i E-mails can have a formal business style or a very informal style, similar to spoken English.
ii This formal e-mail is similar to a standard business letter, but usually it is shorter.
The e-mail should begin with Dear and finish with Best wishes or Best regards. You use this style if you are writing to somebody outside the company or somebody you do not know well.
iii This informal e-mail is for people you know well inside or outside the company.
The e-mail often begins with Hi or Hello and finishes Regards or CU (See you).
Other short forms are:
TX = thanks
RUOK = Are you OK?
FYI = for our information
A You are at an international trade fair in another country. You write an e-mail about the fair to a colleague in your office. Complete the e-mail with items from the box.
| a sales manager business is company sells do business is a great city is from Altheim |
Hi!
The Cyberfair is very exciting, and Frankfurt ..1 .
There are interesting people from all over the world here at the fair.
Andreas Wallner .2 in Austria. Hes .. 4.
His ..4 furniture for hi-tech offices, and he says .. 5 good at the moment.
I think Mr Wallner is a very good business contact. Im sure we can 6 with him.
Bye for now,
Max.
B Imagine that you work for the IFC from Exercise 6 Case Study Independent Film Company(IFC). Write an e-mail to the Human Resources team. Tell them:
what you like about your job
what you dont like
what you want
MODULE 4
BUSINESS TRIPS
TEXT A
1 Study this vocabulary and definitions and think of Russian equivalents:
a single / return ticket one-way / round trip ticket
to book a flight to reserve an air ticket
jet lag the tired and confused feeling that you can get after flying a very long distance, especially because of the difference in time between the place you left and the place you arrived at
culture gap culture difference
luggage he cases, bags etc that you carry when you are travelling
to pack a suitcase to put things into a suitcase
to catch the train to get on the train in order to travel somewhere
to miss the train to arrive too late to catch it
to depart to leave
to be delayed to be late
to take off to leave the ground
to check in to register at an airport
security checks the measures that are taken to protect a place (to go through security checks)
customs officer officials responsible for collecting taxes on goods coming into a country and preventing illegal goods from being brought in
flight attendant a steward or stewardess
announcer a person who makes the announcements
duty free goods goods that are sold at airports or on planes or ships at a cheaper price than usual because you do not have to pay import tax on them
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to fasten a seatbelt to close a strap attached to a seat in a car or an aircraft
to confirm a reservation to say that the reservation is definite
reception the desk or office that books rooms for people and answers their questions
2 When you travel, which of the following do you like or not like? Make up sentences as in the example.
| e.g. I love meeting new people. | I dont like flying. |
| I like eating new food. | I hate checking in. |
| I dont mind packing. |
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3 Match the extract with the place where travelers can hear or say these things. Try to identify the speaker:
C= Customs officer, P=Pilot, A=Announcer, T=Traveller, F=Flight attendant, G=Guest)
| e.g. _C _ Have you got any duty-free goods? Please open your suitcase. _ b)_ | a) in taxi |
| _____This is your pilot speaking. We are now flying at 30,000 feet. _____ | b) at an airport |
| _____Passengers for flight GA 642 to Rome, please go to gate 26. _____ | c) at a railway station |
| _____The Hotel Excelsior, please. _____ | d) at a hotel |
| _____A single ticket to the city centre, please. _____ | e) on a plane |
| _____Please fasten your seatbelts and switch off any electronic devices. _____ | |
| _____The next train leaves from platform 8. _____ | |
| _____Can I have an alarm call at 6 a/m/ tomorrow, please? _____ |
Listen to the extracts and repeat.
4 Say these flight details. Then listen and check.
| 1 Flight BA 427 | 5 You fly from terminal 3. |
| 2 Flight LH 265 | 6 The 4.40 flight to Frankfurt is now boarding. |
| 3 Flight UA 491 | 7 You are in row 35, seat E. |
| 4 The plane leaves from gate 38. | 8 The plane arrives at 12.10. |
5 People often do these things when they travel. Match the verbs (1-10) with the correct phrases (a-e).
| 1 buy | a) security | 6 watch | a) hotel room |
| 2 confirm | b) a ticket | 7 take | b) some shopping |
| 3 collect | c) at the check-in | 8 book | c) at the hotel |
| 4 go through | d) their flight | 9 do | d) an in-flight movie |
| 5 queue | e) their luggage | 10 check in | e) a bus or taxi |
6 Complete the sentences below with the words from the box.
| luggage flight next gate bill seat leave single reservation duty |
At the ticket office
1 Is there a direct .. to Prague?
2 A . ticket to the city centre, please.
At the airport
3 Passengers for flight BA 247 to Sao Paulo, please go to .. 71.
4 Have you got any ..- free goods?
At the check-in desk
5 Can I take this as hand ..?
6 Would you like an aisle or window.?
At the railway station
7 Which platform does the train to Warsaw .. from?
8 What time is the . train to Paris?
At the hotel
9 I have a for two nights. My names Burkhard.
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10 Im checking out today. Can I have the , please?
7 Listen to Colin Knapp talking about traveling to the Far East and take notes to answer the questions:
1 How often does Colin travel on business?
2 Which country does he visit regularly?
3 How long is the flight?
4 What two things does he do during the flight?
5 Does he suffer from jet lag?
6 Is jet lag different traveling west-east and east-west?
7 Why does he travel to the to the Far East instead of doing business by telephone or fax?
8 What example of a culture gap does he give?
9 What three tips does he give for visiting this country for the first time?
8 Listen again and read the interview with Colin Knapp. Check your answers.
Int=Interviewer CK=Colin Knapp
| Int: | Colin, do you travel on business very often? |
| CK: | I travel to Thailand about two to three times per year. |
| Int: | And how long is the flight from England to Thailand? |
| CK: | The flight is about twelve hours. |
| Int: | Uh, huh. Do you enjoy that long flight? |
| CK: | It is OK as long as I take plenty of reading, and they normally have three to four films. |
| Int: | And do you watch all the films? |
| CK: | I watch all of the films because I find it very difficult to sleep on a plane. |
| Int: | OK. Do you suffer from jet lag after the flight? |
| CK: | Well, I suffer jet lag, in Thailand it lasts for about one day. |
| Int: | Uh, hu, and when you return to England? |
| CK: | It is worse, for some reason, and is about three days. |
| Int: | So traveling back to England is less pleasant? |
| CK: | It is less pleasant, but that apparently* is quite common. |
| Int: | OK. And whats the reason for your visits to Thailand? |
| CK: | Its to teach and to do some business with the University. |
| Int: | Why do you travel to Thailand to do business? Why cant you do that by telephone or fax? |
| CK: | Because our discussions are quite complex and it is too complex for telephone and fax. |
| Int: | OK. When you visit Thailand do you experience** a culture gap? |
| CK: | There is a culture gap, yes. |
| Int: | Can you give me any examples of that? |
| CK: | They are very polite people, and so there are times when you may think they agree with you, but they say yes because they think it is polite. |
| Int: | OK. So the way people communicate is different? |
| CK: | They communicate in a different way, yes. |
| Int: | OK. And so can you give people visiting Thailand any tips, for their visit? |
| CK: | Well, always try to be polite, and be respectful, and on first meeting try not to look the person in the eye too often. |
apparently*- ,
to experience**- ,
9 Discuss the questions:
- Do you like or dislike flying? Why?
- Do you sleep on a plane or do you prefer to read? Do you always watch the in-flight film?
- What do you know about jet lag?
- What are the advantages of face-to-face meetings compared to doing business by telephone, fax or computer?
GRAMMAR FOCUS 1 some/any; countable and uncountable nouns
i Countable [C] nouns include individual things, people and places and have a plural.
