working environment is very important to me, and this place had just been completed. The salary wasn't quite so good, but I felt that the benefits outweighed the disadvantages, so I came here.

[Pause]

Twenty

Woman: On the whole I was happy where I was, working in a new, very well-designed

building, nice colleagues, and the company provided plenty of training. But I was stuck behind a desk all day. Then I saw the ad for my present job -similar field of work, just a different way of doing it - and decided to apply. Now I'm on the road most of the time, meeting people, and I get to go abroad as well, which is great.

[Pause]

Twenty-one Man: When I applied, I did a crash course in a computer programme I hadn't used before,

because the advert said knowledge of it would be an advantage. That helped me get the job, so it was money well spent. The pay's no better, but with share options and things on top, it was worth changing. I miss the place where I used to work, though, which was inconvenient but had character. You certainly can't say that about these modern office blocks.

[Pause]

Twenty-two

Woman: The job was getting more and more demanding. And with the commuting on top of it,

I had very little time for other things. My new job is based just as far from my home, but the advantage is the direct rail link, which means I spend half as long travelling to work. I'm doing much the same as before, organising a training programme, though now it's for a company in a different sector.

[Pause]

Now listen to the recordings again. That is the end of Part Two. [Pause]

Part Three. Questions 23 to 30.

You will hear the Purchasing Manager of a manufacturing company giving a presentation to senior management about four possible new suppliers.

For each question 23-30, mark one letter (A, B or C) for the correct answer. After you have listened once, replay the recording. You have 45 seconds to read through the questions. [Pause]

Now listen, and mark A, B or C.

Woman: As you know, the main supplier of our components announced suddenly last month

that they were closing down shortly, leaving us in a very difficult situation. I shortlisted four potential replacement suppliers, and have visited them all. I'll report on each, though I've only found one company that meets our needs entirely. Initially, I was optimistic about the first company I saw. I was given an enthusiastic welcome and generous hospitality by the MD, but when he took me on a tour of the factory, I began to have a few doubts about his commercial expertise. The factory is enormous -a converted aircraft shed, I think, almost too big to be practical. There is certainly enough machinery to produce the quantities we need, and that, of course, is vital.

However, I had one main concern. The company has recently invested heavily in state-of-the-art production equipment and in a comprehensive training programme for machine operators. But I was surprised to see that half the factory wasn't in use because several important customers had cancelled orders. I was reassured that orders are dispatched quickly, and delivery times are impressive, and distribution isn't a problem - but I'd need to inspect their products more closely to see if the quality's what we require. The second company looked promising too, because they are based in the region that produces the natural resources to make our components. Everything needed for their activities is available on their doorstep. They have a good working relationship with the local mine owners, who are known to have good safety records. During my visit, the company went into great detail about the quality inspections carried out on the material before it leaves the mines. This company seemed to have no problems with transport - until I looked more closely. The factory is in a very mountainous region, about six hundred kilometres from the capital city. Passenger flights are fairly frequent, taking under two hours, but the journey by road can take days. The roads are really inadequate - the whole infrastructure needs massive investment. There is a seaport just over the border with the neighbouring country, which would certainly cut down on distance, but, as far as I can see, it might also bring other problems. We simply can't risk depending on such fragile communications. The third company I looked at, on the other hand, is on the coast, with good access to the main seaport. Transport and shipping of goods are well organised and, in fact, they own a haulage company as one of their subsidiaries. The production unit is new - built and equipped with the help of investment from the Ministry of Industry. What's more, company workers are involved in decision-making, and industrial relations are excellent. Perfect so far. Unfortunately, though, their finished products are not of the quality we demand. The specifications are right for our components, so no modifications in design would be necessary. But when I did a quick inspection, I found a higher percentage of faults than we'd be prepared to tolerate. If we chose them, we'd certainly have to negotiate longer warranties than those they're offering at present. The final company I visited seems to have everything, though. It's ten years old, well established, located between the capital and a major seaport. The company has grown rapidly and has just modernised its factory, thanks to a loan from the World Bank, which has enabled it to install the most up-to-date equipment available on the market. The production unit is now fully automated, and efficiency is the company's great strength. This company has a well-deserved reputation for the quality of its finished goods. Given their high standard, it's not surprising that the costs are considerable, and they're asking higher prices than the other companies I visited. But I'm confident we'll be able to negotiate on this. The key point in their favour, in my opinion, is their ability to meet deadlines for the duration of a long-term contract. It's easy to meet one deadline, of course - the difficult thing is to do it all the time. To sum up, then...

