新东方商务英语讲义中级口语分册.doc

口语部分

Preparation for Part One (Interview)

In the first part of the test, the interlocutor addresses each candidate in turn and asks general questions. Candidates will not be addressed in strict sequence. This part of the test lasts about three minutes and during this time, candidates are being tested on their ability to talk about themselves, to provide personal information on their home, interests and jobs, and to perform functions such as agreeing and disagreeing, and expressing preference.

Sequence:
1. Introduction of people concerned
2. Marksheets required
3. Topics and Questions

Questions about candidates’ names and hometowns
What’s your name?
How to spell your name?
How do you spell your family name/surname/last name?
Where are you from?
Would you say it’s a good place to live in? (why)
Do you like living in … ? (why)
Where would you rather live, … or …? (why)
Do you think it would be better to live in … or …? (why)
Do you come from a large family or a small one?
Can you tell me a bit about … in your family?

Questions about candidates’ identity --- work or study
Do you work or are you a student?
What do you do?
What do you study?
What’s your major?
What do you like most about your job?
What do you like most about your studies?

Questions about Candidates’ Preference Regarding Their Work or Study

Unit One A

Working with Other People
What kinds of people do you most like working/studying with? Why?

What do you think are the advantages of working in a team of colleagues? Why?
(Is it a good thing to work or study with other people? Why/why not?)

What sort of skills do you think a manager needs? Why?
(What kind of person is a good manager? Why?)

people
Cooperate fully with each other;
Trust each other;
Listen to different points of view;
Talk openly and honestly with each other;
Offer help when others are under pressure;
advantages
Work towards a common objective;
Everyone makes an equal contribution to the team;
The members share information effectively within the team.
Team members take on responsibility and be accountable when things go wrong;
skills
Be able to discuss roles and allocate them to team members;
Be able to help individuals develop within the team;
Be able to listen to different points of view;

Skills and Qualities for Work
Which specific skills will you need most in your career? Why?
(Which skills are most important for your career? Why?)

Team work
can work constructively with others on a common task
Negotiating
discussion to achieve mutually satisfactory resolution of contentious issues
Decision making
choice of the best option from a range of alternatives
Resolving conflict
both intra-personally and in relationships with others
Influencing
convincing others of the validity of one’s point of view
Arguing for and/or justifying a point of view of course of action
Problem solving
selection and use of appropriate methods to find solutions
Ability to work cross-culturally
both within and beyond the nation
Prioritizing
ability to rank tasks according to importance

What qualities does a good employee need to have? Why?
(What should a good employee be like? Why?)

Which special qualities do you think a manager need to have? Why?
(What kind of people should managers be?)

Self awareness
awareness of own strengths and weaknesses, aims and values
Self-confidence
confidence in dealing with the challenges that employment and life can throw up
Independence
ability to work without supervision
Adaptability
ability to respond positively to changing circumstances and new challenges
Stress tolerance
ability to retain effectiveness under pressure
Willingness to learn
commitment to ongoing learning to meet the needs of employment and life
Initiative
ability to take action unprompted

To what extent is it important to train people in interpersonal skills? Why/why not?
(Can people be trained to work well with other people?)
Training people in interpersonal skills is extremely important and should be set as top priority. Most jobs are not performed in isolation and the need to interact is often essential. In fact, most failures in the workplace are not due to lack of technical ability, but rather to shortcomings in interpersonal competence. An individual may be a highly skilled worker. However if he or she cannot work well with other employees, chances for success are slim.

Unit One B
Communication
Which method of communication do you like best---letters, phone calls or e-mail? Why?
(Do you like communicating with other people by letter, phone or e-mail? Why?)
I like to use e-mail to communicate with people in my work and study. E-mail can be used not only to exchange messages among co-workers and customers but also provide information automatically. You can also set up an autoresponder service that automatically receives a message and sends a document in reply. Replying automatically to e-mail is a great way to save time and money and it is much faster than communicating through snail mail.

Do you think methods of communication at work will change in the future? Why?
(Do you think people will communicate in different ways at work in the future? Why? Why not?)

Of course they will change in the future. The emergence of many new technologies will definitely create faster and more convenient communication methods. For example, the Internet will become an even bigger deal in the future than it is today. School children will access all the great works of literature ever written with the click of a mouse. Surgery will be performed via cyberspace. All transactions with the government will be conducted via your personal computer, making bureaucratic line ups a thing of the past.

Do you think companies should be able to contact their staff outside working hours? Why or why not?
(Is it a good idea for companies to be able to contact their staff outside working hours? Why/why not?)

advantages
Maintaining contact with employees outside working hours can make your employees feel valued and can help develop a close relation between employees and employer. It is a good staff motivation method.
Many companies offer flexible working hours to their employees, which means some employees can work from home and some employees don’t often appear at their workplace. Under such circumstances being able to contact their staff outside working hours will become extremely important to companies.
disadvantages
Interrupting employees’ private lives; making them feel under pressure all the time; producing misunderstanding between employees and employer;

Business and the Internet
Do you find the internet useful for your work or studies? Why/why not?
(Does the internet help you in your work or studies? Why/why not?)

The internet is very useful for my work. I can dial into my corporate network via modem, and download the data I need. I can create the requested document and e-mail it via the internet from my home computer. I don't have to return to the office to use a fax machine. By using wireless network technology I’m able to connect a notebook computer with modem to my cellular phone! I even leave my home computer on-line so I can receive faxes on evenings and weekends.

Do you think the internet will become more widely used by companies in the future? Why/ why not?
(Will more companies use the internet in the future? Why/why not?)

