Progress Test 2 Audio Script

Track 6
LISTENING 1
MM So, if you would like to look at the next chart, youll see that profits at Simpsons main
Highfield branch have risen not by 10 percent, as was predicted by most business analysts.
Instead, the company has seen profits jump to 11.25 percent, that is, when you compare the
figures with the same time twelve months ago. This means that total annual profits at the
company rose by 825,250 to reach 1.21 million.
If we now take a look at profits at Litty, the market leader, for a moment, you will notice
that they reached a peak in March of 7.31 million thats over a quarter of a million more
than had been expected for that month, by the way.
However, before the end of September profits had plummeted by 4.26 million to 3.5
million. The last quarter of the year is traditionally the best time at the company so analysts
are very hopeful of achieving profits of 14.5 I mean, point six million pounds for that
period.
LISTENING 2
The first nominee is Catherine Roper, thirty-five, who runs her own company offering
business training on cultural awareness. After seven years steady growth, her company,
Keys, now employs over one hundred people in twenty different countries throughout the
world. Catherine hopes to expand into the language training business in central and Eastern
Europe and plans acquisitions to increase growth.
The second person nominated is Deepak Patel, twenty-five, who set up Petra ten years ago
to provide financial products to small and medium-sized enterprises in the north-west of the
UK. The company, of which he is managing director, has become one of the most respected
financial companies in the region, providing a whole range of valued financial products, and
expert advice and guidance. Two months ago the company extended its focus into property.
Thirdly we have Ricky Rand, aged thirty. Ricky joined his fathers clothing business, Real
Rags, straight from school, learning all aspects of the operation. Since his fathers
retirement five years ago, Rand has become CEO and has continued to develop the business.
Real Rags is the nations most successful clothing retailer, with an annual turnover of one
point five million pounds.
The fourth nominee is Gary Bell, forty-two. He founded the employment agency Park
Services, placing production workers in factories throughout the UK. In two thousand and
two Bell acquired the rival recruitment company Manifold. After a complex restructuring
operation, Bell has turned the business into one of the countrys most successful agencies of
its kind.
The final person here tonight is Melanie Rogers, thirty-five, who started her career in sales
after completing a degree in Information Technology. After a work placement at engineering
company Marbank, and a business trip to Japan, she decided to establish her own company,
which now offers IT solutions to small and medium-sized enterprises throughout the south-
east of England.

PHOTOCOPIABLE 2006 Pearson Longman ELT 1