Practice Question One

Practice question one
Dear Mr MacGregor
Thank you for your letter of 15 March. Mrs. Slater is sorry to hear that Mary is ill and sends her best wishes.
The programme you have is largely correct but there are two important changes. First, the meeting with Mr Steed at 10.30 should now also include your Marketing Manager, Mrs Gray. Second, Mrs slater isno longer flying back after themeeting, so the flight at 18.50 has been cancelled.
Could you also please confirm that a company car and driver will meet Mrs slater at the airport when she arrives at 9.35.
Thank you for checking the details with us before the visit. I hope this has been helpful.
Yours sincerely
Chrstina Gough
pp Mrs P Slater
Dear MS Cortez
Thank you for your letter of 23 June. Mr Takamoto is a frequent listener to your programme and is prepared to take part in it provided that a suitable time can be
found for the interview.
Unfortunately the dates which you suggest are not convenient. Instead, Mr takamoto suggest a meeting in New Yok between 25 and 28 November. He will be at the New York Hilton during these four days and perhaps the interview can be conducted there.
Please let me know as soon as possible if this is helpfulg so that I can make the necessary arrangements. Finally, if and when the programme is broadcast in the New Year, Mr Takamoto would like a copy of the interview.
Yours sincerely
Christina Gough
PA to Mr Takamoto
§.
Dear Sirs,
We were interested by your advertisement in the Law JOurnal of 23 August.
We are a small law firm which currently employs 25 people and are planning to introduce a new computer system in our offices. We would also require advice on software appropriate to our needs. We understand that your Small Companies Service could provice us with the expert help that we would need in both these areas.
We see from your advertisement that you give a free initail consultation and we would like to take advantage of this offer. Please could you arrange for someone to call on us one day next week.
I look forward to hearing from you shortly.
Your faithfully
Christina Gough
4.
In-company traing course: time Management
This course took place on 17 october at our company training centre in Oaktree road. It was attended by 18 managers. General feedback was very positive and a numbe rof managers have already expressed an interest in a similar course if it is repeated.
The course was led by Ms susan Riley from Reflex Training Ltd. Her performance was excellent and I would certainly recommedn using her and her agency again.
The timetable was generally satisfactory although two changes would be worth considering next time. First, I would recommend beginning immediately at the start of the working day and second, lengthening the afternoon group session, which was somewhat too short.
Christina Gough
21 October
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/ Read this text from a case study of a company.
Choose the best sentence fram the opposite page to fill in each of the gaps.
For each gap 9 - 14, mark one letter A - H on your Answer Sheet.Do not use any letter more than once. There is an example at the beginning (0).
Matsumi Machine Tools
Matsumi Machinery set up manufacturing operations in the UK in 1987, producing high quality machine tools. The factory has revolutionary computer integrated manufacture (CIM) and a flexible manufacturing system (FMS). (O –H) About 60 are in sales and service administration with the rest in manufacturing. A high proportion of the work-force on the manufacturing side are graduates. An original group of 40 skilled people were initially recruited and sent to Japan for training; 17 team leaders were chosen from this group. (9)
The average age of the employees when recruited was between 23 and 24 years.
The recruitment process for employees involves a two-tier system. During the selection process it is explained to potential employees exactly what their work will involve. Apart from this, they are given information about the attitude of the company in matters such as working hours and discipline. This is because there have been problems in the past with unrealistically high expectations of the company. (10)
All recruits undergo a one-day induction programme, which consists of being fitted out
with a uniform and being given information about the company –typically a talk from the
managing director and a discussion with the deputy managing director (11) The
manufacturing director gives a talk on the need for good housekeeping, company policy on matters of discipline, quality and so on.
Matsumi has its own training centre which provides technical support to customers and training of employees on the computer side. Training occurs primarily 'on the job'. Trainees have to submit weekly progress reports as they move through their training. At the end of the training period the trainee is assessed on whether he or she meets the required levels of quality and speed. The company has a philosophy of long-term employment, and hopes that people will view their association with it as a long-term career. (12) I '
Absenteeism at Matsumi is below two per cent and staff turnover is low. Only three of the original 40 skill ed workers recruited by the company had left by the time the case study was conducted. (13) The original workers who remained were asked how the work and the company matched their expectations. (14) A further 20 per cent said that the company had lived up to their expectations. However, 30 per cent were disappointed, mainly because they had not been made team leaders.
A Due to this, all employees are required to be very flexible in their working practices.
B In response, half of them reported that they were pleased to have joined Matsumi.
C This session with senior figures is used to describe how the company is distinctive 'right from the beginning'.
D Even so, this was a matter of concern to the Japanese directors and interviews were conducted with the people concerned.
E However, contractually, most employees are on contracts of one month's notice.
F When these have not been met, this has led to dissatisfaction.
G The remainder of the work-force were selected on the basis of their attitudes and their motivation to develop a career in manufacturing engineering.
H Approximately 180 people are employed and this number is rising.
results: g f c e d b
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/ Read the article below about the skills which will be needed to secure a job in the 'office-Iess' future. For each question 31 - 40 write one word in CAPITAL LETTERS on your Answer Sheet.
