Intelligent Business elementary is benchmarked to the Preliminary level. The BEC Preliminary exam
tests Reading , Writing, Listening and Speaking skills and is organised as follows:

•

Reading and Writing Test - 1 hour and 30 minutes - Reading divided into 7 parts; Writing
divided into 2 tasks (Please note Reading and Writing)

•

Listening Test - approx. 40 minutes - divided into 4 parts

•

Speaking Test - 12 minutes - divided into 3 parts

The Intelligent Business website allows teachers to download a complete BEC Preliminary test.
Material is available for every part of the exam.

Reading Test

Writing test

Listening Test

Listening Test Audio
BEC Preliminary Test audio MP3s.

Listening test audio scripts

Speaking Test

1. Reading Test

BEC PRELIMINARY PRACTICE TEST

READING

QUESTIONS 1 – 45

PART ONE
Questions 1 – 5

•

Look at questions 1 – 5.

•

In each question, which sentence is correct?

•

For each question, mark one letter (A, B or C).

Example

Employees must attend the IT course if

they had IT training earlier in the year.

their line manager wants them to.

they missed the previous IT training.

The correct answer is C.

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TO:

All

staff

SUBJECT: IT

Training

Tell your line manager if you wish to attend. Places are for those who have not had IT
training this year.

BEC PRELIMINARY PRACTICE TEST READING PART ONE (cont. …)

1

There is no delivery charge for any order.

You must order your goods 3 days in advance.

You must pay to receive goods the following day.

Applicants for the managerial position

need to have a degree.

can expect an excellent salary.

must have management experience.

Next week, staff

A

must bring their own lunches to the office.

cannot eat their meals in the usual place.

must book if they want to eat in the canteen.

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All orders delivered free of charge within 3 days.
For next day delivery, the attached charges apply.

Large industrial company

is looking for graduates to join management team.

Experience not essential but an advantage.

Salary negotiable.

To:

All Staff

Subject:

Canteen closed next week

The canteen will be closed for redecoration next week. They will
deliver lunches to your offices if you order the day before.

BEC PRELIMINARY PRACTICE TEST

READING PART ONE (continued …)

4

Staff who want to write for the company magazine must

contact the PR office for more information.

send articles in via the website.

finish articles seven days before publication.

The meeting will allow managers to meet new staff.

New staff must attend if their line manager cannot go.

There is a meeting for new staff on 6 July.

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TO:

All

staff

SUBJECT: Company

magazine

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Articles required. Must be in PR office at least one week before issue
date. More information on website.

Meeting:

NEW STAFF ONLY

Date:

Monday, 6 July

Time:

08.30

Inform your line manager if you are
unable to attend.

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BEC PRELIMINARY PRACTICE TEST

READING

PART TWO
Questions 6 –10

•

Look at the list below. It shows a selection of recruitment agencies.

• For

questions

6 – 10, decide which agency (A – H) each company

needs to use to find staff.

•

For each question, mark one letter (A – H).

•

Do not use any letter more than once.

ACCOUNTANCY SEARCH

Specialist staff at all levels

IMAGE MAKERS

Experienced public

relations staff

SECURETEC

IT staff –specialists in information

security

HELPDESK

For all your administration staff

needs

CONSULT4YOU

Managers

for the engineering industry

CONSTRUCTEAM

Managers for all construction

projects

Making Impressions

For advertising

and marketing

staff

MAKE EASY

Skilled labour for the

manufacturing industry

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BEC PRELIMINARY PRACTICE TEST READING PART TWO (cont. …)

Rita Svenson, Finance Director of AB Construction, needs an assistant

to organise all the paperwork in her office.

Magnus Reilly, IT Director of GD Engineering, needs to recruit

someone to organize the financial side of his business.

Ali Behan, HR Manager of a large textile company, is looking for

several experienced operators to work on the new production line.

Andres Bolivia, head of an advertising agency, needs someone to

make sure that company and client data are protected.

Basem El Jahabi, CEO of an expanding engineering consultancy,

needs someone to write news about his company for the press.

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BEC PRELIMINARY PRACTICE TEST

READING

PART THREE

Questions 11 – 15

•

Look at the chart below. It shows the regional production figures of a
manufacturing company during an eight-year period.

