•Read the article below about a business technique called benchmarking.•Choose

•Read the article below about a business technique called benchmarking.

•Choose the best word or phrase to fill each gap from A, B, C, or D on the opposite page.

•For each question 19--33, mark one letter (A, B, C, or D) on your Answer Sheet.

Benchmarking

The expression benchmarking has become one of the fashionable words in current management discussion. The (19) first appeared in the United States in the 1970s, but has now (20) world-wide recognition. But what (21) does it mean and should your company be practicing it？ Benchmarking (22) learning about your own practices, learning about the best practices of others, and then making (23) for improvement that will enable you to meet or beat the beast in the world. The essential element is not (24) imitating what other companies do but being able to (25) the best of other firms' practices to your own (26) .

Instead of aiming to improve only against previous performance and scores, companies can use benchmarking to inject an element of imagination and common (27) into their search for progress. It is a process which forces companies to look closely at those activities which they may have been taking for granted and (28) them with the activities of other, world-beating companies. Self-criticism is at the (29) of process, although in some cases this may (30) managers who are reluctant to question long-established practices.

The process of identifying best practice in other companies does not just mean looking closely at your (31) . It might also include (32) companies which use similar processes to your own, even though they are producing different goods. The point is to look at the process (33) than the product.

(19)

A．term

B．definition

C．contract

D．system