揭秘BEC：详解中级和高级的区别
BEC是学习商务英语的标杆，可以通过备考高级来继续提升，能力和证书一举两得。那今天就具体跟大家谈谈，BEC高级的含金量，BEC中级和高级的难度差别在哪，如何完成中级到高级的跨越，
揭秘BEC：详解中级和高级的区别
一、中级 PK 高级
比较含金量的话，肯定是高级完胜中级。高级的价值会让你收获更多的认同感。如果想用BEC作为求职敲门砖的话，小编建议大家一定要去考BEC高级。Do nothing but the best!
二、中级VS高级
中级和高级难度跨越大吗?确实有一些学员，中级考了A，高级fail了。可见在难度上，高级确实是“高”!那么，“高”在哪里?大家可以比较一下：
1、话题
中级和高级覆盖到的话题90%是相似的。比如HR management，sales and marketing，purchase，management，small business，几乎是中高级都必考的点，但高级也会涉及到Macro economy，finance这样相对专业的话题。那既然话题类似，高级难在哪儿呢?1)话题的深度不一样。比如同样是sales and marketing，中级可能会谈到泛泛的概念，而高级则会涉及到brand stretching，marketing and ethics这样具体的、相对更深入的话题;2)语言的难度不一样。高级的词汇量和句式复杂度更大。比如，高级会有这样的句子出现：Current thinking indicates that, asa society, we are beginning to appreciate more fully that there must be limits to our consumption of natural resources, and that business activities must take greater account of this impact on society and economies, as well as the environment in which we live.宾语从句嵌套宾语从句，又嵌套并列句，再嵌套定语从句，而且类似句子的比例是很大的。
2、题量
整体来说，高级的题量比中级大，主要体现在阅读和写作上。阅读匹配和填空各多了一道题，另外，还多了一个单词填空题型，但这个题，只要做过准备，基本算是加分的，因为考查的都是介词、连词等虚词。阅读题量变大了，但做题时间依然是1个小时，这就要求的做题速度要提升，速度提升靠的就是语言的熟练度和敏感度，大量的输入训练必不可少。写作主要是有更高的字数要求，基本多了200 字，但时间也多了25分钟。
3、考点
除了话题和题量上的区别，高级相对于中级来说，在考查的能力侧重点上是不同的，或者说要求是更高的，尤其是听力和写作。听力部分，高级的语速明显比中级要快。而且高级听力part1和part2均变成了一篇长听力，这对短时记忆能力，以及捕捉关键信息的能力要求高了，因为你错过一个空，后面的也许就跟不上了。听力也是难度差别比较大的一个部分。写作部分，高级要求有图表描述的能力，但是这个部分是完全可以模式化，比较容易备考。Part2表面上看，是字数要求变高，但实际上，这是对要商务知识和思维提出了更高的要求，因为你要有话可说，而且要言之有理。另外，高级要求写作中使用的词汇和句式要更具多样性。
三、中级→高级
如何实现从中级到高级的跨越?对于低分飘过中级的同学来说，至少需要有4-5个月的准备时间。高级的语言难度变大了，教材学习对这部分同学来说，依然是必须的。对于语言功底不错的同学来说，备考高级会相对轻松，可以选择教材中和中级不同的章节，进行选择性的学习。同时大家要坚持每天在听写酷做一次听写训练，注意不要一个字一个字的听写，要听完一整个句子，进行回忆默写，训练理解和短时记忆的能力。而写作和口试可以在考前2个月进行集中训练，这部分的备考，没有所谓的捷径，就是要要动手动口，同时积累常用句式、套路，这点非常关键。
BEC商务英语中级考试真题
THE ART OF PERSUASION
'Let me send you our brochure' is probably the most commonly used phrase in business. But all too often, it can spell the end of a customer enquiry because many brochures appear to be produced not to clarify and to excite but to confuse. So what goes wrong and how can it be put right? Too often, businesses fail to ask themselves critical questions like, 'Who will the brochure be sent to?' 'What do we want to achieve with it?' The truth is that a brochure has usually been produced for no other reason than that the competition has one.
However, with a little research, it often transpires that what the client wants is a mixture: part mail shot, part glossy corporate brochure and part product catalogue - a combination rarely found. Having said that, the budget is likely to be finite. There may not be enough money to meet all three marketing needs, so the first task is to plan the brochure, taking into account the most significant of these. The other requirements will have to be met in a different way. After all, introducing the company's product range to new customers by mail is a different task from selling a new season's collection to existing customers.
