ENGLISH

ENGLISH AT WORK
ACTIVITY 1A. Listen to an extract from an etiquette guide. Then, choose
the correct answers.

1) According to the guide, which is not a common way of greeting?

A. Saying “Pleased to meet you”.

B. Kissing each other’s hands.

C. Bowing.

D. Shaking hands.

2) How does the guide suggest people react when they experience a new
greeting?

A. Shake hands firmly.

B. Be polite.

C. Use your best judgment.

D. Follow local customs.

3) What can you guess about people in the Middle East?

A. They use a firm handshake.

B. They say goodbye with a kiss.

C. They don’t typically bow when greeting.

D. They have similar customs to Europeans.

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Listen again and complete the text.

saludos

GREETINGS AND GOODBYES – ETIQUETTE

World
People around the __________ (1) say hello and goodbye in different ways. In
Asia, many people bow when they greet each other. This might seem
extraño __________
Strange (2) to someone in the Middle East. There, men sometimes greet
each other with a kiss on the __________
cheek (3). In most countries, people shake
hands. But in America and Europe the handshake is firm, while in Asia it is often
__________
solf (4). So what do you do when you meet people from other
COSTUMBRES
countries? Don’t let these __________
Customs (5) confuse you. Just be polite. When you
meet, say “Pleased to meet you” and ask “How are you?” When it is time to
leave, say “It was nice meeting you” and “I __________
hope (6) we meet again.”
esperanza

ACTIVITY 1B. Listen to a conversation between a manager and his

colleague. Mark the following statements as true (T) or false (F).

1. The manager advises his colleague to bow. true

_____

2. The manager advises his colleague to shake hands firmly. _____

false

3. The manager suggests shaking hands with Mr. Yakamoto. true

_____

yakomoto
Listen again and complete the conversation.

Man: When you meet Mr. Yakamoto, be very ____________

polite (1). He is a very
important client. EDUCADO

Woman: It’s the Japanese ____________

custom (2) to bow. Should I do that?
COSTUMBRE

Man: No, you don’t have to bow. Just say ‘____________

pleased (3) to meet you’ and

__________
shake __________
hands (4). ENCANTADO

DAR LAS MANOS

Woman: Okay.

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film
Man: But don’t make your handshake too ____________ (5). Japanese people
usually have a softer handshake. FUERTE

Woman: And when he leaves? What then?

Man: Just say ‘It was __________ __________

nice metting you __________’ (6) and shake his hand
ENCANTADO DE CONOCERLE
again.

Woman: Okay, that’s fine!

ACTIVITY 2A. Listen to an extract from an etiquette guide, then mark the
following statements as true (T) or false (F).

1. End a conversation with a colleague before talking to a friend. _____

false

false
2. Do not talk about work when introducing two people. _____
true
3. Mentioning people’s common interest makes them feel included. _____

Listen again and complete the text.

Presentacion Personal

INTRODUCTIONS – INTRODUCTION ETIQUETTE

CONFERENCIA

conference (1), talking to a colleague. Suddenly an old

Imagine you are at a ____________

friend greets you. Of course you are happy to see him and you start talking
excitedly
____________ (2). Stop! What about your colleague? Don’t leave her
SOLO
____________ (3). Introduce your friend and colleague by saying “I’d like you to
alone
PRESENTO
introduce
meet…” or “Let me ____________ (4) you to…” Make sure each person

understands your ____________

relasionship(5) with the other, and mention each person’s
OCUPACION
____________
occupation (6). Think of something the two have in common and steer the

conversation in that direction. This way, neither of them will feel left out.

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ACTIVITY 2B. Listen to a conversation between two men and a woman.

Mark the following statements as true (T) or false (F).

1. The woman is introduced to the friend of a colleague. true

_____

false
2. The speakers are at the woman’s birthday party. _____

false
3. All three speakers are in the same soccer league. _____

Listen again and complete the conversation.

MI AMIGO

Man 1: Sarah, I’d like you to meet __________

my friend __________ (1), John. John, this is

Sarah.

Woman: Hi John, it’s a pleasure to meet you.

Man 2: And nice to meet you, too. How do you two know __________ __________
one another

(2)?

Woman: Oh, we work together.

