剑桥商务英语初级模拟9

剑桥商务英语初级模拟9 Test 9 READING AND WRITING I hour 30 minutes PART ONE Questions 1--5 ? Look at the questions 1--5. ? In each question, which sentence is correct? ? For each question, mark one letter ( A, B, or C ) on your Answer Sheet. 1. Payment to be made by cash on delivery. The invoice has to be paid A. after the shipment arrives. B. before the shipment arrives. C. when the shipment arrives. 2. While we are developing the product, we will write regular reports to ensure that you are informed of its progress. A. We're going to write reports at the same time as we develop the product. B. We're going to write reports after we develop the product. C. We're going to write reports before we develop the product. 3. Forestry university students by citizenship Which country has the fewest students at forestry University? A. Malaysia B. Korea C. Japan 4. Flight T Time AB698 NewoYork 16:00 CR369 London 15:30 AG982 Washington 16:45 HJ889 Tokyo 19:00 A. Flight CR369 arrives at 15:30. B. Flight AG982 leaves at a quarter to five in the afternoon. C. All the flights arrive at a different time. 5. Please enter without knocking A. You don't have to knock before you go in. B. Please don't come in now. C. You can go in without opening the door. PART TWO Questions 6--10 ? Look at the office plan below. ? For questions 6--10, which department does this job? ? For each question mark one letter (A--H) on the Answer Sheet. ? Do not use any letter more than once. B A C D Mr Zhang Miss Wang Mr Li Mr Lu Quality Sales Agent Bookkeeper Buyer Controller E F G H Ms Chen Miss Huan Miss Hua Mr Wei Secretary Receptionist Manager Personnel Manager 6. Who makes sure the company's products are made properly? 7. Who keeps financial records of all business transactions? 8. Who handles correspondence for the company? 9. Who is responsible for sales and services at a particular place? 10. Who makes decisions for the company? PART THREE Questions 11--15 ? Look at the charts below. They show company sales. ? Which chart does each sentence (11-15) describe? ? For each sentence, mark one letter ( A--H ) on your Answer Sheet. ? Do not use any letter more than once. 11. After a sharp increase in the sale in April, there was a small fall in May. 12. The sale fell during April but rose again in May to reach the same level as in March. 13. A steady increase in sales during April and May followed the sharp fall in March. 14. The sale fell steadily from March to May. 15. The sale hardly changed throughout the period. PART FOUR Questions 16--22 ? Read the following passage. ? Are the sentences 16--22 "Right" or "Wrong"? If there isn't enough information to answer "Right" or "Wrong", choose "Doesn't say". ? For each sentence 16--22, mark one letter ( A, B or C ) on your Answer Sheet. PRESS OFFICER ,22,000 PER YEAR A leading oil company needs a Press Officer for its busy offices. You should be: ? good at making phone calls ? excellent at writing reports ? able to go on business trips at least three times a month ? willing to work late several times a week ? experienced at working with computers Benefits include:6 weeks' annual holiday and bonus payment after 12 months. 16. You do not need good writing skills for this job. A. right B. wrong C. Doesn't say 17. You will need to travel in this job. A. right B. wrong C. Doesn't say 18. You will never need to work late. A. right B. wrong C. Doesn't say 19. You need to know how to work with computers. A. right B. wrong C. Doesn't say 20. You will get 30 days' annual holiday. A. right B. wrong C. Doesn't say 21. You will receive ,22,000 for one year's work. A. right B. wrong C. Doesn't say 22. The company will offer you a set of house. A. right B. wrong C. Doesn't say PART FIVE Questions 23--28 ? Read the article below abot ICT industry in China. ? For each question 23--28, choose the correct answer. ? Mark one letter (A, B or C) on your Answer Sheet. A brief history of the ICT industries reveals four main facets of development. First, in the telecom industry, China's rapid development has had a large impact on the world telecom industry. According to Ministry of Information Industry (MII) statistics for the first half of 2003, China has the world's largest telecom subscriber base, with nearly 500 million fixed-line and mobile subscribers. Overall telecom operator service revenue grew 14 percent to US$50 billion in 2002, with over 98 percent of this revenue accounted for by the four major state-owned operators. In the cable TV industry, China has a rather unique history. Long considered