05_ML_Upper-Intermediate_Test_File_2006.pdf

You will hear Alison Hellman, an HR manager, leaving a voicemail message forher assistant. Look at her diary page below and then answer the questions. Youwill hear the message twice.

1 Where will Alison travel to this week?

2 Which days will she be away?

3 Alison wants to reschedule the departmental meeting to

Day:

Time:

4 What else does Alison ask Sam to do about the meeting?

a) check if the meeting room is free at the new time

b) make sure the participants can come at the new time

c) change the agenda

5 The new deadline for the monthly report is .......... .

6 When does Alison suggest holding the meeting with Sam and Teresa?

Day:

Time:

7 What other rearrangement must be dealt with urgently?

8 When should Sam tell the trainees about the changes?

9 The meeting with the legal team will be .......... .

a) brought forward b) postponed c) cancelled

10 When will Alison be available to discuss other changes?

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2 Photocopiable© Pearson Education Limited 2000MARKET LEADER UPPER INTERMEDIATE TEST FILE © Pearson Education Limited 2006

Name/Class:

Entry Test

Richard Tait and Whit Alexanderlike to tell the story of how theycame up with the marketing ideafor their new board game. In thespring of 1997, they ………..11 in aStarbucks coffee shop in Seattlewhen they looked around and……….12 lots of potentialcustomers standing around. They……….13 the deadline for takingthe game to the annual Toy Fair inNew York. So, instead ofdistributing their new game –……….14 they called Cranium –through the toy industry’straditional distributors, they madea deal with Starbucks. Later theyexpanded to Amazon, ……….15

online retailer.The idea for the game evolved

when Mr Tait and his wife spent arainy holiday weekend ……….16

board games with another couple.

It is strange to think that if theweather ……….17 sunny, theymight never have thought of it.

Cranium ……….18 by just$100,000 of their personal savingsand promoted initially by word ofmouth. But it became a brilliantsuccess, and won the ……….19 toyof the year award for 2001.

Cranium ……….20 more than 11mgames. The company ……….21

release total sales figures, but theyreport that, in the past two years,they have increased sales ……….22

about 30 per cent annually.

Complete the gaps in the article below with the correct alternative.A

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Entry Test

Photocopiable © Pearson Education Limited 2000 MARKET LEADER UPPER INTERMEDIATE TEST FILE© Pearson Education Limited 2006

Name/Class:

11 a) are sitting b) were sitting c) had sat

12 a) saw b) were seeing c) have seen

13 a) have just missed b) just missed c) had just missed

14 a) who b) which c) whose name

15 a) – b) which c) the

16 a) playing b) to play c) to playing

17 a) would have been b) would be c) had been

18 a) was funded b) they funded c) being funded

19 a) Association’s of the Industry of Toys b) Toy Industry Association’sc) Industry of the Toy Association’s

20 a) has now sold b) now sold c) has been selling

21 a) should not b) might not c) will not

22 a) of b) with c) by

Toy success story launcheddespite lost opportunity

4

Entry Test

Photocopiable© Pearson Education Limited 2000MARKET LEADER UPPER INTERMEDIATE TEST FILE © Pearson Education Limited 2006

Name/Class:

Match the questions and statements to the responses below.

23 A: What’s your opinion about the new appraisal system?

B: …………….

24 A: How about Monday morning – would that be convenient for you?

B: …………….

25 A: I think we should bring someone new onto the team.

B: …………….

26 A: I’ve passed my law exam!

B: …………….

27 A: I’m sorry I’m late. The traffic was terrible this morning.

B: …………….

28 A: Can I interrupt you a moment? I have a question about finance.

B: …………….

29 A: I’d like to know why I haven’t received the refund you promised me.

B: …………….

30 A: We really need delivery by the 15th.

B: …………….

31 A: What’s the food like in Indonesia?

B: …………….

a) I think so too.

b) It’s very good but rather spicy.

c) I don’t think it’s going to work very well.

d) I’m afraid I can’t make it then.

e) That’s all right – we’re still on the first agenda point.

f ) I’ll look into it right away.

g) Congratulations!

h) If you order now, that won’t be a problem.

i) I’d like to finish if I may.

B

5

Entry Test


Name/Class:

Write a word in each gap to complete this covering letter for a job application.A

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Dear Sirs

Position of Marketing Assistant

I am writing to ………. 32 for the position of marketing assistant, which is………. 33 in the magazine ‘New Marketing’ this month.

I am enclosing my ………. 34 which gives details of my qualifications andprevious work ………. 35.

As you can see, I am currently employed in the marketing department atCarwells Ltd, where I am ………. 36 for collecting and analysing marketresearch data. However, this is only a ………. 37 post which terminates atthe end of December and I am therefore looking for a permanent post tostart from January. I am available to attend an ………. 38 at any time.

I hope that you will ………. 39 my application for the post and lookforward to hearing from you.

Yours truly,

Brian DrakeBrian Drake

Cross out the verb that cannot be used with each noun.

40 recruit / employ / fire / resign workers

41 relocate / grow / run / open an office

42 dominate / enter / decline / break into a market

43 raise / make / boost / charge money

44 amend / hold / call / postpone a meeting

B

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Entry Test


Name/Class:

Replace the words and phrases in italics in the memo with the best word orphrase below.

C

MemoTo: Ramola Santos

From: Peter Stott

Subject: Prices

I would like to draw your attention to the attached price lists from two

of our main competitors. As you can see, both have reduced their prices

by about 3 to 4 per cent. I would like to suggest that we reduce 45 our

prices by at least the same amount.

As you know, we face intense 46 competition in this market, and our

revenue 47 from sales has fallen considerably 48 in the last year. It will

not be easy to market 49 our products if they are seen as overpriced 50.

Could we have a meeting as soon as possible to discuss this?

45 a) fall b) cut c) make lower

46 a) unfair b) open c) tough

47 a) income b) cash c) deposit

48 a) plummeted b) soared c) levelled off

49 a) reposition b) develop c) try to sell

50 a) inexpensive b) too expensive c) affordable

7

Entry Test


Name/Class:

Read the article below and complete the gaps with the extracts (a–d).A

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Before Coca-Cola released anAmerican brand, Minute Maid, intothe UK market, the company spentnearly two years trying tounderstand what British consumerswanted.

It discovered that the Britishwanted something a little differentfrom Americans. As a result, whileAmerican Minute Maid orange juiceis made from concentrate and water;in the UK, it contains no concentrate– just fresh juice.

Coke’s move reflects a growingawareness among food companiesthat British consumers want morefresh fruit juices, bottled water andspecialist health drinks.

The UK’s leading food andbeverage producers know they mustbe more innovative and……………………. 51.

Michael Steib, an analyst atMorgan Stanley, says: ‘Companiesare taking [changes in consumertastes] quite seriously.’ He adds thatmany are reconsidering their long-term strategy rather than

……………………. 52. ‘It’s clearly amatter for the chief executive orchairman.’

Britvic, one of the UK’s biggestsoft drinks producers and the ownerof the Pepsi and 7UP brands in theUK, is among those trying to adapt.‘Consumers have become moreknowledgeable and want a range ofdrinks,’ it says.

