Exercise 1

QUESTIONS: (Choose the best response for each one)

1. Oil prices have risen to __________________________ record levels in the past three years. NO ARTICLE the a 2. Q: Is he a clerk? A: No, he's __________________________ manager. (There's only one manager) the a NO ARTICLE 3. Q: Is he a clerk? A: No, he's __________________________ manager. (There's more than one manager) the NO ARTICLE a 4. Many of __________________________ programmers that started last year have quit. a the NO ARTICLE 5. Many _________________ programmers that started last year have quit. the a NO ARTICLE 6. We hope to make _________________ big advances during the early stages of this project. NO ARTICLE the a

7. Take a look at this report. _________________ findings are really surprising. The A NO ARTICLE 8. Q: What are you working on? A: I'm trying to finish __________________________ presentation that I told you about this morning. a NO ARTICLE the 9. Q: What are you working on? A: I'm working on __________________________ presentation for today's meeting. (The person asking the question doesn't know about this presentation) the a NO ARTICLE 10. This is _________________________ very challenging task. the a NO ARTICLE
Exercise 2

Complete each of the following sentences with the correct phrasal verb on the right.: keep tabs on push for fall behind run out lay off force down cap off mark up let on wipe out 1. Ford plans to 1,000 workers this year. ( = 1,000 workers will lose their jobs) ( = complete) the year with a profitable quarter.

2. The company managed to

3. If they don't invest in their infrastructure, they will their competitors. 4. The statute of limitations will 5. Rumor has it that the CEO is going to of the company. 6. This will most likely lead them to 7. They did. 8. The attempt to

( = start to perform worse than)

( = expire, end) next month. ( = ask for, request) a return to the core values

( = increase) their prices next year.

( = pretended) that their customers had better credit ratings than they actually

( = lower) interest rates failed. ( = eliminate) the national

9. Most analysts believe that the President's plan will not debt like he claims it will.

10. If we don't expenditures ( = observe expenditures carefully), we will go bankrupt. (* not technically a phrasal verb, more of an idiom)
Exercise 3

QUESTIONS: Fill in the blank with the correct response:

1. We have to keep __________________________ with our competitors. = We have to be as successful as our competitors. up on at 2. That factory __________________________ ( = produces) 10,000 milk cartons every day. brings in turns out out

3. That branch __________________________ ( = makes, earns) a lot of money. brings in factors in takes up 4. You forgot to __________________________ in employee benefits. = You forgot to include employee benefits in your calculation. bring factor lead 5. I'll look __________________________ it. = I'll investigate it. around in into 6. We'll have to do __________________________ with ( = eliminate) some of these provisions. up over away 7. Robert _________________ as CEO ( = replaced the previous CEO) back in 2008. took over looked up went around 8. I'd like to point _________________ ( = mention/remind everyone) that this has always worked in the past. up out in 9. Robert brought __________________________ ( = raised) a very interesting point. around in up

10. We can't just __________________________. ( = admit defeat and stop trying) give up get up get around
Exercise 4

QUESTIONS: (Choose the best response for each one)

1. We currently spend about $10 million a year __________________________ advertising. B or C in on 2. We have worked on dozens __________________________ similar projects. of off NO PREPOSITION 3. Our sales have been down ever __________________________ the bad news came out last year. from out since 4. We've been __________________________ this before = We've experienced this before around through in 5. Let me start _________________ welcoming you to the conference. for A or C by

6. You should really start _______________________ that project = You should really begin working on that project on at in 7. Which category would this fall _______________________ ? under on over 8. __________________________ the past year, our profits have tripled. During Over A or B 9. We have to deal with the problem __________________________ hand. ( = the problem that we are facing) in at on 10. The partners from New York will be _________________________ hand for ( = present at) the meeting. in on at
Exercise 5

QUESTIONS: Fill in each blank with the best response

1. Over that past three years, I __________________________ in a number of interesting projects. have been involved

A or C was involved 2. Right now I __________________________ in any project. am not being involved A or C am not involved 3. PERSON 1: Do you have time to talk? PERSON 2: Not really, I __________________________ pretty busy right now. am being am have been 4. I __________________________ to a trade fair until I went to the one in Las Vegas last month. had never been was never have never been 5. They were one of our biggest competitors, but they __________________________ bankrupt last year. went have gone had gone 6. Recent efforts _________________ our company's profile have been successful. boost to have boosted to boost 7. John's company _________________ one of the biggest electronics retailers in the country. is are A or B 8. I __________________________ the approval of three committee members before Bob

signed off on the project. had already gotten did already get have already gotten 9. The recent survey shows that our consumer base __________________________. grows is growing A or B 10. PERSON 1: How's the new guy doing? PERSON 2: Right now he's just __________________________ to get familiar with our process. try tried trying
Exercise 6

