Name: _____________________________________________________ Date: ________________________

Progress Test 1 (Units 1–4)

LISTENING
You will hear five people talking about meetings. For each recording, match the speaker
to ONE piece of advice (a–h) that he/she gives. You will hear the recording twice.
Track 5

1 Speaker __________ a) Brief participants well before the meeting

2 Speaker __________ b) Have a clear purpose
3 Speaker __________ c) Invite the right people
4 Speaker __________ d) Arrive on time
5 Speaker __________ e) Chair the meeting effectively
f) Choose the right location
g) Keep the meeting short
h) Have someone take the minutes

VOCABULARY
A Complete the sentences using the correct alternatives.

1 The business has twelve retail _____________________ in London.

a) subsidiaries b) outlets c) warehouses

2 Millers is a very ____________________ company. I can’t see it ever modernising the

way it operates.
a) conservative b) dynamic c) progressive

3 What is Janice’s management ______________________?

a) style b) way c) type

4 I’m working on a new research ______________________.

a) product b) project c) policy

5 We need to ______________________ the layout of our department.

a) reorganise b) regulate c) relocate

6 I wouldn’t say they were cheap, but the shoes were certainly good _______________.
a) cost b) price c) value for money

7 One successful advertising technique is celebrity ____________________.

a) sponsorship b) placement c) endorsement
8 We’ve found a complete lack of brand-______________ among our target customers.
a) stretching b) awareness c) force

9 I’m working on a new campaign to _________________ our new product range.

a) promote b) move c) relocate

10 In order to get a new job, I need to ____________________.

a) retrain b) retail c) relaunch

11 Shall we walk upstairs or take the __________________?

a) subway b) lift c) left

12 A __________________ product is one that doesn’t go out of fashion.

a) stylish b) fashionable c) timeless

13 __________________ of sports or arts events can be a powerful form of advertising.

a) Endorsement b) Sponsorship c) Research

B Complete the following sentences with the word in brackets. Add a prefix and
change the form if necessary.

1 Since they took over the company, they’ve ______________________ all parts of the
workforce. (size)
2 Some people at head office won’t like this new initiative to _____________________
decision-making down to branch level. (centralise)
3 The ________________________ from the city centre out to our new site in the
midlands is taking longer than planned. (locate)
4 Can we ______________________ these computers with that new software you
bought? (grade)
5 We really need to ______________________ the situation before we make a decision.
(assess)
6 Taiwan plans to ______________________ its service sector in four years. (regulate)

LANGUAGE
A Complete the following sentences with these irregular verbs in the past simple or
present perfect.
be / go / rise / buy / not do / come

1 Turnover ___________________ by 3% every year since 1998.

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2 A: Did you finish that report? B: No sorry, I _____________________ it yet.
3 Didn’t you hear? They ____________________ bankrupt last year.
4 ___________ you ever _______________ to Hong Kong?
5 I _____________________ shares in their company six years ago.
6 The majority of our new business ___________________ from the teenage market
recently.

B Complete the sentences using the correct form – present simple, present continuous,
will, be going to or present perfect – of the verb in brackets.

1 ____________________ (you / work) on a new project at the moment?

2 My colleague always __________________ (finish) work early on Fridays.
3 Our company _____________________ (already / invest) $4.54 million in Research
and Development this year.
4 The marketing team _________________ (meet) in London once a week.
5 At the moment we __________________ (not develop) a new brand.
6 ____________________ (you / usually / buy) birthday presents for your colleagues?
7 GoKids, _________________ (produce) books for children.
8 I ___________________ (see) my boss at 12.30 tomorrow.
9 I’m going to the conference too. I __________________ (give) you a lift if you like.
10 The bus ___________________ (depart) from the central bus station at 7.35 p.m.
11 I won’t be able to make the workshop on Friday. I _____________________ (go) to
Frankfurt for a long weekend.
12 ____________________ (you / attend) the seminar next week?
13 I think the Budapest flight ______________________ (be) late too.
14 They ______________________ (stay) at the Ibis Hotel in Paris at the moment.
15 I’ve made a decision. I _____________________ (leave) the company and open my
own business.

C Complete the sentences using the correct noun combination.

1 We need to come up with a presentation for _______________________________.

a) the meeting of next month b) meeting’s next month c) next month’s meeting

2 _____________________ has gone up in the past month.

a) The sales of Tesla’s b) Tesla’s sales c) Tesla sales
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3 BTW is an ____________________ agency that specialises in billboards.
a) advertisement b) advertising c) advertising’s

4 Some companies compare their main __________________________ with their own.

a) competitor’s sales b) competitor sales c) sales’ competitor

D Write the phrases in a different way.

