2017-11-01
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1) a corporate event;
2) a customer;
3) a guided tour;
4) a marketing manager;
5) a reason for the event;
6) a sales manager;
7) a welcome speech;
8) anniversary;
9) annual international conference;
10) as soon as possible;
11) attend;
12) celebrate;
13) CEO;
14) confirm your attendance;
15) cut the ribbon;
16) employ;
17) entertainment programme;
18) expansion;
19) give a speech;
20) greet everyone;
21) hand smb. over to smb.;
22) headquarters;
23) invest in smth.;
24) staff;
25) take an opportunity;
26) welcome to the official opening;
27) How about 10 a.m.?
28) I think that should be possible;
29) I’d like to thank the organizers…;
30) Is the 5th March at 6 p.m. convenient;
31) It’s lovely to see…;
32) Look forward to doing something/to something;
33) Monday`s bad for me, I`m afraid;
34) That sounds fine;
35) Tuesday the 8th of July would be good for me;
36) We’re also honoured;
37) What date would be convenient for you;
38) What time would suit you;
39) Would Monday at 10.30 suit you;
40) Yes, that would be good for me.
UNIT 9
BUSINESS TRIP
PART 1
READING AND VOCABULARY
1. Look at this information from one of the websites. What kind of website is it? What similar services have you used?
Flights
Details of availability for all scheduled domestic and international flights. Calculate the cheapest fare for your preferred route. Online flight confirmation.
When to check in, type aircraft, in-flight catering and seating arrangements.
Itineraries showing check-in times, flight departure and arrival times.
Accommodation
Most hotel chains worldwide, including Hilton, Sheraton, Hyatt, Intercontinental. Corporate rates. Availability and online reservations.
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Travel services
Car hire, ferry crossings, rail tickets.
Travel advice
Tips for safe and healthy travel. Also passport and visa requirements.
Travel documents
All tickets are sent by special delivery. Guaranteed to arrive within 24 hours of booking.
Payment
Account application form available online. Alternatively, payments can be made by all major credit/ debit cards.
2. Match an underlined word from the text with each definition.
| 1. hire | Paying to use for a short time |
| 2. | The things you need |
| 3. | Price of travel |
| 4. | Fixed or special prices |
| 5. | Food and drink |
| 6. | A type of boat/ ship |
| 7. | Inside one country, not international |
| 8. | A group, usually owned by the same company |
| 9. | Reservation |
| 10. | Go to the desk and say you have arrived |
| 11. | Which leave at a regular time every day or every week |
| 12. | Plan of a journey |
3. Complete these sentences with a word from 2.
1) For intercontinental flights, you need to ______ at least two hours before take-off.
2) I think the quality of _____ on planes has improved a lot since I started travelling. I never used to eat anything.
3) The hotel offers a reduced _____ at the weekend.
4) The bridge is closed so you will have to take the _____ across the river.
5) The best way to see the island is to _____ a mountain bike for the day.
6) The cheapest form of _____ travel is usually the bus.
7) It was very full _____. I visited six offices in two days.
8) Our travel services should satisfy all your _____.
9) The thing about hotel _____ is that all of the hotels look the same.
10) I`m afraid there are no flights _____ to leave today.
11) There is 5% discount if you make your _____ online.
12) Children have to pay full _____ on buses when they are over sixteen.
4. Think about the last trip you took (business or pleasure). How did you organize it? How did you travel? Where did you stay? Use as many words as you can from 1, 2 and 3.
PART 2
SPEAKING
1. Answer these questions individually. Then compare answers with a partner.
1) How often do you travel by air, rail, underground, road and sea?
2) What do you enjoy about travelling? What don’t you enjoy?
3) Which is the best/worst airline you have flown? Why?
2. Which of these things irritate you the most when flying?
| Diversions Sitting next to someone who talks non-stop Cancellations Dirty toilets | Jet lag Bad weather Strikes Not enough room Lost or delayed luggage | Long queues at check-in Bad food Sitting next to children No trolleys available Overbooking |
3. Read this fact sheet about Beijing. Can you guess any of the missing information?
Information for travelers:
BEIJING
Population
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Approximately _________ people.
