[originaltext]M: Hi, there.W: Good morning, Daniel!M: Dan, please...W: I’m M

M: Hi, there.
W: Good morning, Daniel!
M: Dan, please...
W: I’m Monica Boardman, HR manager in InnoTech. We spoke on the phone yesterday. Nice to meet you here.
M: Nice to meet you too.
W: So it says here on your CV that you’re interested in rock climbing...
M: Yeah... love it!
W: Great, so do I! When did you last go climbing?
M: Oh, err, well, it was probably half a year ago...
W: Anywhere interesting?
M: Yeah. I walked up the hill behind my house. Took me about thirty minutes!
W: Behind your house? Rock climbing? Okay, erm, Daniel, can you tell us a little bit about your current position?
M: Certainly. As it says in the CV, I’m part of the European Sales team at Networld. We’re the world’s leading supplier of IT hardware.
W: Why do you want to move on?
M: Well, they’re too small for me.
W: Networld!? Networld are too small for you?
M: Oh yeah. I’m looking for something much bigger.
W: Well, we’re not a big company by any means, but we are looking to grow! What first attracted you to InnoTech in particular?
M: Well, I see InnoTech as kind of like a stepping stone...
W: Sorry?
M: Yeah, start here to gain the necessary experience, and then move onto something bigger.
W: Okay... Well, I do admire your ambition!
M: Thanks. I’ve got lots of it!
W: Let’s move on to managing people. Can you give an example of a time when you had to deal with a particularly difficult employee?
M: Sure. I think that’s one of my strong points actually. A couple of years ago, I was working with a guy, he wasn’t pulling his weight, basically being lazy, so I told him to get out.
W: Oh, you didn’t give him a performance review, or a warning, or perhaps try to help develop his motivation?
M: No, no, no. None of that rubbish. If someone’s not working hard enough, then they’re out! That’s the way I work. I’m a hard man.
W: I see.
W: How would you handle a rapidly changing market?
M: Basically not change anything at all! Just continue on as normal regardless!
W: According to your CV you are fluent in Mandarin...
M: Well, I wouldn’t say "fluent" exactly, but I like Chinese food a lot--so I can read the menu!
W: So you can’t actually speak the language?
M: Umm, no.
W: Can you tell us about a time you had to close a particularly challenging deal.
M: I haven’t had one. They’re all easy for me. I close deals all the time!
W: Okay, well, do you have any questions for us?
M: No.
W: Okay. Thanks. Let’s move on to the presentation...
This is the end of Conversation One.
Questions 1-5 are based on Conversation One.
1. What do we learn about the man’s interest in rock climbing?
2. Why does the man want to work in InnoTech?
3. How does the man normally manage people under him?
4. What is the man’s probable Mandarin level?
5. What do we learn about the man from the conversation?