Choose one of the interviewees who did not perform well. Give this person some advice on how to handle interviews.

Discussion

II. The Career Fantasy

Imagine that you have just won a major contest, the right to spend an entire day with someone who has a job that you would love to do—your ideal job. You may spend your day with that person anywhere in the world.

During your day, you will be able to work with your “ideal person” at his or her job. Close your eyes for a minute, breathe deeply, and put yourself in this environment. As you breathe deeply, hold this image in your mind.

Spend about 10 minutes experiencing this vision, fantasizing about it, mentally living it. Then, answer the questions below. Do not talk to anyone until your instructor has told you to do so.

1. Whom would I most like to meet and why? What kind of job does he or she have?

2. What would I enjoy most about doing this type of job?

3. What is there about this type of work that I might not enjoy?

4. What special training would I need to do this job?

5. Could I really get a job like this? Why or why not?

Unit IV. Business trip Lesson 1.Travelling

Warm up

I. Answer the following questions

• Have you ever traveled abroad? Did you go by train, by air, by sea, by car? What was the purpose of your visit?

• What documents do you usually have to show at the customs? What sort of questions are you usually asked by customs officials?

• Have you ever bought anything in a duty-free shop? What was it?

• Have you ever experienced cultural differences when you travel?

II. Read and translate the following quotations. Express your point of view (agree/disagree)

“The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page”

St. Augustine

“A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving”.

Lao Tzu

“The traveler sees what he sees.  The tourist sees what he has come to see”.

G.K. Chesterton

Active vocabulary

Translate the words and phrases and try to pronounce them correctly.

Reading

I. Skim the text to grasp the general idea. Tourism: the biggest business in the world

Tourism is one of the biggest businesses in the world. There are nearly 800 million international tourist arrivals every year. it employs, directly or indirectly, one in fifteen of all workers worldwide, from A to Z, from airport cleaners to zookeepers, and includes bar staff, flight attendants, tour guides, and resort reps. It is a huge part of the economy of many countries-in countries such as the Bahamas, over 60% of the economy is based on tourism.

Tourism is a fast-growing business. When Thomas Cook organized his first excursion from Leicester to Loughborough in 1841, he probably didn’t know what he was starting. Key developments in the last 150 years or so have led to the rise of mass tourism. There have been technological developments in transport, in particular the appearance of air travel and charter flights. There have been changes in working practices, with workers getting paid holiday time and working shorter and more flexible hours.

In recent years we have seen the growth of the Internet and globalization, making the world seems a smaller but very fascinating place. The tourism industry grows faster and faster each year. In 1950, there were 25 million international tourist arrivals. In 2004 it is predicted to be 1.6 billion.

But what are the challenges today? The tourism industry is affected by many different things: international events, economic change, changes in fashion. New concerns and worries appear every year, for example as people become more worried about security and international terrorism, or as the value of their currency changes. But new destinations and new sources of tourists also seem to emerge every year.

Tourism survives. It is a powerful and sometimes dangerous force in the modern world. Tourism creates many good jobs and careers, but it also produces many poor and badly paid jobs. Tourism can help to protect environments and animal life, but it can also damage them. Tourism can save cultures and local way of life, but it can also destroy them. Tourism can change countries and people for the better, but it can also change them for the worse.

Tourism is one of the biggest industries in the world. It is perhaps also the most important.

Robin Walker, Keith Harding, Tourism1, Oxford University Press

Reading comprehension

I. Scan the text and find the English equivalents to the following words and word combinations. Explain the following words in English. Make up your own sentences with these words.

бортпроводник/стюард, ключевые моменты, в частности, чартерный рейс, гибкий график работы, преграда/препятствие, безопасность, курс обмена валют, пункт назначения, появляться.

II. Discuss these statements with a partner. Write T (true) or F (false).

1. One in fifty of all workers are employed in tourism related industries.

2. The number of international tourism arrivals will more than double between 2004 and 2020.

3. Tourists often worry about international security.

4. Tourism has only had a good influence on the modern world.

III. Which of the following topics does the text discuss?

1. mass tourism

2. technological developments

3. tourism industry

IV. In pairs, answer and discuss these questions.

1. What do these numbers refer to?

a. 1841

b. 25 million

c. 760 million

d. 1.6 billion

2. What are the four positive and four negative effects of tourism mentioned in the article?

3. Which of the key developments in tourism do you think were the most important?

4. Can you think of some recent international events that have affected the tourism industry?

5. Do you think tourism is a positive or a negative influence in the world?

Lexical exercises

Active vocabulary

I. In the two columns match the words on the left with those on the right to make word partnerships about travel.

1. business A baggage

2. expense B difference

3. duty C class

4. time D claim

5. boarding E free

6. excess F fare

7. hand G lounge

8. taxi H luggage

9. departure I agents

10. travel J card

II. Use some expressions from exercise I. And complete these dialogues:

1. What’s the……………………………..between here and New York? Six hours, I think.

2. If you have got the moment, can you ring…..and book me a seat on the morning flight to Geneva?

You’ll be flying………………………….as usual, I suppose?

3. Can I see your………………………………………….sir?

Yes, of course. Here you are.

Is that bag yours?

Yes it is.

I’ll have to put it in the hold, I’m afraid. You are only allowed one piece of…..in the cabin.

4. Thanks for the perfume, Tom. It must have cost a fortune.

Well, actually, I bought it in the………………………shop at Athens airport.

5. By the way, how much is the……………….from the airport to your office?

About $15, I think. It depends on the route the driver takes.

III. Use these verbs to complete the sentences.

1. You must phone the airport to……………..your flight 24 hours before departure.

2. Passengers for Turin should…………………………………..at the Antalia desk.

3. If you wish to…a car on landing, please speak to one of our ground staff on arrival.

4. It’s best to….your money before you leave for the States. You’ll get a better rate here.

5. Don’t worry. I’ll arrange for our driver....you at the airport and take you to our office.

6. Look, it’s nearly eleven o’clock. If we don’t get a move on we’ll……...our flight.

7. If I’m in Singapore, I usually…………………………….at the Royal Park Hotel.

8. What time does your flight……………………………………………in Brussels?

IV.Choose the right variant.

1. Our tour (guide/conductor) was amazing! He knew so much about the city!

2. When you arrive in a new country, you often have to go through (customs/custom) at the airport.

3. Travelling first (level/class) is very expensive.

4. I wanted to buy train tickets, but the ticket (office/bureau) was closed.

5. Are you here on vacation? No. I’m here on (affairs/business).

6. We plan to do some (sightseeing/see-sights) while we are in Chicago.

7. I left my bag in a (locker/lock) at the train station.

8. You have to check (in/on) at the airport three hours before your flight.

9. Is the room air (cold/conditioned)?

V. Match the words and their definitions given below.

Speaking

I. Here are pictures of six famous places. Can you identify them and say which city or country they are in? What do you know about them? What are they famous for?

II. Answer the following questions.

1. Which countries have you visited as a tourist? Which countries would you like to visit?

2. What famous attractions have you seen?

3. Which was your favourite, and why?

4. Have you ever had a holiday that was “different”?

Writing

Describe different types of holidays.

Lesson 2.Business trip

Warm up

I. Discuss with your partner.

• How often do you go to business trip?

• Is it difficult to live and work abroad? What is your opinion?

• What sort of things do you think might be different between two cultures?

• How often do you have to travel for professional purposes?

• Who organizes your travel arrangements?

• Has there ever been a major problem with your travel arrangements?

II. Business travel quiz

1. The best thing about business trips is that they are a good opportunity to:

a) get away from the usual work routine and meet new people

b) do new business

c) get away from family problems

2. Visiting foreign companies is a chance to:

a) Sample new food, learn about another culture, and see things from another perspective

b) promote your own company

c) put stereotypes to the test

3. Before going on a trip I usually:

a) read guide books on the area I’m going to visit

b) learn a few key words in the local language

c) fill my laptop with all the data I need to do business successfully

4. When I’m away I ring home:

a) at least every day

b) once during the trip

c) never

5.When you go on a business trip what do you miss most?

a) your partner

b) colleagues

c) TV

d) food

6. When on business expenses do you ever:

a) buy your hosts a lot of gifts?

b) go to expensive restaurants?

c) exaggerate your expenses a little so that you can buy a few extra things?

Reading.

I. Skim the text to grasp the general idea. Think of the most suitable heading. Scan the text paying attention to the words in bold.

Living and working abroad would be really easy if everyone spoke the same way and behaved in the same way. But, as soon as you leave your own culture it quickly becomes clear that things are not the same. There are small and large differences between cultures. And how well you are able to deal with these differences will affect how good your experience will be.

When people go into another cultural environment some of the things that can be different for them are such things as the verbal communication style that can be radically different. And we're not just talking about a different language but literally the way that we use verbal communication.

Secondly, the non-verbal communication, body language, the gestures and the things that we do as part of our communication.

Things like time. Do we see time as a linear process with a fixed series of events following each other, or is time something much looser, much more flexible?

Whatever the differences working abroad might cause, there are millions of people working abroad right now, experiencing and enjoying life in a different culture. But what's it like the first time you arrive in a new country?

People are curious, or they might feel I don't know very much what to do and I want to have the equivalent of a gap year. I want to experience other cultures and then once you know, you've had some familiarity working in a foreign culture you can think about whether you want to go back to own.

Another reason for going is where people really want to go and improve themselves. Where the situation that they are in their countries may not give them the scope for their ambitions and of course many people to go and work abroad for those reasons - to find a place where they can fulfill themselves

BBC Learning English

II. Match the words with their definitions.

III. Explain the following words in English. Use English-English dictionary if necessary.

Case study

I. Skim the following text for general understanding. Made in Japan, Sold on Britain

54,400 Japanese live in Britain: 12,000 are business people, 5,800 are students, most of the rest are their families. The Japanese like Britain. They find it strange, but they like it.

Masami Sato, one of only 70 office-ladies-junior women managers–in Britain, is happy. She says “most things are better here than in Tokyo–there are so many parks and green fields”.

As an office lady, she cannot be promoted above her present junior managerial position, but she thinks the UK is less male dominated than Japan. She is in London as part of a scheme to give office ladies overseas experience, and she does not want to go back to Tokyo when the time comes next year.

“When I go back to Japan, I have to live with my family, she says. “There are few amusements and we can not be relaxed because all Japanese are very busy”.

The Japanese appreciate the space, the more relaxed atmosphere and the longer holidays, but they also experience some difficulties: the most obvious is the language. Mr. Kojima has lived in Wales for two years, and still has problems. “The language is very difficult, but the staff is very experienced at explaining to the Japanese”, he says. “I can understand the explanations, but I can’t understand they talk with each other”.

Besides the language, there are also cultural differences which can make life difficult. Banker Kaoru Itoh says “the British like arguments, the Japanese don’t. They dislike raising the opposite opinion. In Japan everyone respects the opinion of the majority”.

Sue Robbins, First Insights into Business, Longman

Reading comprehension

I. Look through the text once again and fill in the charts below.

II. Answer the questions.

1. How many Japanese do live in Britain?

2. What is Masami Sato’s job title?

3. Does Masami Sato like living and working in London? Why/Why not?

4. Why is she working in London?

5. What are her job opportunities in London?

6. When is she going home?

7. Does she want to go home? Why/Why not?

III. Discuss with your partner.

1. In what way is life in Britain difficult for Japanese?

2. Describe one cultural difference between Japanese and British people.

3 Would you like to live or work in a foreign country? Why/ Why not?

Listening

I. Listen to Colin Knapp talking about traveling to the Far East and try to guess the meaning of the following words and word-combinations:

jet lag

culture gap

tip

II. Listen again and answer the questions:

1. How often does Colin travel on business?

2. Which country does he visit regularly?

3. How long is the flight?

4. What two things does he do during the flight?

5. Does he suffer from jet lag?

6. Is jet lag different traveling west-east and east-west?

7. Why does he travel to the Far East instead of doing business by telephone or fax?

8. What example of a culture gap does he give?

9. What three tips does he give for visiting this country for the first time?

Lexical exercises

Active Vocabulary

I. How was your trip?

Read these extracts from interviews with people about their business trips. Then look at the words in bold in each extract and find six pairs of opposite phrases.

From In Company Intermediate

I. Read the dialogue in pairs.

A Business Traveler

Interviewer: Good morning Sir. I’d like to ask you a few questions if I may.

Jack: Well, I am waiting to catch my flight so I guess I can answer a few questions.

Interviewer: Thank you Sir. First of all, how often do you travel?

Jack: I travel about twice a month.

Interviewer: Where are you flying to on your business trip?

Jack: I am flying to Austin, Texas.

Interviewer: Where did you fly on your last trip?

Jack: I flew to Portland, Oregon. I’ve already been there three times!

Interviewer: Really! Do you enjoy travelling on business?

Jack: Yes, although I prefer staying in the office.

Interviewer: What do you like more about travelling?

Jack: I like visiting new cities and trying out new food.

Interviewer: Is there any place you would like to visit that you haven’t visited yet?

Jack: Yes, I’d like to go to Hawaii! I love going to the beach!

Interviewer: Thank you very much for your time today.

Jack: You are welcome. My pleasure.

BBC Learning English

I. Define if the sentences are true (T), false (F) or doesn’t say.

1. Jack is waiting to catch a flight.

a) true

b) false

c) doesn’t say

2. Jack travels twice a month.

a) true

b) false

c) doesn’t say

3. Jack especially likes going to Portland.

a) true

b) false

c) doesn’t say

4. Jack is flying to Oregon.

a) true

b) false

c) doesn’t say

5. Jack flew to Portland for his last trip.

a) true

b) false

c) doesn’t say

Speaking

I. What are the advantages and disadvantages of living and working in Russia? Make up a table to summarize the facts

II. Prepare a speech for foreigners who are going to work for your company and have just arrived. Speak about advantages and disadvantages of living and working in your country.

III. You are going to talk about your business trip. Think of a recent trip you have made and write notes to answer each question below.

When you have prepared your notes, work with a partner and interview each other.

• Where was the journey from and where was it to?

• What form of transport did you use?

• Who did you go with?

• How much time did you spend preparing for it?

• What did you take with you?

• What was the weather like?

• How long did it take you?

• How many times did you stop en route? What for?

• Did anything unusual or unexpected happen?

• Would you go on the same journey again? Why/why not?

Lesson 3. Buying a ticket

Warm up

I. Discuss with your partner.

1. Do you like flying or are you afraid of it? Say why.

2. If you might choose which means of transport would you go by?

3. What was your most or least enjoyable journey?

4. What is the most important for you?

• safety

• comfort

• exact departures and arrivals

• good food and drinks

• price of the tickets/discounts

• attentive staff

Active vocabulary

Modern business often involves international travel. When booking a flight, what questions do you need to ask? Imagine you are booking a flight and a hotel over the phone. What words and expressions do you use?

I. Translate the words and phrases and try to pronounce them correctly.

II. Read the dialogue in pairs.

Dolores: Hello! Dolores speaking_______

Tim: Ah yes, hello. I’d like to enquire about flights to Hong Kong from

Kennedy Airport in New York, please. I’m off to a conference at the end of

the month ­ Thursday 22nd until Tuesday 27th. Could you tell me about the

flight availability and prices?

Dolores: Certainly. Do you want to go economy, business or first class?

Tim: Well, I’d like to go first class, but unfortunately I’ll have to go economy ­

company rules, you see.

Dolores: Yes, sure, I understand. How many of you will be travelling?

Tim: Ah, it’s just me.

Dolores: Okay, so that’s one seat -economy -New York - Kennedy to Hong

Kong Airport.

Tim: And how much will that be?

Dolores: Let me see … to qualify for the discount rate, you need to stay over a

Saturday, which you are doing …Yes, that’ll be $830.

Tim: Right, and does that include airport tax?

Dolores: No, tax is another $70 on top of that.

Tim: Okay. Can I book that, then?

Dolores: Certainly. Can I help you with anything else?

Tim: Yes, I’d like to book a hotel room too, for the full five nights. Could you

check if the Regency Hotel has any rooms free?

Dolores: Yes, they do.

Tim: And is there a discount rate for conference delegates?

Dolores: Yes, there is. I think it’s 10% but I can check that for you.

