新编剑桥商务英语(中级)Module_11

Useful language from Module 11

wordlist

ascend/ascent descend/descent go down middlemen break-even total disparity go up overheads change hands factor gross domestic peak charities fall product remain stable crash fluctuate increase rise decline fluctuation level out soar decrease freight mark-up

Expressions

another reason for as

as a result of because

due to the fact that

in response to your enquiry about...

at present the company seems to be performing well/badly

on the one hand...but on the other... one advantage/disadvantage is that... one other thing to consider is...

despite…I would still suggest that...

overall, I would strongly recommend that...

the fact that...makes this a good/poor investment opportunity.

Module 11.1 Ethical economics Coffeenomics reading

1 First ask the class what they think the section title, Ethical economics, means or refers to Students then work in pairs to brainstorm a list of stages in the process of making coffee. Take answers afterwards from the class and build up a complete list on the board. Possible answers - coffee grown - coffee picked - coffee transported - coffee packed

- coffee sold and shipped - coffee sold on to shops - coffee bought and drunk 2 Before students start exercise 2, ask them to look at the title of the article on page 107, Coffeenomics, and say which two words have been combined to make this (unreal) word. The words are coffee and economics.

Students then study the four visual aids from a presentation and find the missing facts and figures in the article. Answers

1 10p(pence) 2 15 3 50 4 50

5 rent 6 service charge 7 coffee 8 1.26

3 Students complete the text with sentences A-F. Answers

1 B 2 A 3 F 4 E 5 C D is the extra sentence.

Financial and trade terms vocabulary

4 Students match the words in bold from the article to the definitions. Answers

1 middlemen 2 disparity 3 change hands 4 overheads 5 factor in 6 break-even total 7 mark-up 8 freight

9 gross domestic product 10 charities Extension

Ask in-work students to describe aspects of their business using as many of the words as possible, eg Do they have to deal with \"middlemen\" or can they supply their customers directly?

The economics of your country Speaking

5 The four questions require some level of knowledge about the economics of a country. Make sure at least one person in each group has a good knowledge of their country's economy. An alternative is to discuss the questions as a class and ask students who know a lot on the topic. With pre-work students, the questions make a useful research project which they could carry out online and then report back on in the next lesson.

Articles Grammar

1 This grammar section should be a review of articles

for students but if they have difficulties they should refer to the grammar summary on page 130. When checking the answers, ask students to give their reasons.

Answers

1 0 (Fair-trade is the name of the organisation) 2 an (singular noun)

3 a (singular noun mentioned for the first time) 4 the (before a superlative) 5 the (there is only one) 6 an (singular noun) 7 the (name of country) 8 a (singular noun)

9 the (refers to \"foundation\"-there is only one) 10 0 (plural noun)

Photocopiable activity 11.1 See page 180. Fair-trade Listening

2 Students look at the products and discuss the questions as a class. Find out how well known Fair-trade is in the students' countries.

3 Listening 11.1 Ask students to read the questions before they listen. They then listen and choose the best endings for the eight sentences. Answers

1 C 2 A 3 C 4 A 5 B 6 B 7 B 8 B

11.1 Listening script

I = Interviewer IB = Ian Bretman

I So, Ian. I understand that the original idea for Fair-trade came in 19. How did it happen?

IB Actually, the Fair-trade Foundation itself was finally set up in 1992, but yes, you're right, the catalyst for the spread of Fair-trade was three years earlier when the international coffee agreement that controlled prices collapsed with the withdrawal of the US. At that time coffee was the world's biggest agricultural commodity. In a few months the price fell by half. It was a huge disaster for the twenty million people growing and processing coffee around the world. Many of the producing countries were dependent on coffee for over half their exports.

I Can you give us some examples of how you help, exactly?

IB One way is that we encourage producers to learn how to compete effectively in international markets. We help farmers coming into the system to develop the capacity to cope with fulfilling demand and we set a minimum guaranteed price for their products.

I I see. But as well as helping farmers directly, you also have influence on governments, don't you? I mean, governments are talking more and more about fairer global trade...