The second task is to get the content right. In 95 per cent of cases, a company will hire a designer to oversee the layout, so the final product looks stylish, interesting and professional; but they don't get a copywriter or someone with the right expertise to produce the text, or at least tidy it up - and this shows. A bigger failing is to produce a brochure that is not customer focused. Your brochure should cover areas of interest to the customer, concentrating on the benefits of buying from you.
Instead, thousands of brochures start with a history lesson, 'Founded in 1987, we have been selling our products .. I can assure you that customers are never going to say to themselves, 'They've been around for 20 years - I'll buy from them.' It's not how long you've been in business that counts, it's what you've done in that time. The important point to get across at the beginning is that you have a good track record. Once this has been established, the rest of the brochure should aim to convince customers that your products are the best on the market.
It is helpful with content to get inside the customer's head. If your audience is young and trendy, be creative and colourful. As always, create a list of the benefits that potential customers would gain from doing business with you, for example, product quality, breadth of range, expertise of staff and so on. But remember that it is not enough just to state these; in order to persuade, they need to be spelt out. One possibility is to quote recommendations from existing customers. This also makes the brochure personal to you, rather than it simply being a set of suppliers' photographs with your name on the front.
At the design stage, there are many production features that can distinguish your brochure from the run of the mill. You may think that things like cutouts or pop-ups will do this for you and thus make you stand out, or you may think they just look like designer whims that add cost. Go through all the options in detail. One of them might be that all-important magical ingredient.
13 What point does the writer make about brochures in the first paragraph?
A Customer expectations of them are too high.
B They ought to be more straightforward in design.
C Insufficient thought tends to go into producing them.
D Companies should ensure they use them more widely.
14 The writer's advice to companies in the second paragraph is to
A produce a brochure to advertise new product lines.
B use a brochure to extend the customer base.
C accept that a brochure cannot fulfil every objective.
D aim to get a bigger budget allocation for producing brochures.
15 In the third paragraph, which of the following does the writer say would improve the majority of brochures?
A better language and expression
B better overall appearance
C more up-to-date content
D more product information
16 In the introduction to a brochure, the writer advises companies to focus on
A their understanding of the business environment.
B the range of products they offer.
C their unique market position.
D the reputation they have built up.
17 When discussing brochure content in the fifth paragraph, the writer reminds companies to
A consider old customers as well as new ones.
B provide support for the claims they make.
C avoid using their own photographs.
D include details of quality certification.
