In Company Full Placement Test
For the teacher:
Texts for Section 3: Listening
There are three listenings which you will need to read aloud. Practise reading them a few times before using them so that they sound natural. Include short pauses between the phrases to allow students time to complete their answers. When administering the test give students time to read through the three parts and the questions. Here are the three listenings you will read. Read each of them twice.
Listening A
Hello. This is Mr Davies. That’s D-A-V-I-E-S. I’m calling about our meeting. I can’t make next Tuesday. Can you call me back on 00 39 356 4830. That’s 00 39 356 4830. Call me after 6.30 tomorrow night.
Listening B
Hello, my name’s Phil Davies and I run an online company which delivers gifts around the country.
Gifts-the-same-day dot com guarantees the customer same day delivery of anything from flowers to perfume. Whether it’s for your wife or a colleague at work we’ll make sure they receive it when you want it.
Unlike other companies all our products are chosen from the best suppliers and gift- wrapped with a personal message from you. In Company Full Placement Test
And unlike other companies who offer only a full money back guarantee for late delivery we also pay you the value of the purchase. That’s your money back – twice!
Listening C
Good morning, Ladies and Gentlemen. I’d like to talk to you this morning about negotiating and what I feel is the way to a successful negotiation. Ideally, a successful negotiation is a kind of joint problem-solving meeting, where we identify each other’s interests, wants and needs and then explore the different ways we could satisfy those.
I say ‘ideally’ because it hardly ever is like that. Win-win negotiation is a great idea, but most people have a simple ‘I win-you lose’ mentality.
So what do you do with the person who simply won’t listen, who keeps interrupting, who becomes aggressive, who makes last-minute demands, who won’t make a decision? I must have read dozens of books on negotiation tactics. The problem is, so has everybody else. So they don’t really work.
My advice is: don’t get personal – ever; don’t agree to anything until you’ve discussed everything; don’t make any concessions without asking for something in return; ask lots of questions; and don’t give in to pressure.
Remember, if the answer must be now, the answer must be ‘No’. In Company Full Placement Test
Name ______Date ______
FULL PLACEMENT TEST
Section A: Grammar and Lexis Complete the sentences with answer a, b, c or d. See the example.
Example: A: Are you Mr Jensen? B: Yes, I a. a am b ’m not c do d are
1 A: Is this the right place for British Airways? B: Yes, it _____. a isn’t b are c is it d is
2 Roger is _____ Switzerland. a with b from c not d a
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3 A: Do you smoke? B: No, I _____. a don’t b ’m not c not d doesn’t
4 A: _____ does he work? B: In a hospital. a Why b When c What d Where
5 How _____ do they play golf? a usually b every c often d time
6 Are there _____ messages for me? a got b any c a d have
7 I’m afraid I can’t _____ the meeting at three. a to make b made c make d making
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8 He _____ in when I rang. a wasn’t b isn’t c weren’t d didn’t
9 Henry _____ school at fifteen. a has left b leave c left d leaved
10 A: When _____ he phone? B: At around three. a was b time c did d do
11 How _____ time off do you get a year? a many b much c any d some
12 It’s hotter today _____ yesterday. a as b the c more d than
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13 I go to work _____ foot. a by b to c on d from
14 I _____ on an important project at the moment. a going to work b worked c work d ’m working
15 I _____ the report yet. I need a couple more hours. a didn’t finish b don’t finish c haven’t finished d ’m not finishing
16 I _____ a profit this year. a set up b made c did d ran
17 A: Can I have extension 315? B: I’ll just _____ you through. a put b connect c call d play
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18 Could I _____ a message? a speak b leave c tell d say
19 A: What’s he like? B: He _____ a works for the National Bank of Poland. b ’s the Public Relations Manager. c ’s a nice man. d plays golf.
