Name_______________________________________

Class______________________________

Entry Test
LISTENING
Track 4

1 You will hear Donna Fisher, a company trainer, giving the introduction to an incompany training seminar. Listen and complete the information below. For questions 811, change the details according to what you hear. You will hear the recording twice. Sondheim Pharmaceuticals Training Programme for Accounts Office personnel in _______________1 Trainer: Donna Fisher from _______________2 Reason for training: A new _______________3 is being introduced. Timescale for the project: _______________4 months. Part 1: Introduction, September 5th to _______________5 Part 2: _______________6 course, _______________7 10th to 11th Daily timetable:
8 9

Finish: 5.00 p.m. Start: 8.30 a.m. Lunch break: one hour Number of course participants: 12

10 11

I think Anders Petersson should attend the training seminar as he will _______________12

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VOCABULARY
2 A Choose a word from list A and a word from list B to make a two-word partnership that fits each definition. A B delivery release niche mall contingency benefit buying purchase hire plan press charge fringe habits shopping marketing 13 An official statement making information publicly available. _______________ 14 Customer preferences as shown by an analysis of the way they shop. _______________ 15 An additional advantage that is offered with a job other than salary. _______________ 16 A system of paying for expensive goods by instalments. _______________ 17 A large covered area, prohibited to vehicles, where there are a lot of retail outlets. _______________ 18 The amount suppliers add to the invoice to cover the cost of transport to the buyer. _______________ 19 Back-up arrangements prepared in case things go wrong. _______________ 20 Buying and selling an unusual product or service, often at a high price. _______________

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3 B Complete each of the expressions with the name of a colour, then match it to its definition. 21 _______________ tape a unofficial trading that avoids payment of tax 22 _______________ handshake 23 _______________ shoots very safe 24 _______________-chip unnecessary 25 _______________ economy e another company taking it over 26 _______________-field site f recession 27 _______________ knight leaves the company g generous payment to a senior employee who the first signs of economic improvement after a someone who buys shares in a company to prevent d official rules that seem complicated and c b area used for building where there was already some building or industrial activity before well known, successful company whose shares are

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4 C Choose a verb from the box to complete each of the sentences below. allocate / assign / damage / disclose / establish / face / handle / monitor / spread / waste 28 This point is irrelevant lets not _______________ any more time on it. 29 The company will _______________ a number of difficulties following the recent interest rates. 30 We have appointed two new customer services staff to _______________ complaints. 31 We need to develop a broad investment portfolio if we want to _______________ the risk. 32 I asked for more information, but the legal department was unwilling to _______________ any details. 33 It is the project managers job to _______________ roles and responsibilities to each member of the team. 34 We need to _______________ the performance of everyone in the team to see how efficiently they are working. 35 It is important to _______________ a rapport with your negotiating partner before starting to discuss terms. 36 The year-end figures are disappointing they will _______________ investor confidence. 37 We have to assess the full cost of the new equipment before we can _______________ funds.

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LANGUAGE
5 A In the short article below, there is one language mistake on each line. Underline each mistake and write the correct word or words on the line on the right. To stay in bad hotels affects your ability to 38 _______________ do your job. I spend a night at Hotel S while on a business trip to London recently. My booking has got lost, and the receptionist failed to make any apology for it. Despite a room was found for me, my relief soon disappeared when I saw how it was small. It was also poorly lit and not very clean. The sleep was impossible, as noise from other guests penetrated the thin walls. In the morning, I was annoyed at finding there was no hot water for a shower. The result was that I spent the day to feel tired, dirty and incapable to concentrate. So my managers desire to save money for the hotel was misjudged: it resulted only in my poor performance. Some bosses seem to think employees should be grateful at being given the opportunity to staying in new places. But for most people like myself, the travelling for work is a lonely, bleak experience. It would be better if employers would pay just a little more to ensure the accommodation was more comfortable. That would be all the difference. 39 _______________ 40 _______________ 41 _______________ 42 _______________ 43 _______________ 44 _______________ 45 _______________ 46 _______________ 47 _______________ 48 _______________ 49 _______________ 50 _______________ 51 _______________ 52 _______________

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6 B Complete the expressions in the dialogues below. Write one word in each gap. 53 Introducing someone A: John, Id _______________ _______________ _______________ meet Carla Mendez, our new marketing manager. B: Pleased to meet you, Carla. 54 Replying to an invitation A: Would you like to join us for dinner tonight? B: Thats _______________ kind _______________ _______________ , but Im afraid I already have a dinner engagement. 55 Asking a group for opinions A: OK, lets have a look at the photos for the brochure. Does _______________ _______________ any opinions about these? B: Im not very happy with the front-cover photo 56 Emphasising a point A: Id _______________ _______________ stress the importance of this issue for our future marketing plans. B: I agree. We need to think about this carefully. 57 Making a suggestion A: I just dont see how were going to solve this problem. B: I think we _______________ all _______________ about it and meet again tomorrow. 58 Checking understanding A: We might be able to offer some flexibility on the price. B: So what _______________ _______________ _______________ is you could maybe offer us a discount? 59 Summarising A: I think we should take a break B: OK. _______________ _______________ just sum _______________ what weve agreed so far. 60 Ending a conversation A: Please _______________ _______________. I really have to leave. B: OK. Well, its been nice meeting you.

