Exam in english for business communication (75 minutes)

University of Economics, HCMC
School of Foreign Languages
Division of English for General Purposes
End of Unit Test.U2.M2
EXAM IN ENGLISH FOR BUSINESS COMMUNICATION (75 minutes) 
Read the instruction carefully. RECORD your answers on your answer sheets.
Section 1: Language knowledge (40 marks)
I. Choose the words that best fit the gaps in the following passage. 
Jim Lawrence runs a firm with a turnover (1)  over $3 million. Yet only fifteen years ago he owned a farm (2 )  was struggling to (3)  a profit. For a few years in the 80s, he worked (4)  an estate agent to earn some extra money. In 1993, Jim was asked to make an iron candlestick. He (5)  $50 to get started and soon had a new business. He received lots of orders and decided to (6)  his farm buildings to workshops.
“I have had no formal training in iron work”, says Jim, “but I have always liked making things”. These days he (7)  thirty-two people to help him and he has a very successful business. It is a mail-order company and Jim has (9)  invested a lot of money in IT to maximize (9)  . During the last 15 years, he has won two very important prizes for business, one in 1996 and (10)  in 2002.
a. for	b. of	c. at	d. on
a. who	b. whom	c. whose	d. which
a. take	b. do	 	c. make	d. invest
a. for	b. in	c. as	d. of
a. lost	 	b. spent	 	c. threw	d. found
a. consist 	b. transfer	c. convert 	d. invert
a. employ	b. was employing	c. employs	d. employed
a. recently	b. yet	 	c. never	d. seldom
a. efficient	b. inefficient	c. efficiently	d. efficiency
a. another	 	b. other	c. the other	d. others
II. Choose the best answer
11. The cost of a company’s shares is its  .
 	a. market share	b. share price	c. turnover	d. overheads
12. The percentage of sales a company has in a particular market is its  .
 	a. share price	b. turnover	c. market share	d. net profit
13. The company employs a  of nearly 5,000.
 	a. employees	b. labour	c. workers	d. workforce
14. A company which is more than 50% owned by another company is called a  .
 	a. subsidiary	b. parent company	c. head office	d. branch
15. We  independent and impartial advice on mobile phones.
 	a. do	b. launch	c. make	d. offer 
16. We want to be sure that we can  the needs of our customers.
 	a. respond 	b. accept	c. meet	d. make
17. After 2 years in which the price of PCs has fallen by half, the price of software  down too.
 	a. is coming	b. come	c. would come	d. came
18. As a rule, cheap imports  to greater competition.
 	a. are leading	b. lead	c. leads	d. is leading
19. How do you  with customer complaints?
 	a. deal	b. treat	c. do	d. have
20. They need to improve the products’  .
 	a. packed 	b. pack	c. packaging	d. package
21. Afitel Company is committed  creating and delivering value.
 	a. for	b. to	c. at	d. in
22. The product was very popular. We sold  on the first day and ordered more stock.
 	a. out	b. on	c. in 	d. for
23. If a product is  sale in a John Lewis store, you know you can trust it.
 	a. at	b. to	c. on	d. of 
24. Turnover was €57.2 million, an increase 15% on last year.
 	a. on	b. of	c. in	d. by
25. Can we move  to the next item on the agenda?
 	a. on	b. up	c. away	d. for
26. Now is a good time to invest  the property market.
 	a. for	b. of	c. with	d. in
27. The pre-tax profit was USD 15 million  the profit after-tax was USD 8 million.
 	a. because	b. in spite of	c. while 	d. due
28. Our biggest customer is McDonald’s,  most of you will be familiar with.
	 	a. that	b. which	c. Ø	d. all are correct
29. Next, I’ll explain  we’ve been so successful in the fashion industry.
 	a. why	b. that	c. which	d. if
30. I think one of the major reasons for the company’s success is the markets  we operate.
 	a. when	b. on which	c. which	d. where
31. Currently, we  the next stage in our development.
 	a. consider	b. will consider	c. are considering	d. have considered
32. Its products are  by many celebrities in the world of music and sport.
 	a. endorsed	b. endorsing	c. to endorse	d. endorsement
33.  is involved with managing and organising the work of a company.
