Контрольная работа по "Английскому языку"

Variant 4

Reading

Text 1

1. Read the article and decide whether the statements (1–5)are true (T) or false (F).

1. Businesspeople are travelling more than ever before.T
2. Management consultants travel less than other businesspeople. F
3. Most people think that using the Internet is as good as meeting face-to-face. F
4. Body language is more important than what people actually say. T
5. Business travel will decline in the long run as people use the Internet more and more. F

Corporate road warriors

The characteristic that most distinguishes today's executives is not their technological sophistication but the amount of time they spend on the move. To observe the real impact of globalization, you only have to walk around an international airport. Among the crowds of tourists, an army of road warriors and corporate executives march red-eyed across the world's time zones. Global markets mean constant global travel.

Management consultants are among the most frenetic frequent fliers. They routinely cross continents for a face-to-face meeting and then return home. They point to the importance of personal contact. For a profession built on rational analysis, it seems illogical. Face-to-face meetings when one of the parties is exhausted and jet-lagged seem unlikely to benefit anyone. But most consultants act as if e-mail and satellite links had never been invented. For the masters of logic, only the face-to-face experience will do.

The question is why all the technological gadgetry has failed make a dent in the amount of business travel? The answer seems to lie with a simple statistic. More than 90 percent of human communication is non-verbal (some studies put it as high as 93 percent). Facial expressions, body language, eye contact – these are all key conduits. Without them you can't get past first base. It's tough to bond over the Internet. «Most of us still want face-to-face contact», says Cary Cooper,  professor of organizational psychology and health at the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST). «A lot of people rely on their personalities to persuade others», he says. «That doesn't come out in e-mails, and video conferencing is limiting. They may also want to influence people outside of the meeting. A lot of lobbying goes on before and after meetings. That's why eyeball-to-eyeball is so important. We still don't fully trust the technology even though it's been around for a while. We prefer to talk behind closed doors.»

We also read body language to pick up the atmosphere, he says. «We walk into a meeting and pick up the feel of what the other people are thinking. We watch how Y reacts to what X is saying. You can't do that by videoconference. Most of us don't have the self-confidence to believe we can build the sorts of relationships we need with clients and suppliers down the wire. Business travel won't decrease for that reason. It's a shame because at the moment we're burning out an awful lot of people.»

By Stuart Crainer

From the Financial Times

 

Text 2

2. Read the article and put the summaries of the article paragraphs (A-I) in the correct order.

1. Performance reviews
2. Support interpersonal relations
3. Allowing flexible hours
4. Opportunity for promotion
5. Avoid monotonous activities
6. Telecommuting
7. Charitable activities
8. Freedom of design
9. Open-door policy

Job satisfaction

It's not illogical to determine that the more satisfied the employee, the better he or she will perform. So the environment that you create for your employee must be one that is constructive to positive energy. If your employee feels happy when they are working then they will be naturally encouraged to work.

Some of the methods for increasing job satisfaction include some options.

1 С.

It is becoming common for the small business to allow their employees to work alternative schedules that don't follow the traditional 9–5 workday. Job sharing or part time schedules – once a mainstay for the elementary teacher – is also becoming very popular in the small business environment.

2 F

Some jobs can be performed by employees who telecommute from their home computers a few days a week.

3 A.

If  scheduled regularly – allow you to give your employee positive feedback and let them know what is expected in the near future.

4 E.

It is also a good practice to encourage employees to do various tasks so that their jobs to not become routine and boring.

5 H.

Permit your employees to improve and decorate their own workspace.

6 B.

Encourage socialization through lunch time or after hour activities.

7 D.

Stress that employees can move up and advance within your small business.

8 I.

Provide conditions so that employees feel comfortable with asking questions or making recommendations.

9 G.

Make donations to  someone selected by the employees on behalf of the company, or sponsor a team or event that is of immediate interest to your employees.

Be clear when talking to your employee and let them know that their opinion or views are important in building a viable company. Strong communication skills are necessary when assigning tasks to your people, so that the project is clearly defined and understood. Don't overload your workers with information or demand that they try to complete tasks that aren't reasonably attainable.

You will probably see better results from your employee if you sit down with them periodically and ask them for feedback.

