Listing

Unit 10 - Vocabulary

Listening 1+2

Controlling meetings

 S - Good morning everyone and welcome. The reason for today's meeting is that our trainees
are about to start here and as usual we have to ll the two hours of training they have scheduled
every week apart from the projects that they will work on. So please give me your best
suggestions. The main objective for these occasions is to improve the trainees’ knowledge of
nance and English. I should also say that aren’t able to spend too much money, so your
alternatives should be inexpensive. Let’s get started, Peter what do you have?

P - Yes, I would like to arrange a tour of the stock exchange and the central bank in London. The
tour would cost £150, and transport to the capital would be £40 per person by train, or £260 to
hire a minibus and driver for the day. So, if we choose the second option, I would like to add an
evening’s entertainment. Do you have any suggestions?

E - Yes, I think entertainment is important. I am going to suggest watching a lm, but more on that
later. Hmm, maybe a musical? I mean, going to a musical in London is a great experience. Like
The Lion King or Book of Mormon?

P - That's a great suggestion!

K - Film? Musical? Entertainment? That is not training nor serious activities that a Bank should
organize for trainees. I really do not think that it is acceptable at all. Sara, please say you agree?

S - I don’t know if I do. The trainees should have some enjoyable memories from their time here
as well, besides those from working.

E - And the training is to improve the trainees’ knowledge in English as well as nance. I think
these kinds of activities are excellent ways to do so.

P - I agree!

K - I don’t.

S - However, it just di ers £20 if Peter and the six trainees go by train rather than minibus. So that
amount won’t be enough for all of you going to a musical, which is really expensive. Therefore, it
is o the table. Eric, please tell us about the lms.

E - Yes, I think the trainees would appreciate something relaxing after a hard day’s work, and
hiring a DVD is a pretty cheap solution to this. I am thinking that the lm could be about nance,
like Wall Street or Rogue Trader, or do you have any ideas?

S - Good idea! I think Margin Call is great, it is about the nancial crisis in 2008. A great topic that
provides a good basis…

K - I still do not think this is a good activity. Plus,

S - Please do not interrupt me, Karen. I was about to say that the lm’s topic provides a good
basis for an interesting discussion between the trainees. Okay, Karen?

K - I think that it can give the trainees a false perception of what it is like to work at a bank.

P - They work on projects at the bank most of the time, I think they can keep the two apart.

K - I think that the bank should continue to provide what it has done for years, a series of seven
90-minute seminars on nance and banking by an expert. But instead of Friday afternoons, when
the trainees nd it hard to concentrate, I want to schedule them at 8.00 or 8.30 on Monday
mornings.

S - Absolutely, that is a good suggestion. How much does it cost?

K - £80 per session, so a total of £560.

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P - Sounds expensive, I don’t think it is worth that.

S - I agree, We can’t pay that much money. Let’s compromise. Peter, you can go through with
your tour but do not get any entertainment. Karen, I can accept 4 seminars. Eric, as your
suggestion was so cheap, you can hire all three lms mentioned. Is that okay?

E - Absolutely.

P - Yes, I can accept that.

K - Fine…

S - So, we have reached a consensus?

Everyone - Yes! fi