Reading Test – 1

PART ONE (Questions 1-5)

 Look at questions 1- 5
 In each question, which sentence is correct
 For each question, mark one letter (A, B or C) on your answer sheet.

Part One (Questions 1-5)

 Look at questions 1-5.

 In each question, which sentence is correct?
 For each question, mark one letter (A, B or C) on your Answer Sheet.

1.
Goods will be despatched to you on receipt of payment in full.

A) You must pay the whole amount before goods are sent.
B) You needn’t pay in full until your goods arrive.
C) Your goods will be sent when you have paid a deposit.

2.
Amazing New Products
A) Worldwide distributors looking to expand are needed for hi-tech products.
Manufacturer needs UK and overseas distributors for hi-tech products
with huge sales potential worldwide.

Generous commission rates.

 B) Distribution company requires new hi-tech products to meet customer demand.

C) Established distribution company for hi-tech products offers generous commission to sales staff.

3.

Creasey’s Office Support

A broad range of small business services provided by a workforce with

combined experience of over 45 years.

Tel: 01358 782323

A) Creasey’s, a small company, wishes to become partners with a more experienced

organisation.
B) Creasey’s is combining with other small businesses to provide a variety of office services.
C) Creasey’s offers the services of its skilled personnel to small companies.

4.
Maria,

Enclosed is the schedule for this year’s training days. If you can’t manage
any of them, contact John.

What should Maria do?

A) Notify John of the training days she might miss.
B) Inform John about the schedule for his training days.
C) Ask John how to arrange her training schedule.

5.
DFN Motors to extend its Michigan assembly plant next year
– 600 new jobs

Recruitment and training to start January

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A) A car company is increasing the capacity of its factory in Michigan.

B) The staff at a car factory in Michigan will increase to 600 people.
C) A car factory in Michigan is training recruits to start work in January.

PART TWO (Question 6-10)

  Look at the list below. It shows articles in a business journal.
 For questions 6-10, decide which article (A-H) each person should read.
 For each question, mark one letter (A-H) on your Answer sheet.
 Do not use any letter more than once.

CONTENTS
A) Bank charges on currency exchange: are you getting
the best deal?
B) Career ladder: executive employment opportunities.
C) Branding : re-inventing your product
D) Setting up staff retirement schemes
E) Which policy can best protect your premises against
damage or theft?
F) Getting out of the re: reducing overheads
G) Transport issues- how they affect your business
H) Exporting your brand – how to achieve this.

6. Mesut Akman runs a successful cycle manufacturing business and wants to sell some
established product lines to overseas markets. H
7. Lena Feldt needs to pay off debts and cut costs at the executive employment agency where
she is a senior manager. F
8. Janice Carter, PA to the Chief Executive at Central Bank, is looking for an Insurance deal to
cover company property. E
9. Michael Kaminski wants to organise pensions for part-time employees in the advertising
company where he is Head of Human Resources. D

10. Nicolas Perez, owner of an insurance company, wants to change his company’s image to

attract more customers in the domestic market. C

PART THREE (Questions 11 – 15)

 Look at the chart below. It shows a manufacturing company’s expenditure on recruitment

and training, and its production levels over a ten-year period.
 Which year does each sentence (11 – 15) describe?
 For each sentence, mark one letter (A-H) on your Answer Sheet.
 Do not use any letter more than once.
 10. A drop in expenditure on both recruitment and training resulted in a decline in the number
of units produced. C
11. Production dropped sharply this year even though the training budget saw an increase on
the previous year. H
12. Despite the fact that spending on recruitment and training increased only slightly, output
experienced a significant upturn. D
13. Fewer units were produced than the previous year, even though levels of recruitment
spending were maintained, and the training budget was only slightly cut. A
14. In this year the amount spent on training went up again, and production rose more steeply
than at any other time during the period. G

PART FOUR (Questions 16-22)

 Read the report below about a talk on Customer Relationship Marketing (CRM)
 Are sentences 16-22 on the opposite page ‘Right’ or ‘Wrong’? If there is not enough
information to answer ‘Right’ or ‘Wrong’, choose ‘Doesn’t Say’.
 For each sentence 16-22, mark one letter (A,B or C) on your Answer Sheet.

