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ZES 1133 TECHNICAL ENGLISH I

LANGUAGE WORK (REVISION FROM ZES1133)

Language
Review 1
PRESENT
SIMPLE and
PRESENT
CONTINUOUS

The present simple and the present continuous have several uses.
We use the present simple to give factual information, for example about
company activities.
Christian Dior Couture makes luxury, ready-to-wear fashion.
Dior Homme targets the male consumer.
We use the present simple to talk about routine activities or habits.
Thomas routinely communicates with his demanding boss.
Thomas travels every week to one of Diors 224 stores.
We use the present continuous to talk about ongoing situations and projects.
Fashion House Christian Dior is now selling baby bottles.
We use the present continuous to talk about temporary situations.
Dior is currently looking to recruit a marketing director for the UK and Ireland.

A. Which of the time expressions below do we usually use with the present simple? Which
of the time expressions do we usually use with the present continuous? Which are used
with both?
nowadays

usually
this year
once a month

every day
now
often
currently
at the moment
these days

B. Complete these sentences with the present simple or the present continuous forms of the
verbs in brackets.
1

a)

At the moment, eBay .. (work) with brand owners to remove fake

items.

b)

eBay .. now (spend) USD20m a year analysing suspicious sales.

a)

Louis Vuitton usually .. (sell) its products through authentic Louis

Vuitton boutiques.

b)

At the moment Louis Vuitton ................................ (negotiate) with Hubert de

Givenchy.

a)

Both Apple and BlackBerry .. (launch) important new products this

year.

b)

These days, a lot of people .. (have) a BlackBerry.

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C. Complete the text below with the present simple or the present continuous forms of the
verbs in brackets.
The Google brand (grow) rapidly. According to Millward Brown Brandz report, it
(hold) first place in the list of top 100 brands. In fact, the IT field
(dominate) the top-ten corporate brands. Google (operate) websites at many
international domains, the most popular being www.google.com, and (generate)
revenue by providing effective advertising opportunities. Google always (focus) on
the user, and consumers usually (see) Google as quite trustworthy.
Nowadays, companies (begin) to recognise that brands are amongst their most
valuable assets. They understand that brands (become) ever more powerful in
driving business growth. Strong brands (generate) superior returns and protect
businesses from risk. Google currently (hold) the top position, but it has to keep
innovating if it wants to remain number one. BlackBerry and Apple are the two fastestgrowing brands in the top 100, and China Mobile (grow) steadily, too.
Language Review 2

PAST SIMPLE
and PRESENT
PERFECT

We use the past simple for actions at a particular point in the past.
In 2002, Mercedes suffered a dramatic fall.
Dieter Zetsche became Head of Mercedes in September 2005.
We use the present perfect for actions linking the present to a point in the
past.
We have made a lot of changes since 2006.
Difference between the use of the Simple past tense and the Present perfect tense.
Simple past
Present perfect
1. She wrote three letters last night.
1. She has written three letters so far.
(the time is clearly stated: last night)
(time is not stated)
2. I lived in Penang for seven years.
(I do not live in Penang anymore)

2. I have lived in Penang for seven

years.
(I still live in Penang)

3. She read two story books last week. 3. She has read two story books this
(last week is already over)
week.
(this week is not over yet)

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A. Fill in the blanks with the simple past tense or the present perfect tense of the verbs in
brackets.
1. I . (meet) Susan in 1990. She . (be) my best friend ever since.
2. She . (never, meet) her father. He . (die) in an accident when he was very
young.
3. Although he . (get) up a few hours ago, he . (not, make) his bed yet.
4. Last month we . (go) to the museum four times.
5. They . (not, see) land for days since they .(leave) the island.
6. I . (polish) your shoes. They look shiny.
7. They have to paint one hundred houses. So far, they . (paint) only ten.
8. He . (stop) smoking when he had a heart attack in 1990. He . (not, smoke) any
cigarettes since then.
9. When I . (be) a child, my mother . (use) to take me to the beach.
10. I . (just, miss) the bus. I will be late for my hockey practice.
11. Ali . (work) at the steel factory for ten years. He does not work there anymore.
12. Don . (work) at Sime Tyres for five years. He will go on working at the factory because
he likes his job very much.
13. Lisa . (not, talk) to me since she found out that I had befriended Norma.
14. .. you ever . (win) a prize in any competition?
15. We . (not, hear) from our uncle for quite some time.
16. She . (never, see) a crocodile.
17. I . (visit) my uncle who lives in Cairo three times.
18. This is a difficult riddle. So far, no one . (be) able to solve it.
B. Which of the following expressions are used with the past simple and which are used
with the present perfect? Which are used with both?
in 2010

