Vol 4 Test 4 Part 3

PART 3

Section 3.
You will hear two students called Tom and Bella attending the third meeting of the after-school club.

They are talking with their professor about the furniture company Willows.

First, you have some time to look at questions 21–26.

Now listen carefully and answer questions 21–26.

Before the meeting begins, the professor thanks the students for coming.

The company Willows used to be very large, with many retail outlets across the country.

After the recession, fewer people spent money on furniture.

Because of this, the company closed all its physical outlets and now operates only online.

Willows previously produced many products including tables, chairs, and light fittings.

Market research showed that most profit came from selling bookcases.

So now the company specializes in bookcases as their main product.

The department did not start contact with the company through the professor.

The headmaster read an article written by the company manager in the newspaper.

He then contacted Willows and arranged for one student to work there full-time in summer.

The student worked in the design team and created technical drawings using a computer.

He used a special design software which had a poor interface and was difficult to predict.

Despite that, the software was efficient for creating furniture designs quickly.

Visitors could not access the IT department.

But Tom and Bella were able to talk with the student’s colleagues.

The manager was too busy to meet them.

However, the students were allowed to inspect the company account.

This helped them understand the effect of the software on the company.

Next week, the professor will interview each student individually to prepare for job interviews.

The interviews cannot be done as a group because it would cause disturbance.

The professor wants to give undivided attention to each student and make it realistic.

The professor has completed feedback on exam results.

He was not disappointed.

Student performance has dramatically improved since joining the club.

Both Tom and Bella scored above average and above class mean.

Their results should continue to improve if they keep working hard.

Now, you have time to look at questions 27–30.

Listen and answer questions 27–30.

The professor returns to discussion about Willows.

A new system could benefit the company.

The current system is outdated and may not increase profit.

But the new system can do the work of hundreds of people and will lower labor costs.

However, unless workshop machinery is replaced, the system won’t reduce production time.

If production time cannot be reduced, sales cannot increase.

One possible solution is hiring more staff to increase efficiency.

The new system does not allow remote home connection.

So it cannot attract more contacts from outside the showroom.

The system benefits clients who visit the showroom because it is interactive.

Clients can browse the furniture catalog quickly and save time.

Staff are still needed to guide clients, so labor cost savings are limited.

The biggest benefit is that staff can design furniture live in front of clients.

This allows clients to be more involved in the design process.

The professor praises the students and closes the meeting.

The session ends here.

End of Section 3:
That is the end of Section 3.

Check answers:
You now have 30 seconds to check your answers.