Tim: Okay, do you mind if I book it provisionally for now and I’ll call you back

later to confirm? I just need to check one or two details.

Dolores: That’s fine, sir. Can I help you with anything else?

Tim: No, that’s all for now. As I said, I’ll call you back.

BBC Learning English

III. Complete the dialogue

Reservations clerk: Northwind Airways, good morning. May I help you?

You: _______________________________________________________

Reservations clerk: One moment, please. Yes. There’s a flight at 16:45 and one at 18:00.

You: ______________________________________________________

Reservations clerk: Economy, business class or first class ticket?

You: ______________________________________________________

Reservations clerk: That would be €346.

You: ______________________________________________________

Reservations clerk: Certainly. Which flight would you like?

You: ___________________________________________________

Reservations clerk: Could I have your name, please?

You: ___________________________________________________

Reservations clerk: How would you like to pay, Ms. Jones?

You: ____________________________________________________

Reservations clerk: Yes, but you will have to confirm this reservation at least two hours before departure time.

You: ____________________________________________________

Reservations clerk: Now you have been booked, Ms. Jones. The flight leaves at 16:45, and your arrival in Sydney will be at 9:25 a.m., local time. The flight number is NWA 476.

You: ____________________________________________________

Listening

I. Imagine you are going on a business trip. What should you do beforehand?

1. Mike and Sarah work for a printing company near Manchester, England. Listen to them discuss Mike’s travel arrangements, and complete the table below.

2. Now Sarah phones Four Seasons Travel to book Mike’s trip.

Look at the sentences below from her conversations. Find and correct one mistake in each sentence.

1. I need return tickets and accommodations for my colleague Michael Wise.

2. Can you get me a fly to Boston on the 26^th?

3. Do you know what hotel he wants to love in?

4. Manchester to Boston, departing 09.15 arriving in Boston 15.15 local hour.

5. That’s with a changeover at New York.

6. I’ll put him on the wait list and see.

3. Now listen to the conversation between Sarah and Lucy again and mark each sentence below true (t) or false (f).

1. The company Mike and Sarah work for is called DEL Graphics.

2. Sarah wants Mike’s hotel to be in the centre of town but inexpensive.

3. She books the flights.

4. There’s a problem with the return to Britain on the 28^th.

4. Lucy phones Sarah back with Mike’s travel details. Listen to their conversation and complete these extracts.

1. He…………………………..on BLE flight 466 to Boston via New York on the 26^th.

2. In Boston……………………………………..at the Liberty Inn on the 26^th and 27^th.

3. I………………………………………………….all the prices to you this afternoon.

4. You……...on Monday 26^th on BLE flight 466, departing from Manchester at 09:15.

5. You…………………………………………….at the Liberty inn for the two nights.

Speaking

I. What you would say in these situations?

Example: You are at the flight check-in desk. The check-in assistant insists that your hand luggage needs to go in the hold?

Is that necessary? It’s very light/small............

a. Tell the airline check-in clerk your seating preferences

b.Phone a hotel and book a double room

c.You arrive at your hotel. What do you say to your receptionist?

d.Phone a colleague to say that your flight has been delayed

II. Make a phone call to a travel agent to arrange flights and accommodation for a business trip to two different cities, with one night in each city. A tour operator should find out:

1) the passenger’s name

2) the flight number

3) the destination

4) the date booked

5) the date he/she wants to

III. Make up dialogues based on these situations.

1. You are on a plane going to England. It’s your first trip abroad. A passenger next to you happens to be an experienced traveler. He is kind and ready to help you in any way and give you any information you need. Have a talk with him.

2. You can’t find your black leather suit-case on arrival. You are worried as your case contains not only your personal effects but also some important booklets. Ask the airline clerk to help you with your problem.

3. You’ve come to the place of your business mission. You are going to stay there for a short period of time. Mr. Brown whom you know personally meets you. Exchange several remarks on your flight and the programme of your stay.

Writing

Write a letter to your travel agent, telling them your schedule for a business trip.

Ask them to book you flights and hotels.

Lesson 4. Staying at the hotel

Warm up

I. Answer the following questions.

• Have you ever stayed at a hotel? What services were available?

• What are guests requested to do when they stay at hotels?

• Is it necessary to confirm reservation?

• What is a motel?

• What is a guest house?

Active vocabulary

Never before in the history of the world have businessmen traveled so much as they do today. It is not surprising because we are living in the world of growing international trade and expanding economic and technical cooperation.

Fascinating though it is for tourists, traveling has, however, become the most tiring of all the occupations for many businessmen and experts. Choosing a comfortable hotel to stay at is therefore a matter of importance.

There are plenty of good hotels, motels and guest-houses in the world conveniently located for major business centers.

I. Translate the words and phrases and try to pronounce them correctly.

I I. Look at the following pictures of hotel facilities.

II. Which would you expect to find in your hotel if your company sent you on a business trip?

III. Which of these hotel facilities are the most important to you?

Lexical exercises

Active vocabulary

I. Read the following dialogues in pairs, paying attention to the words in bold.

a. Reserving the room at the hotel

Receptionist: Hello. Northern Star Hotel. Can I help you?

Mr. Brown: Yes. I'd like to reserve a single room with bathroom, for three nights, from Wednesday, the 12^th of February, to Friday, the 14^th of February, inclusive.

Receptionist: Let me see ... Yes, sir. A single room for three nights with English breakfast, is that right?

Mr. Brown: Yes, that's right.

Receptionist: What is your name, please?

Mr. Brown: It isn't for me, it's for Mr. Clyde.

Receptionist: Could you spell it, please?

Mr. Brown: Yes, of course. C-L-Y-D-E.

Receptionist: Thank you, sir.

Mr. Brown: Shall I send a deposit?

Receptionist: No. It isn't necessary, sir.

Mr. Brown: Thank you very much.

b. Checking in

John: Good evening, I have reserved a double room for three nights at your hotel.

Receptionist: What is your name, please?

John: Mr. Clyde.

Receptionist: Yes. We have reserved a room for you. It is room 235. It’s quiet and comfortable. Will you register, please? Here are the forms.

John: How much do I pay?

Receptionist: Ninety dollars a day plus tax. How will you pay?

John: Can I pay with a credit card?

Receptionist: Sure. The porter will take your suitcases and show you up the room.

John: Thank you.

c. Checking out

Mr. Clyde: I am checking out tomorrow. Could you please make out the bill?

Receptionist: Just a moment, please. Here is your bill for the apartment, telephone and room service.

Mr. Clyde: How can I pay?

Receptionist: You can pay here with your credit card

Mr. Clyde: Could you send my suitcases down tomorrow?

Receptionist: Of course, sir.

II. You are checking into a hotel. Help the receptionist to fill in your hotel card and registration form.

Registration form:

Name of hotel or address of house________________________

TO BE FILLED IN IMMEDIATELY ON ARRIVAL:

1. Surname___________________________________________

2. Christian names_____________________________________

3. Nationality_________________________________________

4. Date of arrival________________5. Sex_________________

6. Particulars of Registration Certificate or Passport__________

7. Arrived here from___________________________________

(give last address in full)

Signature of person to whom the above particulars relate______

TO BE FILLED IN ON DEPARTURE

8. Date of departure____________________________________

9. Destination (Give new address in full) ___________________

Signature of person to whom the above particulars relate______

III. Imagine you wish to stay at a London hotel. What would you reply to the hotel clerk?

Receptionist: Good afternoon, San Felice Hotel. May I help you?

You: ________________________________________________

Receptionist: Certainly. When for, madam?

You: ________________________________________________

Receptionist: How long will you be staying?

You: ________________________________________________

Receptionist: What kind of room would you like, madam?

You: ________________________________________________

Receptionist: Certainly, madam. I’ll just check what we have available. Yes, we have a room on the 4th floor with a really splendid view.

You: ________________________________________________

Receptionist: Would you like breakfast?

You: ________________________________________________

Receptionist: It’s eighty four euro per night excluding VAT.

You: ________________________________________________

Receptionist: Who’s the booking for, please, madam?

You: ________________________________________________

Receptionist: Okay, let me make sure I got that: Mr. and Mrs. Ryefield. Double with bath for March the 23rd, 24th and 25th. Is that correct?

You: ________________________________________________

Receptionist: Let me give you your confirmation number. It’s: 7576385. I’ll repeat that: 7576385. Thank you for choosing San Felice Hotel and have a nice day. Goodbye.

You: ________________________________________________

IV. Imagine you are checking out of the hotel.

Receptionist: Good morning. May I help you?

You: ________________________________________________

Receptionist: One moment, please, sir. Here’s your bill. Would you like to check and see if the amount is correct?

You: ________________________________________________

Receptionist: That’s for the phone calls you made from your room.

You: ________________________________________________

Receptionist: Certainly. May I have your passport, please?

You: ________________________________________________

Receptionist: Could you sign each cheque here for me?

You: ________________________________________________

Receptionist: Here are your receipt and your change, sir. Thank you.

You: ________________________________________________

Listening

I. Listen to the conversation of a guest in a hotel. Find five mistakes in the following sentences.

II. Listen to the conversations once again and check you found the ten mistakes.

Conversation 1

Guest: Good night. I have a reservation.

Receptionist: Good evening. What name is it, please?

Guest: Carbalho, Paolo Carbalho.

Receptionist: How long are you staying, Mr. Carbalho?

Guest: I’m staying during two nights.

Receptionist: OK. You are in the room 312 on the third floor. Here’s your key card.

Guest: How this works?

Receptionist: Well, once you’ve opened the door, you have to insert it into the slot in the wall to turn on the electricity in your room.

Guest: Right. And does it also activate the air-conditioning?

Receptionist: Yes. The air-conditioning comes on as soon as you put the card in the slot.

Guest: Fine. You think could you give me a wake-up call tomorrow morning?

Receptionist: Yes, certainly. What time?

Guest: At 7 o’clock, please.

Receptionist: Of course.

Guest: And what time is breakfast?

Receptionist: Breakfast is served from 7 to 10, and lunch from 12 until 2.

Guest: Right.

Receptionist: Do you need any help with your luggage?

Guest: No, it’s all right thanks. I can manage. Could you tell me where is the lift?

Receptionist: Yes, it’s just at the end of the passageway. Enjoy your stay at the Imperial Hotel, Mr. Carbalho.

Conversation 2

Guest: Good morning. I like check out, please.

Receptionist: Good morning, Mr. Carbalho. Did you enjoy your stay?

Guest: Yes, the room was very comfortable. I’m afraid I have problem with the remote control for the television, though. It fell in the bath last night while I was getting out, and it doesn’t appear to be working now. I’m terribly sorry.

Receptionist: Don’t worry, Mr. Carbalho. We’ll sort it out. Thank you for telling us. Did you have anything from the minibar?

Guest: Yes. I had one bottle of mineral water and any beer.

Receptionist: How many bottles?

Guest: Just one. And I also made two telephone calls to Lisbon.

Receptionist: Right. I’ll just add that to your bill. That’s €354.25, please.

Guest: I pay by American Express?

Receptionist: Yes, of course.

Guest: Here’s my card.

Receptionist: Thank you. Could you sign here, please?

Guest: Of course. Would it be OK my bags here? My plane doesn’t leave until later this afternoon, and I want to do a bit of shopping before I leave Ljubljana.

Receptionist: Yes, certainly. Just bring them into the office, and you can leave them as long as you like.

Guest: Thank you. I’ll be back at about 3 o’clock to pick them up.

Business One: One, Oxford University Press

II. Complete the useful expressions for checking into and out of a hotel.

1. Good………………………………………….a reservation.

2. I’m staying for……………………………………………..

3. How…………….this…………………………………….?

4. Do………………………………..call tomorrow morning?

5. Could you tell me where…………………………………?

6. Good morning………………………………………please.

7. I’m afraid…………………………..with the remote control

8. I had a bottle of mineral water and…………………………

9. Can……………………………………..American Express?

10. Would it be OK…………………………………….here?

Speaking

1. Role-play checking into a hotel. You have a reservation for a double room for three nights at the Hotel Suisse in Lucerne. You need to know if there is a safe in your room and how it works. You would like to have dinner in the hotel and you need an alarm call every morning at 6 o’clock. Your partner will be the receptionist.

2. Role-play checking out of the same hotel. You’ve had a couple of things from the minibar, and, unfortunately, you dropped a bottle of champagne. You have also made several calls home. You would like to pay by credit card, and you need a taxi to go to the railway station. Your partner will be the receptionist.

Writing

Write a short review of your stay at the Imperial Hotel to post on their website. Include your opinion about your room, the food, the service, and the location of the hotel. Invent any details you need.

Lesson 5. Getting around the town

Warm up

• S ome people say that men never want to ask for directions when they are lost. What is your opinion? What do you do?

• Are you good at giving directions? What are good directions?

Active Vocabulary

I. Translate the words and phrases and try to pronounce them correctly.

Reading

I. Skim the text for general understanding. Pay attention to the words in bold. Travel scams

S o, you arrive at your holiday destination, looking forward to a stress-free fortnight away from it all, but no sooner do you get off the plane than you’re tricked out of $ 200 of your spending money. That’s what happened to me, anyway, and I’ll tell you how. I took a taxi to my hotel, as everything was looking a little strange. When we stopped, I gave the driver a $100 bill, but he waved it in my face saying I’d confused it with a $1note. So I gave him another bill, and while I was thanking him for pointing out my mistake, he drove off. It wasn’t until I got to my hotel room that I realized he’d somehow pocketed my first $ 100 bill and got me to give him another one. As simple as that. But the taxi dodge is only one of the many travel scams used to relieve tourists of their money and belongings. Here are five more common scams to watch out for when you’re far away from home:

1_____

You are walking down the street, enjoying a bit of the local culture and admiring the architecture, when splat! A large piece of what likes bird poo lands on your shoulders, dirtying your best holiday clothes.

Suddenly a person appears with a cloth and offers to wipe off the mess, complaining about the pigeons that live in their city. Beware. While cleaning you up, they will also be robbing you of all the valuables in your pockets.

2_____

You are at the airport and you put your laptop on the luggage scanner conveyor belt before waiting behind two people to go trough the metal detector. The first passes with no problems, but the detector goes off when the second person goes through. They then proceed to remove all their jewellery and empty their pockets of everything from coins to chewing gum. By the time you get through the machine the first person has disappeared, and so has your laptop.

3._____

You are delighted to find that changing your money on the black market from the suspicious-looking guy on the corner will give you a much better rate than at the bureau of change or the hotel front desk, and there’s no commission either. You hand over your cash to get a huge number of notes, which you rush to put away before someone can take them. Counting your money in the hotel room, you realize you’ve been handed a pile of worthless notes.

4_____

There you are feeling very pleased with yourself for managing to find an empty compartment. While waiting for your train to leave the station, someone on the platform taps at the window calling to you. You go to find them, only to see them run off. When you return to your seat, you find an even emptier compartment–your bags have been stolen.

5_____

A friendly stranger starts talking to you and while you are chatting away, a policeman approaches. He says he is looking for some false banknotes and asks to see your passport and money. The other traveler hand his over and gets them back. When you hand over your cash, the policeman and the traveler disappear with it.

Scam–a trick which is designed to take money from people in a dishonest way.

Business One: One, Oxford University Press

Reading comprehension

I. Read the text once again and find in the text English equivalents for the following Russian phrases:

обмануть, перепутать с чем-либо, указать на ошибку, купюра, афера/обман, имущество, протирать/вытирать, обокрасть, драгоценности, портативный ноутбук, пункт обмена валюты, горсть ничего не стоящих монет, купе в вагоне, стучать в окно, фальшивомонетчик.

II. Read the extracts and match a title to each one.

A. The airport scanner set-up

B. The fake policeman routine

C The disgusting substance scam

D. The crooked currency exchange

E. The train compartment trick

III. Answer the question with the correct paragraph number. Which scam:

1. Happens when you are trying to save money? ________________

2. Involves a person in authority? ____________________________

3. Happens before you board your plane?______________________

4. Occurs because you leave your bags unattended? ______________

5. Involves someone pretending to help you? ____________________

IV. Find the words in the text that match the following definitions a-j.

1. money and expensive possessions

____________________________________________

b) a machine which moves things along automatically

____________________________________________

c) suddenly starts making a loud sound

____________________________________________

d) very happy

____________________________________________

e) an unofficial system for doing business

____________________________________________

f) with no value

____________________________________________

g) to escape on foot

____________________________________________

h) knocks gently with the ends of fingers

____________________________________________

i) comes towards you

____________________________________________

j) gives something to someone

____________________________________________

Listening

I. Two Chinese Americans, Jun and Wei, are visiting Sydney, Australia. They are at Central Station. Listen to their conversation and mark the places and streets mentioned on the map.

