University of Economics, HCMC End of Unit Test.U9.

M1
School of Foreign Languages
Division of English for General Purposes

EXAM IN ENGLISH FOR BUSINESS COMMUNICATION (75 minutes)

Read the instruction carefully. RECORD your answers on your answer sheets.
Section 1: Language knowledge (30 marks)
I. Choose the words that best fit the blanks in the following passage.
One of the most (1) ……… places in the world is (2) ……… small island off the coast (3) ………
South America called Easter Island. Easter Island is home (4) ……… thousands of giant stone
figures called Moai that circle the island (5) ……… outward towards the sea. The island’s real name
is Rapa Nui, (6) ……… is called Easter Island because it was first (7) ……… by Europeans on
Easter Sunday,1722. The island used to (8) ……… home to thousands of pacific island people (9)
……… carved the giant Moai out of volcanic rocks and placed (10) ……… along the beaches of the
lsland.
1. a. mystery b. mysterious c. mysteriously d. mysteires
2. a. a b. an c. the d. 0
3. a. in b. at c. of d. on
4. a. for b. with c. at d. to
5. a. to look b. look c. looking d. looked
6. a. and b. but c. or d. so
7. a. invented b. made c. founded d. discovered
8. a. be b. being c. been d. is
9. a. whose b. that c. which d. when
10. a. they b. them c. their d. theirs

II. Choose the best answer

11. Vinpearl Resort and Spa is …………… in the middle of the Nha Trang bay on Hon Tre
island and is one of the most popular resort in all of Vietnam.
      a. located   b. base c. stayed d. lie
12. Volvo is a company with its …………… located in Torslanda, outside Göteborg, Sweden.
      a. turnover b. profits  c. headquarters d. owners
13. My …………… deals with the accounting and auditing needs of the company.
      a. franchise  b. outlet c. department d. restaurant
14. Next year we plan to expand and …………… a new office in Switzerland."
      a. set up b.  open c. begin    d. a & b are correct
15. Founded in 1865, the privately held company …………… 138,000 people in 67 countries.
  a. discusses  b. interviews c. applies d. employs
16. Mister Thomson is on sick leave, that's why I …………… his job.
      a. did  b. was     c. am doing     d. do
17. In the next few years everyone …….. be able to access the Internet with their mobile phone.
      a. will b. is going  c. is d. would
18. James works for an investment magazine. Every month he …………… articles about new
investment opportunities.
      a. writes b. wrote  c. is writing   d. was writing
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 19. …………… traffic is bad, I may get home late.
    a. Where  b. Why  c. Unless   d. If
20. …………… the shipment arrives tomorrow, I will collect it.
   a. Whom  b. Which  c. If   d. Unless
21. I will sign the deal …………… something goes wrong.
   a. if   b. unless  c. when d. why
22. I work in a manufacturing company called 'CorpTech', and we supply technological products
…………… SMEs.
     a. to b. on c. for d. at
23. We have 12 branches, all based …………… Thailand.
      a. to  b. at c. in    d. on
24. This year, we have been focusing …………… reducing our overhead because of the credit
crunch and overall downturn in the market.
    a. for   b. in   c. about   d. on
25. Cargill is an international producer …………… food, agricultural, financial and industrial
products and services.
a. of   b. for   c. from d. to

III. Put the capitalized words in their correct form.

26. translate Currently PaM ………………… its advertising material into Chinese.
27. provide We are here ………………… a service for the public..
28. effect What tips can you think of for using visuals ………………… ?
29. present The sales manager will give a ………………… on the new products.
30. compete We need to work harder to remain ………………… with other companies.

Section 2: Language use (70 marks)

I. Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow (30 marks)

Spotlight on: Amazon.com AMAZON.COM

And you are done.
Employees: 7,800
Net sales for 2001: $3.12 billion
2001 profits: $5 million

Amazon.com is the Internet’s leading e-business, selling books, CDs, DVDs, videos, toys, and gifts.
The company also owns significant stakes in other online retailers, such as Drugstore.com, Pets.com,
and HomeGrocer.com.

Amazon was formed in 1995 by CEO Jeff Bezos, and has its corporate headquarters in Seattle. The
company recently acquired its 25 millionth customer, the first online retailer to reach this benchmark.
Despite this success, and despite revenues of $3.12 billion on 2001, Amazon did not show a profit until
the fourth quarter of 2001, and that was only $ 5 million.

“There are two types of retailers: those that work hard to raise prices, and those that work hard to lower
prices. Though both models can be successful, we’ve decided to follow the second model”, says Jeff
Bezos. Amazon’s mission is to use the Internet to transform books buying into the fastest, easiest, and
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 most enjoyable shopping experience”. The company operates international websites in the UK,
Germany, Japan, and France, and has customers from more than 220 countries. Amazon’s goal is to be
the world’s most customer-centered company, where customers can find and discover anything they
might want to buy online-what they call “the Earth’s Biggest Selection.”

70% of Amazon’s 7,800 employees have been with the company for less than a year, but very few
leave the company after joining. One reason for this is the company’s policy of giving stock options to
its employees, which gives them a sense of responsibility towards the company’s future. In 2001,
however, 1,300 lost their jobs when the company restructured and closed some of its operating centers.

Choose the best answer

1. What type of retailers did Amazon.com decide to follow?
a. Those that work hard to raise prices.
b. Those that work hard to be successful.
c. Those that work hard to reduce prices..
d. Those that work hard to motivate employees.

2. Amazon.com was the first online retailers

a. to be successful in its first year of business.
b. to acquire 25 millionth customer.
c. to have stakes in other online retailers , such as Drugstore.com, Pets.com.
d. to have websites from more than 22 countries.