part of the state propaganda apparatus, the State Administration of Radio, Film & Television (SARFT) has traditionally been responsible for both the production as well as the transmission of content. To de-politicize the business of video transmission. SARFT has been taking steps to separate the stations (i.e., content) from the net works in recent years. In the computer/Internet industry. China has developed rapidly. Traditionally heavily focused on hardware, to the relative neglect of software, China's computer industry has been exposed to international competition for quite some time and has developed world-class domestic suppliers, in addition, China has over 50 million Internet users and Chinese is expected to become the most widely used language on the web within this decade. Lastly, in the electronics manufacturing industry, China has in recent years emerged as a manufacturing base, as significant portions of the supply/assembly chain (most notably in computer and telecom equipment) have moved to the PRC. China's electronics sector is ranked first among all of China's industries in terms of foreign investment attracted, export volume, industrial value added, and contribution to GDP growth. China's overall ICT industry can be viewed as growing very rapidly in many areas. Indeed, ICT constitutes a major area of China's overall growth. In the first quarter of 2003, China's overall industrial sector's industrial value-added grew by 17.2 percent year on year, compared to 10.9 percent growth a year earlier. Nearly one-third of that growth, or 5.8 points out of 17.2 percentage points of growth, came from two sectors: telecommunications and electronics. 23. China's rapid development in the telecom industry has played a/an ______ role on the w0orld telecom industry. A. minor B. important C. secondary 24 China has the world's largest telecom subscriber base, ______ . A. with almost 500 million mobile phones B. with almost 500 million fixed-line phones C. with almost 500 million subscribers of both fixed-line and mobile phones 25. ______ have contributed the most to the telecom revenue growth. A. The four major local and foreign telecom operators B. The four major foreign telecom operators C. The four telecom operators owned by the government. 26. China's computer industry used to focus ______ . A. more on hardware than on softeware B. more on software than on hardware C heavily both on hardware and software 27. At the moment, the most widely used language on the web is ______ . A. Chinese B. Indian C. English 28. The word "emerge" in the fourth paragraph means the following EXCEPT ______ . A. come out B. come into existence C. come away PART SIX Questions 29--40 ? Read the article below about a commission of Spanish lemon growers. ? Choose the correct word to fill each gap. ? For each question 29-40, mark one letter ( A, B or C ) on your Answer Sheet. Worried Spanish lemon growers have (29) up a special commission to try to (30) the problems of a declining market and competition from non-EC countries, in both Europe and South America. This move comes (31) exports last year fell by 33000 tonnes, leaving an estimated 69000 tonnes of fruit on the trees. In the (32) period countries like Turkey--selling in the winter--and Argentina--selling during the summer--have increased their volumes from 40000 (33) 55000 tonnes. The Spanish organisation has 15 members, drawn from industry associations, cooperatives and the trade in the Murcia and Valencia regions, (34) produce almost 90% of the total Spanish crop. Jaime T lglesias the coordinator of the commission said, (35) a press conference in Nuevo Castillo, that it will co-operate (36) other sectors, in particular the orange growers and the olive producers, but that it will hold independent views. (37) not yet legally reoognised, the commission has already drawn up a series of (38) . These include proposals to extend the season, cut production costs and improve quality. (39) the marketing side it has called for lemons to be included in the CAP (Common Agricultural Policy) with Community preference. It also wants an EC promotional campaign. Its recommendations will be presented to the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture and the Andalusian government (40) the next few weeks. 