Exercises

Text Comprehension

I.Decide whether each of the following statements is true or false.

1.Supply chain has a great influence in the innovation，advertising and pricing of a consumer goods company.

2.It is absolutely right and reasonable for companies to believe that dramatic changes would be prohibitively expensive and returns would be hard to quantify.

3.In developing markets，companies are advised to skip the step of creating an integrated supply chain vision for the sake of speed.

4.The unconstrained approach yields both a long-term destination for the supply chain and a pragmatic road map for how to get there.

5.The authors of this text don't encourage the transformation of the supply chain because it is never easy and the company must pay a tremendous amount for it.

II.Answer the following questions.

1.What does the simple question mentioned in the first paragraph refer to？

2.When is your company likely in or near a vicious cycle of slow growth and financial underperformance？

3.According to the text，what does“designing to win”mean？

4.Why was the food company which had iconic brands delivering mediocre top-line growth and profitability？

5.How much of the potential opportunity can a company actually capture？

Vocabulary

I.Match the words and expressions on the left with the explanations on the right.

1.bold　　　a.fixed arrangement of words，esp.as used on social，legal or ceremonial occasions

2.undermine　　　b.person who is strict in making others work hard

3.source　　　c.continuous rise in one thing（eg.prices）caused by a continuous rise in sth else（eg.wages）

4.jumble sale　　　d.strained manner；unwillingness to be friendly；uneasiness

5.prohibitive　　　e.printed in thick type

6.spiral　　　f.make a hollow or tunnel beneath（sth）；weaken at the base

7.taskmaster　　　g.sale of a mixed collection of old unwanted goods in order to raise money，usually for a charity

8.patchwork　　　h.intended to or tending to prevent the use or purchase of sth

9.formula　　　i.type of needlework in which small pieces of cloth with different designs are sewn together

10.constraint　　　j.person or thing（esp.a book，document，etc）supplying information，esp.for study

II.Determine the exact meaning of each of the underlined words and translate each sentence into Chinese.

1.She yielded to temptation and had another chocolate.

2.The yield on these shares is 15 per cent at today's market value.

3.Increasingly，farm land is yielding to property development.

4.The universe is slowly yielding up its secrets to scientists.

5.I yield to no one in my admiration for her work.

6.She is rarely yielding on such an issue.

7.The magnificent goal spurred the team on to victory.

8.She went to London on the spur of the moment.

9.The rider spurred on to his destination.

10.It's the money that spurs these fishermen to risk a long ocean journey in their flimsy boats.

11.The administration may put more emphasis on spurring economic growth.

12.She's no shrinking violet always ready to speak up for herself.

13.Car sales have been shrinking recently.

14.As he moved threateningly forward she shrank back from him.

15.He shrinks from hurting animals.

III.Complete each of the following sentences with an appropriate form of the word given in brackets.

1.Managing a crisis as complex as this one has so far called for nuance and________rather than stridency and principle.（pragmatic）

2.I don't think you realize the________of the situation.（grave）

3.Breast-feeding is as natural as sex or________or any other bodily function.（eliminate）

4.Our present lease on the flat________next month.（expiration）

5.What are the main________affixes in English and what grammatical meaning do they convey？（inflection）

6.The company has not fulfille dcertain________obligations.（contract）

7.His plays are distinguished only by their stunning________.（mediocre）

8.He was one of the most creative and________engineers of his generation.（innovation）

9.These are some of the problems that can be addressed through more efficient________policies.（procure）

10.I was aware of a certain________on their part when they were in my presence.（constrain）

11.The prisoner was sentenced to three months'solitary________.（confine）

12.She was injured and suffered a________loss of earnings.（consequence）

13.There's a good reason why supply chain efficiency has never been a major________for technology companies.（prior）

14.More important，leaders now realize that，because customers increasingly care about response times and supply assurance—and are demanding scheduling accuracy and flexibility—the________of a company's supply chains can help it lock in key strategic accounts.（effect）

15.Yet，despite the________of many supply chain planning technologies，the spreadsheet is still the most commonly used technology for planning.（implement）

IV.Fill in the blanks，each using one of the words in its appropriate form.

define　definite　definitive　elevate　coordinate　coordinative

Model:When boundaries between countries are not clearly defined，there is usually trouble.

1.The teacher hoped to________the minds of her young pupils by reading them religious stories.

2.The powers of a judge are________by law.

3.Hall previously served as area________for the organization's southwest district.

4.All of these things are knowable and________and yet obscured and opaque.

5.She made no________plans for her future.

6.How many people can this________accommodate？

7.We must________our efforts to help the flood victims.

8.Law enforcement officials had________identified Blanco as a potential suspect.

9.Too much alcohol affects your________.

10.As he states in the preface and the first chapter，this is not a________reference for any of these areas，each of which merits its own book.

11.The maglev train runs on a（n）________track.