ever

since 2009
recently

yet
last year

this week
yesterday
six month ago

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C. Complete this short business brief about Vietnam using the past simple or the present
perfect forms of the verbs in brackets.
Vietnam .. (go) through many changes in its history and ..
(experience) many economic changes recently. It is currently experiencing an economic boom. In
1986, the government .. (introduce) economic reforms or doi moi (doi meaning
change and moi new). The reforms .. (permit) the setting up of free market
enterprises and -------------------- (abolish) the practice of collective farming. However,
agriculture remains the most important part of the economy. Vietnam ..
(recently/become) the second largest producer of rice in the world after Thailand. The industrial
sector .. (show) dramatic improvement and expansion as well. In 1993, the World
Bank .. (declare) 58% of the population to be living in poverty. By 2005 this
figure was less than 20%. Vietnam .. (also/make) great strides on the international
stage in the last decade or so. It .. (become) a full member of ASEAN in 1995, and
of the WTO in 2006. The effects of this new-found prosperity can be seen everywhere. Large,
glitzy malls .. (appear) in major cities, while streets one filled with bicycles are
now overflowing with locally produced Japanese, Korean and Chinese motorbikes and cars.
Business visitors wishing to relax in a more traditional Vietnamese town should visit Hoi An.
Hoi An .. (be) a major Asian trading port in the 17 th and 18th centuries, and its
picturesque and relaxed lifestyle .. (change) little over the years.

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MORE GRAMMAR PRACTICES

PRACTICE 1
Read the passage carefully. For each blank, choose and circle the most appropriate answer.
There are more than 100 strains of bacteria in the intestines of a human being. 1__________ a
healthy person, the amount of good bacteria should 2__________ the bad bacteria. Friendly
bacteria are 3__________ from a number of sources. These include 4___________ cultures such
as yogurt, naturally occurring 5__________, and probiotics, a form of nutritional supplement.
Probiotics 6__________ beneficial microflora such as lactobacillus and acidophilus which
7___________ be difficult to obtain in a normal diet. 8__________ oneself with this type of
bacteria is particularly useful, especially 9__________ the influenza and cold season. The
10__________ of too much antibiotics destroys the good bacteria 11__________ the intestines
and sometimes allows harmful strains to 12___________ a foothold in the body. Even if a person
rarely 13__________ antibiotics, he or she may still be 14__________ antibiotics in a secondary
way through non-organic meat and dairy 15__________.
1

a)
c)

In
On

b) At
d) For

a)
c)

excess
expedite

b) exceed
d) accelerate

a)
c)

taken
derived

b) drawn
d) extracted

a)
c)

life
lived

b) live
d) living

a)
c)

sugar
sugars

b) sweet
d) sweets

a)
c)

provide
provides

b) give
d) gives

a)
c)

must
should

b) may
d) ought to

a)
c)

Keeping
Fortifying

b) Protecting
d) Strengthening

a)
c)

in
on

b) for
d) during

input
inflow

b) influx
d) intake

10 a)
c)

