Practice
« Numbers and business»
Exercise 1 Company profiles
1 A Can you name any of Cadbury Schweppes' products? Do you buy any of them?
2 Look at this article about Cadbury Schweppes. Why are these dates important in the history of the
company?
• the 1790s
• 1799
• the 1830s
• 1905
• 1969
Cadbury Schweppes plc
Cadbury Schweppes plc is one of the oldest and largest family businesses in the world today.
Cadbury limited merged with the drinks company Schweppes Limited in 1969, but the new company is
still run by a member of the Cadbury family. It is a leading producer of chocolate and soft drinks.
The business was started by John Cadbury, who began making chocolate in the 1830s. He was
joined in 1847 by his brother, Benjamin, and then John's sons continued the business. A new factory
was opened in 1879 and two years later the company began to export its products. Cadbury's Dairy
milk, a milk chocolate bar, was introduced in 1905 and remains popular now. In 1922 the Cadbury
started to manufacture products overseas and after the second World War the company was still the
most successful chocolate manufacturer in Britain. The company was also known for its advanced
working conditions and for the comfortable houses that were built around its factory outside
Birmingham for people of all classes.
Schweppes Limited was named after Jacob Schweppe, who was born in Germany but later moved to
Britain. He started producing mineral water in the 1790s. The company was sold in 1799 but the name
was kept by the new owners. New products were introduced - other soft drinks such as tonic water and
lemonade, and later jams and tea.
After the merger of the two companies, Cadbury Schweppes bought a number of foreign companies
and in 1995 became the third-largest soft drink company in the United States. Soft drinks and
confectionery have been at the centre of its business activities since the eighties and it is now a major
global company selling its products in over 190 countries around the world.
Exercise 2 One hour is 60 minutes, which is 36, 000 seconds. A lot can happen in that time.
Read about some of the things that happen all over the world. Put the verb in brackets into either
Present Simple or Present Simple passive. Practise saying the numbers.
Example:
Every hour the planet Earth travels (travel) 66,620 miles around the sun.
Eleven earthquakes are left (feel) somewhere in the world.
Look at what happens in just 60 minutes!
1 The world's population _______________ (grow) by 9,300.
2 £75 million _______________ (spend) on all kinds of weapons.
3 Your heart _______________ (beat) 4,800 times.
4 You hair _______________ (grow) 0, 18796 mm.
5 12,540,000 cans of Coca-Cola_______________ (drink).
6 916,500 McDonald's hamburgers _______________ (eat).
7 17,465 bottles of whisky_______________ (produce) in Scotland.
8 1,426,940 letters _______________ (send).
9 The Pentagon in Washington_______________ (receive) 8,300 telephone calls.
10 £558,000 worth of goods _______________ (sell) in Harrods department store.
11 12, 000 passengers _______________ (pass) through Heathrow.
12 166 Volkswagen cars _______________ (make) in Germany.
Exercise 3 Match the numbers on the left (1 – 10) with those on the right (a – j),
as in the example.
1 142
2 3,586
3 8.45 a.m.
4 £18.50
5 $791
6 2,004
7 9.20 p.m.
8 1701
9 6.15 a.m.
10 20.45
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
i
j
eight forty-five in the morning
two thousand (and) four
one hundred and forty-two
seven hundred and ninety-one dollars
three thousand, five hundred and eighty-six
seventeen – oh – one
twenty forty-five
nine twenty in the evening
eighteen pounds fifty
quarter past six in the morning
Exercise 4 Complete the sentences using the prepositions in the box.
to
between
at
from
for
1 The temperature remains constant ……… 30° .
2 In Alaska the temperature varies ……… - 45° in winter and 20° in summer.
3 The bank is open ….. 9 a.m. ……. 5 p.m.
4 The cost of the project is ………. £550 million and £650 million.
5 I can only stay …….. half an hour.
6 I’ll meet you …….. seven o’clock in the reception of the Marquis Hotel.
Exercise 5 Match these numbers with numbers in the newspaper extracts below.
a 1/2
b 2/3
c seventy-three point eight
d one – nil
e fifteen per cent
f six - oh
g six point two eight
h nought point two
A For an information pack,
call the number below:
0345 60 90 60
B
C
15 % Off Home &
Motor Insurance
E
British woman can
expect to live, on
average, for 79.1year,
and men for 73.8
years.
