FACULTAD DE CIENCIAS ECONÓMICAS, ADMINISTRATIVAS Y CONTABLES

ENGLISH 4 – FIRST TERM

TOPIC: Honesty
OBJECTIVE: Expressing arguments
LANGUAGE FOCUS: Passive voice
VOCABULARY: Insurance
Taken from Intelligent Business

Many people and businesses take out insurance policies to protect against risks such as fire, accident, and
theft. Policyholders pay a yearly premium to the insurance company which then provides cover against
financial loss. If something unexpected happens, the policyholder can make a claim and receive compensation
for the loss or damage.

What insurance do you or your family have? What insurance do you have to have by law?

READING 1
Read the extract from a US insurance company’s website. Match the headings with paragraphs 1-4.
Auto Home Commercial Life

1. _______________ insurance protects business owners from certain losses, including injured workers
and damage to equipment and buildings.
2. _______________ insurance provides protection in the event of a death. Payment is made to the nearest
relative or other named beneficiary.
3. _______________ insurance protects against financial losses if you have an accident. Cover includes
medical expenses. Your car is also protected against fire and theft.
4. _______________ insurance can cover fire, weather-related destruction and other losses. The policy
covers the cost of labor, materials and services necessary to replace or repair building damages.

VOCABULARY 1: PROBLEMS
Complete the insurance claims below with the following words:
injured damaged destroyed lost stolen
“There was an accident in the factory and two people were __________. We would like to claim for their
medical expenses.”
“There was a bad storm last night and our roof was _________. We want to claim the cost of repairing it.”
“I’d like to claim for the theft of my car. It was __________ from outside my home during the night.”
“When I was on holiday last week, I __________ my wallet on the beach. I looked everywhere but couldn’t
find it. It had US$1000 inside!”
“We’ve had a fire in the computer room. All the equipment is completely _________ we need to replace it as
soon as possible.”
VOCABULARY 2: INSURANCE
Match the words 1-6 with the meanings a-f.
1. Administration
2. Department
3. Claim
4. Premium
5. Quote
6. Terms
a. A request to your insurance company to pay for damage or loss.
b. The amount you pay for insurance during a particular period.
c. The conditions of an agreement or contract.
d. Tell a customer how much something will cost.
e. Managing or organizing the work of a company.
f. A part, or section, of a company where people do a particular kind of work.

VOCABULARY 3: INSURANCE FRAUD

Many people make fraudulent claims on their insurance. Which of the following actions can be described as
fraud?
1. Being honest about the value of your financial losses.
2. Making a dishonest claim for an injury you don’t have.
3. Lying about how much cash was in the wallet you lost.
4. Telling the truth about the cost of a car that was stolen.
5. Claiming that the repair cost was more expensive than it really was.
6. Making a legitimate claim for items destroyed by fire.
READING 2
Read the article and answer the questions.
1. How much does insurance fraud cost in the US?
2. What two kinds of technology can be used to identify fraud?
3. How much has Highway Insurance saved as a result of using this technology?

Complete the text with the following sentences.

A. The tremors can indicate that they are not telling the truth.
B. “If a fraudulent policyholder decides to opt out, we are happy that their claim just goes away”, says Lawrence.
 C. “Now we are able to pass these savings along to our genuine customers.”
D. With VRA, the company is no3w able to identify that nearly one in five auto theft claims are fraudulent.
E. But most often, no one’s going to find out if an average consumer stretches the truth a bit.

INSURANCE FRAUD costs Americans $80 billion
a year - $950 per family. This is not just because of
large-scale fraud – everyday consumers also
contribute to the loss by making dishonest claims.
(1) _____ A new lie detector telephone technology
may change that. The Layered Voice Analyzer
(LVA) measures micro tremors in the voice to
determine the emotional state of speakers.
(2) _____
A similar system, the Voice Risk Analyzer
(VRA), is already in use in the UK companies to
make savings. Highway Insurance is a UK-
based auto underwriter that uses the VRA in
their fraud detection programs. Michael
Lawrence, marketing and special projects
manager with the company, reports that only 5
per cent of claims for auto theft were thought to
be fraudulent before using the system.
(3) _____
“The analysis takes place in our first stage of
screening,” says Lawrence. The process begins
when a policyholder reports a claim to the
GLOSSARY
Stretch the truth: make something seem more important or bigger than it really is
Tremors: shaking voice that you can’t control
Emotional state: the way someone feels (e.g. worried, afraid, confident)
Suspicious: possibly dishonest or fraudulent
company’s automated telephone system. The
system informs policyholders that their calls
may be monitored for fraud-prevention and
detection purposes. If the voice analysis
readings show a claim to be suspicious, the
policyholder is informed that further
investigation is required. A live telephone
interview is then arranged. VRA readings show
the 38 percent of claims relating to theft are high
risk, and 18 per cent are eventually found to be
fraudulent.
if policyholders withdraw their claim during
the investigation process, the company will
take no action.
(4) _____ As a result of fewer claims and more
accurate identification of fraud, Highway
Insurance has saved more than 3 million.
“Before we started using this technology, we
didn’t know how much fraudulent claims cost
us, because we didn’t know which claims were
fraudulent,” explains Lawrence.
(5) _____

