Entry Test

You will hear part of a presentation given by a management consultant. The

presentation is about how to develop managerial skills.

Choose the correct phrase to complete each sentence.

1 Companies today have a problem because …

a) managers are too specialised.

b) there aren’t enough managers with highly developed professional

skills.

c) there isn’t enough money for training new managers.

2 The ‘hire and fire strategy’ means …

a) recruiting only experienced managers.

b) not allowing people to stay too long in the same job.

c) reducing the risk that a new manager will not succeed.

3 The alternative to the hire and fire strategy is to develop managers …

a) through training programmes.

b) by giving them job experience.

c) by giving them both training and work experience.

4 The presenter quotes a survey which asked … if they were happy with their

company’s methods of developing managerial skills.

a) senior executives

b) junior managers

c) training managers

5 The survey was carried out in …

a) Canada.

b) North America.

c) South America.

6 The results of the survey showed that … were dissatisfied with their

company’s methods.

a) a huge majority of people

b) only a few people

c) a slight majority of people

7 Most of the people in the survey said that job experience …

a) was less important than training.

b) was more important than training.

c) was equally as important as training.

8 People in the survey said that one of the most useful learning experiences

was being given …

a) highly specialised managerial tasks.

b) the task of saving a business from ruin.

c) the task of winding up a business.

A

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Progress Test 2

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9 People in the survey said that it was a good thing to …

a) be given a lot of responsibility.

b) be able to share responsibility with more experienced colleagues.

c) be given time to learn new things before taking on too much

responsibility.

10 Training courses …

a) cannot adequately simulate real life conditions.

b) can simulate real conditions very successfully.

c) are most successful when run by a well-known business guru.

Now listen to the presentation again. Which of the following does the

speaker do in this extract? Your trainer will stop the tape at several intervals

to give you time to mark your answers.

11

Greet the audience

12 Ask questions

13 Refer to visuals

14 Emphasise or highlight information

15 Change the subject

16 Draw conclusions

Word families

Read the text below, which is about Terry, a weak member of a graphic

design team.

In each line there is a wrong word. Write the correct word on the line

provided.

A

B

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Language

The team was having problems with Terry. He made lots of silly mistakes that

let the team down. He was unorganised and careless. His colleagues liked

him but they became increasingly unsatisfied with his work. They began to

feel resenting at having to cover up for his mistakes. They started to make

complains behind his back. Eventually, one of the other designers handed in

his resign. At this point, the manager intervened. He didn’t want to fire

Terry, and tried to help him make an assess of his future. He encouraged

him to take disadvantage of the company training scheme. But by this time,

Terry was no longer the self-confidential designer he had been when he

started. He decided it was time to quit.

17

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

18 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

19 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

20 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

21 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

22 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

23 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

24 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Passives

Write the verbs in brackets in the correct passive form.

If you want to . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

25

(consider) for promotions, pay rises or

interesting assignments, you have to draw attention to yourself. If you are tall and

an extrovert, your work may . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

26

(notice) long before that of a

small, shy colleague. Being talented isn’t enough. You also have to work hard to

prevent yourself from . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

27

(overlook). You can’t change your

personality, but if you take the right steps, recognition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

28

(achieve) easily. Don’t wait to . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

29

(ask) to do something

interesting: talk to your manager. Communication is everything: make sure your

ideas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

30

(hear). But ensure that your name is inseparable from

the suggestion. There is nothing worse than finding out your most brilliant idea

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

31

(steal).

Adverbs

Complete the sentences from the job advertisement below with the most

appropriate intensifying adverb.

32 We are a . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . -recognised brand and a leader in the

world of collectibles.

33 We have a range of fantastic opportunities for sales and marketing

executives who are . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . committed to achieving

success.

34 We are looking for bright, energetic, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . motivated

individuals who want to work hard and earn the rewards they deserve.

35 Candidates must be . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . flexible and be prepared to

travel at weekends as well as during the week.

36 You will be a strong team player, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . imaginative and

with excellent verbal communication skills.