II. Now listen to two conversations where Jun and Wei are checking their route. Write the expressions they use.

Conversation 1.

1. Excuse me, is this…………………………The Harbourside?

2. Sorry,…………………………right or left at Circular Quay?

3. And then what………………………………………………?

Conversation 2.

1. Excuse me, is this Chinatown………………………………?

2. Am I……………………we go straight down this road first?

3. Wei:………….second right into Kent Street, then third right.

Pippa: You…………………………………………………

Lexical exercises

Active vocabulary

I. What’s the best way to the post office? (Use the map for orientation.)

1. Excuse me, where is the post office, please?

2__________________________at the next corner.

3. Then _______until you come to the traffic lights.

4____________________________________there.

5. The post office is ________________the cinema.

II. Fill in the words below correctly. (Use the map for orientation.)

continue, end, excuse, get, left (2 x), next, opposite, right, second, straight on, thank, turn, welcome

1_____me, how do I ______to the cinema?

2. Go______________________________

3. Turn __________________at the corner.

4. Then take the _____road on your______

5________to the ___________of the road.

6__________________________left there.

7. The cinema is on your___, ___the castle.

8_____________________you very much.

9. You’re___________________________

III. Look at the map and do the following exercises.

1. Define if the sentences are true (t) or false (f). Correct the false ones

1.  The jewelry store is behind the Italian restaurant

2.  The bar is on Second Avenue

3.  The police station is on the left from Fire Department

4.  The toy store is across from the Chinese restaurant

5.  The movie theater is opposite the Book store

6.  The sporting goods store is behind the Furniture store

7.  The bar is next to the Chinese restaurant

2. Look at the map. Choose the correct name of the building.

1. Take the first street on the left. Take the next street on the right.

Go straight on and cross the road. It's on the left.

2. Take the first street on the left. Go down the street. Turn on the right. Take the next street on the right. Go straight on    and cross the road. Go straight on. It's in front of you on the other side of the road.

3. Take the first street on the left. Take the next street on the right. Take the next street on the right. Pass the Fire Department. It's on your left.

3. Fill in the missing preposition.

1. The Women's wear is ……………………the Jewelry Store.

2. The Movie Theater is………………………the Book Store.

3. The Women's wear is……….the Jewelry Store and the Bar.

4. The Toy store is………….of Main Street and Forest Street.

5. The Jewelry Store is…………………the Italian Restaurant

Writing

I. You are visiting a business colleague in Palermo, Sicily. They have given directions of how to get to their house from the airport, but you did not understand everything in the conversation. Send your colleague an email checking the following information:

• Get bus from airport to the railway station/ the port?

• Walk down Via Maqueda/ Via Roma?

• Turn left/ right down Corso Vittorio Emmanuelle?

• The house is near the church called Saint’ Agastino/ San Catalo/ San Nicolo?

II. Write a short description of how you or someone you know had a difficulty with the directions someone had given them.

Unit V. Eating out Lesson 1. Meals

Warm up

• Are you fond of going to the restaurants? What is your favourite restaurant or café?

• Are there any foreign restaurants in your area?

• Which restaurants do you choose to go to in your country when you are with visitors?

• When you are abroad, how do you decide where to eat?

• Do you often invite guests to dinner?

• Do you enjoy eating Indian (Russian, French, German…) food?

• Can you cook well?

• What are your favourite dishes?

• What sort of take-away food do you usually eat?

Active Vocabulary

waiter waitress chef menu glass

Bottle bill tip credit card

Translate the words and phrases and try to pronounce them correctly.

Reading

I. Skim the text to grasp the general idea. Meals. Eating out

In most countries East or West eating out has now become very popular. A lot of eating places ranging from high-class restaurants to factory canteens cater for all tastes at various prices.

Thus small, often self-service restaurants, cafes or snack-bars serve quite cheap food while traditional restaurants are famous for high quality and expensive cooking.

Normally a meal in a restaurant takes time. Usually you tell the waiter what you want for the first two courses; he will take your order for dessert and coffee later. When paying the bill it is customary to tip waiters, however in most restaurants a service charge is nowadays added to avoid individual tipping. But if the waiter has been very helpful some people like to give a small tip.

If you want to have a quick lunch you may decide on a snack-bar, a café or even your office vending machine where you can get sandwiches and other snacks.

Every country has its own popular places which traditionally specialize in certain dishes. For example, kebab grills, fried chicken are quite common in Syria and Lebanon, Iraq and Libya and elsewhere in the Arab world. There are also hamburger restaurants in most places in the East nowadays which specialize in cheap meals, especially hamburgers. Very popular indeed are take-away places serving fried (grilled) chicken. In Baghdad, for instance, you go to take-away restaurant or a small shop, give your order which is cooked while you wait and packed in plastic bags for you to take away. You are sure to enjoy the chicken, hot and juicy, seasoned and garnished with pickled onions, cucumbers, garlic and whatnot.

At a hotel restaurant you are offered European cuisine along with specially prepared dishes, various hors d’oeuvres, wines and soft drinks.

First-class five star hotels treat their guests to “Swedish Board” which gives you a quick and delicious meal. Other services such as Coffee Shops are also commonly available.

From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia

Reading comprehension

I. Read the text once again and find in the text the English equivalents to the following Russian words and word combinations. Explain the following words in English. Use English-English dictionary if necessary. Make up your own sentences with these words.

питаться вне дома, столовая, ресторанное обслуживание, буфет /закусочная, высокое качество, оплатить счет, дать чаевые, торговый автомат, маринованные огурцы, и тому подобное, европейская кухня, закуска, принимать гостей/угощать.

II. Work with you partner and complete the table.

III. Discuss the following questions in class.

1. What are the most popular places for eating out nowadays?

2. Do people give a small tip to the waiters?

3. Where can people have a quick lunch?

4. Does any country specialize in certain dishes? Give an example.

5. What is “Swedish Board”? In which countries is it popular?

Lexical exercises

Active vocabulary

I. What do we call places where people go to eat? Match the words in the left column with the definitions in the right column.

II. What types of restaurant would you recommend to the following people?

1. A young couple who want food and some entertainment late at night.

2. A man who wants a meal in a place where he can meet some local people.

3. Someone wanting a quick, cheap meal.

4. Someone at a railway station.

5. Someone who wants non-English food.

6. A student staying at the university all day.

7. A factory worker at lunch-time.

8. A family who wants to celebrate some special occasion.

III. What is the opposite? Use these adjectives:

1) a heavy meal…………..….

2) fresh bread……………..…

3) spicy food……………..….

4) still water…………………

5) sweet wine………………..

6) hot soup……………….….

7) a soft drink…………..……

8) rare steak……………...…..

IV. Use these verbs to complete the gaps in these sentences:

1. Do we have to…………a table or can we just turn up?

2. I’ve ordered a table for 6 o’clock. Does that……...you?

3. Would you like something to drink or shall we…….straightaway?

4. Can I…….the strawberry cake? It’s one of the chef’s specialities.

5. I think I’ll have the cabbage salad to…..and the salmon to……….

6. Which do you…..– red or white?

7. I’m a vegetarian. I don’t…………meat or fish.

8. No dessert for me, thanks. I’ll just………coffee.

9. Would you like anything else or shall I…….for the bill?

10. Could you……..up the bill, please? Do you…….Visa?

V. Use these verbs to complete the following:

1. I’ll……….a mineral water, please. 5. I……….there fairly often.

2. I………….curry to spicy. 6. I………..Mediterranean food.

3. Do you………something to eat? 7. Can I…….you something to drink?

4. Let’s……..the Taj Mahal for a change. 8. How long will it……………?

Speaking

I. Work in small groups. Choose one of the following situations and design a suitable meal. The meal should consist of at least three courses.

a) for a friend of yours and her new boyfriend. The boyfriend is a vegetarian.

b) for a romantic evening.

c) for a hot summer’s day.

d) for a friend who is on a diet.

e) for a child’s sixth birthday party.

II.When you have finished read out your menu to the rest of the group and ask them to guess which situation you chose.

Writing

Write a dream menu for a day.

Lesson 2.Describing taste of food

Warm up

Read these quotations about English food. Do all the people have the same opinion about English food? Express your point of view (agree/disagree).

“It takes some skill to spoil a breakfast–even the English can’t do it!”

J K Galbraith, economist

“If the English can survive their food, they can survive anything!”

George Bernard Shaw, writer

“English cooking? You just put things into boiling water and then take them out again after a long while!”

An anonymous French chef

Active vocabulary

To describe accurately how food is cooked, the following verbs are used:

Some common adjectives for food and drink:

savoury –sweet (food)

hot, spicy–mild (curry dishes)

rich, heavy–light (dishes)

s till-sparkling, fizzy (mineral water)

Other expressions:

It’s served with…/made from…

It’s a mixture of…and…

It comes with…

It’s a kind of…

It’s made from…with…and cooked in…

I think you will like it…

You may not like it…

I. Explain the following words in English. Use English-English dictionary if necessary.

II. Match the vocabulary words on the left with the definitions on the right.

Reading

I. Skim the text for general understanding. About Eating Out in Britain

1. How come it is so difficult to find English food in England? In Greece you eat Greek food, in France French food, in Italy Italian food, but in England, in any High Street in the land, it is easier to find Indian and Chinese restaurants than English ones. In London you can eat Thai, Portuguese, Turkish, Japanese, Russian, Polish, Swiss, Spanish, and Italian–but where are the English restaurants?

2. It is not only in restaurants that foreign dishes are replacing traditional British food. In every supermarket, sales of pasta, pizza and poppadoms are booming. Why has this happened? What is wrong with the cooks of Britain that they prefer cooking pasta to potatoes? Why do the British choose to eat lasagna instead of shepherd’s pie?

Why do they now like cooking in wine and olive oil? But perhaps it is a good thing. After all, this is the end of 20^th century and we can get ingredients from all over the world in just a few hours. Anyway, wasn’t English food always disgusting and tasteless? Wasn’t it always boiled to death and swimming in fat? The answer to these questions is a resounding “No”, but to understand this, we have to go back to before World War II.

3. The British have in fact always imported food from abroad. From the time of the Roman invasion foreign trade was a major influence on British cooking. English kitchens, like the English language, absorbed ingredients from all over the world-chickens, rabbits, apples and tea. All of these and more were successfully incorporated into British dishes. Another important influence on British cooking was of course the weather. The good old British rain gives us rich soil and green grass, and means that we are able to produce some of the finest varieties of meat, fruit and vegetables, which don’t need fancy sauces or complicated recipes to disguise their taste.

4. However, World War II changed everything. Wartime women had to forget of British cooking, learn to do without foreign imports, and ration their use of home-grown food. The Ministry of Food published cheap, boring recipes. The joke of the war was a dish called Woolton Pie (named after the Minister for Food!). This consisted of a mixture of boiled vegetables covered in white sauce with mashed potato on the top. Britain never managed to recover from the wartime attitude to food. We were left with a loss of confidence in our cooking skills and after years of Ministry recipes we began to believe that British food was boring, and we searched the world for sophisticated, new dishes which gave hope of a better future. The British people became tourists at their own dining tables and in the restaurants of their land! This is a tragedy! Surely food is as much a part of our culture as our landscape, our language, and our literature. Nowadays, cooking British food is like as having a conversation in Anglo-Saxon English.

5. However, there is still one small ray of hope. British pubs are often the best places to eat well and cheaply in Britain, and they also increasingly try to serve tasty British food. Can we recommend to you our two favourite places to eat in Britain? The Shepherd’s Inn in Melmerby, Cumbria, and the Dolphin Inn in Kingston, Devon. Their steak and mushroom pie, Lancashire hotpot, and bread and butter pudding are three of the gastronomic wonders of the world!

Elizabeth Sharman, Across Cultures, Longman

Reading comprehension

I. In the text find the English equivalents to the following words and word combinations. Explain the following words in English. Use English-English dictionary if necessary. Make up your own sentences with these words.

хрустящая лепешка, безвкусная пища, со времен римского вторжения, объединяться/ смешиваться с чем-либо, разнообразие фруктов, обходиться без чего-либо, вареные овощи, сложные рецепты, испортить вкус, блюдо, картофельное пюре, кулинарные способности, луч надежды, чудеса гастрономии.

II. Match a paragraph 1–5 with a summary below.

a) historical and climatic influences on British cooking

b) there’s everything except an English restaurant

c) the legacy of World War II

d) where there is hope for the future

e) the British love affair with international cooking

III. Read the article more carefully. Choose the best answer, a, b or c.

1. The writers believe that British cooking…

a) has always been very bad.

b) was good until World War II.

c) is good because it is so international.

2. They say that the British…

a) eat only traditional British food in their homes.

b) don’t like cooking with foreign ingredients.

c) buy lots of foreign ingredients.

3. They say that the British weather…

a) enables the British to produce good quality food.

b) often ruins fruit and vegetables.

c) is not such an important influence on British food as foreign trade.

4. They say that World War II had a great influence on British cooking because…

a) traditional British cooking was rediscovered and some good cheap recipes were produced.

b) people had limitless supplies of home-grown food.

c) people started to believe that British food was boring, so after the war they wanted to cook more interesting and international dishes.

5. They say that…

a) British tourists try lots of new dishes when they are abroad.

b) nowadays it is very unusual for British people to cook British food.

c) literature and language are more culturally important than food.

6. The writers’ final conclusion about British cooking is that…

a) there is no hope.

b) you will only be able to get British food in expensive restaurants.

c) you will be able to get more good traditional British dishes, especially in pubs.

IV. In pairs, spend 10 minutes preparing a set of questions, about the article, to ask other pairs. Use the ‘question starters’ below:

1. What would be result of…?

2. What exactly…?

3. In what way…?

4. What’s the main reason why…?

5. According to the text…?

6. What practical measures could be taken to…?

7. How might…?

8. What is it that…?

9. Why can’t…?

10. What do you think is meant by…?

It is interesting to know.…

• British eating habits are very different now from thirty years ago. People travel more and are learning to enjoy food from many different countries. In most towns, there are Chinese and Indian restaurants but in big cities you can also eat Japanese, Thai, Korean and Malaysian food. These restaurants are often cheaper than European restaurants and many people think that the food is more interesting.

• Take-away food is also very popular in Britain. Many people think that the idea of take-away meals comes from the USA, but in fact it comes from Britain. The original British take-away meal was fish and chip chops everywhere, as well as restaurants selling fast food like pizzas and hamburgers.

Lexical exercises

Active vocabulary

I. Choose the right word

I really hate … I prefer to go to a good …that serves everything, including the…, using the best …Sometimes, I like to …something that I have tried at home. First, I look up the …in the …and then I cook the... Next, I go to the restaurant, and when the …comes to my table I ask for the …and order what I have already cooked at home! Sometimes, I like to go out for a…. You can have a drink in either a …or a…, which are usually nicer. At the end of the evening, it's time to ask for the …and, usually, if the …has been good, it's a good idea to leave a 15%-20% ….

II. Match the verb and its meaning

III. Match the two halves of the sentences

IV. Choose the appropriate verb

1. If food or drink is…., it is made cold, usually by being placed in the fridge.

2. If food is…, it is cooked in oil, often in a flat pan.

3. If food or ice is…it is broken into very small pieces by being pressed.

4. If meat or poultry is…, it’s cooked inside an oven.

5. If food is…it is cooked under a source of heat or on a barbecue.

6. If food is….with something, for example herbs, it is decorated with them.

7. If pastry or vegetables are…, they are hard, dry and fresh.

V Describing food and drinks to someone who doesn’t know much about your local cuisine is not always an easy thing to do. Match each noun from the box with the groups of words below to form strong word pairs.