IB Yes, we're finding that the issues we've been talking about for the past ten years are moving up the agenda. For example, we're having more of a debate on how we can achieve economic growth and social justice, as both are needed. As a result, leaders of larger Fair-trade organisations have been invited to high-level international meetings and economic forums. We can use our experience to illustrate to governments how trade can be better managed.

I But how do you convince people who say economic growth is the answer to everything? Don't these people argue that Fair-trade isn't good for free trade?

IB Well, I worked in business for a long time and so I understand the need for a free market, but it seems unlikely to me that when it comes to social problems, like global poverty, the answer is just an economic one, because social choices have to be made, too. Our point is really about priorities. Increasing flows of trade will help wealth goes down to the people who need it most. That requires a little bit more management. Fair-trade has practical experience on the ground in how you can combine the best of both. How you can get people to operate effectively and competitively while trading in a way that producers can earn a decent living and improve their lives. In the long run, if they do improve their lives, they too will become consumers and purchasers.

I So is this the message you give businesses to make them change to Fair-trade products?

IB It's in the interest of any business to take the message on board, not only to improve their public image but also as a recruiting tool for the future. The younger generation is well informed and wants to be part of the solution. Companies find that having a social conscience has a positive effect on recruiting and retaining good staff. Staff get excited about persuading consumers to buy products that make a difference to

people's lives.

I It sounds like that's what motivates you, too.

IB For my part - yes - meeting the producers and seeing what a difference Fair-trade can make to their lives is really quite inspiring.

Giving reasons and benefits Speaking

4 This task resembles Part Three of the Speaking Test so students need to work in pairs and discuss the two items. Allow about four minutes and then ask each pair to present their ideas. As you listen, monitor and give some feedback on how to improve the discussion and types of expressions that will help.

Module 11.2 Discussing trends Alternative energy sources Speaking

1 Put students into groups of three of four to discuss which types of energies would be a good investment. Their responses may depend upon which part of the world they come from. Possible answers

a) Wind power has already been implemented in many countries though some people say it can never provide enough energy on its own. The initial cost is also very high.

b) Solar power is being widely used either on people's own houses or in the form of huge areas of land with solar panels. The cost of technology is falling for this energy so it looks like a good investment.

c) Bio fuels which make use of residue from plants are already used in some cars. They look set to provide one solution to the lack of petrol fuels.

d) Coal is criticized for the pollution it creates and many countries are looking at alternatives which suggests it isn't a good investment. However, in some parts of the world such as China there are huge coal reserves which are only now being mined and used in power stations. In this case coal may still be a good investment but be bad for the environment.

e) Wave power has many of the same pros and cons as wind power.

f) Nuclear power has attracted bad publicity in the past but more recently many governments have returned to the idea of building nuclear power stations in the next century in order to solve the potential shortage of energy. Private investment may yet provide good returns.

Good greed Reading

2 Students complete the article as in Part Four of the Reading Test. Answers

1 B 2 B 3 A 4 C 5 D 6 B 7 C 8 D 9 A 10 B 11 B 12 A 13 D 14 A 15 C

3 Discuss the questions as a class. Answer

The graph shows that while solar power costs twice as much per kilowatt-hour than traditional energy sources used on power grids at present, its costs have been falling continuously since the early nineties. The line showing the average price for power from the grid for residential energy is also climbing. If these trends continue, solar power may become very competitive, making it a good long-term investment.

Describing trends vocabulary

4 Students find the trend words in the last two paragraphs of the article and complete the table. They may find it helpful to use a good dictionary to check whether the word is a verb, noun or adjective. If students know more trend words, these can be added to the table (see also the next Extension activity). Answers

1 peak (n) 2 rising (v) 3 soar (v) 4 remained stable (v) 5 crash (n)

6 go down (v) 7 descent (n) 8 declined(v)

Extension

If students are using dictionaries, ask them to find out if the words have other forms, eg the verb increase can also be the noun increase and its adjective form is increased. You could draw this table on the board and ask students to complete it with more trend words in their different forms. Write in the first examples to help: Verb adjective noun to increase increased increase to fluctuate fluctuating fluctuation

Pronunciation

Students should mark the stressed syllable in the trend words. They can use their dictionaries to check. Pay special attention to stressed syllables which move in different word forms, eg fluctuate / fluctuation.

