LANGUAGE ELEMENTS

I. Complete the text using the words from the list. There are twice as many words as you need.
Use the words only once.

3M: AN AMERICAN STAR IN EUROPE

3M, like many other companies, must continually innovate in order to survive. Indeed, the
company has been responsible for the (1) ………..……… of 60,000 products, each of which is protected by
a patent. The successful performance of 3M over the years, is due to several
(2) ………….….… . Firstly, the company spends a large part of its annual budget on the creation,
improvement and testing of products. The company also has a (3) ……..………… structure which allows
employees to change jobs frequently, from research to manufacturing, or from manufacturing to marketing.
The exchange of ideas and information is also a key aspect of 3M’s strategy of constant innovation. Top
technical people (4) ………..……… an annual meeting at the (5) ……..……….… where many 3M
laboratories show their latest products. Another interesting fact about 3M is that it (6) ……..….……..…
staff to spend 15% of their time on personal projects. It was this unusual (7) ………..……....… which
enabled 3M employee Arthur Fry to come up with one of the most famous 3M inventions – the Post-it note.

policy cautious launch charges politics headquarters itinerary

factors attend flexible appoints encourages freelance amend

II. For each gap choose the correct option A, B, C, D or E. Choose one word in each case.
1. It’s really hard to foresee all the investment risks …........................................... .
A. in advance B. in stock C. in particular D. in charge E. in common
2. My assistant apologised …........................................... the documents I needed.
A. not to bring B. for not bringing C. of not bringing D. to not bringing E. to not bring
3. I asked Miss Skipper to …........................................ me through to her boss.
A. get B. let C. put D. bring E. turn
4. …......................................... some Japanese women are successful in business, the majority of Japanese
companies are run by men.
A. Nevertheless B. However C. In spite of D. Regarding E. Although

III. Use the words in brackets to form words that fit in the sentences. Use one word in each case.

1. Graduates have to fight for jobs in today’s highly .………….…..……… (COMPETE) market.
2. All apartments in this hotel are simply but adequately ………………............. (FURNITURE).
3. He invested most of his ………………..………. (SAVE) in the Stock Exchange.
4. I passed the exam, but I’m still waiting for my …………..……………. (CERTIFY).

IV. Fill in the correct form of the words in brackets.

1. Who ……………………………. (lead) the conference tomorrow?
2. If I ……………………………. (be) in your position, I would ask for a pay rise.
3. A brand has to provide quality, otherwise people will eventually stop …………...…… (buy) it.
4. How long ….……………………... (work) for that manufacturer before you decided to quit last month?
5. I will give you a call as soon as the plane ……………………………. (land).
6. The parcel ……………………………. (not/deliver) yet.
7. I can’t get used to ……………………………. (get) up at 5.00 a.m. every day.
8. The company should ………………………. (sell) its shares before their value decreased significantly.
9. I don’t know how you managed ……...……………………. (persuade) him to lend you so much money.
10. Who is ……………………..…….. (little) responsible person in your team, someone you don’t like
cooperating with?

For educational use at AGH UST only. By Agata Czerw and Monika Hryniewicz