29. A. arrange B. set C. fix 30. A. explain B. answer C. solve 31. A. at B. in C. after 32. A. same B. similar C. similarly 33. A. at B. to C. among 34. A. that B. where C. which 35. A. in B. at C. on 36. A. with B. among C. in 37. A. If B. Although C. Though 38. A. measures B. steps C. methods 39. A. in B. at C. on 40. A. following B. in C. at PART SEVEN Questions 41--45 ? Read the memo below. ? Complete the Travel Requisition Form on the following page. ? Write a word, phrase (in CAPITAL LETERS) or a number on lines 41--45 on your Answer Sheet. Memorandum To Rosemary Wimpole From Dr Kittle, Research and Development Date 3 February 1998 Re My April visit to Los Angeles Please check the following and complete a Travel Requisition Form for me. Thanks TRAVEL MAD:WORLD-WIDE SPECIALISTS Flights Tours Holidays All information. Phone or fax:+44 181-222-5566 PROPOSAL: TRAVEL LONDON-LOS ANGELES RETURN FOR Dr C J KI'I-I'LE Please check all details carefully and confirm within 21 days. Thu, 17 Apr 1998 LONDON HEATHROW TERMINAL 3 to LOS ANGELES INTL APT Flight: AA 137 (AMERICAN AIRLINES) Class ?FIRST ?BUSINESS ECONOMY Depart: 1055 Arrive: 1425 Thu, 08 May 1998 LOS ANGELES INTL AIRPORT to LONDON HEATHROW TERMINAL 3 Flight: AA 136 (AMERICAN AIRLINES) Class: ?FIRST ?BUSINESS ECONOMY Depart: 1715 Arrive: 1150 (1 day later) Cost of ticket ,420.00 VISA AND HEALTH INFORMATION VISA Current passport required. Visa not required for a stay of 90 days or less. HEALTH TETANUS and POLLO vaccinations recommended. Travel Requisition Form Traveller details Dr C J Kittle Name of traveller (41) Department Affending H O bridfing Purpose of visit Travel details (42) Airport and terminal in UK (43) Departure and return dates American Airlines Airline Class ____(44)_____ Cost, if known , 420 Visa requirements (145) Health requirements Tetanus and Polio vaccinations recommended WRITING Part One Question 46 ? Mr. Zhang, your boss, told you to ask Ms Liu to attend a sales presentation on a new product. Write a note to Ms. Liu: ? ? saying who wants her to attend the sales presentation; ? informing her when and where the sales presentation will be held. ? Write about 30—40 words on your Answer Sheet. Part Two Question 47 ? Read this letter from Smith. Dear Davis I received a message this morning saying that our meeting on Friday 12 April had been cancelled. Unfortunately, the message didn't give any more details or any alternative dates. Could you just confirm that the meeting has indeed been cancelled and possibly suggest another date? Best regards Smith ? Write a letter to Smith: ? apologising for cancelling the meeting ? giving a reason for the cancellation ? offering a new date and time ? asking her to confirm the new date and time. ? Write 60-80 words on your Answer Sheet. ? Do not include postal addresses. LISTENING Approximately 40 minutes (including 10 minutes' transfer time) PART ONE Questions 1—8 ? For questions 1--8 you will hear 8 short recordings. ? For each question, mark one letter (A, B or C) for the correct answer. 1. What happens to the phone call? A. The receptionist puts the caller through. B. The receptionist takes a message. C. The caller offers to ring back later. 2. How much does the retailer pay for each game? A. $7 a unit B. $7 a unit C. $7 a unit 3. When will Davis be at Ready Mix? A. Sun--Mon B. Thur--Fri C. Mon--Tue 4. What will they order? 5. Which chart is correct? S—the Smith's, B—he Brown's, G—he Green's 6. When will the man come to pick up the woman? A. 6:30p.m. B. 6:30p.m. C. 6:30p.m. 7. When will Dick and Alison meet again? A. 8 Sept. B. 18 Sept. C. 8 Oct. 8. Which graph is correct? PART TWO Questions 9—12 ? Look at the notes below. ? Some information is missing. ? You will hear a woman talking about two new products. ? For each question 9-15, fill in the missing information in the numbered space using a word, numbers, o letters. ? After you have listened once. replay the recording. Two versions of Mindtist: (9) ........................ (10) ........................ The difference of two versions: (11) ........................ (12) ........................ (13) ........................ The price of two versions (14) ,........................ (15) ,........................ PART THREE ? Look at the notes below. ? Some information is missing. ? You will hear a conversation about ordering something. ? For each question 16-22, fill in the missing information in the numbered space using one or two words. ? After you have listened once, replay the recording. Order Form Customer details Name: (16) ................ Company: Great wall (17) ................ company Address: (18) ................ Road, Hong Kong. Fax: (19) ................ Order details (20) ................ Item: (21) ................ Amount: (22) ................ PART FOUR Questions 23—30 ? You will hear a talk on import regulations. ? For each questions 23--30, mark one letter (A, B or C) for the correct answer. ? After you have listened one, replay the recording. 23. The managing Director feels they must ______ . A. tighten up on financial control B. losen financial control C. keep the situation 24. The Financial Controller feels they have got to ______ . A. lengthen payment times B. reduce payment times C. speed up repayment 25. They must reduce payment times to ______ . A. 45 days B. 15 days C. 30 days 26. The Managing Director feels they must A. reduce costs B. improve service C. increase profits 27. Their suppliers A. have to help them B. don't have to help them C. is also small firms 28. The personnel Manager feels A. They don't have to cut training and personnel development. B. Most of the training programmes are long term. C. have to reduce costs now. 29. The Managing Director feels they have got to A. cut some services B. reduce staff C. look carefully at future training courses. 30. The managing Director got another meeting at A. 2 B. 4 C. 5 SPEAKING 12 minutes PART 1 The interview-about 2 minutes In this part the interlocutor asks questions to each of the candidates in turn. You have to give information about yourself and express personal opinions. PART 2 Mini presentation'-about 5 minutes In this part of the test you are asked to give a short talk on a business topic. You have to choose ne of the topics from the two below and then talk for about one minute. You have one minute to prepare your ideas. A WHAT IS IMPORTANT WHEN...? ARRANGING A BUSINESS TRIP ABROAD ? TYPE OF TRANSPORT ? ACCOMMODATION ? CONTACT PERSON B WHAT IS IMPORTANT WHEN...? TRAVEUING BY AIR FOR BUSINESS ? FLIGHT DEPARTURE TIMES ? IN-FLIGHT SERVICE ? TRANSPORT TO AND FROM AIRPORTS PART 3 Discussion-about 5 minutes In this part of the test the examiner reads out a scenario and gives you some prompt material in the form of pictures or words. You have 30 seconds to look at the prompt card, an example of which is below, and then about 2 minutes to discuss the scenario with your partner. After that the examiner will ask you more questions related to the topic. For two or three candidates Scenario I'm going to describe a situation. Your company is planning to choose a hotel for staffs' holiding. Talk together about the topics that company should consider and decide which 3 you think are most important. Here are some ideas to help you. Prompt material ? Price ? Location ? Business facilities ? Leisure facilities ? Food ? The bedroom ? Environment ? Traffic KEY Reading Part One 1(C On delivery相当于when receiving the shipment(译为“货到后将以现金的形式付款”。 2(A原句译为:“当我们开发新产品时，我们将定期写 报告 软件系统测试报告下载sgs报告如何下载关于路面塌陷情况报告535n,sgs报告怎么下载竣工报告下载 以保证您了解它的生产进程”。regular，“定 期的，经常”。 3(C由图知，马来西亚的学生最多，占45%，日本学生最少，占10%。 4(B 15:30分为CR369起飞的时间，不是到达的;图中并未给出各航班到达的时间，所以A和C都是错误的。a quarter to five，“差一刻到五点，即4:45",B对。 5(A without“不经，没有”。 Part Two 6(B保证公司产品的生产问题是质检员的工作。 7(C商品交易的财务记录是由会计员负责的。book keeper，“会计员，记账员” 8(E处理公司的信件是秘书的工作。 (A负责商品的买卖和售后服务是营业部人员。 9 10(G统筹公司各方面事务的是经理。 Part Three 11(A“四月份销量大幅度增长，但在五月份又有略微下降。” 12(H“四月份销量有所下降，但在五月份重新上涨至与三月份同等水平。” 13(日“三月份销量大幅下降后四、五月份销量稳定上升。” 14(E“从三月份到五月份销量持续稳定下降。” 15(C“三月份到五月份销量基本没有变化。” Part Four 16(B短文中提到“要擅长写报告”，所以需要具备良好的写作技能。 17(A “able to go on business trips at least three mesa month(” 18(B“willing to work late several times a week”，愿意多次加班。 19(A文中提到要对操作电脑富有经验。experienced，“有经验的”。 B文中提到每年假期有6周，即42天，而不是30天。 20( 21(A标题中提到。 22(C文中并未提到提供住房问题。 Part Five 23(B第一段中提到:“China's rapid development has...on the world telecom industry"，中国的快速发展对世界电信产业有相当大的影响。play an important role on ...“在„„方面起重要作用”。 24(C第一段中提到:“China has the world's largest telecom...mobile subscribers "C项符合。 25(C第一段末句提到这个问题为four major-state owned operators，“state-owned”，“国有的，国营的”，与C符合。 26(A 第三段中:”Traditionally heavily focused on hardware，to the relative neglect of software"，“传统上偏重于硬件，而相对忽视软件。” 27(C此题用排除法，原文中第三段说中文有望成为网络上最为广泛的语言，而题目说的是at the moment，现在，排除A和B，C最合适。 28(C come out与come into existence都有“产生、出现”的意思，与emerge相符，come away，“离开”。 Part Six 29(B set up “建立，创立”，fix up，“安装，确定，安排”， arrange不能与up搭配，B正确。 30(C solve “解决，解答”，一直与question搭配使用。 31(C根据上下语境，这次活动是发生在去年出口量下降后产生的，所以用after。 32(A修饰名词要用形容词形式，C排除，same强调“相同的，同一的”，similar强调“相似的”。 33(B from...to...，“从„„到„„”，固定搭配。 34(C本句为非限定性定语从句，that不能用于此类从句，从句缺主句成分，应用which。 35(B at a conference，固定用法。 36(A co-operate，“合作”，“与„„合作”要用co-operate with。 37(B此句为让步状语从句，although较正式，多用于句首。 38(A measure有“措施”之意，B、C均无此意，A最合适。 39(C on the...side成on the side of...，“站在„„方面”，固定用法。 40(B 表 关于同志近三年现实表现材料材料类招标技术评分表图表与交易pdf视力表打印pdf用图表说话 pdf 示未来的某段时间要用in。 