An American firm which uses the most sophisticated communication equipment has chosen
Peterborough as the pivot between its European customers and manufacturing plants around
the world.
Chesterton (UK) Ltd is part of Chesterton International, a specialist engineering group based
in Massachusetts.
Its new European Customer Seryice Centre has been set up in offices in a converted older
building on the edge of Peterborough's Queensgate covered shopping centre.
The new centre receive orders from aIl parts of Europe, translate them, and pass them to the
Chesterton factories in Holland, Eire and the USA.
Each of its Peterborough staff has mastery of at least one European language - and all but one
of them were recruited from the locality.
Chesterton specialises in pumps and sealing devices used in the process industries.
International Manager Philip Metz said: "Peterborough was chosen because it was the place
which best 1J1et our criteria of centrallocation, high technology communications capability
and the availability of highly educated quality staff."
The Peterborough operation is a return
"home" for the company, which was formed 102 years ago by A. W.
Chesterton soon after emigrating
from the East Midlands town of Loughborough.
l.Chsterton's Peterbmough offices are
a.) purpose-built.
b.) near the shopping centre.
c.) extremely attractive.
,
2. The new centre will receive orders...
a.) from European countries.
b.) from all over the world.
c.) from the Uni ted States.
3. The new centre is being set up because ...
a.9 it is expensive for customers to communicate with the USA direct.
b..) orders are placed in many different languages.
c.) Chesterton has so many factories in Europe.
4. Every member of the new centre's staff can speak English and ... .
a.) o ne or more European language.
b.) more than one European language.
c.) o ne European language.
5. The new centre's staff ...
a.) all come from Peterborough.
b.) ostly come from the Peterborough area.
c.) aII come from the Peterborough area.
6.. Chesterton's business is ...
a.) commucations.
b.) processmg.
c.) manufacturing.
7. Peterborough was chosen because of its location and because ...
a.) the founder of the company came from the East Midlands.
b.) Chesterton has no factories in the UK.
c.) suitable staff were available.
Reading comprehension
Forget Wimpey and Barrat. Britain's major home building companies are facing increasing
competition from the general public as more and more people all over the country are building
their own homes.
Projects where homebuyers become their own property company, building from scratch on a
piece of land, or renovating a run-down city shambles, now account for the biggest single
slice of new housing action. At around 20,000 homes a year (one in eight new residential
properties) the figure is roughly equal to the two biggest home building firms put together.
It is not just that self-building is claimed to cost 20% to 30% less than a new home from a
developer, there is also a greater choice on offer. Instead of production-line boxes which look
exactly like all the other houses in the street, as long as you fit in with planning rules, you can
have just what you want. Admittedly, most private horme builders choose standard designs
which are easier to sell in the future, but there are those who go for an energy-saving
ecological project while others go mad with huge open-plan rooms, glass walls and sunken
baths.
North of the Border and in the southern part of Ireland, rural self-building has been popular
for a long time. Both Scotland and Eire have plenty of land, so the first essential the building
plot - is reasonably priced. Estimates suggest that the average price of a plot of land in these
parts of the country is $:35,000 compared with $:98,000 in most of England and Wales. Plots
in south-east England can start at six figures. For the committed city-dweller, recent VAT
changes now make it more worthwhile renovating urban property which has been empty for at
least ten years. These changes can bring savings of around $5,000 on the typical project.
Once people have made up their minds to build themselves, it takes around six months to get
things underway: finding finance, choosing a plot, obtaining planning permission and finding
contractors. Those who slil their present homes to pay for a self-build project have to find
temporary accommodation until the new house is ready. Many people choose to live in
caravans on site while the work is in progress.
Will Smith, of Homebuilding and Renovating Inc. advises that anyone who lacks patience or
stamina should give up the idea of building their own home. "Unforeseen problems always
crop up, making it take longer than you think. On top of that, self-building will take more out
of you psychologically than you'd ever imagine," he says. "Even though some people do
manage to move in after twelve months, realistically you need to budget two years of your life
to the building of a new home."
