Unit 9 Reading Activities Plus Questions

Listen to the audio recording while you read the text below. Then answer the comprehension questions that follow the text.
USA Listen to Jessica
UK Listen to Mike
Extract from a sales pitch

Thank you all for being here today. My name is John and I am here to present our range of products and services which are designed to streamline your business. During my presentation I will explain the benefits that each can offer to your business. The main focus of this presentation will be on your IT infrastructure and how our products can improve your existing tools.

Firstly, I would like to show you our new video conferencing software which enables you to hold face-to-face conversations with your contacts from any device which is linked to the network. The thing that makes this system superior to your existing solution is that we guarantee that there will be no more delays or lags in the video even when working on a wi-fi signal. This means that you will have the same quality regardless of whether you are working from the office or telecommuting from your home network.

Our second product is also available to home workers, and this is remote access to the company intranet. So now you will be able to access all of the company information via your home computer or even a mobile device. The improved access is perfect for companies such as yours, who outsource certain tasks, because the company providing your outsourcing solutions will be able to update certain areas automatically which means you will always have the most up-to-date information at your finger tips.

Now, moving along to the logistics program we have designed. This is a fully automated system which will track the location and quantity of stock both in the warehouse and on order. Using this system, you will be able to monitor your stock levels and even process new orders for replacement stock with the click of a button. The system can also prepare a variety of reports using actual and historic data. The most advanced of these is the ability to accurately forecast sales and profits based on the current results.

We also offer a secondary system which works alongside the logistics program, which monitors the performance of each device linked to it and will notify you of any possible problems with the device. Through this, it is possible to avoid unexpected breakdowns which can cost both time and money to repair. The system can also be linked to our centralized service center so that we will receive information about possible problems and can send our repair crews to overcome the problem before it becomes serious.

All of the solutions which I have mentioned so far are designed to be very user-friendly and intuitive so you do not need to be a techie to be able to use them effectively.

I would also like to take this chance to mention one of our breakthroughs when it comes to international trade. We have developed an automatic translation tool which can translate into over 30 languages. This tool is superior to the current alternatives as it uses artificial intelligence to continuously learn and improve its own translations. At the moment, the tool can only give a written translation but we hope to be able to offer a speech option soon. This would greatly facilitate in any dealings with foreign customers.

Quiz: Reading Questions

1. A centralized intranet is easier to monitor.
2. Video conferencing and telecommuting are modern breakthroughs.
3. Automated devices can streamline production processes.
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