•

Which year does each sentence (11 – 15) on the opposite page
describe? For each sentence, mark one letter (A – H).

•

Do not use any letter more than once.

million units

Production by region

N. America

Europe

Asia

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BEC PRELIMINARY PRACTICE TEST

READING PART 3 (continued …)

This year, production in North America fell slightly while in Europe it

continued to rise steadily unlike production in Asia.

While output in North America saw continued steady growth, European

production rose faster in contrast to Asia where it remained level.

This year, there was rising production in Europe and an increase in

Asia, whereas North America was not as productive as the previous

year.

While North American production continued to increase along with that

in Asia, Europe saw a slight reduction in output.

Whereas European production followed a steady growth pattern along

with North America, Asian production was slightly less than the

year.

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BEC PRELIMINARY PRACTICE TEST

READING

PART FOUR
Questions 16 – 22

•

Read the article below about graduate recruitment in America.

• Are

sentences

16 – 22 on the opposite page ‘Right’ or ‘Wrong’? If there is not

enough information to answer ‘Right’ or ‘Wrong’, choose ‘Doesn’t say’.

•

For each sentence 16 – 22, mark one letter (A, B or C).

In September, the campuses of America will be full of not only returning

undergraduates, but also employers offering jobs to the best 10% of them. “We are

seeing a far more competitive market for talent,” says Steve Canale, a recruitment

manager at General Electric (GE). Companies are also looking at summer work-

experience students more as potential full-time employees than as temporary staff.

60% of GE's graduate recruits in America this year, for instance, will come from more

than 2,000 summer students.

Firms are working harder to improve their image in the eyes of undergraduates. GE

focuses on 38 universities where it actively promotes itself as an employer.

PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC), an accounting firm, targets 200 universities and

gives a partner responsibility for each. PWC says that each of these partners spends

up to 200 hours a year “building relationships on campus”.

According to a survey by Universum, which asked 30,000 American students to

name their ideal employer, PWC came second in 2005 (up from 4th in 2004), beaten

only by BMW. Yet the German carmaker, which replaced Microsoft as the leader in

2005, avoids campuses, relying for its popularity, says Universum, on the “coolness”

of its products.

Adapted from In Search of the Ideal Employer
©The Economist Newspaper and the Economist Group.

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BEC PRELIMINARY PRACTICE TESTREADING PART FOUR (cont. …)

The competition for recruiting graduates has grown recently.

Right

B Wrong C Doesn’t

say

General Electric is offering jobs to all its work experience students.

Right

B Wrong C Doesn’t

say

Not many work experience students complete their studies.

Right

B Wrong C Doesn’t

say

Companies want to make more of an impression on students.

Right

B Wrong C Doesn’t

say

PWC gives each partner responsibility for one of 38 universities.

Right

B Wrong C Doesn’t

say

In 2005 BMW was the most popular employer for students.

Right

B Wrong C Doesn’t

say

BMW visits many university campuses to recruit staff.

Right

B Wrong C Doesn’t

say

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BEC PRELIMINARY PRACTICE TEST

READING

PART FIVE

Questions 23 – 28

•

Read the article below about Yum! Brands, a fast-food company.

•

For each question 23 – 28 on the opposite page, choose the correct answer.

•

Mark one letter (A, B or C).

YUM! BRANDS

YUM! is one of the biggest fast-food companies in America, yet few of its customers

have ever heard of it. Its brand names - KFC, or Pizza Hut, or Taco Bell - are found

along the high streets of the world. From its modest base in Louisville, Kentucky, it

oversees the opening of three new restaurants, one of them in China, every day.

Yum! Brands, the parent of these well-known fast-food chains, has 34,000 (mostly

franchised) restaurants around the world, 2,000 more than McDonald's. At home in

America it accounts for about 4% of all restaurant-industry sales, behind only

McDonald's at 6.5%. With 1,378 KFC restaurants in China, and 201 Pizza Huts at

mid-2005, Yum! owns two of the best-known brand names in the world's biggest

market.

