LISTENING (TASKS 1 – 2)
total:
TASK 1 1 point per item; maximum: 5 points; total:
You will hear Ian Barber, Marketing Manager with Barclaycard, the credit card business. Listen and
decide whether statements 1. – 5. are true (T) or false (F). You will hear the recording twice:
1. Barclaycard started facing tough competition in 1966. T F
2. Today there is an offer of almost 1,000 credit cards on the market. T F
3. Barclaycard enjoys wider brand awareness than its competitors. T F
4. Barclaycard’s pricing policy is to always be the cheapest. T F
5. Customers’ satisfaction is essential to remain competitive. T F
Space for your notes:
Kód a název předmětu
Vyberte datum – Version Písmeno NAME: _____________________________
TASK 2 1 point per item; maximum: 10 points; total:
You will hear part of a meeting at Phoenix’s head office in Sydney about a new site. Use up to 5 words to
answer questions 6. – 15. You will hear the recording twice:
6. Why is Port Katherine a good choice for Phoenix’s new site?
It is close to Perth and _______________________________ don’t pay attention to it.
7. What is Phoenix’s line of business?
They __________________________ cars.
8. What is the population of Port Katherine?
The population is __________________________.
9. What do the local authorities want?
To attract ________________________________ and jobs.
10. What are the advantages of Site A?
Easy access for trucks and _____________________________________ for the land.
11. What is the attitude of the planning department?
It is _________________________________.
12. What is positive about Site B?
There will be no problem with ______________________________.
13. What are disadvantages of Site B?
Site B is expensive and ____________________________ will be higher.
14. What is the problem with Site C?
It is in the ________________________________.
15. What would the company have to do to deal with the problem?
It would have to _________________________ the old building.
GRAMMAR &
VOCABULARY
(TASKS 3 – 8)
total:
TASK 3 1 point per item; maximum: 5 points; total:
Rewrite each sentence and keep its original meaning; use the expression given without changing its form:
Example: Susan may not leave home before 3 o’clock. ALLOWED
Susan is not allowed to leave home before 3 o’clock.
16. I started writing the report at 9.00 a.m. and I’m not finished yet. SINCE
I __________________________________________________________ 9.00 a.m.
17. I can’t apply for the Madrid job because I don’t speak Spanish. COULD
If I _______________ Spanish, I ____________________________ the Madrid job.
18. The supplier has lost our order form. BY
Our order form ____________________________________________ the supplier.
19. It wasn’t necessary for him to pay anything. HAVE
He _________________________________________________________ anything.
20. “The bank lent me the money and I will buy the car tomorrow,” she said. THAT
She said ________________________________________________ her the money
and she would buy the car the next day.
TASK 4 1 point per item; maximum: 6 points; total:
Translate the following expressions into English as accurately as possible:
21. snížit stav zásob –
22. povzbudit zaměstnance –
23. podplatit dodavatele –
24. zhodnotit provozní náklady –
25. nevyhnutelný důsledek –
26. zkontrolovat výkaz zisků a ztrát –
Kód a název předmětu
Vyberte datum – Version Písmeno NAME: _____________________________
TASK 5 1 point per item; maximum: 5 points; total:
Fill in the appropriate preposition or adverbial, if necessary. If you decide that no preposition or adverbial is
necessary, put “—” into the gap:
Examples: The book focuses on new trends in marketing.
We discussed — the topic last week.
27. Demand ________ personal computers has risen sharply.
28. She can’t cope ________ the stress in her workplace.
29. His lawyer filed a lawsuit ________ the counterfeiter.
30. They were selling ________ a discount.
31. He was ________ charge of the research team.
TASK 6 1 point per item; maximum: 5 points; total:
Complete each sentence with a word made from the word given in brackets. The word must be spelled
correctly. Do not form new words using –ing:
Examples: The factory is very uneconomic as it makes absolutely no profit. (ECONOMY)
The shop may replace the broken computer. (REPLACEMENT)
32. You should phone his secretary if you want to make an _________________.
(APPOINT)
33. The company’s exports have been rising _________________. (STEADY)
34. The government stopped funding _________________ industries. (PROFIT)
35. We produce cheaper goods than our _________________. (COMPETE)
36. He didn’t _________________ to the job ad. (RESPONSE)
TASK 7 1 point per item; maximum: 3 points; total:
Make questions asking about the word or words that have been underlined:
Example: We finished the work really quickly.