It is also of prime importance to work out how much you can afford. The budget is the most
vital part of the self-build package. Many leading banks and building societies are now
willing to lend on self-build schemes or renovations. Some companies will lend from the
ground up, releasing a payment as soon as you have negotiated a plot. Others expect more to
be done before they will hand over the first payment. Whatever, self-build mortgages can be
more expensive since there is greater need to monitor progress. On top of this, all banks and
building societies require a deposit. This can be anything from 5% to 25% of the expected
value of the finished horne.
15 The writer suggests that
A most British people buy their houses from well-known companies.
B the building firm called Wimpey is in direct competition to the firm Barrat. e hardly anyone
is building houses in Britain at the moment.
D many private individuals are building their own houses.
16 According to the writer,
A Wimpey and Barrat are building more new houses than ever before.
B Wimpey and Barrat have merged.
e private individuals are building and renovating as much property as Wimpey and Barrat
put together.
D private builders can get help from consultants at Wimpey or Barrat.
17 The writer says that
A it is more expensive to build a house privately than to buy one from a building firm. B
some people who build their own horne incorporate unique features into the design. e some
people prefer to buy a ready-made house which they fit together on site.
D people can sell home-built houses for a good price.
18 The writer says that
A it is cheaper to build in Wales than England.
B land in south-east England is not expensive.
e the most reasonably priced land is to be found in Scotland and Ireland. D renovating a town
house is the cheapest option.
1 9 What advice is given?
A Private builders should accept that things may not always run smoothly.
B No one should sell the house they are living in until their new horne is ready. e Private
builders should try to complete their house as quickly as possible. D People who build their
own hornes should get help in planning their budget.
20 What is said about financing a private house-building project?
A Banks and building societies are sceptical about lending money to private builders.
B Private builders can borrow up to 25% of the costs of building.
e Money borrowed for private building projects can cost more than other types of loans. D
Banks and building societies can help with planning a budget.
15.d
16c
17b
18c
19a
20c
-----------------------------------------------------------------The ultimate in self-service shopping
British supermarket chains Sainsbury and Safeway say they are satisfied with the do-ityourself checkout system wh ich they introduced (0)
some of their larger stores (31)
the end of the nineties. The system is the ultimate in self-service shopping: the
customer simply passes a laser scanner over each item (32)
putting it into the trolley.
The scanner then produces a computerized bill.
At present the shopper hands (33) the bill at the checkout for payment; the system could
be adapted in the (34) to incorporate automatie payment with a chip card, thus doing away
with the need for a cashier.
Used to rolling up (35)
sleeves and getting on with things, it seems that British shoppers
have taken to the idea of self-scanning quite happily.
Jürgen Hoffman, the director responsible (36) """ introducing new technology into a
middlesized discount chain in Baden-Würrtemberg, looked at the self-scanning system on a
visit to Britain earlier this year. He believes (37) the system may be more appropriate for
the relatively relaxed atmosphere of spacious UK supermarkets (38)
for his smaller-sized
shops.
According to Hoffman, the German shopper's attitude is to get the business of shopping for
groceries over with as quickly (39) possible and that his customers, at least, would not
readily accept self-scanning.
With demographie projections suggesting that the number of people entering the labour
market in Germany will fall gradually over the next few years, supermarkets may not be able
torecruit enough staft. Customers (40)
simply have to accept that they must do more of
the work themselves.
31 at
32 when / on /before
33. in / over
34. end/future
35 their
36 for
37 that
38 than
39 as
40 may/might/will
Who owns water?
According (0) the United Nations, at the end of the 20th century, more than one billion people
had no access to fresh drinking water. In the first quarter of the 21 st century, the demand (31)
......
fresh drinking water is expected to rise by 56% more (32) the amount of water available. The
world's water is being depleted and polluted so fast that by the year 2025, two-thirds of the
world will be living in astate of serious water deprivation.
Too many countries are paying little attention to these warnings, handing (33) control of
their water supplies, sewage treatment and recycling plants to multinational companies or
neighbouring "friendly" governments.