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READING
7 Read the article and answer the questions below.

Camaraderie over competence

The importance of liking people is the subject of an article in the latest Harvard Business Review, which has carried out an experiment to find out who wed rather work with: nice colleagues or competent ones. Hardly surprisingly, the people we want most as our workmates are both: brilliant at their jobs and delightful human beings. And the people we want least are both unpleasant and useless. More interestingly, the authors found that, given the choice between working with lovable fools and competent jerks1, we overwhelmingly choose the former. We might claim that competence matters more, but our behaviour shows we cling to the people we like, sharing information with them, making the most of their meagre skills and so on. What companies should therefore do is get people to like each other more. The trick here is apparently to make sure staff come across each other as often as possible during the day, to make them more familiar with one another. They also should be sent on bonding courses and so on to encourage friendliness and break down hostility. In other words, more outdoor-activity weekends and communal coffee machines. Which inspires no confidence at all. The reality is that people either like each other or they dont. You cant force it. Possibly you can make offices more friendly by tolerating a lot of chat, but there is a productivity cost to that. In my experience, the question of lovable fool versus competent jerk may not be the right one. The two are interrelated: we tend not to like our workmates when they are completely hopeless. I was once quite friendly with a woman whom I subsequently worked with. I found her to be so outstandingly bad at her job (though she thought she was good) that I lost respect for her and ended up not really liking her at all. And the people I enjoy working with arent necessarily the people I like most. My best working relationships are with people whom I find hilariously entertaining. I also like to work with those who know all the gossip, and run the risk that what they are saying about me when my back is turned may not be that nice. However, if one does accept that the HBR is broadly right, then is there anything that companies should be doing about it? By far the most effective strategy would be to hire people who are all pretty much the same, given that similarity is one of the main determinants of whether we like each other.

Slang word used in this article to mean someone with no social skills

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I think this is a pretty good idea, but no one dares recommend this any more without offending the diversity lobby. There is only one acceptable view on this subject: teams of similar people are bad because they stifle creativity. Which may be true, though I have never seen any conclusive proof of it. Not only do we like similar people, we like people who like us. So if companies want to foster more liking, they should encourage a culture where we are all nice to each other. The trouble is that this needs to be done with some skill. 61 According to the Harvard Business Review research, which combination of characteristics would most people choose for their colleagues at work? a competent, unlikeable b nice, unintelligent c proficient, unattractive 62 Which statement best reflects the authors opinion of the research? a The results are rather obvious. b The results are unexpected. c The results should have a big impact on the way companies are run. 63 The research suggests that companies should do more to encourage workmates to like each other. How could they do this? Tick all the methods mentioned in the article. a organise team-building activities outside the office b encourage people to socialise outside office hours c arrange the workplace so that people meet frequently and talk d set coffee breaks at fixed times e develop a friendly working environment f recruit staff who have a lot in common

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64 What kind of people does the author like to work with? Tick three descriptions that reflect what she writes in the article. a close friends b amusing, fun to be with c respectable d have interesting things to tell about other colleagues e dont talk too much f not completely incompetent 65 What is the main disadvantage of employing teams of similar people? a They talk more and work less. b They are more likely to argue. c They generate fewer new ideas. 66 Does the author believe that companies can succeed in making colleagues like each other? Is she a generally positive? b generally negative? c neutral? 8 Match these words from the article with a phrase of the same meaning: 67 brilliant a charming 68 delightful 69 unpleasant 70 useless 71 hostile 72 competent b outstandingly bad at their job c clever d proficient e on bad terms f disagreeable

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73 Which word means the same as meagre? a inadequate b superior c expert 74 Which phrase means the same as tolerating a lot of chat? a encouraging humour b relaxing the rules c allowing informal conversation 75 What does the diversity lobby promote? a recruiting staff from different cultures and backgrounds b extending the companys product range c more variety of working styles and practices

WRITING
9 You are the Communications Manager of a medium-sized firm. You were hoping to launch a company newsletter as part of a drive to improve internal communications within the firm. You advertised the job of newsletter editor and selected Jan Goodman as the ideal person for the job someone with excellent qualifications and experience. You made a job offer to Jan (conditional on approval from the Board of Directors), but the Board has not given their approval due to budget cutbacks. You now have to write an apologetic e-mail to Jan to let her know. Tell her that the situation may change in the next few months, but you cant make any promises. Wish her success with her job search and career. You should write 100150 words.

SPEAKING
10 You are going to have a speaking test that will last ten to 15 minutes. The examiner will ask you to spend five minutes preparing a short presentation. Choose one of the topics below. You may make notes if you wish. After your presentation, the examiner will ask you to elaborate some of your ideas.

TOPICS
A project you have worked on The value of working abroad What companies could do to encourage more women to reach top jobs

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