unit

10 Reading and Writing

READING TIPS
READING AND WRITING

PART THREE
– Read through the whole text first to ensure you understand the main point of the text.
– Read the first question and then read the first part of the text to find the answer.
– Underline key words in the question option.
– Question options usually use synonyms. Look for words in the text with similar meanings.
– Check that your choice reflects exactly what is said in the text.

• Read the article below about Ginni Rometty, CEO of IBM.

• For each question 1–6, mark one letter (A, B, C or D) for the answer you choose.

LUNCH WITH THE FT – GINNI ROMETTY –

 

Corporate titan, computer geek

by Gillian Tett
Virginia Rometty, or ‘Ginni’ as she admits. ‘There’s this balance, client solutions. When she became
she is usually known, is arguably which we need to find.’ At IBM, chief, she decreed that IBM would
the most powerful female the balance seems particularly conduct a mass cyber ‘learning
business leader in the world. She hard. When the company was experience’ on the first Friday
5 runs IBM, a company with almost 45 founded, in 1911, it was a 85 of each month, called Think
half a million employees. Its manufacturer of business goods, Academy. ‘It’s all interactive,
technology is found in 90 per cent such as punch card tabulators, the it’s live and it’s mandatory for all
of the world’s banks, 80 per cent first commercial data processing IBM-ers,’ she says.
of its airlines and 70 per cent of all machines. In the mid-20th The third leg of Rometty’s
10 corporate enterprises. Last year it 50 century it moved into mainframe 90 revival campaign is a bold plan
produced revenues of $93 billion. computers with great success. But to shift the company into new
She is, in short, a corporate titan. in the 1980s it slid into decline as technologies. She is forging
In 1981, after working at personal computers eclipsed the partnerships with groups such
GM for two years, Rometty mainframe computing business. as Apple and Twitter to exploit
15 joined IBM as a systems 55 That changed in 1993, when 95 mobile technologies, and
engineer, then spent the next 30 Louis Gerstner took the helm developing services such as cloud
years diligently climbing the and implemented one of the most computing and cybersecurity,
corporate ladder, doing a range of dramatic turnaround stories in which provide a growing
different computing, analytical, corporate history. He switched proportion of IBM’s revenues. It’s
20 management and financial jobs. 60 the company from hardware to 100 clear, however, that what really
She became known for her focus, software, and dragged it on to the excites her is artificial intelligence.
discipline and self-control – and Internet. A decade on, Gerstner’s IBM has also built a centre
loyalty to the gigantic corporate successor, Sam Palmisano, housing a new supercomputer,
edifice. She never thought of delighted investors by promising known as Watson. This is
25 leaving, and explains that many 65 to deliver $10 earnings per 105 pioneering AI – or what Rometty
senior IBM staff have been there share by 2010 and $20 by 2015. calls ‘cognitive computing’,
for decades. ‘The network of Although IBM hit the first of these which she believes will help
talent around you is phenomenal, targets, when Rometty took over doctors make diagnoses, lawyers
and the biggest reason we exist earlier this decade, she abandoned conduct legal discovery, or
30 is because of our mission, our 70 Palmisano’s other target. 110 journalists conduct investigations.
purpose. We do the most critical Her plan falls, essentially, ‘We are entering a new age
things in the world,’ she says. into three parts. First, she plans of machines. In the first era,
Her conviction is powerful. But to take IBM out of unprofitable machines could just count things.
in the fast-moving modern world, business lines, just as Gerstner did Then they were programmable,
35 is it really a benefit to have this 75 in the 1990s. The second strand 115 and everything is programmable
famous history and long-serving of her reform aims is to persuade today. But this is the third era
workforce? ‘One of the biggest her staff to reinvent themselves; – it’s an era when the machine
lessons I have learnt at IBM is the instead of focusing on their learns. You don’t just program it.
importance of knowing what must traditional products and services, It learns. That is what IBM does
40 change and what must endure,’ 80 she wants them to think about 120 now. We are leading the way.’

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 UNIT 10  ••  READING AND WRITING

1 In the first paragraph, we learnt that

A Ginni Rometty is a very important presence in business.
B IBM controls several airline companies.
C Ginni Rometty could be a world leader.
D last year IBM earned more than some banks.
2 What does paragraph 2 tell us about Ginni Rometty?
A Originally she did not plan to stay in the company.

READING AND WRITING

B She joined IBM with the intention of becoming the CEO.
C She holds her colleagues in great esteem.
D Her loyalty to the company is unusual.
3 According to Ginni Rometty, IBM
A was quick to adapt to the arrival of the personal computer.
B has suffered from an imbalance of power.
C has succeeded in knowing when to adapt.
D has failed to recover from some industry changes.
4 What does the article say about her predecessors?
A Gerstner struggled to bring the company up-to-date.
B Palmisano increased the number of company shares.
C Gerstner approved of Palmisano’s strategy.
D Palmisano increased the share value of the company.
5 What does the article say about Rometty’s plans?
A Unprofitable parts of the business will be sold.
B All staff have to participate in online training.
C IBM needs to focus on traditional products.
D An improvement in customer service is top of the list.
6 According to Rometty, the future of her business is to
A develop hardware with artificial intelligence.
B sell technology for medical purposes.
C follow what competitors are doing.
D improve the current system of programming.

WRITING TIPS
PART TWO
–– Read all the instructions very carefully and underline key words.
–– Check the format required (proposal, letter, report, etc.).
–– Use clear headings and subheadings, and a range of business words and linkers.
–– Write at least 200 words. If you write fewer you will lose marks. You do not get extra marks
if you write more than 250 words.