 	a. Accounts	b. Personnel	c. Administration	d. Sales
34. Because of the high cost of dollar, exports  well.
 	a. aren’t doing	b. hasn’t done	c. don’t make	d. aren’t making
35. Nokia  in manufacturing mobile phones.
 	a. specialises	b. specialising	c. specialised	d. will specialise
36. Nature’s Way Foods is a food-manufacturing company  on the south coast of England.
 	a. basic	b. basing	c. based	d. bases
37. We are a highly  business.
 	a. compete	b. competitive	c. competition	d. competing
38. We have now got a very wide range of  .
 	a. productivity	b. producers	c. products	d. production	
39. We have  moved to our new head office in central London.
 	a. success	b. successful	c. successfully	d. succeed
40. If customers want  about our service, they can call our hotline.
 	a. complain	b. to complain	c. complaining	d. complained
Section 2: Language use
1. Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow:
Procter & Gamble’s Head & Shoulders shampoo is the biggest selling anti-dandruff shampoo in the world. When sales began to drop, Head & Shoulders had been on the market for more than 25 years in some countries. Procter & Gamble therefore considered the possibility that changes in consumer needs and wants may have occurred and could explain the declining sales. Market research identified that consumers were not comfortable with the brand’s core promise that it would get rid of dandruff. Therefore, the decision was made by Procter & Gamble to alter Head & Shoulders’ promise to one that gives people beautiful hair and keeps hair clean. The brand turned away from presenting dandruff as a disease that needs to be treated and set out with the intention of making consumers comfortable with purchasing and being associated with Head & Shoulders.
As part of the launch for Head & Shoulders in Australia, a “celebrity ball” was held at Sydney’s Star City Casino in September 1999, in order to link Head & Shoulders with glamour and to steer away from the discomforting image of an anti-dandruff shampoo. The launch also featured an advertisement with Courtney Cox.
Within three months of Head & Shoulder being launched in Australia, it had established itself as the number four shampoo in the Australian market. Consumers were obviously more inclined to purchase a product whose main feature was glamour, rather than battling dandruff.
Choose the best answer:
1. Where do you think the passage above is probably from?
 a. a course of banking
 b. a brochure of recruiting
 c. a school brochure
 d. a newspaper
2. What is the passage about?
a. The history of Procter & Gamble
b. A kind of product from Procter & Gamble
c. Consumer file of Procter & Gamble
d. The financial statement of Procter & Gamble
3. Which of the following statement is FALSE?
 a. Procter & Gamble launched Head & Shoulders 25 years ago.
 b. Market research guides Procter & Gamble in making dandruff shampoo.
 c. A celebrity ball took place when Procter & Gamble launched Head & Shoulders in London.
 d. Procter & Gamble decided to make Head & Shoulders the flagship product.
What does each of the following underlined words / phrases refer to?
4. “The brand turned away ” (Paragraph 1)
5. “ a product whose main feature ” (Paragraph 3)
Which words/ phrases in the passage mean the following?
6. indication that something may be expected to occur: 
7. placed in a position: 
8. careful study in order to discover new facts or information: 
Fill in each blank with one suitable word from the passage. Put it in its correct form or tense if necessary.
9. There are vast  of ice cream in the hot weather.
10. Which  of toothpaste do you prefer?
II. Writing
Read the following job advertisement on vn.linkedin.com and the candidate’s profile.
Brand Supervisor
Circle K Vietnam
Ho Chi Minh City, VN
Job description
+ Manage Advertising, Public Relations, Media and all special events to support sales.
+ Conduct market intelligence in terms of marketing initiatives / trends in the market as well as competitors’ marketing activities / initiatives and strategies.
Requirements
· Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Business or equivalent major
· Have at least 03 years of experiences in Marketing / Brand management, experiences in Retail industry is preferable.
Candidate’s profile
+ Thanh Nguyen, 30 years old
+ B.A. in Marketing, University of Finance and Marketing
+ Marketing Manager for KFC (5 years), launching 3 marketing campaigns
+ part-time job as waiter for Kichi-Kichi and Hanuri 
+ friendly, active and hard-working
Write an email of job application for the position advertised. Make up information where necessary. 
Subject: Brand Supervisor, Thanh Nguyen
Dear Mr. Phan Le,
I am ..
As you can see .
With a B.A degree ..
Thank you ...
Yours 
III. Listening:
PART ONE: Listen to the conversations twice and choose the appropriate answer to each question.
