Listening

Part 1

[Track 9] Listen to five short recordings. Choose the correct words to complete each sentence.

(1) The man finds the best way to relax is playing competitive sport / spending a few hours in the gym.

(2) Barbara has a full /an upset stomach.

(3) Toby shrieked / whined about things not being fair when his mother told him to give Jake the kite.

(4) The woman felt embarrassed for / amused by the actress.

(5) The young entrepreneur initially had problems pitching her idea / making the prototype.

Part 2

[Track 10] Listen to the profile of Roman Abramovich and decide if these statements are true (T) or false (F).

(6) Abramovich, having lost his parents at an early age, moved from the Arctic region to Saratov

where his uncle raised him.

(7) Abramovich did his military service in the 1980s.

(8) In 1995 he sold his controlling shares in Sibneft, which is how he made his billions.

(9) Four years before he bought Chelsea he became a politician for the Chukotka region of Russia.

(10) The Chelsea fans appreciate the interest that Abramovich shows in the success of the club.

Reading

Part 1

Read the article below and complete each sentence with a name from the box. There are 2 extra names.

Trevor Bayliss Richard Farleigh Peter Jones Gordon Brown Doug Richard Charles Ejogo Alistair Turner

(1) _______ is one of the brains behind Igloo Thermo-Logistics.

(2) _______ had at least one of his ideas stolen.

(3) _______ is a former investor from Dragon’s Den.

(4) _______ was originally going to invest in Umbrollys.

(5) _______ thinks that business investments often sound better than they are.

Dragons trust they won’t get burnt.

“No lawyers?” I ask, slightly shocked. “No lawyers” came the response. “We did it ourselves, on mutual agreement.” And so the financing deal that created the first Dragon’s Den-backed multi-millionaires was put in place.

Your Business has covered how Anthony Coates-Smith and Alistair Turner secured the £160,000 they needed to expand their white van firm, Igloo Thermo-Logistics.

But we didn’t mention how the deal was struck. Given the modern business world’s obsession with Britain’s ever-more complex legal system and the rising costs of compliance, it’s refreshing to hear that such a high profile business relationship is based on mutual trust and policed by mutual self-interest.

Usually it’s the horror stories of inventors having their ideas nicked by unscrupulous investors that makes the news. Trevor Bayliss, the serial inventor (the clockwork radio and more), is just one well known example – he now crusades on the issue.

You would have thought that the Dragons – in this case Duncan Bannatyne and Richard Farleigh – would be super-wary of the businesses appearing on the show. They’ve got their profiles to consider as well as their cash. Given how some of the deals struck in the Den have gone wrong, it could be the legal equivalent of the little boy and the sweet shop.

Do you remember Charles Ejogo and his idea for umbrella vending machines with plasma screen ads placed in underground stations? He was shown securing an investment of about £150,000 from Duncan Bannatyne and Peter Jones in return for 40 per cent of the equity. The deal fell through when the Dragons found out that Mr Ejogo didn’t have a contract to place vending machines with ads on them in underground stations.

Umbrollys, the business, is still trading and appears to be doing rather well. But I imagine neither Mr Ejogo nor the Dragons benefited from the distraction of negotiating a deal that was never going to happen.

The other surprising aspect to the Igloo deal is that it has taken the Dragons so long to back a business that has made big money.

Yes, going into business is risky – most fail within the first three years – but this is different. The entrepreneurs pitching the Dragons are not there by accident – they’ve been hand-picked. Yes, some for the entertainment value, but the Dragons will insist that at least a handful are viable business opportunities. Add into the mix their ability to make these opportunities happen using their contacts, and it should mean that each investment is a sure thing.

Not so, Mr Bannatyne tells me. “You can’t invest in a business, design your product, and get it out overnight. These things take time,” he says.

Richard Farleigh adds: “Business is tough. It explains why we also try to get such a chunk of the business for our investment. Although they always sound fantastic, there are always more difficulties than you expect.”

It just shows how difficult it still is for British entrepreneurs to raise the money they need to finance their ideas. It also highlights how Gordon Brown and his new Chancellor should tread carefully when reforming capital gains taper relief.

Yes, private equity bosses may be exploiting the relief, which reduces the rate to 10 per cent on business assets, including shares in private companies, after two years. But it is also encouraging thousands of mini-Dragons to take a punt and invest some of their spare cash into high risk start-ups. According to a former Dragon, Doug Richard, the relief is the main reason why the climate for raising start-up capital in Britain has recently improved.

(material from http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk)

Part 2

Read the two short blogs below. Are these sentences true (T) or false (F)?

(6) The breathing exercise the blogger suggests will draw attention to you, but is effective.

(7) Focusing on your breathing will help take your mind off the problem.

(8) The position of your body can have an effect on your voice.

(9) Your voice is higher when you aren’t stressed.

(10) Saying ‘uh-huh’ will help relieve any stress.

Breathe away the fear

One of the biggest reasons people book themselves onto our presentation skills courses is their fear of presenting. There are lots of techniques we cover on these days, but some of them need a build-up.

However, here’s a stand-alone, specific tip for anyone suffering from an attack of performance nerves – be it in relation to a presentation, a wedding speech, a job interview or even just being introduced to your new partner’s parents! It has the added advantage of being very simple and being something you can do unobtrusively, while you’re waiting to speak, for example.

Breathe in slowly, for a count of four.

Hold it for four beats.

Breathe out slowly, for a count of eight.

Hold it for four beats once more before you breathe in again.

How does it work? Well, there are two things going on here. The first is that your blood chemistry is being altered by the way you breathe, causing your body to release a rush of hormones to do with calmness and relaxation. The second is the somewhat more esoteric point that while you’re doing this you’re concentrating on yourself and not on the problem!

For best results, you should do it while you’re standing up, or at least sitting upright with your stomach not folded at all – no slouching. You should also make sure you don’t let your shoulders rise up as you do this; that just adds to the tension.

I hope that’s useful for you (and not just the two people who asked for it this week!)

Uh? Uh-huh!

We live in a high stress society. To prove it, drop your shoulders; if you can drop them, you’ve probably got a bit of a tension issue – unless you’re in a situation that justifies stress, of course. One of the things that goes wrong when you’re stressed is that your voice shifts up in pitch. In short, it gets higher than it should be. What’s worse, we get so used to this that we think this is our normal voice!

Stuart Pearce is a voice coach of considerable reputation, and he suggests that one way to find your true voice’s pitch is to say ‘uh-huh’. If you say it as though you’re confirming something, you probably go down on the second syllable, and if you’re using it to ask a question you probably go up on the second.

Either way, he says, the higher of the two is typically the pitch you usually use – and think is your voice – but the lower of the two is the true voice you should be using … the one you’d use if you weren’t anxious about something or stuck in a bad habit.

Check it out and see if you shouldn’t be making your presentations at a different pitch … it’ll make you sound (and feel!) a lot less anxious about whatever you’re saying.

(material from http://www.curvedvision.co.uk)

Writing

You have been asked to write an article for a local newspaper about a time when you were in the limelight. For example, an occasion when you gave a speech, performed on stage, presented something or participated in a race or competition. Your article should outline the occasion, as well as describing your emotions before, during and after the event. Write about 250 words.

Straightforward Advanced Progress Test 2 p9