The company used to belong to Pepsi Cola but was sold by them in 1997 because

they were not interested in running restaurants. However, David Novak, the boss of

Yum!, who used to work for Pepsi, loves being in the restaurant industry. Mr Novak,

who became chief executive in 1999 and chairman in 2001, believes in a more

relaxed way of management than Pepsi. He wants people to feel that work should be

fun and employees respond to his accessible style.

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BEC PRELIMINARY PRACTICE TEST

READING PART FIVE (continued …)

Mr Novak declared that he was going to “love” the franchisees, who owned 60% of

Yum!'s restaurants when Pepsi sold it (the proportion is now about 75%) and whom

Pepsi had not always treated gently. Restaurant managers got stock options. The

logic: if the managers were happy, they were more likely to treat the “crew” members

working the kitchen and the counter well, as their efficiency and cheerfulness is vital

to the restaurants' success. This philosophy has been partly successful. The average

American kitchen employee stays with Yum! for one year, almost twice as long as in

2000.

Yum! benefits from economies of scale across the restaurant brands which all work

together instead of acting as rivals as they had done under Pepsi. Advertising media-

buying was unified through a single agency, for example. Collectively they are one of

the top five buyers in America.

International operations are in a single division, a trend started under Pepsi. This

concentrated the resources needed to penetrate new markets, a strategy that has

been very successful in China. There, KFC has gone after the fast-food market,

whereas Pizza Hut has positioned itself more as a place for casual dining, while Taco

Bell is just beginning to test the market.

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BEC PRELIMINARY PRACTICE TEST READING PART FIVE (continued …)

According to the article, Yum! Brands is

one of the largest companies in America.

opening three restaurants every day in China.

hardly recognized by most of its customers.

According to the article, compared with McDonald’s, Yum!

has more outlets.

has more restaurants in China.

has a higher turnover.

What does the article say about Pepsi Cola?

Yum! Brands was once owned by Pepsi Cola.

David Novak was once Pepsi Cola’s Chairman.

Pepsi has changed its management style.

David Novak gave the franchisees the opportunity to buy

60% of the company’s outlets.

the Pepsi Cola company.

shares in Yum! Brands.

Under Yum! Brands, the three companies KFC, Taco Bell and Pizza

Hut

work together to improve purchasing power.

are more competitive with each other.

run similar advertising campaigns.

What does the article say about Yum! Brands’ international operations?

The three companies are targeting the same market share.

They are structured the same as they were under Pepsi.

Each company is focusing on a different country.

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BEC PRELIMINARY PRACTICE TEST

READING

PART SIX

Questions 29 – 40

•

Read the article below about Amazon, an online retailer.

•

Choose the correct word to fill each gap, from A, B or C on the opposite page.

•

For each question 29 – 40. mark one letter (A, B or C).

…

AMAZON MOVES INTO SOUTH AFRICA

…

LAST month, Amazon, an online retailer, (0)…… that it had opened a software

development centre in Cape Town, South Africa. Amazon chose South Africa

(29)…… of its pool of IT workers and good infrastructure.

(30)…… to a recent study, South Africa is well placed to (31)…… from the trend of firms

(32)…… business processes, such as customer care, to cheaper places. This could (33)……

100,000 jobs in South Africa as well as (34)…… a useful $90m-175m in foreign investment

by 2008.

Demand from American and British firms to do this (35)…… forecast to rise from $10 billion

now to maybe $60 billion by 2008, 40% of (36)…… is likely to be in banking and insurance.

That is more (37)…… countries such as India, China and the Philippines — which meet

(38)…… of the demand today—are likely to be able to (39)…… .

That is (40)…… IBM has decided to open a global call-centre for international corporate

clients in Johannesburg.

[Adapted from: Offshoring – Into Africa – Economist.com]

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BEC PRELIMINARY PRACTICE TEST READING PART SIX (continued …)

Example:
(0)

A told

B mentioned C announced

Answer: C

29.

A because

B as C result

30.

A Regarding B Concerning

C According

31.

A improve B help

C benefit

32.

A moving

B pushing

C translating

33.

A employ

B make

C create

34.

A attracting B appealing C requesting

35.

A has

B is C will

36.

A what

B which

C whose

37.

A that

B with

C than

38.