12.They concentrated on better________of the optical image.

13.________should not be more difficult to understand than the words they define.

14.Everybody reported their spiritual gains and self-improvements after reading that________book.

15.The________development of vocational education is a dynamic and all-around developing situation.

V.Choose the right word to complete each sentence.

1.Martin's________at the bridle failed and the horse raced away.

A.squeeze　B.snatch　C.scratch　D.crotch

2.Every morning，proud Alice is found to________into her office after getting out of her deluxe car.

A.balk　B.steal　C.stalk　D.skip

3.Faced with a rising operating costs，the president is calling for spending________in some areas.

A.constraints　B.limitations　C.confinements　D.restraints

4.She was found guilty，and lost her job in________of it.

A.outcome　B.result　C.consequence　D.ending

5.He only bought the yacht as a________symbol—he hates sailing.

A.place　B.status　C.position　D.post

6.Though lumps are not all________or cancerous，early discovery is always an advantage.

A.vicious　B.spiteful　C.malignant　D.evil

7.Russian officials frequently use the term“falsification of history”to attack perceived attempts to________the importance of the Red Army in the fight against Nazi Germany.

A.underplay　B.underperform C.underlie　D.underscore

8.Managers and workers are still working out a peace________.

A.formula　B.equation　C.recipe　D.formulation

9.A mirage is an________illusion.

A.optimal　B.optional　C.optical　D.opalescent

10.I don't want to be accused of________with the evidence.

A.tampering　B.hampering　C.pampering　D.teeming

11.The new secretary is quick-witted and had an extraordinarily________mind.

A.agile　B.flexible　C.elastic　D.witty

12.________measures will have to be taken to restore order for the company.

A.Dramatic　B.Traumatic　C.Theatric　D.Drastic

13.The young girl violinist________all the other competitors.

A.outperformed　B.outran　C.outshone　D.outwitted

14.Our artistic director was________in persuading the orchestra to come and play for us.

A.discretionary　B.incremental　C.instrumental　D.instructive

15.Lacking basic information is one clear sign that a technology company falls________of achieving its full supply chain potential.

A.short　B.lack　C.shortage　D.deficit

Cloze

Decide which of the choices given below would best complete the passage if inserted in the corresponding blanks.

Once your company establishes the infrastructure to generate and____1__data and the processes for a segmented offering，you can use standard supply chain tools to make incremental，but significant，improvements.

Manage the cost base by focusing on optimizing inventory，driving down cycle times and achieving the efficiencies gained through experience and scale.

For example，use statistical safety stock rather than heuristics to establish target inventory levels.Many technology companies still use weeks-of-sales metrics to manage their inventory.They're not adjusting their inventory to consider all the factors that affect the need for____2__，such as demand variability，manufacturing and materials lead-time variability，or____3__service levels.A weeks-of-sales metric does not____4__for these variables，but companies often apply it across a wide__5__of products and customers because it is easy to calculate.A manufacturer might need very little safety stock for a product with stable demand and lead time，but a product with a____6__lead time and unstable demand will require a much higher safety stock to meet service-level targets.

Improve forecasting by leveraging best practices，performing more advanced historical analysis（such as diffusion modeling）and upgrading systems.Technology products have much higher demand volatility and shorter life cycles than more stable consumer products，which may be available in stores for many years.Because this places a lot of____7__on the supply chain，any efforts to improve forecasting accuracy will pay huge____8__in both higher availability and lower costs.

Drive down cycle time in manufacturing，materials and planning.Cycle time in semiconductor manufacturing，for example，is particularly long，especially given the lead times for key raw materials.Efforts to____9__unnecessary touchpoints，___10___times or planning delays can have a significant impact on increasing supply___11___.

The competitive___12___in the technology sector won't get any easier in the foreseeable future.Focusing on supply chain performance can provide a strategic advantage，helping bring products to market faster，at the right service levels and in a cost-effective way.Done right，the trade-offs among cost，speed and availability will balance real benefits___13___incremental costs and potential risks，and ensure that investments are carefully scrutinized for a good ROI（return on investment）.Decisions must be made___14___on a solid fact base，incorporating both internal data and external benchmarks.By applying these concepts，supply chain professionals will___15___many of the challenges they face and put their companies on the path to supply chain leadership.

1.A.trek　B.trod　C.rack　.track

2.A.buffets　B.bafflers　C.buffers　D.ruffles

3.A.require　B.required　C.acquire　D.acquired

4.A.account　B.allow　C.accredit　D.count

5.A.range　B.scale　C.aspect　D.span

6.A.violet　B.volatile　C.versatile　D.fixed

7.A.focus　B.stress　C.emphasis　D.strain

8.A.diversions　B.divergences　C.dividends　D.dimensions

9.A.discriminate　B.eliminate　C.assassinate　D.annihilate

10.A.hold　B.keep　C.reserve　D.maintain

11.A.response　B.responsiveness　C.reply　D.reversion

12.A.landscape　B.scene　C.scenery　D.sight

13.A.to　B.with　C.on　D.for

14.A.basing　B.founding　C.found　D.based

15.A.confront　B.meet　C.address　D.dodge

Grammar

I.Fill in each blank with one word only according to the Chinese given.

