I. Read the following article and answer the questions given Meetings can waste a great deal of time. But you can make your meeting run more smoothly by following a few simple rules. First, have an agenda. This will help keep you focused on what is important. Next, decide who needs to be involved. More people mean that less efficient discussion. Finally, keep the discussion moving. Thank each speaker as he or she finishes and move on to the next speaker. This encourages people to make their remarks brief. And don’t forget: What happens after a meeting is more crucial than what arises during the meeting. The skills used then are more professional and less procedural. So no matter how well you run a meeting, it is the work that gets done after the meeting that is important. 1. What is one way to run a meeting well? A. Watch how your manager runs meetings. B. Minimize the number of participants. C. Let the group make decisions. D. Let everyone speak. 2. What is the purpose of a meeting agenda? A. To keep the speaker organized B. To allow free discussion C. To send to others in advance D. To keep focus on important items 3. How should you receive other people’s comments at a meeting? A. Try to keep others from talking B. Thank them and move on C. Give them as much time as they want D. Respond in detail to all comments 4. The word “remarks” in line 6 is closest in meaning to… A. Meetings B. Questions C. Comments D. Schedules 5. The author states that… A. Meetings should be held more frequently. B. All meetings should be in the morning. C. No one should receive credit for their work. D. The real work is accomplished after the meeting. II. Suarez Drilling Corporation 1217 Isabella Avenue, Buenos Aires, Argentina Ms. I Ursula Kahanian Dienst and Klein Auditors 1001 Wellington Avenue Toronto, (Ontario Canada Dear Ms. Kahanian, We will be pleased to welcome you to our headquarters for the yearend auditing procedures. Paula Jenkins tells us that you will arrive in Buenos Aires on flight BA 209 on Monday, January 30, at 10:10 a.m. I have instructed my assistant, Carmen Sierra, to drive you directly to our main office and make sure that all the arrangements for your stay are satisfactory. We will put a computer terminal at your disposal in a private office. Should you have any special requirements, I would appreciate it if you would phone or fax us to let us know before your arrival. We have booked a room at the Santa Catalina Hotel in the center of town, which serves breakfast and dinner. Alternatively, we can recommend many fine restaurants in the center of town. We have arranged for you to have prepaid lunches at our staff cafeteria. Ms. Sierra will take care of the transport arrangement for your return to the airport on Friday the third. I look forward to meeting you next month. Sincerely Financial Director 1. Why is Ms. Kahanian going to Buenos Aires? A. To visit a drilling site B. To upgrade a computer system C. To conduct an audit D. To review various restaurants 2. Why might it be necessary for Ms. Kahanian to contact Mr. Ortiz prior to her arrival? A. To arrange to use a computer B. To tell him her flight number C. To reserve hotel accommodations D. To find out if she will have access to a copy machine 3. Where will Ms. Kahanian probably have her midday meals? A. At the Suarez Drilling headquarters B. At the Santa Catalina Hotel C. In one of the town's restaurants D. At a local coffee shop 4. Who invites Ms. Kahanian for an audit? A. Financial director B. Personnel director C. Sales manager D. Head of operation 5. What date will she return? A. 3rd Friday B. 1st Thursday C. 2nd Friday D. 4th Saturday III. Fax Transmission Kleanit Bravo Morillo, 320 Portal 4-2, 28020 Madrid Spain Dear fellow computer user It's time to clean out your computer. If you're like me, you do not remove document that are no longer necessary from your computer. You never know when you need a file, so you don't throw it away. Right? Electronic mail messages pile up, too, creating a huge warehouse of obscure file names. I found that a simple software package called Kleanit gets rid of everything I don’t need and keep the things I do. I was so impressed with this package that I decided to share it with others. No longer do those bothersome extra messages and computer files waste processing time and cause my computer to perform inefficiently. Kleanit makes sure that the only files in my computer are files that relate to my current projects or routine tasks. Why don’t you try it? I’ll send you trial copy and if you aren’t satisfied, send it back. If you are, and you will be, send your check for $32.50 at your earliest convenience. Have a nice day, Robert Horstma CEO 1. According to the fax, what prompted Mr. Horsta to sell Kleanit? A. His e-mail responses B. His poor computer skills C. His need for money D. His satisfaction with the product 2. What suggestion is made in this letter? A. To buy new computers B. To send less mail C. To print out documents D. To purchase new software 3. Besides documents, what else clutters memory on most computers? A. Operating instructions B. Help files C. Electronic mail messages D. Directories 4. What effect does clutter have on a computer? A. The computer operates slowly. B. The computer runs out of space. C. The computer stops working. D. The computer erases files. 