Part Seven 41. Research and Development (Department) 42. London Hearthrow Terminal 3 43. Departure: (Thursday) 17 April 1998; Return: (Thursday) 8 May 1998 44. Economy 45. None//No visa required Writing Part one 46. (for reference only) To: Ms. Liu Message: Boss asked you to attend a sales presentation on a new product. The presentation is scheduled to the Tuesday nextweek, at meeting room of our company's headquarters. Please pre pare some materials for it. Part Two 47. (for-reference only) Dear Smith: I'm very sorry that I have had to cancel our meeting on Friday at such a short notice. This is due to the fact that my boss is off all week and so I am unable to leave the office. I would like to suggest that we reschedule the meeting for next Tuesday at the same time, 10:45. Could you let me know if that would be convenient for you? I hope your reply. Best wishs. Listening Part One 1. C 注意末句 :"1'11 try again this afternoon."。 2. B 文中提到“要超过500份的定单才能使每份的价格下调一美元”，要200份也就没有折扣，按原 价$80 3. C Davis 周四返回，周三和周四要参加会议,所以在 Ready Mix 的时间为周一到周二。 4. A 关键句"We'd better order one more photocopier." 5. A 关键句"now they (s) have been taken by the Brown's"和 "They(G) are doing even better than the Smith's now." 6. B 本业约定为:7:00p.m,但woman 说要延迟半个小时,故为7:30p.m.。 7. A 关键句:"that's the 8th of september." 8. B 关键句:"price can't increase. In fact, they'll all slightly." Part Two 9. a stander size 10.a travel size 11.size 12.weight 13.cost 14.,17.99 15.,10.99 Part Three 26.Ken Saunders 17.shipping 18.201 Hall 19.4313998 20.4318006 21.officechairs 22.10 Part Four 23.A 关键句 "There's no doubt we're got to tighten up on financial control.' 24.B 关键句"We must reduce the average delay in payment." 25.C 关键句"We have got to get it down to near 30 days." 26.A 关键句"We've got to reduce costs semehow." 27.B 关键句"We are a small firm dealing with large supplier. They don't have to help us." 28.B 关键句 "Most of the training pragrammes are long term." 29.C 关键句 "I'm not saying we have to stop any existing programmes, but perhaps we should look carefully at future training course." 30.A 关键句"I've get another meeting at 2." Speaking PA RT 1 The interview (about 2 minutes) (Interlocnter: 1, *A:A, *B:B) I: Good afternoon, Sir. A,B: Good afternoon, Sir. I: To start with, tell me something about your education, A. A: AII right. I graduated from Shanghai In statute of Foreign Trade three years ago. I majored in international trade. I: Tell me about the courses you have completed? A: Economics. Economic Mathematics, Computer Application, Hotel English and so on. I: B, Do you have any work experience in a hotel? B: Yes, Last summer I served as an assistant manager in the lobby of Beijing Hotel. In the past winter vacation I worked as an assistant to the manager of Housekceping at Shangri-la Hotel. PART 2 Mini presentation for 2 candidates (about 5 minutes) Interlocutor: ? Thank you. That's the end of the first part of the test. In the next part you are each going to talk on your own. ? Now, I'm going to give each of you a card with two topics. I'd like to choose one topic and talk about it for about one minute. You have one minute to prepare for this. You are allowed to make notes. ? All right? Here are your topics. [Each candidate is handed a different topic card, and some paper and a pencil for notes] Interlocutor: ? Choose one of the topics and prepare to talk about it. Remember you can make notes if you wish. [1 minute's preparation time. Both candidates prepare their talks at the same time, separately.] Interlocutor: ? All right now. *B, which topic have you chosen, A, or B? So would you like to talk about what you think is important when arranging a business trip abroad? [B talks.] First, we should choose ways of transportation. There are many ways available. We can go abroad by train, by air, by ship. Of course, it depends the time and money of our company. Second,' Accommodation should be taken into account. We should book the room early, and plan how long we will stay. Third, we should also appoint the engagement with the person you are going to meet. We should also check the date when we get there to see whether the time is suitable for them. Interlocutor: ? Thank you. Now, *A, what do you think is the most important [A replies.] In my opinion, to contact the person you are going to meet is the most important. ? Thank you. All right. Now, *A, which topic have you chosen, A, or B? So would you like to talk about what you think is important when traveling by air for business? [A talks.] Well. This is a little bit complicated question. Many