Practice Listening Business English Exercises for A2 – Corporate hospitality

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2

1 f   2 e   3 d   4 a   5 c (e is also possible)   6 b

Audioscript

1

Last January, my employer, a big electronics company, held a corporate event for its top salespeople. I was lucky enough to be invited. The venue was a five-star hotel in Brazil and the package included all meals and day trips to places of interest. The only work involved was a two-hour convention on the first morning and the rest of the time we were free to enjoy the facilities of the hotel. But they also arranged a trip to the beautiful city of Salvador da Baía and we spent one afternoon riding quad bikes along the deserted beach. I had a great time.

2

The best corporate event I’ve ever attended was a visit to the opera in Italy. One of the big banks in Germany decided to entertain its VIP clients by inviting them to the opening night of Tristan and Isolde. The venue they booked was the world-famous opera house, La Scala, in Milan. The package included first-class plane travel, tickets to the opera, and a night in a luxury hotel. I accepted the invitation, of course, and flew to Milan two months later. The opera was wonderful and after the performance we had a tour of the building. The evening finished in the most exclusive restaurant in Milan, where we had a delicious five-course meal accompanied by the best wines.

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Conversation 1: No, the host is still waiting for two guests to arrive. She orders four bottles of mineral water and an orange juice.

Conversation 2: It’s 1 p.m. The guest wants to buy some souvenirs for her children.

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1 Are there   2 How many   3 Is there

4 How much   5 Is there

Audioscript

1

A   Excuse me, madam. Are there any other guests in your party?

B   Yes, I’m still waiting for two people.

A   Would you like some drinks while you’re waiting?

B   Yes, please. Can we have some mineral water?

A   Of course. How many bottles would you like?

B   Well, there will be 12 of us, so let’s start with four bottles. And … er … I’ll have something hot. Is there any coffee?

A   I’m afraid not, madam. Just cold drinks. Apple juice? Orange juice?

B   OK, I’ll have an orange juice, please.

2

A   Colin. Just a question.

B   Yes, Francesca. Go ahead.

A   How much time do we have before play starts?

B   The first match is at two o’clock, so we have … er … an hour.

A   Ah good. You see, I want to buy something for my children. They’re big tennis fans. Is there a souvenir shop inside the stadium?

B   Yes, there are several. Look, there’s one just over there. Would you like me to come with you?

A   No, that’s fine. I’ll see you back here.

1   350,000 cups

2   28,000 bottles

3   125,000 portions of ice cream

4   15,000 bananas

5   Yes, there is.

6   Yes, there’s a bank.

7   Yes, with books and videos

8   No, there aren’t; only outside the grounds.

9   No, there isn’t, but there is help on the website.

10   £27 million

Audioscript

Wimbledon fortnight is one of the most popular sporting events in the world. Last year, we received nearly half a million visitors. They come to watch the tennis, but of course, they also get thirsty in the Wimbledon sunshine! What’s the traditional English drink? Tea, of course, but also coffee. 350,000 cups of tea and coffee are sold during the two weeks. And for those who prefer something stronger, there’s champagne. We serve 28,000 bottles of it in an average year.

Our visitors also eat a lot of ice cream. 125,000 portions served every year. And what about the players themselves? What’s their favourite food? Yes, that’s right. Bananas. 15,000 bananas are served to players during the tournament – that’s nearly 23 per match!

Wimbledon is like a small village, offering a number of different shops and other facilities: there’s a pharmacy, there’s a bank, there are souvenir shops. There’s a museum, and there’s even a library where you can read books or watch videos about tennis. There are also facilities for leaving luggage, but these are outside the grounds, so don’t forget this if you arrive with a suitcase. And for those of you looking for hotel accommodation for Wimbledon, there isn’t any accommodation inside the grounds, but on the Wimbledon website you can find details of companies who can help you find accommodation nearby.

A lot of people ask us how much money the players earn at Wimbledon. Well, the amount increases every year, but last year the total prize money was nearly £27 million. The top prize was £1.9 million, for the winners of the men’s and ladies’ singles tournament.

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The woman knows the restaurant.

He chooses:   Parma ham, spaghetti carbonara, ice cream

She chooses:   tomato and mozzarella salad, lasagne, ice cream

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1 b   2 d   3 a   4 c

Audioscript

A   So, Anita. What’s good here?

B   Well, you must try the Parma ham first. It’s absolutely delicious!

A   OK, that sounds good. I’ll have the ham as a starter.

B   Perhaps we can share the ham and order a salad, as well?

A   Good idea, and then we can each order a main course.

B   Right. What do you fancy?

A   I’m not really sure. Er, what are the pizzas like?

B   Well, they’re not bad, but I recommend the pasta. It’s excellent here – they make it themselves.

A   Mmm, delicious. What are you having?

B   I think I’ll have the lasagne. What about you?

A   I’ll have the spaghetti carbonara.

B   OK. What about dessert?

A   I don’t know. They all look good. What do you recommend?

B   I think you’ll like the ice cream. It’s home-made, too.

A   OK, I’ll go for that.

B   Me, too. Let’s order then. Excuse me …

1

a 3   b 1   c 2   d 4

2

1   e   Would you like to, invitation

2   d   Would you like me to, good

3   c   Would you like, love

4   b   Do you fancy, great

5   a   Shall I, asking

Audioscript

1

A   So, here we are.

B   Thank you very much for coming to the airport for me.

A   You’re welcome. Er … just before you go, some of us are meeting for dinner tonight. Would you like to join us?

B   Thank you for invitation, but I’m really tired. I’ll just eat something in the hotel and have an early night. I’ll see you tomorrow.

A   OK, sure. Have a good evening.

2

A   Please take a seat. Mr Idriss is coming down. He’ll be here in a moment.

B   OK … thanks very much.

A   Oh dear. That sounds very bad. Would you like me to bring you a glass of water?

B   Yes, please. That’s very good of you.

3

A   Hello. Anna, isn’t it?

B   Yes, that’s right. It’s my first day here.

A   Hi. I’m Keith, from Accounts. Would you like a coffee?

B   No, thanks. But I’d love a tea if there is any.

A   Yes, there is. With milk? I like milky tea myself.

B   Er … no milk. Thank you.

4

A   Hey, Pamela. Did you know the Chinese State Circus is coming again?

B   No, I didn’t. They were fantastic last time we saw them.

A   Yes, they were. Do you fancy going again?

B   Oh yes. That would be great.

A   Shall I get you a ticket?

B   Sure. When is it?

A   This Saturday. I only heard about it this morning.

B   This Saturday? Oh no! Thanks for asking, Julia, but I’m not here this weekend.