Make Meetings Work for YouOnly call a meeting if you (and your colleagues) are quite clear about its purpose. Once you are certain of your objective, ask yourself whether it could be better achieved through (19) means, such as a memo. Meetings called on a routine basis tend to (20) their point. It’s better to wait until a situation or problem requires a meeting. If in doubt, don’t waste time having one.If you’re sure a meeting is the solution, circulate a memo several days in advance (21) the time and place, objectives, issues to be discussed, other participants and preparation (22) Meetings should be held in the morning, if possible, when people are usually more (23) , and should last no more than an hour. Six is the (24) number of participants for a good working meeting. Inviting the whole department (more than 10) increases emotional undercurrents such as, "Will my (25) be taken seriously " Larger meetings can be productive as brainstorming (26) for ideas, provided participants can speak freely without feeling they will be judged.A successful meeting always leads to action. Decision should take up the (27) of the meeting minutes, including the name of the person delegated to each task, and a(n) (28) for its completion. Circulate the minutes after the meeting and again just before the next one.Draw out quieter members of the group. (29) helps create a relaxed and productive atmosphere. Do not (30) out any individual for personal criticism -- they will either silently (31) , upset and humiliated, or try to come up with excuses rather than focusing on the problems in (32) Save critical comments for a private occasion.If you’re talking for more than 50 per cent of the time, you’re (33) the meeting. 24()
A. rational
B. optimum
C. desirous
D. effectual
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Strong playersVideo games let you escape into an alternative reality -- something gaming firms know about at first hand. For as other technology firms face stagnant or shrinking markets, the video-games industry seems to inhabit a parallel universe. It has had a bumper year, maybe the best it ever will. Global sales of games software and hardware will exceed $31 billion this year. This summer, UBS Warburg invested 17% of its model technology portfolio in two games publishers, Electronic Arts and Activision. Gaming, it seems, is recession-proof.The industry is booming because it has its own cycle, as one generation of hardware succeeds another every few years. (8) Games consoles are flying off the shelves. The current line-up is of Sony’s PlayStation2, the market leader by far, plus Microsoft’s Xbox and Nintendo’s GameCube, which are fighting for a distant second place.Each gaming boom is bigger than the last. Children who have grown up with games keep on playing, which expands the market. It also increases the players’ average age: the average American gamer is 28. (9) This shift is reflected in the rise of "mature"-rated games, which now account for 13% of the American market, up from 6% in 2001.(10) Many observers are optimistic about the prospects for games sales next year, particularly in America. But the figures suggest that 2002 was the peak of the cycle, and that the market will shrink next year. Other observers expect console sales to grow only slightly next year.Things will then cool off until the next generation of consoles appears in 2005. The next peak is not expected until 2007. (11) Both are dwarfed by console gaming at the moment, but are the focus of much activity, and could provide recurring revenues to help smooth out the industry’s cyclical nature.Online gaming has got off to a small but promising start in recent weeks with the release of adaptors that link consoles over the Internet. In America, Microsoft sold 150,000 starter kits for its "Xbox Live" service within a week of its launch last month. Sony says it has signed up 175,000 subscribers to its rival online service, launched in August. Both services will launch in Europe next year.Gaming on mobile phones is also taking small but crucial steps forward. Today’s phones mostly have one or two simple games built in. The latest handsets have colour screens and can download software remotely. (12) Games take roughly a minute to download, but adding one to a handset is almost as easy as downloading a new ringing tone or screen logo. It is predicted that mobile-gaming revenues will reach $3.5 billion in the next five years; other estimates are higher. 9()
A. Older players tend to have more disposable income to spend on games than do teenagers.
B. Their processing power matches that of the arcade-game machines of the 1980s, so classic games run well.
C. But how much longer will the good times last
D. That cycle, unrelated to the broader economic cycle, is now at or near its peak.
E. But the industry has two new tricks up its sleeve, in the form of online and mobile gaming.
F. They are so wisely designed that they can be connected to any game machines.
G. It has had a bumper year, maybe the best it ever will.
Make Meetings Work for YouOnly call a meeting if you (and your colleagues) are quite clear about its purpose. Once you are certain of your objective, ask yourself whether it could be better achieved through (19) means, such as a memo. Meetings called on a routine basis tend to (20) their point. It’s better to wait until a situation or problem requires a meeting. If in doubt, don’t waste time having one.If you’re sure a meeting is the solution, circulate a memo several days in advance (21) the time and place, objectives, issues to be discussed, other participants and preparation (22) Meetings should be held in the morning, if possible, when people are usually more (23) , and should last no more than an hour. Six is the (24) number of participants for a good working meeting. Inviting the whole department (more than 10) increases emotional undercurrents such as, "Will my (25) be taken seriously " Larger meetings can be productive as brainstorming (26) for ideas, provided participants can speak freely without feeling they will be judged.A successful meeting always leads to action. Decision should take up the (27) of the meeting minutes, including the name of the person delegated to each task, and a(n) (28) for its completion. Circulate the minutes after the meeting and again just before the next one.Draw out quieter members of the group. (29) helps create a relaxed and productive atmosphere. Do not (30) out any individual for personal criticism -- they will either silently (31) , upset and humiliated, or try to come up with excuses rather than focusing on the problems in (32) Save critical comments for a private occasion.If you’re talking for more than 50 per cent of the time, you’re (33) the meeting. 23()
A. sociable
B. alert
C. talkative
D. energetic
Purchasing DepartmentOrder FromDate: 18, Nov.Customer Name: Samuel Publishing HouseOrder No: 2469Type of Goods: (1) __________________Model: (2) __________________Quantity: 1Cost: (3) __________________Time of delivery: this afternoonAccount No: 39672752, (4) __________________ 2()
ABUNDANT ASTA RESOURCESDay in and day out, ASTA helps its members with everything from debit memos to bankruptcy claims on against suppliers to applying for Small34 Business Administration loans. Whatever business problem is facing with you35 chances are someone at ASTA headquarters can offer the advice or a helping36 hand. A few months ago, ASTA introduced that the Member Care Center as37 an improved method of serving its members. The Member Care Center serves38 as the single source for member record changes, for meeting registrations39 and information requests. We have begun intensive customer service training40 of our Member Care team to ensure that they are fully equipped with to41 answer your questions as more efficiently as possible. Our Member Care team42 meets early every morning for a briefing report on the ASTA and travel43 industry news of the day so they are prepared for the various calls that may44 come in. If the answer or solution lies in other another ASTA department,45 ASTA has a highly trained staff of professionals are ready to assist you.Here’s just a sample of how ASTA departments service oar members on a daily basis. 41()