3. Why do very few employees leave the company after joining?

a. because Amazon’s mission is to deliver books into the fastest way.
b. because it is a leading e-business which has websites in 220 countries
c. because it is the world’s most customer’s –centered company.
d. because its employees are given stock options, which gives them a sense of
responsibility towards the company’s future.

What does each of the following underlined words/phrases refer to?

4. … by CEO Jeff Bezos, and has its corporate headquarters in Seatlle. (para 2)
5. … two types of retailers: those that work hard to raise prices … (para 3)

Which words/phrases in the passage mean the following?

6. the money that an organization receives from its business ……………
7. to organize sth such as a system or a company in a new and different way ……………
8. the person in a company who has the most power and authority ……………

Fill in each blank with ONE suitable word from the passage. Put it in its correct form or tense if
necessary
9. The company’s pre-tax …………… rose from $10.2 million to $17.4 million in the first half year.
10. The company is unsuccessful because it lacks a …………… identity.

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 II. Writing (20 marks)
A . Write complete sentences by putting the words into the correct order. Begin each sentence with the
underlined word(s).
1. Panetti / 3,500 / including / over / in / 1,400 / its / retail / outlets / own / employs / people
2. Alex / in / is / charge / a / 15 / of / department / of / staff
3. Ana / the / is / phone / answering / because / this / week / our / is / away / secretary
4. Autotech / company / large / a / is / which / car / manufactures / parts.
5. There / three / to / my / are / parts / presentation.

B. Combine the following pairs of simple sentences using appropriate joining words. Punctuate the
sentence if necessary.
6a. We stayed at the Park Hotel. 6b. A customer had recommended it.
7a. Colin told me about his new job. 7b. He is enjoying it very much.
8a. The office is very small. 8b. I’m using the office at the moment.
9a. A friend of mine helped me to get a job. 9b. His father is the manager of a company.
10a. There is a woman living next door to me. 10b. She is an accountant. (The woman ……)

III. Listening (20 marks)

Part 1
Listen to the question and choose the best response. The recording will be played twice.
1. A B C
2. A B C
3. A B C
4. A B C
5. A B C

Part 2
You will hear a telephone conversation between a journalist and a receptionist talking about a
training company. Fill in the missing information. The recording will be played twice.

Name of company: (6) People ……………………………...

Type of business: (7) ……………………………………....
Established in: (8) …………………………………………..
Name of Managing Director: (9) Mace …………………….
Current number of employees: (10) ………………………...

This is the end of the exam paper ☺

End of unit test.9.HP2 4

 KEYS - End-of-Unit Test.U9.M1

1. b 2. a 3. c 4. d 5. c 6. b 7. d 8. a 9. c 10. b

II.
11. a 12. c 13. c 14. d 15. d
16. c 17. a 18. a 19. d 20. c
21. b 22. a 23. c 24. d 25. a

26 27 28 29 30
is translating to provide efficiently presentation competitive

I. Reading
1. c 6. revenue(s)
2. b 7. restructure
3. d 8. CEO
4. (of) Amazon.com 9. profits
5. retailers 10. corporate

II. Writing
1. Panetti employs over 3,500 people, including 1,400 in its own retail outlets.
2. Alex is in charge of a department of 15 staff.
3. Ana is answering the phone this week because our secretary is away.
4. Autotech is a large company which manufactures car parts.
5. There are three parts to my presentation.
6. We stayed at the Park Hotel, which a customer had recommended .
7. Colin told me about his new job, which he is enjoying very much.
8. The office which I’m using at the moment is very small..
9. A friend of mine whose father is the manager of a company helped me to get a job.
10. The woman who lives next door to me is an accountant.

III. Listening
Part 1
1. A 2. B 3. A 4. C 5. A
Part 2
6. Solutions
7. training programmes
8. 1994
9. Borthwick
10. 85

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 AUDIO SCRIPT - End-of-Unit Test.U9.M1

Part 1
1. Did you bring a jacket?
A. Yes, but I left it in the car.
B. That’s a nice coat.
C. You have so many clothes.
2. How much are the tickets?
A. The bus is stopping.
B. They’re ten dollars each.
C. I usually go by plane.
3. What is the name of your dentist?
A. It’s Martha Brown.
B. Her office is on 3rd Street.
C. She does excellent work.
4. Can you do me a favor?
A. Which flavor do you prefer?
B. Where is the can?
C. Sure, what do you need?
5. Are you ready?
A. Yes, let’s go.
B. I can’t read it.
C. My name’s not Freddy.

Part 2

Gerry: Hello. It’s Gerry Marks from East News calling.

Receptionist: Oh hello. What can I do for you?
Gerry: I’m writing an article on training companies in the area and I wanted to check a few facts
with you.
Receptionist: Go ahead.
Gerry: OK. So you recently changed the name of the company?
Receptionist: That’s right. We’re now called People Solutions. And we run far more staff
development training programmes than we used to. In the early days we mainly ran just
teambuilding courses. But now…
Gerry: And the business was set up in 1993?
Receptionist: 1994 actually. It was established by our current Managing Director, Mace
Borthwick.
Gerry: Sorry, could you repeat that?
Receptionist: Yes. It’s Mace, M-A-C-E. Borthwick, B-O-R-T-H-W-I-C-K. The company really
took off when it won a national training award in 1999. We’ve taken on a lot more staff since
then and now we have 85 full-time members of staff.
Gerry: Really? Great, I think that’s all the information I need. Thanks very much.

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