Unit 1 Shopping and Banking OlinePart I Getting readyB. Keys:1: drop 2: shopping 3: mouse 4: feet 5: retailing 6: street 7: get 8: down 9: third-party 10: online 11:30% 12: malls 13: Britain 14: gift-buying 15:50% 16: net 17: peroidC. Keys:1 : the site2 : merchant, addresses/phone numbers/call up3 : strict safety measuresPart II Net shopping under fireA. Keys:1 : delivery, delivery2 : delivery charges3 : personal information, 87%4 : returning goods, 47%5 : order, 35%, dispatch, 87%6 : money back, twoB. Keys:1 : convenience2 : choice3 : obstacles4 : complete trust5 : build consummers' trust6 : mature7 : payment8 : servicePart III Banking at homeA. Keys:1 : limited opening hours2 : Online banking services3 : getting current information on products4 : e-mailing questions to the bank5 : competing for customers6 : having no computers at homeB. Keys:1 : It is banking through the Internet.2 : 'Online banking' offers convenience which appeals to the kind of customer banks want to keep.3 : Banks most want to keep peoplewho are young, well-educated, and have good incomes.Part IV More about the topic: Secret of Good Customer ServiceB. Keys:English Good Customer Service(Harrods)1 : in a pleasant environment2 : Second to none3 : different customers, take a look at everything, alternatives, come to sales assistants4 : first contact with the customer American Good Customer Service(Saks)1 : human side, family, occasions in life, a partnership2 : repeat business, salesPart V Do you know…?Keys:1 : c2 : a、b、c3 : a、b、c4 : c5 : c6 : bTape scriptPart I Getting readyC.Consumers who want to shop online are suggested to bear the following things in mind:Evaluate the site. Always buy goods from well-known and trustworthy companies. Deal with companies which offer customer service, a complaints procedure and have a refund policy.Talk to merchant. E-mail and wait for reponses. Take down the addresses and phone numbers of those companies and make sure they are real by calling them up before buying any products and services.Ensure secure connection. Since buyers must submit personal information like number and expiry date of the card there are fears over security. Deal with sites that apply strict safety measures that require shoppers to givespecific data known only to card holders before making the transaction.Be extra careful at a cybercafe or other public connection.Part II Net shopping under fireThere is an urgent need for e-commerce rules to boost confidence in buying online. Consumers International, a federation of 245 consumer organizations — including the UK's Consumers Association — said its survey showed that there were still obatacles to shopping online with complete trust.The study, funded by the European Union, involved buying more than 150 items from 17 countries. Each consumer organization taking part tried to find one site in its own country and one abroad to buy a selection of items. These included a dictionary, a doll, jeans, a hairdryer, computer software and hardware, chocolates and champagne.The key findings were:Eight of the items ordered took more than a month to reach their destination and at least 11 (eight percent) never arrived.Many sites did not give clear information about delivery charges.Only 13% of the sites promised that they would not sell customers' personal information on to a third party.Only 53% of the companies had a policy on returning goods.Only 65% of the sites provided confirmation of the order and only 13% told customers when their goods had been dispatched.In two cases,customers are still waiting for their money back more than four months after returning their goods.Louis Sylvan, vice-president of Consumers International, said, "This study shows that, although buying items over the Internet can benefit the consumer by offering convenience and choice, there are still many obstacles that need to be overcome before consumers can shop in cyberspace with complete trust."Chris Philips, Marketing Manager at a London based e-commerce security company commented, "This study confirms the difficulties of establishing consumers' trust in the Internet as a shopping experience. With statistics like these and Visa claiming 47% of disputes and fraud cases were Internet-related, it is little wonder that Internet commerce is not producing the profits predicted two or three years ago. Trust takes time to build, and the Internet will not mature as a retail channel until trusted brands, like the banks for example, start to offer ways of supporting trust relationships