[Pause]

Now listen to the recording again. [Pause]

That is the end of Part Three. You now have ten minutes to transfer your answers to your Answer Sheet. [Pause]

Note: Teacher, stop the recording here and time ten minutes. Remind students when there is one minute remaining. [Pause]

That is the end of the test.

TEST 4

Part One. Questions 1 to 12.

You will hear three telephone conversations or messages.

Write one or two words or a number in the numbered spaces on the notes or forms below. After you have listened once, replay each recording.

Conversation One. Questions 1 to 4. Look at the form below.

You will hear a woman leaving an answerphone message for a company. You have IS seconds to read through the notes. [Pause]

Now listen, and fill in the spaces.

Woman: Hello. This is a message for Max Jacobs. It's Alison Gates from Merland Healthcare

calling. We're currently working on a website for our healthcare products and we're looking for a company like yours to develop a database for us. The reason I'm contacting you is that I spoke to one of our suppliers and he was very positive about the work you'd done for him. I'd be very glad if you could contact me. I'm away all next week but I'll still be able to access my emails - the best thing would be for you to email me at: agates (all one word) at howarth-dot-com. 'Howarth' spelt H-O-W-A-R-T-H, then dot-com. If you are interested, the best thing would be for us to meet. It would also be useful for you to talk to our IT co-ordinator at the same time. So if you could indicate your availability over the next few weeks, that'd be good. I look forward to hearing from you. Goodbye.

[Pause]

Now listen to the recording again. [Pause]

Conversation Two. Questions 5 to 8. Look at the notes below.

You will hear a marketing manager reporting on sales of a product. You have 15 seconds to read through the notes. [Pause]

Now listen, and fill in the spaces.

Man: Mike Shepherd.

Woman: Hello, it's Karen Peterson here, from Marketing. I've been called away on urgent

business, but I wanted you to have my report on the MusicMate cassette player to discuss at the Directors' meeting this morning.

Man: Oh, right. OK then, I'd better make a note of this.

Woman: Right. MusicMate has been our second all-time best-seller, with a reputation based on

quality design at an inexpensive price.

Man: OK, I've got that.

Woman: Sold originally only on the Asian market, it was then launched in Europe, which

rapidly overtook Asia in sales volume, giving us a sure sign that the USA, an even bigger market, should be our next target.

Man: Fine. I don't think we'll be making any decisions about new markets, though.

Woman: OK, back to the UK market then. I think it's important not to neglect our loyal

customers here. What would be really helpful would be a new advertising campaign, but I'm aware there's not enough in the budget for that. So I'm suggesting that the way forward is to offer greater discounts - this should form the basis for our marketing plan. That's it. Oh, and, also, any rumours of my department wanting to phase out MusicMate are false. We're very optimistic about its future.

Man: Fine... Well look, it's been a pleasure talking... [Pause]

Now listen to the recording again. [Pause]

Conversation Three. Questions 9 to 12. Look at the notes below.

You will hear a woman phoning for information about a meeting. You have 15 seconds to read through the notes. [Pause]

Now listen, and fill in the spaces.

Woman: Mike, this is Tessa Jones. About the shareholders' meeting on the twenty-fourth. Man: Yeah.

Woman: The Managing Director says there won't be enough room at the Bankers' Institute. Man: So what's the alternative?

Woman: We contacted the Commercial Hall -they can take us, but they need the booking

immediately. You've got all the details.

Man: OK. What do you need to know?

Woman: First, how much seating should we book? Man: Well, there are seven hundred and twenty shareholders, but only about half of them

ever turn up. So three hundred and eighty chairs would be adequate.

Woman: Mm, what sort of equipment should we ask for? Man: There'll be five members of the Board on the platform - they'll each need a

microphone and we'll also need a couple of OHPs. A video won't be necessary.

Woman: Right, and what about photocopies? I can see to those. What do we need done?

Man: Oh, the agenda - that's essential. The shareholders have already received the annual

report, of course, but there were some mistakes in it so we'll need to hand out amended figures at the meeting. I'll let you have those to copy.

Woman: OK. I'll get them done and make sure there are staff available to hand them out. I'll

talk to you later.

Man: Fine. Bye. [Pause]

Now listen to the recording again. [Pause]

That is the end of Part One. You now have 20 seconds to check your answers. [Pause]

Part Two. Questions 13 to 22.

Section One.

Questions 13 to 17.

You will hear five short recordings.