Test Paper II Name Sajin Stefan Group MK2002

1. Read the article and decide if the statements are true or false.
1. You can’t be successful in business and have a good work–life balance. -True
2. Commitment is the only quality needed to become an effective leader. -False
3. To be successful in business you may need to work longer hours. -True
4. It’s more important to set work–life priorities when you are young. - False
5. There’s no point aiming for a work–life balance when you have a family. - False
2. Now complete the gaps (1–5) in the last two paragraphs with the sentences (a–e).
1. There is no point in pretending we can have it all.
2. It’s just that it has its price.
3. I’m sure we all know people who wouldn’t dream of missing the meeting.
4. You can work more intelligently, and delegate as much as you like.
5. However, unless they win the lottery, they will have less money in the bank!

Be a leader in business – with a life! By Michael Skapinker

It is not possible to achieve a balance between work and life if you want to do well in business.
To reduce only your workload will fail because in real life success in work depends on achieving targets.
In a competitive business environment, leadership takes different qualities and skills – including
commitment, passion, and of course a lot of time. A work–life balance is not just about people wanting
to leave the office at a reasonable time – they know that they have to compete against those who are
prepared to work until the early hours, on the other side of the world. Take Pavan Vishnakarma, a
freelance software developer who lives in Bhopal, for instance. He advertises himself as being available
for work at any time. The answer is surely to look for balance across our whole lives, rather than at any
particular time. Life is about deciding what is important to you – and sometimes making hard decisions.
There are periods when we want to devote ourselves to work and others when the family is more
important.
It’s not that a work–life balance isn’t worth having. It certainly is. It’s just that it has its price.
This is that you are not going to rise as high in the organisation or be as rich as those business leaders
who have no interest in a work–life balance. You can work more intelligently, and delegate as much as
you like. However, if you are the sort of person who, faced with a choice between a school play and a
crucial meeting, chooses the play, you will fall behind. I’m sure we all know people who wouldn’t
dream of missing the meeting.
Show me a successful Chief Executive and I will show you someone who barely sees his/her children.
There is no point in pretending we can have it all. We can’t. Those who spend more time with their
family and friends will be richer in the ways that really matter However, unless they win the lottery,
they will have less money in the bank! From the Financial Times

3. Complete the gaps in the sentences using the words from the box.
lea goalposts expectations field computer presence horse leadership
1. We’re not making any progress. It’s like flogging a dead horse.
2. My boss keeps moving the goalposts. I have never had any idea what I’m supposed to be doing.
3. It’s essential that we establish a presence in the Latvian market before our rivals do.
4. Well done! Sales this month exceeded all expectations.
5. DTP is doing well, but the company no longer leads the field.
6. I travel twice a month in my job so it’s really useful to have this computer.
7. Last year we overtook our competitors to become market leader. Now we have regained the
leadership.
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 4. Complete the sentences with the correct alternatives.
1. My boss is really motivating and so passionate about his job.
2.Things are going badly and we’ve had a lot of setbacks.
3. I give up. Let’s go back to the drawing board.
4. It’s a concept that we have never seen before – in fact it’s groundbreaking.
5. This low-fat product’s advertised as being beneficial for your health.

5. Complete the gaps using the adjective form of the noun in brackets. Some may be negative.
1. He cannot choose which supplier to use. He is so indecisive.
2. She really can’t wait to do a skydive. She’s so adventurous.
3. My boss never stops to think before opening her mouth. She can be so thoughtless.
4. I can’t seem to do anything right. It’s just so demotivating.
5. You have to wear smart clothes where I work. It’s a very formal working environment.
6. She is always rushing around doing things with such enthusiasm. I’ve never seen someone so
energetic.
7. If you want to succeed in business then you must be prepared to take risks and be opportunistic.

6. You are a buyer for a department store’s toy department and have just seen the advert below in a
local newspaper. Write an e-mail (40 to 50 words) to the distributor. Remember to include the
following information:
• state which products you are interested in
• request more information about the products
• ask about prices

Looking for high-quality toys and games?

We We are distributing three new ranges of hand-made German products:
• s soft toys for 0–3 year olds
• w wooden toys for children aged 3–6
• b card games for children aged 7–11
For For more information, e-mail jack.denton@abc.com

Subject: The interest of buying from you

Dear Mr. Dentos,

I am writing because my attention got caught by your toy advertising in the newspaper.
I am interested in wooden toys for children aged 3-6, for example, small figurines. However, I would
like to inquire some questions about them:
First of all, what quality standards do they have? I am especially interested in ISO8124.
Additionally, I would like to know what firm do you distribute from, and if they are aware of
environmental protection, considering that they produce wooden toys.
Last but not least I would like to see a price list to be able to make an idea.

Thank you for your attention. Looking forward to working together.

Sincerely,
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Sajin Stefan,
Representative of toy’s department.

7. Comment on the following quotation in 150-200 words: Competition makes us faster,

Collaboration makes us better.

We live in a world that is constantly in a process of development. Every single person, it doesn’t
really matter from what background it comes, strives to shine, to show off, to be acknowledged for
its qualities and competencies.
We are almost eight billion people in the world already, way too many for a sustainable
lifestyle. With this in mind, there is the situation in which we are supposed to compete with each
other for various things like water, food, private domain, and of course, jobs. This phenomenon
leads to the case when an individual tries to improve to avoid the feeling of being obsolete or left
behind, which in the end results in making the individual a lot faster.
Let’s take a group of classmates, for example, they are all competing for the best grade or even
for the best answer, so in order to get it, they are forced to think faster and more efficiently,
perfecting their abilities in terms of quickness.
However, there is another point to make. Although competition is generally a good thing
because it makes us faster, it is not always the best thing in terms of efficacy and effectiveness. Here
comes another important phenomenon, which is collaboration. Basically, it is impossible nowadays
to achieve something really successful without collaborating with another person. This is the main
reason why companies always ask for talkative people, ready to work in a team. Even collaboration
between rival companies is necessary in order to achieve an innovative and life-changing result.
To sum up, competition and collaboration are two very important elements for the evolution and
development of our civilization and they always need to be seen as a whole, with a perfect balance
between them.