with guarantees payment and service."In September, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development will hold a meeting to discuss a set of international guidelines for electronic commerce.Part III Banking at homeMany people dislike walking to the bank, standing in long lines, and running out of checks. They are dissatisfied with their bank's limited hours, too. They want to do some banking at night, and on weekends. For such people, their problems may soon be over. Before long, they may be able to do their banking from the comfort of their own home, any hour of the day, any day of the week.Many banks are preparing "online branches," or Internet offices, which means that people will be able to take care of much of their banking business through their homecomputers. This process is called interactive banking. At these online branches, customers will be able to view all their accounts, move money between their accounts, apply for a loan, and get current information on products such as credit cards. Customers will also be able to pay their bills electronically, and even e-mail questions to the bank.Banks are creating online services for several reasons. One reason is that banks must compete for customers, who will switch to another bank if they are dissatisfied with the service they receive. The convenience of online banking appeals to the kind of customer banks most want to keep —people who are young, well-educated, and have good incomes. Banks also want to take advantage of modern technology as they move into the twenty-first century.Online banking may not be appropriate for everyone. For instance, many people do not have computers at home. Other people prefer to go to the bank and handle their accounts the traditional way. Even though online banking may never completely replace a walk-in bank, it is a service that many customers are going to want to use.Part IV More about the topic: Secret of Good Customer ServiceIn Britain they ask you, "Are you being served?" Whilst in America they tell you to "Have a nice day." But what is the secret of good customer service? From Harrods in London and Saks New York, we're going to find out the dos and don'ts of selling protocol.The reason that Harrods has been so successful over a hundred and fifty years is two fold. First of all they've offered their customers the products they want to buy in a pleasant environment. But secondly and more importantly, the level of customer servicethat they've given their customers, before sale, during sale and after sale, has been second to none. I think it's fair to say that if you compare the British with our cousins elsewhere in the world that we are actually quite a reserved lot. To a certain extent there are a lot of shrinking violets in this country who would rather just do their own thing. They'd rather wander around and browse and if they do need any help eventually, ask for it. So I think the way that we approach our own U.K. based customers is actually slightly different to the way we know we need to approach. For example, an American customer, or indeed a Japanese customer, or a Middle Eastern customer, who all have different ways of doing things.Well in serving different, I guess, nationalities, you do take very different approaches. With Europeans, for example, you do kind of let them take a look at everything. See what's being on offer and then ask them if they need any help. I think they'd probably much more prefer to come to you, rather than you so much to go to them. The American customer very much expects you to go to them, approach them, show them alternatives. Well I think maybe the more European or British customer can be almost turned off by that if someone is seen to be too aggressive, maybe too anxious to make a sale.It's most important that the first contact, the first initial meeting with the customer is a good and successful one because on that basis, the customer will make up their mind what they want to do next.I quite like the English sales assistants because they definitely have better thing to do than talk to you, which I like. It's very terrifying when you go to America. "Can I helpyou?" they're like licking you. You're just like, "No, I'm fine. I just want to look." That puts me off. I love the English sales assistant.So where have you experienced the very best in customer service?Umm, probably America. In terms of best as in, they give you so much attention it's almost embarrassing. They treat you, you know, the "have a nice day" thing. They' want