18 What does 'run of the mill' in line 67 mean?
A eye-catching
B complicated
C stylish
D ordinary
BEC商务英语中级考试真题解析
《The art of persuasion》，劝说的艺术。这里的劝说(persuasion)带点广告的意思，是指怎么样设计广告手册(brochure)才能吸引顾客，也就是劝顾客掏钱购买产品。
第一段引出话题，说广告手册常常设计得不合理，会把客户弄糊涂，从而结束客户的咨询。很多企业并没有思考一些关键性的问题，比如想通过广告手册达到什么目的。通常企业设计广告手册的原因是竞争对手拥有它。
13题问第一段中作者对广告手册所做的观点是什么。答案是后面几句：businesses fail to ask themselves critical questions like….企业没有问自己一些关键性的问题。从这段话可以看出，作者认为企业在设计广告手册时的考虑是不周全的，没有进行深入思考。所以答案是C：设计他们时考虑得并不充分。A不对，没有提到客户的期望，只是说广告手册可能会把客户弄糊涂。B也不对，第一段并没有提到design的问题。D在原文中也没有提到。这题稍微需要理解和概括。
第二段是讲广告手册设计时的一些考量。开头先说客户需要的广告手册是一个混合体，很难找到。而往往客户手册的预算是有限的，所以设计时不可能满足所有的市场需要，应该优先考虑最关键的部分。
14题问作者在第二段中对公司的建议是什么。原文说的很明白：There may not be enough money to meet all three marketing needs, so the first task is to plan the brochure, taking into account the most significant of these.不可能满足所有的市场需要，所以优先考虑最关键的部分，其他的需要用另外的方式来满足。理解了内容不难选出答案是C：接受一个广告手册不可能满足所有目标的事实。
第三段紧接着第二段所说的首要任务(first task)，提出了次要任务(second task)：把广告手册的内容找准。在95%的情况下，公司会雇人好好设计广告手册，但是却不会找有相关技能的广告文字撰稿人制作内容，或者至少给收拾下。还有一个更大的失败之处在于制作出的广告手册不是以客户为中心的。广告手册应该涉及到客户感兴趣的领域，集中在从你那购买所能获得的好处上。
15题问作者在第三段说怎么样才可以改善大部分的广告手册。根据前面的内容概括，很显然答案在A和D之间。选A是根据题干中的the majority of brochures来的，原文中提到In 95 per cent of cases, a company will hire a designer to oversee the layout….. but they don't get a copywriter or someone with the right expertise to produce the text.在95%的情况下公司只注重设计而不注重表述内容，这里的95 per cent of cases可以对应the majority of brochures。get a copywriter or someone with the right expertise to produce the text，找一个有相关技能的广告文字撰稿人来制作文字，也就是A所说的更好的语言和表达。
第四段说明了广告手册刚刚诞生时的一些情况。客户更看重的不是企业所存在的时间，而是企业的名声和所干的实事。所以在广告手册的起步阶段，最重要的是企业要拥有一个良好的业绩记录。一旦这些建立起来了，广告手册就可以致力于让客户相信你的产品是市场上最好的。
16题问在广告手册的引进阶段，作者对公司们的建议是什么。原文很明确：The important point to get across at the beginning is that you have a good track record.。通过这一阶段最重要的是你必须有一个良好的业绩记录。也就是D选项所说的公司要注重他们所建立起来的名声。其他几个选项都没有提到。第五段说的是广告手册内容的一些注意事项。内容中要包含与你做生意时可能获得的一些好处。公司要对手册上的声明做详细说明。还可能引用现存客户的一些建议。这些可以使得广告手册显得很个人化，而不是堆砌供应商的照片然后把自己的名字印在最前面。
17题问第五段对广告手册内容的讨论中，作者的建议是什么。答案是原文的这么一句：it is not enough just to state these; in order to persuade, they need to be spelt out。仅仅只是声明是不够的，为了可以说服，他们需要被详细说明。也就是B选项所说的为所做的声明提供支持。A和D没有提到，C不对，不是说避免使用他们的照片，而是说不能仅仅只呈上他们的照片，还要有别的东西，比如客户的建议。
最后一段是说的设计阶段的注意事项，需要具备哪些特征才能让你的广告手册脱颖而出。18题要联系上下文进行理解，原文是说“there are many production features that can distinguish your brochure from the run of the mill.”有很多生产特征能让你的广告手册区别于其他的，后文有一个make you stand out，理解这里的含义，就是要和普通的一般的广告手册相区分。所以选择ordinary。
几个疑似生词：
transpire：When it transpires that something is the case, people discover that it is the case. 为人所知
spell something out：to explain something clearly and in detail
e.g:The report spelled out in detail what the implications were for teacher training.
track record:all the past achievements, successes or failures of a person or an organization 业绩记录
BEC商务英语考试考前注意事项
BEC考前注意事项：
1. 考试的前一天，查看所在城市的天气情况，如果下雨，要记得带好雨伞。
2. 如果考场不是自己熟悉的地点，建议大家提前找好考场位置。
3. 检查证件：是否带齐准考证、身份证。证件一定要带齐，注意一定是身份证，学生证不可以代替身份证。
4. 检查考试用品：2B铅笔、橡皮和黑色签字笔(写作用黑色签字笔、填涂答题卡用2B铅笔)。
5. 考试前一晚不要熬夜，注意充分休息、放松心情以利于考试当天正常发挥。睡前不要做剧烈运动，不要熬夜背单词看书，不要让自己的身体处于兴奋状态，牛奶和舒缓的音乐都有助于快速入眠。
6. 睡前切记调好闹钟，以免第二天考试迟到。
7. 考试当天，早餐正常饮食，切不可因为胃口不好而放弃早餐。可以带一块巧克力来补充能量、舒缓情绪。
8. 建议大家提早半小时出门，考试开始后，迟到考生不得入场。如果因为堵车而迟到，导致失去考试资格就太可惜了。
9. 到达考场后，建议先把如厕问题解决一下，尤其是女生。因为到临近考试的二十分钟，你会发现厕所门口排队的人已经看不到头了。
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4.关于bec初级