Writing a CV 1: 'CV' stands for 'curriculum vitae' - a Latin expression meaning _____ _____ . current life hard life living story life story 2: Your CV should be ______ and ______ - only put in information which you think is important for the job. concise / relentless consize / relevant concise / relevant coincide / reverend 3: A good CV should have a clear ______ and lots of ______ space. white / layout outline / black layout / white

outlay / white 4: A good CV should include as much information as possible: true or false? False: you should select information carefully. False: you should include as little information as possible. True. Neither true nor false. 5: The most important features are that your CV is _____ to read and looks good. simple light easy effortless 6: A good CV won't guarantee a good job, but it could help you get ______. a discussion an interview a panel a board
Exercise 7

Select the correct words in the boxes so that this covering letter is in good English.

Dear Mr. Saleh, I am writing to (apply, ask, request) for the position of Editorial Assistant which was (shown, advertised, presented) in the latest edition of Gulf News. I am currently (worked, employed, used) by a Market Research company as a research assistant, but am keen to (want, pursue, take) a career in publishing, because I enjoy reading and write my own poetry. As you will notice on the (included, mentioned, attached) CV, I graduated in European Literature. At the university, I gained considerable (experiment, expression, experience) working on the student magazine, so I am (familiarised, familier, familiar) with editing techniques. I work well under (anxiety, demands, pressure) and enjoy working in a team. In addition, I speak English (excellently, fluently, strongly).

I would be (available, around, accessible) for interview from next week. Meanwhile, please do not (hesitate, wait, stop) to contact me if you require further information. I look forward to hearing from you. Yours sincerely, Margaret Roan

Exercise 8 STEP 1 - Read the following article:

North Dakota has passed Alaska to become the second-leading oil-producing state in the nation, trailing only Texas, state officials said Tuesday. North Dakota oil drillers pumped 17.8 million barrels in March, with a daily average of 575,490 barrels, Assistant State Mineral Resources Director Bruce Hicks said. That compares with 17.5 million barrels in Alaska, though still far behind Texas. The state's oil patch is drilling at record levels and shows little sign of slowing down. The 152.9 million barrels of crude oil produced in 2011 set a record, surpassing the previous year's mark by nearly 40 million barrels, according to the state Industrial Commission. The number of wells in the state jumped from 6,726 in February to a record 6,921 in March, Hicks said. North Dakota owes its rapid rise from No. 9 in just six years to improved horizontal drilling techniques in the rich Bakken shale and Three Forks formations in the western part of the state. "No. 2, who would have thought?" said Ron Ness, president of the North Dakota Petroleum Council, which represents several hundred companies working in the state's oil patch. "In 1999, we had zero rigs working and people left this industry for dead in North Dakota. Technology, geology, price and the business climate changed that." Ness and Hicks said the achievement is bittersweet, as North Dakota continues to surpass states that have seen a decrease in oil production, including California and Louisiana. (c) AFP 05/16/2012

STEP 2 - Answer these questions (choose the best answer): 1. Which state is the leading oil producer in the United States? North Dakota Alaska Texas

2. According to the article, North Dakota's rate of oil production ______________. shows no signs of slowing down will most likely slow down in about three months will most likely slow down in about a year 3. Which state was the 9th leading oil producer in the United States six years ago? Alaska Texas North Dakota 4. What's behind North Dakota's boom in oil production? New agreements with neighboring states Improved drilling techniques Better morale among workers 5. According to the article, how many more oil wells were there in North Dakota in March as compared to February? 17.8 million About 200 6,921

Exercise 9 Role Play

Work with a partner. Make at least two dialogues with the help of the cues given (choose any two of the following topics or situations). Prepare for five minutes for your dialogue.

1. Start a phone call: A: Answer phone B: Introduce yourself. Say who you are and the name of your company. A: Ask the caller to repeat the information.

B: Repeat the information / spell it. Ask to speak to (name) in (department). A: Ask the caller to hold the line as you put them through. B: Thank the receptionist. 2. Take phone message: A: Ask to speak to someone. B: Apologize. They are busy. Offer to take a message. A: Ask for them to call you back. B: Ask for callers name and number. A: Give your name and number. B: Repeat callers name and number. Finish call. 3. Make an appointment: A: Say youd like to meet. Suggest a time. B: Say you are busy. A: Suggest another time. B: Agree. A: Confirm your arrangement. 4. Make an invitation: A: Invite your partner to have lunch together next week. B: Find out when. A: Suggest a date / time. B: Say you are busy. A: Suggest another date / time. B: Accept.

Exercise 10