Audio Book: Getting started in stocks by Alvin D. Hall Chapter 4 How much to invest?

Vocabulary

• Cash needs
• assess
• Investment
• Financial adviser
• Broker
• Liquid
• Request

What are the speaker recommendations? What do you have to say to the broker at the moment to invest?

Grammar: Future Forms

The use of be going + infinitive and the present continuous tense to speak about the future is similar. We use them to talk about things that are already planned or decided.

			What are you doing this weekend? (= What are your plans?)
			I'm spending the weekend at home. (= I've planned it already/I've already decided)
			I'm going to spend the weekend at home. (= I've already decided/I've planned it already)

The present continuous is usually used to speak about personal arrangements, when the time and/or place have already been decided.

			We're meeting Jim at the pub at 6 o'clock.
			The taxi's picking us up at 3 o'clock.

Be going to + infinitive is used to talk about our intentions, even if they are some way in the future.

			I'm going to study law when I finish school.
			We're going to Hawaii for our holidays next summer.

Notice that last sentence - it is not common to say "going to go to. We normally drop the go to and just say going to.

Be going to + infinitive is also used to speak about the future when we have already got some evidence that something is certain or likely to happen.

			She's going to have a baby (I can see that she is pregnant)
			It's going to rain (I can see the dark storm clouds)

Will is more complicated, and here we are only going to discuss its use in relation to be going to + infinitive and the present continuous.

In certain situations all of these future forms can have similar meanings. The difference is what we want to stress when we speak. As we wrote above, be going to + infinitive and the present continuous are used to talk about things that are already planned or decided. If this is what we want to stress then we would use one of those structures, if not, we would choose will:

			What are you going to do now?
			What are you doing now?
			What will you do now?

In the first two examples, the person asking the question assumes that the person they are speaking to has some plan or intention. In the last example, s/he feels that there is some uncertainty.

Also above, we mentioned the use of be going to + infinitive to talk about (predict) the future when we have already got some evidence that something is certain or likely to happen. When this evidence is not present, or at least is not as concrete, we prefer to use will.

			It's going to rain later (I can see the clouds building up)
			I think it will rain later (It often does at this time of year)

Important information about the TOEIC

TOEIC^® - Test of English for International Communication^TM

The global standard for measuring English language skills for business

More than 4.5 million people each year take the TOEIC tests to advance their careers. And, for more than 25 years, TOEIC test scores have helped thousands of corporations, educational institutions and governments throughout the world recruit, hire and promote the most qualified candidates.

The new TOEIC Speaking and Writing Tests have been added to the TOEIC English-language learning product line. They complement the TOEIC Listening and Reading Test for a full assessment of a person's ability to communicate in English across all four language skills.

In Colombia people can present the TOEIC Listening and Reading Test.

What Is TOEIC?

The Test of English for International Communication™ (TOEIC®) is an English language test designed specifically to measure the everyday English skills of people working in an international environment.

Who Takes It And Why?

Nonnative English speakers take the test to demonstrate English proficiency when applying for new positions and obtaining credentials.

Where Do People Take It?

The test is given at open public sessions, and at companies and language schools around the world.

Who Accepts It?

The test is widely accepted by corporations, English-language programs, and government agencies around the world.

• Corporations use TOEIC test to document progress in English training programs, recruit and promote employees, and put standard measurements in place across locations.
• English Programs use it to place students at the right learning levels, and show student progress and program effectiveness.
• Government agencies use it to document progress in English language courses, and to recruit, promote and hire employees.

Testing Format

The TOEIC test is a paper-and-pencil, multiple-choice assessment that uses audiocassettes, pictures, and written materials to evaluate English-language skills.

Test Content

The TOEIC test is a paper-and-pencil, multiple-choice assessment. There are two separately timed sections of 100 questions each.

Section I: Listening

Examinees listen to a variety of questions and short conversations recorded in English, then answer questions based on what they heard.

• Part 1: Photographs (20 items)
• Part 2: Question - Response (30 items)
• Part 3: Short Conversations (30 items)
• Part 4: Short Talks (20 items)

Section II: Reading

Examinees read a variety of materials and respond at their own pace to questions based on the content.

• Part 5: Incomplete Sentences (40 items)
• Part 6: Error Recognition (20 items)
• Part 7: Reading Comprehension (40 items)

Test Length

The test lasts approximately 2 ½ hours. Examinees have:

• 45 minutes for Section I
• 75 minutes for Section II, and
• the remaining time to respond to biographical questions and a brief questionnaire about education and work history.

Taken from the ETS webpage www.ets.org.

Vocabulary about Career

What do you think is the meaning of these words?

Board Meeting
General Assembly
Contract negociation
Company picnic
Workers demonstration
Fire drill
Conference call
Job interview
Sales presentation


If you know the answer send an email to englishhh@gmail.com