Meanwhile, food companies arefocusing more closely on thenutritional value of their products.Consultants say this marks asignificant change from pastpractice, when companies wouldconcentrate on stretching the brandwhen they wanted ……………………. 53.

‘Instead of using colours andflavours as a way of differentiatingproducts, you’re seeing moredifferentiation on the ingredientside,’ says Kathy Brownlie,programme manager of the foodbeverage ingredients practice atFrost Sullivan, a consulting firm.

For example, Unilever hasintroduced three kinds of new fruit

and vegetable drinks under its KnorrVie brand. Analysts say these havebeen a success. In the future,Unilever also expects to change thecomposition of its ice creams.

Nestlé, too, has been cutting backon fat and salt in its products. It saysit has taken all artificial ingredientsout of its Ski yoghurt range andremoved artificial ingredients andflavours from its confectionaryrange.

Clearly, food and drink companieshave spotted a market opportunityand are chasing it for all it is worth.Yet, anybody who has tried to findfruit yoghurt without added sugarknows that ……………………. 54.

Food companies target healthconscious consumers

a) just spending more money on research and development

b) to introduce new products or change existing ones

c) the industry has further to go

d) offer products that can offer some kind of health benefit

The text contains a number of ideas and opinions. Match the statementsbelow to the companies that would agree with them.

55 People are now more aware of nutritional value and are demandingmore choice.

56 British consumers are more health conscious than Americans.

57 It is important to reduce the ingredients that may damage health.

58 A successful strategy is to introduce new products that havehealthy ingredients.

59 Food producers are recognising that healthier eating is an importantlong-term trend.

60 The food industry is using different ingredients – not just different flavourings – to distinguish new products.

B

a) Coca-Cola d) Kathy Brownlie, Frost Sullivan

b) Michael Steib, Morgan Stanley e) Unilever

c) Britvic f ) Nestlé

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Entry Test


Name/Class:

Tim Wilson, a business associate from the UK, will be visiting you at your officenext week. You have not met before. He has just sent an e-mail to let you knowthat he will be arriving at 10 p.m. on Sunday night. Write a polite, friendly e-mailof 100–150 words to him.

Reading

Writing

Speaking

Include the following points:

• company driver will meet Tim Wilson at airport (carrying a sign withhis name)

• room booked at Aspen Villas Hotel – hotel normally used by your company

• informed hotel about late arrival

• hotel: small, comfortable, quiet (see website: www.aspenvillas.com)

• you will meet him 8.30 a.m. at hotel and walk to office (5 minutes)

• wish him pleasant trip

You are going to have a speaking test that will last 10 to 15 minutes.

The examiner will ask you to spend 5 minutes preparing the short presentationbelow. You may make notes if you wish.

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A group of eight Americans has just arrived in your country and will beworking at your company or college for the next six months. Make aninformal presentation of about 5 minutes and include the following:

• Welcome the group

• Inform them about any daily routines they will need to be aware of(starting and finishing times, lunch, meetings, etc).

• Describe any aspects of culture that may be different in your countryand the US.

9Photocopiable © Pearson Education Limited 2000 MARKET LEADER UPPER INTERMEDIATE TEST FILE© Pearson Education Limited 2006

Progress Test 1 (Units 1–5)

Jason Fosse has a meeting with his manager, Denise Watts. Listen to the conversation and answer the questions below. You will hear therecording twice.

1 Jason tells his manager that he wants to

a) leave the company.

b) move to another department.

c) try a different kind of work.

2 How long has Jason been in this job?

a) less than a year

b) less than 5 years

c) more than 5 years

3 Denise Watts thinks

a) that Jason has performed badly in his job.

b) Jason is well suited to the job.

c) Jason chose the wrong job.

4 What is the main reason for Jason’s decision?

a) He has been offered another job.

b) He doesn’t have a sense of fulfilment in the job.

c) He doesn’t have a good relationship with his team leader.

5 Denise Watts

a) accepts Jason’s decision.

b) asks Jason to reconsider.

c) promises an immediate solution to Jason’s problem.

6 At the end of the interview, Jason

a) keeps to his first decision.

b) changes his mind.

c) postpones making a decision.

Listen to the conversation again. If you hear an example of any of thefunctions below, tick them. Put a cross next to any you do not hear.

7 requesting a meeting

8 stating objectives

9 apologising

10 asking for repetition

11 showing sympathy

12 making a suggestion

13 agreeing

14 summarising

B

A

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Name/Class:

Use a word from each of the columns A, B and C to create a noun phrase.Match each noun phrase to the correct definition.

15 an electronic device that checks who is entering or leaving a building

16 a company’s plan or policy for promoting its products worldwide

17 strict controls on the flow of money into and out of a country

18 the amount of income received by a company over a year from its business activities

19 an arrangement by which a company gives a shop the right to sell itsgoods in return for a fee

Complete the gaps in the article below with the correct alternative.B

A

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Progress Test 1


Name/Class:

Deutsche Post looks set toannounce a takeover of Exel,the UK logistics company, whichcould create the world’s biggestlogistics group. The Germangroup ………. 20 a supervisoryboard meeting yesterday toapprove the deal. Exel boardmembers are due to meet nextweek to discuss the terms.

Deutsche Post ………. 21 a mixof cash and shares that valuesExel at around £12.40 a share.John Allan, chief executive ofExel, ……….22 head of the new

logistics division. He ……….23

offered a place on themanagement board.

If the deal goes ahead, itwould give Deutsche Post aleading position in supply-chainmanagement, and would be itslargest acquisition so far.Deutsche Post ………. 24 keen inrecent years to diversify awayfrom its core postage andpackage businesses into abroader range of logisticsservices.

It ………. 25 already the worldleader in air and sea freight.

Analysts have suggested thatrival bids from other companiesmight also ………. 26 onceDeutsche Post reveals its offer.However, the price could alarmsome investors, who ………. 27

the group not to pay over £12 pershare in recent days.

20 a) held b) have been holding c) had been holding

21 a) offered b) offers c) is offering

22 a) is made b) will be made c) will make

23 a) had also been b) has also been c) was also

24 a) was b) had been c) has been

25 a) is b) will be c) had been

26 a) be made b) make c) have made

27 a) had warned b) have warned c) will warn

A B C

tight marketing system

automated sales revenue

retail monetary franchise

annual security strategy

global sales regulations

Deutsche Post moves on Exel

11

Progress Test 1


Name/Class:

The verbs in italics all have the wrong prefix. Correct them.

28 I think you have upcharged us. The price was €49 not €53.

29 The project was badly undermanaged and fell behind schedule.

30 I wanted the merger to go ahead, but I was overvoted at the meeting.

31 All the economy class seats were full, so I was regraded to Business Class.

32 When drawing up the budget, we misestimated the cost of materials.

Complete the gaps in the memo below using the correct form of the wordsand phrases in the box.

A

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C

allocate break down develop duplicate faceinterrupt save share trust waste

MemoTo: Simon Barnes

From: Tony Beech

Subject: Difficulties following merger

As you know, we are .......... 33 a lot of difficulties at present following therecent merger. We now have people from two different companiesworking together, but they are not working effectively as a team. A lot ofthe same work is being .......... 34 by different people, and this .......... 35 a lotof time; meanwhile, other tasks are not being done at all.