1. light heavy quick vegetarian

2. rich spicy plain fast

3. traditional unusual exotic local

4. roast stewed cold sliced

5. rare medium tough well-done

6. fresh frozen crisp seasonal

7. green chicken mixed fruity

8. light full bodied robust

9. dry medium sweet crisp

10. strong bottled export draught

Speaking

I. Work in pairs and explain your partner how to cook these foods.

• a duck

• eggs

• a hamburger

• mushrooms

• potatoes

• a steak

II. Use your dictionary if necessary to describe the taste or textures of different kinds of food below.

III. Work with a partner. Think of a dish and describe it. Explain where it’s from and how it’s cooked and served. Your partner will try to guess the name of the dish.

Writing: Write out part of a restaurant menu which would be typical of the city or town where you live. Two or three starters, main courses and desserts should be sufficient. Try to include a few local specialities if you can.

Would you consider eating any of the dishes mentioned? Have you ever eaten such dishes?

Role play

You are having dinner with a visitor. They have asked to try something local. Describe two dishes from the menu.

Writing

Write an essay (200 words) on one of the following topics:

1. From All Diets I Choose...

2. Non-Traditional Food — Pros and Cons.

3. Better Cooks — Men or Women?

4. Each Family Has its Own Style of Cooking.

5. What I Like and What I Hate to Eat.

Lesson 3. The working lunch

Warm up

• What sort of food do you like? Do you have a favourite place you take people to for lunch or dinner?

• Have you ever had working breakfast?

• Have you ever had to attend a business meal which you really did not want to be at?

Active vocabulary

I. Translate words and word combinations and try to pronounce them correctly.

II. Try to arrange the words in the right order to make up correct sentences.

Ordering

1. as//starter//a___________________________________________________

2. course //main//a//as//like//I’d//to//have______________________________

3. dessert //for//I//take//shall________________________________________

4. taste //I//going//to//am___________________________________________

Asking

1. like //what//you//would//the//course//for//first?________________________

2. to //do//you//want//what//drink?___________________________________

3. exactly //this//what//is//dish?______________________________________

4. recommend //do//what//you?______________________________________

Advice

1. like//this//I’d//to//recommend//dish__________________________________

2. Is//it//tasting//worth______________________________________________

Paying

1. paying//waiter//am//I_____________________________________________

2. “Visa”//take//you//do//cards?_______________________________________

3. split//shall//bill//we//the___________________________________________

Complaining

1. change //could//it//you?___________________________________________

2. not //what//I//have//is//it//ordered____________________________________

3. wrong//bill//think//I//the//is_________________________________________

Reading

I. Skim the text for general understanding. A business lunch

If you are traveling abroad on business, your most difficult problem is lunch. Every country has different traditions and you should know some of them. Business lunches are very common in many countries and cultures. Food itself is one of the most visible manifestations of a culture and is something people are proud of and like to share with guests to their country. However, just as the food changes from culture to culture so does the intention and etiquette surrounding the lunch. In some cultures the business lunch is a time for communication and building relationships, in others simply an opportunity to talk about business, known as the "working lunch".

As to its length in the south of Europe a business lunch takes much time. In Italy it takes about three hours. In Greece it is like a late dinner and when it comes everyone thinks of food. So don’t worry if business discussion is slow starting. Business waits.

In France a business lunch is usually long, too. Anything under two hours is classed as a coffee break.

In some countries a business lunch is light; in others it is rather heavy. If you find yourself in Scandinavia you will taste sandwiches and drink milk instead of alcohol. Health is above all. In Russia there are no problems with drinking or smoking.

Business lunch is a very popular type of meeting. It is a time to relax a little outside the office and a time to get to know people personally in a less formal atmosphere, while doing something productive.

If you are called upon to make the reservations for such a meeting, look for a quiet place without distractions.

The business lunch in the United States is usually a short meeting, though there are always exceptions. Some time is spent eating and making small talk before more serious matters are discussed.

Lunch is not a big affair in the UK and many an office worker will happily eat a sandwich at their desk. Business lunches however will take place at a restaurant or pub. The British like to keep personal life and business separate unless a good relationship has formed so discussions may very well be centred on business.

As each culture has its own practices, whatever the language of communication. It is best when visiting a foreign country to wait until your host brings up business rather than initiate it yourself, unless you yourself are hosting the meeting. When you hear something like, “Well, let’s get down to business”, then you know the official meeting has begun.

Business lunch discussions, because they are more relaxed, are usually less formal than in-house meetings. The lunches may speak at random jumping into the discussion when they have something to say rather than being more structured; that is not to say that lunch meetings can’t also be formal.

Business lunches start with small talk. Making pleasant conversation with colleagues sets a positive tone for the rest of the meeting. Follow the small-talk guidelines: talk about weather, sports, the restaurant, or type of food you are eating, and avoid politics, religion, and anything negative.

From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia

II. Read the text once again. While reading define if the sentences are true (t) or false (f). Correct the false ones.

a. In some countries a business lunch is light; in others it is rather heavy.

b. Business lunch is not very popular type of meeting.

c. Business lunch is just a time to discuss business

d. Business lunches start with small talk

e. During the meal you should speak about politics, religion and some economic problems.

II. Complete the table using the text.

Lexical exercises

Active vocabulary

I. Put these foods in the groups below

Examples: chicken=poultry

cream, duck, garlic, ham , lamb, leek, lettuce, melon, onion, potato, prawn, salmon, steak, veal, carrot, cucumber, pork, turkey, sausages, haddock, crabs, oysters, milk, cheese, pepper, grapes, pear, radish, mushroom, butter, pork chops, lobster, apple, lemon, cabbage, parsley, yogurt, eggs, coconut, cauliflower, beet, sour cream, turnip.

II. Group the names of food into 3 categories.

fruit ,beefsteak, cabbage salad, fruit salad, potatoes, ice-cream, pork with mushrooms, fish, caviar, an apple pie, omelet ,pizza, sushi, cake, meat, chicken

the first the second the third

course course course

(starter) (main course) dessert

III. Complete the text using the missing words.

We had a terrible evening. For a start, Peter was coming down with a (1) __ and he felt awful. We had to wait half an hour for our table, which was in the corner, even though I specifically asked for one next to the (2)_____ and then another half-hour just to get the (3)___. The waiter was useless. We had to ask for everything about three times and then he brought the wrong order anyway. I don’t know why he didn’t just write it down in a little (4) ___like they usually do. We’d just got the first course, which was actually quite good, when there was a this huge(5)____from the kitchen and the chef stormed out with a big ladle in his hand and started shouting and swearing at the waiter in front of all the customers. Frankly, I knew how he felt. But for me, the worst thing was just after the first course when we suddenly saw a (6) ___running across the floor, closely followed by the restaurant cat. Well, that was it for me. I couldn’t eat another thing. Peter struggled on until he found a bright green (7) ___ in his tomato salad. Honestly, you should have seen his face! At that precise moment there was a (8) ___and a flash and I looked up to see a photographer. He’d just taken our picture. ‘Something to preserve your (9) ___of this evening?’ he said. I’m not going to tell you what I said!

IV. Sort these foods into the categories.

A–Appetizer (served before the main dish)

E–Entrée (main dish of the meal)

D– Dessert (a sweet course at the end of a meal)

A E D

• Shrimp Cocktail

• Caesar Salad

• Fresh Tuna Steak

• Grilled Chicken

• Nachos with spicy dips

• Green Salad

• Spaghetti Bolognese

• Tropical Fruit Salad

• Mushroom Soup

• Apple Pie

• Vanilla Ice cream

V. During a meal out with a client or colleague, when would you expect to hear the following? Match each expression with its meaning.

1. What can I get you? a. From your description, I’m going to like this dish.

2. That sounds nice. b. Can you tell me where the toilet is?

3. How’s yours? c. No thank you. I don’t want any more.

4. Just a drop, thanks. d. I’ll have just a little more wine, thank you.

5. It’s an acquired taste. e. Please start.

6. Nothing to start with, thanks. f. You must let me pay!

7. No, I’m all right, thanks. g. What would you like to drink?

8. Don’t wait for me. h. It’s unusual and you may not like it at first.

9. Where is the loo here? i. I’ll pay.

10. This one’s on me. j. What’s your meal like?

11. No, no, I insist. k. I don’t want a first course, thank you.

Listening

I. Listen to two conversations. For each one, decide what sort of restaurant the people are in and what the people choose to eat.

Conversation 1.

1. Well, there’s…………………………………………………..not far from here.

2. Otherwise, we could be………………………………………………………….

3. I think…………………………………………………….one of the lamb dishes.

Conversation 2.

1. Well, you………………………………………………the Greek vegetable dish

2. Well that sounds very nice. And………………………………………………..?

3. No,…………………………………………………………………………thanks.

4. Well that was really good……………………………………………………….?

5. No, no, I insist……………………………………………………………………!

Speaking

I. Think back to a restaurant where you have spent an enjoyable (or unenjoyable) evening. You are going to tell a partner about it. Choose from the list the things you want to talk about. Think about what you will say and what language you will need.

• Where was the restaurant?

• What was it like?

• Was it full or empty when you came?

• And when you left?

• What sorts of people were eating there?

• Was it noisy or quiet?

• Who were you with?

• What did you have to eat?

• What did you have to drink?

• Did you have to wait a long time for your food?

• Was the waiter or waitress helpful?

• Did you have a dessert?

• Did you enjoy your meal?

• Where there any problems?

• How long did you spend in the restaurant?

• Was the meal expensive?

• Who paid?

• Did you leave a tip?

II. Pair work. Read the dialogue in parts.

a) Imagine you are at a restaurant. One of you is a customer, but the other is a waiter. On the base of the previous task make up your own dialogue, changing the parts in bold with your own information.

b) Work in pairs. One of you takes the book so that your partner couldn’t see it and reads the sentences in Russian. Your partner translates the text into English sentence by sentence. Having finished this procedure change your roles. If there are some difficulties with the translation help your partner out.

III. Work with a partner and complete a conversation.

Model:

A: What would you like as a starter?

B: I’ll try the…, please.

A: And for the main course? What would you like?

B: What do you recommend?

A: You could try the………

B: I am not very keen on…..

A: Well, why don’t you try the…

B: That sounds good. I’ll try the……

A: And what about drinks?

B: I prefer ……... What about you?

A: I’d like…….

B: Would you like something for dessert?

A: Yes, I’d like…….

Writing

Read the following situations, and for each one write an email in response.

1. You have just been interviewed on the phone for a magazine about your business travels. They have now emailed to ask for some stories about your experiences of eating out abroad.

2. A foreign client has emailed you, asking for advice on where to eat in your city when he arrives next month. Give him two or three choices, with reasons. For each restaurant explain:

• type of food

• your favourite dish

• cost per person

Lesson 4. Dining etiquette

Warm up

I. Etiquette Quiz

1. Where should a woman place her purse while dining in a sit-down restaurant?

a. Between her back and the chair or on her lap

b. On the floor

c. On the table, to the left and right above the place setting

d. Hung on the back of the chair if a handbag, otherwise on an empty chair

2. You and your partners have a large restaurant bill. You offer to pay and someone else offers to pay the tip. What do you do?

a. Let your partners offer the tip; this will save your money

b. Tell your generous friend “no thanks”, as you don’t want to worry they didn’t leave enough

c. Suggest everyone at the table split the tip

d. Accept their offer, telling them how much the tip should be

3. The person who initiates a lunch date and makes arrangements should always pay.

a. True

b. False

Active vocabulary

Name the things on the dining table

Reading

I. Skim the text to grasp the general idea. Think of the most suitable heading.

Scan the text paying attention to the words in bold.

F or a business traveler, sharing a meal with an international client is a necessary part of establishing a relationship. And just as each culture has its own cuisine it has its own dining etiquette. If you are new to a country, no one will expect you to perfectly master local table manners.

Everyone has made a mistake or two at the dining table. Most mistakes in dining etiquette are rather minor.

Most North Americans use their right hand to use both their knife and fork, necessitating the frequent switching of utensils. Most Europeans keep their dinner knife in their right hand and the fork in their left. This is a very practical way to eat.

While I was at a formal dinner in Paris, I unconsciously placed my left hand in my lap–the polite thing to do in the United States–but wrong in France. The French keep both hands gracefully balanced on the table’s edge, and of course, they hold the fork in the left hand and the knife in the right.

While it can be difficult to remember all the appropriate behaviors when you travel around the world, it can be just as complicated to host visitors from other countries.

Nancy Gilboy, the Executive Director of the International Visitor’s Council in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, constantly hosts delegations from all over the world. Besides observing various food taboos (never serve pork to Muslims, beef to Hindus, etc.), she has noted that certain cultures are careful to ensure that everyone receives an equal share of the meal. When shrimp was being passed around at a dinner with a group from China, she took three or four and offered it to the next diner. Subsequently, she noticed that each attendee took just one shrimp in turn and offered it to the next person. Of course, in their culture, the good of the group is more important than any one person’s appetite, and the Chinese often take a single portion of food at a time.

In many parts of the world, people only do business with those they know and trust–and that kind of contact is generally established over lunch or dinner. When international executives visit clients in countries like Brazil or Chile, they often try to get their appointments around 11 a.m., so they can all go to lunch together afterward. They spend time in a convivial environment, where no business is discussed.

Refusing to eat the local cuisine is one of the quickest ways to offend your hosts. Never complain about how spicy the local food is, or how fattening, or that you would never eat insects/lizards/canines/primates (or whatever you find offensive). Just eat what you can without making yourself sick, and keep your criticisms to yourself. When necessary, resort to a medical excuse: "I'm sorry, but my doctor has forbidden me to eat shellfish."

The Queen of England, who is polite enough to try almost anything, was the center of attention after a visit to Belize. During her visit, the Queen ate a local delicacy, a dibnut—an animal that looks like a large chipmunk. When the English press discovered what the Queen had been served, the headlines ran “Queen Eats Rat!” Fortunately, citizens of Belize have a sense of humor and immediately changed the dish from “dibnut” on their menus to “Royal Rat.”

One of the benefits of travel is the chance for new experiences. You probably aren't going to be offered the chance to eat scorpions or bird's nest soup at home. If you are offered them in China, try them. You might actually like them.

Ultimately, dining abroad is an adventure. We all have to eat, and sharing meals with global prospects and clients helps to cement relationships.

Excerpted from OAG Frequent Flyer, September 7, 2001

Reading comprehension

I. Read the text once again and find in the text the English equivalents of the following Russian words. Make up your own sentences with these words.

этикет, умение вести себя за столом, разделить трапезу, незначительная ошибка, столовые приборы, положить руки на колени, запрет, участник (конференции, семинара), встреча/прием, местная кухня, праздничная атмосфера, притворяться/подражать, креветки, морепродукты, приключение/риск, деликатес, укреплять взаимоотношения.

II. Which of the following topics does the text discuss?

a) culture and cuisine

b) dining etiquette

c) appropriate behavior

d) food taboos

e) international relationships

f) table manners

III. What are your personal reactions to the text?

I totally agree that………………………………….

I think the point about……………..is probably true.

I don’t agree with the point about……………..at all.

I already knew………., but I didn’t realize…………

I’m not sure I can believe…………………………..

What shocks me most is……………………………

IV. Find the words and expressions in the article which mean:

1) a style of cooking; food cooked in a certain style

2) the flat area between the stomach and knees of a person when he is sitting

3) a small american animal similar to a squirrel but with black and white makings along its back.

4) type of a small deer

5) the character and atmosphere of a peace

6) to establish smth.firmly; to join things together

L exical exercises

Active vocabulary

I. Look at the picture and tell the class how one should lay the table for two. Say where one puts:

a soup plate, a dinner plate, a bread plate, a knife, a fork, a table spoon, a napkin, salt, pepper, mustard, a wine glass.

II. Read the list of Table Don'ts.

1. Elbows are never put on the table while one is eating.

2. Don’t lift your plate up to your mouth.

3. Don’t lean back and announce, “I'm through”. The fact that you have put your fork and knife together on the plate shows that you have finished.

4. Don’t wait until all plates are served; after a few guests have been served, it is perfectly all right to start eating.