The shock 1 – 0 defeat
against Azerbaijan was the
biggest upset in Swiss
football history
D
Around Britain
Sun (hours)
Aberdeen
3.6
Belfast
0.2
Birmingham
2.9
F
Wall Street
New York: The Dow
Jones industrial average
index rose 6.28 points to
close at 5, 894.74.
Nearly half of all parents say primary school teachers give them little
or no information on how to help with their children`s education.
Two-thirds do not understand what their children are learning.
G
Exercise 6 Read these statements. Practise saying the numbers aloud.
1 Mandarin Chinese is spoken by 700 million people (70% of the population of
China). English is the most widespread, with 400 million speakers.
2 English has the largest vocabulary, with approximately 500,000 words and
300,000 technical terms.
3 The oldest written language is Egyptian, which is 5,000 years old.
4 India has the most languages, with 845.
5 There are no irregular verbs in Esperanto, an artificial language invented in 1887.
6 Cambodian has 72 letters.
Exercise 7 Write down these numbers the way they are said.
1 0.45 ……………….
2 1.89 ……………….
3 $574 ………………
4 ¥132 ………………
5 £3.49 ……………..
11
12
13
14
6 €120 ………………….
7 2⁄3 ……………………
8 1⁄5……………………
9 1:3 ……………………
10 2003 …………………
Your account number is 283 4562.
Your personal identification number is 4537.
9.30 p.m.
1,000,000
Exercise 8 Read the dialogues.
a. A: Good afternoon. New Vistas Technology.
B: The sales department, please.
A: Just a moment. I'll connect you.
C : Sales department. Can I help you?
B: This is Al Moore from C&D Systems. May I speak to Mr. Hussain, please?
C: Sorry, he's not here now. Can I take a message?
B: Yes. We haven't received the parts he sent last week.
C: The parts didn't arrive? I'm very sorry. I'll tell him to return your call immediately.
B: I'd appreciate that.
C: Will you be in your office?
B: I think so, but I'll give you my mobile phone number, too. It's 555-4291.
C: 5-5-5 4-2-9-1. OK. Thank you, and I'll give him your message as soon as he gets back.
B: Thank you. Good-bye.
C: Good-bye, Mr. Moore.
b. A: Thank you for your calling Western Energy. We're sorry, but our offices are closed now. Our
hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Please call again. If you'd like to send a fax,
please send it now. If you'd like to leave a message, please speak after the tone.
B: This is a call for Bill Turner. It's Jeff Brown from Union Power Company. Could you call me
tomorrow morning? I'm staying at the Hayes Hotel, room 219. That's 2- 1-9. The hotel's number is
555-9207 I'll repeat that: 5-5-5-9-2-0-7. I'll be in the hotel all morning. Thank you.
c. A: And that's a single for Friday night, right?
B: Yes, this Friday.
A: OK. Can you give me a credit card number, please?
B: Yes, it's MasterCard and the number's 555 726 112 057.
A: 555 726 112 057. What's the date of expiration?
B: Uh, let's see. It expires in April of next year.
A: April. OK, that's everything. You're confirmed for a single room, on Friday, March 2.
d. A: Hello.
B: Hi, Jack. It's me. The travel agent just called.
A: Great. Did we get business class?
B: No, it was sold out for that date, but everything else worked out fine.
A: Oh, good. What's the flight number?
B: It's WA 1697.
A: 1697. And what time does it depart?
B: What time? Let's see. Departure's at 15:55 so let's go to the airport at about...
Exercise 9 Match the numbers to the definitions.
1
2
3
4
5
6
$2.75
1168
514-056-6638
15:30
DF 905
4/27/98
a
b
c
d
e
f
a telephone number
a time
a flight number
a sum of money
a date
a room number
Exercise 10 Read the article. Practise saying the numbers aloud.