Another problem is that the two groups of people have very differentways of working, but they are not getting together to .......... 36 ideas.Sometimes, communication .......... 37 completely and then work is .......... 38

while we try to sort the problem out. Everyone blames everyone else andI think it will be a long time before the team members develop a goodrelationship and learn to .......... 39 each other.

It would .......... 40 the company a lot of time and money if we could ..........41 more effective working practices. We really need to .......... 42 some timeto this. I propose that we schedule a meeting for next Wednesday at 10a.m. to discuss the issues involved and try to find some solutions.

12

Progress Test 1


Name/Class:

Match the definitions to the words and phrases underneath.

43 A market for a special kind of product that may not have many buyers.

a) niche market b) captive market c) closed market

44 The purchasing behaviour of customers.

a) shopping trends b) buying habits c) procurement patterns

45 To offer a large quantity of a product for sale so that there is more than people want to buy.

a) outsell the market b) overflow the market c) saturate the market

46 An amount of money offered to an employee when a company tells themto leave.

a) exit package b) severance pay c) black handshake

47 The quality of workers who remain faithful to the company they work for.

a) corporate identity b) longevity c) employee loyalty

48 A breakdown in health due to stress and overwork.

a) burnout b) burn off c) burn up

The five idioms below are incorrect. Correct them by replacing the final wordwith a final word from one of the other idioms.

49 talk at cross picture …………………………

50 put you in the grapevine …………………………

51 beat about the wavelength …………………………

52 heard it on the bush …………………………

53 on the same purposes …………………………

Rewrite the words or phrases in italics in the sentences below using thecorrect form of the multiword verbs in the box.

D

C

B

call off count on draw up let down set up

54 We have successfully negotiated a deal and now we are draftingthe contract.…………………………

55 We’ve scheduled a meeting with the French team tomorrow, but they’re unable to travel so we’re going to have to cancel it.…………………………

56 They’re planning to establish a new subsidiary in the Bahamas.…………………………

57 I hope we can rely on you to complete the report by the deadline.…………………………

58 Our new agent hasn’t brought us any new business. He hasdisappointed us.…………………………

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Progress Test 1


Name/Class:

Complete the telephone conversation with appropriate phrases from the list.

A: Hello. You don’t know me but I’m Harriet Ford. .......... 59 by Doug Barlow –we used to work together in the logistics department at Zenith.

B: Oh yes!

A: I’m looking for a speaker for a conference we’re planning and Doug.......... 60.

B: I see.

A: .......... 61 or shall I call you back later?

B: Well, I’m expecting a client to arrive at any moment. But perhaps .......... 62

briefly what the conference is about and when it is.

A: OK. Well it’s a conference on supply-chain management which will be heldin Miami. And we’re looking for a well-known speaker to open the event onOctober 14th.

B: Well, it’s .......... 63 to invite me, but unfortunately I’m not free on October14th.

A: Oh that’s a pity. Well, maybe we could schedule your talk for the secondday of the conference. Would you be free on 15th?

B: The problem is I’ll be in San Francisco on 14th and it will be quite a rush toget across to Miami for the next day.

A: Yes, .......... 64.

B: But let me think about it and get back to you. Meanwhile, .......... 65 aboutthe conference?

A: Yes, of course. I’ll e-mail all the details to you.

a) mentioned you might be able to help me

b) Is this a convenient time

c) I was given your name

d) very kind of you

e) I quite understand

f ) you could explain

g) could you let me have more information

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If you could do any job at all forone day, what would it be? Aneasy question to answer, youmay think. But when Campaignfor Learning, an educationcharity, said they would arrangefor me to take on any job I want-ed for a day, I was flummoxed.

Going through some news-papers, I found references to twostudies: one suggesting thatworkers in Wales have thehighest job satisfaction inBritain, another suggesting thatcompany directors are thehappiest among allprofessionals.

Which is why I drove to anengine plant in Wales last weekto be a company director for aday. I arrived to meet BobMurphy, the 42-year-old plantmanager, at 9.30am. On the wallof his office, there was a pictureof an eagle and the slogan:‘Focus: If you chase two rabbits,both will escape.’ I explained how

I had chosen to spend the day athis plant.

Our first task was to attend ameeting of the senior teammembers who run the plant,which itself runs 24 hours a day,five days a week, producing622,000 engines a year. Amanager got the meeting rollingby saying: ‘The block and headCMMS went down late yesterdayevening, which delayed thechange of the VCT.’ I couldn’tunderstand a word of what theywere talking about. After themeeting, Bob Murphy told me:‘We are going to go for a walkaround the plant now. I do threewalks a day. I don’t think you canmanage from a desk – the factoryfloor is where the action is.’

I thought these walks wouldlast a few minutes each, butsince the 25-year-old plant covers6 hectares, they lasted some timelonger – most of the day, in fact.They were interspersed with

various meetings about manythings I did not understand.

By the end of the day at 4:30pm(or rather at the end of my day –Bob works from 5am to 6:30pm,and comes in at the weekendstoo), we must have walked five orsix miles1. But in spite of thepain in my feet, I was glad I wentfor the Welsh factory option. Itwas nice to discover that thereare some management jobs thatdo not simply involve chairingmeetings and sitting at acomputer screen. And it wasinteresting to meet so manypeople who seem to be contentwith the jobs they have.

1 8 – 10 kilometres

14

Progress Test 1


Name/Class:

Read the article mark each of the statements below True or False.A

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In someone else’s job for a day

66 It was the writer’s idea to take on someone else’s job for a day.

67 He made his choice after reading articles in the press.

68 A survey has indicated that Welsh company directors enjoy theirjobs most.

69 The author spent a day at a factory that makes engines.

70 He arrived there at the same time as the plant manager.

71 He went to a meeting where people used a lot of jargon and abbreviations.

72 In between walking round the site, the author and Bob attendedseveral meetings.

73 Bob Murphy spends most of his day chairing meetings.

74 The author regretted having chosen to visit this factory.

75 His experience contradicted the findings of the studies he hadread about.

5

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65

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Progress Test 1


Name/Class:

Choose the best answer to each question.

76 What do you think ‘flummoxed’ (line 8) means?

a) completely confused

b) certain about how you fee

c) delighted

77 The message on Bob’s office wall means

a) if you work hard, you’ll achieve more.

b) don’t be afraid to set high targets.

c) if you try to do two things at once, you’ll fail.

78 The word ‘itself’ in line 33 refers to

a) the meeting.

b) the senior management team.

c) the plant.

79 A manager ‘got the meeting rolling’ (line 36). Do you think that means

a) started the meeting?

b) interrupted the meeting?

c) made everyone laugh?

80 Which statement best describes Bob Murphy’s attitude to management?

a) Don’t get involved in everyday problems.

b) Face-to-face communication is vital.

c) To maintain authority, managers should distance themselves fromthe workforce.

B

You work for a group of marketing consultants. Last week, you gave apresentation at a conference in Warsaw about marketing on the web. Afteryour talk, a woman named Francesca Radici came to talk to you andmentioned that her company might be interested in hiring your services.Unfortunately, you didn’t have time to discuss her requirements in detail, butshe gave you her business card.