Adapted from: http://www.salesboom.com/

Vocabulary & Grammar

3. Choose the best alternative.

1. I think that a TV commercial is the best advertising ______.

a) place  b) medium  c) agency

2. Some people don’t like to buy online because they are afraid of giving

their ______.

a) method of payment  b) credit card details  c) after-sales service

3. A brainstorming meeting is useful when you want to ______ ideas.

a) deal with  b) generate  c) criticize

4. It is useful to set your own goals and to think about the skills you need to

______ them.

a) reach  b) master  c) make

5. While the plane ______, I started to feel unwell.

a) was taking off  b) took off  c) had taken off

6. Many customers ______ through poor after-sales service since last year.

a) are lost   b) were lost   c) have been lost

7. He asked me if I ______ Bill recently.

a) saw  b) had seen  c) have seen

8. If you ______ earlier, you might have got there on time.

a) had left  b) left  c) would leave

9. I enjoy ______ to the coast at the weekend.

a) to get away  b) get away  c) getting away

10. Yes, it's a good idea; we ______ consult more closely with the unions.

a) must  b) should  c) ought

 

Translation

4. Translate the sentences from English into Russian.

1. We hear a lot today about child abuse, but it's not new; in the past people just didn't talk about it.

Сейчас мы много слышим о жестоком обращении с детьми, но это не ново; просто в прошлом  люди не говорили об этом.

2. Mrs Braun claims that she was denied promotion after she told colleagues she was planning to have a baby.

Миссис Браун заявляет, что ей было отказано в продвижении по службе после того, как она сказала коллегам, что планирует родить ребенка.

3. A recent report confirms that children from single parent families have the worst exam results.

В недавнем докладе подтверждается, что дети из неполных семей имеют  самые низкие оценки на экзаменах.

4. Advertisers like to think of a clever slogan to make people remember their product.

Рекламодателям нравится придумывать искусные слоганы, чтобы заставить людей запомнить их продукцию.

5. They’ve arrested him on charges of bribery and corruption.

Они арестовали его по обвинению  во взяточничестве и коррупции.

6. I usually can’t read what’s on a billboard unless the traffic isn’t moving.

Как правило, я не могу прочитать информацию на рекламном щите, если транспорт движется.

7. I work for a large organization that has offices all over the world.

Я работаю в крупной организации, офисы которой расположены по всему миру.

8. The company has never spent more than $1.4m on marketing.

Компания никогда не тратила более 1,4 млн. долл. на маркетинг.

9. Were you pleased with the outcome of the negotiations?

Были ли вы довольны результатами переговоров?

10. Our new advertising campaign includes TV, billboards and mail shots.

Наша новая рекламная кампания включает в себя рекламу на телевидении, рекламные щиты и почтовую рассылку.

 

Annotation

5. Write an annotation on the passage below using 120–150 words.

Taking advertising through the line at supermarkets

Jessica Hatfield, chief executive of The Media Vehicle, has created an all-inclusive package for advertisers, which for the first time allows them centralized access to a combination of instore advertising options. The Media Vehicle was established to exploit a gap in the advertising market and its main purpose is to influence consumers «active purchasing decisions». It achieves this by constantly reinforcing the worth of the product up until the moment it is picked up off the shelves. By employing innovative sales mechanisms such as 3D posters on the floor in front of the product, or conducting car park campaigns, the company works to raise the profile of the product in the consumer’s consciousness.

The Media Vehicle acts as an intermediary between the advertising agency and retailers. By centralizing the sale of trolley posters, floor posters, leafleting services, car park campaigns and the like, the advertiser is given the choice of a combination of media routes. Ms Hatfield says: «If the market is fragmented, the cost of reaching less people is increased. The future of advertising lies in the effectiveness of choosing the right mediums». Expanding on why the concept has been so lucrative, Ms Hatfield says that advertisers previously invested solely in the traditional channels such as television, radio and billboards but stopped short at the retailer. This, she says, failed to maximize the impact of the campaign because the actual purchasing decision is made at the point of sale. Looking forward, Ms Hatfield is hoping to make better use of technology. She points to the importance of digital broadcasting, saying that instore screens offer «a big opportunity for new business». She also has her sights on the possibilities offered by advertising though text messages on mobile phones.

By Neelam Verjee

From the Times

 

Annotation

The article deals with advertising in supermarkets. Jessica Hatfield, chief executive of The Media Vehicle, gives an interview with “The Times”. The article is spoken in detail about the Media Vehicle and its proposes. It is stressed that the company works to raise the profile of the product in the consumer’s consciousness. The influence on consumers to make «active purchasing decisions» achieves by constantly reinforcing the worth of the product up until the moment it is picked up off the shelves. Much attention is given to innovative sales mechanisms in supermarkets such as trolley posters, 3D floor posters, leafleting services, car park campaigns and so on. Ms Hatfield emphasizes that in the future the cost of reaching less people is increased. Also she points to the importance of digital broadcasting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Variant 4

Reading

Text 1

Read the article and choose the most appropriate alternative which you think fits best according to the text.