A many

B much

C lot

39.

A deal

B cope

C handle

40.

A why

B when

C how

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BEC PRELIMINARY PRACTICE TEST READING

PART SEVEN

Questions 41 – 45

•

Read the two emails below.

•

Complete the conference room booking form on the opposite page.

•

Write a word or phrase (in CAPITAL LETTERS) or a number on lines
41 – 45.

TO:

Edgar

Manning

FROM: Javier

Benitez

SUBJECT: Regional Development Meeting – 7

September

…………………………………………………………………………………………..

Sorry, but I have to attend a Sales Managers Meeting on 7

. Can we re-

arrange for 14

September? Also I’d like to start at 10.00hrs as 4 new

managers will be attending and they have a long way to come.

Would it be okay to have a hot meal in the canteen that day?

TO:

Sophie

Weitz

FROM: Edgar

Manning

SUBJECT: Changes to 7 September booking
………………………………………………………………………………………….

Please see attached from Javier. The meeting I’m organizing is now 17

the Director’s Meeting is on 14

. The usual 8 managers will be12 and

although I‘d like to have a hot meal, we won’t have time, so sandwiches as
usual please. I’ve agreed the new start time and we should finish around
1700hrs.

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BEC PRELIMINARY PRACTICE TEST READING PART SEVEN (cont. …)

CONFERENCE ROOM

BOOKING SHEET

Meeting title:

(41) ……………………..

Meeting organiser: (42) ……………………..

Date required:

(43) ……………………..

Start & Finish time: (44) …………………….. hrs

No. of people:

Type of lunch:

(45) ………

2. Writing Test

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BEC PRELIMINARY PRACTICE TEST

WRITING

QUESTIONS 46 and 47

PART ONE
Question 46

•

The company you work for is going to install a new computer system

next month.

• Write

email to all staff:

•

explaining why the new system is necessary

•

saying how long it will take to install

•

telling them to do if they have any problems with it.

•

Write 30 – 40 words.

To: All

Staff

Subject:

New Computer System

_______________________________________________________

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BEC PRELIMINARY PRACTICE TEST

WRITING

PART TWO

Question 47

•

Read this part of an email from Ken Bracknell, director of a training

company.

To: HPC

International

From: Ken Bracknell - Smart Training

When we met last week at the trade fair, you mentioned that you might be
interested in our training courses for managers.

Our clients assure us that our courses are very effective and offer best value
for money.

We will be happy to come and discuss your requirements at a time convenient
to you.

• Write

email to Mr Bracknell:

• expressing

interest

meeting him at the trade fair

•

explaining what kind of training you are looking for

•

asking if you can contact previous clients

•

suggesting a date for a meeting.

• Write 60 – 80 words.
• Do not include any postal addresses.

3. Listening Test

BEC PRELIMINARY PRACTICE TEST

LISTENING

PART ONE
Questions 1 – 8

For questions 1 – 8 you will hear eight short recordings.
For each question, mark one letter (A, B or C).
You will hear the eight recordings twice.

Example:

What does Jane’s boss want her to do?

look in his briefcase for the sales statistics

send a copy of the project data file

reply to his email before the end of the day

The

answer

Which chart is correct?

OVERTIME

HOURS

1st
Qtr

2nd

Qtr

3rd

Qtr

4th
Qtr

1st Qtr

2nd Qtr

3rd Qtr

4th Qtr

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1st Qtr 2nd Qtr 3rd Qtr 4th Qtr

BEC PRELIMINARY PRACTICE TEST LISTENING PART ONE (cont. …)

Which room will they use for the conference?

THE STAR

THE ROSE

THE MOON

What will they spend the extra money on?

A staff

B space

C equipment

When will Mr Abdi arrive?

3.45

3.15

4.15

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BEC PRELIMINARY PRACTICE TEST LISTENING PART ONE (cont. …)

Why is the factory closing?

Demand for their products has fallen.

A new factory has just been built.

Products are now made in another country.

What do they agree is most important for the job?

Ability to motivate others.

Ability to work alone.

Ability to solve problems.

Which chart is correct?

