Business Vocabulary IELTS for bands 7.0 – 8.0 – 9.0 ( Part 1) – IELTSMaterial

Advanced Vocabulary for IELTS 7.0 – 8.0 – 9.0: THE BUSINESS WORLD – Practice Exercises and Answer Key ( Part 1)

THE BUSINESS WORLD ( PART 1)

(A)

Use the verbs given in the box below to fill in the gaps in sentences 1- 20. Use each verb once only. You may need to change the tense or form.

facilitate          issue                overrun           direct               audit                write

face                 put                   convene           embark            budget             break

operate           put                   engage             wind                recapitalise      run

float                 strip                 merge              form                cut

1. All staff have been warned that they_____________ the axe should productivity not improve, and that no one, no matter how senior, is exempt from having to up their performance.
2. Rumours abound that Maxwell Mining is about to ________ on the stock exchange.
3. There is talk of the two struggling companies ____________ , and it is believed that they would benefit significantly from synergy were this to happen.
4. The company is willing to _______ on a hostile takeover bid if necessary as it has well and truly set its sights on acquiring a majority share in Indie Motors, which is by far and away its biggest rival in the industry.
5. Management has promised to _______ an easy transition to the new ownership structure.
6. The company____________ an unexpected profit warning on Monday sparking a two-thirds drop ___________ in its share price as investors _________ in panic-selling.
7. The owners have made the decision to ___________ the business up as it can no longer ________ as a going concern.
8. The owners _______ a very tight ship and are highly-regarded for what they have achieved with very limited resources in a very short space of time, owing almost completely to their efficiency and excellent organisation of the business.
9. The two former rivals have __________ an unlikely strategic alliance leaving everyone perplexed as to why they were at loggerheads for so long.
10. The board has _________ forward a motion of no confidence in the Chief Executive and his days at the head of the company now appear numbered.
11. The company’s assets have been ____________ down to the bare minimum with all non-core business units having been sold off.
12. The company’s books were ___________ by Deforbes Accountants for all three years during which they were being fiddled by the Chief Financial Officer and questions are now being asked as to whether Deforbes was negligent in carrying out its duties.
13. The additional expenditure arising from the snap decision made by the board to acquire Boovampe Limited had, naturally, not been _________ for.
14. The interim management team is looking for ways to ___________ the firm and investors are being sought.
15. In an effort to __________ wage-related costs, the company has ceased to allow staff to work overtime on weekends.
16. Staff have been __________ on notice that their jobs are at risk should the company remain in financial difficulty much longer.
17. Financial mismanagement has resulted in spending ________ considerably for the second consecutive year.
18. The value of the company has been down after it was found that it had not been depreciating its assets according to the guidelines of the FCA.
19. Investors reacted favorably to the news that the company had succeeded in __________ even for the first time since the restructuring and cost-cutting measures were introduced.
20. A meeting of the Board of Directors has been ____________ to discuss the implications of the offer tabled by Manton Investments. It is largely assumed that they will ________ shareholders to accept same.

(B)

Match a – k from Column A with their strongest collocates in Column B.

Column A
Answer
Column B

(a) credit

(b) credit

(c) double-dip

(d) cottage

(e) corporate

(f) cash

(g) junk

(h) false

(i) factory

(j) cut-throat

(k) exit

(i) industry

(ii) recession

(iii) check

(iv) crunch

(v) floor

(vi) bottom

(vii) ladder

(viii) flow

(ix) bond

(x) business

(xi) strategy

 (C)

Now use your answers from (B) above to complete the sentences below.

1. This is a(n) ________ so don’t act like you are surprised that I double-crossed you. I believe you would have done exactly the same thing to me given the opportunity.
2. Investors have paid a heavy price for not recognising last week’s share-price low as a _________ ; although the stock briefly rallied earlier this week, it has plummeted to new lows as the week has progressed.
3. The company went into the market blindly without having thoroughly thought through the connotations for their core business, nor did they bother to develop a(n) ____________ in case things should go wrong.
4. It has had its rating lowered again and is now only one level above being regarded as a(n) _________ – it’s hard to believe now that just three months ago it had an AA rating.
5. The company was quick to reassure shareholders that its __________ is in a very healthy state and that there is no liquidity Issue – and will be none for the foreseeable future.
6. They ran a _____________ on her and rejected the loan application based on its poor results.
7. Word on the ________________ is that staff on the production line are preparing to go on strike to protest against what they perceive to be unfair conditions of employment.
8. The much-feared _____________ has become a reality after it was confirmed that the country has been in negative growth now for three consecutive months.
9. You will never reach the top of the _____________ unless you change your attitude towards your superiors; it is not only about how good you are at your job, but also how well liked you might be.
10. The __________ is having an effect on the number of houses being bought. Figures for January were at an all-time low and there was a notable lack of Interest in the housing market from prospective first-time buyers.
11. She has grown her business from being a(n) __________ to become an international power house in the catering world with remarkable speed

ANSWER KEY

(A)

1. face

2. float

3. merging

4. embark

5. facilitate

6. issued/engaged

7. wind/operate

8. run

9. formed

10. put

11. stripped

12. audited

13. budgeted

14. recapitalize

15. cut

16. put

17. overrunning

18. written

19. breaking

20. convened/direct

 (B)

a. iii/iv             b. iii/iv         c. ii                 d. i                   e. vii                f. viii

g. ix                    h. vi              i. v                   j. x                   k. xi

(C)

1. cut-throat business

2. false bottom

3. exit strategy

4. junk bond

5. cash flow

6. credit check

7. factory floor

8. double-dip recession

9. corporate ladder

10. credit crunch

11. cottage industry

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