Man 2: That’s right. Bob mentioned that some of his colleagues were coming to

his __________ __________ (3).

birthday party
en comun

in common
Man 1: You know, Sarah, you and John have something __________ __________

(4).
encerio

Woman: ____________
really (5)? What’s that?
ambos estan
Man 1: __________ __________ (6) in the same adult soccer league.
you´re both

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ACTIVITY 3A. SMALL TALK. Listen and fill in the blanks with the correct
words.

It ____________
happens (1) to everyone. Somebody introduces you to a friend and then
estar de pie
walks away. Now you’re ____________
stending (2) with somebody you don’t know. What
do you talk about?
clima
The ____________
weather (3) is always a possibility. But there isn’t always much to say. To
fluya
make a conversation ____________
flow (4), it’s better to ask questions. Ask the other
discussing(5)
person what they do for a living, and what their job involves. ____________
hablar
your own former job is a good option, too.

Other safe topics include your home town and your education. But ____________
avoid

(6) asking people about their religion, age and marital status until you know
them better.

ACTIVITY 3B. Listen to a conversation between a businessman and a

colleague and complete the conversation.
habla con
small
Man: Sarah, I have to take a phone call. Please make __________ __________
talk (1)
with Mr. Jensen until I’m free.

Woman: But I don’t know him! I have nothing to talk to him about.
a que se dedica
Man: Just ask him what he does for a ____________
living (2).

involves
Woman: But I already know what his work ____________ (3). After all, he’s our
consultant.
conversar

Man: Then why don’t you ____________

discuss (4) the weather?
tema
Woman: It’s not a very interesting ____________
topic (5). estado civil
marital
Man: Well, I’m sure you’ll think of something. Just don’t bring up his __________
__________
status (6).

Woman: Good to know, thanks.

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ACTIVITY 4A. Listen to an excerpt from an advice column. Then, choose

the correct answers.

1) What is the main idea of the advice column?

A. How to politely exit a conversation.

B. The proper time for certain conversations.

C. Ways to improve conversations with co-workers.

D. Types of conversations not to have at work.

2) According to the passage, what action will prevent a co-worker from

feeling bad?

A. Returning to work.

B. Talking to someone.

C. Speaking in the correct tone.

D. Ending a conversation quickly.

3) According to the passage, which is not true?

A. Small talk at work can cost a lot of time.

B. Ending a conversation can cause hurt feelings.

C. Most offices have a person who talks a lot.

D. It is rude to end a conversation with a co-worker.

Listen again and complete the text.

ENDING CONVERSATIONS – ANGIE’S ADVICE

Dear Chatty Colleague,

Everyone has a colleague that can talk too much. These “little chats” can take
up a lot of time. It is always hard to end the conversation without being
grosero ____________
rude impove
(1), but there are some things you can do to ____________ (2) the
situation. Here are some polite phrases to help you in the future. mejorar

- Anyway, I’d better ____________

run (3).
- I should get back to work now.
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ocupado
- I’m afraid I’m very ____________
busy (4) at the moment. Can we talk later?
- Unfortunately, I don’t have the time.

All these phrases signal the end of the conversation, so hopefully your
____________
hablador talkative (5) co-worker will let you return to work. Remember to always keep

a polite ____________
tone (6), so you don’t cause hurt feelings. Good luck!
tono

ACTIVITY 4B. Listen to a conversation between two colleagues. Mark the

following statements as true (T) or false (F).
true
1. The man recently took a trip. _____

2. The woman tries to end the conversation. _____

false

3. The speakers plan to talk the next day. _____

false

Listen again and complete the conversation. mujer y hombre sobre las vacaciones
vacaciones
vacation (1)?
Colleague 1: Hey John! How are you? How was your ___________
sorprendente
Colleague 2: Oh, hi Susan. It was wonderful. Aruba is ___________
amazing (2).

Colleague 1: Wow! I want to go to the Caribbean. Was the weather nice?

Colleague 2: Yes, the weather was fantastic. And the people are very
___________
friendly (3).
amigable caro
Colleague 1: Great. Tell me more. Was it ___________ (4)?
expensive

Colleague 2: Well, I’m afraid I’m really busy at the moment. Can we talk
at
_________ _________
lunch (5)?
de comer problema
Colleague 1: Sure, no ___________
problem (6).

Colleague 2: Okay. See you then.