Both the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the North American Free Trade Agreement
( (34) ) list water as a tradeable commodity, encouraging many nations which have abundant
supplies to put their water (35)
for grabs. Transnational companies and governments
which
have recognized the importance of the water issue are moving in fast to monopolize water
supplies, offering contracts for bulk exports of water.
Water-related conflicts have become commonplace in the Third World (36)
the
World Bank
adopted a policy of water privatization (37) the turn of the century. The issue is not only
causing unrest in the poorest parts of the globe, however. Canadians, worried about water
pollution and the need for conservation, are lobbying their government which is (38)
its
doors to European multinationals. Water prices are going up, but (39)
is being done for the
environment. And,
while water levels are sinking in the Great Lakes, Canada continues to export water to the
USA.
Who owns water? (40)
the moment, the answer seems to be those with power and
money.
00 to
31 for
32 than
33 over
34 nafta
35 up
36 since
37 at
38 opening
39 little
40 at
Acceptable currency
Robert Kalina must be (0) ot the most sueeesstul artists ot all time. Examples ot his work
are to be tound all over the eontinent ot Europe, and (31) one or more Kalinas is a must. As
demand tor Kalinas is set to stay steady tor a tew years to eome, it is good that 15 printing
works
beg an to make several million eopies ot some ot Robert Kalina's (32)
popular graphie
designs in the year 2000.
Born in Austria in 1955, Robert Kalina is the artist who (33)
the eompetition tor
the
design ot the European monetary unit whieh was introdueed into Europe in January 2002.
Tl:1e eompetition was tough. Taking place (34)
two years, nearly 2,000 members
of the
public assessed thirty entries. The judges, including taxi drivers, retailers and shop assistants,
had to ehoose designs whieh (35) please 280 million Europeans in twelve different
eountries. They preterred Kalina's eonservative drawings over more modern entries. Kalina's
tultilment ot the ediet to portray an open and a unitied Europe (36)
windows, bridges
and
gateways trom various arehiteetural epoehs also obviously appealed (37) the jury.
While the introduetion ot the euro has simplitied eommeree between the nations, a (38) ......
people remain nostalgie tor the old eurreneies. "It was interesting to look (39) the taees
portrayed on the different notes," says Wim von Straaten, spokesman tor Numismatie
International, a worldwide elub tor eoin and paper money eolleetors, "but who (40)
have
deeided whieh ot the 5 to 500 euro notes was to show Goethe, Voltaire or da Vinei? That
discussion would surely have led to a dis-united Europe."
31 possessing/owning/having
32 most
33 won 34
over 35 would 36 using 37 to
38 few
39 at
40 would
HUSH PUPPIES
0 How did Hush Puppies, casualleather shoes which were popular in Britain in the 00 1960s,
suddenly become the biggest of fashion statement in America? How did 41 sales of this
boring British footwear have rocket from 30,000 pairs per year at the 42 beginning of 1995
through 430,000 pairs in '96 to four times as much than in '97? 43 Why did the US Council of
Fashion Designers award to Hush Puppies the title of 44 "Best Fashion Accessory" in 1998?
Why does always almost every
45 fashion conscious American own at least now one pair of Hush Puppies today?
46 According to Malcolm Gladwell, whose book Tipping Point analyzes the people
47 and behaviour that will start trends, the rush to buy Hush Puppies was started by
48 a very small group of cool kids who are lived in downtown New York and in Los
49 Angeles. Students in their early twenties they began to wear Hush Puppies just
50 for have fun. The fashion then spread to some avant-garde designers. Next,
51 models started to wearing the shoes at fashion shows in Manhattan. The shoes weren't 52
actually part of the outfit they were showing, the models just slipped them on and walked off
down the catwalk. They were wearing $4,000 trousers and a pair of $28 Hush Puppies. The
fashion swept ac ross America like wildfire.
0 correct
00 of
41 have
42 than
43 to
44 always
45 now
46 correct
47 will 48 are
49 they
50 have
51 to
52 correct