BEC Vantage Masterclass

Progress test 3 (Units 1–14)

1 Verb forms
Complete the gaps in the newspaper article below with a suitable form of the
verb in brackets. Choose from the following active or passive forms: present
simple, present continuous, past simple, present perfect, past perfect and
modals.

VOLUNTEERING

Two and a half years ago, Anita Kapur 0 left (leave) university
with high hopes and a degree in the History of Art. She then
1 (spend) the next two years applying in vain for jobs.
‘I soon 2 (realise) that I 3 (study)
something more practical, like computing or accountancy,’ admits Anita.
‘I 4 (have) no work experience, and there
5 (always be) a lot of competition for jobs in the art world.’
Last summer, Anita 6 (see) an advertisement for volunteers
to help organise an arts festival in her home town. She 7
(apply) and 8 (accept). Since then, Anita
9 (find) a job as an administrator in a London gallery.
‘I definitely 10 (not get) this job, if I 11
(not gain) such useful experience doing the voluntary job at the arts festival,’
she says.
Anita’s experience is far from unique, but it is not only job-seekers
who 12 (benefit) from volunteering. If businesses
13 (see) to be doing something for the community
it 14 (enhance) their public image. For this reason, more
and more companies nowadays 15 (encourage) their
employees to volunteer, either partly or wholly in the company’s time.

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2 Synonyms
Replace the underlined words in the sentences below with a synonym from this
list.

book distribute evaluate factories hire opt for

personnel potential risks rivals vacancies

Example
I’d like to reserve book a table for three people at eight o’clock this evening.

1 Unless we make up our minds soon, our competitors will enter

the market before us.
2 I didn’t expect the department manager to choose that
candidate.
3 I’m expecting quite a large group at the seminar, so could you come along
to help me hand out the photocopies to the participants?
4 We currently have three openings for production line workers.
5 I have a meeting with Delacour SA, our prospective partners in
France, next Monday.
6 The consultants are here to assess the strengths and
weaknesses of our marketing approach.
7 The most promising company I identified has two production facilities
in Brazil, and a strong distribution network throughout South
America.
8 The report identifies several serious fire hazards in our central
warehouse.
9 We’re planning to recruit ten new sales staff in the next couple
of months.
10 I sometimes think I should have found a job in human resources
because I like working with lots of different people.

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3 Verbs and prepositions

Write a preposition in each gap in the sentences below.
Example
I need to fix up a meeting with all the sales staff.

1 My first job every morning is to sort all the incoming

correspondence.
2 We can’t place any more newspaper ads as we’ve used all our
advertising budget for this year.
3 We’re looking an agent to represent us in the Middle East.
4 The legal department is drawing your contract and it will be sent
to you next week.
5 I’m relying you to support me at the meeting.
6 The Marketing Manager has pointed a possible problem with our
plans for expansion into France.
7 Don’t worry – I’ll pass your message to the manager as soon as
she arrives.
8 In the end, we turned CFI Training’s proposal and chose Business
Challenge’s team-building event instead.
9 My mother saves a lot of money on her supermarket shopping by cutting
coupons from the newspaper.
10 I’m afraid I don’t know what that word means – why don’t you look it
in your business dictionary?

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4 Same word, different meanings

The words below all have two different meanings. Use each word twice, to
complete the sentences.

acquired issue promoted reception reservations status

Examples
I don’t think you should select him just because he’s single. We should consider
the candidates’ abilities, not their marital status
Since being made redundant, Hugh seems to miss the status he had more
than the salary he earned.

1 Of course we have . We booked over two weeks ago.

2 I think Margarita should be . She’s worked here for five years
and has gained a lot of experience in that time.
3 I think we should call a meeting with the shareholders to discuss the
of ethical trading.
4 I’ll meet you in the area in ten minutes.
5 Unfortunately, the copy for your advertisement arrived too late for inclusion
in our last .
6 It’s a pity that the Area Sales Manager didn’t mention that he had
about our plans to expand into Russia before we invested a lot
of money there.
7 Louise quite a good knowledge of Japanese during the three
years she worked in Osaka.
8 The new model is currently being in the home market only. If
it’s successful, we’ll consider an international launch next year.
9 Since we Hoffman Fairwell plc, our share of the international
pharmaceuticals market has risen to 31 per cent.
10 We’re holding a for our Korean visitors at the Hilton hotel this
evening.