Prepare yourself to a virtual career
Changes in technology and business organisations and changing attitudes to
work mean that careers in the future are uncertain. Instead (0) working
within a particular company structure, careers in the future may develop in a
virtual world. This means that you could work for an organisation but
(31 ) have an office, or that there may not be any organisation at
(32) and you just serve a group of customers.
The future of employment will (33) characterised by the prefix "virtual"
hence the virtual career, the virtual office, even the virtual employer. While a career used to mean spending your whole working life with one company or
(34) least in the same field, a virtual career will involve different
companies in different sectors and different jobs. This kind of career will depend
on having a set of basic skil.ls and (35) able to apply them in different
situations. Rather (36) recruiting someone for a particular post,
employers in the future will seek graduates with a range of key interpersonal skills
that can be carried between jobs, and with the flexibility (37) be trained
in technical skills.
Throughout Europe, more than 20 million people (38) now self
employed, with numbers growing each year. Many of (39) people have
one or two major client companies, and although they are not employed by these companies, the strength of the relationship means that the companies are virtual
employers. As a result, they require (40) same degree of commitment
from freelances as they do from full-time employees.
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In most lines of the following text, there is one unnecessary word. It is either grammatically incorrect or does not fit in with the sense of the text.
For each numbered line 41 - 50, find the unnecessary word and then write the word in CAPITAL LETTERS on your Answer Sheet. Some lines are correct.
Advice on giving presentations
0 Before you will decide what you are going to say, you must identify your audience's
00 needs and problems. Then you can begin to fashion a presentation that will be of
41 interest to your listeners because you will be directing about your discussion to what
42 they need to know, not just what you need to say. Even if you are presenting the bad
43 news, think ab out how your audience will be react to that news before you start working
44 on your presentation. Remember that the audience wants something - to gain knowledge,
45 to be diverted, to be informed. Identify of the audience's needs and compile an audience profile.
46 For example, imagine how you are asked to give a presentation about persuasive writing.
47 Your audience is a graup of sales professionals who are extremely good at face-to-face
48 conversations and on the telephone but hate writing sales documents. With only
49 30 minutes to give your presentation, you cannot possibly cover both the entire complex
50 subject of a persuasive writing. So, focus instead on the benefits of writing versus speaking and then take questions fram your audience.
31 not/never
32. all
33.be
34.at
35. being
36 than
37 to
38 are
39 these/those
40 the
41 about 42 the
43 be
44 correct
45. of
46 how
47 & 48 correct
49 both
50 a
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/
Match each of the statements on the bottom of the page withone of the letters below
Letters to the editor
Tuesday's editorial column on the violent anti-globalisation protests at the recent International Monetary Fund (IMF) meeting in Seattle produced a large response fromour readers. Here is a selection showing the range of opinions we received.
Dear Sir
Globalisation is nothing new - in fact it's as old as civilisation itself. From the days of the Roman Empire, economic powers have always looked to increase their wealth through trade. This process has always brought different cultures into contact, with both sides learning new ideas and customs from each other. If trade didn´t benefit both parties, it wouldn't happen, so I don't believe it's true that globalisation today is only benefiting rich western countries such as the USA. Globalisation is all about increasing wealth and the choice of goods for everyone. Technology is making this easier and bringing the world and its economies closer together, which can only be a good thing in my opinion. Increased trade leads to information exchange and an increased understanding of other cultures. The world's largest economic sector - tourism - is a result of this spread of information and interest in other cultures. Globalisation has also helped to spread democracy, improve human 'rights and set environmental standards in many countries that look to participate in the global marketplace.
John, Washington DC (by email)
Dear Sir
The recent anti-globalisation protests in Seattle show that an increasingly large and varied group of people are very concerned about the effects of liberalised world trade. Anti-poverty campaigners, environmentalists, trade unions and human rights activists from all over the world are concerned that:
1) globalisation widens the economic gap between the world's richest and poorest countries. The latest World Bank report states the gap between the average income in the richest and poorest 20 countries has doubled in the past 40 years.
2) national cultures are under threat from sateltite TV; mass tourism and multinationals selling the same goods in every country. In French cinemas, most films are now made in Hollywood. 3) multinationals are becoming more powerful than elected governments. A large US energy company recently forced the state of California to legalise a chemical used in petrol that the California state government had banned for health reasons. At the current World Trade talks, multinationals are looking to secure the same powers over foreign national governments.
4) multinationals serve only their shareholders and are interested in huge profits only -, not in environmental sustainability - especially in overseas markets. If these companies are more powerful than governments, who can protect our environment?
Martina, Prague
Dear Sir
I recently took part in a one-day strike in protest at our government's economic reforms that will allow multinationals to enter the country. I do not believe that liberalisation is the only way to achieve efficiency. For many years, India has benefited from efficient industries secured by protection from outside competition as did countries such as Germlany and Japan. Our large semi-skilled workforce and strengths in information technology should place India in a good position to benefit from globalisation and many Indians want to participate in the revolution .but at what cost? Once these foreign multinationals become established in the country, can the government ensure that they will operate in the interests of the millions living in poverty and not just tbose with money to buy their goods?