[originaltext]M: Mm… I think we see eye to eye there. How about those languages

M: Mm… I think we see eye to eye there. How about those languages? I can hear how good your English is. How is it you can speak both Cantonese and Mandarin?
W: I grew up speaking both languages. My father is a native speaker of Mandarin, and my mother’s Mandarin is very good. And of course I have always spoken Mandarin to my grandparents and my other relatives. I studied French in school and now at university.
M: And how good is your French now?
W: Not as good as my English. I can read it easily and write with no more than a few mistakes, but, I have never spent more than a few weeks in a French speaking country, so neither my listening comprehension nor my speaking are fluent.
M: Mm. Now. How much do you know about the sort of work that the Marketing Officer Trainee does in a company like ours?
W: Well. My reading of the job description suggests that a trainee probably starts as an apprentice working closely with an experienced Marketing Officer, learning how to keep records, identify opportunities, and implement plans and, I suppose, gradually taking on more responsibility and exercising more initiative.
M: Well, Miss Chan, one of your referees say you left a place where you were employed, unexpectedly, in circumstances, and not entirely clear. What happened?
W: I’m not sure what he means. I have certainly never been dismissed. But I did give in my notice and leave a part time job when I had the offer of a university place. I said very little about my reasons for going. They would have been thought strange and rather snobbish.
M: Mm. I see. Well, on another topic altogether. Do you see a use for your languages in all this?
W: Well. Not on a daily basis. My experience is that if you do have a control of several languages, then you put that to use only occasionally—but the occasion is often a highly critical one! You are in a position to be—well, just for that moment—extremely useful! And that is very satisfactory.
M: Well, mm. Any questions you would like to ask, Miss Chan?
W: Mm, just one. It has to do with, mm progression in your company, I notice there is a three-month probationary period followed by six months further training. Well, what happens then? Where are successful applicants say urn, eighteen months after they join your company?
M: Earning very competitive salaries—well we don’t want to lose them—on their way to developing one of several specialisms we require.
W: Thank you. Thank you for your time. I hope I’ll hear further from you soon.
M: Hmm. We have two more applicants to interview on Thursday. Well, our Company practice is to advise all short-listed applicants whether they have been successful or not by telephone or by mail within a week after that. Well. Goodbye Miss Chan. We’ll be in touch with you.
Questions 6 to 10 are based on what you have just heard.
6. What can we learn about Miss Chan’s language skills?
7. According to Miss Chan, what is a Marketing Officer Trainee supposed to do?
8. What does one of Miss Chen’s referee say about her?
9. How long is the probationary period?
10. When will Miss Chen know the result of the interview?