Introduction

This unit, which is called “Finance”, is intended to describe the finantial operations involved in business transactions in an international context.

This section called “Globalization” gives us a definition of this term, and introduces us to the economic globalized world and the making of the G20. Next, there is a text explaining how cultural differences influence international relations. Following this, there is a text about Marketing, with special focus on the use of social media for this purpose. In the “Language in use” section, you will see useful vocabulary and phrases to describe graphics and trends. After this, there are two examples of formal conversations.

The section called “Communication” introduces the topics of greetings and introductions, two basic aspects of the oral English which are present in most business conversations. You will learn different expressions to greet and introduce people and the contexts in which these expressions are used.

On the other hand, the grammar in this section introduces the present tenses. You are going to learn about the forms and the use the two present tenses: the present simple and the present continuous.

In the second section of the unit, which is called “Banking”, you can read about the cost of living in the UK, with the detailed figures for each household expenditure. In this section you will also learn new vocabulary and some facts related to banks. In the “Language in use” section there are two examples of conversations taking place in a bank.

In the section “Communication”, we continue the study of aspects related to the oral English. On this occasion, you will learn about the expressions commonly used in telephone conversations and the type of language and attitude necessary to make a speech or a presentation, and to negotiate with other people.

The grammar section introduces the past tenses and explains the forms and use of the past simple and the past continuous forms, with a special chapter devoted to explain the difference in use between both tenses.

In the section, “International transactions”, there is a short explanation of the methods used to make payments in big business transactions. On the other hand, in the “Language in use” section there is an example of a letter requesting for an overdue payment.

The “Communication” section deals with different issues related to the English language which can help you improve your writing skills. You will learn about the words which are used as verbs and nouns, about the ‘false friends’, about the phrasal verbs, about the use of prefixes and suffixes, and about the easily confused words, which cause so many mistakes.

Finally, the grammar section continues the study of the past tenses with an overview of the present and past perfect tenses, with a special chapter about the difference between the past simple and the present perfect, which are often confused.