Present simple and present continuous
Read the following interview with Margi Bogart, Product Marketing Manager at Mindsteps, Inc. Put the verbs in brackets into the Present Simple or Present Progressive (Continuous) Tense. The first has been done for you.
"I 1 work (work) for Mindsteps, Inc., a start-up firm located in Silicon Valley that 2_____________(develop) human resources management software for large corporations that 3____________(have) at least 2,500 employees. Currently, we 4_____________(market) our main product called CareerSteps which is a software program that 5_____________(help) employees to assess their interests, values, and skills in order to create a career development plan. More and more corporations 6____________(buy) CareerSteps as a cost-effective solution to the issues that human resources departments 7____________(face), such as staff turnover, motivating workers, and increasing employee productivity. Thanks to the success of an initial pilot project, this year Hewlett-Packard 8____________(make) CareerSteps available to125,000 of their employees around the world. As the Product Marketing Manager, I 9_____________(coordinate) the planning and 10____________(manage) the business and marketing efforts for the product. An important aspect of my job11_____________(involve) making sure the product 12_____________(meet) the marketing requirements once it is completed. At the moment, I 13__________(contact) potential clients and 14_____________(work) on the marketing requirements for the next version of our product. On Tuesday, we15_____________(present) the innovative features of the new version of CareerStepsto our main customers."
ANSWER KEY
2 develops 3 have 4 are marketing 5 helps 6 are buying
7 face 8 is making 9 coordinate 10 manage 11 involves
12 meets 13 am contacting 14 am working 15 are presenting
TOPICAL SPEAKING
TASK 1
I. Working in pairs discuss the following questions under the headings I – IV.
2. Give a talk in class on the topic “Globalization and the World Market” making use of TEXTS A and B as well as exercise 3.
I. The idea of globalization
1. What does the term ‘globalization’ describe?
2. Does the idea of globalization include only economic integration?
3. When was the word ‘globalization’ used for the first time?
II. Different aspects of globalization
1. What is important for customers in the process of globalization?
2. What changes has globalization made in financial and business spheres?
3. What are the linguistic aspects of globalization?
III. Advantages and disadvantages of globalization
1. What economic opportunities did globalization provide for people and countries?
2. What countries are winners and what counties are losers in the globalization of world markets?
IV. Global brands
1. Do you think that a brand is nothing more than a label?
2. Does a brand-name increase market penetration for a company?
3. Why does the spread of a brand cause a real danger for some countries?
TASK 2
Speak on the topic “Russia’s Integration into the Free-market World: Advantages and Disadvantages” at the students’ scientific conference. Make use of the vocabulary below. (Consult special literature and reference books, if necessary. If you can get access to the Internet, make use of this global network).
| 1) the country’s share in the world trade | – доля страны в мировой торговле |
| 2) to decline to/ by ... % | – сокращаться до/ на ... % |
| 3) to impose a ban on the imports | – вводить запрет на импорт |
| 4) to lift the ban on the imports | – снять запрет на импорт |
| 5) liberalization of foreign trade | – либерализация внешней торговли |
| 6) the country has largely benefited from ... | – страна извлекла большую выгоду из ... |
| 7) shortage of foreign currency/ of hard currency | – нехватка иностранной/ твердой валюты |
| 8) to exchange currency | – обменивать валюту |
| 9) trading partners | – торговые партнеры |
| 10) duties on a wide range of commodities | – пошлины на целый ряд потребительских товаров |
| 11) to sign a long-term trade agreement | – подписать долгосрочное торговое соглашение |
| 12) to promote exports | – стимулировать экспорт |
| 13) to expand exports | – увеличивать/ расширять экспорт |
| 14) a sharp rise in the demand for imports | – резкое увеличение спроса на импортные товары |
| 15) to occupy the ... place in the world as to ... | – занимать ... место в мире по ... |
| 16) the export prices are stable | – экспортные цены стабильны |
| 17) the statistics for ... show an increase/ a fall/ of ... % in ... | – статистические данные на ... (год) говорят об увеличении /падении/ на % в ... |
| 18) to maintain the price stability | – поддерживать стабильные цены |
| 19) trade relations | – торговые отношения |
| 20) the exports account for ... % from the volume of the previous year | – экспорт составляет ... % от объема предыдущего года |
SPEAKING
Making Requests
      Will
Would
Can
Could
| you | repeat that again, please? close/ open the door/ window, please? tell me the time? help/ show me ...? |
 |
 Do
Would
| you mind telling me about ... ? / saying that again? |
Note 1: A request ends with a rising intonation. “Please” makes your
request more polite and it comes at the beginning or the end.
Note 2: “Will you/ Can you” are more used between friends and family members to make a simple request. “Would you/ could you” are used amongst friends when the request is more demanding, and with strangers.
Refusing a Request
I’m sorry (really very sorry), I can’t help you.
I’m sorry, I haven’t got time to ... .
Accepting a Request
Yes, certainly. Anything else?
Yes, of course.
Sure, I will. (esp. AmE)