to help you. They want you to buy, 'cause they often work on a commission basis. That's if you like best. But I prefer the ... like, being ignored.Tamara:I think England's still way behind in terms of, like America for example. I can call in America from London and they'll track the item down. It's not like, "Sorry madam we don't have that in your size." I just got the Gucci boots, which mine had actually broken. And in England they said, "Sorry" you know, that's it. So this woman in Los Angeles tracked them down and, in fact got them for me. That's because they work on commission. And the sooner we learn that, the better the service will get.So what do the Americans have to say? They may speak with a different accent. But is the sales pitch a foreign language to the rest of the world?I think part of the reason Americans are known as experts is that we tend to focus a lot more in the human side of selling, not the mechanical side, which is the register and knowing about the product. We really want to know about your lifestyle. We want to know about your family. We want to know about your income. We want to know about your occasions in your life. And that's very different outside of the United States. Our consumer actually is comfortable with forming a partnership with a sales associate andgiving up that information, very personal information, very personal information. I think that best part about Saks sales associate training that we actually develop customers, five different types of customers and we videotape them and put them up in front of every new sales associate and say, "This is our customers." They're very different. Each one of them is a top customer at Saks but they shop in a very different way. A lot of stores in this industry really measure selling effectiveness by sales and quite frankly that's not what Saks is about. I think the way you measure good quality staff is by repeat business. Obviously if you have someone on your selling floor that has a clientele, that is the measure of a good sales associate.Part V Do you know…?"Everybody loves a bargain, "this is a common American saying. A bargain is something you buy for less than its true vale. It is something you might not buy if it costs more.One person's useless ugly object can be another person's bargain. So many Americans put it outside with a "for sale" sign on it and they have a yard sale.Just about anything can be sold at a yard sale: clothing, cooking equipment, old toys, tools, books and chairs, even objects you think are extremely ugly or useless. You may have an electric light shaped like a fish. You may greatly dislike its looks, but it may be beautiful to someone else. Usually the seller puts a price on each object. But the price can almost always be negotiated. The price of a table, for example, might be marked $10. But the seller may accept 8. If the table has not been sold by the end of the day, the seller probably will take much less.Some people go to yard sales because it is part of their job. They earn their livingsby buying old things at low prices then selling them at higher prices. Many others, however, go to yard sales just to have fun. They say it is like going on a treasure hunt. Sometimes they really do find the treasure.Ned Jaudere did. The Boston Globe newspaper says Mr. Jaudere has been collecting native American Indian objects since he was a young man. Last year, he stopped at a yard sale in the northeastern city of Worcester, Massachusertts. He paid $125 for what everyone thought was an old wooden club. Mr. Jaudere thought it was something else. Two days later, he confirmed that the club had been used by the Wampanoag Indian leader known as King Philip. King Philip used it during his war with the white settlers at eastern Massachusetts in 1675. The historic weapon had been stolen from a museum in 1970 and had been missing ever since. Mr. Jardere learnt the war club was valued at about $150 000 but he did not sell it or keep it. Mr. Jaudere returned the club to the museum near Boston Massachusetts from which it was stolen.Questions:1. Which of the following is a common American saying?2. What can be sold at a yard sale?3. Why do people go to a yard sale?4. When was the old wooden club stolen?5. What was the real value of the club?6. Why was the club at a great value?Unit 2 Hotel or B&BPart I Getting readyB. Keys:1 : 35%, 60%2 : 45%, 20%3 : 60%, 80%4 : 30%, 15%5 : 50%, 70%6 : 30%, 20%C. Keys:(1)1 : ￡30/single; ￡60/double, children under 12 2 : ￡29/full board3 :￡28/double+bath, excluded(2) 1 : hot food, fried egg 2 : coffee, tea, jam, cooked 3 : dinner, bed and breakfast 4 : the room plus all meals 5 : Value Added TaxPart II A touch of homeOutline I : bed and breakfast, 15 000, advantages over big hotels II : meeting different people III : features, 1883, guests IV : B&Bs not suitable for some people Part III Renting a carA. Keys: 1 : three 2 : Mon. July 10th 3 : station wagon 4 : $79.95 5 : $59.95 6 : 4 p.m. 7 : 10 a.m. 8 : ' free 9 : 12 cents 10 : $10 11 : 8% 12 : '$100B. Keys: a compact car/a station wagon/ automatic transmission/ current models/ pick up/return the car/special weekend rate/regular rate/ unlimited mileage/ insurance/ sales tax/ a full tank of gas/ deposit/ lowest rates.Part IV More about the topic: What Type of Room Do You Want?A. Keys: 1: 5 2: 2 3: 6 4: 4 5: 3 6: 1B. Keys: 1 : ￡40, all grades 2 : ￡55, Sales 3 : ￡150, Managerial, entertaining private guest, the lake 4: ￡220, privacy, country-side, kitchen Part V Do you know…?A. Keys: (France)Italy, (2)3, (3)2, (4)8 (Loudon,UK)Paris,France, (8)4B. Keys:1 : F2 : T3 : F4 : F5 : TTape scriptPart I Getting readyB.A: Good morning. I'd like some information about tourist figures, please. First, about accommodation. What proportion of tourists stay in hotels? B: Well, in an average year 60% of tourists stay in hotels, but this year 35% are staying in hotels. A: What proportion of tourists stay in holiday camps? B: Well, in an average year 20% of tourists stay in holiday camps, but this year 45% are staying in holiday camps. A: Now, about places visited. What proportion of tourists visit Europe? B: Well, in an average year 80% of tourists visit Europe, but this year 60% are visiting Europe.A: And what proportion of tourists visit the U.S.A.? B: Well, in an average year 15% of tourists visit the U.S.A., but this year 30% are visiting the U.S.A.. A: Now, about methods of transport. What proportion of tourists go by plane? B: Well,in an average year about 70% of tourists go by plane, but this year about 50% are going by plane. A: What proportion of tourists take their own car? B: Well, in an average year about 20% of tourists take their own car, but this year about 30% are taking their own car. A: Thank you very much for your help.C.C:… so here's a brochure with the hotels in Midford. It gives you all the rates …T:I'm sorry, my English isn't so good. Can you explain this to me?C:Yes, of course. First of all we have the Castle Inn …here …it's the cheapest.It will cost you only ￡12 for a single room and ￡15 for a double. The price includes continental breakfast. If you want a full English breakfast you'll have to pay extra …T:What is this "English breakfast"?C:Oh, you know, hot food: fried egg, fried bacon, porridge … whereas the continental breakfast is coffee, tea, rolls, jam and honey — nothing cooked, you see.T:I think I would prefer the continental breakfast.C:Well, yes, that's included. And then we have the Dalton Hotel, more expensive, but very nice, a bathroom attached to every room. The Dalton charges ￡30 for a single room and ￡60 for a double. But there is no charge for children under 12 who stay in the same room as their parents.T:I won't have my children with me. But maybe my husband will come a little later …C:Well, the Park Hotel is very reasonably priced. ￡16 per person. Every room has a bath. There's a special rate of ￡25 which includes dinner, bed and breakfast —what we call half board. Or you can have full board, that's the room plus all meals for ￡29 per person per night.T:We would only want breakfast.C:I see. Mm …you could try the fourth hotel here, the Phoenix. It will cost you ￡28 for a double room with bath. Breakfast is ￡5 per person.T:Yes. But what about the extra money, what do you call it in English, the service...C:All these rates include a service charge of 10%. They also include VAT - that's Value Added Tax.T:If we come later in the year will it be cheaper?C:Yes. These are the rates for June to September. You would pay less at other times of the year.T:I'll talk about it with my husband. Thank you for explaining everything to me.C:You're very welcome.Part II A touch of homeBev Rose is a very good hostess. She tells the guests in her home there are sodas in the refrigerator, snacks in the kitchen, and videos next to the TV.But Rose's guests aren't out-of-town family or friends. Her guests are from all over the world. Rose's house is like a small hotel. It is called a bed and breakfast or B&B for short. The name of Rose's B&B is