5. Which documents should be in your computer? A. Duplicate files B. Current and routine files C. Files from last year D. Files others have sent you IV. Business travelers usually find they have little time to exercise, especially when their schedules are suddenly changed by late meetings or late flights. But everyone should get some exercise. There are ways to make exercise part of your day, even when you cannot make it to the hotel's exercise room. Experts suggest stretching your neck, arms, back, and shoulders while sitting in your airplane seat. At your hotel, you can stretch your legs and abdominal muscles. Then, you can run in place for a good aerobic workout. Exercise is not just for your body: it is for your mind as well. The mind-body connection has long been established by professional medical associations. People who exercise regularly perform more efficiently at work and perform more effectively than their colleagues who don't exercise. So to get ahead of everyone else, try to exercise every day, even when traveling. 1. Who would be likely to read this article'? A. Overweight people B. Frequent vacation-goers C. Businesspeople who take trips D. Pilots and flight attendants 2. Why is it difficult for travelers to get exercise? A. Their schedules may change unexpectedly. B. They work too hard C. There are no places to exercise D. They don't want to exercise. 3. Where can you exercise if you can't go to the exercise room? A. In your meetings B. In your airplane seat C. In your car D. On the bus 4. How can you get aerobic exercise in the hotel? A. Take the stairs B. Work your abdomen C. Stretch your arms D. Run in place 5. According to the report, why should one exercise? A. To perform better at work B. To lose weight C. To feel younger D. To be better at sports V. If you want to advance in your career, you will have to make some careful decisions about which jobs you take. Evaluate a job offer for the value it has to your career. It may mean sacrifices at first. You may have to move to a different region or a different country to get a job that is right for you. You may have to work late hours, at least temporarily. You might even have to take a lower salary for a job that offers you the experience that you need. But you should never accept a job if it is not related to your career goals. Accepting a job that it not within your career path will not give you the training or experience you need or want. You will find yourself frustrated in such a position and consequently will not perform your best. This will have an effect on the people around you, who will not feel as if you are being part of the team. The best advice is to think carefully before accepting any position and make sure the job is one you want to have. 1. What is the most significant factor in evaluating a job? A. Location B. Salary C. Value to your career D. How much you will you like it 2. What is NOT mentioned as sacrifice for a valuable job? A. Moving B. No benefits C. Bad hours D. Low salary 3. What kind of job should you never accept? A. One not related to your career goals B. One that requires a long commute C. One that has a negative effect on people around you D. One that makes you work hard 4. What is wrong with taking a job outside your career path? A. You will earn less. B. You won't perform as well. C. People will give you advice. D. You will be stuck on a team. 5. What is the author's best advice? A. Take the first job offered. B. Consider changing careers. C. Don't work with other people. D. Think before accepting a job VI. CDS Carlyle Department Store 2000 River Oak Mall Los Angeles, CA 90024 May 30 200 Dear Customer: We would like to thank you. Our company has maintained a steady profit margin during the recent recession because of you, our satisfied customers. We have more than 14,000 customers across the city who visit us every week, sometimes twice a week. And to thank you, we would like to give the first 100 customers who spend $1,000 in a ten-day period a 10% discount on their next purchase over $100. Again thanks, and I look forward to seeing you soon. Sincerely yours, Marsden Hartley President and Founder 1. What is the status of the economy? A. It is weak B. It is strong C. It fluctuates frequently D. It is steady 2. What is this index designed to show? A. Number of calls received B. Customer call records C. Types of information and services D. Amount of customer bill 3. What is being offered? A. A free gift B. A price reduction C. $ 100 cash D. A rebate 4. What type of service is provided by the most lines? A. Information about addresses B. Areas of dispute C. Updates on service options D. Information about money and bills 5. Who would most likely use Option 1? A. New customers B. People with a complaint C. People who have moved D. Customers with poor credit ratings VII. Are you setting up a small business? Worried about the costs of renting office space and employing the right people? Rebus Virtual Office World can help you. With our Basic Office Deal, we can set up a virtual office for you practically overnight. We will give your business a professional image and our polite, friendly staff will handle your calls and present your business in the best possible way. We can provide you with: a professional business address, a local phone number and we will also handle mail. For a more personal approach, with the option of forwarding mail and messages to your home address, don’t hesitate to ask us about our Premier Office Deals. 