VI. Read text II and note the key points under the following headings:

a) Recent trends in international meetings;

b) Reasons for holding international meetings;

c) Typical problems at international meetings;

d) Avoiding the pitfalls of international meetings.

VII. According to the text, are the following statements true or false?

1. Unique with all these meetings, which range in size from a few to more than a thousand, is that many of the par­ticipants leave their home to meet in another.

2. The purposes of these meetings are varied, ranging from exchanging experience to rewarding winners and creating opportuni­ties for professional cultural develop­ment

3. International meeting organizers can’t be guilty of any fun­damental blunders.

4. Company gatherings often show the most serious shortcomings.

5. International meetings can’t be costly to stage, especially if they are poorly organized and fail to achieve the desired results.

6. At international meetings with partic­ipants from many different cultures, unique issues never arise.

7. It's especially important to allow par­ticipants who travel long distances suffi­cient time to rest, physically and mental­ly, before the meeting ends.

8. A mini-checklist for any in­ternational meeting should begin with efforts to identify the nationalities of potential participants and make provi­sions that cater to their speci­fic cultural needs.

9. Speakers making presentations in English at an international meeting in a country where it is not the national language, should tailor their presenta­tion in their native language so that it will be understood by the entire audience.

VIII. Match the words from the text with their definitions.

1) envisage	a) a stupid or clumsy mistake
2) accomplish	b) submission to or compliance with the will, wishes, etc., of another
3) under­mined	c) relating to goods or services produced and sold at the margin of profitability
4) blunder	d) to form a mental image of; visualize; contemplate
5) costly	e) to adapt so as to make suitable for something specific
6) deference	f) to request peremptorily or urgently
7) demand	g) to act graciously towards another or others regarded as being on a lower level; behave patronizingly
8) marginal	h) to conclude successfully; complete
9) condescend	i) of great price or value; expensive
10) tailor	j ) to weaken gradually or insidiously

LISTENING

I. You are going to hear Roger Middleton, Legal Director and Company Secretary at Grand Metropolitan, talking about meetings. Listen and take notes under the following headings:

a) formal and informal meetings;

b) objectives;

c) chairing meetings;

d) mixed-nationality meetings;

e) participating in meetings;

f) minutes.