32 a) very

b) fully

c) totally

d) globally

33 a) severely

b) totally

c) globally

d) quite

34 a) highly

b) fairly

c) deeply

d) rather

35 a) very

b) incredibly

c) superbly

d) increasingly

36 a) absolutely

b) extremely

c) thoroughly

d) slightly

C

B

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Conditionals

Write the correct form of each of the verbs in brackets.

37 A promise: If you . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (call) me tomorrow, I

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (have) the answer to your query.

38 A warning: Don’t touch the wire, or you . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (get) an

electric shock.

39 Speculation: If we . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (expand) our product range, we

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (be) able to boost sales.

40 An invitation: If you . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (be) free on Saturday, perhaps

you . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (like) to come for dinner?

41 Reflecting on the past: If we . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (do) more market

research, we . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (find out) that no one wants to buy

this kind of product any more.

Match the words with the definitions.

42 burnout

43 commission

44 commute

45 empowerment

46 perks

47 remuneration

48 reward

49 screen

50 share options

a) payment for work, especially in the form of a salary and additional

benefits

b) an amount of money paid to someone according to the value of goods or

shares they have sold

c) when workers in a company are given more responsibility, allowing them to

organise their own work and make decisions without asking managers

d) to test people or examine their past history to make sure they are suitable

to do something, such as work for an organisation

e) the right given by a company to its workers to buy shares in the company at

a fixed price

f ) to regularly travel a long distance for your work

g) a feeling of extreme tiredness and loss of energy caused by working too

hard

h) to give someone something such as money because they have done

something good or helpful

i) something you get for doing your job in addition to money, such as a car

A

D

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Opposites

Write the opposite of the word in brackets to complete each sentence.

51 After her second child, Mary decided to return to work as a

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (full-time) worker.

52 The company has been in the red since it was formed two years ago.

There’s a . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (strong) chance we’ll go into the black by

the end of this year.

53 As a . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (occasional) user of your ticketing service, I

am writing to ask if I could set up an account with you.

54 A good display in a store can increase sales: the . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

(advantage) is that it can also encourage more theft.

55 The employees were unhappy that the management had not told them

what plans they had for the future development of the factory. They asked

for more . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (secrecy).

The underlined words in the following text have been mixed up. Write the

word that belongs to each sentence on the line provided.

Collocations

Write an appropriate verb in each gap to complete the sentences. In some

cases, more than one answer may be possible.

62 Substantial funds are available. But we need to think carefully and

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . an appropriate budget to each project.

63 This is an important project. We mustn’t . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . corners;

we must do everything properly.

64 We have posted our requirements on the website. Now we have to wait for

suppliers to . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . their bids.

65 We have received enquiries from several suppliers. We’ll have to

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . some research and find out more about them.

66 This supplier has a very good track record, and we’ve decided to

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . the project to them.

D

C

B

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It is not enough simply to locate a website on the Net. You need

to register it with all the major hits. Then, when people do a

search for a set up associated with your business or product,

your site receives search engines. Many people

keyword the Net without knowing what they are looking for;

but others are targeting a very specific product or service. You

want these customers to surf your website.

56 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

57 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

58 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

59 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

60 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

61 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Handling difficult situations

Choose the most polite expression from the list to suit each of these

situations.

67 Someone invites you for a drink, but you don’t want to go.

68 You want to end a conversation at a business reception.

69 Someone tells you that they are being made redundant.

70 You were supposed to meet someone at the airport, but you arrived late

and couldn’t find them.

71 You have a visitor in your office when you receive a highly confidential call.

a) I’m very sorry to hear that.

b) I’m afraid you’ll have to wait outside. This is private.

c) That would be nice but I’m afraid I’m busy this evening.

d) No thanks.

e) When you’ve got to go, you’ve got to go!

f ) I’m so sorry I missed you. Did you find a taxi?

g) Just bad luck, I’m afraid.

h) Well, it’s been nice doing business with you.

i) I’m afraid I have to go now. Do excuse me.

j) Would you excuse me for a few minutes? I have to take an important call.

Read the article and answer the questions.