5. Don’t let others see what you have in your mouth.

6. Don’t make a noise when eating.

7. Put the food in your mouth with your fork, never with your knife.

III. Look at the pictures and say which Table Don'ts are not observed.

IV. Read the list of Table Dos.

1. Put your napkin on your lap. Do not wear it around your neck.

2. Gravy should be put on the meat, and the condiment, pickles and jelly at the side of whatever they accompany.

3. All juicy or soft fruit or cake is best eaten with a fork and when necessary a spoon or a knife also.

4. When passing your plate for a second helping always leave a knife and a fork on the plate and be sure the handles are far enough on not to topple off.

5. Fish bones are taken between finger and thumb and re­moved between compressed lips.

6. Bread should always be broken into moderate-sized pieces with the fingers before being eaten.

V. Complete the list of Table Dos and Don’ts and say how one should eat:

Speaking

You are in a foreign restaurant with a local supplier. As you don’t speak their language very well, you are both speaking English.

1. Answer your host’s questions and talk about your impressions of their town so far. Ask them what there is to see and do in the city and remember to respond enthusiastically to some of their suggestions, be diplomatic! Keep the conversation going by talking a little about current affairs, sport, the weather, holidays, your family.

2. Decide what you would like to eat and to drink. If there are things on the menu you don’t understand you could ask your host to explain them to you. If you are not sure what to choose, perhaps your host can recommend something. Remember to sound interested in the food.

3. Your host’s company is one of three which supply yours with electrical components and you are quite happy with this arrangement. You really don’t want to re-negotiate your contract with them and, anyway, you don’t believe in mixing business and pleasure. Without being rude, avoid getting into any discussions about business. If business does come up, try to change the subject.

Writing

Choose any nationality and describe the rules of dining etiquette in this country.

Unit VI Technical means of communication Lesson 1.Telephoning skills

Warm up

I . Read the questionnaire and tick (√) the sentences which are true about you. Discuss your answers.

II. Match the statements 1–6 with the responses a–f.

1. This website takes a long a. He is probably chatting online or surfing

time to download the Internet.

2. Would you like her mobile number? b. No, send it as an email attachment.

3. His line is still busy. ____ c. Hold on, I’ll put you through to her extension.

4. Your fax isn’t very clear___ d. Yes, there are too many images.

5. I’d like to speak to Sam, please___ e. Would you like me to send it again?

6. Shall I print this letter and post it? ___ f. Yes, please. I’ll send her a text message.

I II. List the words and expressions in ex. I. Connected with telephoning.

• the Internet

• email

• letters and faxes.

IV. Which ways of communicating do you use regularly?

Active vocabulary

Translate the words and phrases and try to pronounce them correctly.

It is interesting to know ….

A lot of people find it difficult to make phone calls in a foreign language–and that’s understandable. You can’t see the person you are talking to, their voice might be unclear, and you might find it difficult to find the right words.

Multi-word verbs

One thing you can do to improve your telephone skills is to learn some of the multi-word verbs that are commonly used in telephone conversations. Hold on means “wait” – and hang on means “wait” too. Be careful not to confuse hang on with hang up! Hang up means “finish the call by breaking the connection” – in other words: “put the phone down.”  Another phrasal verb with the same meaning as hang up is ring off. The opposite of hang up / ring off is ring up – if you ring somebody up, you make a phone call. And if you pick up the phone, (or pick the phone up) you answer a call when the phone rings.

"Hang on a second..."

If you are talking to a receptionist, secretary or switchboard operator, they may ask you to hang on while they put you through – put through means to connect your call to another telephone. With this verb, the object (you, me, him, her etc.) goes in the middle of the verb: put you through. But if you can't get through to (contact on the phone) the person you want to talk to, you might be able to leave a message asking them to call you back. Call back means to return a phone call – and if you use an object (you, me, him, her etc.), it goes in the middle of the verb: call you back. Another thing to think about when talking on the telephone is formality. It's important to use the right level of formality – if you are too formal, people might find it difficult to feel comfortable when they talk to you. On the other hand, if you are too informal, people might think you are rude! Generally speaking, if you are talking to someone in a business context, you should use could, can, may or would when you make a request: 'Could I speak to Jason Roberts, please?' “Can I take a message?” “Would next Wednesday be okay?”? You should also use please and thank you or thanks very much whenever you ask for, or receive, help or information.

It's important to show politeness by using words like would, could, please, thank you etc. But it's also okay to use some of the features of informal/spoken English – short forms, phrasal verbs and words like okay and bye – in other words –everyday English! So phrases like I'm off to a conference..., no problem, bye! and hang on a moment and I'll put you through are perfectly acceptable, as long as the overall tone of the conversation is polite. One last tip – it's better to ask for help or clarification when you're having a telephone conversation, than to pretend you understand something that you didn't. It's perfectly acceptable to use phrases like “Could you repeat that, please?” “Could you speak a little more slowly, please?” and “would you mind spelling that for me please?” Using phrases like these will help make sure that you have a successful phone call, and may save you from lots of problems later on. You could always say that the line's very bad today if you can't hear very well. And it's also a good idea to practice words, phrases and vocabulary before you make the call!

BBC Learning English

Reading

I. Skim the text for general understanding.

From In Company Intermediate

Reading comprehension

II. Work with a partner. List any things that you dislike about phones. Read the text and check if it mentions any of the things on your list.

III. Find in the text English equivalents for the following Russian phrases.

отключить телефон, голосовая почта, дышать в телефонную трубку, беседа / разговор, запретить /отменить, дозвониться, соединить с оператором, прослушивание сообщений, добавочный номер.

IV. How many of the things mentioned in the text sometimes happen to you?

V. Complete the questions with words and expressions from the text.

a. Do you think it should be against the law to use a m___while you are driving?

b. Have you ever been in an embarrassing situation because you forgot to s__your phone o____?

c. When somebody leaves a message on your v___ m___, how long do you wait before you return the call?

d. When was the last time you listened to a r___m___ and had to choose from different o___?

e. While you are o___ h___, do you prefer to listen to music or to silence?

f. Have you ever had a problem getting t___ to the right e___?

VI. Answer these questions.

• How many phone calls do you make/receive in a typical day?

• What do you use your phone for most?

• Who do you call most?

Lexical exercises

Active vocabulary

I. Complete these sentences using the pairs of words below.

how /help calling/ because let/ transfer

call / later speak/ please this/ speaking

name / from mine/ referred sorry/ was

afraid / in put/ down remember/ met

wondering / help time/ reach I’ll/ message

1. ____can I ____ you?

2. I’m____ ____I need some information.

3. ____me_____you to Sales.

4. Would you like to____back____?

5. My____is Chris Robb____York Paper.

6. A colleague of____, Liz Peterson, ____ me to you.

7. I’m____she is not____this week.

8. I could____ you____ for Friday afternoon.

9. ____, your name____?

10. I’d like to____ to Mark Fisher,____.

11. ____is Mark____.

12. You may not____ me – we____ last year.

13. I was____ if you could____ me.

14. ____ give him the____.

15. What’s a good____ to____ you?

II. These are some common and useful telephone questions. Match the endings with the question starters. (more then one combination is sometimes possible.)

1) ____leave a message?

2) ____take a message?

3) ____transfer me to his voice mail?

4) ____have your phone number?

5) ____know what this regarding?

6) ____help you?

7) ____ask what this is regarding.

8) ____speak to Mr.Tipps, please?

9) ____555-7434?

10) ___ask who is calling?

11) ___ repeat that, please?

12) ___ask him to call Mr. Donson?

13) ___a good time?

14) ___ask when he will be back?

15) ___call back later?

16) ___something I could help you with?

a. Would you like to____?

b. May I____?

c. Could you_____?

d. Does she/he____?

e. Is this____?

III. Complete the text with words from the box.

I didn’t have his number so I called directory enquiries. The (a) ___gave me his office number. I (b) ___the number, but his (c) ___was busy and I had to leave a (d) __on his (e) __. I asked him to return my (f) ___. Then, I decided to try his (g) __. I got trough, but there was a bad (h) ___. When we finally spoke, I could not remember why I wanted to call him!

Speaking

I. What you would say in these situations.

Example: You are the manager. The phone rings and you pick it up. The caller asks “Is that the manager?” What do you say?

a. Your female colleague is off work as she has just had a baby. What do you say to the caller who wants to speak to her?

b. You are in a meeting and you receive a call on your mobile phone. You cannot speak. What do you say?

c. Leave a message on your colleague’s voicemail. Say that you called and ask him or her to call back when she or he gets the message.

d. You don’t catch the caller’s name. Ask him to spell it.

e. A colleague phones to let you know her hotel number but you can’t hear her very well. You are not sure whether it is fifteen or fifty. What do you say?

II. Practice telephone conversations with your partner:

a .You telephone and ask to speak to John. He is out.

You do not want to leave a message but will call back later.

b. You telephone your partner. Your partner answers the phone. You want to know if he is doing anything on Saturday morning because you would like him to come swimming with you. Say when and where to meet.

c. A client calls your office and asks to speak to one of your colleagues. Your colleague is not in the office.

d. You are late for a meeting with a client. The client is waiting for you in your office.

Lesson 2. Making telephone calls

Warm up

I. Complete this questionnaire about telephone habits.

1. How many hours do you spend on the phone in a typical working day?

2. Do you make more calls, or receive more calls?

make receive

3. Which do you use most, a mobile or a landline?

mobile landline

4. How do you feel when answering the phone at work?

completely-relaxed

less comfortable than speaking face-to-face

anxious

5. How often do you make a phone call purely for pleasure?

often sometimes rarely never

6. How do you feel if you do not have your mobile phone with you?

relaxed a little uncomfortable very uncomfortable I always have it

Lexical exercises

Active vocabulary

I. What is the most appropriate answer?

1. Could I speak to Ms Johnson, please?

a. Hang up and I'll call you back.

b. Yes, I'll put you through.

c. No, I prefer to hang on, it's very important.

d. Yes, I'd like to speak to the person who deals with paying your suppliers, please.

2. Good afternoon. Can I help you?

a. Yes, I'd like to speak to the person who deals with paying your suppliers, please.

b. I'm afraid you seem to have the wrong number.

c. No, I prefer to hang on, it's very important.

d. Hang up and I'll call you back.

3. Is that Ojay and Simpson?

a. Well could you get him to call me back as soon as he gets in?

b. Yes, I'll put you through.

c. I'm afraid you seem to have the wrong number.

d. No, I prefer to hang on, it's very important.

4. I'm afraid he's out of the office and won't be back for an hour or so.

a. Well could you get him to call me back as soon as he gets in?

b. I'm afraid you seem to have the wrong number.

c. Hang up and I'll call you back.

d. Yes, I'll put you through.

5. I could get him to call you back in a few minutes.

a. Yes, I'll put you through.

b. I'm afraid you seem to have the wrong number.

c. Hang up and I'll call you back.

d. No, I prefer to hang on, it's very important.

6. There's a lot of noise on the line. Could you speak up?

a. Hang up and I'll call you back.

b. I'm afraid you seem to have the wrong number.

c. Yes, I'll put you through.

d. Well could you get him to call me back as soon as he gets in?

II. Lorna finally tries to get in touch with her husband at work. He works for a company called Butler and Crowmarch. Complete her conversation with the receptionist using the most appropriate expressions.

R: Yes/ Good morning. Butler and Crowmarch.

L: Could I/ I want to speak to Mr. Smith, please?

R: Certainly. Who is speaking/ who are you?

L: Mrs. Smith.

R: Wait/ Hold on, please and I’ll try to put you trough. Hello. He is not there/ I’m afraid he is out at the moment.

L: Oh. Do you know when he’ll/ When will he be back?

R: I am not sure. Would you like/ Do you want me to ask his assistant?

L: Yes, please.

R: Right. Hold on a moment then, please. He’s busy till five/ I’m afraid Mr. Smith is in a meeting until five o’clock.

L: Oh, Okay. Can I/ Let me leave a message.

R: Certainly.

L: Tell him/ Could you tell him to phone me before he leaves the office? I want him to do some shopping.

R: No problem, Mrs. Smith. I’ll pass on the message.

L: Thank you. Goodbye.

III. Fill in the blanks in the dialogues:

1. A: ____

B: This is Mr. Polo from the Trading House. Could you put me through to Mr. Smirnov, please?

A: ______

B: When do you think he will be back?

A: ______

B: No thank you. I’ll phone him again then Goodbye.

2. A: ____

B: Could I speak to Mr. Smith, please?

A: _______

B: Yes. I’ll hold on.

A: _______

B: Yes, thank you. Good morning, Mr. Smith. This is Mr. Nichols.

2. A: Smith & Co. Can I help you?

B: _______

A: I’m afraid Mr. Smith is not in the office at the moment.

B: _______

A: Not until Monday morning, I’m afraid. Can I give him a message?

B: _______

A: Can I tell him who’s calling?

B: _______

IV. Put the dialogue in the right order

a. Speaking

b. Hi Tina

c. Thanks, Tina

d. I’ll do it now

e. of course

f. Did you get any message?

g. You’d like me to send directions to the office

h. Can I speak to Tina Star, please?

i. Yes, that’s right

j. Could you send them today?

k. Yes I did

l. See you soon

V. Use the words in the box below to complete the conversation.

Michelle: Hello, you've reached the marketing department. How 1. __________ I help?

Male: Yes, can I speak to Rosalind Wilson, please?

Michelle: Who’s 2. ________ please?

Male: It’s Richard Davies 3. ______ .

Michelle: Certainly. Please 4. ________ and I’ll 5. ________ you through.

Male: Thank you.

Michelle: Hello, marketing. How 6. ________ I help?

Male: 7. __________ I speak to Jason Roberts please?

Michelle: Certainly. Who shall I say is calling?

Male: My name’s Mike Andrews.

Michelle: 8. ________ a second - I’ll see if he’s 9. ________ . Hello, Jason, I’ve got

Mike Andrews on the phone for you ... OK - I’ll put him through.

10. _______________ on a moment, I’m just putting you through.

VI. Fill in the blanks using the following words:

1. Hello, who’s that___?

2. Just a ______, please.

3. I’ll ____ if he is here.

4. I’ll get information you want; _______, please.

5. You asked me to___ when I was in town again.

6. Sorry, he is not______________ at the moment.

7. You can__him any evening_______six o’clock.

8. Sorry to have___you.

9. He isn’t in the office at the moment. But I can try to find him on the______

10. I haven’t got the new number. Shall I call___________________inquiries?

11. Now I can ______ the arrangement we made.

12. There have been some_________ lately, but I think we’ll soon solve them.

13. Can we make another __________ for the next week, then?

Reading

I. Scan the text and find out why a father doesn’t want to buy a mobile phone for his twelve-year-old son. Why do you think he does not want his son to have a phone? Discuss with a partner.

The “latest thing”

Every five minutes my children ask me for the “latest thing”. They tell me that all their friends have it already and they can’t live without it. Our house is full of Game Boys, Play Station CDs and million other “latest things”.

But, the one “latest thing” we have refused to buy is a mobile phone. Our twelve-year-old wants one, and we’ve said “no”. He says he’ll only use it for texting and he really needs it for emergencies.

We don’t want him to have a mobile phone, because they may be bad for children health. Unfortunately, when I say, “I don’t want you to have a mobile phone, because you might get a brain tumour”, he tell me that he doesn’t mind.

Why do twelve-year-old boys only want things that are bad for them? We’ve already told him that he can’t listen to Rap music-the words are disgusting. And I’ve said not to beer with his meals. Right now, I’m saying no to everything.

Then a few weeks ago he asked for something called a BB gun. He says everybody’s got one. Of course they have. He shows me a website full of them and tells me it only fires plastic pellets. Finally, I say yes. I can’t believe I’ve said no to phones and yes to guns.

In October our son becomes a teenager, and I pray that research will find that mobile phones are safe– even better, that they make young people less moody-and more interested in personal hygiene. Until then, I’m saying no.

Daily Mail

Reading comprehension

I. Read the text once again and find in the text English equivalents for the following Russian phrases.

новинка, отказать в чем-либо, отправлять SMS, чрезвычайные ситуации, безопасный, опухоль головного мозга, научные исследования.

II. Define if the sentences are true (T) or false (F). Correct the false ones

III. Discuss the following:

• Who is the youngest person you know with a mobile phone?

• What are the arguments for and against letting young children have mobile phones?