Those lazy husbands
Men are lazy in the home, according to an
official survey published today.
They have about six hours' a week more
free time than wives, but play very little part in
cooking, cleaning, washing, and ironing,
according to the Social Trends Survey by the
Central Statistical Office.
Nearly three quarters of married women
claimed to do all or most of the housework,
and among married men the proportion who
admitted that their wives did all or most of the
housework was only slightly lower.
The survey showed that washing and
ironing was the least popular task among men,
with only one per cent performing this duty,
compared with 89 per cent of women, and 10
per cent sharing equally.
Only 5 per cent of men prepare the evening
meal, 3 per cent carry out household cleaning
duties, 5 per cent household shopping, and 17
per cent wash the evening dishes.
But when household gadgets break down,
repairs are carried out by 82 per cent of
husbands.
The survey says that, despite our economic
problems, the majority of Britons are
substantially better off than a decade ago. We're
healthier, too - eating healthier foods and
smoking less.
The average Briton, not surprisingly, is more
widely travelled than a decade ago. More
people are going abroad for holidays, with
Spain the favourite destination.
So here is the way .the statisticians see us...
Splitting up - the painful facts
There were 162,000 divorces in Britain in
1983, and about a fifth of those involved at
least one partner who had been divorced before.
But splitting up is more common among the
lower income groups. The survey shows that
the rate of divorces per thousand husbands in
unskilled manual jobs was more than four times
that for professional husbands.
Nearly two-fifths of all currently divorced
women aged 18 to 49 were receiving
maintenance from their former husbands for
their children or themselves.
Marriages in the UK - a total of 387,000 were three per cent down on the previous
year. Just over a third of these were
remarriages for one or both partners.
Money
Most people considered that the gap
between high wage earners and those on small
incomes was too large.
Predictably, people with high incomes were
less likely to agree, but even among those
with an annual income of at least £15,000,
more than half thought the gap was too wide.
The majority also disagreed that the rich in
this country are over-taxed.
Questioned on Government spending, the
three most favoured candidates for extra cash
were health, education, and help for industry.
The least favoured were overseas aid, public
transport, roads, police, and prisons.
Smoking
The number of smokers dropped by around
12 per cent compared with 1972, with more
men than women kicking the habit. But drug
abuse rocketed.
Registered male addicts under 20 doubled
between 1982 and 1983.
*There were 56 million people living in the UK in 1983 - only half a million more than in 1971. But
the number of people aged 65 or over had gone up by more than two million since 1961, and
represented more than 15 per cent of the population, compared with less than 5 per cent at the turn of
the century.
Exercise 11 Numbers.
1 Read aloud the following numbers.
15 50
406
72
128
90
19
1,520
36
247
5,000 100,000
850
2,000,000
When do we say and?
2 Practise the numbers.
Money
£100
50p.
£9.40
3⁄
4
2⁄
3
£47.99
$400
5,000FF
1,000DM
Fractions
1⁄
4
12 1⁄2
Decimals and percentages
6.2
17.25
50%
75.7%
100%
1939
1789
15/7/94
Dates
1995
30/10/67
Phone numbers
01865 87676
0171'586 4431
00 44 925 270992
Exercise 12 Pairwork.
A Say these numbers/amounts to your partner.
a 2⁄3
b 0.85
c 16%
d Tel: 543092
Write down the numbers/amounts that your partner tells you.
a __________
b __________
c __________
d __________
e __________
f __________
B Write down the numbers/amounts that your partner tells you.
a __________
b __________
d __________
e __________
c __________
f __________
e 3⁄2
f 14.07%
Say these numbers/amounts to your partner.
a 6⁄10
b Tel: 299045
c 0.78 %
d 80 %
e 1⁄3
Exercise 13 Read the dialogues.
What's your address?
I
a. My name's John Wolfe. That's W-O-L-F-E.
b. I'm Jessica Stuart. That's spelled S-T-U-A-R-T.
c. A: My address is 416 Harlem Avenue.
