Work and play in Dubai

Money and business are important in Dubai. People are always “doing a deal”. Business is often done over a coffee in one of the many coffee shops. In Dubai business and social life are mixed. Social occasions are also opportunities for business introductions. Business does not stop at 5 p.m. This is useful for people who are visiting Dubai on business.

Dubai loves good manners. You should be polite and you shouldn't rush business. Sport is also very important. It is a good conversation topic because all nationalities in Dubai love sport. Local people like football. The Asian population is crazy about cricket. Other nationalities watch golf and other sports on television. Horse races are popular.

Family life is also important in Dubai. Thursday lunch and Friday are times when people visit their families. In the evening, families and friends often get together and enjoy a barbecue in a park or on the beach.

From FT.com

1. Tick (*) five things that are mentioned in the article.

a) politics f) good manners

b) money g) transport

c) art h) sports

d) business i) family

e) music

2. Put these sports in the order that they appear in the article.

horse races

football

golf

cricket

3. Are these sentences true or false? Correct the information in the false sentences.

a) In Dubai, business is never done over a coffee.

b) Social occasions are opportunities for business introductions.

c) Good manners are important in Dubai.

d) You should rush business.

e) People meet with their families on Tuesday and Friday.

f) In the morning, families and friends have a barbecue on the beach.

Over to you

What things are important in your country? Use some of the ideas below to help. Can you add any others? Compare your answers with a partner.

family money sports business music politics good manners food art

Unit 11 Cultures

Learning languages

Level of difficulty ***

Before you read

1. Underline the correct word or phrase to make true sentences.

a) The family of a Hispanic person comes from i) South Asia. ii) Latin America.

b) Another word for Hispanic is i) Latin. ii) Greek.

c) If you are bilingual you can speak

i) no languages. ii) two languages.

2. Look at the title of the article. What do you think “Se habla espanol” means?

Reading

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

'Se habla espanol' isn't enough

In 2000 there were 35.3m Hispanics in the US. Latin consumers’ spending is increasing. From 1990 to 2001 it more than doubled from $207.5bn to $452.4bn. Hispanics now make up 6.4 percent of the American market. But less than two percent of marketing expenditure in the US uses Spanish language advertising to target the Latin community.

Half the Hispanic community speaks English only and 17 percent speaks Spanish only. A third are bilingual; they can speak both English and Spanish, and this group is growing. The bilingual population prefers to buy and sell some things in

English and others in Spanish. People buying a service (for example information from an Internet service provider or a travel agency) prefer speaking in Spanish. But they prefer using English when purchasing a product, such as a car or a mobile phone.

Some companies have found ways to work in a bilingual market. Goya Foods produces food from all the main countries of Latin America. Its advertising targets people who speak Spanish and English. It advertised a free recipe book with the bilingual phrase “four fabuloso recipes that are sure to have your family crying out for mas, mas, mas!”

From the Financial Times

l. Are these sentences true or false?

a) Hispanic spending increased by more than 50 percent from 1990 to 2001.

b) Fifty percent of the Hispanic community speaks English only.

c) One-third of the Hispanic community speaks both English and Spanish.

d) Bilingual speakers prefer to use English to buy services.

e) Goya makes Italian food.

f) Goya uses English and Spanish words in its advertising.

2. Find words in the article that have similar meanings to the phrases below.

a) the total amount of money that a company spends………………

b) getting bigger…………….

c) the number of people living in a place……………… d) doesn't cost any money ……………

tells you how to cook food ………………..

Over to you

Look at the last sentence in the article. What do you think fabuloso and mas, mas, mas mean in English? Think of a product that is popular in your country. Write a short phrase to advertise it using English and your language.

Unit 12 Jobs

Business school

Level of difficulty **

Before you read

Match the word to the correct definition. Use a dictionary to help you.

1. apply a) a person who wants a job or place at college

2. applicant b) the document asking for a job or a place at college

3. application c) to ask for a job or a place at college

Reading

Read this article adapted from FT.com and answer the questions.