How did you finish the work?
37. He spoke about how to set up a small business.
___________________________________________________________________?
38. Many companies are outsourcing to India because it’s cheaper.
___________________________________________________________________?
39. Terry has placed this order.
___________________________________________________________________?
TASK 8 1 point per item; maximum: 6 points; total:
Complete the sentences with the correct form of the VERB and other words in brackets:
Example: Jack has never worked (never, WORK) in a different company so far.
40. The boss reminded the secretary __________________ (BOOK) a flight to Chicago.
41. If he learns the truth about the company, he ___________________ (not, TAKE) the
job.
42. They found the double payment while they __________________ (CHECK) the old
invoices.
43. The company should avoid __________________ (SPEND) too much.
44. The decision __________________ (MAKE) as soon as the Managing Director
comes back tomorrow.
45. We can’t afford __________________ (WAIT) any longer or we’ll miss the plane.
READING (TASKS 9 – 11)
total:
TASK 9 1 point per item; maximum: 10 points; total:
Read the following text and fill the gaps by choosing one correct option in each case:
As every manager knows, ‘the customer comes first’ and ‘the customer is always right’.
(46.) ______ these phrases being repeated so often, it is remarkable how many
organisations neglect essential training in customer care. When approaching front-office
staff, customers are (47.) ______ met with rudeness, lack of interest or signs of stress, and
(48.) ______ these give a negative impression of the organisation itself. Many customers
have come to expect treatment of this kind, and as a (49.) ______ behave aggressively or
irritably themselves.
These customers very often are the ‘awkward customers’ whom even well-trained customer
service staff (50.) ______ hard to handle. Many experts believe that not everyone in an
organisation has the right personality for a customer-service position and that this should
be taken into (51.) ______ when recruiting front-line staff. (52.) ______ with training,
some people will never have the skills to deal successfully with customers in what can be a
very stressful post.
There are also a number of experts (53.) ______ advocate training for customers in how
to get the best out of the staff they have to deal with (54.) ______, this would only really
be practical in company-to-company situations where, for instance, company buyers have
to deal with a (55.) ______ of different suppliers.
46. A: Because B: But C: Despite D: As
47. A: rarely B: hardly C: slightly D: frequently
48. A: every B: whole C: each D: all
49. A: cause B: result C: reason D: concern
50. A: find B: let C: take D: get
51. A: thought B: account C: idea D: head
52. A: Over B: Together C: Even D: So
53. A: who B: which C: what D: how
54. A: Although B: However C: Meanwhile D: Whereas
55. A: total B: figure C: number D: size
Kód a název předmětu
Vyberte datum – Version Písmeno NAME: _____________________________
TASK 10 1 point per item; maximum: 5 points; total:
Read the following text and fill the gaps by choosing one correct option in each case. There are two extra
sentences that you will not need:
QUARTERLY REPORT
You will see from the attached accounts that turnover in the past nine months of trading
has been disappointing. There are a number of reasons for this:
1 Sales and Advertising
Firstly, (56) ____, I think there is a much larger market potential for tableware including
glasses, jugs, and serving bowls.
Secondly, our agreed advertising budget of £7,000 is not enough to promote your
products, (57) _____. It would be useful to double this budget with a view to extending
advertising into neighbouring countries, where there are good opportunities to become
established. You will see from the attachment concerning the market research (58) _____
that there is a positive response in Jordan, Kuwait and the Emirates.