Suits Us.Rose and her husband have joined a growing number of people who are operating B&Bs in their homes. B&Bs offer the charm, comfort, and hospitality that is often missing in big hotels. That's why there are many people who would rather stay at a B&B than a hotel when they travel.There are about 15 000 B&Bs across the U.S. Each year they welcome millions of visitors. And the number is increasing. "I think guests are looking for the personal touch," said Pat Hardy, the director of the American Bed and Breakfast Association. "In a B&B, you don't have a room number. The owner knows who you are and helps you enjoy your trip," Hardy said. Travelers often want more than just a place to sleep. They like B&Bs because the owner takes a personal interest in them.Rose said one of the best things about owning a B&B is meeting all the differentpeople. She loves watching the guests meet each other for the first time at breakfast. "It's really fun to stand in the kitchen and talk with my guests. Even though most of them have just met for the first time, the conversations at the breakfast table are really interesting and lively."Many B&Bs are older homes with interesting histories. Suits Us was built in 1883. The rooms are filled with antiques and 19th-century decorations. The Roses rent three of the upstairs bedrooms to guests. Every room at Suits Us has its own personality. The Roses have named several of the rooms for previous guests. For example, one of the rooms is named the Woodrow Wilson Room because the former U.S. President stayed there. Another room is called the Annie Oakley Room because the famous cowgirl was once a guest there.Bed and breakfasts aren't for everyone. Some people aren't comfortable staying in someone else's home. And other people don't care for the personal interaction. But for a quiet, romantic place to stay, many people are checking into bed and breakfasts instead of hotels. Once people have stayed in a B&B, they often find it hard to go back to hotels.Part III Renting a carA:Good afternoon. U-Drive-It rentals. May I help you?C:Hi, yeah. I'm interested in, uh, renting a car for the weekend, and I'm wondering if you have a special weekend rate?A:Yes, we do. [Mm-hmm.] Uh … what sort of car were you interested in?C:Well, we're a family of three and we have camping equipment. Now, I'm used to driving a small car, but I might need something a little larger because of the family and,uh … all the equipment that we have.A:Well, um … I could suggest a compact car for/to you. [Mm-hmm.] Some of our compacts have … have large trun ks, [OK.] or,uh … Oh, better yet, why not a small station wagon? [Oh, good.] Um … all our cars are current models and, uh, have automatic transmission.C:Oh, well, I'm used to driving a standard, but I guess there's no problem with automatic transmission.A:No, no. If you can drive a standard you can drive an automatic. [Mh-hmm.] Uh, now, listen, when were you … uh … interested in … in renting this?C:Uh, well, we'll be leaving on a Friday, that's the … let's see, that's Friday, July 7th, and then returning on the Monday. That would be the tenth.A:Mm-hmm. Well, let's see … uh … we have … uh … Oh! We have a Pinto station wagon for those dates. [Mm-hmm. Good.] Um … yeah, I think … I think that's your best bet.C:OK. Uh … well, then when would we have to pick up the car and when would we have to return the car to get that special weekend rate?A:Well, for the weekend rate you have to pick up the car after four o'clock on Friday afternoon [Uh-huh.] and then return it by ten o'clock on Monday morning.C:After four on Friday and returning by ten o'clock on Monday morning.[Mm-hmm.] OK. What … uh … uh, what would be the price for that?A:OK, now, our … our regular rate is seventy-nine ninety-five. [Ooh!] but the special weekend rate w… you can get that for fifty-nine ninety-five. [Oh, Great.] Um … now the first three hundred miles are free, [Mm-hmm…] after that it's twelve cents permile.C:Oh, so it's twelve cents a mile extra after the first three hundred miles?A:That's right.C:OK. Uh … do you have any … um … re ntals with unlimited mileage?A:Well, we do, but you can't get that special weekend rate.C:Uh-huh. OK. Well, then does the fifty-nine ninety-five - that was the rate, right? [Mm-hmm.] — does that include insurance?A:No … um … the insurance is ten dollars more, but I really recommend it.C:Yeah.A:OK, now there's a … there's a sales tax of eight percent, [Mm-hmm…] and … um … you have to return the car with a full tank of gas. [Uh-huh.] Also, we