English for Work Intermediate

Test 1 2023 Total 85 marks

Ninguna parte de esta publicación, incluidos los dibujos, puede ser reproducida, almacenada o transmitida en manera alguna ni por ningún
medio, ya sea digital, eléctrico, químico, mecánico, óptico, de grabación o de fotocopia, sin acuerdo previo con Dickens.
Page 1
 Listening

 You will hear part of a podcast about stress.

 For each question 1 – 10, fill in the missing information in the numbered
spaces using one or two words, numbers or letters.
 You will hear the recording twice.
 There is an example (0).

0. Most Americans suffer from burnout these days.

1. There are …………… main causes of work-related stress.

2. The speaker says it is ………………… to control stress and its effects.

3. The first thing to do is decide what is really ……………………. and what isn’t.

4. You need to evaluate deadlines in terms of ……………… and importance.

5. Before missing a deadline, you can always talk to your ……………………..

6. It can be useful to explain the …………………. why you won’t be able to finish on time.

7. It is key to leave work-related stress ……………………..

8. It is also important to find time to do something that makes us feel …………………...

9. We need to evaluate our lives and decide if there’s anything we want to ………………..

10. Neuroscience suggests ……………. is crucial.

Adapted from: [Link]

Image source: [Link]

management/stress-and-heart-health

20 marks

Ninguna parte de esta publicación, incluidos los dibujos, puede ser reproducida, almacenada o transmitida en manera alguna ni por ningún
medio, ya sea digital, eléctrico, químico, mecánico, óptico, de grabación o de fotocopia, sin acuerdo previo con Dickens.
Page 2
  Reading
A.
 Read the article below.
 Decide if the sentences 1-6 are Right or Wrong. If there is not enough
information to answer Right or Wrong, choose Doesn’t say.
 There’s an example (0)

0. Some people feel they need more time to do everything they need to do. R

1. Some tasks just cannot be simplified.

2. Successful people spend most of their time in meetings.

3. In order to be more productive, make sure you have some time to work on your
own.

4. Many business people consider the meetings they attend are not useful.

5. If you have more important things to do, you should share it and try not to attend
a meeting.

6. Writing an agenda does not help make meetings more productive.

Ninguna parte de esta publicación, incluidos los dibujos, puede ser reproducida, almacenada o transmitida en manera alguna ni por
ningún medio, ya sea digital, eléctrico, químico, mecánico, óptico, de grabación o de fotocopia, sin acuerdo previo con Dickens.
Page 3
 Many people feel they never have enough hours in the day to successfully complete what they
hope to accomplish, whether it is because they have too much on their plate or feel they are
always responding to others. Take control over your schedule, and give yourself the time you
need to be effective. Here are three ways successful people carve out more time at work:

1. Simplify a few tasks to make room for more time for important things.

Making multiple decisions takes time. Where possible, simplify your work. Successful people
identify work that can be automated or trimmed to make more time for others things. Are you able
to first create a template letter to use for multiple, similar letters? If you are using a spreadsheet,
see where you can use formulas to avoid redundant computations.

2. Block time on their schedule.

Your schedule shouldn’t be full of just meetings with other people. Your schedule is your
schedule. Successful people own their schedule. Take advantage of it, and block time for “me
time.” Block a couple of hours on an afternoon to give you the flexibility and freedom to do what
you need or want to accomplish that day.

3. Avoid attending unnecessary meetings.

Most professionals believe meetings are unproductive, believing that 67% of meetings don’t live
up to expectations. Middle managers spend 35% of their time in meetings. Upper management
spends 50% of their time in meetings, and people spend around four hours each week
preparing for status update meetings.
Either don’t schedule meetings, go to fewer meetings or make it your job to make meetings
more efficient and shorter. Ask yourself, “Is it necessary that I attend?” If you do not know, ask
the meeting organizer what your role is for the meeting. If you feel like you don’t need to be at
the meeting, respectfully let your colleague know of a competing priority or another way you can
support them.
If you feel you must attend a meeting, think about what you can do to make sure the meeting is
focused. Can you develop or help with writing an agenda, gathering materials in advance, being
the timekeeper or identifying action items to complete afterwards?

Successful people schedule or attend meetings to get things done, not to make an appearance.