1. Zumospa company produces

a)  sports drinks

b)  make-up and skin care products

c)  breakfast cereals

2. Zumospa is located in

a)  America

b)  Asia

c)  Europe

3. What does the expression ‘cash cow’ refer to?

a)  Zumospa

b)  Zumo

c)  Coca-Cola

4. Which company is not mentioned in the article as a main Zumospa’s com-

petitor in the market?

a)  Pepsi Cola

b)  Heinz

c)  Lotocus

5. Zumo is positioned as a drink for

a)  people of the average age

b)  teenagers

c)  sportsmen and women of the middle age (20–45)

6. While making advertising campaigns Zumospa

a)  does not apply to famous spots figures

b)  does not apply to endorsement contracts

c)  applies to endorsement

7. You can drink Zumo

a)  in more than four different flavors

b)  in no more than four flavors

c)  in fewer than four flavors

8. The main ambition of Zumospa currently is

a)  to introduce Zumo as a global brand

b)  to standardize advertising theme in the market

c)  to establish regional offices in a number of countries

Developing a global brand

The best-selling sports drink, Zumo, is produced by Zumospa, a food and drinks company based in Valencia, Spain. In the last financial year, Zumo contributed  €30million to Zumospa's annual sales revenue, accounting for 20 % of the company's total turnover, and €4.5 million in profits. It is, in fact, Zumospa's cash cow, generating more revenue than any other of its products. At present, Zumo is sold only in Europe. However, the sports drink market is the most rapidly growing segment of the world beverage market. Zumospa would like to make Zumo a global brand, even though the market is very competitive, with major companies such as Coca-Cola, Pepsi Cola and Heinz fighting for market share.

Some characteristics of Zumospa’s marketing background include:

• Launched in the mid 1980s. Positioned as an energy product for fitness-conscious people, especially sportsmen and women between the ages of 20 and 45.

• Distributed mainly through grocery stores, convenience stores and supermarkets. Also through sports clubs. Also, sales generated through contracts with professional leagues, such as football, golf and tennis associations.

• Press, TV and radio advertising is backed up by endorsement contracts with famous European footballers and tennis stars.

• Zumo is offered in four flavors and its price is in the medium range. Zumospa needs to reposition Zumo for the global market. Initial research suggests that Zumo is perceived as a Spanish drink, and its close identification with Spain may not be suitable when developing a global brand. Zumospa would like to launch a global campaign focusing first on South America, Mexico, the Southern states of the US and Japan, where they have regional offices. A decision has been taken to use a standardized advertising

theme in these markets, although the copy of the advertisements and language of the TV and radio commercials will be adapted to local needs.

Reading

Text 2

Read the article and decide whether the statements (1–6) are true (T) or false (F).

1. In Dutch schools, lunch is often not provided. T
2. It is easy for parents in Holland to deal with the lunchtime arrangements for their children. F
3. Work-life balance is harder to achieve for women in the US than in Holland. F
4. Nancy McKinstry recently joined Wolters Kluwer from another company. T
5. Wolters Kluwer made a profit of €3.4 billion last year. T
6. It is easier for an American manager to do certain things in Europe than it would be for a European manager. T

An American leader in Europe

Since Nancy McKinstry moved from New York to Europe a year ago to run Wolters Kluwer, the specialist publishing group, she has had plenty of experience of national and cultural differences in business. She has rarity value as  an American woman at the head of a Dutch company, an issue she feels strongly about. «In Holland, there aren't a lot of women in senior management. That is a legitimate criticism of the business community», says Ms McKinstry.

«It's changing, but very slowly. Often the schools don't have any lunchtime programme so the children are expected to go home for lunch. If you're a working parent, whether you're male or female, that's pretty tough to accommodate as well as work. In the US, you have more day care and more opportunities for women to balance working with having a family.»

Although an outsider by nationality, she is a corporate insider, having spent 13 years with the publisher, which produces journals and electronic information services for professionals in medicine, the law, tax, accountancy and education, and reported sales of €3.4bn ($4.2bn) last year.

«The benefits of being an outsider are that I'm able to do things in Europe from a restructuring perspective that would be much more difficult if the chairman was a European». This includes cutting 1,600 jobs, or 8 percent of the workforce, as part of the three-year recovery strategy she announced last October. «People expect that Americans come in and have more of a bottom-line approach.»

But she admits it can be heavy going, even when the boss is American. «In certain geographies in Europe it can take you a year or two to reduce 100 positions. That was described to me as a board member. I understand now how these things work in a very different way. One of the things I've learned in my time here is that in Europe there isn't one approach», she says. «If you have a product or a customer problem in France, there might be an approach that works extremely well. But if you took that same approach and tried to solve the exact same problem in Holland, you might fail.»

She points to differences in communication style. 'The Americans tend to be pretty direct, but optimistic. In other geographies, the communication is more subtle. You have to really listen not only to what people are saying but what they're not saying. In southern Europe, there's far more nuance to what people are saying. You often find they don't want to say «No' to you, especially as the chairman, but in fact they may not be able to achieve what you've asked them. I try to listen really hard, and to say: 'How are you going to meet this goal?»