Photocopiable activity 11.2 See page 181.

Reasons for trends Listening

1 11.2 This listening continues the work on trend language on the previous page, but here students also focus on the language for explaining reasons for trends. Answers

A no speaker B 2 C 4 D 3 E 1 F 5

11.2 Listening script S = Speaker

S1 I think wind power is probably a good long-term investment because its growth has been slow but fairly consistent over the last decade, and more and more wind farms seem to be appearing, so someone must be making money - unless it's all coming from government subsidies. So if you can spare some money for the next fifty years or so I'd say you're probably on to a good thing.

S2 The whole eco-investment craze is a bit risky at this stage. It's all a bit up and down due to the fact that some governments are saying now is the time to look for alternative energies and others are still using coal and oil. It's so political that you only need a change of government and the whole thing changes again. Certainly in the short term it's going to be difficult to predict...

S3 Actually, I'd say oil is still a good one - at least in the short term. It's really kept increasing very well and I don't know anyone who's lost. Another reason for putting your money in oil companies is that quite a few are also developing environmentally-friendly fuels...

S4 It's funny, because everyone was trying to get out of nuclear energy for a while. We all thought it would be replaced with wind power and solar energy. Anyway, as a result of governments suddenly realizing for at least the next century we won't be able to get enough energy from natural sources, nuclear will probably have a bit of a revival. So I wouldn't move all your money out of that industry just yet...

S5 The one you hear about least is wave power but there are one or two companies that are investing heavily in the technology. I suppose with all the sea it's worth looking into, but overall I wouldn't expect it to do well for the small, short-term investor. Anyone with money here already won't have seen much change in the near future, either, as it's going to be slow to develop.

2 11.2 Give students time to read extracts 1-5 before playing the recordings again. Students write in the missing words that are used to explain reasons for trends. Answers

1 because 2 due to the fact that

3 Another reason for 4 as a result of 5 as

Discussing trends Speaking

3 Students create sentences in pairs to describe recent real trends. Make sure they use trend words from exercise 4 on page 111, and linking expressions for explaining reasons from exercise 2 on page 112. At the end, ask different pairs to say some of their sentences. If students are from different countries it will be interesting to find out and compare the differences in trends and reasons from around the world.

A proposal Writing

4 Students can work alone or in pairs or small groups to read the information and then draw up a list of reasons for and against investing. Note that they can also add their own ideas, eg we know from the previous article on page 111 that solar energy is tipped to become a profitable investment.

Possible answers

(based on information given) Reasons for:

- it has a new deal with Mainline Energy worth 190

million euros

- the company has over ten years' experience in a relatively new field

- it hit a high earlier in the year

- the recent fall is described by many analysts as a short-term problem

- it has developed a new silicon-saving technology

Reasons against:

- its recent stock price fell by half - there is a shortage of silicon.

5 Students use their list of reasons in exercise 4 to write a proposal. They will also find the list of expressions helpful. You could also refer students back to page 72 in Module 7, which presented another type of proposal.

Possible answer

Dear Mr. Keating,

In response to your enquiry about Sungreen Power, the company seems to be performing well.

One thing to consider is their new sales agreement with Mainline Energy, worth 190 million euros. This should help their share price which recently halved. On the one hand this was caused by a shortage of silicon, but on the other hand Sungreen specialize in technology which requires less silicon.

So despite the fall, I would still suggest you consider investing. The fact that solar power costs have continuously fallen since the early nineties and look set to equal normal energy costs in the next few year makes this a good investment opportunity.

Feel free to call me to discuss any further queries you might have. Best regards!

Module 11.3 Reading test: Part three Exam practice

Ask students to read the introduction to Part Three of the Reading Test. Refer them to the Exam Success tip before they read the text and answer the questions.

Answers

1 C 2 D 3 B 4 A 5 D 6 D