Vocabulary A Write the missing words below in sentences 1-10. +--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ |timetable / budget / merger / schedule / expenses / bid / contractor / glitches / updates / | |rules | +--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ 1 It makes a change to see a project that’s ahead of _______________________. 2 According to the _______________________the talk is at three on Tuesday, not today. 3 The whole thing is already over _______________________and we’re only half way through. 4 Here’s my _______________________claim. Can you pay me it today? 5 They’ve put in a very high _______________________for the company. 6 Euphoria sweeps the stock markets when two companies announce a _______________________. 7 I’d like regular weekly _______________________please so I know what’s going on. 8 We’ve been appointed as the lead _______________________for the construction of a new railway system. 9 Before we begin I want to establish some ground _______________________for our discussion. 10 There have been one or two minor _______________________but nothing serious. It’ll be finished on time. B Match words from A and B and complete sentences 1-8. A: product / growth / public / product / advertising / chief / publicity / profit B: campaign / technology / relations / margins / market / placements / demonstrations / material 11 Our next __________________ ___________________ will be the most expensive yet with two famous actors appearing and coverage on TV and in magazines. 12 A CTO, or _________ ____________ officer, is the manager with the most authority concerning technology. 13 We organise weekly, live ______________ _____________ of our new range in shops for the general public. 14 As a __________________ __________________ officer, it’s my job to talk to the press and attend to conferences to network with the industry. 15 A recent James Bond movie had, reportedly, over one hundred __________________ __________________ including cars, watches and bikinis. I only noticed two though. 16 With an increasing number of manufacturers chasing fewer customers, many companies have dropped their prices and seen __________________ __________________ shrink. 17 For the last ten years, telecommunications has been seen as the __________________ __________________. No other area has seen the same continuing demand. 18 I hate all the __________________ __________________ that comes through my letter box everyday. I never read it! Language A Tick answer a, b or c to complete these sentences. 1 Even recently, many companies _______________ to take advantage of the Internet. a) failed b) have failed c) will have failed 2 I think that by 2050, Chinese or Spanish ________________ overtaken English as the language of business. a) has b) will be c) will have 3 It’s a strategy which regularly _______________ to be wrong. a) proves b) has proved c) had proved 4 Currently, company bosses _____________ to follow their instincts even more. a) began b) begin c) are beginning 5 _______ whole project is being run by BAA a) the b) a c) an 6 The T5 Agreement is _______ biggest novelty. a) a b) the c) an 7 He hasn’t left the number for me. He ______________ forgotten it. a) must be b) should have c) must have 8 Most companies have men in top positions. I think companies __________ learn to change the culture. a) might b) should be c) should 9 She was busy all week so she ___________ time to plan this. a) should have had b) can’t have had c) can’t have 10 The employees __________ be happy about this new pay cut. a) mustn’t b) can’t c) can’t have B Delete the extra word in each sentence. 11 You don’t know what caused the crash, do you not? 12 Did were you satisfied with the remuneration package you received? 13 How much briefed were you about the presentations you attended? 14 Are you getting what do you need? 15 The talk, which will still begin at three, that is now in the Savoy room. 16 Nanotechnology, which who was invented by Eric Drexler, is the next great change affecting everyone’s lives. 17 The new generation of phones, which offering even more features, will cost only a little more. 18 We expect market share to keeping grow steadily this year. 19 It’s a highly effective way of to reaching a new type of customer. Reading A Match these headlines to the first sentences from different news articles. 1 SPRING IN THEIR STEPS 2 GIANTS TO MERGE 3 DOTCOM BOOM OR BUST 4 IT’S FINALLY UP AND AWAY 5 CORNER CUTTING COSTS IN THE END 6 AVERAGE WORKER ONLY MANAGES SHORT STINT AT WORK 7 PROTESTERS OCCUPY CRANE 8 TUNNEL COMPLETED ON SCHEDULE 9 GOVERNMENT SCEPTICS SILENCED 10 MINISTERS SEEK COMMON GOALS a) A new survey highlights how most employees don’t view a job as something for life with most having taken at least three different posts by the time they are thirty… b) The markets were rocked with the latest news that a new joint venture threatens to take over and control the telecommunications market in the UK. c) On time and on budget – that was the happy news from the construction company responsible for… d) After years of discussions and negotiation, BAA at last launched the news last night of a project to build Heathrow airport’s fifth terminal which will host over 30 million passengers a year taking off around the world e) March and April has seen more and more company bosses looking happier after a long period of recession with news that inflation is down and investment is on the increase. f) After the collapse of many internet-based companies in the late nineties, many observers are surprised to see companies in the twenty first century still pursuing the e-commerce dream… B Parts of sentences a-j below are missing from the text about new products. Write in the letter to complete the description. a) Always keen to keep one foot forward b) Now that’s future planning c) which are being installed as part of a pilot project d) Meanwhile e) Spring is the season of motor shows f) as well as its obvious portability g) but travelling at a maximum forty kilometres per hour h) However i) to changing weather conditions j) And finally +--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ |ROUND-UP OF THE LATEST IN GADGETS AND TECHNOLOGY | | | |This week saw the introduction of new machines in hotel lobbies and public places. The | |machines, (1)________________, dispense cigarette lighter sized hard drives containing | |digital recordings of films, which are easy to upload onto a computer and watch in the | |comfort of your room. | | | |(2)________________, Adidas continues to work on a new battery-powered shoe which is being | |designed to react, with the help of a microprocessor and electric motor, | |(3)__________________. | | | |(4)__________________, the latest race to create a digital pen is being fought with one from| |Microsoft which has the flexibility to write on paper as well as electronic documents. One | |of the many key benefits to users, (5)__________________, will be its ability to upload | |pen-written documents directly onto their computers. | | | |(6)_________________. And the first of many opened in Tokyo with green issues taking centre | |stage. Car companies looking to the future demands of a more environmentally-minded customer| |presented a variety of new prototype engines. One of the latest on display combined enhanced| |fuel efficiency with electric power, (7)_________________ it still has a long way to go! | | | |(8)_______________, mobile phones – as always – continue to lead the way in gadgetry. | |Virtually the moment a new mobile phone hits the market it becomes outdated with what | |follows. (9)_______________, a new model includes extra buttons that do nothing – yet. The | |idea is that future downloads will be available to increase the abilities of the phone and | |make use of the dormant keys. (10)__________________! | | | | | +--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+