Straightforward Pre-intermediate Second edition © Macmillan Publishers Limited 20121   

Straightforward    Business

10a Pet products

Reading1 Work in small groups. Ask and 

answer the questions.

• Do you or anyone you know have a pet? If yes, what kind of pet is it?

• What kind of products do owners usually buy for their pets?

2 Read the profile for a pet product company and answer the questions.

1 When did the founder first start working in the pet industry?

2 How long has the company been in business?

3 What kind of products or services do they offer?

3 Read the profile again. Decide if the sentences are true (T) or false (F). Correct the false statements.

1 Amy looked after her neighbours’ cats for free.

2 She sold cat toys to a local shop.3 She and her brother set up a stall at

the local market.4 The pet industry was not doing well

at the time she opened her first shop.5 The website offers both products and

services.

4 Work in pairs. Find these expressions in the profile. Explain what they mean.

1 to have a good head for business2 at very reasonable rates3 the timing was perfect4 the pet industry was booming

Kute Ki� i� is a family-run business. It was founded in 2001 by Amy Wilkes. She was later joined by her brother Huw and her cousin Megan. Amy has always been a cat lover, ever since she got her first cat as a birthday present at the age of eight. She has also always had a good head for business and has worked with cats for more than twenty years. At the age of 12 she was offering cat-sitting services to her friends and neighbours at very reasonable rates. Over the first few years of pet-sitting she developed a line of simple, handmade toys for her cat clients. Initially she made these toys as gifts, but then one of her neighbours suggested she sell them at a local pet store. The toys are still one of the top-selling products.

In 1999, at the age of 17, Amy opened a stall in the local Saturday morning market. She sold toys for cats and advertised her cat-sitting services. She soon expanded her business, adding new products, including personalized beds, blankets and bowls. At the age of 18 she signed up for a management course at the local college but she was impatient to start her own business. After six months she left college and opened her own shop. Her product line included food, medications and cat furniture, as well as toys and grooming services.

The timing was perfect. The pet industry was booming and so was Amy’s business. Her brother Huw and cousin Megan joined her as she opened two more shops and launched the Purrfect Pets/Kute Kitties website. The website has been a great success. As well as offering online shopping facilities, it also hosts a free database for cat-sitters all over the country and a service offering to find homes for abandoned cats.

Kute Ki� i� Everything you need for the komfort � your kat

Straightforward    Business

Grammar: present perfect simple with for & since

We use the present perfect simple for states that began in the past and continue into the present. The states are unfinished.

Amy has been a cat lover since she got her first cat at the age of eight.

She has worked with cats for more than twenty years.

for more than twenty years (a period of time)

✗past since she was eight now future (a point in time)

We use the past simple for actions and states that are finished.Compare these examples.Present perfect simple She’s worked with cats for twenty years (and she still works

with them now).Past simple She worked with cats for twenty years (but now she doesn’t

work with then anymore).

  See LangUage ReFerenCe page 104

1 Put the verbs in brackets into the present perfect simple or past simple.

1 I (work) for the same company for ten years.2 I (start) my first job five years ago.3 I (be) interested in stamp collecting since I was a child.4 I (not/want) to work in business when I was at school.5 I (always/want) to run my own business.6 I (live) in the same house since I was born.

2 Change the expressions in italics in exercise 1 to make the sentences true for you.

3 Complete the phrases with for or since.

1 20022 a day or two3 Monday4 yesterday5 I left school6 three years7 a few weeks8 an hour9 the lesson started10 five minutes11 half past six12 last week

4 How many different ways can you complete the questions?

1 How long have you been … ?2 How long have you had … ?3 How long have you known … ?

5 Work in pairs. Ask and answer the questions in exercise 4.

Speaking1 Think of a small business you know 

well. Do you know the answers to these questions?

• When did it first start doing business?• What products or services did it offer at

the beginning?• What products or services does it offer

today?• How long has it been in business?

2 Work in small groups. Tell your partners about the company.

3 Discuss any similarities or differences between the companies you talked about.

Straightforward Pre-intermediate Second edition © Macmillan Publishers Limited 2012   2

  Pet products  10a

3 I (be) interested in stamp collecting 4 I (not/want) to work in business when 5 I (always/want) to run my own business6 I (live) in the same house since I was born

2 Change the expressions in italics in exercise 1 to make the sentences true for you.

Straightforward Pre-intermediate Second edition © Macmillan Publishers Limited 2012Straightforward Pre-intermediate Second edition © Macmillan Publishers Limited 2012Straightforward