20 A: How do you do? B: _____ a Pleased to meet you. b I’m pleased too. c Nice to have met you. d Good to see you too.
21 Who _____ the first e-mail? a did send b did happen c sent d was sent
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22 I’ll _____ with the e-mail straight away. a send b deal c go d write
23 It’s the _____ meal I’ve ever eaten! a expensive than b more expensive c expensivest d most expensive
24 I’ll have breakfast sent _____ to your room. a up b out of c in d at
25 Prices have remained _____ in the first quarter. a increase b stable c same d steadily
26 I’m writing to _____ the refund for damaged goods. a claim b tackle c take d book
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27 35,000 people _____ in the last five years. a were been laid off b lay off c are laid off d have been laid off
28 It cost one hundred euros! What a complete _____ of money. a invest b spent c waste d lot
29 He _____ me that he was happy in his new department. a said b told c speak d asked
30 We _____ less time travelling, if we worked from home. a spend b ’d spend c would spent d are spending
31 Does the conference centre have internet _____? a access b location c centre d transfer
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32 Sorry, I didn’t _____ that. Could you say it again? a not with b explain c catch d miss
33 Would you mind _____ , please? a not to smoke b not smoking c didn’t smoking d if not smoking
34 You _____ be tired after your long journey. a can b let c must d ought
35 I agree with you up to a _____. a question b position c point d view
36 _____ I thought everyone knew. a Won’t you hear? b Haven’t you heard? c Didn’t you hear? d Aren’t you hearing?
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37 Let’s move _____ to the next point of my presentation. a about b up c for d on
38 I’m sorry, but can I just _____ in here? a come b interrupt c move d speak
39 So, let’s sum _____ what we’ve discussed so far. a about b up c with d for
40 I _____ from you. a look forward to hear b looking forwards to hearing c look forward to hearing d look forwards for hearing
41 How are things _____ you? a with b to c at a of
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42 I think it’s _____ of fish with cream and white wine. a kind b made c like d sort
43 I’m sorry for the _____ in getting back to you with the quote. a wait b hold c late d delay
44 I suggested _____ the whole thing forward by a week. a bringing b to bring c that bring d we bringing
45 With _____ I think that’s a little too low. a frank b respect c honesty d unfortunately
46 _____ no see. You haven’t changed a bit! a Long time b Long wait c Long listen d Long view
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47 Are you saying they’ve fallen _____ of projections again? a down b decrease c short d rapidly
48 It was a very _____ meeting in the end. a achievement b smoothly c success d fruitful
49 I’ve just _____ a job with Bill Gates! a landed b run c set d caught
50 Can I get hold _____ the organisers? a to b of c for d up
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Section B: Reading Below are three readings with missing words. Read and choose a missing word from answers a, b, c or d.
For Reading A:
1 a write b read c delete d see 2 a he b they c it d e-mail 3 a him b us c her d we 4 a always b never c every day d often 5 a who b this c these d what
READING A It’s easy to (1)_____ an e-mail. You type it on to a computer screen, hit a button and off (2)_____ goes. But the speed of the process is also a problem. It doesn’t encourage (3)_____ to think much about what we write. As a result, e-mail messages are (4)_____ grammatically incorrect, disorganised and full of spelling and typing errors. Badly expressed ideas are more difficult to read. They can also cause expensive misunderstandings. Managers nowadays have to read enormous quantities of e-mails, and (5)_____ adds to the stress of their jobs.
For Reading B:
6 a hard b good c offensive d polite 7 a because b but c however d and 8 a By b As c Unless d If 9 a business b place c market d shop 10 a cheaper b less c least d same
READING B A hard sell is often seen as (6)______in Japan. Japanese business people may think that you are trying to convince them (7)______your product is no good. It is better to use a
12 In Company Full Placement Test low-key sale pitch and give them objective information. The Japanese are not accustomed to aggressive American techniques that use a persuasive ‘winning’ argument. (8)____ you are not completely honest about your product, your credibility will be damaged and what you say will lose influence. Don’t say that yours is ‘the best on the (9)______’. It is better to say, ‘We sold more than two million units last year. As you know our closest competitor sold (10)_____ than a million.’
