Question 16 - 18 refer to following conversation:

W: The last item on the agenda is the upcoming financial consultations that we offer to all our employees once a year. These consultations are free (86), one-on-one meetings with certified financial specialists who help people plan for retirement. Keep in mind, (87) this program is purely voluntary, but we receive excellent feedback on this every year. If you're interested, there are meeting times available after work hours. You'll need to sign up for one on the Human Resources benefits Web page before Friday (88).

16. What is the purpose of the talk?

M: Before you leave for your first service calls of the day, I have an important announcement. Here at Quality Plumbing, we've been using paper invoices for years (80). Unfortunately, we've had some billing errors because the information you write down on your invoices is often hard to read (80, 81). So, each technician will be provided with a laptop computer to use while at the job site (80). It'll allow you to enter all the information for the work invoice. Training sessions on how to use the new system will begin next week. Sometime today, please stop by my office to sign up for a session (82).

M:  Hi, Ms. Watkins, this is Lewis Phillips from Lambert Technologies. I'm calling because some more of our employees have decided to attend the Alternative Technologies Trade Show in March (71), so I need to update our company's reservation (72). Instead of the original 15 attendees, we'll now have 25 employees at the show. So, we'll need to add 10 tickets- and we'd like the option that includes both the breakfast and lunch buffets. Could you please e-mail me the invoice with the updated price? Thank you. (73)

M: Hi, Jamie. The vice president just called to say the competition, namely Golden, is going to release a new mobile phone similar to ours. Naturally, we want to get our phone on the market first, so we're going to release our Serena model earlier than originally planned (83, 84). And that means we really need to get moving on the advertising campaign. The TV commercials have to be finished a month ahead of the phone's new release date (85 ) . That does mean our advertising team will be working some long hours. I think we should find some way of rewarding the team once the ads are finished. Let me know what you think.

W: Welcome everyone. I'll be taking you on a guided tour of the Lakeside Art Museum today (74). In the nineteenth century, the breathtaking scenery and mild climate attracted many artists to this area. That's why you'll find such an extensive collection of oil paintings from that era. Before we start, (75) I see many of you have cameras out. Please note that this is a private collection. Don't worry, though, you can buy postcards with images of the paintings. So thanks in advance for your cooperation.   Later this afternoon, make sure to visit our café located on the outdoor terrace, where you can enjoy a delicious lunch (76 ) . So, let's begin.