B: Sorry, did you say four sixty or four sixteen?
A: Four sixteen. One six.
d. A: The meeting's at 1314 Belle Street Suite 50.
B: Suite 50?
A: That's right, 50.
II
a. A: Clarion Hotel. May I help you?
B: Hello. I'd like to make a reservation.
A: May I have your name, please?
B: Yes, it's Emerson, Brooke Emerson.
A: Could you spell your first name, please?
B: Yes, it's B-R-O-O-K-E.
A: Thank you, Ms. Emerson. And what's your address?
B: 1342 Sutter Street, San Francisco, California 94123
A: Excuse me. Is that S-U-T-T-E-R?
B: Yes, that's right.
A: And your phone number?
B: 415-555-7194
A: 415-555-7194. OK, and when will you be arriving?
b. A: Phonetix Travel. Can I help you?
B: My name's Jordan Simms. I'd like to make a reservation to Sydney for next Saturday.
A: Is that S-I-M-M-S?
B: Yes, that's right.
A: And your address and phone number, Mr. Simms?
B: It's three seventeen Rose Street, that's R-O-S-E Street, Seattle. And the phone is
555-3267.
A: Three seventy Rose.
B: No, three seventeen. Three one seven.
A: Oh, sorry. Three seventeen Rose. And 555-3267.
B: That's right.
A: OK. What airline would you prefer, Mr. Simms?
B: Well, Pan Pacific, if possible.
f 13.95 %
c. A: Excuse me, but I'm having a problem with this card. Can you help me?
B: Sure. What's your last name, uh, family name?
A: Wang.
B: W-A-N-G? Write that here.
A: OK.
B: And your first name?
A: It's Meilan.
B: M-E-I-L-A-N?
A: Yes.
B: Where are you from?
A: China.
B: OK, so your nationality is Chinese. Write that here. Then write your passport number on
the next line.
A: A374 1-0-9 82.
B: All right. Just sign your name and you're done.
A: Thank you very much.
Exercise 14 Read an article describing the history of the Coca–Cola Company.
Write out the numbers the way they are said.
The Coca-Cola Company
The company:
Largest soft drink company in the world
The drink:
Almost 200 countries (advertisements in 80 languages)
History:
Inventor of Coca-Cola (1886): Dr John Styth Pemberton, American chemist
First year of sales: $73796 for advertisements, $50.00 from sales
1888 - sale of company to Asa Candler; sales all over North America; very popular
1911 - $ 1, 000, 000 a year on advertising
1916 - design of famous Coca-Cola Contour bottle
1919 - Asa Candler sells interests in company
1923 - new president Robert Winship Woodruff; company more efficient; profits higher
1920s - and 1930s sales in 6-packs and through coin-operated machines
1940s - introduction of Coca-Cola to the world market
1942 - new slogan 'It's the Real Thing'
1960s - main competitor Pepsi-Cola; new products e.g. Fanta, Sprite, TAB, Fresca; all very
successful
1982 - new product - diet Coke
Exercise 15 Read four news items. Write out the numbers as you would say them.
Practise saying.
Hello, and good evening.
It is feared that 182 people may have died in a plane crash this morning. The accident happened at 20 past
7. It was Bel Air flight 409, going from Singapore to New York. The plane had covered 3/4 of the 12,000
mile trip, and had stopped to refuel. Eye witnesses said that the plane had reached its take-off speed of
150 mph when a fire broke out in the rear engine. 106 people managed to escape to blaze.
672 car workers walked out on strike today in Coventry. They had asked for a pay rise of 8-7%, but
management said they could only offer 5 1⁄2%. This would mean an extra £27.50 per week. A union
spokesman said 'It's not enough'.
A man armed with a shotgun held up cashiers at the National Bank today and stole £5,500. Police have appealed for
witnesses. The number to ring is 0106 744391.
Unemployment figures were released today. Last month there were 3,649,712 registered unemployed. That's 14.5% of
the work force. Over the past year this number has increased by over 260,000.
And that's the end of tonight's news. Good night.
