C

Benin is one of the smallest African states. It lies in West Africa on the Gulf (海湾) of Guinea, to the south of Burkina Faso and Niger, between Togo on the west and Nigeria on the east.

Benin used to be called Dahomey and was controlled and ruled by France from 1893 to 1960, when it became independent. In 1963 the army general Soglo overthrew (推翻) the first president Maga. Soglo set up an army government and called himself head of state in 1965, but was overthrown and replaced by a civilian (非军人) government in 1967. In December 1969 Benin had another change of power with the army again taking over. In May 1970, Maga and two other men set up a new government, with each of them acting as president in turn for two years. However, half a year after Maga turned over power to the second man Ahomadegbe, the three-man government was overthrown by the army once more and General Kerekou became president. In November 1975 Kerekou changed the name of the nation from Dahomey to Benin, Benin being the name of a 17th century kingdom covering the same place. Kerekou also announced that Benin would be a People’s Republic based on Marxism-Leninism.

53. Which of the following maps shows rightly the positions of Benin and its neighbouring countries?

Bn=Benin;

Tg=Togo;

Nr=Niger;

BF=Burkina Faso;

Na=Nigeria;

GG=Gulf of Guinea

54. For how long was Benin an independent state before it became a People’s Republic?

A. 30 years. B. 25 years. C. 20 years. D. 15 years.

55. Choose the right order in which the following people ruled in Benin. (Ah=Ahomadegbe; Ke=Kerekou; Ma=Maga; So=Soglo)

A. Ma, So, Ma, Ke, Ah B. So, Ma, Ah, Ma, Ke

C. Ma, So, Ma, Ah, Ke D. So, Ma, Ke, Ma, Ah

56. When and how did Benin get its two names — Benin and Dahomey?

A. Benin was its oldest name. The name Dahomey was used later, but has been replaced by Benin again.

B. Dahomey was its oldest name, but it has been replaced by Benin.

C. Dahomey was its oldest name. The name Benin was used later, but has been replaced by Dahomey again.

D. Benin was its oldest name, but it has been replaced by Dahomey.

D

New technology links the world as never before. Our planet has shrunk. It’s now a “global village” where countries are only seconds away by fax or phone or satellite link. And, of course, our ability to benefit from this high-tech communications equipment is greatly increased by foreign language skills.

Deeply involved with this new technology is a kind of modern businesspeople who have a growing respect for the economic value of doing business abroad. In modern markets, success overseas often helps support domestic business efforts.

Overseas assignments (指派) are becoming increasingly important to advancement within executive (行政) ranks. The executive stationed in another country no longer need fear being “out of sight and out of mind.” He or she can be sure that the overseas effort is central to the company’s plan for success, and that promotions often follow or accompany an assignment abroad. If an employee can succeed in a difficult assignment overseas, superiors will have greater confidence in his or her ability to manage back in the United States where cross-cultural considerations and foreign language issues are becoming more and more common.

Thanks to a variety of relatively inexpensive communications devices (装置) with business applications, even small businesses in the United States are able to get into international markets.

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

The employee posted abroad who speaks the country’s language has an opportunity to fast-forward certain negotiations, and can have the cultural insight (洞察力) to know when it is better to move more slowly. The employee at the home office who can communicate well with foreign customers over the telephone or by fax machine is an obvious asset (有价值的人或物) to the firm.

57. With the increased use of high-tech communications equipment, businesspeople ________.

A. are eager to work overseas

B. have to get familiar with modern technology

C. are gaining more economic benefits from domestic operations

D. are attaching more importance to their overseas business

58. In this passage, “out of sight and out of mind” (Line 3, Para. 3) probably means ________.

A. leaving all care and worry behind

B. being unable to think properly for lack of insight

C. being totally out of touch with business at home

D. missing opportunities for promotion when abroad

59. According to the passage, what is an important consideration of international corporations in employing people today?

A. Ability to speak the customer’s language.

B. Connections with businesses overseas.

C. Technical know-how.

D. Business experience.

60. The advantage of employees having foreign language skills is that they can ________.

A. fast-forward their proposals to headquarters

B. better control the whole negotiation process

C. easily make friends with businesspeople abroad

D. easily find new approaches to meet market needs