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5 Definitions
Write the two-word combinations that match the definitions below. The first
letter of each word has been given to help you.
Example
a person who likes to buy goods cheaply b argain h unter

1 a telephone directory (or section) that lists companies by categories

y p
2 a written agreement to provide after-sales repairs and maintenance
s c
3 a series of figures or letters used to identify a product, customer, etc.
r n
4 a company’s main premises
h o
5 a method of advertising products or services by post
d m
6 a system in which a company and an employee pay money so that the
employee will have some income when he/she retires
p s
7 people’s desire for goods or services of a particular type
c d
8 the place where you connect a piece of equipment to the electricity supply
p p
9 the amount of time someone can concentrate on one thing
a s
10 something provided in addition to your salary
f b

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6 Cloze
Choose the best word, A, B, C or D, to fill each gap in the text below.

SHELL AND SLOVAKIAN START-UPS

In a cramped basement in a small Slovak village, Viera Mokova and her

husband Milos produce a 0 D of decorative candles for sale at
1 street markets and petrol stations. When Ms Mokova started her
business, she needed about £2,500 to buy 2 and materials. As this
sum represents almost the 3 minimum yearly wage in Slovakia, she
4 have found it hard to 5 the money through the usual
channels. Luckily, 6 , she obtained a loan through an organisation
called Integra which supports small enterprises run by Slovakian women.
The funding for Integra comes from the Shell Foundation, a charity
7 by the Anglo-Dutch oil group some years ago to enhance their
8 for social responsibility. Integra’s ‘micro-enterprise’ scheme for
women in Slovakia is one of three projects initiated by the organisation. The
others 9 reducing the 10 of fossil fuels and helping poorer
communities obtain 11 to modern energy.
Integra and Shell put all the women who have 12 for loans through
training programmes before choosing which ones to support. They have
13 women because 14 shows they are better at paying
back loans than men are, and put more of their 15 back into helping
others in the community.

0 A type B style C choice D range

1 A international B local C central D multinational
2 A components B equipment C technology D systems
3 A essential B correct C legal D proper
4 A must B would C should D will
5 A approve B invest C save D raise
6 A also B although C while D however
7 A made B set C established D constructed
8 A ethics B reputation C demand D understanding
9 A involve B consist C handle D try
10 A pollution B strength C impact D obstruction
11 A entry B contact C experience D access
12 A applied B requested C looked D negotiated
13 A targeted B implemented C scrutinised D interrogated
14 A investigation B facts C findings D research
15 A salaries B profits C sales D bonuses

Total /100

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Progress test 3 key

1 1 spent 6 saw 11 hadn’t gained

2 realised 7 applied 12 benefit
3 should have studied 8 was accepted 13 are seen
4 had 9 has found 14 enhances
5 is always/has 10 wouldn’t have got 15 are encouraging
always been
(1 mark for each correct answer)

2 1 rivals 5 potential 8 risks

2 opt for 6 evaluate 9 hire
3 distribute 7 factories 10 personnel
4 vacancies
(2 marks for each correct answer)

3 1 through 3 for 5 on 7 on 9 out

2 up 4 up 6 out 8 down 10 up
(1 mark for each correct answer)

4 1 reservations 5 issue 9 acquired

2 promoted 6 reservations 10 reception
3 issue 7 acquired
4 reception 8 promoted
(2 marks for each correct answer)

5 1 yellow pages 6 pension scheme

2 service contract 7 customer/consumer demand
3 reference number 8 power point
4 head office 9 attention span
5 direct mail 10 fringe benefit
(2 marks for each correct answer)

6 1 B 4 B 7 C 10 C 13 A
2 B 5 D 8 B 11 D 14 D
3 C 6 D 9 A 12 A 15 B
(1 mark for each correct answer)

(Total: 100 marks)

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