Exercise 16 Read five short conversations. In each one there are some numbers.
Discuss what each number refers to with your partner.
1 A: When do you go away on holiday?
B: On the fifteenth. We're flying. The flight takes nine and a half hours.
A: And when are you back?
B: On the twenty-fourth. I'll give you a ring when we're back.
A: OK.
2 And now the business news. The month inflation is up 1.5%. This produces an annual figure of 9%. Unemployment
has also risen. An estimated two and three quarter million people arc out of work.
3 A: Hello. Odeon Cinema.
B: Hello. Can I book a scat for tonight's film?
A: Certainly. Do you want to pay now or later?
В: I can pay by credit card, can't I?
A: Yes, sir. The seats are six pounds each. There's no booking fee.
B: OK. It's a Visa card, number 4929 502 428 508.
A: Expiry date?
B: 04/99.
A: That's fine. Your tickets will be ready for you tonight. The programme starts at 7.45.
B: Thanks. Bye.
4 A: Hey! I like those shoes. Where did you get them?
B: In Ravel's.
A: How much, if you don't mind my asking?
B: £39.99. They're having a sale at the moment. Everything's half price.
A: That's really good.
5 A: Hello. 4887621.
B: Hello, Tony. It's Lionel.
A: Hello, Lionel. How are things?
B: OK, thanks. Listen. I'm phoning to ask you to a party.
A: Oh, that's nice. Is it your hundredth birthday already?
В: Ha, ha. No, it's our wedding anniversary, actually. Rosemary and I want to have a little party.
A: That's sounds lovely. When is it?
B: The eighteenth, at about three o'clock. Can you make it?
A: Hold on. Let me have a look. Yes. That's seems fine. I really look forward to it.
B: That`s great. See you then.
A: Bye, Tony. Thanks.
B: Bye!
Exercise 17 Write these numbers in figures.
1
2
3
4
5
6
nine point zero five ………………………………………………… 9.05
four thousand eight hundred and seventy-seven …………………….
three and two thirds ………………………………………………….
ninety-five per cent …………………………………………………..
twenty-four dollars and sixty-one cents ……………………………..
six times four subtract one add four divide by two ………………….
Exercise 18 Business results report.
Look at the chart of a company's business results.
Net income
(in US Dollars)
Profit rate
Export sales
Export sales ratio
Imports
*M
1999
2000
197 M*
208 M
2.5%
3.2%
39.7 В
41.3 В
48%
49%
8.5 В
7.6 В
* M = million, B = billion
Complete the sentences in the business results report. Use the chart and the words in the box.
increased
decreased
Generally, our business results improved from 1999 to 2000.
• First, our net income 1 _______________from 197 million to 208 million dollars.
• Next, our profit rate 2 _______________ from 3 _____ % to 4 _____ %.
• Also, export 5 _______________ 6______ from 39.7 to 41.3 billion dollars.
• Finally, 7 ________
8
________ from 8.5 billion to 9 _________ dollars.
Exercise 19 Write out the following numbers using mathematical symbols.
1
2
3
4
5
Fifty-seven minus thirty-nine is eighteen. ………….….57 – 39=18
Sixteen plus nineteen is thirty-five. ………………………………..
A hundred and sixty-nine divided by thirteen is thirteen. ………….
Twenty-five times five makes a hundred twenty-five. …………….
Six squared is thirty-six. …………………
Exercise 20 Write out these numbers as you would say them.
324 1,001 8,724 2 bn
6.5 2⁄3
5⁄
9
1:3
$512 m
0.02
9,890,000
15×23
78 – 24
172+28
Exercise 21 Write questions using How…? Write out the numbers the way
they are said.
1 How high is the Eiffel Tower?
The Eiffel Tower is 300 metres high.
2 ……………………………………..
Paul McCartney is 5 ft. 11 in. tall.
3 ……………………………………
The Pyramids are 5,000 years old.
4 ……………………………………
New York is 215 miles from Washington D.C.
5 ……………………………………
The Mississippi River is 3,780 kilometres long.
Exercise 22 How would you say this numbers? Write them in words.