£,000

Jan

Feb

March

Arpil

SALES

£,000

Jan

Feb

March

April

SALES

£,000

Jan

Feb

March

April

SALES

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BEC PRELIMINARY PRACTICE TEST LISTENING PART ONE (cont. …)

The company had to change supplier because of

increased demand

B higher

costs

C quality

problems

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BEC PRELIMINARY PRACTICE TEST

LISTENING

PART THREE

Questions 16 – 22

•

Look at the notes below.

•

Some information is missing.

•

You will hear part of a radio business news programme.

•

For each question 16 – 22, fill in the missing information in the

numbered space using one or two words.

•

You will hear the programme twice.

BUSINESS NEWS NOTES

TELCON:

to buy European mobile company. Problems with their

(16) ……………………. .

ENTEL:

new offices in (17) …………… this year

WINTERGOLD:

trying to buy main (18) …………… to become market
leader.

NPG:

(19) …………. profits announced this quarter.

LANLINK:

share value shot up partly due to (20) ……………
innovations

EAGLE AIRLINES:

huge loss due to cost of (21) …………… .

OIL

less need for (22) ……………. Oil has caused price
drop.

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BEC PRELIMINARY PRACTICE TEST

LISTENING

PART TWO

QUESTIONS 9 – 15

•

Look at the form below.

•

Some information is missing.

•

You will hear a man phoning a colleague to make arrangements for

some company visitors.

•

For each question 9 – 15, fill in the missing information in the

numbered space using a word, numbers or letters.

•

You will hear the conversation twice.

VISITOR BOOKING FORM

DATE

(9)………………….

CONTACT NAME

Bradley (10)…………………

CONTACT EMAIL

Brad@ (11)……………….. .com

FLIGHT

NUMBER

(12)………………..

ARRIVAL

TIME

(13)………………..

NUMBER OF PEOPLE

(14)……………….

HOTEL

REQUESTED

(15)……………….

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BEC PRELIMINARY PRACTICE TEST

LISTENING

PART FOUR

Questions 23 – 30

•

You will hear a short radio interview with Jim Niven, a banking expert, about

Macquarie Bank, an Australian bank.

•

For each question 23 – 30, mark one letter (A, B or C) for the correct

answer.

•

You will hear the conversation twice.

23 What was unusual for Macquarie Bank this week?

A It had a board meeting outside Australia.

B It invested in a large multinational.

C It tried to buy the London Stock Exchange.

24 How is Macquarie different from other banks?

A It offers little investment banking.

B It buys a lot of companies.

C It gives financial advice to airports.

25 What does Jim Niven say about the bank’s growth?

A It now operates in several countries.

B Overall profits have increased by 40%.

C The majority of its income comes from overseas.

26 What does Jim Niven say about Allan Moss, the CEO of Macquarie?

A People expected him to leave four years ago.

B The market has confidence in his abilities.

C He hopes to remain CEO for a long time.

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BEC PRELIMINARY PRACTICE TEST LISTENING PART FOUR (cont. …)

27 What does Jim Niven say about the history of the bank?

It was founded by Lachlan Macquarie.

It was the first bank in Australia to produce coins.

It used to be part of a British bank.

28 Macquarie Bank is successful because of

the quality of the work it does.

the high salaries it pays its top people.

the way in which it does business.

29 What does Jim Niven say about the M2 toll road?

It is now part-owned by the bank.

Investors made a lot of money.

The bank has invested heavily in it.

30 The bank’s future strategy is to purchase businesses which

have little competition.

B are

innovative.

have a good track record.

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BEC Preliminary Practice Test Audioscripts

PART ONE, Questions 1 to 8

•

For questions 1 – 8, you will hear eight short recordings.

•

For each question, mark one letter (A, B or C).

•

You will hear the eight recordings twice.

EXAMPLE

What does Jane’s boss want her to do?

Hi Jane, Siegfried here. I can’t find the project data file. I thought it was in my

briefcase with the sales statistics but it isn’t. Could you find it and email me a

copy by six this evening? Thanks.

The answer is B.

Which chart is correct?

Overtime hours worked per employee were high at the beginning of the year

but began to fall in the second quarter as expected. Although they rose again

in the third quarter, fewer overtime hours were worked in the last quarter.