Yes, I think so. Information sharing will become extremely important to companies in the future. In order to gain information ASAP, company will more widely use the internet which can provide a comprehensive range of information on marketing, transporting, suppliers, staff training, technical assistance and support.

Do you think the internet is an effective channel for marketing a company’s products? Why /why not?
(is the internet a good place for advertising products? Why/why not?)

Do you think other forms of advertising will continue to be more important than the internet? Why/why not?
(Will other forms of advertising be mort important than the internet in future? Why/why not?)

By exploiting the amazing power of the internet, your on-line advertisement is able to reach hundreds of thousands of people and perhaps even millions around the world.
On-line advertising is simple and quick process for your target customers. Just a few clicks of a button is all it takes. And that simplicity means your target customers are more likely to come back again and again!

Unit Two A

Entertaining Business Clients
Do you enjoy eating in restaurants? Why/why not?
(Do you like eating in restaurants? Why/why not?)

What type of restaurant would you take business visitors to? Why?
(What type of restaurant is best for business visitors? Why?)

Atmosphere
Restaurants are always magnificently decorated and enveloped in elegant and peaceful surroundings;
Multi-functional
Famous restaurants always have a complete service of accommodation, catering, entertainment, bodybuilding and business and convention facilities, which will definitely suit the needs of businessmen and business travelers.
Comfort and staff attentiveness
Restaurants’ well-trained staff provide all guests with their first-class service they need for a pleasant and cozy stay at the restaurants. The guests are ensured to feel at home while staying at restaurants and when they leave, they will bring with them many happy memories.

What kinds of entertainment do you think are most suitable for foreign business clients? Why/ why not?
(What kinks of things do you think foreign business people like to see or do?)
Unit Two B

Sponsoring Popular Event or Personalities of Famous People
Are you influenced by company logos when you choose services or products? Why/why not?
(is the image of company important when you decide what to buy? Why /why not?)

What kinds of popular events or personalities do you think companies should involve in sponsoring? Why?
(What kind of people or events should companies support? Why?)

Do you think sponsoring sports events or personalities is the most effective form of advertising? Why/why not?
(Is supporting sports events or people a good way to advertise? Why/why not?)

Do you think companies will make more use of sponsorship in the future as a way of advertising? Why/why not?
(Do you think that in the future more companies will support sports events or people to advertise products? Why /why not?)

advantages
creating and reinforcing existing brand images;
supporting the launch of new products;
being used to associate brands with aspirant and successful
characteristics;
being designed to be covert and ‘subliminal’
The effect of sponsorship equates that of advertising;
events
Formula One International; Big boat sailing; Basketball; Football; Ice hockey; Horse jumping;

Unit Three A
Unit Three B

Unit Four A

Advertising
Are you influenced by advertisements when you choose a product or service? Why?
(Do advertisements help you to decide what to buy? Why/why not)
Do you think there should be a limit on the amount of advertising on TV? Why or why not?
(Do you think there’s too much advertising on television? Why/why not?)

Advantages
Giving target customers direct impression of the products and thus shortening their selection process;
Giving target customers specific information and details about products for them to select and compare and thus making their purchasing more convenient;
Disadvantages
Too much information on the same kind of products makes it difficult for customers to make decision;
Dishonest or distracting information misleads customers and makes them suffer a financial loss.
Unit Four B

Company Celebrations
What events do you usually celebrate in your family? Why/why not?
(Do you celebrate any special days in your family? And how?)

What kinds of occasions do you think companies ought to celebrate? Why?
(Which events should companies celebrate? Why?)

How important is it to involve all staff in company celebrations? Why?
(Is it important to include all staff in company celebrations? Why?)

Company’s anniversaries /Company’s success in operations /Company’s relocation
Making use of the celebration to advertise or promote company’s products or services /Making use of the celebration to expand company’s brand names and fame and to gain more publicity;
Company’s introduction of new employees /Important holidays or festivals
Making use of the celebration to improve the relations among employees/between different departments/employees and employers/ Making use of the celebration to accelerate or reinforce the form of corporate culture and to produce a harmonious environment in the company;

Unit Five A

The Workplace
Is it important to you what type of building you work? Why/why not?
(Is the place where you work/study important to you? Why/why not?)

P61 it’s not what you are, it’s where you are.
What kinds of facilities do you think should be available in an office building? Why?
(What kinds of facilities would you like to have in an office building? Why?)

Do you think companies should provide sports facilities for their staff?
(Should companies have sports facilities for their staff? Why/why not?)

Do you think people work better in an office alone or sharing with other people? Why?
(Is it better to work alone in an office with other people? Why?

advantages
Cost-effective; saving actual expenses;
being able to bring each member work and collaborate on projects;
allowing for enhanced communications among individuals;
employees’ being able to enjoy a close working relationship;
disadvantages
Having to tolerant differences and separate personal relations;
employees’ being unable to concentrate on work or tasks due to constant interruptions or trifles;
violating the privacy and other rights of individual employees or ethics of their profession;
Unit Five B

Work and Home
Which would you rather live in---a house or an apartment? Why?
(Would you prefer to live in a house or an apartment?)

Are there any advantages in working from home rather than an office? Why or why not?
(Is it better for people to do their work at home or in an office?)

advantages
For employees
Less travel and exposure to accidents to and from work. 
Less interruption by fellow employees. A lot of people can get more done working at home than in their employers’ office.
Cuts car expenses and less upkeep needed for car.
For the self-employed or home-based business
When you start a home-based business you do not create additional expenses like day care, meals, parking, dry cleaning, gasoline, etc.  So you get to keep every penny that you earn. 

The tax advantages of a home-based business are literally unbelievable.  A home-based business has a different set of rules then any other