Vietnam national university-Hcmc sample test 1 faculty of economics (2nd year) department of foreign languages

, you do not care who works for you.
The word “morale” in the final paragraph means _________.
a. the different ways in which people think about something.
b. how happy you feel about your job and your results.
c. how much a person or a group produces in a particular time.
d. the way employees in an organization feel at a particular time.
Which of the following from the article best fits the blank? “When something happens that you cannot stop or change, it is __________ .”
a. irascible	b. beyond your control 	c. bearing the brunt	d. emotional
Which of the following statement is the key message of the article? Choose the best alternative.
a. In the end, organizations have no control over what happens between employees and customers.
b. With the right policies, managers can have 100 percent control over employee-customer interaction.
c. If you thrive in a particular place you enjoy being there and perform well.
d. Some studies say that the better managed employees are, the better they will interact with customers; however, there will always be situations where customers can be extremely difficult.
Reading passage 2
An American leader in Europe
Since Nancy McKinstry moved from New York to Europe a year a go 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 weren’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 are 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, the tax, accountancy and education, and reported sales of €3.4 bn ($4.2 bn) 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 learnt in my time here is that in Europe there isn’t one approach,’ she says. ‘If you have a product or 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 problem in Holland, you might fail.’
She points to differences in communication style. ‘The American 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?’
Read through the whole article. Which of these international issues is not mentioned?
a. Women in top management
b. Communication styles
c. Punctuality at meetings
d. The degree of difficulty involved in firing employees
Which of the following statements is TRUE?
a. It is easy for parents in Holland to deal with the lunchtime arrangements for their children.
b. Work-life balance is harder to achieve for women in the US than in Holland.	
c. Nancy McKinstry recently joined Wolters Kluwer from another company.	
d. It is easier for an American manager to do certain things in Europe than it would be for a European manager.
The expression “a board member” in paragraph 5 means _____________.
a. a difficult manager.	b. a boss.	
c. a senior company director.	d. an employee.
Which of the following from the article best fits the blank? “If a criticism is correct, it is __________ .”
a. senior	b. legitimate	
c. strong	d. subtle
What is the key message of the article? Choose the best alternative.
a. It is surprising that lunch arrangements for Dutch children are not more suited to working women, but the government is going to change this situation so as to give Dutch families a better work-life balance.
b. Southern Europeans may find it more difficult to say ‘No’ to their boss, but companies should encourage these people to say what they really think by giving them appropriate intercultural training.
c. There are differences between the way that Americans and European managers work, and this allows American managers to do things that would be more difficult for their European colleagues. However, there are differences within Europe that Americans would not ignore.
d. It’s pretty tough for a working parent to accommodate as well as work.
IV. WRITING (30 marks)
A. Write complete sentences based on the following information, add more words if necessary. (10 points, 2 for each correct answer)
Many people / now talk / importance / company’s shared values / or corporate culture / which all / staff can identify
Semco / have flexible working hours and / responsibility / setting and keeping track / them rests / each employee. 
People / work / different speeds and / differ / their performance / depend / time / day. 
Arrive / Manchester Airport / 2.30 p.m., Mr. Lopez / be hiring / car, but it / will take / him at least / two hours / get / the office. 
Annual General Meeting / public company / the year’s results / be / presented / shareholders.
B. Write an e-mail to inform the change of the business visit, using the following information. (20 points) 
Sender: 	Yolande 
Receiver: 	Mr. Bentsen 
Subject: 	visit to Essonne production plant 
Introduction: 	regret to inform / cancel your visit / our Essonne production plant / 9.30 a.m. 
	/ Friday morning / Production manager / unwell. 
Main body: 	If you wish / we / pleased / fix / other appointments with head office staff / 
	Friday morning. / I / be / grateful / you / contact / my secretary Sandra Toyes 
	/soon / possible / make / necessary arrangements.
Conclusion: 	I apologize / last minute change / your schedule.
I hope / you / safe journey / we look forward / meet you / Friday. 
	Sincerely
- THE END -
VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY-HCMC
	FACULTY OF ECONOMICS & LAW	
	DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES 	
ANSWER SHEET
Date:_________________ Class:_______________________
Student’s full name:_________________________________
Student’s registered number:__________________________
Blacken the a, b, c or d for each answer.
I. PRONUNCIATION 	II. VOCABULARY &	III. READING	 
& STRESS (10 ms) 	 	GRAMMAR (30ms) 	Part A (20 ms) 
Part B (20 ms)	
a
b
c
d
a
b
c
d
a
b
c
d
a
b
c
d
a
b
c
d
1
O
O
O
O
11
O
O
O
O
21
O
O
O
O
31
O
O
O
O
41
O
O
O
O
2
O
O
O
O
12
O
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O
22
O
O
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O
32
O
O
O
O
42
O
O
O
O
3
O
O
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O
13
O
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23
O
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O
33
O
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43
O
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4
O
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14
O
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24
O
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34
O
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44
O
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O
5
O
O
O
O
15
O
O
O
O
25
O
O
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35
O
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O
45
O
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O
6
O
O
O
O
16
O
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26
O
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36
O
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46
O
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7
O
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17
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27
O
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37
O
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47
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8
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18
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28
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38
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48
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9
O
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19
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29
O
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39
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49
O
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10
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20
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30
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40
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50
O
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O
O
IV. WRITING
A.51.	
 52	
 53	
 54	
 55.	
B. 	
ANSWER KEY 3
I. PRONUNCIATION
A. 1d, 2d, 3c, 4c, 5c
B. 6b, 7a, 8a, 9d, 10a
II. VOCABULARY AND GRAMMAR
A. 11a, 12b, 13d, 14b, 15c, 16a, 17b, 18a, 19c, 20b
B. 21a, 22b, 23c, 24d, 25d, 26c, 27a, 28a, 29a, 30c
III. READING
A. 31d, 32b, 33c, 34c, 35a, 36a, 37b, 38c, 39d, 40a
B. 41a, 42a, 43d, 44b, 45d, 46c, 47d, 48c, 49b, 40c
IV. WRITING
A. 
51. Many people now talk about the importance of a company’s shared values or corporate culture, with which all the staff can identify
52. Semco has flexible working hours and the responsibility for setting and keeping track of them rests with each employee. 
53. People work at different speeds and differ in their performance depending on the time of day. 
54. Arriving in Manchester Airport at 2.30 p.m., Mr. Lopez is hiring a car, but it will take him at least two hours to get to the office. 
55. At the Annual General Meeting of a public company, the year’s results are presented to shareholders.
B.
Sender: 	Yolande 
Receiver: 	Mr. Bentsen 
Subject: 	visit to Essonne production plant
Dear Mr. Bentsen,
I regret to inform you that I have to cancel your visit to our Essonne production plant at 9.30 a.m. on Friday morning, as our Production manager is unwell.
If you wish, we will be pleased to fix other appointments with head office staff for the Friday morning. I would be grateful if you could contact my secretary Sandra Toyes as soon as possible to make the necessary arrangements.
I apologize for the last minute change to your schedule. I hope you have a safe journey, and we look forward to meeting you on Friday.
Yours sincerely,
Yolande