aspects need paying attention to. First, we should take flight departure times into account. It's certain the flight we have choosen is ideal for our appointment. Second, In-flight service is also important. Any annoyance could affect our mood, and thus give bad influence on our business. Third, we should also care about transportation to and from airports. Otherwise, we may waste much time on driving and even delay our departure. That's all. Thank you. ? Thank you. Now, *B, which do you think is most important? [B replies.] Well, according to me, flight departure times is the most important thing, Two other things are less important compared with it. ? Thank you [Materials are collected.] *USE CANDIDATES' NAMES THROUGHOUT THE TEST PART 3 Collaborative task and discussion (about 5 minutes) Interlocutor: ? Now, in this part of the test you are going to talk about something together. ? I am going to describe a situation. Here are some ideas to help you. [Task sheet I is placed in front of the candidates so that they can both see it.] Think about the ideas for a few seconds. ? I wil describe the situation again. You company is planning to choose a hotel for staffs' holiday. Talk together about the topics that company should consider and decide which 3 you think are most important. Now talk together. Please speak so that we can hear you. [Candidates have about 2 minutes to complete the task.] A: As you know, this year, as an expression of our gratitude to our staff members, we have decided to award them with a holiday. But there are couples of questions we should discuss before making decisions. B: I am open to all discussions. A: As we all know, finding a proper hotel for staff members isn't an easy thing. We should consider the problem from all aspects, for example, price ranges, location, business and leisure facilities, etc. I would like to hear your opinions and suggestions on this topic. B: I would definitely consider location, price and leisure facilities as the most important factors. A: Oh, you would? Why is that? B: Well, I think that staff members should enjoy their time in leisure. And location should of course play an important pole as well as price. A:I agree, continue. B: The place should be in the outskirts which means the price is obviously higher than in the center of the city. This gives the feeling of importance to our staff. A: This is excellent, I think we should do it! Thank you. [Materials are collected.] [Interlocutor selects one or more of the following questions as appropriate.] ? What is the highest price you can afford? (Why?) ? Where would like to live? (Why?) ? Do business facilities matter? (Why?/Why not?) ? Do you place priority to traffic? (Why?) ? Thank you. That is the end of the Speaking test. Tapescript Part One 1. A: Hello. North Seas Shipping. Can I help you? B: Hello Could I speak to Amanada Collins, please?. A: One moment please, I'll just try her office. Hello. I'm afraid she's in a meeting. Can I take a message? B: It's OK. I'll try again this afternoon. 2. A: The games look interesting, but how much do they cost per unit? B: The unit price is $8. A: And are there any discounts on large orders? B: We could give you a dollar off per unit on orders over 500 units. A: Hm. Then I'll just take 200 units to begin with. 3. W: Now Davis, what are you doing next week? M: Well, I'm spending the first two days at Ready Mix. Then I'm going to attend a meeting for a day and half, so I'll be back to the office on Thursday afternoon. 4. W: Why don't you order some more computers? M: We've already ordered six. W: What about fax machines and photocopiers? M: We'd better order one more photocopier, and we certainly don't need any more fax machine& 5. M: Which's the largest company in exporting travel bags and suitcases? W: Well, it used to be the Smith's, but they didn't make much profits in 1998. And now they've been taken by the Brown's. M: I learned that the Green's was very promising. W: Yes, they're doing well. They're doing even better than the Smith's now. 6. F: Look, why don't we get together this evening for dinner and continue our discussion about opening new markets? M: Great idea. You're staying at the Sheraton, aren't you? F: That's right. M: Now, where shall we meet? Suppose I come and pick you up at the Sheraton? Shall we say around 7:00? F: Could we make it half an hour later? M: Half past seven's fine with me. Shall I wait for you in the lobby? F: As you like. M: OK, in the lobby then. See you then. Bye. F: Bye. 7. F: Hello, Dick. M: Hey, Alison! Long time no see! How's tricks? F: Couldn't be better, Say, Dick. I'd like you to come over to my office and talk things over. M: OK by me. When? F: What about early next week? M: Couldn't we make it next Wednesday, that's the 8th of September. F: Looks OK to me. M: Great. Look forward to seeing you again. 