Language
The official language is ______. Very few people speak English.
Business hours
Stores usually open at 10.00 and close at ______. A lot of small shops and government offices close at lunch-time between 11.30 and 13.30.
Climate
Springs and autumns are very pleasant. Summers are ________ and winters are cold. __________ a lot in July and August.
Tipping
Tipping is unusual, but in some hotels you need to give a small tip to _______. Just ten yuan is enough.
Water
Only drink _________. Don’t drink __________.
4. What questions could you ask to find out the missing information?
Example What`s the population of Beijing?
5. Work with a partner. Ask and answer questions and complete the fact sheet. Here`s the missing information – but be careful, it`s in the wrong order.
Very hot
11 million
Mandarin
21.00
It rains
The porters
Water from the tap
Bottled water
6. If you were travelling to Beijing, what other information would you like to know? Think of more questions to ask.
7. Complete these sentences about doing business in Beijing. Use shouldn’t or don’t need to.
1) You _____ speak any Mandarin if you have an interpreter. They will translate for you.
2) You _____ be late for meetings. It`s very rude.
3) You _____ give business cards with just one hand. Two hands is more polite.
4) You _____ tip taxi drivers because they are not expecting it.
5) You _____ drink the tap water in case it makes you ill.
6) You can tip hotel porters if you like, but you _____ tip much. Just ten yuan will do.
Now make up 6 similar sentences about doing business in your country.
8. Work with a partner.
One person is the visitor of your town or city on business and the other is the host or hostess. The visitors will ask any local information they need. The hosts will answer the visitors` questions. You can use the ideas below or think of other topics.
| The population The language The weather The food Tipping | The currency Business hours Business meetings The water Crime |
PART 3
WRITING
A LETTER OF COMPLAINT
1. Read the letter. What kind of problems were there?
| The Manager The Grand Hotel York Rd Harrogate HG4 9SP Dear Sir/ Madam, | |
| Paragraph 1 à Background to the complaint | My husband and I have just returned from a weekend at your hotel. We had been looking forward to a peaceful break in luxurious surroundings, as promised in your brochure, and recommended by friends. Unfortunately, the weekend did not live up to our expectations. |
| Paragraph 2 à Main complaint/ details | Our main complaint is that, despite having booked several months in advance, when we arrived we were told that the main hotel was full with conference delegates and we were put in an annex behind the hotel. To begin with, the room we were given was extremely cold. The noise if traffic kept us awake most of the night because the annex is right beside the main road. In addition, the bed was uncomfortable because the mattress was old and lumpy. Finally, to add insult to injury, the bathroom had not been cleaned. |
| Paragraph 3 à Level of disappointment | Clearly the accommodation in this part of the hotel is not up to the high standard of the main building. We had paid in advance, however, we wouldn’t have proceeded with the booking if we had known that a room in the main hotel wouldn’t be available. We are particularly disappointed since the weekend was a special occasion for us, to celebrate my husband`s birthday. We are extremely annoyed that, apparently, large parties take priority over individual guests regardless of when bookings are received. |
| Paragraph 4 à Request for compensation | Despite our dissatisfaction with the room, we have no complaint with the lovely food, or high standard of service from the staff. We are sure that you would wish us and our friends to use the hotel again. We trust therefore that you will take this matter seriously, and look forward to hearing from you by return with an appropriate offer of compensation. |
| Yours faithfully, Mrs. M.S. Bayes |
2. Write a letter of complaint about a product or service you are dissatisfied with.
Remember to:
- Use formal language: we wouldn’t have proceeded, we trust that…
- Give specific examples: the main hotel was full; the room was cold
- Order your points logically: to begin with, in addition, finally
- Don’t be aggressive. Use passive forms to suggest group rather than personal blame: we were told, we were put …
- Mention the good things: lovely food, high standard of service
- Indicate that you expect a positive response: we trust that…; we look forward to …
- Indicate that you could be persuaded to forgive: we are sure that you would wish us to return
