Practice file An interesting man

Before you read

1. Choose the correct words in italics to make true sentences.

if you have patience, you can / can’t wait for something to happen.

hobbies are things which you do in your free / work time.

treasures are things which are very new / valuable.

Reading

2. Read this article adapted from the Financial Times and answer the questions.

People: Man of many modes

Sandy Flockhart works for the bank, HSBC, HSBC is the world’s third-largest bank.

This week, he finishes his job in Latin America and returns to Hong Kong. In his new job, he is responsible for a large share of the HSBC banking business. Mr Flockhart speaks fluent Spanish and gives in interviews and press conferences in Spanish and English.

Mr Flockhart is from Scotland and is 55 years old. He is married. He and his wife have four children. He has a lot of hobbies that need patience, and this is a quality which helps him in his job with HSBC. He enjoys classis cars, fishing and golf and he is interested in Mexican treasures

Financial Times

3. Decide whether these sentences about Mr Flockhart are true or false.

1. He works for a bank

2. He is responsible for a small part of the HSBC business

3. He speaks fluent French

4. He is married

5. He has no children

6. He has several hobbies

7. He needs patience in his job

8. He likes Mexican treasures

4.Use these prompts to make questions about Mr Flockhart.

What / responsible for?

Where / from?

How old?

married?

What / interested in?

Discussion

Talk to someone you know, saying

who they are

how old they are

what they are

if they are married

what they like and don’t like

what hobbies they have

A famous department store

Before you read

1. Match the two halves of these sentences to complete these definitions.

1. A beauty product a) helps look after the environment.

2. If you have insurance, you b) lets you pay for something if you do not have cash.

3. A credit card c) helps you to look good.

4. An employee d) can get money if something bad happens to you.

5. A railway station e) works for a company.

6. If your company is green, it f) is a place where you can get a train.

Reading

2. Read this article and answer the questions.

Marks and Spencer

Marks and Spencer (M&S) is one of the UK's most famous department stores. There are many different departments, which sell clothes, home and beauty products, furniture and food. It also sells insurance and credit cards.

There are 450 stores in the UK, and most of them are in town centers. There are another 156 stores in over 30 different countries. There are over 60,000 employees around the world, and every week there are about 10 million customers in M&S stores. There are also many M&S stores which just sell food. These are called 'Simply Food' and they are in places like railway stations, airports, petrol stations and motorway service stations. The Chief Executive of M&S is Stuart Rose. He is very interested in looking after the environment, and now M&S is one of the leading 'green' companies in the UK. He says it is important for the company to always improve its product ranges and customer service. There are plans to introduce new products all the time.

Answer these questions.

What is Mark and Spencer?

What does M&S sell?

How many stores are there in the UK?

In how many countries are there M&S stores?

How many people work for the company?

How many customers are there every week?

What are the food stores called?

Where are the food stores?

What is Marks and Spencer?

Who is Stuart Rose?

What is he interested in?

What are the company plans?

3. Complete these sentences with either is or are.

There .… many M&S stores in the UK.

Mr Rose …. Chief Executive Officer of M&S.

Some M&S food stores …. in airports.

M&S …. a green company.

There …. new products all the time.

Discussion

Find out about another department store that you know. Then write about it and say:

what it is called

where it is

what it sells

how many stores it has

who the Chief Executive is

how many employees there are

how many customers there are every week.