1. Where is the text from? A. A message from a business to a current client B. An advertisement for a new business service C. An email from one business worker to another D. A newspaper article about a new business’s success 2. What does the service provide? A. Off-site staff to perform general office duties B. A site where several businesses can locate their offices C. Advice on how to make your business more professional D. Temporary staff for local businesses 3. Which of the following is not included in the Basic Office deal? A. A polite receptionist B. A mail-forwarding service C. A professional address D. A telephone-answering service Dear Helen, I would like to congratulate you on organising such an excellent and informative workshop. I know a lot of people learnt a great deal from it. Can you pass on my thanks to Doctor Friedman for his fascinating talk on Staff Motivation? I realise how lucky we were that he was able to find the time for us. The feedback from the staff was very positive. Let’s hope we actually see an improvement in staff motivation as a result! By the way, I’m missing my list of addresses of the delegates who attended. Did I happen to leave it in your office? It’s just that I haven’t seen it since our meeting on Friday. Thanks again for a great day, Anne 1. What is the main objective of the message? A. to inform B. to accuse C. to make a request D. to praise 2. What can be implied about the workshop? A. All the delegates were staff from the same office. B. It included several talks. C. It lasted one day. D. Motivation was the only topic discussed. 3. What can be implied about Dr Friedman? A. He works in the same office as Anne. B. He has a very busy schedule. C. He is a leading expert on staff motivation. D. Anne knows him better than Helen does. 4. What has happened to the address list? A. Anne has lost it. B. Anne has found it. C. Anne has sent it to Helen. D. Anne has completed it. VIII. Here’s a mouth-watering cookie recipe for you to try at home. You will need two cups each of margarine, white sugar and brown sugar; four eggs, four cups of flour, 1 teaspoon of baking powder, a pinch of salt and a cup of milk chocolate chips. First of all, pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Take a large bowl and cream together the margarine and sugar until they are smooth. Then add the eggs, one by one. Sift the flour and baking powder into the mixture and add the salt. Finally add the chocolate chips. Drop spoonfuls of the mixture onto ungreased cookie sheets and bake for eight to ten minutes until the edges are golden brown. Cool for one hour before eating. 1. Which of the following is NOT an ingredient in the recipe? A. cream B. flour C. eggs D. margarine 2. What must the cook do first? A. Put the margarine and sugar in a bowl B. Turn on the oven C. Sift the flour D. Break the eggs 3. Which of the following items is needed to make this recipe? A. a microwave B. a sieve C. a saucepan D. a knife 4. Which of the following ingredients is added last? A. salt B. baking powder C. chocolate chips D. eggs IX. A new ruling which came into effect last week requires some homeowners to purchase new smoke alarms. The ordinance states that there should be a fire alarm installed in every bedroom of the house, and these alarms must comply with certain safety standards. Some local residents are displeased at these new regulations. Gwen Ellis of McKinley says that to meet with the new regulations, she has to buy five new alarms to replace the ones she installed just six months ago. With fire alarms costing up to $20 apiece, this is an unwelcome ruling for many people. Fortunately, the McKinley Fire Department is offering grants for homeowners and will provide and install new fire alarms free of charge. If you have small children or are older than 65 years of age, you may be eligible for these. The McKinley Fire Department has 5,000 smoke alarms to give away. To inquire about obtaining a free alarm, or to find out whether you qualify, call 692-569- 0372. 1. Which of the following is true about the new rule? A. Every house should have five fire alarms. B. All fire alarms must be of a certain quality. C. All fire alarms need to first be approved by the Fire Department. D. All fire alarms must be less than six months old. 2. How much do five fire alarms cost? A. $20 B. $100 C. $120 D. $4 3. Which of the following people may be able to receive a free fire alarm? A. an elderly couple B. a family of two adults and two teenagers C. a woman living alone D. a man who owns his own home 4. What does the number 5,000 refer to? A. the number of people who are eligible for free smoke alarms B. the number of smoke alarms which need to be replaced in the town of McKinley C. the number of smoke alarms which have already been installed by the Fire Department D. the number of smoke alarms which are available free to certain people 5. Why did Gwen Ellis have to buy new smoke alarms? A. her old alarms stopped working B. she now has a young family C. her previous alarms didn’t meet the safety regulations D. she has just moved into a new house