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11 a)
c)

in
on

b) at
d) for

12 a)
c)

gain
gauge

b) grab
d) ground

13 a)
c)

gulps
drinks

b) takes
d) swallows

14 a)
c)

drawn to
exposed to

b) influenced by
d) conditioned by

15 a)
c)

materials
substances

b) items
d) products

PRACTICE 2
Read the passage carefully. For each blank, choose the most appropriate answer.
Millions of people around the world suffer from migraine. They go through 1__________
headaches. About 70% of sufferers are women. Migraine 2__________ in the family. If both your
parents have 3__________ for migraines, there is a 75% chance you will, too. 4__________ only
one of your parents 5_________ migraine, you will have a 50% chance of being 6__________.
So, if you and your 7__________ have migraines, your poor children will be having them too
8__________ time to come. Migraine is caused by the release of a chemical 9__________ the
surface of the brain which causes arteries 10__________ the site to dilate and swell. As the
swelling 11_________, the pain becomes worse. Migraine 12__________ in episodes rather than
in being a daily headache. 13__________ migraine attack is more than just a headache:
14__________ controls the responses to stress and pain. Migraine attacks can 15__________
nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea. It also contributes to light and sound sensitivity and blurry vision,
experienced by some when suffering from migraine.
1.

A
C

extreme
exemplary

B
D

executing
excruciating

2.

A
C

runs
strikes

B
D

goes
happens

3.

A
C

a leaning
an intention

B
D

a tendency
an orientation
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4.

A
C

If
Although

B
D

Then
However

5.

A
C

had
has

B
D

have
having

6.

A
C

effected
attacked

B
D

infected
affected

7.

A
C

wife
spouse

B
D

parent
husband

8.

A
C

at
on

B
D

in
for

9.

A
C

on
onto

B
D

in
into

10.

A
C

in
on

B
D

at
by

11.

A
C

widens
broadens

B
D

expands
increases

12.

A
C

goes
appears

B
D

arises
happens

13.

A
C

A
An

B
D

The

14.

A
C

it
they

B
D

its

15.

A
C

begin
provoke

B
D

start
cause

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PRACTICE 3
Choose words from the box to complete the article. There are more words than you need.
rival

original

secret

honour

heavy

closely-guarded

found

with

desert

chance

soaked

luxury

Chocolate Cake Wars

It is the most imitated cake in the world. Who created the original Sacher torte?
Vienna is a heaven for cake lovers. After seeing the citys sights, there is nothing better for a
visitor to do than sit in a coffee house and gorge on delicious cakes. These great cakes, or tortes,
are part of Austrian folklore, and their recipes are (1) __________________ secrets. They were
invented by brilliant and creative young chefs back in the midst of time and some have even been
the subject of court cases between (2) __________________ confectioners. Now, inevitably, top
Viennese cakes are available over the Internet.
The most famous and most imitated of all Viennese cakes is the Sacher torte. Its recipe is still a
(3) ____________________ despite a version being available in every coffee shop you care to
visit. It was invented in the days when chocolate was a (4) ____________________, available
only to the very rich.
The date was 1832. In a royal palace outside Vienna, the prince had sent an edict to the kitchen
for a new dessert to be created in (5) ______________________ of some influential guests, and
was anticipating something special. The head chef was ill and the order ended up (6)
________________________ a 16-year-old pastry apprentice named Sacher Franz.
He took his (7) ____________________ and, in his boss absence, created a chocolate cake of
such complexity that all who consumed it were stunned. His torte was a light chocolate sponge
split in two halves and (8) _____________________ in apricot jam before being topped with a
chocolate icing. It was served with whipped cream, as it still is today.
What the chef thought when he returned is unknown but Sacher kept his recipe a secret and
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named the cake after himself. He even went on to (9) _______________________ his own
famous hotel and caf. Today, hungry customers, most of them tourists, come each year to eat the
same cake, baked according to its (10) ______________________ recipe.
PRACTICE 4
Complete the text using the correct tense of the verbs in brackets.
History of Lipton Tea
Lipton Tea 1__________________ (be) a British tea company,
founded and named after its original owner, Sir Thomas Johnson
Lipton. Lipton tea 2__________________ (begin) in 1870 and
3___________________ (be) currently one of the biggest tea
distributors in the world.
Lipton was born in 1850 in Glasgow, Scotland. In 1865, Lipton 4________________ (move) to
the United States where he held various jobs, including working on a tobacco farm, a rice
plantation and a department stores grocery.
While he 5__________________ (work) there, he 6__________________ (learn) the power of
American merchandising which often involved outrageous images or actions, with catchy slogans
designed to grab as much attention as possible. Lipton returned to Scotland and opened his own
grocery store in 1871. Following from the lessons learnt in America, he 7__________________
(promote) the store by conducting publicity stunts.
By 1880, Lipton 8_________________ (has) twenty stores, and by 1890, Lipton owned three
hundred stores and had become a household name.
Lipton 9___________________ (not, venture) into tea until 1890. On his way to Australia,
Lipton made a secret stop to Ceylon. Lipton 10__________________ (buy) five tea plantations
to supply his stores in Britain, and used the slogan, Direct from the Tea Gardens to the Teapot.
Lipton intended the public to associate his name with Ceylon tea.
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Lipton 11___________________ (pioneer) the idea of selling tea as individual packets, for
longer freshness, consistent quality and guaranteed weight. The trend of tea bags
12__________________ (be) an instant success. The other companies 13__________________
(use) tea bags since it was first introduced. Lipton tea 14__________________ (be) now one of
the largest tea traders in the world.
Adapted from: http://www.teainfusion.com/brands/history-of-lipton-tea.html (5 Oct 2012)