Which room does the woman book for the conference?

Do you want to have the Star like last year?

Yes, but I think we’ve got too many people.

M: How

many?

F: 130

Mmm. The Star would be a bit small, but possible. The Rose or the Moon

might be more comfortable.

Are they free on that date?

Let’s see. The Moon’s booked, but the Rose isn’t. Shall I book it?

F: Yes,

please.

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What will they spend the extra money on?

So, we’ve got the extra budget for the new machines, then?

Yes, but shouldn’t we think about getting larger offices first? There’s not

enough room for everyone.

It’ll only be a problem if we employ more people. And there’s no point doing

that if the machines keep stopping.

You’re right. That’s where we’ll spend it. Bigger offices can come later.

When will Mr Abdi arrive?

I’m calling on behalf of Mr Abdi. His four fifteen flight has changed to leave

Dakar at a quarter past three instead. He expects to be with you at a quarter

to four your time, providing there are no delays.

Why is the factory closing?

As you know, demand for products like ours has generally fallen although,

thank goodness, sales of our products are still increasing.

It’s a good thing we moved production overseas last month. It’s made a big

difference.

Yes, I think we made a wise decision to postpone the plans for building a new

factory here, don’t you?

I agree.

What do they agree is most important for the job?

I think the most important quality is being able to work on your own.

While I think that’s important, the key thing is to be able to motivate the team,

isn’t it?

Problem-solving seems the most important, but you can do that with a good

team, so perhaps you’re right.

Yes, problems are easier to deal with in a group.

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Which chart is correct?

Sales for the first quarter were reasonably good, especially after the

disappointing start at the beginning of the year. February saw a steady

improvement, which was encouraging. This continued through the

following month, although in April sales levelled off.

Why did the company have to change its supplier?

Did we change supplier because our previous one put up its prices last

month?

We’d already decided to change. As you know the quality of our products is a

great selling point so we needed to make sure that we had a supplier who

could match the greater quantities we now needed. This wasn’t happening

with our old supplier.

I see.

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PART TWO, QUESTIONS 9 – 15

Look at the form below.
Some information is missing.
You will hear a man phoning a colleague to make arrangements for some company
visitors.
For each question 9 – 15, fill in the missing information in the numbered space using
a word, numbers or letters.
You will hear the conversation twice.

Hello, Diana, Geoffrey here. It’s about next month’s visitors.

Okay. I’ll get the booking form out. Is it for the 8

of February?

It was originally but it’s going to be three days later, the 11

. That’s not a

problem is it?

No. Is the contact still Bradley Whalley? W – A – L………

Yes – But there’s an aitch after the W . W – H – A – double L – E – Y.

What’s his email address?

Let me see. Its … er … Brad @ R – A – Z – E – N – G dot com.

What’s the flight number so we can meet them at the airport?

It’s KG 4569 – oh sorry no that was the original one, now it’s 4-5-7-zero.

Right. I’ve got that. Now let’s see, it gets in at ten forty-five, doesn’t it?

I thought it was eleven forty five…um. Oh, no, you’re right, ten forty-five.

How many people in the group? I’ve got 25. Weren’t there 35 last year?

Yes, but you’ve got the right figure.

Good. Now, which hotel shall I book? Do they still want the Crown?

Actually, the King Hotel is nearer the conference centre. Could we try that? I

think they’ve got some special offers on and we can’t spend more than €135

per person per night.

The King works out at €147 per person and the Crown is only €115 at the

moment.

Right, we’d better go for that then as the budget is tight.

Right, I’ll sort that out today.

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PART THREE, QUESTIONS 16 – 22

•

Look at the notes below.

•

Some information is missing.

•

You will hear part of a radio business news programme.

•

For each question 16 – 22, fill in the missing information in the numbered

space using one or two words.

•

You will hear the programme twice.

And here is this evening’s business news in brief. The telecoms company, Telcon,

has made an offer to buy one of Europe’s biggest mobile-network operators, valued

at £17.7 billion ($31.5 billion). Telcon’s own domestic market has weakened recently

and it is hoping to expand its operations around the world. It already has operations

in South America and Australia.

