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SUJETS D’ANGLAIS AU BTS

ANGLAIS 2000

I- COMPREHENSION

Read the following passage below and answer the questions which follow it

Too many American companies regard the factory as just another cost centre. Plants
and the people who run them usually play supporting roles seldom hearing large applause
from the headquarters. But for a few right-thinking businesses, the factory is becoming the
star.

Take, for example, Caterpillar. Earlier this year, Caterpillar reorganize this year a 13
profit centers based in the plant. At first, it intended to move only its design engineers to the
plant to work closely with the production people. But it thought otherwise and decided to
involve the whole team working together. So marketing pricing folks had to be moved into
the plants and, where there wasn’t enough room, to ne adjacent offices.

Standing-room-only crowds at a factory? It is hard to believe. But other companies

would do well to emulate Caterpillars lead. Amid all the heroic fits performed by U.S
corporative to become more competitive in the last decade - improving quality, empowering
workers, revolutionizing culture one ingredient was missing, they did not pay attention to
manufacturing, to the nuts and bolts of making things. U.S industries remain the largest and
the most productive machine in the world. But it needs a good overhaul. Throughout the
1980s’, manufacturing productivity grew much faster in Japan than in the latest fortune 500
CEOPO1, 64% of CEOs cite manufacturing as Japans strongest competitive advantage.

Large manufacturers are up against plenty of problems they cannot much about:
schools that produce sub literate workers, a budget deficit that makes borrowing expensive, a
fallen yen that lowers the price of Japanese exports. But the management of Caterpillar has
aimed heavy machinery at one problem they can fix.

Academics, consultants, and executives agree that US industry must focus on three
key aspects of manufacturing: people, process and design.

Annales Brainprepa (www.brainprepa.com)

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Questions

1) What do Americans think about a factory?

2) Why did Caterpillar move its design engineer to the plant?
3) While companies were not paying much attention to manufacturing, in which areas were
they making progress?
4) What do American chief executive officers consider as Japan’s strongest competitive
advantage?
5) Which problems can manufacturers do little about?

II- GRAMMAR

Turn the verbs in brackets in appropriate verb forms, following instructions where
necessary.

When I finish working , I (to go ) …………………to a chicken parlour with my friends and
we (to eat ) …………………and (to drink) ………………… for hours; but for the time
being, I(to be :“obligation”) ………………… (to sort) ………………… out this pile of files.
I (to finish :“obligation”) …………………before 4 p.m. after this hard work, I (to take)
…………………my revenge on bottles of beer and my friends (to be)
…………………surprised. At moment they too (to work) …………………in their offices,
but they (to stop) ………………… (to work) …………………soon. It’s (to go)
………………… (to be) …………………hectic tonight. I (not to eat)
…………………anything before (to reach) the chicken parlour. Where (we to go)
………………… .after the chicken parlour? (We to move) ………………… to a night club
or to the cinema? Look, I (to dream) …………………and time (to run) ………………… out
very fast. I (not to be) ………………… ready on time.

III. VOCABULARY

Choose the correct meaning of the following words and expressions:

1. “revenues soared”
a. revenues went slowly down
b. revenues stagnated

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c. revenues went up fast.

2. “happy-go-lucky”

a. unrestricted
b. constructive
c. reasonably optimistic!

3. “to cope with”

a. to negotiate
b. to adjust to
c. to survey

4. thriving

a. prosperous
b. comfortable
c. generous

5. ‘a vacuum - cleaner”

a. used for storing information

b. used for cleaning carpets’
c. used for cutting grass.

IV. TRANSLATION

A. Translate into French:

Your market is huge, gentlemen. Huge because it is composed of different submarkets with
different geographical characteristics. As I see it there is some competition here: you have got
national as well as foreign firms. And you are quite aware that standards and rules vary from
one place to another.

B. Translate into English:

1. Si j’étais mécontent de mes conditions de travail, j’en parlerais d’abord au Syndicat.

2. Le conflit n’aurait jamais eu lieu si la Direction avait accepté de négocier.

Annales Brainprepa (www.brainprepa.com)

 www.orniformation.com

3. Beaucoup des parents Camerounais n’ont pas les moyens d’envoyer leurs enfants dans
une Université.
4. L’union fait la force.

V. ESSAY

Write an essay of about 35 words on one of the following topics

1. How can companies encourage their employees not to cheat?

2. Is it possible to combine a career and a family life?
3. “Managers must show more interest for people that work for them” Discuss.
4. You are the sales manager of SODECOTON, 1186 AHMADOU AHID. Avenue, Garoua,
Republic of Cameroon. Write to the purchase Manager of CICAM, Douala,1385 Charles
De Gaulle Avenue, P.O Box 1888, Douala, Republic of Cameroon, apologizing for not
being able to meet the deadline of supply of cotton to that firm. Give reasons for this
failure. Your name is Peter Bright.

Annales Brainprepa (www.brainprepa.com)