Write a letter of 100-150 words to Mrs Radici, including the following points:

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Progress Test 1


Name/Class:

• remind her about when and where you met

• apologise for not having more time to talk to her at the conference

• refer to her interest in your consultancy services

• refer to a brochure you are enclosing, and to your company’s website www.webwaymarketing.co.uk

• point out that your company has a lot of experience in web marketing

• offer to phone or visit her company to discuss her company’s needs

You will hear five short extracts from meetings. In each case, match theextract with the question or problem being discussed. There are threeproblems that cannot be used.

1 Extract 1: ……….





a) how to stay within budget

b) whether to recruit an extra team member

c) how to deal with a crisis

d) whether to take on a risky investment

e) how to help sales staff deal more efficiently with orders

f ) how to overcome problems with deliveries and distribution

g) whether to expand online retailing

h) how to improve communication between teams

Now listen again. In which extract do you hear someone doing each of thefollowing?

6 identifying the cause of a problem Extract ……….

7 signalling a suggestion Extract ……….

8 expressing concerns about an idea Extract ……….

9 resolving conflict Extract ……….

10 agreeing, but with a condition Extract ……….

B

A

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Progress Test 2 (Units 6–9)

Name/Class:

In the job advertisement below, some lines contain a mistake. Identify themistakes and write the correct form on the line on the right. Mark any correct sentences with a tick (3).

A

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Progress Test 2


Name/Class:

We are a global-recognised brand and a leader in the world of collectibles. 11 ……….

We have a range of fantastically opportunities for sales executives 12 ……….

who are totally committed to achieving success. 13 ……….

We are looking for bright, energetic, high motivated individuals 14 ……….

who want to work hardly and earn the rewards they deserve. 15 ……….

Candidates must be flexibly and be prepared to travel at weekends 16 ……….as well as during the week.

Write the correct form of each of the verbs in brackets.

17 A promise: If you …………… (call) me tomorrow, I …………… (have) the answerto your query.

18 A warning: Don’t touch the wire, or you …………… (get) an electric shock.

19 Speculation: If we …………… (expand) our product range, we …………… (be)able to boost sales.

20 An invitation: If you …………… (be) free on Saturday, perhaps you ……………(like) to come for dinner?

21 Reflecting on the past: If we …………… (do) more market research, we…………… (find out) that no one wants to buy this kind of product any more.

Write the most appropriate modal verb (positive or negative) in each gap. The meaning is given in brackets.

22 You …………… have gone to the presentation on team-building. It was excellent! (it was recommended)

23 She …………… have gone home already – it’s only 3 p.m. (it’s impossible)

24 There were only two people who could have left this message. It wasn’t John, so it …………… have been Manuel. (that’s the logical conclusion)

25 You …………… have made all those photocopies. I’d already printed out copies for everyone. (it wasn’t necessary)

26 I …………… have taken the airport bus, but the last one had left so I got a taxi. (if there had been a bus…)

Write the correct preposition in each gap in the text below.

Venture capitalists specialise ………. 27 providing finance to new businesses.

They usually invest ………. 28 smaller, risky ventures and often don’t ask ………. 29

security. Instead, they loan money ………. 30 the business in return for a share

………. 31 business ownership. The entrepreneur may lose control of the

business, but benefits ………. 32 having access ………. 33 funds which could not be

raised any other way. For the venture capitalists, there is always a risk ………. 34

losing their money if the business fails. But by spreading the risk across a

number of different ventures, the investors hope that at least some start-ups

will eventually be highly successful and will bring them a big return ………. 35

their investment.

D

C

B

19

Progress Test 2


Name/Class:

Cross out the verb that cannot be used in front of each noun.

36 play / spread / minimise / eliminate the risk

37 surf / hit / search / browse on the Net

38 arrange / secure / borrow / pay back a loan

39 solve / resolve / deal with / avoid conflict

40 reach / sign / break / share an agreement

41 pay / charge / receive / carry interest

Match each person with the team where they will be best suited.

Alex: organised, efficient, practical

Barbara: communicative, sociable, flexible

Charlie: honest, reliable, stable

Donna: decisive, tough, focused

42 We’re looking for someone who is open and trustworthy; someone who doesn’t panic or get excited and who always gets the job done nomatter what.

Person: ……….

43 Ideally, our new team member should enjoy working with people andshould get on well with others. He or she should be able to explain thingsclearly to customers. And – as our work is never routine – it is important tobe able to adapt quickly to changing situations.

Person: ……….

44 The ideal candidate must be able to deal with all kinds of difficultsituations, and take control when something goes wrong. He or she mustbe able to keep a clear head and not get distracted when things happenfast.

Person: ……….

45 We have some brilliant and creative people in our team but we’re notalways good at handling everyday routines. We need someone to remindus about what to do and when – someone who knows where everything iskept, and can suggest the best way to do things.

Person: ……….

B

A

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20

Progress Test 2


Name/Class:

Match the words and phrases on the left with those on the right to create asaying about money.

46 Money a) old rope

47 Money doesn’t grow b) bad

48 Money can’t buy c) talks

49 Money for d) the root of all evil

50 Don’t throw good money after e) you love

51 A fool and his money f ) on trees

52 The love of money is g) are soon parted

Choose one word from column A and one from column B to make phrases andmatch them to each of the definitions below.

53 a facility that allows bank customers to take out more money from theirbank account than they had in it

54 buying expensive goods by making regular payments over a period of time

55 money given by the government to start or support a new business

56 the amounts of money going into and coming out of a company, and thetiming of these amounts

57 an amount added to the invoice that relates to the cost of transportation ofgoods to the customer’s premises

58 a bank that deals with business rather than the general public

59 a private investor who contributes money and experience to newbusinesses

60 lending a business an amount of money that is equal to that owed by itssuppliers or customers

A B

deliveryhirebusinessinvoicemerchantbankgovernmentcash

discountingoverdraftpurchasegrantchargeflowangelbank

D

C

Complete the dialogue with the phrases below.

Manager: We agreed a budget of $5,000. Tell me: ……………………. 61 more than that?

Vicky: Well, ……………………. 62 that we’re going to be visiting customers inremote parts of the country. So we’ll need to hire a car. Petrol isexpensive – and then there are some additional entertainmentcosts…

Manager: But ……………………. 63 – car hire shouldn’t cost more than $250 to$300. Even with petrol and additional entertainment costs, I don’tunderstand why you need more than $5,500.

Vicky: ……………………. 64 hire a luxury car. It wouldn’t impress our customersif we turned up in a cheap model.

Manager: OK – ……………………. 65. But I’m afraid I can’t approve a budgetincrease of $1,000. It’s just too much!

Vicky: So ……………………. 66

Manager: Well ……………………. 67 go through all the other costs and see if youcan make some savings elsewhere.

Vicky: ……………………. 68 – I’ve already cut down on everything as far as Ican.

Manager: Well, then you must go through it again – in detail. I might agree toan increase of $750 ……………………. 69 you can really justify it.

a) I’d agree with you there

b) how do you think we should deal with this?

c) why do you need

d) hold on

e) Unfortunately, I think we’ll probably have to

f ) provided

g) one thing you could do is

h) my main concern is

i) I don’t think that would do much good

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21

Progress Test 2


Name/Class:

Outside Euroffice.co.uk’soffices in south London is aposter showing Martin LutherKing saying: ‘I have a dream.’

