You are going to hear a presentation by a representative of Volvo Motors. Before you listen, use these words and phrases to complete the sentences below. The first one is done for you.

Global warming, desertification, environmentally friendly, carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO²),alternative fuels, freon.

a) Carbon monoxide is a poisonous gas which comes from motor vehicles.

b) When some fuels are burned, they release ……. ……… .

c) ……… ……. don’t give off harmful gases when they are used.

d) Products which are ……… ……… don’t damage the environment.

e) The rise in world temperature caused by gases from cars and factories is called ……. ……… .

f) ……… is a gas used in the manufacturing of plastics.

g) ……….. is making large areas in North America difficult to live in.

2. Listen. Are these statements true or false? If they are false correct them.

a) Volvo tries to make products that are environmentally friendly.

b) The catalytic converter was introduced on Volvo vehicles in 1984.

c) Volvo can’t reduce the amount of freon it uses.

d) The speaker says there must be international standards to protect the environment.

Tapescript

Thank you for coming this afternoon, ladies and gentlemen.

Today the world is facing many environmental problems: global warming, desertification and many others. Most people think that government should solve these problems; but we at Volvo believe that industry should help, too.

As an auto manufacturer, it’s our responsibility to make products that are environmentally friendly. But we also have to satisfy the consumer, in terms of comfort, price and efficiency.

One example of this is the catalytic converter, which was introduced on Volvo vehicles in 1974. The catalytic converter has greatly reduced carbon monoxide emissions from all our vehicles. However, we still have to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, and to do that, there are three things we have to do immediately. We have to burn less gasoline, we have to experiment with alternative fuels and, more generally, we have to improve the design of our engines.

As a result of research, we now realize that we should also change our methods of production; for example, we are now reducing the amount of freon used to make plastic auto parts.

It is essential to agree on international standards for protecting the environment. The problems are serious, and everyone should be concerned; but we believe that positive action will have positive results. With effort and cooperation, we can have a green future. Thank you.

3. Now listen again and discuss the following questions:

a) What is the topic of this presentation?

b) What facts prove that the presentation is thoroughly prepared and well planned?

c) What can you say about the organization of the presentation (introduction and conclusion)?

d) Is the language of the presentation simple and clearly audible at all times or is it difficult and incomprehensible?

e) What questions can the audience ask the speaker after the presentation?

Talking point

1. Work in pairs or small groups. Discuss these points about the city you live in:

1. Is there much pollution of the air in your city?

2. Are waterways such as rivers, lakes or canals contaminated (polluted) by effluent or other causes?

3. Is the city too noisy?

4. Are there any features such as industrial waste?

5. What causes these problems?

6. What is there effect on health?

7. Is anything being done to improve the situation?

2. Prepare your own presentation on the topic “How could the place you live in be improved?” Use the paragraph plan to help you organize your presentation and report it to the rest of the group.

Paragraph 1:

What is the place like in general terms? What sort of facilities does it possess? How good do you consider the quality of life there to be? Do you think some improvements could nevertheless be made? Do you feel that many facilities are urgently required?

Paragraph 2:

What are the deficiencies of the place? How do you think other age groups feel?

Paragraph 3:

What could be done and should be done to remedy the situation? How much would it cost? What groups of people might object? How would you overcome their objections?

Paragraph 4:

What improvements would be apparent if your suggestions were adopted?

Vocabulary

Complete the following presentation excerpts with suitable words:

1-14:after that, finally, to start with, specifically, outline, bring you up to date, illustrate, purpose, then, thank, sum up, describe, tell you, concluding;

15-28:indicated, talked, you will notice, draw your attention, interrupt, expand, move on, options, priority, referring, in conclusion, on balance, recommend, pointed out

'Good afternoon, everybody. I'd like to (1).................................you all for being here.'

'My (2).................................today is to (3).................................about our corporate strategy for the next decade, and, more (4)................................., to (5).................................with our plans for Europe.'

‘(6).................................I'd like to (7).................................briefly our current marketing policy in the UK. (8).................................. I'll (9)................................. some of the problems we're having over market share. (10)................................I'll (11)................................. the opportunities we see for further progress in the 21st century. (12).................................I'll quickly (13)........…......…........…before (14).................................with some recommendations’.

'Please feel free to (15)....................….......... me if you have any questions at any time.'

'Now I'd like to (16)..….…...........…..........to Chart B showing our sales revenue and pre-tax profits over the last ten years. (17)......….........….…........that although turnover has risen, our profits have not increased at the same rate’.

‘I've (18).......….......................about our current position in the UK and I've (19).................................some of the problems we are facing. Well, what (20)................................ are open to us now? Where do we go from here?'

'As I have already (21)....................…........…I think our first (22)................................ must be to build on the excellent results we have achieved in certain European markets. I'm (23)...….........................… of course, to Italy and Spain. Let me quickly (24)................................. on those successes before we (25)................................. .'

'We should not forget the French market. Admittedly our results there have been poor so far, but there are signs the market is changing and we can learn a lot from our mistakes. (26)..................................though, I think we stand to gain most from concentrating on southern Europe and I strongly (27)................................we put all our efforts into further expansion in Italy, Spain and possibly Greece.'

'(28).................................may I thank you all for being such an attentive and responsive audience. Thank you also for your pertinent questions. Are there any final questions?'

Mini presentations

1. You are going to give a short presentation in English. What do you think will be most difficult:

1. Finding enough time to prepare?

2. Putting your points in order?

3. Speaking clearly — with good pronunciation?

4. Speaking accurately — with no mistakes?

5. Speaking fluently — without hesitating?

6. Handling questions from the audience?

Choose a subject for your presentation from this list

Why my company is better than our competitors.

The biggest problem facing my company at the moment.

What my company must do to stay competitive in the future.

3. Now prepare what you are going to say. You can only speak for a few minutes so you must be brief:

1. What is your message? Write down the key point you want to get across. Use a maximum of ten words.

2. Now make notes on what you plan to say. Don't write sentences. Just write key words.

Give your presentation to the group. The students will listen very carefully and ask questions at the end.

Making a presentation

In small groups, each person picks a topic for a 30-second presentation. Plan your presentation. Announce your topic to the group. Each member writes a question s/he thinks your presentation will answer.(Ask “wh” questions to get more information.) Don’t look at these questions. Give your presentation. Now read the questions. Did you answer their questions?

Self-study task

Record your presentation onto a cassette and evaluate it. Give yourself a grade from A (excellent) to E (poor) for the following.

• Structure and organization

• Pronunciation

• Grammatical accuracy

• Fluency

Label and date the tape. It will be interesting to listen to it again in a few months to see if you have improved.

What makes а good presentation?

Remember your audience

Establish clear objectives in the introduction

Meet audience expectations with relevant content

Create interest and promote involvement

Involve your audience.

Organize the information

Design an overall structure which is clear

Ensure the introduction and ending have maximum impact

Link the different sections together

Communicate using the allotted time

Use visuals effectively

Use clear and simple messages

Create impact

Handle aids and equipment professionally

Be prepared to provide handouts

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