72 Which of the following would be the most suitable title for this article?

a) Female start-ups

b) Female upstarts

c) Women starting out

d) Women starting off

A

E

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Pauline Portas started her own

business because she was fed up

with corporate life. She had

climbed the ladder at a major

insurance company, becoming an

area manager.

Despite successive promotions

she felt her views were not taken

seriously.

‘It’s still a man’s world out there.

You have to battle twice as hard,’

she says. ‘I’d go to meetings and be

one woman out of 30 men – you

cope with whatever bad language

and jokes happen to be around at

the time.’

Ms Portas, 48, is one of a growing

number of

women setting up

businesses, partly as an escape

from the frustrations of being

an employee. A survey carried

out recently suggests that

many companies are misusing and

then losing female talent. A

random sample of 350 business

start-ups in London found that

67 per cent had been established

by women. Of these, 71 per cent

said negative experiences in

previous jobs had driven them into

entrepreneurship.

Slightly more than a third of

female respondents said they had

been regularly overlooked for

promotion and more than one in

five said they had often been asked

to work longer hours than male

colleagues. Nearly two-thirds said

that at some time in their career

they had faced sexual harassment

or suggestive remarks.

‘Women are by and large much

more flexible [than men],’ says Sue

Birley, a professor at Imperial

College Management School. ‘They

may well find themselves unhappy

with hierarchies and impatient

with bureaucracy.’

The most popular types of

female start-ups found in the

London survey are in: financial

services and business advice;

media, public relations, journalism

and marketing; and hairdressing,

beauty products and fashion, the

survey found. Only 5 per cent of the

women-led businesses failed in their

first 12 months, compared with 15

per cent of those started by men.

But Bernard Hallewell, managing

director of the National Business

Angels Network, says the survey

confirms that women tend to go

into lower-risk, lower-growth

sectors such as public relations

and business services. Riskier

ideas and ‘bigger vision plans’ for

new products or technology tend

to come from men, he says.

From the Financial Times

Choose the best option for completing each of the sentences below:

73 While working for a major insurance company, Pauline Portas …

a) reached a high position.

b) was frustrated with her lack of career progress.

c) did not find her job interesting.

74 Pauline found it difficult to be a women manager in her company because:

a) the work was too hard.

b) the male staff left all the work to her.

c) other managers did not value her opinions.

75 The survey described in the article found that …

a) companies don’t have enough women managers.

b) companies often fail to make the most of women’s skills.

c) companies often dismiss women if they don’t perform well.

76 The most common cause of complaint from women in the survey was …

a) not being considered for promotion.

b) having to work longer hours than men.

c) sexual harassment.

77 Sue Birley suggests that women …

a) often dislike rigid corporate structures.

b) are less good at adapting to a changing environment than men.

c) prefer to work within a tightly-controlled system.

78 Businesses established by women …

a) are more likely to fail than those started by men.

b) are less likely to fail than those started by men.

c) have the same rate of failure as those started by men.

79 Women tend to start businesses which …

a) are in relatively safe business sectors.

b) have a high growth potential.

c) are based on high-tech products or ideas.

80 fed up with (para 1) means:

a) exhausted and burnt out.

b) bored and wanting a change.

c) angry and upset.

You are a security consultant who has been asked to make recommendations to a

company regarding its South American subsidiary. You should write a short

report with a recommendation to buy bullet-proof security cars for each of the six

senior managers. Your report should be about 200 to 250 words.

Use the following data in your report:

• increase in violent crime in the region: 20 per cent in the last year

• increase in kidnappings: 42 cases last year (29 in previous year)

• wealthy individuals and company executives are key targets

• 55 per cent of kidnappings involved business people and their families

• payments to release kidnap victims: $1 million or more

• kidnap victims killed: 11 – lives of staff at risk

• most kidnappings by gunmen: hi-jack cars, kill drivers, take passengers hostage

• conclusion: bullet-proof cars needed – protect staff and families

• cost per security car: $90,000

B

21

Progress Test 2

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Name/Class:

Grammar

Listening

Vocabulary

Use of English

Reading

Functions

Reading

Writing

Speaking