Card # 8

LISTENING (7 minutes)

Task 1. Listen to the recording [T.8] ‘Company Overview’ and complete the test.

(listening - 2 minutes; time for fulfilment - 1 min., for answering -1 min.).

#		true	false
1	The business company is in San Fransisco.
2	Merilyn Warner is Chief Operating Officer
3	Saidah is the company’s Art Director.
4	Jake is responsible for Marketing and Sale.

Task 2. Retell the listened text (time for preparation – 2 min., time for answering -1 min.)

SPEAKING (10 minutes)

Task 1. Discuss one of the given situations (time for preparation – 2 min. Time for answer – 2 min.).

Staying late at the office to finish your work is a sign of inefficiency.

It is not advisable to have a romantic relationship with a co-worker.

Task 2. Speak on the given topic: Are parents the best teachers?

Give examples to prove your statements (time for preparation – 5 min., time for answer – 1 min.).

READING (9 minutes)

Task 1. Read the text (silent reading – 1 min., reading aloud – 2 min.)

Make a plan to the text (time for preparation- 1 min., time for answering- 1 min.).

Positive outlook for business travel

As business travel worldwide continues to enjoy solid growth, traveling executives are enjoying even greater comfort, security and flexibility. Airlines, airport operators, hotels and other travel suppliers are investing heavily to enhance their products and services in order to help ease the strain of frequent travel.

Services that were once perceived as an added benefit, often used by travel suppliers to differentiate themselves from their rivals, are now provided as standard across the industry. Electronic-tickets, self-service check-in kiosks, online bookings, flat beds in business class, in-room Wi-Fi, spas, and club floors in hotels – these are now products and services that executives are coming to expect as part of their business travel experience.

Many of these developments are in response to demands from corporate travelers to make business travel more productive and cost effective, but they also reflect an increasing awareness that executives need to retain a sense of wellbeing and comfort while on the road. OAG managing director Duncan Alexander said although these figures do not distinguish leisure from business traffic, they give a good indication of growth in business travel to this region. “When you look at figures for China in particular, the prime mover is business,” he said.

OAG also revealed that nine of the top 30 airports with the highest additional seat capacity growth are located in China. “Dubai also showed significant growth with increases of 79,500 additional seats,” added Alexander. “This reflects higher demand from both business and leisure travelers in the United Arab Emirates, and aggressive international expansion by its major airlines.”

Task 2. Translate the 1-st paragraph of the text (Time for preparation- 3 min., time for answering – 1).

WRITING (14 minutes)

Task 1. Write an essay on the topic: ‘What are the changes in family life for the last 20 years?’ (100 words)

(time for preparation – 13 min., time for answer – 1 min.)