourth yearly decline, to 696bn. The dividend was halved to 3 per share.
Mr. Morihisa Takano, managing director, said the newly merged group would generate pre-tax profits of 10bn on sales of 855 bn during the year to March 1995. He predicted petrochemicals prices would bottom out during the summer. No decision had been made about the dividend, but the new company could pass it during the current year. The pre-tax profits at Mitsui Petrochemical Industries, Japans biggest polyethylene maker, plunged 75 percent from 9bn to 2.26bn on sales down 9.3 percent at 272bn. The company blamed poor demand for the slump which offset the benefits of cost-cutting measures. The dividend is unchanged at 6 per share. The group forecast pre-tax profits for the current-year marginally up at 3bn on turnover of 276bn. Shin-Etsu, one of Japans biggest makers of polyvinyl chloride, reported profits down 26.1 percent from 17. 6bn to 13bn. Sales increased 0.2 percent from 275bn to 276bn. Net profits fell 26.6 percent to 7.08bn, or 421.85 per share. The group maintained the final dividend at 3.75, making the full-year pay out 7.5 per share. Shin-Etsu forecast pre-tax profits for the current year of 15.5bn on sales of 277bn.
The outlook for the petrochemicals industry remains blank. The imbalance between supply and demand for ethylene, the basic building block of petrochemicals, is about 2.8m tonnes of ethylene and is set to deteriorate further this year.
A massive 700,000-tonne-a-year ethylene complex owned by Maruzen, Mitsoi Petrochemical and Sumitomo Chemical comes on stream later this year and Mitsubishi Petrochemical is also commissioning a new 300, 000-torme-a-year plant this year.
?You will hear a report presented by a journalist from Tokyo.
?For each question 23--30, mark one letter (A, B or C) for the correct answer.
?You will hear the recording twice.
The crisis met by Japanese chemical groups is caused by, one of the reasons ______.
A.over capacity
B.high prices
C.high cost
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