CRM – Marketing in the 21st century

With over 1,000 published newspaper articles, three successful books and his current job as
chairman of his own marketing consultancy, Swan Partners, Richard Swan is well qualified to
lecture on marketing. At the industry’s recent annual conference, he focused his talk on
Customer Relationship Marketing (CRM).

According to Swan, existing customers are between three and eight times more likely to buy
than a non-customers with the same profile, so increasing customer loyalty is important: If you
record the measurements of someone’s jeans, next time you can offer them a pair that fit
exactly; note which hotel guests ask for ice in their drinks and produce it next time they visit.
Although it is essential for effective CRM to record customer information on a good computer
database, the real skill is in interpreting what your customers tell you and knowing what
promises they think you have made.

Swan believes that success requires an equal mix of market research, delivering what the
customer expects, finding any weak areas in the system and asking customers for their after
sales opinions and suggestions. ‘But’, he warns, ‘approach CRM with care. If you can’t measure
customer response, then it’s better to keep to more traditional marketing methods’.

16. In addition to being an author, Richard Swan is actively involved in the business world.

A) Right B) Wrong C) Doesn’t say

17. Swan Partners are the market leaders in delivering CRM.

A) Right B) Wrong C) Doesn’t say

18. One aspect of Swan’s talk was to explain the advantages of developing a solid customer

base.

A) Right B) Wrong C) Doesn’t say

19. Swan believes the CRM approach is best suited to service industries.

A) Right B) Wrong C) Doesn’t say

20. Having the right technology is the most important component of successful CRM.

A) Right B) Wrong C) Doesn’t say

21. In Swan’s opinion, achieving company growth depends on a combination of several factors.

A) Right B) Wrong C) Doesn’t say

22. Swan thinks all companies should move from old-fashioned marketing to CRM.

A) Right B) Wrong C) Doesn’t say

PART FIVE (Questions 23 – 28)

 Read the article below about the qualities of a good boss.

 For each question 23 – 28 on the opposite page, choose the correct answer
 Mark one letter (A,B or C) on your Answer Sheet.

What makes a good boss better?

Different businesses require different management skills. But some of these skills are common
to all good managers. Everyone’s opinion of what makes a good boss differs. Each work
environment places different demands on managers and a good boss in one workplace might
not be as effective elsewhere.

In large companies, where delegation and organisation are important, the role of the boss or
chief executive is to encourage and generally get the best out of his or her managers. In a small
business, however, the boss’s job is to ensure, without the help of any middle management, that
staff at all levels meet targets. This requires a different set of skills.

‘Being a good manager is important in any organisation, but it’s particularly so in small
businesses’, says David Harvey, director of management research company Optima. ‘This is
because in a small company the director shapes the company culture and the overall
atmosphere in the workplace. Without effective leadership the company will fail, regardless of
the strengths or weaknesses of the competition’.

The most successful small businesses are those where the boss can get the employees to take an
active role in the development of the organisation. It isn’t just about paying staff more. A sense
of purpose is also important. This doesn’t have to take the form of ambitious mission statements
which are so popular with some management schools. Instead, it’s about communicating a set of
business priorities that everyone in the organisation feels is important and that they want to
achieve. If you take a holiday company, this sense of purpose can be about focusing on first class
customer service so that all holidaymakers feel well looked after on arrival in a resort.

A good boss cares about the development of staff and recognises that the company will also gain
if staffs are encouraged to achieve their potential and succeed in their careers. People
development depends on appropriate training and providing the right environment in which
people can learn, either formally or on the job.

It is possible to acquire leadership skills. While some people have an instinctive understanding of
what makes a good manager, others can learn as they go along.