8. M: Could you tell us something about the economic forecasts for next year?. For example, what will happen to housing costs? F: Well, there's good news for buyers. Prices can't increase. In fact, they'll fall slightly. M: Why? F: There are different reasons for this. One is that it won't be so easy to borrow money. A second reason is that there are still a lot of empty new houses on the market. M: I see. Thank you. Part Two Morning everybody. Now, as you know, this morning we're going to talk about our latest products in our range of games. Before we talk about the selling points of each game, I'd just like to describe them briefly. I'll begin with this general knowledge game called Mind twist, which comes in two versions: a standard size and a travel size. As you can see, the differences are size, weight and, of course, cost. The standard version has a normal size board, two packs of cards, six wooden playing pieces, a timer and two dice. The travel size, Mind twist Travel, is obviously smaller: it has a thin, light-weight, magnetic board which mea sures just 23cm square. The cards are smaller and the four playing pieces are magnetic counters which are made of coloured plastic. The total weight is only 300 grammes. The standard version will retail at ,17.99 and the travel size at ,10.99. And now I'd like to show you another new game called Collect. This is a card game for three to six players... Part Three M: I'd like to order ten office chairs, please. F: Certainly sir. Could you give me your name please? M: Ken Saunders. F: How do you spell Saunders, please? M: S-A-U-N-D-E-R-S. Saunders. F: And your company? M: Great wall Shipping Company. 201 Hall Road, Hong Kong. F: What was the road again? M: Hall. H-A-L-L F: And could I take a telephone and fax number? M: Telephone number, 4313998, fax 4318006. F: Thank you very much. The office chairs are $33 each, so that will be a total of $330 for ten, plus $20 transportation charges. That makes a total of $350. M: But the advertisement says the unit price is just $27. F: There has recently been an upgrade of it, which significantly chances its performance and durableness. Unfortunately, this upgraded product carries with it a price increase to $33 per item. M: Then, can I have the original version? F: Sorry, The original vision is no longer available. Prices of equipment and specifications are con stantly changing and these are not always re flected in our ads. We consider the new product to be well worth the extra money. M: Good, I’ll post it off to you today. Part Four MD: There's no doubt we've got to tighten up on financial control. Peter, you're in charge of credit control. What do you suggest? FC: Well, rye been looking at our payment terms, in other words how long we have to wait for payment, we must reduce the average delay in payment. It's nearly 45 days now from the date we send out the invoice. We've got to get it down to near 30 days. It's not easy. The Sales people always argue it is better to wait for payment rather than lose a customer, but I think we can tighten up on reminders, statements and so on. MD: What about our payments to suppliers? FC: Well, that's more difficult. We are a small firm dealing with large suppliers. They don't have to help us. Still, maybe one or two of our older suppliers could give us better payment terms. MD: Right, let's look at some more general cost cutting measures we can take. I'm interested in support services such as training and personnel development. PM: Look, I must say something here. We simply mustn't cut these services. They are our long term investment in people. MD: Maybe, but we've got to reduce costs some- how. We can't cut in the production area. I... PM: True, but our training budget is already very limited. Most of the training programmes are long term. MD: I’m not saying we have to stop any existing programmes, but perhaps we should look carefully at future training courses. PM: Well, I can let you have details of what we plan. I think you'll see that they are all worth- while investments. MD: I'm sure. Anyway, let me have the programme and we'll discuss it later. We'll have to stop now. I’ve got another meeting at 2. PM: I must go too. I've got a meeting straight away.