托福听力短文 II-07-3

(WA) Today, I'd like to turn our attention to an area of management often overlooked¹ in traditional management courses: small-business management. Small businesses have gone from being traditional small-town stores selling food or clothing to sophisticated², high-tech³ enterprises⁴. And in addition to the important products they produce, they create jobs for lots of people because there are so many of them.

It's important for management to keep in mind which of the customers' needs the business serves, because it can't serve all their needs. Writing a business plan that everyone in the organization understands and follows will help to provide the necessary focus and direction. It's important to state clearly what the purpose of the business is. Additionally, each person within the organization must know what tasks to perform in order to fulfill⁵ that purpose.

Now, if for some reason a business plan doesn't work, try hard to discover why not, rewrite it, and immediately focus on the new plan. A work of caution⁶, however, never give up a bad plan without replacing it. A business has to have a plan because it can't afford to waste its limited resources. And, as you know, waste leads to unnecessarily high production costs. Production costs are at the heart of the company's ability to make a high quality product and sell it at an affordable⁷ price.

1 overlooked   

v.忽视( overlook的过去式和过去分词 )；监督；俯视；（对不良现象等）不予理会

参考例句：

• He seems to have overlooked one important fact. 他好像忽略了一个重要的事实。
• This is a minor point, but it must not be overlooked. 此事虽小，然亦不可忽视。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

2 sophisticated   

adj.老练的，精密的，尖端的，高雅的

参考例句：

• She has become very sophisticated since she went to live in London.移居伦敦后她变得世故多了。
• This is a very sophisticated machine.这是一台非常精密的机器。

3 high-tech   

adj.高科技的

参考例句：

• The economy is in the upswing which makes high-tech services in more demand too.经济在蓬勃发展，这就使对高科技服务的需求量也在加大。
• The quest of a cure for disease with high-tech has never ceased. 人们希望运用高科技治疗疾病的追求从未停止过。

4 enterprises   

事业( enterprise的名词复数 )； 事业心； 企[事]业单位； 企业发展

参考例句：

• In capitalist society,big enterprises always try to freeze out the smaller ones. 在资本主义社会，大企业总是千方百计地排挤小企业。
• Big transcontinental enterprises jostle with one another for world markets. 巨大的跨国公司[企业]互相争夺国际市场。

5 fulfill   

vt.履行，实现，完成；满足，使满意

参考例句：

• If you make a promise you should fulfill it.如果你许诺了，你就要履行你的诺言。
• This company should be able to fulfill our requirements.这家公司应该能够满足我们的要求。

6 caution   

n.小心，谨慎，警告；vt.告诫，警告

参考例句：

• You should exercise extreme caution when driving in fog.在雾中开车要极为小心。
• There is no need for such caution.不必如此小心谨慎。

7 affordable   

adj.支付得起的，不太昂贵的

参考例句：

• The rent for the four-roomed house is affordable.四居室房屋的房租付得起。
• There are few affordable apartments in big cities.在大城市中没有几所公寓是便宜的。