Reading file 6

Background

Best business books of the year

This year was a good year for new books 3 My life in business
about business. Here are our favourites. by Sir Norman Griffiths
1 Effective teams In Britain, Sir Norman is a business
by Dr Carla Essinski *celebrity. He launched the first home
This is a short book, but it’s full of good computers in the eighties. He’s given
advice. Dr Essinski analyses ten different advice to the government. He’s even had
teams in ten famous companies and his own TV show. Now he describes how
finds out what makes them effective. She he grew up as a child from a family with
looks at business in different industries nothing and became one of the richest
including IT, energy, and manufacturing, and most successful business leaders of
but each team has *similar the last thirty years. He loves telling you
characteristics. Teams are small and team about his life, but he also wants to tell
leaders let everyone speak. It’s a *serious you how to *improve the world through
but useful book for any manager. business. A good book for people who
want to set up their own business.
2 Culture tips for business travellers
by Helena and Mark Hockly 4 Why I hate my boss
by Ray Damman
How do you give a business card in Japan?
Do you use first names or surnames in And finally, if you don’t want to read
Brazil? This book answers these questions about work at the end of the day then
and lots more. The book is organized here’s a funny book to make you laugh.
country by country. So if you have a The author talked to lots of people and
meeting in Lima, you look up Peru and took down anything they said about their
find out what is *polite or not acceptable. bosses. The book has some *cartoons and
The only disadvantage is that the book unfortunately you might agree with lots of
has nearly 550 pages so it’s heavy for the opinions. Give it to all your colleagues,
your luggage! But pack it if you can – it but don’t let your boss *discover it!
could stop cultural misunderstandings.

Glossary
*cartoons = funny drawings (often in newspapers)
*celebrity = a famous person
*discover = to find information, a place, or object for the first time
*improve = to make better
*polite = socially correct
*serious = not funny
*similar = the same in many ways, but not completely

© Oxford University Press 2010 Business Result Elementary

 Reading file 6
Exercises
1 Work with a partner and discuss these questions.
1 What types of books do you like reading?
2 Do you ever read books about work or business? Why? / Why not?

2 Read the text from a business magazine. What is the main purpose of the
text?
1 to advertise some books
2 to recommend some books
3 to explain how to write a book about business

3 Read the text again. Match books 1–4 to descriptions a–k.

a Two people wrote this book:
b It isn’t serious:
c It helps you meet people from other countries:
d It’s about the author’s own life:
e You can learn how to work with other people:
f This book isn’t for managers to read:
g It’s a long book:
h The author studied different businesses:
i The author interviewed people:
j The author is famous:
k These three books give advice: , ,

4 We use lots of phrasal verbs in English. A phrasal verb is a ‘verb +

particle’ and they can have many different meanings. Match the phrasal
verbs in bold in the text to the following definitions.
1 learn / discover:
2 start (a company):
3 study / analyse:
4 change from a child to an adult:
5 find something in a list:
6 write what someone says:

5 Complete sentences 1–5 with the phrasal verbs in 4. Remember to use the
correct tense.
1 We the company in 2001.
2 As a child I in a small house in London.
3 Take a this graph.
4 Can you notes on our discussion?
5 I don’t know the location of my hotel. I’ll the address on the
Internet and .

6 Work with a partner. Take turns to ask and answer these questions.
1 Who set up your company?
2 When you need information where do you look it up?
3 Do you take down notes at meetings?
4 Where did you grow up?

7 Look back at the text and choose three words that you could use in your
day-to-day work.

8 Work in groups. Discuss these questions.

1 Would any of the books in the text be interesting for you? Why? / Why not?
2 Would you like to write a book? If so, what would you write about?

© Oxford University Press 2010 Business Result Elementary