Conversation1: Questions 1 – 2
1. Why can’t the woman speak with Mr. Curtis right now?
A. He’s too busy.
B. He’s on a business trip.
C. He went downtown.
D. He’s talking on the phone.
2. What will the woman do?
A. Leave a message.
B. Return later.
C. Make an appointment.
D. Call back.
Conversation2: Questions 3 – 5
3. Why did Mr. Cho stop work?
A. He’s been feeling tired.
B. He’s on vacation.
C. He was fired.
D. He retired.
4. When did Mr. Cho stop work?
A. Two days ago.
B. On Tuesday.
C. Last week.
D. Last month.
5. Why did the speakers like Mr. Cho?
A. He told jokes.
B. He worked hard.
C. He cleaned the office.
D. He brought them cookies.
PART TWO: Listen to the recording and complete the notes. The recording will be played twice
Business (6)  and  Association Conference.
+ Workshops: last from (7)  to 
 	 held in the conference rooms on the 3rd and 4th floors. 
+ A map in your (8)   . If not picked it up yet " find it in the main lobby on the ground floor. 
+ Lunch: served in the hotel ballroom on the 2nd floor.
+ After lunch " back to the auditorium to hear a (9)   on the future of business management. 
+ (10)   available in the lobby.
The End
KEYS - EOU TEST.U2.M2
Section 1
I. 
1. b
2. d
3. c
4. c
5. b
6. c
7. c
8. a
9. d
10. c
II.
11. b
12. c
13. d
14. a
15. d
16. c
17. a
18. b
19. a
20. c
21. b
22. a
23. c
24. b
24. a
26. d
27. c
28. b
29. a
30. d
31. c
32. a
33. c
34. a
35. a
36. c
37. b
38. c
39. c
40. b
Section 2: 
I. Reading
1. d	 	
2. b	
3. c	
4. Head & Shoulders	
5. of a product
6. promise	
7. established	
8. research	
9. sales	
10. brand
II. Writing
SUGGESTED ANSWER
Subject: Brand Supervisor, Thanh Nguyen
Dear Mr. Phan Le,
(Introduction: 5 marks)
I am responding with enthusiasm to your job posting on vn.linkedin.com for the position of Brand Supervisor. I believe my extensive experience and skills in this field are an excellent match for the job. 
(Body: 10 marks)
As you can see in my CV, I worked as Marketing Manager for KFC for 5 years. During that time, I developed marketing strategies and successfully launched three marketing campaigns. I also conducted market research and analyzed our competitors’ marketing activities. 
With a B.A. degree in Marketing and the experience accumulated while working part-time as a waiter for Kichi-Kichi and Hanuri, I have a full understanding of the importance of media and event organizing in advertising products.
(Closing: 5 marks)
Thank you for your time and consideration. I can be reached anytime via this email address or my cell phone (0164 .. ) 
Yours sincerely,
Thanh Nguyen
III. Listening
PART ONE:
1. B
2. C
3. D
4. D 
5. A
PART TWO:
6. Managers, Administrators
7. ten fifteen (10:15), twelve fifteen (12:15)
8. registration packet
9. panel discussion
10. complimentary coffee
AUDIO SCRIPT – EOU TEST U2 (PRE INTER)
PART ONE:
1. Man: Thank you for calling, but I’m sorry to have to tell you that Mr. Curtis is out of town on business. Would you like to leave a message?
Woman: Thank you, but . . . uh . . . I think I’d like to make an appointment for when he returns. I’d like him to take a look at some contracts for me.
Man: Well, Mr. Curtis will be returning tomorrow. I could schedule an appointment for you later in the week.
Woman: Thank you. That would be fine.
2. Woman: Things just haven’t been the same since Mr. Cho retired last month. There’s no one here to tell us jokes.
Man: It’s hard to work without Mr. Cho making us laugh.
Woman: Do you know what else isn’t the same? Ms. Green didn’t bring cookies today.
Man: That’s because Ms. Green is on vacation this week. She’s the one who always brings them.
PART TWO:
Good morning and welcome to the Business Managers and Administrators Association Conference. Workshops are scheduled to begin in just a few minutes, at ten fifteen, and will go until twelve fifteen. All workshops will be held in the conference rooms on the third and fourth floors. A map is included in your registration packet. If you haven’t picked up your packet yet, they are available at the registration desk in the main lobby on the ground floor. Lunch will be served in the hotel ballroom on the second floor from twelve thirty until one thirty. Following lunch, we will reconvene here in the auditorium to hear a panel discussion on the future of business management. OK, I think that’s all. Oh, yes, there’s complimentary coffee available in the lobby now if you would like to get some on the way to the morning workshops.