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I Reading comprehension

A. Red the following test.

How has technology changed the way we


conduct business?
Technology affects almost every aspect of our lives. Just look around you and youll see how
wired we are. Thanks to the Internet, virtually anything you desire can be delivered to your door in a
matter of days. Personal information is more accessible over the Internet as well. You can even trade
stocks or file taxes online. Parents dont need to lose sleep waiting for their teenage daughter to
come home they can just call her cell phone, or send an SMS, to check up.
But as much as our personal lives have changed, the business world has revolutionized almost
beyond recognition in the past few decades. Technology and we mean the advances in
communication and information technology has changed the face and the pace of business.
As communication and information travels faster and faster, the world seems smaller and
smaller, and this has large implications on the way we conduct business. Storing important
information in files on a computer rather than in drawers, for instance, has made information
accessible. Using e-mail allows businesses to communicate and send these files quickly to remote
locations outside of an office.
Many argue technology has blurred the line between professional and private lives. Wireless
Internet, cell phones and BlackBerries have made it easy to work from home or for that matter,
from the beach. The fact that its easy to work from the beach compels people to do so. On the flip
side, people also feel compelled to use Internet access at work for personal reasons. In this way,
technology allows workaholics to work and slackers to slack.
So, exactly how has technology changed the way we do business? In countless ways

Source: http://money.howstuffworks.com/technology-changed-business.htm

B. Look at the highlighted words in the text. What do they mean in this context? Choose the correct
option.

____ 1. wired a. transformed b. connected c. changed


____ 2. desire a. see b. buy c. wish
____ 3. pace a. speed b. world c. role
____ 4. implications a. advantages b. feedback c. consequences
____ 5. blurred a. accepted b. made less clear c. transformed

C. Are the sentences true (T) or false (F) according to the text? Quote from the text to justify your
options.

_____ 1. Due to the Internet we can buy everything we want.


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_____ 2. The items we buy online take a long time to arrive at our homes.
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_____ 3. Its not easy for parents to stay in touch with their children.
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_____ 4. Thanks to technology keeping information accessible has become easy.
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_____ 5. Technology made it hard for people to work outside an office.
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D. Answer these questions about the text.


1. What are the advantages of using e-mail in the business world?
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2. Why is it easy to work from home?


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II - Vocabulary

A. Complete the following text with the words given in the box.
baggage / cah / multinational / jet lag / local / home / rest / posible / traveller / different

Travelling on business: some tips

I am Peter Daniels and I represent a large __________________ corporation, so I travel a lot on business.
I always pack lightly. I usually take one check-in and one carry-on ___________________________. As a
business ___________________________, I am constantly on the move so I dont need to worry about
taking heavy bags everywhere I go. I just take the essentials and leave the rest at __________________.
Its also important not to carry a lot of _________________________. We should take most of our
money in travellers cheques. Credit cards can also be used almost anywhere. Besides, for me what is
really necessary is to get plenty of ______________________ before and after a flight, because when I
am travelling from London to Beijing, for example, I dont want to suffer from ______________________
Finally, we, business travelers, need to remember that when we are in a __________________________
country we have to learn as much as _________________________ about the country we are travelling
to, and follow the ____________________________ customs.

B. When you want to book a room you can do it writing an e-mail. Complete the following e-mail
with the words given in the box.

indication / suitable hotel / faithfully / would like to book / possible / shower / including half-board

To: sunshinehotel@info.mail.com

Subject: Booking a room

Dear Sir /Madam,


I __________________________ a single room for the first week of September. I need an air-
conditioned room with _______________________. I should be grateful if you would confirm my
booking as soon as ____________________.
Please give me an ____________________ of rates per night ____________________.
Should you have no vacancies please could you give me the address of a ______________________
in your area?

Thank you.
Yours_______________________.

Jonathan Powell

C. Now complete the reply to the previous e-mail.

prices / Thank you for / welcoming / choosing / have the pleasure / enclose
To: jpowell@gmail.com

Subject: Booking a room

Dear Mr. Powell,


_______________________ your e-mail.
We ________________________ to confirm availability of the accommodation you describe for the
first week of September. We ____________________________ a short description of how to reach
our hotel and of __________________________ as well.
We look forward to __________________________ you in our Hotel.
Thanks for ______________________ SunShine Hotel.

Yours sincerely,

Janet Marks
Reservations Manager

III - Grammar

A. Establish the right connection between words to build up compound nouns.

1. credit a. place

2. check b. desk

3. work c. card

4. information d. board

5. key e. in

B. Fill in the gaps with the prepositions given.


1. When I go on holiday I like to look ___________________ instead of just relaxing by the pool.

2. Do you get nervous when the plane takes _________________?

3. Whenever I go on holiday I dont want to come ___________________ home.

4. How long have you been waiting _________________ me? Im so sorry.

5. At first I didnt like the hotel. But it turned ___________________ that I enjoyed the stay.
off / out / for / around / back

C. Choose the correct verb to fill in the gaps.


1. Try _________________ punctual next time.
2. Dont forget _______________________ those documents.

3. I would like ____________________ my meal, please.

4. John refused _____________________ by plane. Hes afraid.

5. She decided _______________________ a new IT course at school.

to order / to be / to attend / to travel / to print

IV Writing

Would you like to work from your home? Why? What are the (dis)advantages?
Write about the topic 100 words.
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Good work!

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