23. What does the writer say about good managers in the first paragraph?

A) They would succeed in all types of organisation.

B) They share certain qualities with one another.
C) They learn their skills in a good working environment.

24. What does the writer say the CEO of a large company must do?

A) Encourage staff at all levels

 B) Set higher performance targets
C) Motivate managers to achieve what they can.
25. Why does David Harvey believe directors are important in small companies?

A) They are responsible for staying ahead of competitors.

B) No one else takes part in the decision-making.
C) Their style directly affects all the staff.
26. According to the writer, what can a boss do to promote success in a small company?

A) Give staff the opportunity to earn a good salary

B) Make sure staffs share the same aims.
C) Follow the advice of management schools.

27. Why does the writer mention the holiday company?

A) To suggest a different approach to motivating staff

B) To show the importance of providing good service to customers
C) To give an example of some possible business values in practice.

28. According to the writer, why is staff development important for a company?

A) Staff work better if their individual careers are supported.

B) Staff need to keep up to date with developments in the industry.
C) Staff with problems can be helped to deal with them.

PART SIX (Questions 29 – 40)

 Read the report below about the growth of low-cost airlines

 Choose the correct word to fill each gap, from A, B or C.
 For each question 29 – 40, mark one letter (A, B or C) on your Answer Sheet.

LOW – COST AIR TRAVEL

For most organisations, it is very important to reduce travel costs. That is (29)……… more and
more companies are booking flights with low-cost airlines; in fact, this (30)……… of the market
has grown dramatically in recent years.

Low – cost airlines offer tickets at well below the prices (31)…….. by ordinary airlines but (32)…….
Still meet the same safety standards and regulations. Operating costs are reduced in a number
of (33)…… . Firstly, customers book directly with the airline, either on the internet or (34)…… the
telephone. Low – cost airlines do not, (35)……., have to pay commission to travel agents. Further
savings are (36)…… as passengers do not normally receive postal confirmation of their booking
(37)….. ask for it, which some do in order to carry proof (38)…… booking. Finally, low – cost
airlines do not usually offer (39)……. In-fight services.

(40)……. Low – cost airlines may soon become normal practice in the business world.

29 A what B when C why

30 A branch B sector C department
 31 A Charged B cost C paid
32 A must B shall C ought
33 A methods B ways C approaches
34 A through B along C over
35 A however B indeed C therefore
36 A made B had C done
37 A if B unless C as
38 A at B for C of
39 A much B many C more
40 A choose B choosing C chosen

PART SEVEN (Question 41 – 45)

 Read the memos below.

 Complete the conference booking form.
 Write a word or phrase (in CAPITAL LETTERS) or a number on lines 41 – 45 on your
Answer Sheet.

HARRIS & GALWAY LTD

To: Tony Moss

From: Olivia Granger
Date: 10 May
Subject: Conference booking

Please let me have details of the conference you’re organising as I need to book a venue asap.
Last year the event was held in the Red Room at the Grand Hotel. Are you planning to use the
same hotel again? If not, you could try the Regal Hotel. The food is excellent and rooms are
available between 3 -9 August. Are you invoicing the Marketing Department for this?

HARRIS & GALWAY LTD

MEMO

To: Olivia Granger, Marketing

From: Dan Ottoman, Sales
Date: 11 May
Subject: Conference booking

Tony is not in the department this week and he has asked me to tell you that the dates have
changed from 3 – 5 August to 7 -9 August. He’s not planning to use the Grand – the hot meals
and the service there were terrible. He is going to use your suggestion – he’s heard it’s a good
hotel. He’d like to book a buffet lunch. Our department is paying for the event this year.
 HARRIS & GALWAY LTD

CONFERENCE BOOKING FORM

Conference organiser (full name): 41 Mr. Tony Moss

Venue requested : 42 Regal Hotel

Date(s) required : 43 7-9 August

Catering requirements : 44 buffet

Department to invoice : 45 Sales department