• At what age do you think it’s okay for children to have a mobile phone?

You can find more information

http://englishplace.wetpaint.com/page/For+And+Against+Essay+-+Mobile+Phones

http://www.cam.net.uk/home/nimmann/eco/no-to-mobile-phones.htm

http://www.helium.com/knowledge/21033-the-case-against-cell-phones-in-schools

Listening

I. Mandeep Bains works for an airline catering service in Singapore. Their business is supplying in-flight meals to airlines. She receives a phone call at her office. Listen to the two parts of her telephone conversation and correct the message below.

Jackie Westingouse rang on Monday

Her company had problems with their phone lines, so we cannot get information about flights NOA 567 departing Singapore to San Francisco at 09:45 on Sunday, and flight NOA 1145 leaving at 22:30 the next day. She will email passenger numbers

II. None of the phrases below appear in the conversations. Listen to the phone conversations again, and write down the language used instead of each phrase below.

Say that again.

____________________________________________

There is the problem.

____________________________________________

Don’t speak so fast.

____________________________________________

I don’t know your name.

____________________________________________

The letter “e”.

____________________________________________

Do you understand?

____________________________________________

I don’t understand.

____________________________________________

I understand.

____________________________________________

Repeat the information.

____________________________________________

Speaking

I. Make up the dialogues using the following phrases and translate them into English.

Dialogue 1.

Соедините меня, пожалуйста с мистером Смитом / «Торговый Дом»/ До свидания / Чем могу помочь, / Нет, спасибо / Я позвоню ему еще раз / Говорит мистер Торренс из фирмы «Блэк энд Уайт»/ Что-нибудь передать ему,/ К сожалению (боюсь), г-на Смита нет сейчас на месте.

Dialogue 2.

Да, я подожду,/ Могу ли я поговорить с г-ном Филлинзом,/ Вы слушаете? Соединяю…/Боюсь, мистер Филлинз разговаривает сейчас по другому телефону/ Как передать ему, кто говорит,/ Вы подождете,/ Говорит мистер Дин.

II. Translate the dialogues:

a) Operator: Hello, Frank and Brothers, How can I help you?

Peter: This is Peter Jackson. Can I have extension 3421?

Operator: Certainly, hold on a minute, I'll put you through.

Frank: Bob Peterson's office, Frank speaking.

Peter: This is Peter Jackson calling, is Bob in?

Frank: I'm afraid he's out at the moment. Can I take a message?

Peter: Yes, Could you ask him to call me at. I need to talk to him about the Nuovo line, it's urgent.

Frank: Could you repeat the number please?

Peter: Yes, that’s, and this is Peter Jackson.

Frank: Thank you Mr. Jackson, I'll make sure Bob gets this message.

Peter: Thanks, bye.

Frank: Bye.

b)–Алло! Могу я поговорить с г-ном Коллинзом?

–Боюсь, его сейчас нет на месте.

–Не могли бы вы сказать ему, что звонил Марк Фишер?

–Да, конечно. Ему передать что-нибудь?

–Нет, спасибо. Я позвоню завтра.

c) Caller: Could I speak to Mr. Brown?

Secretary: Mr. Brown is not available right now.

Caller: Could you tell him Mr. Fisher phoned?

Secretary: Sure. Let me take down your number.

Caller: If Mr. Brown isn’t in, could I speak to someone else?

d)–Алло, секретарь г-на Тернера. Чем могу вам помочь?

– Здравствуйте, я бы хотел поговорить с г-ном Тернером.

– Кто говорит?

– Это звонит г-н Уилкинз

– Г-н Тернер будет говорить с вами через минуту. Он сейчас занят. Вы подождете?

–Да, конечно.

–Я вас соединяю. Говорите, пожалуйста.

e) Secretary: Hello, this is Mr. Green’s secretary. What can I do for you?

Caller: Could I speak to Mr. Green, please?

Secretary: I am putting you through. Go ahead, please…

Caller: Mr. Green? Hello.

f)–Алло, офис г-на Смита. Чем могу помочь?

–Я бы хотел поговорить с г-ном Райтом.

–Извините, Вы ошиблись номером. У нас таких нет.

–Извините.

g) Secretary: Mr. Wilson’s office. Can I help you?

Caller: I’d like to speak to Mr. McGregor.

Secretary: Sorry, you must have the wrong number. I don’t know anyone by that name here.

Caller: I am very sorry

Writing

I. Follow up the message you have read before in the Listening section. You are Mandeep, and you have to send an email to the head of Logistics, Lee Pheng, reporting all of the information from the call.

II. Write an essay on the following problems:

1. Mobiles “should have health warning”

2. Are mobile phones a health hazard?

Project work

“Mobile telephones have become very popular nowadays. However, some people say that their use should be restricted.”

What can you say for and against a mobile telephone?

Use the following plan:

1. Introduction (state the problem)

2. Arguments “for”.

3. Arguments “against”.

4. Conclusion.

Make presentations.

Resources recommended:

http://ezinearticles.com/?Uses-of-Mobile-Phones-in-Our-Day-to-Day-Life-are-Just-Expanding-Day-by-Day&id=414943

http://www.rifcomobile.com/articles/how-mobile-phone-make-our-life-different

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2003/jun/23/sciencenews.newmedia

http://bouteiller.wordpress.com/2008/05/07/the-advantages-and-disadvantages-of-mobile-phone/

Lesson 3. Telephone arrangements

Warm up

I. What are some problems that irritate you when telephoning? Look at the list of complaints. Put them in order from 1 to 5 (5 being the most irritating).

• waiting on hold for too long

• not being get through

• not being able to see facial expressions

• having to repeat the same information to different people

• talking to rude operators

Add three or more new complaints to the list.

Reading

I. Skim the text to grasp the general idea. Mobile Madness

“I went to the opera the other night to watch ‘ Madam Butterfly’ and just as she was about to kill herself, with the knife above her head, a mobile phone started to ring somewhere in the opera house”.

British people seem to have gone “mobile mad”. 20% of British people spend an astonishing quarter of their day on mobile phones. We have become so obsessed with the little gadget that we can't leave our house without it! One in three people confess to having used their mobile in the bathroom! The question of mobile telephone addiction is now being taken seriously in many countries. Special clinics are now offering therapy to people who cannot live without their mobile. A Scandinavian driver had to receive treatment in a specialized clinic for his addiction to SMS texting (short message services). The twenty-five-year-old worked nights and spent his daylight hours sending an average of 217 text messages per day. His quarterly mobile phone bill quintupled to 12,000 crowns (£967) – unaffordable on his Danish driver's salary, in Britain, a nineteen-year-old girl asked for help because she would rather spend money on pay-and-go vouchers for her mobile than on food or clothes. She admits to sending around 1,600 text messages a month. “I only feel happy when I hear my mobile beeping. When I don't have any credit left I become depressed. I need to check my mobile every two minutes. I stopped going to classes at college because I couldn't answer my phone”.

Young Users

Over half of children with mobiles prefer to text rather than chat to stay in touch, and there is one report that claims that the thumbs of young children are getting bigger and stronger because they spend so much time texting and playing computer games. It is true that children use their thumbs more than adults nowadays. Adults use their index finger to dial or text, press the button in the lift, key in information on the computer or calculator and so on, but most young children will use their thumbs.

The mobile phone industry claims that it does not target the under-sixteens. But it is true that the adult market is beginning to slow down. OFTEL, the industry regulator in the UK, maintains that three quarters of the adult British population now own a mobile phone. To increase sales of mobile phones to the younger age groups, mobile phone companies have created a range of gimmicks to attract young children – fancy ringtones using the latest pop songs, screensavers using popular cartoon figures such as Harry Potter, Spiderman, and even Winnie the Pooh. Many companies now offer short videos, photographs, even online jokes! Not surprisingly, the number of very young mobile users, between the ages of five and nine, has jumped from 80,000 in 2000 to nearly 1,000,000 now. 33% of children between the ages often and fourteen now have their own mobile.

Music or Mobile?

Young people used to spend large amounts of money on music, but the latest studies reveal that people under the age of twenty-five now spend five times more money on mobile phones than they do on music. A recent study found that this age group annually spends £3 billion of its disposable income on mobile handsets, calls, and data, compared with just £600 million on CDs and other music formats. Under-25 are spending £107 million on mobile music in the UK each year; equivalent to 75 million ringtone downloads. In contrast, music industry figures indicate that CD single sales have fallen “30 to 50%” during the same period.

Mobile phones and accessories account for almost 70% of British under-25s'spending. On average people in this age group spend £238 on their mobile phone compared to only £49 on music.

With the constant advances in mobile telephony, these figures can only increase.

Business One: One, Oxford University Press

Reading Comprehension

II. Read the text once again and find in the text English equivalents for the following Russian phrases.

быть помешанным на чем-либо, мобильное безумие, признавать/сознаваться, пройти лечение в клинике, техническая новинка, большой палец руки, рекламная уловка, телефонная трубка, ежегодно, доход/прибыль, цифры/показатели, аксессуары для телефона.

III. Read the first three paragraphs once again(to ____'Most young children will use their thumbs'). And define if the following statements are true (t) or false (f).

1. A quarter of British people spend 20% of their day on mobile phone.

2. 33% of people say that they have used their mobile in the bathroom.

3. The nineteen-year-old British girl sent more text messages per month than the Danish man.

4. The Danish man's mobile phone bill went up five times.

5. The British girl gave up going to classes at college because she couldn't use her mobile.

6. Most children use their mobile to speak with their friends and to play games.

7. Children use their thumbs to operate their mobiles because this finger is the strongest.

IV. Read the second half of the text to the end, and answer the following questions.

1. How do the mobile phone companies target young children?

2. How has the number of young mobile users changed in the last few years?

3. What trends can be seen in the spending habits of teenagers and under-25s?

4. What does the author think will happen in the future?

V. Find the words in the text that match the following definitions 1-8.

1. A small device – this is a word sometimes used when you don't know the correct name.

2. The treatment that ill people receive to help them recover.

3. When something is too expensive for your budget or possibilities.

4. To send a written message on your mobile.

5. Things used to attract the interest of potential buyers and to promote sales.

6. The sound that your mobile makes when someone calls you.

7. The money you can spend after you have paid for essential items.

8. Extra components that you can buy to add to another device.

VI. From having read the text, who do you think might say the following? Choose one of the people from the box. The sentences do not appear in the text.

a doctor a teacher a parent an eighteen-year-old girl a young boy

^“I like the new games and I send lots of messages to my friends.”

^“She was suffering from depression and needed treatment seriously”

“I gave him one when he was eight because I wanted to be able to contact him at all times.”

“I’m in constant touch with all my friends and I use it for my diary as well.”

“I make them turn them off before they come in.'

Listening

I. Delia is to trying to find a replacement speaker for a conference on health and safety at work. She is phoning the National Association of builders.

1. Listen to the first conversation, and answer the following questions.

a. What department does Suzanne work for?

b. What advice does she give to Delia?

2. Listen to the second conversation and answer the following questions.

a. When is the talk happening?

b. What does the man recommend?

3. Listen to the third conversation and answer the following questions.

a. What help does Peter James give?

b. What number does he give to Delia?

4. Listen to the fourth conversation and answer the following questions.

a. What money does Delia offer to pay?

b. What do Delia and Alastair agree to do?

5. Look at the extracts from the four telephone calls below. Complete them with the phrases used by the speakers.

1. I don’t know if you……but I’m organizing a conference about Health and Safety at work.

I’m ………………………..someone who could give a talk about the new safety standards.

2. I’m interested……………………………………………someone who could give a talk.

3. Do you know who I…………………………………….or what department could help?

4. I am putting………………………………………………………………………..now.

5. My name is Delia Wilson from A&G Construction. I was............your PR department.

6. I have just been speaking to a…………………………who said I should speak to you.

7. I understand I’d really………………..if you could recommend someone else, though.

8. I got your number from Peter James, who said that you………………………………..

6. Listen to the third conversation between Della and Peter James again and look at the notes below. Try to reconstruct the conversation with your partner. Change roles when you finish.

Della: Tell Peter who you are, and why you are phoning (you want him to speak at a conference).

Peter: You would like to give the presentation but you are busy. You suggest your colleague Alastair Wilkins does instead. Alastair is not in his office, so you give Della his mobile number: 564 77 0808.

Speaking

Work in pairs and make a dialogue according to the situation.

Writing

Write the short email that Della sends to Alastair Wilkins. In your email thank him for agreeing to speak at the conference and include the most important details about the conference. Remind him about the phone call at 11:00

Lesson 4. Multilingual Internet

Warm up

“ The Internet is so big, so powerful and so pointless that for some people it is a complete substitute for life.”

Andrew Brown,

Web site designer

I. Answer the questions.

• How much time do you spend surfing the Internet?

• Do you ever join online discussion groups or chat rooms?

• Do you book things like flights and hotel rooms on the Net?

• What are advantages and disadvantages of buying online?

• Would you search for a job on the Internet?

• Would you consider looking for a partner in cyberspace?

I I. Look at the e-businesses. What products or services do you think they offer? Discuss with a partner.

I II. Which of these Web sites would you be curious to visit?

Active vocabulary

Match the words and their definitions given below.

Reading

I. Skim the text to grasp the general idea.

The Web as a Sales Tool

Aside from the tremendous increase in use of the Internet by all segments of the population (15 million households in the United States alone), businesses in particular are using the Net as a marketplace.

As a businessman or woman with a computer and modem, you can research just about anything, finding links to resources for your business. And now, the Internet itself is being transformed into a marketplace: advertisements, sales brochures, cyberstores, and webzines are offering everything for sale. Businesses are looking to the Net as a current and future marketing tool.

Whether you are using the Net for private research, or just for fun, you will certainly encounter your business colleagues discussing the latest thing they saw online, and you will want to be informed.

There is discussion today about how beneficial the Web is as a sales tool. Many companies, even those with a tremendous presence on the Web, are not making a lot of money. They are positioning themselves for the future, with hopes that buying on-line will become an everyday event.

The question that must be answered is whether the World Wide Web will remain a place of information, or involve into a profitable marketplace for businesses.

Actually, if you trace the history and growth of the Internet, you will realize that extraordinary progress has been made. In the last decade, the number of personal computers has multiplied to the point that potential vendors of products and services now see tens of millions of customers to whom they can market their products. As consumers become more relaxed and secure about buying on-line, market potential will rise.

Because of this potential, banner ads are everywhere: on Home Pages, magazines or “webzines”, hidden on bulletin boards or behind provocative icons. “Cyberstores” offer everything from automobiles to vacation cruises.

The most successful vendors are those that mainly transact business by phone, selling a product that does not have to be present physically.

If you know the title or author of a book you want to buy, it is easier ordering it by computer than going to the bookstore. Besides, you may get a discount from a Web vendor, or save sales tax, even though you have to pay for shipping.

Will the commercial aspect of the Web overcome or replace its informational function?

A major problem vendors have is that banner ads are not seen unless they are selected (clicked on) by the consumer. The fact that “suffers” can bypass an advertisement means that there is no assurance it will be read.

Another problem is that people fear giving personal information on-line, such as credit card numbers or a personal address. Although most sites will encode or “scramble” this information, consumers are wary about giving information to a computer, even they may freely give the same information to a strange voice on the phone.

Thus, a company can spend a good deal of money, with no assurance of the size of its market. Even a provocative and colorful banner is easy to be ignored, when a Web “surfer” is looking for information instead of something to buy. If this aspect of Web advertising changes and new approaches are implemented, then commercialization may overtake the Web.

A growing use of Web technology is the “Extranet”, which is a company’s private link with its corporate customers. (The “Intranet” is the company’s internal network with its employees.) General Electric. The most successful example of extranets grosses over a billion dollars a year in sales.

From “The European”

Reading comprehension

I. Find in the text English equivalents for the following Russian phrases.

огромный успех, интернет-журнал, выгодный/прибыльный, торговцы, вести дела по телефону, средство маркетинга, зарабатывать деньги, внутренняя сеть, игнорировать, получит скидку, уверенность в чем-либо, кодировать информацию.

II. Read the text once again. Define the main idea of each paragraph.

III. Which of the following topics does the text discuss?

a) net is a marketing tool

b) the growth of the Internet

c) buying on-line

d) commercial aspect of the Web

e) advertising

IV. Look at the sentences below about the usage of the Internet as a sales tool and mark the sentences true (T) or false (F) according to the text.

