18493 Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology B.Sc. Special Honours Degree = ™ in Information Technology Orientation Course (2010) BUSINESS ENGLISH & COMMUNICATION SKILLS (104) Duration: 3 hours 29" December 2009 (Time 9.00 a.m. — 12.00 noon) INSTRUCTIONS TO CANDIDATES: ¢ Answer all the questions in the booklet given. Further instructions will be given by the supervisor. ¢ Do not use any other papers. ¢ Total Marks 100. ¢ This paper contains 07 pages with the cover page. @ Use the blank side on the last page for rough work,Question 1 [10 marks} Read the text and note the words/phrases highlighted (in bold print), Below the text, in brackets, are likely meanings for each word/phrase highlighted. Select from the brackets the meaning that suits the text best and write it. Drinking purple grape juice can reduce or even reverse memory loss. a study suggests. Scientists from the University of Cincinnati's psychiatry department carried out a study which involved 12 people with carly memory loss, drink pure 100 per cent Concord grape juice for 12 weeks During the trial participants were split into two groups, one which drank juice and one which didn’t. Both groups’ memories were regularly tested ia the form of learniag lists and items placed in a certain order. The results showed an improvement the longer the trial went on in the half of the group who were drinking the juice, which is made from grapes grown in the Concord region of New Hampshire, USA. Experts believe this proves the brain- boosting powers of antioxidants contained in the juice of the grapes. Dr Krikorian of the University said: “While there were no significant differences between the groups at baseline, following the treatment, those drinking, Concord grape juice demonstrated a significant improvement in list fear “And trends suggested improved short term memory retention and spatial, non- verbal memory. The results involving Concord grape juice are very encouraging ind certainly Warrant an additional study. “A simple, easy-to-incorporate dietary intervention that could improve or protect memory function, such as drinking Concord grape juice, may be beneficial for the ageing population. a) carried out (conducted, took away, introduced) b) early (beginning, in near future, happening before time) ©) split (cut in two, divided, dropped) a) order (to buy something, to instruct, arrangement or pattern) ) brain-boosting — (improving, bragging. expanding) f) baseline (standard of value, bottom line, lowest level) g) demonstrated (express feelings, showed, protest against something) h) retention {holding on, remembering things, action taken) i) warrant (authorize, requires or serves as a reason, travel document) j) intervention (interfering, a dietary supplement, countering something)Question 2 [10 marks} Complete the paragraph below using “after, at, up, from, toward, down, By. with through, between.” Use each wordéphrase only once, The trip (1), ... the mountains was an exhilarating experience. We lett JUSt (2) ceeeecceeeeseseee dawn ina vat loaded (3) vo. cccescsseeeesee Passengers, and luggage. We believed that the trip would take (4) sesvssseecccse. Sis and eight hours, and we hoped to arrive at our final destination before dark The van headed (5) . the highway toward the base of the mountain. Within an hour we had arrived (6) the foot of the mountains and we began our ascent (7) . the summit. The heavily loaded van moved at a snail’s pace (8) .. » the mountain on a narrow. winding road. (9) .. - noon we had arrived at the summit, so we stopped tor lunch. The view (10) . the summit was breathtaking. Question 3 [25 marks] Each blank in the text below must be filled by the second half of a word. Complete each word to make a meaningful paragraph, There is one dash (-) for each missing letter. The debate over globalization is lively, often passionate, and has sometimes been violent. At(1) lea__ until recently, it has (2) be _ _ intensifying, (3) B__ we cannot afford to (4) i _ it. for the (5) vi___ and attitudes (6) expr_____im ig will (7) imevi__ affect public policy and the (8)iss___are critically (9) impor ____ for the luture (10) econ. __ _ growth and (11) wellbe_ __ of all the people of the (12) : Globalization (13) t_ countries and their (16) citi_ ongoing (14) proc___ of greater interdependence (15) am ___ _ is complex and (17) multif______. Many of the (18) prob_____ that the (19) eri____ of globalization point to are real. (20) So__ of them relate to (21) econ_ _ _. Others do not relate to economy, but are no (22) le, _ important, aspects of life. (23) Wh_ _ _ some of the problems do stem (24) fr the problem of global (25) integ others do not. As far as the economy is concemed, the big challenge is poverty, and the route to sustained poverty reduction is economic growth.Question 4 [10 marks} Read the paragraph below, and find the inappropriate vocabulary mistake or contradiction. All errors are with the vocabulary selected, NOT in grammar. Write out the incorrect word or phrase and the correct word to replace it. There are ten errors. €.g. Jack Forest is a baker who always provides his customers with (ough meat. Tough meat = bread. Senaka is a private bus conductor, who always takes tokens But he never issues a weapon, He gets into the car at 6.00 o’clock in the morning Then he starts laughing out the route the bus takes; “Malabe, Malabe. Malabe.” One by one the patients get into the bus. Once the bus is bottled with passengers, he tells the pilot, it's time to go. The bus then leaves the airport, On the way. om his passengers Senaka, shouts and tries to get more patients. He is very sad if the bus is full of passengers Question § U5 marks} ¢ text and answer the questions that follow. Quality is not a new issue‘in training, but the use of international standards