Speaking

Situation 3 Visiting Fiat's Plant in China

Sample Dialogue 1

Amy:Hello,Tom!Long time no see!

Tom:Hi,Amy.I got an opportunity to visit Fiat's plant in Hunan Province,a latest development in a 5-billion-yuan joint venture between Fiat and GAC,China's sixth largest auto manufacturer.

Amy:Why did you go to China and visit Fiat's plant?

Tom:Well,you know I am about to graduate from University in Automotive Manufacturing.I need to have a unique experience.Not only was it my first time to visit a car factory,but a good opportunity to collect concrete examples for my studies.

Amy:Sure.It must be fantastic!How was your trip?

Tom:Great!During the visit,I continuously tried to associate what I was seeing with what I have learned in the university.

Amy:Did anything strike you?

Tom:Yes,what did strike me was that in the center of the assembly line,there is a huge office completely made of glass wall,which helps employers and employees to interact at all time—no real barriers—and that everyone,including the Plant Manager and HR Manager,are dressed in the same uniform.

Amy:Amazing!What else?How about the workers there?Do they work efficiently?

Tom:Yes,I think so.Not only efficiently,but also happily!The assembly line was projected along with the workers and applied the Best Practices from all the plants in the Fiat group.This resulted in efficient production process,happy workers and one of the most technologically advanced automotive plants in the world.

Amy:Did you have any unique experience?

Tom:The body shop is quite unique.There are robots everywhere and they work very quickly and with great precision.For example,at one point 14 robots put together the body chassis in about 1 minute.

Amy:Wow!Labor-saving!Man power has been substituted with robots.

Tom:Yes,and time-saving!But the role of human beings is still fundamental and decisive in the final output.

Task 5

Pair work.Start a conversation with your partner according to the situation:

You are introducing your visit of Kia Motors Plant in China to a good friend.

Situation 4 Having an Interview with the CEO of General Motors Corporation.

Sample Dialogue 2

(The interviewer is interviewing Mr.Young,the chairman and chief executive at General Motors Corporation.)

Interviewer:Good morning,Mr.Young.Thank you for giving me this great chance to have an interview with you.

Young:It is my pleasure!

Interviewer:As we all know,you are very different from the previous CEOs at GM.You would say publicly what other CEOs say in private.It is heard that there was a resistance to change at GM.What did you do to overcome such resistance?

Young:Well,I was moving at a faster pace.You know,I am not the first to complain about GM's bureaucracy.But I am the first with a will to make changes to keep profits flowing.

Interviewer:Yes,your vitality and spirit are there for all to see.What makes you take the job?It is not an easy task.

Young:I took this job because I never like an easy task.I am a person of enterprise.I have an urge to take adventure in my life.

Interviewer:I can see that in your character.Have you got used to the job and life at GM?

Young:Yes.I have to say I knew little about cars at the beginning.But now I can speak with authority on everything from transmissions to batteries.

Interviewer:So you only sleep three nights a week?

Young:I rarely sleep past 4:30 a.m.or 5 a.m.I've always been an early riser,so I can talk to the folks in Asia before they get too far into their day.It's the best job I've ever had.It's the most fascinating industry I've ever been in.

Interviewer:How has the corporate culture changed at GM since you joined the board?

Young:I would say,objectively,that 90 percent of what we did was good.There is tremendous commitment and loyalty to this company.Recognize what went wrong,learn from it,and move on.I would say we're making good progress.

Interviewer:Thank you so much for coming here.

Young:It is all right.

Task 6

Pair work.Discuss with your partner and draw up a list of interview questions according to the situation:

You are going to have an interview with the CEO of Ford Motor Company.What kind of questions do you want to ask?

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