It was put there by GeorgeKaribian, founder of thecompany that calls itself theUK’s biggest online officesupplier. It’s an importantmessage for his young, eageremployees, with theirdesigner jeans and spiky hair.Most likely none of themexpected their careers toinvolve selling dull items suchas pens, paper and other officesupplies to small businesses.Even Mr Karibian admits hegot there almost by accident.

His company has thrived,even after the dotcom bubbleburst and he spent more thana year struggling to raise cashto keep it going. Partly that isbecause he sold a dream – tohimself, his employees, hissuppliers, and his financialbackers, which kept them allon his side. With overconfid-ence typical of the dot-comera, he was convinced he was

building not an officeproducts supplier, but ‘thenext Google’.

To raise money, MrKaribian was forced tosurrender control of thebusiness to a venture capitalcompany, Net Partners, whichhas provided £2m in funding.Other dotcom competitorswho received fortunes duringthe bubble years burnedthrough the cash and wentout of business. But theWharton graduate paidfanatical attention to detail.From day one, he scrutinisedevery aspect of cashmanagement, the value of hismarketing expenditure, thefunctioning of his websiteand the efficiency of aninternet business.

Mr Karibian also set inplace disciplines that hebelieves saved his businesswhere others failed. The firstwas marketing, crucial to anonline business that can onlysurvive if clients come to itssite and stay there. Euroffice

tested 78 different marketinginitiatives and hired astatistician to see which wasthe cheapest way to get themost hits. Mr Karibianregularly profiles his clientsto see who merits the mostattention. Repeat customersare given the fullest service,including loyalty prog-rammes. Clients making bigpurchases are sent gifts. ‘Ihate gifts. But the numberstell us they work,’ he says.

The company, he says, hasgrown at 65 per cent this year,but he remains insecure andbelieves it needs to triple insize to ensure survival. He isconsidering broadening hissmall business supplies toinclude insurance, forexample.

His Google fantasy remainsintact. ‘The dream we’reselling is growth,’ he says.

22

Progress Test 2


Name/Class:

Read the article and answer the questions below.

Grammar

Use of English

Reading

Functions

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Speaking

70 How would you describe Euroffice?

a) a successful online retailer

b) a bricks and mortar retailer

c) an online auction house

71 Mr Karibian’s dream is

a) to expand to the size of Google.

b) to switch from selling office supplies to other products.

c) to be the UK’s biggest online office supplier.

72 The people who work for Euroffice

a) wear formal clothes.

b) are mature.

c) are enthusiastic.

73 Who are the main customers?

a) the general public

b) small firms

c) large corporations

74 When the dotcom bubble burst, Mr Karibian

a) lost all the money that had been lent to him.

b) lost hope.

c) convinced everyone that the company would be successful.

Holding on to the dotcom dream

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

55

60

65

70

75

80

85

23

Progress Test 2


Name/Class:

AccessFaceElectronics engineer invented asecurity device based on facialrecognition – seeks funding tomanufacture and market it.

Invention is effective – should havea good market.

Not yet patented.

Inventor has no businessexperience.

BandaramaA group of young computerprofessionals have devised a newcomputer game and want to marketit.

Game is fun and creative. Thegroup has lots of other ideas.

Will be difficult to enter this market– highly competitive.

Chauffeur-de-luxeAn existing company – offers luxurychauffeur-driven car hire tocompanies.Two partners – committed andambitious. Strong customer baseestablished.They want to expand - openregional offices. Expansion oftendifficult but prospects good ifmanaged well.Partners have demonstrated goodbusiness skills.

75 How did Mr Karibian raise funding for his business?

a) He borrowed from family and friends.

b) He persuaded investors to put capital into his business.

c) He got a bank loan.

76 What happened to many of Mr Karibian’s dotcom competitors?

a) They spent too much and went bankrupt.

b) They couldn’t raise much money.

c) They were taken over by bigger companies.

77 What is Mr Karibian’s approach to marketing?

a) advertise on the Net

b) retain the best customers by offering rewards

c) provide fun and entertainment

78 How does Mr Karibian feel about the future?

a) He feels the business is at risk unless it expands.

b) He is confident of continued success.

c) He doesn’t worry about the future.

79 Who or what is the ‘Wharton graduate’ (line 46)?

a) Net Partners

b) Mr Karibian

c) a dotcom competitor

80 What do you think the meaning of ‘scrutinised’ (line 48) is?

a) pay negligible attention

b) disregard

c) examine very thoroughly

You represent a firm of venture capitalists. You have investigated three newbusinesses that are all seeking venture capital funding. You shouldrecommend the one that is the least risky and offers the best prospects for agood return on your investment.

Using the notes below, write a memo of 200–250 words to the new businessfunding committee. Give a brief assessment of each business and end withyour recommendation.

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24 Photocopiable© Pearson Education Limited 2000MARKET LEADER TEST FILE © Pearson Education Limited 2006

Name/Class:

Progress Test 3 (Units 9–12)Progress Test 3 (Units 10–14)

Listen to the conclusion of a presentation and answer the questions below.

1 The presentation was about

a) management styles.

b) why companies fail.

c) the importance of managing people.

2 The speaker was addressing

a) professional people running small firms.

b) employees of small firms.

c) trainee managers in a large corporation.

3 What were the three main issues that were covered in the talk?

a) communication

b) consistency

c) context

d) content

e) control

f ) cooperation

Listen to the question and answer session that follows the presentation andanswer the questions below.

4 The first questioner wants to know

a) what motivates employees.

b) how to give staff the chance to improve themselves.

c) how to reward staff for good work.

5 The first questioner is

a) polite.

b) aggressive.

c) unclear about what she wants to know.

6 Tick the suggestions the speaker makes when answering the firstquestion.

a) give people new things to learn

b) congratulate people when they do a good job

c) give people the chance to work overtime for more pay

d) help people who are inexperienced

e) offer staff long-term security

f ) offer financial rewards for good work

7 The second questioner

a) disagrees with the speaker.

b) asks for clarification.

c) asks for more information.

8 The second questioner is

a) polite.

b) aggressive.

c) vague.

B

A

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25

Progress Test 3

Photocopiable © Pearson Education Limited 2000 MARKET LEADER TEST FILE© Pearson Education Limited 2006

Name/Class:

9 The speaker believes that

a) you need formal training to become a good manager.

b) you develop management skills mainly through experience.

c) different managers acquire skills in different ways.

10 The speaker believes that many managers may find it difficult to

a) manage the business side.

b) manage people.

c) take time away from work for training.

11 The questioner wants to know

a) the number of small firms in the UK.

b) the number of partnerships that fail each year.

c) the proportion of small firms that do not succeed because they havepoor managers.

12 When the second questioner asks another question, the speaker

a) gives a satisfactory answer.

b) answers impolitely.

c) is unable to answer.

Complete the text below using the correct form of the verbs in brackets.

………. 13 (be) part of a team is much more interesting than ………. 14 (work) alone.

For one thing, different team members can alternate job tasks. So if one

person is tired of ………. 15 (repeat) the same task, he or she can stop ………. 16

(do) it and let someone else take over. By ………. 17 (develop) skills in a variety

of tasks, each team member is able ………. 18 (expand) their range of

experience, which can be useful when ………. 19 (apply) for jobs.

