1PHOTOCOPIABLE Cambridge University Press 2011©

AUDIOSCRIPT

Business Benchmark Upper-Intermediate

UN

ITS 1–24U

PPER-INTERM

EDIATE EN

D O

f CO

URSE TEST KEY

Units 1–24

Alex: Well, it’s basically a plastic box which you can lock and unlock using a pin number. If you give this to your local supermarket, they’ll be able to deliver your shopping any time you’re out by leaving it in the box. It can really save you money in the long run because you can choose delivery slots which are cheaper, like mid week in the afternoon. The other businesses who really find Quickdrop useful are courier companies because again, if you’re expecting a parcel, you can just give the number to them. The first model we made was just a simple container. Then we went on to our second model which contains a refrigerated compartment for frozen food.

Interviewer: And that’s much more expensive?

Alex: No, not much. But the installation fee is quite a bit more because it’s more complicated to put the electric cables through to the Quickdrop box.

Interviewer: How well are the goods protected? I mean suppose there is a storm, can water get in?

Alex: Absolutely not, nothing inside can spoil. The box is completely weatherproof.

Interviewer: Well it seems great for people who live in houses. But I live in a flat, so I couldn’t have one of these, could I?

Alex: Well, I think you could if you could find a secure place for it.

Interviewer: What if I want the version with the refrigeration compartment and I live on the top floor of my block? You can’t put the cables through into my flat.

Alex: True, that is a problem. But I think you’d be very interested in the new version that we’re working on at the moment. We’re planning to do away with the electric cables and produce a version which runs on solar panels.

Interviewer: Wow, that’s really something for the twenty-first century. Very impressive. I wish you good luck.

Alex: Thank you.

Interviewer: We’re talking to Alex Ray, who owns a company which developed a product called Quickdrop. This is basically a delivery box attached to the outside wall of your house for when people can’t stay in to receive goods. Alex, welcome.

Alex: Hello.

Interviewer: So how did you get the idea for Quickdrop?

Alex: Well, it was really to solve a problem that I had. I was working long hours but I often had things sent to me through the post, like books and journals that were too big for my letter box. The postman had nowhere to leave them so I always had to make a special trip to the post office to pick them up. I always used to think there must be some way to create a secure place for the postman to leave them. Then later I got into doing my food shopping online and I had the same problem. They could never deliver the groceries at a time I could be in.

Interviewer: So the solution was the Quickdrop?

Alex: That’s right. I was sure there was a market for it, so I designed the product and then tried to find someone to produce it. Getting the money to start up wasn’t easy at first. No bank was willing to lend me the money so I just scraped together some of my savings. Luckily, I’d recently inherited some money from a grandparent.

Interviewer: And was it easy to find someone to manufacture it?

Alex: Again, not at first. I talked to a company which makes security locks who were willing to make the locking system but not the actual delivery box. In the end I found a company who would put together the whole thing for me. Mostly, they make waste bins and litter bins so it didn’t sound very attractive, but they produce other containers as well, like removal crates, and Quickdrop seemed an exciting new step for them.

Interviewer: So tell us more about the product. How does it work?

2PHOTOCOPIABLE Cambridge University Press 2011© Business Benchmark Upper-Intermediate

UN

ITS 1–24U

PPER-INTERM

EDIATE EN

D O

f CO

URSE TEST KEY

Units 1–24

Vocabulary1 C

2 G

3 D

4 E

5 F

6 A

7 bulk order

8 retail outlet

9 client base

10 key skills

11 joint venture

12 loyalty card

13 novelty value

14 front-line

15 tailor-made

16 hands-on

17 user-friendly

18 long-standing

Writing: sample answer

There have been over twenty instances of deliveries arriving late this year, which has led to problems with supplying our own customers on time. On three occasions, the wrong goods were supplied. In addition, invoices have often been incorrect. The problems have become much more frequent since the change of management in July last year.

Letchford’s costs are comparable to those of other suppliers and not significantly cheaper. It is true that their delivery charges are relatively low, but this needs to be balanced against the inconvenience caused by their frequent lateness.

Listening1 A

2 B

3 B

4 delivery slots

5 courier companies

6 frozen food

7 installation fee

8 weatherproof

9 solar panels

Reading1 A

2 C

3 C

4 A

5 A

6 B

Grammar1 have

2 him

3 of

4 for

5 �6 not

7 �

8 as long as it finishes

9 not clear enough to use

10 are expected to fall

11 no point (in) arguing

12 often cause customers to complain

13 a

14 the

15 [nothing]

16 [nothing]

17 the

ANSWER KEY