1. Read the profile of Derek Stirling and then write another profile about yourself. Use the topics below to help you.

name company responsibilities

nationality position of the company

hobbies home town

Profile

My name is Derek Stirling and I’m Scottish. I live in Hadlow, a lovely English village near London, and I work for the Swire Group, Britain’s largest private company. The Group’s activities are divided into five business areas: shipping, aviation, property, industries, and trading. Our best-known company is Cathay Pacific Airways.

I work at our London head office; I’m head of Corporate Finance, and I’m responsible for developing the business of the Group.

I’m always very busy and I don’t have much free time, but when I do, I like fishing and I grow my own vegetables, just for fun.

Telephoning

1. Study the Word List.

answer the phone – отвечать на телефонный звонок

voice – голос

receptionist – администратор

friendly – дружелюбный

polite – вежливый

busy – занятой

interrupt – прерывать

remember – помнить

switch on – включать

call back – перезвонить

ignore – игнорировать

take a deep breath – тяжело вздохнуть

hang up – брать трубку

2. Answer the questions.

1. How often do you have to answer the phone?

2. Are you polite when you answer the phone?

3. Do you always answer your phone?

4. Do you stop a conversation to answer the phone?

3. Read the text and do the tasks after it. How many ways to say hello?1

When two people meet in Tokyo they say konnichiha which means hello. But if they answer the phone, they say moshi moshi. Japan isn’t the only country to have its own special “telephone language”. The Spanish say hola for hello but on the phone they answer digame. Literally translated digame means “tell me” - but this sounds very rude in English. Similarly, if a caller heard the words: I’m ready in London or New York, they’d think this was very strange. They’d ask “ready for what?”. But in Italy the word pronto! means exactly this.

The rules for answering the phone in the international workplace seem to be more universal. Phone a business number and the receptionist is likely to say the name of the company and answer more politely or formally. For example, in English you make the polite offer of help with How can I help you? But even this isn’t quite as polite as the very formal Norwegian response: vaer so god literally meaning “be so good.”

Is it one of those days when the phone just won’t stop ringing? By call number four you still answer the phone with a friendly, polite “Good morning, how can I help you?” But four hours later, twenty calls later and you’ve lost your smile. You must finish the report for your boss and now - with all these calls – you’ll have to work late tonight. So if that telephone rings one more time, don’t hang up, don’t scream “Yes!” at the poor caller. Take a deep breath and smile. I know the caller can’t see you, but a smile makes your voice sound friendly and polite, a smile makes you feel better and it makes your colleagues in the office feel better.

Why is it that we will say to someone: “Sorry, I’m busy right now. Can we talk later?” but when the phone rings we stop what we’re doing and answer it? We even interrupt our conversations to answer the phone. Our friends can wait, but our phone just won’t! When you’re busy, remember these simple techniques:

• switch on your voicemail

• ask them to call back again later

• ask someone else to answer and take a message

• give people times when you are free to answer calls

• ignore the phone!