PRACTICE 5
Choose words from the box to complete the article.
impression

tradition

instrument

results

image

professionalism

vision

business card

intangibles

culture

rapport

favourable

A companys image is like an orchestra. No single (1) ____________ is responsible for

an orchestras success or failure. Likewise, the (2) ___________ that a company projects
is not based on a single (3) _____________, glossy brochure or fashionable display but
on the total (4) _____________ created by all these things and more. There are many (5)
____________ that can be critical, like the reputation you have, your principles and (6)
______________, your creativity, and even the warmth of an initial welcome.
For a company to come across well internationally, it also needs to consider the (7)
___________ of its client or customer. A Finn might take an instant dislike to
extravagance, a Ghanaian might prefer innovation to (8) ____________, or a Qatari
might put personal (9) __________ before anything else.
Images can create a negative impression or a positive feeling in a few seconds. If you get
it right, that (10) ____________ first impression will help in building a successful
business relationship.

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PRACTICE 6
Read the text below and circle the best answer (A, B, C or D).
96% of all shopping transaction goes (1) ______. But what protection do you have as a consumer
from an (2) ______ seller? If you buy (3) ______ goods you have the right to return them to the
seller within seven days and get a full (4) ______ refund. Within 28 days you can obtain a store
voucher or credit note for your unwanted purchase. In cases of (5) ______ in receiving goods or
finding that the goods were not as advertised, you will have more trouble. Even if you have paid
(6) ______ and acted honestly, there is no guarantee the seller will do the same. An online trader
might, for example, sell you something he does not have (7) ______ stock. When you complain,
he might answer that there has been a slight delay in (8) ______ and there is little you can do.
In the end, if you cannot get satisfactory compensation from the supplier, then your only option is
to take your case to a consumer association or small claims court. Unsurprisingly, most people do
not bother. They just tell their friends to (9) ______ of the company in future.
But what happens if you feel that you have been (10) ______ for a product or service? This is a
situation that, up to now, even the small courts have not been able to help with. However, in a
recent court case a large sportswear retailer was found guilty of selling football shirts at an (11)
______ price and fined a six-figure sum.
1

smoothly

on

C fluently

properly

impartial

unsure

C unreliable

inept

fallible

false

C falling

faulty

exchange

cash

C monetary

money

deliveries

delays

C postponements

pauses

promptly

fast

C accurately

off

at

on

C in

with

distribute

departure

C dismissal

despatch

beware

avoid

C distrust

suspect

10

overpriced

oversold

C overcharged

overdone

11

excess

above

C unreasonable

increasing

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