ENTel, another European telecoms company, has announced it is building new

offices to add to those already in Spain and Italy. These are in Germany and it is in

discussions for expanding into France.

WinterGold, a mining company based in Canada, is hoping to become the world's

largest gold-miner, producing 8.4 million ounces of gold this year. To achieve this it

has begun a $9.2 billion bid to buy its biggest rival, Goldig.

With profits boosted by clients in the Middle East and Asia, the NPG Financial Group

is reporting record quarterly profits. It says that the third-quarter net income has risen

by 71%. More on that in the programme following this news report.

Lanlink, the media group, has more than doubled the value of its shares over the last

year. This is mainly as a result of innovations using the Internet and also the

purchase of Filmplay, the American TV company.

Eagle Airlines has reported its biggest-ever quarterly net loss – $1.8 billion – and

blames it on reorganisation costs. The carrier is hoping the new ticketing and pricing

system will help them win back customers in the next quarter.

And finally, oil prices fell to below $60 a barrel for the first time since July as warmer

weather in parts of America reduced demand for heating oil. And now we move on

to……… 282

[Adapted from Business this week Nov 3rd 2005 From The Economist print
edition]

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PART FOUR, QUESTIONS 23 – 30
•

You will hear a short radio interview with Jim Niven, a banking expert, about

Macquarie Bank, an Australian bank.

•

For each question 23 – 30, mark one letter (A, B or C) for the correct answer.

•

You will hear the conversation twice.

This evening I’m talking to Jim Niven about Australia’s Macquarie Bank. Good

evening Jim.

Good evening Janet.

Now, this week, for the first time in its history, the Board of Macquarie Bank met

outside Australia, in London.

That’s right. Macquarie’s been buying up large companies all over the world

and owns lots of assets in Britain now. So it seemed like a good idea to have a

meeting there. Even though its bid for the London Stock Exchange earlier in the year

failed, Macquarie still has a lot of interests there.

Macquarie Bank operates a bit differently from traditional banks, doesn’t it?

Yes. Although it offers conventional investment banking, fund-management and

retail financial advice, Macquarie Bank also enjoys acquiring businesses. For

example, in Britain alone it’s bought several in the past 18 months, including a ferry

operator and a gas distributor, to add to the M6 toll road and the two airports it

already owned.

Now the bank has grown considerably since it started with two offices in

Sydney and Melbourne, hasn’t it?

It certainly has. Macquarie now manages a portfolio worth 89 billion Australian

dollars and employs 7,000 people in 23 countries. It made a profit last year of 823

million Australian dollars, an increase of 67%, and the value of its portfolio went up

by more than 40%. And more importantly, its income outside Australia rose by a

massive 83%, and now accounts for almost 40% of the total.

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Is Macquarie’s success due to Alan Moss’s role as CEO?

Well, the stock market seems pretty confident that he’s doing the right thing.

Macquarie’s share price keeps rising and he’s been in the driving seat longer than

any other chief executive, 12 years in all. Most CEOs only last for about four years in

the banking industry. Although he says he feels as if he’s been there much longer

than that.

Jim, can you tell me something about the history of the bank?

Well, Alan Moss started the bank with the executive chairman, David Clarke, in

1985. Before that it was part of the Australian branch of a British merchant bank.

They decided to name it after a great Australian. Lachlan Macquarie was an early

19th-century governor of Sydney who bought Spanish silver dollars, punched out the

middles and created two new coins. Today the punched-out bit and the one with a

hole are the bank's symbol.

The bank’s success has made a lot of money for its clients, and for its CEO. In

fact, isn’t Alan Moss Australia’s highest-paid chief executive?

That’s true, but the bonuses are mainly from “performance-related” fees which

are added to his salary. If he doesn’t bring in the business, he doesn’t get the bonus.

Macquarie’s success is because it’s not limited by traditional views of what

investment banks should do.

I understand that the bank’s key strategy developed from its involvement with

the M2 toll road?

Yes. About ten years ago, Macquarie won a tender to build the M2 toll road in

Sydney. It floated a company that would own the road. And the original investors

have made a ten-fold return on their investment. It showed the bank that this was the

way to go.

Is Macquarie Bank planning to continue this strategy in the future?