require a deposit of a hundred dollars.C:Oh boy. It sure adds up!A:Well, our rates are still the lowest in town.C:Uh-huh. OK. Well, I tell you what. I'd like to think about it, if that's right, and then I'll call you back…uh…A:Sure, that's fine. Uh, listen, when you … when you do call back, ask for Doug. That's me.C:OK. Well, thanks a lot. Doug. Goodbye.A:Take care.Part IV More about the topic: What Type of Room Do You Want?S: If the terms are favorable, we could come to an arrangement for regularaccommodation. Now, I wanted to discuss the types of room with you, and rates for their use.M:Certainly. The rates I’ll quote to you first of all are what we call "rack rates" , that is the normal rates quoted to the public. But obviously we would discuss a discount rate for you. Now, as regards the rooms, they are all of a very high standard. All our rooms have central heating. Most of them are with bathroom, and they all have a washbasin and a toilet.S:That sounds fine. Can you tell me about your single rooms?M:Yes. Our single rooms are very comfortable, and the rates are very reasonable. I think you'd find them suitable for visiting staff of all grades. The rack rate is ￡40 a night.S: ￡40 a night …M:Yes. Or for real economy, let's suppose you have a sales conference. You could double up your sales staff and put them into twin rooms. That would work out very cheaply. The normal rate is ￡55 per twin or double room per night.S: Well, we might consider that possibility. But we also have some quite important visitors sometimes. Have you any really special accommodation we can offer them?M: Well, suppose you have visiting managerial staff. For something more luxurious, we can offer our Delphos Suite. It's delightful, and convenient for entertaining private guests. It has its own private terrace where guests can sit outside and enjoy the view over the lake …S: That sounds most attractive …M: The normal rate is ￡150 per night …S: ￡150.M: … but for total luxury, the finest accommodation of any hotel in this area, I can recommend our Bella Vista Penthouse. From the balcony, there's a magnificent view over the whole countryside.S: Oh, lovely.M: It has a bedroom connecting to a large sitting room, with a separate study, a bathroom, and a fully-fitted kitchen. It combines total luxury with total privacy. For example, if your Company Director and his wife wanted to stay for a few days it would be ideal.S: And the rate?M: The normal rate would be ￡220 a night.Part V Do you know…?Five U.S. hotels were voted among the world's top ten, with the Halekulani in Honolulu ranking first, a survey of Gourmet magazine readers released last Friday said.Coming in second was the Oriental, in Bangkok, Thailand, followed by Villa d'Este, Cernobbio, Italy; The Regent Hong Kong, and Hotel Ritz, Paris.The Greenbriar, in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia ranked No. 8. The10th-ranked hotel was the Four Seasons Resort Nevis, in Charlestown, Nevis, West Indies.More than 150 hotels, resorts and inns in 27 countries and regions were ranked in general and specific categories that rated such things as dining, bars, pools, workoutcenters and romantic atmosphere. This is the third year that Gourmet, which has more than 5 million readers, has conducted the survey.Another U.S. hotel, the Mansion on Turtle Creek in Dallas, topped the list for restaurant dining, beating out the Connaught in London, Italy's Villa d'Este and Bangkok's the Oriental. The Four Seasons in Philadelphia was No. 5.In the specific category of best business hotels, the Regent Hong Kong ranked first as it has for the past three years. In other categories, Paris' Hotel Ritz with its Roman thermal baths was voted to have the best pools and The Green- briar in West Virginia was found to have the best workout center, golf and tennis.Unit 3 “Planting” MoneyPart I Getting readyC. Keys:1 : Sincere; Y 2 : Doubtful; N 3 : Sarcastic; N 4 : Doubtful; N 5 : Sincere; Y 6 : Skeptical; N 7 : Surprised; Y 8 : Sincere; Y 9 : Emphatic; Y 10 : Sarcastic; N Part II National teach children to save dayA. Keys: 1 : Thursday, April 17 2 : teaching children how to save money 3 : 2 500 4 :5 000 presentationsB. Keys:1: 4; 2: 3; 3: 2; 4: 1Part III Credit cardsKeys: 1 : importance 2 : later 3 : The potential disadvantages 4 : lots of purchases 5 : interest 6 : The benefits 7 : emergencies 8 : travelPart IV More about the topic: Gulf Between the Rich and PoorA. Keys: 1 : 3 2 : 1 3 : 2 4 : so much of their income 5 : ever larger houses and cars。