2 Competition and Finance
a) As I am sure you are aware, your main competition is from manufacturers in the Far
East, who undercut your prices by at least 40%. While they do not sell the same quality
products, a number of large companies are becoming established here and are likely to
start targeting the upper end of the market with better quality goods. I am monitoring
the situation (59) ______.
b) Some competitors copy designs, (60) ______ and put them on the market first.
c) Your credit limit of £2-3,000 should be at least doubled, as this is a very low figure in
this market. As your del credere agent I am quite willing to cover the risks involved.
A) even though we use only newspapers and magazines
B) so it is important for us to get new designs as quickly as possible
C) who helped with collecting the necessary data
D) that I have done through questionnaires to retailers
E) and will let you know of any developments
F) as a result of bad reputation for offering goods of bad quality
G) although there is a steady demand for the main ornamental lines
TASK 11 1 point per item; maximum: 5 points; total:
Read the following text and choose one correct option for each item:
Lessons in M&A
Some 1,500 to 2,000 mergers and acquisitions (M&A) are completed per year worldwide,
of which around half are in the US. With deals worth astronomical sums, ($25bn for HPCompaq,
$35bn for Daimler-Chrysler, and $77bn for Exxon-Mobil,) it comes as no
surprise that American executives are queuing up to go back to school for M&A classes.
And although it’s true that improving earnings and asset growth are not the only goals in
takeovers, the fact that many mergers result in a net loss of value suggests that schooling is
sorely needed!
Every year hundreds of executives attend M&A courses at prestigious institutions from
New York to L.A. In these ‘open enrolment’ classes, the only condition of attendance is
your, or rather your company’s, ability to pay the fees: as much as $1,000 per day. At least
that seems to demonstrate that the B-schools know something about improving earnings!
So what do you learn in a week with America’s top finance professors? ‘We aim to equip
participants with techniques based on best practice in the key areas of merger activity
performance, ‘ says Ted Austin from the Delaney School of Business. ‘We cover all aspects
of the conception, planning, due diligence, negotiation and integration stages.’ Austin also
draws on case studies and guest speakers to illustrate some of the most common acquirer
errors: overvaluation, over-confidence, ‘under-communicating’, and underestimating the
value of your newest assets — the people in the company you’ve just bought. In the
turmoil of integration, your best engineers and managers are more likely to be attracted by
offers from the competition.
There is no doubt that M&A is a risky business. With a 70% plus failure-rate, you might
think that B-school professors would do well to discourage their students from launching
takeover bids. But you’d be wrong. Austin describes some of the other (good) reasons for
mergers and acquisitions: ‘I suppose the most popular reasons invoked in CEOs’ messages
to shareholders are developing synergies and making economies of scale - these are
sometimes conveniently long-term goals! Other objectives may be increasing market share;
cross-selling, when for example a bank can sell insurance to its existing clients;
diversification, if a company is perceived to be too dependent on a niche market; or quite
simply taking on debt, the so-called poison pill, in order to make itself a less attractive
target for potential buyers.’
The bankers, brokers and lawyers will be pleased to know there are still many good reasons
to merge. But what about the wrong reasons? ‘They mainly involve excessive pride or
arrogance on the part of management,’ says Austin. ‘Wanting to build too big an empire,
too quickly, and overextending the financial, commercial and human capacity of the
organization. These courses aim to help executives bring their CEOs back down to earth:
learning to follow your head rather than your heart is the key lesson in avoiding very
expensive mistakes.’
Kód a název předmětu
Vyberte datum – Version Písmeno NAME: _____________________________
61. American executives need M&A courses to learn how to
A: increase the number of M&A.
B: reduce potential losses on M&A.
C: lower the value of M&A.
D: focus more on earnings and growth.
62. In order to enrol in an M&A course, the executive has to
A: choose either a New York or an L.A. institution.
B: be shortlisted from hundreds of executives.
C: be able to pay enough money for the course.
D: know how to increase company earnings.
63. One of the most frequent acquirer mistakes is
A: letting the best employees leave for competitors.
B: failing to consider some phases of integration.
C: paying more attention to valuation than planning.
D: undervaluing abilities of engineers and managers.
64. One of the reasons for mergers or acquisitions is
A: expanding into niche markets.