Adapted from: [Link]

12 marks

Ninguna parte de esta publicación, incluidos los dibujos, puede ser reproducida, almacenada o transmitida en manera alguna ni por
ningún medio, ya sea digital, eléctrico, químico, mecánico, óptico, de grabación o de fotocopia, sin acuerdo previo con Dickens.
Page 4
 B. Complete the sentences below using words from the box. There are two words
you don’t need to use.

leave meet with for accurate in

loyalty of schedule for expectations allocate

1. I’m responsible ______all marketing campaigns.

2. She works _______finance.

3. Sam’s in charge __________all purchases.

4. I work __________a big multinational firm.

5. My colleague is on maternity ___________at the moment.

6. We’re now trying to __________resources for the project.

7. If we continue working like this, we should __________the deadline.

8. How _________are these figures? Have you checked them?

9. I think we need to build customer __________in order to increase sales.

10. I don’t think we’re matching our customers’____________.

10 marks

Ninguna parte de esta publicación, incluidos los dibujos, puede ser reproducida, almacenada o transmitida en manera alguna ni por
ningún medio, ya sea digital, eléctrico, químico, mecánico, óptico, de grabación o de fotocopia, sin acuerdo previo con Dickens.
Page 5
 Grammar

Read the article below and choose the best option for each gap A, B, C or D.
There’s an example (0).

We work hard to manage our time, stress, and relationships —(0)……..what about our
attention? With the rise of technology and smartphones, distractions are constant and
draining. It’s harder (1)…………ever to maintain our workflow.
According (2)………….a recent Harvard Business Review article, smartphone users check their
phones 150 times a day, which adds up to 2.5 hours of simply opening and closing your
phone. A single text — which HBR claims takes 2.2 seconds to read — can double work error
rates, and it (3)………….. 11 minutes to regain the flow achieved before the distraction.
Needless to say, our productivity is (4)……………..risk.

What can we (5)…………..to battle these staggering statistics? Here are some simple tips from
productivity experts for taking back your attention:

Actions speak louder than words, but (6)…………..you put your actions into words, you
harness a new type of control. “Much of what you do is habitual, so it’s useful to keep a
‘habit diary’ in (7)…………….you track your behavior for two weeks and observe what you’re
(8)…………... That will help you to become mindful of behaviors that have become mindless,”
Art Markman, Ph.D., professor of psychology and marketing at the University of Texas at
Austin and author of Bring Your Brain to Work, tells Thrive.
What does it look like to track habits? Markman suggests noting when you are performing a
particular behavior, (9)……………..as scrolling through your phone or switching from task to
task (10)……………..finishing the first, as well as where you were when you did it, what else
you were doing, what you were thinking and feeling, and how (11)………….you spent doing
the activity. “If you do this for two weeks, you now begin to recognize the circumstances
that lead to the behavior you’re trying to quit,” Markman tells Thrive. If you’re tracking
smartphone use, for (12)………………, you’ll begin to understand when and where you are
most susceptible to distraction.
After tracking habits, Markman says you’ll be able to use what you learn to reconfigure the
way you deal (13)………….technology at work. For example, if you know that you are more
focused in the morning, you can rework your schedule so that those hours go towards work
that requires your full attention. “Set a timer for 10 minutes at the start of the workday.
Triage your email to deal with the three or four emails that must be addressed right away,”
Markman suggests. “After the timer goes off, set the timer again for an hour and do
something else important for that hour without checking email.”

Adapted from [Link]

mindfulness/?
13 marks

Ninguna parte de esta publicación, incluidos los dibujos, puede ser reproducida, almacenada o transmitida en manera alguna ni por
ningún medio, ya sea digital, eléctrico, químico, mecánico, óptico, de grabación o de fotocopia, sin acuerdo previo con Dickens.
Page 6
 0. a. but b. because c. for

1. a. to b. than c. that

2. a. to b. for c. about

3. a. take b. takes c. taking

4. a. on b. in c. at

5. a. did b. does c. do

6. a. when b. which c. where

7. a. which b. that c. where

8. a. done b. do c. doing

9. a. so b. such c. if

10 a. having b. without c. even if

11. a. many b. far c. long

12. a. one b. instance c. many

13. a. with b. for c. about

Image source: [Link]

Ninguna parte de esta publicación, incluidos los dibujos, puede ser reproducida, almacenada o transmitida en manera alguna ni por
ningún medio, ya sea digital, eléctrico, químico, mecánico, óptico, de grabación o de fotocopia, sin acuerdo previo con Dickens.
Page 7
 Writing
Choose A or B and write about 80-100 words.

A. You need to organise a meeting with all managers in your company. Write an
email to your assistant:
- telling him when the meeting will take place
- telling him how many people will be there
- asking him to book a conference room and get everything ready

B. Write an email to a new member of staff:

- describing the company
- giving details of the products / services you offer
- telling them about your job, your main responsibilities and whether your
job involves working in teams or on your own

30 marks
Ninguna parte de esta publicación, incluidos los dibujos, puede ser reproducida, almacenada o transmitida en manera alguna ni por
ningún medio, ya sea digital, eléctrico, químico, mecánico, óptico, de grabación o de fotocopia, sin acuerdo previo con Dickens.
Page 8