B. The receptionist gives Chris and Tony some wrong information. Read the brochure and underline the wrong information in the conversation.

CANBURY YOUTH HOSTEL, JACKSON LANE, CABURY Tel 01787344 Facilities: 112 beds, open 24 hours, all year, car park, no family rooms, games room, washing machines, no smoking hostel, camping Charges: under 18 £6.15, adult £9.10 Meal times: breakfast 7 am, dinner 7 pm Travel information: city center three kilometers, bus service to city center #14 (takes ten minutes), last bus 8 pm. Next hostels: Charlestown 8 km, Kingscombe 15 km.

 

C. Chris and Tony red the brochure and discuss. Complete the conversation with correct forms of verbs.

Chris: She said the bus ______ (to take) 15 minutes. But in fact, it takes 10 minutes.

Tony: She said the hostel ____ (to close) at eleven am, but it ______ (to be) open all day.

Chris: It seems that they ______ (to serve) dinner from six to ten.

Tony: But she said they ____ (to be) serving until eight o’clock. And she also said breakfast _____ (to start) at seven-thirty…

Chris: … when, in fact, it says here that breakfast _____ (to start) at 7.

Tony: She said that Kingscombe _____ (to be) the next hostel, but it isn’t. It’s Charlestown.

Chris: Finally she said that Kingscombe _____ (to be) 10 km away. But it _____ (to be) 15 km.

 

D. Complete the letter Chris and Tony wrote to the manager of Canbury Youth Hostel.

Dear Sir,

I’m writing to complain about the information your receptionist gave us when we stayed at the youth hostel. First of all, she said that one night’s stay cost £6.50 when in fact, it costs £6.15. Then she said that …

Translate into English.

1) Новому сотруднику сказали подойти к начальнику. 2) Нам сообщили, что завтрашний день объявлен нерабочим. 3) На собеседовании меня спросили, какой вуз я закончил. 4) Докладчик рассказал о том, что было исследовано во время работы над диссертацией. 5) Участники конференции поинтересовались, были ли результаты лабораторных испытаний стабильными. 6) Все согласились, что работа компании в прошлом году была эффективной. 7) Исполнительный директор напомнил, что мы должны выполнить заказ на следующей неделе. 8) Руководитель сказал, что конференцию отменили. 9) Системный администратор рекомендовал переустановить компьютер. 10) По радио сообщили, что все сотрудники должны собраться в актовом зале.

 

Section III Reading

Read this Cover Letter and decide what research program the candidate is applying for: Technology Entrepreneurship, Information Technology or International Business.

Dear Dr Reymen,

I am interested in applying for the job of a PhD student in... posted on your web site.

I have recently graduated from Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (University) with a Master degree in Applied Mathematics and Physics. My specialization is “Technical and organizational systems control”. Doing my research I also acquired good knowledge of business development and English. I have a Certificate of Business English (B2), I speak English well, I have basic knowledge of German and I am a fast language learner.

I successfully defended my Master thesis “Modeling of human capital in the tasks of organizational systems management” and I’d like to continue my training in Holland as I find the research program … quite appealing. I will be able to support your strategy as I am very creative, hardworking, enthusiastic and ready to develop new interests. Technology with its challenges of management and business is crucial in today’s fast-moving world. And if you want to become a lifelong agent of change it is necessary to be preapared for it. And I really do!

Besides, my 3 years’ working experience for Information Business Systems Company is also a big plus. I worked as a system analyst on 6 Information Technology Development projects for the Central Bank of Russia in the team with architects and programmers. I developed technical tasks, project, working and in-line documentation to the designed systems. The biggest and enjoyable part of my job is working with people (interviews, business trips, consultancies). I recently got a position of the project manager and I am very excited about that.

Due to all these activities and different courses I gained good technical, analytical and communicative skills which in combination with my profound education are sure to be an effective match for your qualifications. I would seriously like to be considered as a candidate for the position of a PhD student and look forward to hearing from you.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Yours sincerely,

Marina Gurova

Answer the questions.

1) What is Marina’s qualification? 2) Why would she like to continue her training in Holland? 3) Where is she working now? 4) What does her job involve? 5) Has she been promoted recently?

3. Study “How to write a Cover Letter” on your own, then work in pairs and agree on the strong and weak points of the application above.

‘How to write a Cover Letter’

1. A cover letter must be directed to somebody in particular (avoid using phrases like “Dear Sir/Madam”).

2. Don’t write more than a page.

3. Give brief explanation of what you offer and want.

4. Bring only aspects relevant to the position (abilities, capacities, achievements).

5. Use the cover letter to persuade the reader that you are the most appropriate candidate for the position, that you can perform the functions.

6. Show enthusiasm and interest in the company. Write something about the company or industry that shows you know about them.

7. Check your spelling, grammar and expressions before approving the letter.

8. Use action verbs, short concise phrases, avoid very formal expressions and facts.

9. Write a cover letter in a creative way, oriented towards the company, be flexible and always willing to work in a team and learn.

10. Don’t forget to make your letter stand out and mention something which makes you special. If you did a language course or have a great qualification, mention it and let yourself shine!

UNIT 12. TECHNOLOGY

Section I Speaking