I Listening (20’) Section One Listen to three extracts from a presentation about Xerox and write what each figure refers to. (10×1’=10’) Key facts 16,000,000,000 1 ______________________________ 978,000,000 2 _______________________________ 160 3 _______________________________ 55,000 4 ______________________________ 1/2 5 ______________________________ 4 6 _______________________________ 5,000,000,000 7 ______________________________ 2,000,000,000 8 _____________________________ 1906 9______________________________ 112,000,000,000 10 _____________________________ Section Two You will hear five short recordings. Each speaker is on the phone .For each recording, decide what the main reason for the call is. Write one letter (A-H) next to the number of the recording. Do not use any letter more than once. You will hear the recording twice. (5×2’=10’) 11 _____ 12 _____ 13 ______ 14 ________ 15 _________ A to complain B to explain a delay C to ask for information D to confirm arrangements E to report on plans F to ask for confirmation G to request help H to speak to someone else II Language in Use (20’) Match the functions in Column A with the expressions in Column B(10×2’=20’). Column A 16 Asking for the opinion ( ) 17 Making the recommendations ( ) 18 Disagreeing with the other ( ) 19 Interrupting others at the meeting ( ) 20 Moving on to the next point on the agenda ( ) 21 Not understanding the last point ( ) 22 Asking for more explanation ( ) 23 Asking if everyone agrees ( ) 24 Asking the other side to leave a message ( ) 25 Telling the other side why you are calling ( ) Column B A Would you like to leave a message? B That’s the reason I’m calling. C How do you feel about that? D Is that OK with everyone? E I think we should use refillable pens. F Would you mind telling us a little more about that? G I’m sorry, but I just can’t agree with you there. H Sorry, but I don’t quite follow you. I Can I just come in here? J Can we move on to the next point? III Reading (35’) Section One Read the article below about the changing role of human resources departments. Choose the best sentence to fill each of the gaps. For each gap (26-30), mark one letter (A-G). Do not use any letter more than once. There is an example at the beginning. (5×2’=10’) The Best Person for the Job Employees can make a business succeed or fail, so the people who choose them have a vital role to play. Employees are a company's new ideas, its public face and its main asset. Hiring the right people is therefore a significant factor in a company's success. If the human resources department makes mistakes with hiring, keeping and dismissing staff, a business can disappear overnight. Many companies now realize that recruiting the best recruiters is the key to success. Sarah Choi, Head of HR at Enco pic, believes that thinking commercially is a key quality in HR. Every decision an HR manager makes needs to be relevant to advancing the business. (26) ______That's no longer the case. HR managers have to think more strategically these days. They continually need to think about the impact of their decisions on the bottom line. (27) ______ For example, a chief executive will expect the HR department to advise on everything from the headcount to whether to proceed with an acquisition. Why do people go into HR in the first place? Choi has a ready answer. I think most people in the profession are attracted by a long-term goal.(28). ______ Nothing happens in the company which isn't affected by or doesn't impact on its employees, so the HR department is a crucial part of any business. Not all operational managers agree. An informal survey of attitudes to HR departments that was carried out last year by a leading business journal received comments such as "What do they actually contribute?"(29) ______As Choi points out, salaries have never been higher and, in addition, HR managers often receive substantial annual bonuses. Despite the financial rewards, HR managers often feel undervalued, and this is a major reason for many leaving their jobs.(30) ______However, a lack of training and development is a more significant factor. These days, good professional development opportunities are considered an essential part of an attractive package, Choi explains. A But rising levels of remuneration demonstrate that the profession's growing importance is widely recognized. B At one time, a professional qualification was required in order to progress to the top of HR. C Other departments and senior executives used to see HR managers as having a purely administrative role. D Since it's one of the few areas where you can see the whole operation, it can lead to an influential role on the board. E Being seen as someone who just ticks off other people's leave and sick days does not help build a sense of loyalty. F They therefore need to be competent in many aspects of a company's operations. G On the other hand, recruiting the wrong staff can lead to disaster. Section Two Read this article on Online Exchange and choose the best word to fill to fill each gap from A , B, C, D. For each gap (31-45),mark one letter. (15×1’=15’) Online Exchanges? Online exchanges have emerged as some of the internet’s best businesses - but also as some of the worst. So the internet hasn't revolutionised the way most of us buy petrol, or watch movies. But there is one thing the internet does very well. It can bring together (31) ______dispersed buyers and sellers to create active, efficient markets where none(32) ______before. This facility has (33) ______to the emergence of online exchanges: retail businesses with none of the usual traders' risks - no merchandise, no storefronts - and with nothing to do but take a (34) ______of each transaction that takes place on the site. This may sound straightforward, but some high-profile online exchanges have(35) ______out to be major embarrassments. One company, which tried to establish a central marketplace on the internet for auto parts, has invested, in (36) ______a massive $250m and is (37) ______to stay in business. Another businessman, who facilitated online trading in business equipment and supplies, (38) ______after he had lost $280m. So what does a company need in order to be successful? You could call it good'market architecture' - a structure that (39) ______the right business plan and top technology with good timing and the (40) ______.of both buyers and sellers. Mike Pham's company, eStream, is an excellent example of one business that met these (41) ______Back in 1996, when Pham was looking for a loan, he didn't like filling in the same form every time he (42) ______to a new lender. That got him thinking. Why not (43) ______prospective borrowers to complete a standard form and circulate that to a number of lenders, who would then make an offer to the borrower, in (44) ______with each other? Pham's company is doing well. Last year, eStream (45) ______more than 1.5 million loans on behalf of 170 lenders. 31 A largely B deeply C mainly D widely 32 A existed B occurred C happened D developed 33 A led B brought C caused D resulted 34 A number B percentage C division D quantity 35 A pulled B made C turned D carried 36 A sum B total C amount D figure 37 A applying B exerting C struggling D forcing 38 A left out B gave up C drew back D ran down 39 A adds B connects C combines D links 40 A confidence B security C certainty D promise 41 A necessities B propositions C measures D criteria 42 A requested B asked C applied D demanded 43 A attract B invite C suggest D recommend 44 A contrast B conflict C challenge D competition 45 A performed B dealt C handled D treated Section Three Read the following article and the questions. For each question 46 – 50 , mark one letter (A, B, C or D ) on your Answer Sheet for the answer you choose.(5×2’=10’) Speaking Your Customers' Language Modern international trading practices are highlighting the growing importance of language training. Modern-day business really does transcend national barriers. Thanks to sophisticated IT and communications systems, businesses can now market their products on a truly global scale. The world is indisputably becoming a smaller place, as service and manufacturing companies search the international marketplace for new suppliers and clients. Businesses must, however, be aware that once they expand the area in which they operate, they face increased competition. The standard and quality of their goods become increasingly important in keeping up with competitors. But most of all, it is the service element accompanying the goods which is crucial to a company's success in a particular market. This new philosophy has led to many companies, some of which have even offered products of a lesser quality, gaining success overseas. Although globalisation may, in some senses, have brought national economies closer together, societies around the world still have radically different expectations, processes and standards. These are not a function of economic change, but are more deep-rooted and difficult to alter. They can be a major problem for businesses expanding abroad, with the greatest obstacle of all being the language barrier. If you have to deal with clients, suppliers and distributors in a range of countries, you will not only need the skills to communicate with them, you will also need to reconcile any national biases you have with the diverse ways of doing business that exist around the globe. The value of effective communication is not to be underestimated. New technology such as videoconferencing and email has played a part in making the communication process easier, and it may also