Model:他不但许下了诺言，而且也履行了诺言。Not only________________________a promise，but also he kept it.

Key:did he make

1.这个男孩真淘气！他居然从课桌上跳了下来。________a naughty boy he was！________he________from the desk.

2.对面的墙上挂有一副地图，还有很多图画。On the opposite wall________________one map as well as dozens of pictures.

3.你绝不能用我的电脑，任何时候都不要碰。You can never use my computer.________no time________________touch that machine.

4.直到河里的鱼都死光了，村民们才意识到河水污染的严重程度。________________all the fish died in the river________the villagers________how serious the pollution was.

5.珍妮以前很少流露自己的情感。________________Lily________her feelings.

6.她以前从未见过如此漂亮而珍贵的珠宝。Never________in her________________she________such beautiful and precious jewelry.

7.他忙得抽不出时间。________busy________________that he has no time to spare.

8.一位姑娘手拿一束鲜花走了进来。________________a girl with a bunch of flowers in her hand.

9.一个小男孩从一棵大树后跑了出来。________________a little boy________behind a tall tree.

10.他一倒在床上就睡着了。________________________his head________the pillow than he fell asleep.

II.Translate the following Chinese into inverted English sentences.

Example:

黑暗中他吓得一步也不敢动。

Key:So frightened was he in the darkness that he didn't dare to move an inch.

1.电影院的门一开，一直等候在外面的观众一下子涌了进来。

2.我家乡的风景如此之美丽，每年吸引成千上万来自海内外的游客。

3.他不但工作勤奋而且富于想象力。

4.只有在紧急情况下才可以使用这台电梯。

5.她不能用英语表达自己的意思，我也不能。

III.Choose the best one to complete each sentence.

1.We have been told that under no circumstances________the telephone in the office for personal affairs.

A.may we use　B.we may use

C.we could use　D.did we use

2.Only under special circumstances________to take make-up tests.

A.are freshmen permitted　B.permitted are freshmen

C.freshmen are permitted　D.are permitted freshmen

3.________before we depart the day after tomorrow，we should have a wonderful dinner party.

A.Had they arrived　B.Would they arrive

C.Were they arriving　D.Were they to arrive

4.The organization had broken no rules，but________had it acted responsibly.

A.neither　B.so　C.either　D.both

5.________for my illness I would have lent him a helping hand.

A.Not being　B.Had it not been

C.Without being　D.Not having been

6.I could not persuade him to accept it，________make him see the importance of it.

A.if only I could not　B.no more than I could

C.or I could not　D.nor could I

7.The fairy story Snow White is very interesting.________.

A.So it is　B.So is it　C.it is so　D.is it so

8.Marx was born in Germany，and German was his native language.________.

A.So it was with Engels　B.So was Engels

C.So Engels was　D.Was Engels so

9.Little________when I took the trip where it would lead me.

A.have I known　B.had I known C.do I know　D.did I know

10.Hardly________when it began to rain.

A.had he got home　B.he had got home

C.had got home he　D.he home had got

Translation

I.Translate the following into Chinese.

A supply chain is a system of organizations，people，activities，information，and resources involved in moving a product or service from supplier to customer.Supply chain activities involve the transformation of natural resources，raw materials，and components into a finished product that is delivered to the end customer.In sophisticated supply chain systems，used products may reenter the supply chain at any point where residual value is recyclable.Supply chains link value chains.

Supply chain management encompasses the planning and management of all activities involved in sourcing and procurement，conversion，and all logistics management activities.Importantly，it also includes coordination and collaboration with channel partners，which can be suppliers，intermediaries，third-party service providers，and customers.In essence，supply chain management integrates supply and demand management within and across companies.Supply chain management is an integrating function with primary responsibility for linking major business functions and business processes within and across companies into a cohesive and high-performing business model.

II.Translate the following into English by using the words or phrase provided in brackets.

1.尽管他在自己的国家中举足轻重，但在此地却毫不显眼。（consequence）

2.领导职位尚未空缺，几个竞争者就在为向上爬而钩心斗角了。（manoeuvre for position）

3.文件的抬头要用粗体字。（bold）

4.“你好”和“对不起”是社交中的客套语。（formula）

5.城里房地产的价格高得使人望而却步。（prohibitive）

Speaking

I.Mini-talk.

Please give an example to show that the performance and profitability of a business can be positively influenced by the improvement of its supply chain.

II.Discussion.

Please have a group discussion on the importance and functions of supply chain management.