VOCABULARY

I. e-commerce. Match each of the words or phrases (16) with a verb (ag) that has the same meaning.

1. reject
2 look for information
3 show
4 carry out
5 pay money into
6 take money out of
7 check
a) debit
b) browse
c) verify
d) display
e) credit
f) fulfil
g) deny

II. Company cultures. Complete each gap (17) in the description of a company with a phrase from the box.

annual leave business suit casual Fridays face to face
family names first names flexible hours

Most days, I wear a (1) ......................, but my company has a system of (2) ....................... On that day, I can wear
what I like. Were usually formal with names, too. We dont use (3) ......................, we call each other by our (4)
....................... I work in a small, local office, and my boss is in the main office in another city. That means we often
speak on the phone, but we dont often meet (5) ....................... We have a system of (6) ....................... I work from 10
a.m. to 6 p.m., but many of my colleagues work nine to five. I get about 15 days (7) ....................... This year, Im
taking my family to Florida.

III. Skills and abilities. Choose the best word A or B in italics to complete each phrase (16) in the job
description.

We need someone who can ...
(1) A. arrange/ B. train sales conferences
(2) A. set up/ B. deal with problems
(3) lead a team of A. 50 people/ B. new markets
(4) A. develop/ B. organise new products
(5) set up A. a new branch in Mexico City/ B. customers and their problems
(6) A. increase/ B. lead sales

LANGUAGE

IV. Present simple or present continuous? Stan is on a two-week training course in Rome. He is writing an e-
mail to a colleague in New York. Complete each gap in the e-mail (17) with the verb in brackets in the correct
tense: present simple or present continuous.

Dear Carl,
This course is really good. I (1) .......................... (learn) a lot. It (2).................... (be) very different from my
usual office life in New York. In the office, I usually (3) .................... (not have) time to talk with people, because Im so
busy. But here, I (4) .................... (meet) new people every day. Its good to talk and get their ideas. And I (5)
.................... (enjoy) the Italian food, too.
Oh, the trainer (6) .................... (start) the next class, so I (7) ................. (have) to go.
See you soon,
Stan

V. Making arrangements. Betty and Rick are talking about travelling on business. Complete each gap in the
conversation (17) with the verb in brackets in the correct tense: past simple or present perfect.

Rick: Do you travel a lot on business?
Betty: Yes. Last year I (1) .................. (go) to Brazil eight times. What about you?
Rick: I (2) ................... (not travel). this year very much, but last year, I (3) .................... (spend) six weeks in
Johannesburg.
Betty: Oh, thats interesting. One of my colleagues from South Africa (4) .................... (come) to our office in March.
She (5) ................... (be) here for about three months now.
Rick: (6) ................... (you visit) South Africa?
Betty: Yes. I (7) ................... (go) there about five years ago.

SKILLS DEVELOPMENT
VI. Identifying problems and agreeing action. Choose the best phrase (af ) to complete each sentence (16).

1. Theres something Id like
2. Could I have
3. One thing we could do is
4. The problem is,
5. I think you
6. Im not sure
a) a word with you?
b) should explain things clearly.
c) to talk to you about.
d) thats a good idea.
e) he doesnt listen.
f) talk to him first.

VII. Interview skills. Ed is interviewing Beth for a job. Complete the questions (16).

Ed: What (1) d.......... y.......... l.................. from your last job?
Beth: I learned to ask questions.
Ed: And what (2) d.......... y.......... l.................. ?
Beth: Well, I had a problem with travelling. I didnt like travelling so much.
Ed: Thats OK. This job doesnt have any travel. Do you have any (3) s.................. s.................. ?
Beth: Well, people say Im good at listening.
Ed: What do you want to do (4) i.......... t.......... f.................. ?
Beth: My main aim is to be happy in my work, and be happy in my home life.
Ed: Oh, I see. Thats a good aim. And what do you do (5) i.......... y.......... f.................. t.................. ?
Beth: I really enjoy cycling. And when the weather is rainy, I love reading books.
Ed: Good. OK. Now, do you have (6) a.......... q.................. ?
Beth: Yes, Id like to ask you about

READING
VIII. Read the article below
CULTURAL DIFFERENCES IN BUSINESS COMMUNICATION
There are big cultural differences between North American businesspeople and businesspeople in Europe
and Asia when it comes to using the telephone and e-mail.
North Americans like e-mail more than they like the telephone. E-mail is a one-way message. You can write
an e-mail at any time. The person who receives the e-mail can read it later. This is convenient.
Another cultural difference is voicemail. American executives will leave a message on voicemail if there is no
reply. European executives, on the other hand, prefer two-way communication, such as a phone call or face-to-face
meeting. They dont like to use voicemail. They prefer to call back later, when they can have a conversation. And
professionals in the Asia-Pacific region dislike one-way communication even more than the Europeans do.
What about telecommuting (working from home, but doing business by phone and e-mail)? Half of North
American businesspeople say they like working alone. Telecommuting is very common there. Fifty-nine per cent of
American businesspeople telecommute at least once a month. Less than 30% of European workers do. They prefer to
be in the office, working with their colleagues face to face.
So be careful. If youre working with people from othercountries, try to understand their feelings about different
types of communication.

A. Decide whether each of these statements (15) is true (T) or false (F).

1. People everywhere use e-mail in the same way.
2. North Americans prefer e-mail to the telephone.
3. Asians and Europeans think voicemail is very convenient.
4. An e-mail message is an example of two-way communication.
5. Face-to-face communication in business is very important in the Asia-Pacific region.

B. Choose the correct word or phrase a, b or c to complete each sentence (13).

1. Telecommuting is more in North America than in Europe.
a) popular
b) difficult
c) expensive
2. North Americans say they dont mind working
a) in the office.
b) alone.
c) in Europe.
3. More than half of businesspeople telecommute every month.
a) American
b) Asian
c) European