TOEIC 聽力 Part 3 — 題目
段落
Woman: Mark, have you finalized the terms with OptiServe yet? I'm keen to see if we can secure more competitive pricing for the next quarter.
Man: We're still in discussions, Sarah. They're resistant to lowering their unit cost, citing their increased material expenses. I’ve emphasized our volume commitment, but it’s a tough negotiation.
Woman: I understand it’s challenging, but a 5% reduction is crucial for our projected margins. Have you brought up the long-term contract extension as leverage?
Man: I did. They're reviewing it, but they're also pushing for a minimum order quantity that's higher than we'd prefer. It's a classic give-and-take. We need to find a middle ground.
Woman: Let's explore alternative vendors then. A little competitive pressure might encourage them to be more flexible. I'll compile a list of potential replacements for our next meeting.
Man: That's a good strategy. I'll go back to them with the understanding that we're actively sourcing other options. Perhaps that will shift their stance.
題目
What is OptiServe’s main reason for not lowering costs?
選項
- A. Higher production overheads
- B. Increased raw material costs ✓
- C. Demands for larger order quantities
- D. Unwillingness to extend contract terms
正確答案
B. Increased raw material costs
解析
📖 文章翻譯 —
女：Mark，你和 OptiServe 的條款最終敲定了嗎？我想看看我們下個季度能否獲得更具競爭力的價格。
男：我們還在討論，Sarah。他們不太願意降��單位成本，理由是他們的材料費用增加了。我已經強調了我們的採購量承諾，但這是一個艱難的談判。
女：我明白這很困難，但降低 5% 對我們預計的利潤率至關重要。你是否拿延長長期合約作為籌碼？
男：我提了。他們正在審核，但他們也要求一個較大的最低訂購量。
📝 答案解析 —
正確答案是「Increased raw material costs」（增加的原材料成本）。對話中，男子明確表示 OptiServe 拒絕降低成本的原因是「citing their increased material expenses」（理由是他們的材料費用增加了）。這直接對應了選項 B。
💡 應試技巧 —
聽到對方提出「citing」或「because」等詞後，緊接著的內容很可能是對方的主要理由或原因，務必仔細聽辨。
📊 錯誤選項分析 —
X) Higher production overheads (較高的生產管理費用) — 文章中並未提及生產管理費用的增加。
X) Demands for larger order quantities (要求較大的訂購量) — 這是 OptiServe 在談判中的一個要求，但不是他們拒絕降低成本的主要原因。
X) Unwillingness to extend contract terms (不願延長合約條款) — 文章提到 OptiServe 正在審核延長長期合約的提議，並未表示不願延長。