Make complete sentences using the sentence halves and a linking word fromthe box below. Remember to use correct punctuation.

B

A

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20 You can’t predict when a crisismight happen

21 The company has not beensuccessful in increasing sales athome.

22 Peter Clark always asks his teamfor their opinion before making adecision

23 Many companies are moving jobsoffshore; this doesn’t mean

24 Before agreeing to a merger,companies need to be sure theyhave common strategies andgoals.

a) Mary Jones is a much moreautocratic manager.

b) that there will be a shortage ofjobs at home.

c) you can make sure you areprepared for it when it comes.

d) there are a number of practicalissues to consider.

e) spending huge amounts onadvertising.

although despite however in addition whereas

26

Progress Test 3

Photocopiable© Pearson Education Limited 2000MARKET LEADER TEST FILE © Pearson Education Limited 2006

Name/Class:

Expand each of the following headlines into a full grammatical sentence.There is no need to write abbreviations in full (e.g. EU).

25 GE profits up 15%

26 EU and US to resume flight talks

27 Nokia, China Putain announce joint venture

28 New Burberry chief’s $27m package

29 China and US fail to strike textile deal.

30 ASCO boss told: up profits or quit

Rewrite the sentences below using the words in brackets.

31 We will definitely have the results by Friday. (We are certain…)

32 It is likely that our profits will fall in the next quarter. (probably)

33 Maybe our competitors will launch their product first. (It is possible…)

34 I doubt whether anyone will notice the mistake. (It is unlikely…)

35 I’m afraid it will be impossible for me to get to the meeting. (There’sno chance...)

Choose the correct word from the box to complete each sentence.A

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D

C

compensate disclose handle monitor set take

collaborative delegating empowering hands-on task-oriented

36 Telephone calls are sometimes recorded so that we can ………. the performance of sales staff.

37 It is our policy to ………. customers for any loss of business they have suffered as a result of delays.

38 We feel it is important to ………. high standards of service.

39 We guarantee not to ………. any confidential information to third parties.

40 We’ve appointed two new customer service staff to ………. complaints.

41 If a customer reports a problem, we will ………. action to resolve it.

Match the management styles in the box to the descriptions of thepeople below.

B

42 Jan believes in working closely with her team to make sure they do everything right. ……….

43 William likes to give his staff responsibility for and control over their own job area. ……….

44 Patrick is totally focused on getting the job done. He doesn’t always think about the feelings of his people. ……….

45 Katrin is very good at bringing people together and creating harmony inher team. ……….

46 Luisa runs her department by involving her staff and giving them responsibilities. ……….

27

Progress Test 3


Name/Class:

Choose one of the idioms to complete each sentence below.C

47 This hydrogen cell car is …………… of new technology.

48 None of the staff wants to take responsibility when things go wrong – they just …………… to their manager.

49 OK, we’ve talked a lot in general terms. Now let’s get down to the …………… .

50 Before we start working on this project together, we need to establishsome …………… .

51 There seems to be some sort of disagreement between the two productionteams and we have to …………… .

52 I didn’t really agree with the new directive, but I was …………… intoaccepting it.

53 I don’t think society is ready for this kind of technology – it’s really …………… .

Match the terms in the box with their definitions below.D

54 a business activity in which two or more companies have invested together

55 when a company’s top managers buy the company they work for

56 when one company buys another one

57 a price offered to buy goods or shares

58 money invested in a business; a shareholding

59 responsibility for an action, or for damage or loss

60 an event that might happen – especially one that might cause problems

ahead of its time

nitty-gritty

at the cutting edge

pass the buck

get to the bottom of it

ground rules

steam-rollered

acquisition bid contingency joint venture liability MBO stake

28

Progress Test 3


Name/Class:

Match the questions and statements to the responses below. There is oneresponse that cannot be used.

61 A: Do you mind if I use your phone?

B: …………….

62 A: So you think there could be problems meeting the new deadline?

B: …………….

63 A: Just how many new customers have you gained?

B: …………….

64 A: Did you know that Perry’s has taken over JCT?

B: …………….

65 A: How was your trip?

B: …………….

66 A: Would you like to join us for a drink?

B: …………….

67 A: We’re opening a new office in Kuala Lumpur next month.

B: …………….

68 A: It takes hours to go through all my e-mails!

B: …………….

a) I’d love to.

b) Yes I do.

c) Are you?

d) I know what you mean.

e) Not bad.

f ) No – really?

g) I think so too.

h) Not at all.

i) I’m afraid I can’t answer that.

Read the article and identify the paragraph (i–vii) in which you can findinformation about the following:

69 how US retailers are using information about their customers

70 Best Buy’s five main customer segments

71 the impact on sales of Best Buy’s new strategy

72 a comparison of the way different stores have been segmented

73 Best Buy’s objective for the next half year

A

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i) Manhattan’s 23rd Street liesbetween New York’s fashiondistrict, with its small storesincluding flower shops andjewellers, and Chelsea, with itsarchitects’ offices, advertisingagencies and upmarketapartments. So when the localBest Buy electronics store wastrying to identify its maincustomer groups, small businesswas an obvious choice. JohnZittrauer, a store salesman,estimates that one out of everythree customers who enters thestore has some connection withsmall business.

ii) This summer, Mr Zittrauer wasdesignated as a ‘businesstechnology professional’ afterspending two weeks training torespond to the likely needs ofindividuals running a business athome, or from a small office. Thestore he works in has undergonedrastic remodelling and nowincludes a business help desk anda broader range of businesssoftware.

iii) The changes are part of a

broader strategy by Best Buy, thelargest US retailer of consumerelectronics. Within six months, itplans to have over half of its 700stores across the US converted towhat it calls its ‘customercentricity’ model. Each convertedstore will cater to one or more offive distinct customer groups,with the appropriate store fittings– like the business help desk – andproduct selections.

iv) The strategy reflects a broadertrend in the US retail sector.National retailers are learning toanalyse the vast quantities of datanow available on their customers,allowing them to adapt theirstores and their staff to meet thetastes of the local market.

v) Best Buy first launched its‘segmented’ store programmeafter two years of customerresearch and testing that led it toidentify its five target customergroups: business users, earlyadopting people, older familymales, affluent professionals andbusy suburban women.

vi) At the Manhattan store on 23rd

Street, the other main focus groupis ‘early adopting people’: mostlyyoung males who want the latestin personal technology. The recentstore conversion includedinstalling two separate stationsfor testing computer gamesproducts. In contrast, the BestBuy in the wealthy Long Islandsuburb of Huntington includes acarpeted studio area for listeningto top-of-the-range homeentertainment systems and stafftrained to visit customers’ homesand advise them on planning andinstalling. Stores targeting the‘busy suburban woman’ includepersonal shoppers who can bebooked in advance to offershopping advice.

vii) The segmented stores havedelivered rapid results; in its mostrecent quarter, the convertedstores delivered comparable salesgrowth of 9.4 per cent, against the3.5 per cent seen in the rest of thechain.

29

Progress Test 3


Name/Class:

In the following questions about the article, more than one answer iscorrect. Tick all the correct answers.