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For sure. Although it may seem that Macquarie’s assets are all very different,

they have one common element: they must be in a market where there are few

rivals. So it’s looking at things like shopping centres, industrial properties, airports,

toll roads and broadcast towers. The bank believes that as more people want to use

them, their revenues will keep on growing.

[

Adapted from Macquarie Bank London calling Oct 13th 2005 | SYDNEY From The Economist print edition

]

4. Speaking Test

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BEC PRELIMINARY PRACTICE TEST SPEAKING

PART ONE

Sample questions

Where do you come from?

Are you a student?

What are you studying?

What’s your job?

What job would you like to do in the future?

What do you like most about your work/studies?

Would you like to work from home?

What are the advantages of working in a large office?

Do you like working in a team?

Do advertisements make you buy a product?

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BEC PRELIMINARY PRACTICE TEST SPEAKING

PART THREE

I’m going to describe a situation.

A company wants to motivate staff to work harder. Talk together for about

2/3 minutes about some of the things the company could do to motivate them

and then decide together which three things would be the best.

Here are some ideas to help you.

Scenario:

• Higher

salaries

• More

training

• Bonus

payments

• More

holidays

•

Flexible working hours

•

Private health insurance

• New

offices

•

Free company transport

STAFF MOTIVATION

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BEC PRELIMINARY PRACTICE TEST SPEAKING

PART TWO

Task Sheet 1

A:

WHAT IS IMPORTANT WHEN….?

Choosing a company to work for

• size
• reputation
• location

WHAT IS IMPORTANT WHEN….?

Launching a new product

• advertising
• samples
• cost

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BEC PRELIMINARY PRACTICE TEST SPEAKING

Task Sheet 2

A:

WHAT IS IMPORTANT WHEN…..?

Attending a meeting

• being on time
• asking

questions

• taking

notes

WHAT IS IMPORTANT WHEN….?

Applying for a job in another country

• language

skills

• work

experience

• knowledge of country

5. Key

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BEC PRELIMINARY ANSWER KEYS

READING

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.

16.

17.

18.

19.

20.

21.

22.

23.

24.

25.

26.

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27.

28.

29.

30.

31.

32.

33.

34.

35.

36.

37.

38.

39.

40.

41. REGIONAL

DEVELOPMENT

42. EDGAR

MANNING

43.

17 (TH) SEPT(EMBER)// 17/09 // 09/17

44.

1000 – 1700

45. SANDWICHES

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BEC PRELIMINARY TEST

WRITING SAMPLE ANSWERS

PART ONE
Question 46

SAMPLE ANSWER

We are installing a new computer system next month because the old system

is slow and keeps breaking down. It will take three days to install. If you have

any problems with it, please call the helpdesk on 4545.

(39 words)

PART TWO

Question 47

SAMPLE ANSWER

It was a great pleasure to meet you at the trade fair last week and we are

certainly interested in your training courses.

We are looking for some communication skills training for our managers as

we need to improve in this area.

Would it be possible to contact previous clients to get their

recommendations?

Perhaps we could meet on Friday 8

March at my office to discuss the

matter further.

(70 words)

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LISTENING
ANSWER KEY

1. B

2. B

3. C

4. A

5. C

6. A

7. C

8. A

11(TH) FEB(RUARY) // 11/02 // 02/11

10. WHALLEY

11. RAZENG

12. KG4570

13. 10.45

14. 25

15. (THE)

CROWN

16. DOMESTIC

MARKET

17. GERMANY

18. RIVAL

19. RECORD

20. INTERNET

21. REORGANISATION

22. HEATING

23. A

24. B

25. A

26. B

27. C

28. C

29. B

30. A

Document Outline

00cover&contents.pdf
1.reading.test.pdf
2.writing.test.pdf
3Listening.pdf
- 3.listening.test.pdf
- BEC_Prelim_Audioscripts.pdf
  - PART ONE, Questions 1 to 8
  - EXAMPLE
    - What does Jane’s boss want her to do?
4speaking.pdf
5key.pdf
- 5key.pdf
- BEC_PRELIMINARY_ANSWER_KEYS.pdf
  - SAMPLE ANSWER

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