1 12,402
2 1, 001, 111
3 21
4 .15
5 .002
6 1⁄4
7 1⁄2
8 1⁄3
What are these numbers in figures? Write them.
9 one million seven hundred and fifty-four thousand three hundred and twentyone
10 one billion
11 ninety-two
12 three thousand four hundred and two
13 one hundred and ninety-nine point nine recurring
14 point nought two
15 one point eight
What is the answer to these sums? Write the sums and the answers in figures.
(Note: К = 1000; m = million.)
16
17
18
19
20
twelve times eight
thirty eight times two
one hundred and forty four divided by twelve
eight times fifty К
three times one point five m.
Exercise 23 Look at the spoken numbers in the box. Dicide which sentence each number
fits into, and then write the same number in figures in the sentence.
fifty-five
half seven
nought point nought three
one quarter
seven thirty
three double four oh four five six two
three-quarters
twenty-fifth
twenty-three hundred
two
two thousand and two
zero
25th of every month.
1 Pay day for our salaried employees is on the __________
2 We do a major strategic review every two or three years. The last one was at the beginning of
__________ .
3 Jimmy has saved a lot of money. He plans to retire when he's __________ .
4 He also has a good pension scheme. It should give him about __________ of his salary after he
retires.
5 We've reduced the percentage of damaged goods to __________ per cent of production.
6 We hope to achieve a level of __________ defects soon.
7 The timetable says that Charlotte's plane should arrive at __________ hours.
8 This is __________. Can I help you?
9 The meeting will start at _______ in the morning precisely.
10 __________ ?! That's a bit early, isn't it?
11 Interest rates have gone up again - from
7 𝟏⁄𝟒% to 7 𝟏⁄𝟐% - that is to say, by
_______________________________________________________________ of
one per cent.
12 Sales increased by _______ per cent last year: this is a rather disappointing
results.
Notes:
A number cruncher is a person who or a machine which works with numbers and does
a lot of calculations very quickly. A lot of managers have to crunch numbers.
If you don't know the exact number, you can say:
It's about 100.
It's around 100.
It's roughly 100.
It`s approximately 100.
Exercise 24 How do you say the following numbers? Choose the correct options.
1
The year 2005:
a) twenty hundred and five
b) two thousand and five
c) twenty-five
d) twenty hundred five
2 $1= €1.32 The exchange rate is:
a) one point three two euros to the dollar
b) one thirty-two euros for a dollar
c) one dollar equalling euros one point three two
d) one dollar making one three four euros
3 The period from about 1994 to about 1996:
a) the midnineties
b) the medium nineties
c) the middling nineties
d) the midway nineties
4 Seven correct answers in a test often items. The result is:
a) seven over ten right
b) seven out of ten right
c) seven on ten right
d) seven right over ten
5 The dimensions of a rectangle 3 metres in length and 2 metres in width:
a) three for two
b) three by two
c) three across two down
d) three to two
6 The result of an opinion survey:
a) One often people think that...
b) One in ten people think that...
c) One to ten people think that...
d) One over ten people think that …
7 Approximately six:
a) nearly six
b) six-ish
c) sixy
d) sixer
8 At football, Germany 0, Brazil 0:
a) Germany oh, Brazil oh
b) Germany zero, Brazil zero too
c) Germany nil, Brazil nil
d) Germany and Brazil love
9 3 cm3 :
a) three centimetre cubes
b) "three cubic centimetres
c) 'Three cubed centimetres
d) three centimetric cubes
10 3:2 as a ratio:
a) three over two
b) three under two
c) three to two
d) three at two
11 A $ 10m loan:
a) a ten-million-dollars loan
b) a ten-million-dollar loan
c) a ten millions of dollars loan
d) a loan of ten million dollar
Notes:
A 24/7 ('twenty-four seven') business is one that operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Remember:
10m is 10 million,
10bn is 10 billion
A billion is a thousand million
11⁄2 hours is one and a half hours or an hour and a half (or ninety minutes)
The period from January to June is six months (not half a year)