1. In the last decade the number of consumers has multiplied.

2. Banner ads are very popular nowadays and you can see them practically everywhere.

3. There is a question about the role of the Internet as a place of information or as a profitable market place for business.

4. It is easier to go shopping than to order by computer.

5. People freely give personal information on-line.

V. Answer the questions upon the text.

1. Why the Internet has made extraordinary progress?

2. Where can the consumer see banner ads?

3. What do cyberstores offer?

4. What is the major problem vendors have?

5. Do people freely give personal information?

6. What is the difference between extranet and intranet?

7. In what case commercialization may overtake the Web?

8. Do you know any successful examples of extranets?

Listening

I. You are going to listen to Magda, a college librarian, showing Vijay how to order a book online.

1. Match the words in the box with the definitions a–f below.

a. secret word that gives you permission to do something____________________

b. connected to the Internet___________________________________________

c. the flashing line which indicates your position on the screen________________

d. a device you use to control movement around the screen and to select items___

e. a list you use for quick access to websites you visit regularly_______________

f. you do this to select an item_________________________________________

2. Listen and decide if the statements are true (T) or false (F).

a. Magda has ordered books from Orinoco before.

b. Vijay types in the author’s name.

c. They check the details at the checkout.

d. Vijay types in the password.

3. Listen to these extracts from the conversation and complete the instructions.

1_____________, use the mouse to move the cursor to “favourites”.

2______________the shopping basket in the corner of the screen.

3______________that the details are the same.

4______________you’ve only ordered one copy.

4. Which words does Magda stress in her instructions? Practice saying them.

5. Now put the words in these instructions in the right order.

1. type–sure–you–make–your–in–first–password–all–of

2. move–to–the–shopping–the–basket–cursor–click–icon–and–on–it

3. screen–the–around–use–move–the–cursor–to–the–mouse

6. Have you or anyone else in the group ever ordered anything online? What stages did you have to go through to place your order?

Lexical exercises

Active Vocabulary

I. Match the words to the correct definitions.

II. Complete the text using the missing words.

I had a terrible evening. I got home late from work and still had a report to finish. As you know, my computer is really old and slow-I really need to install more (1) ________. Anyway, when I tried to double (2) ______on the file I wanted to work on a (3) _____appeared telling me that the file could not be opened. So I decided to try opening it using different programmes but that only made my computer (4) ____completely. The screen went blank and the (5) _____froze. By this time, I was tearing my hear out-it was past midnight and I still hadn’t started working on that report. I phoned my computer guru friend, Matt, and he told me I probably had a (6) ______in my system. I must have got it from one of those stupid joke e-male attachments-you know, like the “Love (7) ____’one. I had to resort to using my (8) ____but I hate the keyboard on it-it’s too small. At least I got my report finished. Matt’s going to send me some software to fix the problem. He also told me in future to go to the applications (9) ___and launch a good protection programme before opening unknown files. Good advice and better late than never, I suppose.

III. Read the dialogue “Web Talk” in pairs.

Sam: Hey Kira, how’s it going?

Kira: Busy! Yourself?

Sam: Not so bad. Have you checked your email lately?

Kira: No. Why?

Sam: I emailed you a page from Amazon.com. I was ordering a book on-line on business correspondence and they had a link to some other business books. I know you have been looking for something on charts and graphs, and I came across a few titles, so I emailed them to you.

Kira: Thanks a lot. I’ll check it out.

Sam: You know, I should be working, but it’s so easy to get carried away on the Web, I spend more time than on my work! Every morning, I check out the news, the weather report, new movies in town, and go to my favourite news groups. By then I need a coffee break.

Kira: Which usenet groups do you like?

Sam: I like to keep up with computer technology so I go to the Mac and IBM PC groups. But I also explore other cities-everything from UFOs to alternative medicine. It’s an education, but sometimes the time just flies and I get really behind in my work.

Kira: You know, I hardly have time to check my email much less surf the Net. My job is killing me!

Sam: The newspaper of the future will be beamed from our computer onto reusable electronic paper-I saw a television program on it. It’s incredible! I guess we’ll have to throw out our computers and buy new ones.

Kira: That doesn’t surprise me at all. I’ve been doing that every two years anyway!

From English for Business

II. Mark the sentences right, wrong or doesn’t say. R w Doesn’t say

1. Kira has not checked her email yet. 1.

2. Sam was ordering some magazines on-line. 2.

3. Sam came across some interesting educational articles. 3.

4. Sam surfs the Internet every day. 4.

5. Kira has much time to use the Internet. 5.

III.Read the dialogue again and make up your own.

Speaking

I. In pairs exchange your ideas about the following:

1. What exactly is the Internet?

2. The future of the Internet

3. Computer revolution

4 . What is the Internet?

5. What is the most popular Internet service?

6. Whom do you pay for sending e-mail messages?

7. What advantages does it have over other media, such as TV, magazines and newspapers?

8. Whose responsibility should it be to check exactly what material goes on the Internet?

9. How do you think the Internet will develop over the next few years?

II. Fill in the table to summarize the Internet’s advantages and disadvantages

Writing

I.Read the letter written to a newspaper advice column. Discuss possible solutions with a partner and then write a reply to the woman.

My husband has addicted to the Internet. Day and night he chats to an American woman, sometimes intimately. We have been married for 27 years and a few months ago he told me he wanted a divorce. I found out he’s been sending flowers to this woman he met on the Internet and he intends to go over and visit her. He talks all the time to this woman. What can I do?

2. Write an essay

• How might a multilingual Internet help you in your studies/ work

• How do you think the Internet will develop over the next few years?

Lesson 5. E-mail

Warm up

• What do you know about E-mail?

• What things do you have to think about when writing an email to someone you have not met or emailed before?

• What kind of “first time” emails do you receive?

• How would you start each email?

• Who do you exchange friendly emails with at work? Who was the last one to/from?

• How do you make an email sound friendly rather than just business-like?

Active Vocabulary

F or those who are unfamiliar with the Internet, email is electronic mail. We send and receive this mail via our computers and phone lines (modems). This is fast becoming the most widely used form of communication, at least in the United States, where thousands of Internet service companies exist, and where the phone and service charges are minimal. It is less expensive than a phone call to any place outside of one’s local area, and especially overseas, it is as easy as sending a fax (facsimile) and it takes little time. An additional benefit is that one can skip the formalities of a regular letter

Email is typically shorter and a more relaxed way of sending messages; it is particularly practical if you do not want to call long distance because of a language barrier or the expense. When language is an obstacle, sending an email is a blessing; after all, it is easier to see the message than have to speak on the telephone.

From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia

When writing a forceful email, you can use these phrases to get the recipient’s attention:

I am writing to remind you that…

I feel you should be made aware of…

I would like to point out that…

You can use these phrases to make the consequences of the problem clear:

This has led to…

This has caused…

This has resulted in…

Lexical exercises

Active Vocabulary

I. Read the emails below. For each, choose the best subject line.

1. 2.

a. Office designs–London a. Brussels Conference

b. Meeting– your office b. Programme changes

c. Anton Berg–new offices c. Theatre tour, USA

II. Would you write a formal or an informal email in the following situations?

1. Agreeing to meet a colleague for lunch.

2. Complaining to a supplier about a mistake in an order.

3. Requesting information from an official website.

4. Attaching the agenda for a meeting in an email to a colleague abroad.

5. Apologizing for a delay in delivery to a customer.

6. Sending your boss a report.

III. Some of these phrases are used formally and some informally. Choose the correct order.

IV. Read the emails below and explain why the writers use a formal style.

V Read the emails again and write the formal equivalent next to these informal expressions.

1. Please get in touch.

____________________________________________

2. I am not happy.

____________________________________________

3. Thanks for your email about…

____________________________________________

4. Please…

____________________________________________

5. I’m sorry for any problems.

____________________________________________

6. We sent you order…

____________________________________________

7. I am sorry to tell you…

____________________________________________

8. I am writing to let you know…

____________________________________________

VI. The following table shows some phrases you can use to be friendly in both formal and informal emails. Find the corresponding phrase and complete the table.

VII. Write the sentences in this letter in the correct order.

Dear Mr. Green

a. Members of our sales team will present the service

b .after the presentation

c. We would like to invite you to lunch of

d. and there will be an opportunity to ask questions

e. there will be dinner in the main restaurant

f. our new courier service on 6 March

g. I very much hope that you can attend

j. at the Grand Hotel at 6:30 p.m.

Best regards

Peter Pod

Writing

Write one of the following emails. Invent any details you need.

I.1. To Hans Mauer, car-leasing, to request a test-drive of a car

for your office use. Offer to telephone at a time suitable for him.

2. To Anna Wilson, requesting a demonstration of a new intercom system.

You have her name from a friend, Ted Collins, whose offices have

had this installed. Offer to telephone at a time suitable for her.

3. To Noriaki Kasogi, product manager of a tire factory in Japan.

You want to tell him the dates of the Automobile Exhibition in Detroit and find out if he wants you to arrange a hotel for him.

4. To Miranda, an American friend who you are hoping to meet at the conference you are in charge of next month. You are enclosing the conference information and you want to meet one night for dinner.

II. You are visiting Switzerland on a business trip next week with your colleague.

Write an e-mail to your colleague:

–thanking him or her for booking your tickets

–apologizing for losing the itenary he or she gave you

–asking him or her to send it to you again

Unit VII. BUSINESS ETHICS

Lesson 1. Business cards

Warm-up

I. Have you ever given anybody your business card? How was it?

II. Have you ever got business cards? How did you receive it?

Reading

I. Read the text about how to give and receive business cards correctly.

Take your time. It's impossible to convey respect if you fling your card at someone. Remember that the left hand is considered unclean in the Islamic world. Even in many non-Islamic areas of Africa and Asia, the tradition has evolved of using the right hand in preference over the left.

In some parts of Asia (notably Japan), presenting a card with two hands conveys respect. When using both hands, hold your card by the two upper corners.

When you receive a business card, immediately take time to read it. This is a good time to repeat the person's name, especially if it is in a language you're not familiar with. While you may write on your own card, never write on someone else's business card.

Ideally, you should store your business cards in a small case. If you don't have a card case with you, put your cards in a front or side pocket.

It's only polite to have your card translated into the local language. One side of the card should be in your language, the opposite side in the local language.

Bring plenty of cards. In some countries, you will need two for each one-to-one visit, since the secretary will keep one card.

From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia

II. Make your own business card. Roleplay the situation of giving and receiving them according to the cultural preferences. Lesson 2. Glass ceiling

Warm-up

I. What is glass ceiling? Consult your dictionary if necessary.

II. Read the information about the glass ceiling and discuss the questions below.

A glass ceiling is an unofficial barrier which stops certain kinds of people from advancing in their careers. This means that they won't be promoted even if they deserve it. The glass ceiling is a form of discrimination which sometimes affects women or people from racial minorities.

1. How common are glass ceilings in your country?

2. What, if anything, should governments or companies do to make sure that everyone has equal opportunities in the workplace?

Active vocabulary

Lexical exercises

I. Complete the sentences using each of the words below.

1. It was really …………. of her to claim she had experience when she didn't.

2. Exporting works of art without a license is ………… ; you'll go to prison if they catch you.

3. You shouldn't talk about your clients' business in front of everyone, it's …………. .

4. How…………! He only got promoted because he was the boss's nephew.

II. Match the situations 1-4 with the comments a-d below.

1. Without exception all staff members are obliged to retire at the age of 65.

2. Ms Spencer was dismissed for poor time-keeping.

3. A further part of the work force was made redundant when the order was cancelled.

4. He had to resign to avoid a scandal.

a) ^“I hate to tell you this, but they've laid off even more people.”

b) “Mrs. Biggs didn't want to stop work at all. She was so sad at her leaving party.”

c) “Well, apparently he had to quit. It was either that or seeing his name in the papers.”

d) “Janet's been sacked for being late all the time.”

III. Find less formal words in 2a-d above for the words in italics in 1-4. Do you have equivalents in your language?

IV. Complete the sentences 1-5 with prepositions below.

1. She was discriminated……….. for being a woman in a man's world.

2. They're prosecuting the factory………dumping chemicals in the river.

3. A minister has been accused……….accepting bribes.

4. A manager and stockbroker have been charged………… illegally exploiting market information.

5. Three car dealers have been fined………..fixing the prices of their vehicles.

V. Which sentences in 4 above describe the following crimes?

a) damaging the environment

b) insider trading

c) unfair competition

d) bribery and corruption

e) unfair employment practices

Speaking

Find any case of glass ceiling in any country and discuss it within your group.

Lesson 3. Discrimination

Warm-up

1. What is discrimination?

2. Have you ever come across such case?

3. How common is discrimination in your country?

4. Should we go to the law when being discriminated?

Case study

Read about the three real cases and complete the table.

Case 1

When Tahir Hussain, an Asian man, applied for a job with a motor firm, his application was turned down. However, when he invented a fictitious CV for a white Englishwoman called Catherine Riley to accompany an application for the same job, he was called for an interview. He claimed the car dealer was guilty of both sex and race discrimination. The solicitor representing the car company said that Mr. Hussain’s application had been refused because it appeared arrogant and over-sold himself. The CV from the imaginary Catherine Riley was more factual.

Case 2

Mrs. Gweneth Niman wants to take the charity Age Concern to court because she was told to retire when she turned 70. She earned $280 a month selling insurance. Mrs. Niman is so angry that she is prepared to go all the way to the European Court of Human Justice. Age Concern, which campaigns against ageism, said she could continue her job on a voluntary basis. The charity says that all staff knows that 70 is the maximum retirement age.

Case 3

A man was refused a job at a chicken factory because he was too tall. Sun Valley Foods rejected him for factory work. Barry Seale, who is 1.88m, claims sex discrimination because men are generally taller than women. The firm says it operated a “heightist” policy because it was afraid that tall workers would suffer back and neck injury.

Profile Intermediate, Oxford Business English

Speaking

I. Discuss your immediate reaction to each of the three cases.

II. What decision would you make if you were a judge?

III. Below you may find out what the real tribunals decided.

Case 1: The court decided the motor firm was guilty of racial discrimination.

Case 2: The case has not been dealt yet.

Case 3: The court decided that the Sun Valley Company was guilty.

Unit VIII.Negotiating skills Lesson 1. Presenting

Warm Up

I. Comment on the expression: Talk low, talk slow and don’t say too much. (John Wayne, Hollywood film star)

II. Think of successful talks you’ve been to in the past. What made them so successful? Complete the following list of elements that make a good presentation using the words in the boxes.

To be a good presenter you need …

1. a well-structured _____________

2. thorough subject _____________

3. a smart and professional _______

4. a good sense of ______________

5. good eye ___________________

6. an enthusiastic ______________

7. a strong ____________________

8. a creative use of _____________

9. expressive body _____________

10. careful_____________________

III. With a partner, discuss the elements in 1 and number them in order of importance. Use the phrases below in your discussion.

IV. Add your own ideas to the list in 3

R eading

I. Read the text below. Is it a good advice? Why?

Did you know … that almost thirty million of business presentations are given every day? And yet, in surveys, most managers say that are most afraid of public speaking than anything else – even death! To overcome nerves, a lot of presentation trainers advise you to “just be yourself”.

Listening

1. Listen to three people speaking. Concentrate on the way they sound. Are they having a conversation or giving a presentation? How do you know?

II. Discuss with a partner. How is speaking to the audience – even a small one – different from speaking to a group of friends? Think about the following:

III. Look at this famous toast to Albert Einstein by writer, George Bernard Shaw. The extract is unpunctuated. Mark ( | ) where you think the speaker paused. Then listen and check.