• You are the HR Manager of a company that has just appointed a Social Media Manager for
the first time.
• Write a letter to the successful candidate, Ms James:
– offering her the job
– describing the current situation without a manager
– outlining the role of Social Media Manager
– saying what you hope she will be able to achieve.
• Write 200–250 words.

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 unit
11 Reading and Writing

READING TIPS
READING AND WRITING

PART FOUR
– Read the text through quickly so you know what it is about.
– Think about the meaning of each missing word.
– The four options usually have similar meanings.
– Look carefully at the text before and after each gap.
– Make sure that the word fits with the grammar, collocations, phrases of the text.
– Read the whole text through again to see if it makes sense with your choices.

• Read the article below about being an entrepreneur.

• Choose the best word to fill each gap from A, B, C or D.
• For each question 1–10, mark one letter (A, B, C or D).
• There is an example at the beginning.

HAVE YOU GOT WHAT IT TAKES TO BE AN ENTREPRENEUR?

If you think you are prepared to (0)gamble on your ideas and have the ability to (1)
back from numerous (2) , then maybe you could be a successful entrepreneur.
However, it does take an inordinate amount of self-(3) and tenacity to succeed. In
fact, (4)
is an essential quality found in those who have succeeded, as well as a large
dose of positivity and an optimistic outlook, particularly when the (5) gets tough.
The successful entrepreneur never gives up. Self-confidence is vital, especially when
doing the rounds of potential investors. Each time you try to raise capital, you are doing
a sales (6) to those potential backers and, however many times you have to do it,
you must remain positive and enthusiastic as well as professional. Then to find your
customers you must (7) your ideas around endlessly, and that can be soul-destroying
unless you have that innate ability to remain upbeat. Furthermore, you do not want
to present your business as a one (8) pony. Having one idea is not enough, so once
you have sold it you have to think about ways of improving or diversifying it. To make
matters worse, few start-ups make it past the first year, but if you do survive, all the
difficulties you have faced can be the (9) of you. And, when you are trading, one of
the biggest problems for the entrepreneur will be the fact that larger concerns often
(10)
payment for as long as they can, thus jeopardising cash flow. Challenges such as
these will now be part of your daily routine.

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 UNIT 11  ••  READING AND WRITING

0 A risk B gamble C chance D put forward

1 A return B jump C bound D bounce
2 A setbacks B drawbacks C breakdowns D crashes
3 A consideration B judgment C commitment D determination
4 A inflexibility B deliverance C perseverance D pressure
5 A doing B going C working D making
6 A proposal B pitch C proposition D proposal

READING AND WRITING

7 A market B retail C trade D hawk
8 A idea B feature C trick D plan
9 A creating B making C forming D becoming
10 A settle B rebate C compensate D withhold

WRITING TIPS
PART TWO
ONE
–– Read all the instructions carefully and underline key words.
–– Look at the graph carefully to make sure you understand fully what it represents.
–– Check the format required (email, letter, report, etc.).
–– Write at least 120 words. If you write fewer you will lose marks. You do not get extra marks
if you write more than 140 words.

• You are setting up a small cafe with a friend. You are in charge of the finances and have done
some research on the start-up costs and potential sales. Summarise the information for your
business partner.
• Using the information from the graph, write an email to your business partner summarising
the information.
• Write 120–140 words.

Costs and sales forecasts over first three years

120

100

80
£ thousand

60

40

20

0
Year 1 Year 2 Year 3
Kitchen Staffing
Premises Furniture Turnover
equipment costs

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 unit
12 Reading and Writing

READING TIPS
READING AND WRITING

PART FIVE
– Read the text through quickly so you know what it is about.
– Think about what part of speech is missing.
– Think about the possible meaning of the missing word.
– Check the words before and after the gap so see if it is a common partnership
or collocation.
– Read the whole text through again to see if it makes sense with your answers.

• Read the article below about project managers.

• For each question write ONE word.
• There is an example at the beginning.

FINDING A GREAT PROJECT MANAGER

Chances (0) are your company has employed project managers, but how do they know
they have chosen the right manager for their project? Up until recently there has been
a template for the skills and characteristics required of a project manager, but in this
fast-moving world, project management jobs are becoming (1) specific and
niche than ever before, and the template is no (2)
very reliable.

Good project managers today need to know a (3) about many things, (4)
than everything about one subject because the team will include the required
specialists. Project managers need to be able to bring teams (5) by clarifying
roles and understanding what is needed for each project, what to deal with and what to
ignore. They are capable (6) juggling different issues while motivating the team,
and they have a gift for foresight and are (7) to share their vision and inspire
their team. When problems occur, they can see (8)
is clouding certain issues and
sort it out.

It goes without saying that good communication skills are essential, but perhaps it
should be noted that listening is probably the most important skill. Furthermore, once
the plan is in operation, the good PM will re-evaluate it frequently to ensure that it is
(9)
budget and schedule. Actions are far more important than words. People will
follow examples of what others do, not what they say, so integrity is of the essence as
(10)
as a commitment to ethical practices. With the right project management
team, companies can save money and increase productivity.

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 UNIT 12  ••  READING AND WRITING

WRITING TIPS
PART ONE
–– Read all the instructions carefully and underline key words.
–– Look at the graphs carefully to make sure you understand fully what they represent.
–– Check the format required (email, letter, report, etc.).
–– Write at least 120 words. If you write fewer you will lose marks. You do not get extra marks
if you write more than 140 words.

READING AND WRITING

• The Gantt chart below outlines the main activities for building a new factory. It is now
15th March and your boss has asked you to write a report summarising the work already
done and the work still to be done, including the opening of the factory.
• Using the information from the chart, write a brief report for your boss summarising
the information.
• Write 120–140 words.

Factory construction schedule

TASK Jan Feb Mar April May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec

Planning

Research

Final Design

Construction

Follow-up
work

Factory
opening

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