VOCABULARY 4
Choose the best word a-c to complete the sentences.
1. The company __________ all claims to see which ones could be fraudulent.
a. screens b. detects c. determines
 2. Calls are __________ using the Voice Risk Analyzer
a. controlled b. maintained c. monitored
3. If any calls are suspicious, the company __________ them.
a. invents b. invests c. investigates
4. the VRA system helps to __________ fraud.
a. prohibit b. prevent c. protect
5. People often _________ fraudulent claims when they hear that the company will investigate them.
a. contribute b. withdraw c. identify
6. Identifying fraudulent claims has helped the company to _________ money.
a. raise b. spend c. save

EXPRESSING ARGUMENTS
In business, as in other areas of life, we often have to make difficult decisions. The best way to decide is to look
at all the arguments for and against and to see which is the strongest argument. The following phrases are useful
for putting forward arguments and responding.
The fact is … , so …
My view is … , because …
Surely the main point is …
You have to consider …
Don’t you think … ?
Yes, but …
I understand your point, but …
On the other hand…
That’s right.
Taken from: https://www.eslbuzz.com/how-to-effectively-express-your-opinion-in-an-argument/

TAREA, TOMAR DE ESTAS FRASES PARA DE LA

TAREA TOMAR 10 ORACIONES DE LAS QUE HAY
Y AÑADIRLE NUESTRA OPINIÓN CON UNA DE
ESTAS ORACIONES A CADA UNA.
One of the most straightforward ways to introduce your personal opinion is to simply say, “I think that . . . “
However, if you want to spice up (make something more interesting) your argument, try some of these common
variations.
1. In my opinion 
In my opinion, it’s important to express your thoughts in English.
2. From my point of view 
From my point of view, English grammar is confusing.
3. As far as I’m concerned 
As far as I’m concerned, phrasal verbs are the worst thing about learning English.
4. Personally 
Personally, I think it’s interesting to listen to different English accents.
5. If you ask me 
If you ask me, my favorite way to learn English is to listen to music.
6. The way I see things 
The way I see things, memorizing long lists of vocabulary is really boring.
7. I feel like (Note: This usually expresses a weak opinion.) 
I feel like I could carry a conversation in English, but I’m not sure.
8. I take the view that (Note: this is formal and may be more appropriate for written English.) 
I take the view that learning English is important for business professionals.

Agreeing and disagreeing with someone else’s opinion

It’s important to be able to state your own opinion. However, it’s equally important to be able to respond to
others when they express their opinions. Aside from saying “I agree”, there are plenty of ways that you can
respond to somebody to show that you are in agreement with someone.
1. Exactly / Totally / Definitely.
2. Of course.
3. That’s a good point.
4. You’re absolutely right.
5. That’s so true.
6. That’s for sure.

Sometimes, you really agree with somebody’s opinion. Other times, you only agree with some of it, but not
everything. Here are some useful phrases that can express strong and weak agreement:
7. I’m with you one-hundred percent. (strong agreement)
8. I couldn’t agree with you more. (strong agreement)
9. I guess so. (weak agreement)
10. I suppose. (weak agreement)

Showing that you disagree with somebody is hard, because you don’t want to come across as (seem) rude or
argumentative. Indeed, saying “I disagree” can sometimes appear to be a bit harsh in spoken English. The next
time that you take issue (disagree) with something that somebody says, try one of these alternatives.
1. I don’t think I completely agree.
2. I’m not so sure about that.
3. I don’t think that’s the case.
4. That’s not necessarily true.

Occasionally, somebody says something so erroneous (wrong) that you can’t be polite. In these circumstances,
you can use more harsh statements of disagreement. For example, if somebody said, “I think learning English is
extremely easy”, you could say:
5. No way!
6. Absolutely not!
7. Are you kidding me?
Of course, when you disagree with someone, it’s important to follow up by explaining why. That’s a great
chance to use the vocabulary that we learned earlier for stating your opinion.
Finally, sometimes, there are people who just see things differently from the way you do. If you can’t reach an
agreement even after stating your opinion and listening to theirs, it can be best to simply stop arguing and move
on (change the topic to something else). If you want to end an argument, you can use some of these phrases:
1. Let’s just drop it.
2. I think we need to move on.
3. We’ll have to agree to disagree.

Now, you’re prepared to clearly state your opinion, as well as express agreement and disagreement. These
handy phrases will help you hold your own (do well in a difficult situation) when you find yourself in an
argument or debate. Of course, the best way to practice expressing your opinion is to actually do it! So, leave a
comment: in your opinion, what’s the hardest part about learning English?