For Reading C:
11 a crash b share c flotation d increase 12 a broadcasted b grown c fallen d advertised 13 a outlets b shirts c middlemen d contracts 14 a logo b service c brand d manager 15 a refunded b claimed c netted d advertised
READING C Manchester United stopped being just a famous football team several years ago and became a highly successful multinational corporation. The words ‘football’ and ‘club’ were actually dropped from the players’ badges in 2000 in an effort to strengthen the corporate image. With a successful stock market (11) ______in 1991 and a market value, according to City accountants Deloitte and Touche, of over £110m, Manchester United is as much a triumph of the media as of great soccer. ‘Top clubs have (12) ______on the back of Television contracts’, says Richard Baldwin of Deloitte and Touche. With this also comes merchandising. Manchester United’s megastore stocks 1,500 different items, is constantly packed, and merchandising (13) ______as far away as Singapore, Hong Kong and Sydney attract thousands of fans who couldn’t even tell you where Manchester is on the map. ‘United look and behave very much like a traditional business from a corporate point of view,’ says Nigel Hawkins, a financial analyst. ‘They have a strong (14)______and have worked to maximise it by bringing in good people.’ They certainly have. One sponsorship deal alone – with Vodaphone – (15)______Manchester £30 million.
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Section C: Listening
Listening A Listen twice to the message on an answer machine. Complete the notes below.
(1) Mr ______called about (2)______. He won’t be able to come on (3) ______. Please call him back on (4)______after (5)______tomorrow night.
Listening B Listen twice to a short presentation. Answer the following questions:
6 What kind of company does the speaker describe?______7 What can you receive with this company?______8 What does the company guarantee? ______9 What can the customer send with the gift?______10 If the delivery is late, what does the customer receive? ______
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Listening C Listen twice to a speaker talking about negotiating. In each question choose the best statement (a, b or c) which summarises what the speaker believes.
11 The speaker believes a successful negotiation is when both sides a exploit each other’s problems. b solve each other’s problems. c look for differences.
12 The speaker believes that most people a want to get the best deal for themselves. b look for an ideal solution. c think negotiating is a good way to do business.
13 The speaker believes that a you shouldn’t do business with ‘I win-you lose’ negotiators. b all negotiators know the same techniques. c you won’t find answers to difficult negotiators in books.
14 The speaker believes that you should always a avoid personal questions. b get something in return for giving something. c agree to discuss everything.
15 The speaker believes that you shouldn’t agree to anything a immediately. b in a negotiation. c if you are under time pressure.
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Section D: Speaking
Elementary Business and work
Do you work for…? (name of company) What do you do? What time do you start / finish work? How often do you use English in your job? Can you write e-mails in English? Can you telephone in English? Have you got a boss? What’s his/her name? What does he/she do? When did you join this company? What are you working on at the moment?
Social and travel
Hello. How are you today? What’s your name? Can you spell it for me? Are you from…? (name of country) What do you do in your free time? Do you like any sports? What do you normally do at the weekend? What are you doing this weekend?
Pre-Intermediate Business and work
How long have you worked for your company? Where did you work before this? What sort of company do you work for? What are its main activities? Tell me about a colleague… What does he/she do? Has he worked at the company longer than you? What does your job involve? If someone applied for your job, what qualities would they need? Do you think your job will change in the future?
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Social and travel
Are you married? Where did you meet your husband/wife? How much holiday do you get a year? Do you travel for your job? Where have you visited? What do you think of…? (name of country visited) Did you like the food there? What kind of food did you eat? What’s a typical dish in your country? What’s it made of/served with?
Intermediate Business and work
If you started again, would you have done a different job? What’s the hardest thing about your job? What do you like about it? Who are your main competitors? What are the key differences between them and you? What do you think makes a good boss? What kind of decisions do you make at work? Which are the hardest decisions? What kind of meetings do you attend? How do you prepare? What makes an effective meeting?
Social and travel
Do you eat out much? Do you take visitors? How important is entertaining visitors in your work? What kind of things do you talk about? When you go on business trips which airline do you normally fly with? Tell me about a recent trip… Was it successful? Why? Why not? What was the hotel/flight like? Do you find travel stressful? How do cope with stress? How do you relax at the end of a day?
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Upper Intermediate Business and work
Does your company have a logo? What does it say about your company? How do you think your customers describe your company?
Social and travel
How easy is it to combine your work with your family? When you’re out with colleagues, are there any topics you avoid? Have you seen any good films recently? What happened? What recent news story made you angry recently? Why?
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