1 A company which is twenty years old.

_____________________________________________________________________
2 A budget worth two million dollars.
_____________________________________________________________________
3 A hotel with five stars.
_____________________________________________________________________
4 A seminar that lasts four days.
_____________________________________________________________________

SKILLS
A Complete the gaps in the conversation with appropriate phrases (a–j).

Sandra: John, _______________________1 ? When would be the best time to launch the new
sun cream range? July?
John: ____________________ 2 I think May would be better. That’s when most people
start going on holiday.
Sandra: ____________________ 3 but I’m not sure we’d be ready by then. There’s still a
lot of work to do.
John: I know ____________________ 4 So, what do you suggest?
Sandra: ______________________ 5 June? That gives us three months to prepare.
John: ______________________ 6 we need three months to prepare?
Sandra: Two months would be too little, I think. _____________________ 7 about that?
John: Three months will be fine – __________________________ 8 anyway.
Sandra: Great. _______________________ 9 ring Martin and see if he agrees.
John: _____________________ 10 for a minute. Can we discuss something else first
before you call?

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 a) what you mean
b) what’s your opinion
c) How about
d) I propose that we
e) That’s true
f) Well, I think so
g) Maybe, but
h) How do you feel
i) Are you saying that
j) Hold on

B All the underline sentences below are incorrect. Rewrite them in the spaces
below.

Bob: Good morning. Easy electrics.

Alexis: Hello. I’d like speaking with Bob Baker, please.
__________________________________________________1
Bob: Bob Baker speaking.
Alexis: Oh, hello Bob. This is Alexis Draper. We’ve got a meeting on
Wednesday, but I’m afraid about something has come up.
__________________________________________________2
Bob: No problem. How if Thursday?
__________________________________________________3
Alexis: Sorry, I can’t to make it then. Could we meet on Friday at eleven?
__________________________________________________4
Bob: That’s OK with me.
Alexis: Good. See you on Friday.
Bob: OK then, Bye.
Alexis: Bye.

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C Put the sentences in the correct places to complete the conversation below.

Woman: Hello Boris. Nice to see you again.

Man: _________________________________________________________________1
Woman: _________________________________________________________________2
Man: _________________________________________________________________3
Woman: Oh yes. Maxlite manufactures bags, doesn’t it?
Man: _________________________________________________________________4
Woman: _________________________________________________________________5
Man: Thanks very much – I will.

a) I’m working there at the moment. Let me give you my card. Give me a call when
you are in London next.
b) Not too bad, thanks. Where are you working these days?
c) I’m with Maxlite. I’m in the sales department.
d) You too! How are you?
e) That’s right. We’ve got branches throughout the UK, so I’m hoping to work in
London at some point.

READING
A Read the article and decide if these statements are true or false.

1 British companies are failing to spend money on modernising their businesses ______
2 The press has reported on many unsuccessful projects. _______
3 LS took over Calcot. _______
4 Bilton’s is an example of a successful partnership. _______
5 Small and medium-sized businesses can negotiate better deals in the future. _______
6 Parts-2-go and Delkon are working closely together. _______

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 Changes in business operations
By Alan Rodger

British companies are investing huge amounts of money in making changes to their
traditional business practices. The main aims behind this investment are to increase the
quality of services provided, while reducing prices.
The demand for available and skilled IT resources in the UK is so great that many
customer services companies have decided to outsource contracts to low-cost countries, such
as India, in order to meet this demand.
So, what are the challenges and opportunities that outsourcing presents? There have been
many newspaper stories of failed projects and broken-down relationships between customers
and the service companies who have outsourced contracts. Probably the most famous of these
stories was LS, who had agreed a ten-year deal to provide services for Tilkin. This ended
earlier this year, when LS was replaced by Calcot. However, it was not all bad news and LS
behaved professionally and helped to ensure the successful takeover of the service by its rival,
so the only problems reported were minor ones.
The main goal of investing in outsourcing is to improve the quality of customer services,
and to lower the cost of operations at the same time. One example of a successful outsourcing
partnership is Bilton’s. Almost two years ago the company started outsourcing services to a
consortium of companies. The deal with the consortium is for five years. Payments are made
to the consortium if it reaches its targets – it has to deliver a two percent improvement in
customer satisfaction annually.
There are huge opportunities for small and medium-sized businesses to make savings by
using shared services. For instance, organisations with similar requirements can negotiate to
use the same service provider. This would mean that the costs for each company would be
reduced through savings of scale. This is the model behind a deal recently announced for a
joint venture between Parts-2-go and Delkon.
Partnerships are great opportunities to show what can be achieved with open minds,
shared interests, and a commitment to better and cheaper services. Perhaps the experience of
the past can actually help make changes for the future.
From the Financial Times

GLOSSARY
consortium, noun, sing. a combination of two or more large international companies, which
join together for a special common purpose.

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WRITING
A Put the sentences (a-g) in the correct order to write an email.