74 Changes at Best Buy’s electronics stores include:

a) closing poorly-performing stores

b) extending each store’s customer base

c) sending sales staff on special courses

d) offering a broader range of products at each store

e) refitting stores to appeal to certain types of customer

f ) providing a more personal service to wealthy customers

75 Which two groups were identified as the main customers at the 23rdStreet store?

a) people who run small businesses

b) well-off professional people

c) females who live outside the city centre and lead active lives

d) those who are the first to buy any new technology

76 Which of the following are provided at the Huntington store?

a) a business help desk

b) comfortable facilities for trying out high quality music systems

c) computer games stations

d) sales staff who can call at your house

B

Customised shops bring in the customers

Read the first paragraph of a summary of a consultant’s report below, andthe notes underneath it. Then write the rest of the summary using the sub-headings and information given. You should write about 200-250 words.

Reading

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30

Progress Test 3


Name/Class:

Hungarian teamwork as individuals

engineers specialised

meetings rare

communication via e-mail or throughteam leader

leader coordinates and directs.

Japanese teamwork as a group

engineers more generalised

meetings frequent

brainstorm ideas together

communication face-to-face

decisions by consensus.

PurposeIdentify areas of difference › possible friction?

Make recommendations (how to improve cooperation between teams?)

MethodTwo week study period: consultants followed teams, observed patterns of communicationand decision-making.

Findings

A comparative study of team-work in Hungary and Japan

BackgroundCompany X (Japanese) and Company Y (Hungarian) are to set up a joint venture inwhich a team of software engineers from each company will work together to builda state-of-the-art computer-aided design system. Consultants & Co were requestedto carry out a study into the working patterns of teams in each company.

Conclusion Very different! › serious problems possible › joint venture at risk.

Important to establish common approach


Exit Test (general review)

Listen to an interview with Jon Larsen, CEO of a Danish advertising agency,and complete the sentences below.

1 Jon Larsen’s company was founded in ............... .

2 The company is changing its name from Verner-Martins to ............... .

3 The proportion of spending on internet advertising is (at the time of the interview) ............... per cent.

4 In a few years, Jon expects this percentage to be ............... .

5 In Jon’s example, a car manufacturer arranged a series of .............................. to promote its new model.

6 To attend these events, people had to register their ............... or ............... .

7 Last year, the advertising industry grew by ............... per cent.

8 The total value of the industry worldwide is ............... .

Now listen again and choose the best answer to each of thefollowing questions.

9 Jon says that his company is changing its name because

a) they want to market their services in the UK.

b) they want to show that they are up-to-date with new ideas.

c) the old name is hard to pronounce.

10 The use of TV commercials in advertising campaigns is

a) growing.

b) at a peak.

c) no longer as important as it once was.

11 What is Jon’s opinion of pop-up ads?

a) they are effective

b) people often feel annoyed with them

c) people don’t pay attention to them

12 Jon believes the advertising industry will

a) decline in the long term.

b) stay at the same size for the next few years.

c) continue to expand.

13 In what way is the industry changing, according to Jon?

a) advertising is becoming more expensive

b) it is becoming more global

c) agencies have to offer more things

14 Jon gives an example of a new promotional technique in which

a) people sell the product to their friends.

b) no direct advertising is used.

c) consumers receive text messages about products.

B

A

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Name/Class:

32

Exit Test


Name/Class:

In the article below, there is one mistake on each line. Identify the word thatis wrong and write the correct word in the gap.

A

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From high to low in just seven daysA week ago Refco is one of the world’s biggest finance companies, 15 ……….

with a market value of $3.6bn following its high successful flotation in August. 16 ……….

Now the company has collapsed and trading in its shares have been suspended. 17 ……….

Initially, internal investigators have been unable to find anything fundamentally 18 ……….

wrong. But on Monday the company found out that a $430m debt was owing by 19 ……….

the chief executive. On the same day, he paid it forward, with interest. 20 ……….

The problem was that the statement the company put out explaining what has 21 ……….

happened left many unanswered questions. Refco is completely dependent of the 22 ……….

confidence of its customers. If they fear of the security of their assets they will 23 ……….

attempt to withdrawing them, which is exactly what happened this week. 24 ……….

Rewrite the underlined part of each sentence below to create a noun phrase.Do not use relative clauses (clauses with ‘who’, ‘that’ or ‘which’).

Example:

We have to review our strategy because the conditions in the market areincreasingly difficult.

We have to review our strategy because of the increasingly difficult marketconditions.

25 We are looking for a person who is professional and has goodqualifications.

We are looking for ………. .

26 Our sales have declined rapidly in recent months.

In recent months, we have seen ………. .

27 He has been consistent in producing reports which are accurate.

He has produced ………. .

28 The company has demonstrated that they are extremely effective inplanning for disasters.

The company has demonstrated ………. .

29 Lastminute.com is a service company which operates online and has beenhighly successful.

Lastminute.com is a ………. .

B

33

Exit Test


Name/Class:

Complete the sentences below with the appropriate multiword verb. Wherethere is a pronoun in brackets, decide whether to put it between the twoparts of the verb or at the end.

C

Saying ‘no’ to invitations can be very difficult. A standard answer to ‘Can you cometo lunch?’ is: ‘Thank you but I’m a bit busy at present.’ But what would you say ifthe next question .......... 36: ‘When will you be free?’ .......... 37 you tell a lie or be honest?If you .......... 38 want lunch with someone it may be because they are boring, or notimportant enough, or because you would prefer to have a sandwich at your desk. Itis easier and less rude to tell a lie.I would not advise anyone to say no to their boss. A manager I know asked hissecretary if she would mind typing a letter for him. ‘I’d rather not, if you .......... 39

mind,’ she replied. A month later, she was selected for redundancy in a companyreorganisation. If she .........., 40 ‘Yes, of course’ she might still be working there.

36 a) was b) is c) would be

37 a) Would b) Will c) Won’t

38 a) did not b) do not c) would not

39 a) would b) won’t c) don’t

40 a) said b) had said c) would have said

break into break off bring out cut off look into put off

30 We have discontinued that line and we are going to ………. ………. a new linenext month.

31 The company is strong in Europe and the US and now they want to ……….………. the Asia Pacific market.

32 Hello? Are you still on the line? Oh dear – I think we’ve been ………. ………. .

33 I’m afraid I won’t be able to come to the meeting on Friday. Can we ……….………. ………. till next week? (it)

34 I’m sorry to hear you’ve got a problem. Don’t worry. Leave it with me and I’ll

………. ………. ………. . (it)

35 The negotiations were not going well, so we decided to ………. ………. ………. .(them)

Choose the best answer to complete each gap in the article.D

Smiles, white lies, um, er...What Imean is no

34

Exit Test


Name/Class:

Choose a word or phrase from the list to replace each of the underlined wordsor phrases without changing the meaning.

A

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fringe benefits dire independently old-fashioned remunerationretreat rosy succinct uncertain

41 We don’t see any future in this market so we’ve decided to withdraw.

42 Our sales subsidiaries operate autonomously.

43 I’ve been offered an attractive pay package with the new job.

44 The job also comes with a number of perks.

45 Hugo got excellent exam results and his future looks promising.

46 His speech was short and to the point.

47 Share prices are falling fast and the financial analysts have issueddreadful warnings.

48 I’m afraid your chances of success are somewhat doubtful.

49 That manager’s attitudes to women are a bit behind the times!

Choose two verbs from the list that could both be used in eachsentence below.