B: preventing another acquisition.
C: attracting new shareholders.
D: diversifying the current client base.
65. The main goal of the M&A courses is to teach executives how to
A: create a company of good size.
B: balance personal qualities of the managers.
C: act rationally rather than emotionally.
D: approach bankers, brokers and lawyers.
WRITING (TASK 12)
total:
TASK 12 (maximum: 15 points)
Look at the graph showing the development of the number of people using cars in Stockholm and giving
reasons for changes. Using the graph and the events:
briefly introduce the graph,
describe and explain the development,
predict future trend.
Word limit: 150 – 200 words.
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
400,000
500,000
600,000
700,000
800,000
900,000
1,000,000
1,100,000
1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010
NUMBER OF CAR USERS IN STOCKHOLM
1998: free city transport1998: free city transport
1992: drop in oil prices1992: drop in oil prices
2004: car-free
city centre
2004: car-free
city centre
Kód a název předmětu
Vyberte datum – Version Písmeno NAME: _____________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
UČO: _____________________________
Splnění úkolu Organizace textu Lexikum Gramatika CELKEM
Kom. funkce Rozsah Struktura Koherence Koheze Rozsah Správnost Rozsah Správnost Pravopis
předkonverzí
pokonverzi
průměr: průměr: průměr: průměr:
KEY
LISTENING (maximum: 15 points)
TASK 1 (1 point per item; maximum: 5 points)
Source: Market Leader, Coursebook – intermediate, new edition, U14, track 14.1.
Length: 2:16
1. F
2. F
3. T
4. F
5. T
TASK 2 (1 point per item; maximum: 10 points)
Source: The Business, Student’s Book, intermediate, U6, track 2:61
Length: 2:39
6. environmentalists/greens
7. recycle
8. (about) 3,500
9. (new) business
10. (reasonable) price
11. (very) enthusiastic
12. residents / people living there (NE residence)
13. taxes
14. town/city centre
15. demolish/tear down
GRAMMAR & VOCABULARY (maximum: 30 points)
TASK 3 (1 point per item; maximum: 5 points)
16. have been writing the report since
17. spoke … could apply for / could speak … would apply for
18. has been lost by
19. didn’t have to pay / needn’t have paid
20. that the bank (had) lent
Kód a název předmětu
Vyberte datum – Version Písmeno NAME: _____________________________
TASK 4 (1 point per item; maximum: 6 points)
21. to reduce / lower / decrease inventory/inventories/stock
22. to encourage employees
23. to bribe a supplier
24. to evaluate/assess operating/running/operational cost(s)/expenses
25. inevitable/unavoidable consequence/result
26. to check profit and loss account /income statement/statement of profit and
loss/profit and loss statement
TASK 5 (1 point per item; maximum: 5 points)
27. for
28. with
29. against
30. at/with/without
31. in
TASK 6 (1 point per item; maximum: 5 points)
32. appointment
33. steadily
34. (un)profitable
35. competitor(s)/competition
36. respond
TASK 7 (1 point per item; maximum: 3 points)
37. What did he speak about?
38. Why are many companies outsourcing to India?
39. Who has placed this order?
TASK 8 (1 point per item; maximum: 6 points)
40. to book
41. won’t take
42. were checking
43. spending
44. will/is going to be made/is to be made
45. to wait
READING (maximum: 20 points)
TASK 9 (1 point per item; maximum: 10 points)
Source: Business Benchmark Upper-intermediate Study Book, Unit 21
Number of words: 207
46. C
47. D
48. D
49. B
50. A
51. B
52. C
53. A
54. B
55. C
TASK 10 (1 point per item; maximum: 5 points)
Source: http://www.standardchartered.com.my/news/financialresults/Saadiq_Full_Finan
cial_results_2011.pdf
Number of words: 274
56. G
57. A
58. D
59. E
60. B
TASK 11 (1 point per item; maximum: 5 points)
Source: The Business Intermediate, Student’s Book, Unit 7
Number of words: 489
61. B
62. C
63. A
64. B
65. C