within an organization, in order to create new institutional cultures is. In the framework of the implementation of total quality management strategies. more and more training institutions are using international standards, quite suecessfully. to certity the quality of their training proces They have always been interested in the dissemination of new tendenci routes as well as in the dissemination of good practices. which provide better results to users. Along these lines, this article seeks 10 disseminate this phenomenon, It intends to reveal what is going on and to call the attention on the characteristics that quality management trends are showing regarding tr es and ning Quality assurance usually implies a comparison between a certain product or service and a standard previously defined, which establishes the criteria to assess the quality of this product of service, In this context, the ISO 9000-2000 standard is being increasingly used. This standard refers to the quality as general perspective, not spe surance from a fically associated to a certain product or service. The labor market is becoming more and more complex and less traditionally organized. The old traditional separation between time ef work and time of study. work place and home, place or work and place of study is less defined nowadays. Also, the number of training offers has increased. Now, not only traditions! training institutions prevail, sometimes the demand volume and sometimes the complementary existence of funds for the contracts of taining have incremented the number of training institutions.These offe are varied and widely different which brings forth a need for a service quality reference, from the stand point of both customers and publie sector. In this ease the concem about quality comes from those who want to be trained, those entrepreneurs who want to invest in training of their workers and those who provide funds. Thi is one reason why quality certification mechanisms are being increasingly applied in a highly competitive market. Why do training institutions use Intemational standards? {01 mark] What is the intention of the writer in writing this article? [01 mask] Explain what you understand by “quality assurance”, [01 mark} What does ISO 9000-2000 standard refer to? {01 marky What is the change that is taking place in the labour market? [91 mark] Give 2 reasons for the inerease in the number of training institutions. [01 mark} Who is an entrepreneur? Explain, 101 mark] In a small paragtaph of 60-70 word explain the importance of quality management to Sti Lankan institutions, 108 marks}Question 6 110 marks} You enrol! for an English class at teading Institution. You meet and get to know another new student, In the box is part of your conversation, Read the text and complete the blanks to make the conversation meaningful, [New student: Hi, I'm Senaka. Nice to meet you. You: Hello, I’m Arul, Pleased t0 meet you too. New student: I just got enrolled to follow the Advanced English course, What is the course you are going to follow? The Intermediate or Advanced English course’? You: The sacossssussseeseessteen New student: Oh! That's good, so we might be in the same class. You: Yes. | | Where... i | New student: I studied at Graham International School. You? You: Really? 1 New student: You: New student 1 see. Do you have any relations in England? You: Yes. My aunt lives there, I will be staying with her: New student: ‘Ob! It’s time for our first class. Let's go. You: Yea, Let's make a move: we don’t want to be late for ‘our first class.Question 7 [20 marks} Summarize the following passage in ubout 120 words. The ISO said sugar was given a scientific boost from a research project known as CARMEN - Carbohydrate Management in European National diets. The CARMEN study was conducted in the second half of 2000 in tive European research centres. "It shows that eating sugar is not just a vital part of an active lifestyle but also a way to control body weight and cure obesity," the ISO said. The study was funded by the Brussels-based European Commission and the European sugar industry and the results of the study were published in the International Journal of Obesity. The European Union is concerned about the rapidly increasing costs of treating obesity-linked diseases, which now account for up to seven percent of health care expenditure inn its 15 member countries Using overweight people as subjects and monitoring their body weight and cholesterol levels over six months, the CARMEN study examined the effects of eating less fat and consuming more simple carbohydrates, such as sugar, or complex carbohydrates, such as starch, Some 300 British, Dutch, Danish, German and Spanish volunteers were divided into three groups and given nutritionally similar diets made up of local foods. One continued with their usual diet, containing nearly 40 percent of energy in the form of fats. which include potato chips, fried chicken and butter. A second group were given a diet with 10 percent less fatty energy, but compensated by starchy foods such as bread, potatoes and pasta. The third group was put on a diet that was 10 percent lower in fat, but with energy provided by starchy food as well as sugar and sugar-rich foods. including sweets, yoghurt and cereals Afier six months, volunteers on the starchy diet lost 0.9 kg and those on a diet containing starch and sugar shed 1.8 kg, whereas those on @ normal fat-rich diet put on 0.80 kg. "The volunteers lost weight significantly...without a reduction in overall energy intake." the ISO said. Project leader, Wim Saris, Prof or of Nutrition at Maastricht University in the Netherlands, was more cautious saying the study provided advice on obesity and carbohydrate balance in the diets of fat people. "It stresses reducing, fat intake" Saris said.