B

accept achieve admit damage deal with enter givehandle jeopardise make penetrate provide reach take

50 We employ 5 staff to ………. customer complaints.

51 Normally the departmental manager should ………. the decision.

52 The project failed because we failed to ………. our goals.

53 The delegates at the conference were asked to ………. feedback.

54 The company is refusing to ………. liability for the loss.

55 He warned that taking this action could seriously ………. international relations.

56 The plan is to ………. the market with our new design.

35

Exit Test


Name/Class:

Match the words in column A to the words in column B to make phrases andmatch them to the definitions below.

57 money and other advantages offered to an employee when a companytells them to leave

58 the way in which wealth is shared by people in a country

59 an attempt to get control of a company by buying most of its shares

60 the location where goods are stored before being sent out to customers

61 a number of shops or stores owned or managed by the same company

62 a company that arranges sales in which items are sold to the highestbidder

Match each of the functions to the most appropriate phrase below.

63 State the goals of a meeting

64 Ask for opinions

65 Encourage contributions at a brainstorming.

66 Signal that you want to say something.

67 Resolve a conflict.

68 Soften a request.

69 Summarise the points so far.

a) I’d like to make a suggestion.

b) Let’s recap before we go on.

c) What we need to achieve today is …

d) Does anyone have any feelings about …?

e) We were hoping to pay a little less.

f ) Fire away!

g) How do you think we should deal with this?

mmar

ening

bulary

nglish

ading

ctions

ading

Writing

aking

Skills

Language

C

A B

auction centre

distribution package

income house

takeover distribution

retail bid

severance chain

36

Exit Test


Name/Class:

Read the article and complete the gaps with the extracts (a–f ). A

Grammar

Use of English

Reading

Functions

Reading

Writing

Speaking

Skills

Language

The table in Jean-François Dehecq’schief executive suite in Paris hasroom for no more than a handful ofpeople to gather round. Sanofi-Aventis, the company he runs, mayhave become one of the world’slargest pharmaceutical companies,but he believes this table remainsbig enough for all those needed totake the key decisions.

Apart from Mr Dehecq, that meansjust three other long-standingcolleagues in whom he has totalconfidence. ‘We .......... 70,’ he says.‘We sit around this little table andmake decisions and apply them thenext morning. There are nocommittees, no mucking around.’

This is one of a number of hisdefiantly distinctive approaches tomanagement. While executives inmany ‘big pharma’ groups complainthat they are spending too muchtime in large committees, trapped by

heavy bureaucracy, Mr Dehecqbelieves he .......... 71. He cites the planof a group of his managers to build anew $100m vaccines plant in the US.‘We challenged it, and then we said“Right, let’s go”. The reaction ofthese guys was, “So whichcommittee do we go to now?” I saidtomorrow morning you get thebulldozers on the site and startbuilding. We .......... 72.’

That same small group ofexecutives came into play whenengineering Sanofi’s largest take-over with the purchase of the rivalFrench group Aventis in a highlyunusual, hostile takeover battle. MrDehecq says the saga began as asurvival strategy for Sanofi,indicating that Pfizer, the world’slargest drugs group, .......... 73 thatwere eyeing his business foracquisition because of itsprofitability.

Despite the fact that Aventis waslarger, Mr Dehecq launched anaggressive takeover and went on toacquire his rival in a €50bn deal.After the merger, most of Aventis’stop management lost their jobs, ashe .......... 74. ‘Otherwise we would bestuck in the mud like all the bigmergers with only 2 or 3 per centrevenue growth this year, while weare generating 11 per cent.’

As for the future, he hints that anyof his three close colleagues couldtake on his role when he comes upfor retirement in three years, andwith the board’s approval he haschosen a preferred successor –whose identity he will not reveal –who shares his vision. ‘The essentialthing is that we don’t end up workingby committees. If we .......... 75.’

a) can best keep his company alive by retaining a direct approach thatcuts away bureaucracy

b) imposed Sanofi’s vision and style

c) was among a number of pharmaceutical companies

d) do that, we are dead

e) just took the decision

f ) don’t need to talk to understand each other

Now answer these questions about the article.

76 How would you describe Jean-François Dehecq’s approach tomanagement?

a) cautious b) consultative c) decisive

77 What characterises other pharma groups’ decision-making?

a) a long, complex process b) a fast, direct approachc) a lack of red tape

78 Why did Jean-François Dehecq initially decide to acquire Aventis?

a) his own company was threatened with a takeover

b) Sanofi couldn’t compete with the large pharma groups

c) he wanted to improve profitability

79 As a result of the merger

a) Jean-François Dehecq has had to change his management style.

b) the company is growing slowly.

c) senior managers at Aventis were sacked.

80 What do we know about the next CEO of Sanofi-Aventis?

a) He or she will make radical changes to the way the group is run.

b) He or she has already been chosen.

c) His or her appointment has already been announced.

B

Ban the bureaucracy and bring in the bulldozers

37

Exit Test


Name/Class:

You work in the engineering department of a manufacturing firm. Your firm needsto purchase a new motor for the pumping system at your plant and you have beenasked to investigate three models that would all be suitable from a technicalpoint of view.

Use the data below and write a memo of 200 to 250 words to the PurchasingManager. Tell him which motor you would recommend and give your reasons.

Motor A Motor B Motor C (*new model)

Purchase price $1,300 $1,900 $2,900

Annual running cost (based on energy use) $3,066 $3,942 $2,628

Guarantee 1 year 3 years 5 years

Cost of service contract (after guarantee expires) $80 per year $100 per year $100 per year

You are going to have a speaking test that will last about 15 minutes. There will be two parts:

Part A: You will be asked to prepare a short (3–4 minute) presentation.

Part B: You will have to ask for information about a conference venue, which youshould then summarise and evaluate.

Part A: Presentation

Choose one of the topics below and prepare a short presentation. You shouldbegin with a suitable introduction, divide the main information into aboutthree main parts, and end with a conclusion. You can make notes, but shouldnot try to read the whole presentation. You will have about 15 minutes toprepare.

1 Make a presentation about a company. Give information about its activities(products or services), its size, nationality of main offices or plants,subsidiaries etc, and its strengths in the market.

2 Make a presentation about a job: either the job you have, or one youwould like to have. Describe what the job involves, why you chose it, andwhat is most challenging or rewarding about it.

3 Make a presentation about a business person: either someone you workwith or a well-known person. Talk about what this person does, what theyhave done or achieved in the past, and what special skills they have thatyou admire.

Part B: Gathering information and summarising

You work for a media company. Your company wants to take over a videogames producer as a way to enter the video games market. Ask the examinerfor information about two possible companies: StarSports (based in the US)and Silver Clouds (based in France).

Try to get the following information about each company:

Grammar

Use of English

Reading

Functions

Reading

Writing

Speaking

Skills

Language

Reading

Writing

Speaking

• type of game the company produces • market value

• sales performance: how well they are selling • profit last year

• when the company was set up • share price trend

You can ask as many questions as you like to get facts and check yourunderstanding. You can make notes. When you have all the facts, you will beasked to make a summary comparing the two companies. You should then saywhich one you think offers the best potential for a takeover.

05_ML_Upper-Intermediate_Test_File_2006.pdf

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