I have said that great men are a mixed lot but there are orders of great men there are great men who are great amongst all men but there are also great men who are great amongst great men and that is the sort of great man whom you have amongst you tonight I go back 2,500 years and how many of them can I count in that period I can count them on the fingers of my two hands Pythagoras Ptolemy Aristotle Copernicus Kepler Galileo Newton Einstein and I still have two fingers left vacant my lords ladies and gentlemen are you ready for the toast health and length of days to the greatest of our contemporaries Einstein

From In Company Intermediate

IV. A. Listen again and underline the stressed words.

b. Is there a connection between what we stress and where we pause?

c. What is the effect of pausing

less often?_____________________________________________________________________

more often?____________________________________________________________________

V. Write a toast to your famous contemporary

A Team Presentation

I. Look at the following information from First Direct. With a partner first ‘present’ the information clearly and professionally. Then ‘present’ the information enthusiastically and dramatically. Which sounds better?

From In Company Intermediate

II. In the extract above find the examples of

1. repetition

2. rhetorical questions

3. grouping points in threes

4. pairs of contrasting points

III. Match the items in 2 to why they are effective.

• You invite your audience to try to anticipate your answer 

• You create a satisfying set of completeness 

• You make sure your audience doesn’t miss your main points 

• You emphasise what you are saying by using the power of opposites 

Lexical exercises

I. Find in the lesson the equivalents of the following expressions. Why are these things important in negotiating?

зрительный контакт, использование наглядных средств, глубокое знание предмета, хорошее чувство юмора, выразительный язык жестов, тщательная подготовка, сильный голос, аудитория, публичные выступления, риторический вопрос, эмоционально подавать информацию.

II. Use the expressions from above in sentences of your own.

Lesson 2. Presentation Tips

Warm Up

I. Comment on the expression: The best audience is intelligent, well-educated and a little drunk. (Alben W. Barkley, ex-US vice-president)

II. In your opinion, what should an ideal audience be like?

Active Vocabulary

I. The following expressions will help you to give the clear structure to a presentation. Complete them using the correct preposition.

1. T o start ________ , then, …

2. To move ________ to my next point, …

3. To go ________ to what I was saying, …

4. To turn now ________ a different matter, …

5. To say a bit more ________ that, …

6. To dive you an example ________ what I mean, …

7. To digress ________ a moment, …

8. To sum ________ then, …

II. Which of the expressions above are used to

I II. You can draw attention to your visuals by using the phrases below. Complete them using the words from the box.

1. give see point have show

   _______ a look at this.

2. As you can _______, …

3. I’d like to _______ out …

4. Let me _______ you something …

5. To _______ you the background to this …

Listening

I. Listen to a stock trading company manager describe how his team solved a problem with the company's website

P art A

1. Underline the two things the manager does to open his presentation.

ask a question / tell a joke / tell a story / quote some figures

2. What's the significance of the following facts and figures?

9

__________________________________________

250,000

__________________________________________

3

__________________________________________

60,000

__________________________________________

Part B

3. What three problems was the company having with its website?

a.________________________________________

b.________________________________________

c.________________________________________

4. Having improved the website, what are E-Stock's two current objectives?

a._______________________________________

b._______________________________________

Part C

5. Which graph (a, b, c or d) does the speaker refer to? 

6. What three things does the manager do to close his presentation?

a. he sums up his talk

b. he quotes a well-known person

c. he refers people to his report

d. he invites questions

Reading

Using the framework below, prepare a short presentation of a problem you solved at work. It can be any kind of problem, big or small. Complete the boxes on the right with brief notes. If you like, prepare simple visual aids based on the information you put in these boxes. Use the language on the left to help you structure your talk, but change it if you need to.

From In Company Intermediate

Lesson 3. Negotiating

W arm Up

I. Comment on the expression: Never begin a deal, a battle or a love affair if the fear of loosing overshadows the prospect of winning. (Aristotle Onassis, shipping tycoon)

II. What is important for successful negotiations? Why?

Reading

William Ury is a co-author of the world’s most famous book on negotiating, Getting to Yes. Read the following extract from his best-selling sequel, Getting Past No. Which of the situations remind you of something that’s happened to you?

Reading Comprehension

I . In order to give the person in the extract above advice, what else would you need to know about each situation? What would you say in response to each of the people in the text? Compare your ideas with a partner.

II. Complete the following sentence in not mare than five words: “A good negotiator ______________________________”

Compare sentences with other people in the class.

Listening

I. Listen to four business people sharing their views on how to negotiate and answer the questions below.

a. Put the following stages in a negotiation into the order Speaker 1 mentions them.

have lunch 

agree on a procedure 

bargain 

close 

listen and take notes 

create a rapport 

set out proposals 

agree terms 

celebrate 

make counter-proposals

b. Speaker 2 refers to the following acronyms. What do they mean?

OP__________________________________________________________________________

TP__________________________________________________________________________

WAP________________________________________________________________________

FBP_________________________________________________________________________

BATNA______________________________________________________________________

c. According to Speaker 3, why doesn’t ‘win-win’ usually work?

_____________________________________________________________________________

d. What five pieces of advice does Speaker 3 offer?

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

e. According to Speaker 4, what’s the worst thing you can do to a negotiator?

_____________________________________________________________________________

What’s the difference between tactics and dirty tricks?

_____________________________________________________________________________

What examples does he mention?

_____________________________________________________________________________

Active Vocabulary

I. Make up the following collocations.

II. Translate the collocations above into Russian. Explain their meanings. Use them in the sentences of your own.

III. Give your definitions to each word from the box below. What of them are meant by the following statements?

1. You can address them. You can deal with them. You can foresee them. You can solve them.

2. You can develop them. You can share them. You can come up with them. You can brainstorm them.

3. Y ou can make them. You can consider them. You can put them forward. You can withdraw them.

4. You can look at them. You can go through them. You can quote them. You can round them up.

5. You can make them. You can question them. You can reach them. You can put them off.

6. You can support them. You can attack them. You can back them up. You can chat with them.

7. You can air them. You can share them. You can express them. You can exchange them.

8. You can make them. You can look for them. You can invent them. You can refuse to accept them.

Lesson 4. The language of Negotiations

Warm Up

I. Answer the following questions. Discuss your answers with the rest of the group.

1. Do you think you are a good negotiator? Why or why not?

2. Do you know someone who is a good negotiator? What makes him/her such a good negotiator?

3. Have you ever negotiated for something?

II. Look at the picture below. Do you think these people are good negotiators? Why?

Discussion

I. Read the joke. Is there a lesson to be learnt from it?

Two priests were so addicted to smoking that they desperately needed to puff on cigarettes even while they prayed. Both developed guilty conscience and decided to ask their superior for permission to smoke. The first asked if it was OK to smoke while he was praying. Permission was denied. The second priest asked if he was allowed to pray while he was smoking. His superior found his dedication admirable and immediately granted his request.

II. How direct you want to be in a negotiation is a matter of both cultural and personal choice. In which side on the line below would you place people from your own culture? How about you personally?

prefer the diplomatic approach --------------------|------------------ prefer straight-talking

III. Find someone in your group who put themselves on the other side of the line from you. Try to persuade each other that your side is better.

Active Vocabulary

I. The following thoughts passed through the minds of two negotiators during a negotiation. Use the words and phrases in brackets to reproduce what they actually said.

1. That’s impossible.

(unfortunately/would not/possible)_______________________________________________

2. We can’t go higher than 7%.

( would find/quite difficult) _____________________

3. We won’t accept less than $5 a unit.

(afraid / not in the position / this stage)_________

4. You’ll have to pay more if you want that.

(may / lightly)_____________________________

5. We should spend more time looking for a compromise here.

(shouldn’t / little?)_________________________

6. It would be a good idea to agree on a price before we go any further.

(wouldn’t / be better?)______________________

7. We hoped you’d pay a deposit today.

(were hoping / able)________________________

8. It will be difficult to get my boss to agree to this.

(might not / very easy)______________________

9. That’s as far as we can go.

(think / about / the moment)__________________

II. What do the negotiators do to make their statements sound more diplomatically? Do you prefer the direct or diplomatic versions?

III. The following expressions are all useful in negotiations, but some letters are missing from the words. When you have completed them, the letters in the box spell out some good advise for a negotiator.

Listening

I. Listen to extracts from two different negotiations and tick off the expressions above as you hear them. Which two are not used?

II. Listen again and complete the following notes.

Lexical Exercises

I.Use the following words to complete each expression.

a Originally, he agreed to work with us, but now he has changed his __________________.

b She said she would come, but now she’s having second __________________s.

c The boss always has the final __________________ in purchases over 1500.

d I’ve given the matter a lot of __________________.

e Everyone in the department backed the __________________ to abandon the project.

f There are several factors to take into __________________.

g There are several things that we should bear in __________________.

h They haven’t addressed the problem at all: they’ve completely dodged the __________________.

i I’m in two __________________s about whether to accept their proposal or not.

j Time was short. We had to make a snap __________________.

II. These are some tips from negotiation experts. Fill in the gaps.

1. you should…more than you…(speak/ listen)

2. Remember: never… but always…(ask questions/ interrupt)

3. He who talks figures… will finish… (first/ last)

4. Being… is a powerful tool. Being…is only destructive (assertive/ aggressive)

5. Sellers should ask for… than they expect to receive, and buyers should offer… than they are prepared to pay.(more/ less)

Reading

Read the text. Try to understand the key points. Give each extract a headline.

• Barriers To Successful Negotiation  

• Conclusion

• Not Trying To Understand The Other Person

• Becoming Emotional

• Trying To Win At All Costs

• Overview of the Negotiation Process

• Blaming The Other Person

Basic Negotiating Tips

(A) Negotiating is the process by which two or more parties with different needs and goals work to find a mutually acceptable solution to an issue.  Because negotiating is an inter-personal process, each negotiating situation is different, and influenced by each party's skills, attitudes and style.  We often look at negotiating as unpleasant, because it implies conflict, but negotiating need not be characterized by bad feelings, or angry behaviour.  Understanding more about the negotiation process allows us to manage our negotiations with confidence increases the chance that the outcomes will be positive for both parties.

( B) Negotiation need not be confrontational.  In fact effective negotiation is characterized by the parties working together to find a solution, rather than each party trying to WIN the contest of wills.  Keep in mind that the attitude that you take in negotiation (eg. hostile, cooperative) will set the tone for the interaction.  If you are confrontational, you will have a fight on your hands.

(C) If you "win" there must be a loser, and that can create more difficulty down the road.  The best perspective in negotiation is to try to find a solution where both parties "win".  Try not to view negotiation as a contest that must be won.

(D) It's normal to become emotional during negotiation that is important.  However, as we get more emotional, we are less able to channel our negotiating behaviour in constructive ways.  It is important to maintain control.

(E) Since we are trying to find a solution acceptable to both parties, we need to understand the other person's needs, and wants with respect to the issue.  If we don't know what the person needs or wants, we will be unable to negotiate properly.  Often, when we take the time to find out about the other person, we discover that there is no significant disagreement.

(F) In any conflict or negotiation, each party contributes, for better or worse.  If you blame the other person for the difficulty you will create an angry situation.  If you take responsibility for the problem, you will create a spirit of cooperation.

    (G) Negotiating is a complex process but one worth mastering.  If you keep in mind that you are responsible for the success or failure of negotiation, and if you follow the tips above, you will find the process easier. 

From http://work911.com/articles/negotiate.htm

Reading Comprehension

I. Find the equivalents of the following words and phrases in the text:

процесс переговоров, стороны, задачи и цели, межличностный процесс, ситуация переговоров, подразумевать конфликт, конфронтационный, найти решение, установить тон взаимодействия, соревнование, в котором надо победить, эмоциональный, враждебный, дух сотрудничества, сохранить контроль, значительное разногласие, обвинять, трудности, агрессивная ситуация.

II. Classify these expressions according to two groups:

a) actions and stages of the process

b) negotiators’ behaviour

III. Use the expressions from 1 to make your own words and phrases

Speaking

Together with your partner, make up a dialogue. One of you is going to negotiate on one important issue and doesn’t know how to behave. The other one gives him / her some advise. Present your dialogue to the class.

Unit IX. Business correspondence Lesson 1. Business Letter Writing

Warm up

I. Peter Drucker, the father of the science of office management, says, “As soon as you take one step up the career ladder your effectiveness depends on your ability to communicate your thoughts in writing and in speaking.”

How do you understand this statement? Do you agree with it?

II. Is business letter different from an ordinary letter? How?

Complete this list:

• business letter is formal;

• it has a standard format, etc.

III. What are the reasons of writing business letters? Choose the most appropriate:

- to inform readers of specific information, to ask about health, to create proposals for clients, make an arrangement, tell about birthday party, request a price list, thank someone for a advice, or apply for a job, etc.

IV. Find a situation to illustrate the following types of letters or just give definitions of them: cover letter, letter of congratulation, urgent telegram, inquiry letter, order-letter, letter of introduction, remittance, dead letter, claim letter, letter of guarantee, registered letter, receipt.

Reading

I. Read the text for general understanding.

B usiness letters concern us in our daily living, especially those of us who live abroad and deal with foreigners. People write business letters in many situations: finalizing contracts, booking a seat in an airplane, reserving hotel accommodation, booking theatre tickets, writing order-letters, letters of inquiry, claim (complaint) letters, cover letters, etc.

A business letter, like a friendly or social letter, should make a favorable impression. The way you write a letter and the etiquette you employ may have a significant impact on your success or failure in business.

It is important to remember that a business letter is an official document. Of course, there are many other communications between people and companies, for instance telephone conversations, meetings and presentations. Still, a business letter is the most powerful communications tool for providing structured and considered information in a formal way.

When you send a business letter you create an image of you and your company in the reader's mind. When a reader scans a document he subconsciously builds a picture of the writer. The writer can project the image of a conscientious, energetic professional, or the image of a bored bureaucrat marking time with an antiquated company. Write positively and with confidence. Try to put yourself in the reader's shoes and to anticipate the reader's reaction to your comments. Don't be manipulative. Threatening, begging, flattering, and making extravagant promises are manipulative and are usually ineffective. In fact, they may alienate the reader.

Keep the letter to one page. Business people are busy and do not appreciate unnecessarily long letters. Most business letters are less than one A4 page long. Try to organize your letter logically, making smooth transitions between sentences and paragraphs. It should be clear and concise, with short sentences and simple words. Use personal pronouns and active voice. Avoid me, I, we, us in the beginning of the letter. Avoid also formal and stuffy expressions (like "thanking you in advance", "as per", “be advised”, "in compliance with your request" or “enclosed herewith”), and don't use technical terms unknown for your communicator.

When writing a business letter, you should follow the format of a standard business letter. The typical business letter usually consists of about six essential parts: the heading (and the date), the inside address, the salutation or greeting, the body of the letter, the complimentary close, and the signature.

The heading of the letter contains the full address of the sender. Most companies have letterhead with this information already imprinted. The inside address coincides with the address that appears on the envelope and contains the name, title and address of person to whom you are writing. The salutation adds a personal touch to your letter and should be consistent with the whole tone. Include the addressee's name and courtesy title along with the greeting. The body of the letter is where you write the purpose of the letter. The complimentary close should be relevant to the tone of the letter and the salutation. And, your signature should be hand written legibly below the complimentary close.

Don't ever forget to proof-read your letter. Check the spelling, particularly the name of the person and company. Minor errors in spelling, punctuation, and grammar hurt your credibility. Make sure that your letters look neat and tidy on the page. Sloppy appearance will detract from even a well-written letter.

The best writers strive to write in a style that is so clear that their message cannot be misunderstood. Clarity should be the primary goal of your business writing style.

II. Find in the text English equivalents of the following words: касаться, бронировать (номер, билет), запрос, провал, инструмент, добросовестный, уверенность, предвидеть, льстить, сжатый, избегать, фирменный бланк, совпадать, вежливость, ошибка, неряшливый, стремиться, ясность.

III. Using the picture The 5C Principles tell about the rules of writing business letters. Divide them two groups:

Dos	Don’s
	No grammar abbreviations: I’m  I am don’t  do not

IV. Write a format of a business letter: 1. Heading

2…

3…

Try to put the parts of the letter in their correct places on the scheme.

• signature

• salutation

• the headline

• complimentary close

• the body of the letter

• the date

• sender’s address

• Inside address

• the ‘Attention’ line

• enclosure

• copies

The scheme of a letter:

1.

3.

2.

4 .

6.

9. 8.

1 0.

5.

7.

8.

IV. What is each item for?

THE ADDRESS MUST BE WRITTEN CORRECTLY!

V. There are some differences between the American and British styles of writing business letters. Study them.