Unit 6
Supply
Describing product features
1. Listening Listen to the phone call about the supply of some office shelving systems. As you listen fill in the missing information on the specification sheet.
Listening task
A：Good morning. I‘m phoning to enquire about your office shelving system...code number SS007.
B：Oh yes， what would you like to know?
A：Well. I‘d like to check on the dimensions first-make sure that they‘ll fit. First of all， how wide are they?
B：Just a moment， sir， I‘ll get the specifications... you asked about the width... yes， the standard unit is 3.5 meters wide.
A：And the height?
B：They‘re 2 meters high with flexible positions for the shelves.
A：How many shelves can actually be fitted?
B：Really as many as you like， but normally five.
A：I see. I need to know how much they stick out-in other words， how deep are they?
B：They‘re 30 centimeters deep.
A：Thanks， that‘s the dimensions. Now， what about delivery?
B：Well， it depends how far you are from our warehouse.
A：We‘re about ten miles from the center.
B：I see-well， that‘s in our free delivery area， so there‘ll be no extra charge for delivery.
A：Good. Actually， what I meant was how long does it take after I place an order?
B：I see， sir. We guarantee delivery within two weeks.
A：Good. Well， we‘re interested in ten of your standard units for a suite of offices. How much do you charge?
B：Well， the unit cost is 98 but in view of the size of the order， we can offer a 5 per cent discount... just a moment， I‘ll just do the figures... yes， that comes to 931-let‘s round it off and call it 930.
A：That sounds reasonable. Finally， what sort of guarantee do you offer?
B：Well， these units are extremely sturdy and reliable. There‘s the usual one-year guarantee but they have an average life of at least 20 years...
Dimensions
Width ____________________________
Height _____________________________
Depth _____________________________
Delivery
Cost ______________________________
Time ______________________________
Price
Unit price ___________________________
Discount price for 10 units ______________
Guarantee Period _____________________
Average life _________________________
2. Presentation
In the telephone conversation the speakers discussed.
# dimensions
# time
# cost
Here is some of the language you heard.
2.1 Dimensions
Questions： How wide are they?
What‘s the width?
How high are they?
What‘s the height?
Answers： They‘re 3.5 meters wide.
The width is 3.5 meters.
They‘re 2 meters high.
The height is 2 meters.
2.2 Time
Question： How long does it take after ordering?
Answer： It takes two weeks.
2.3 Cost
Questions： How much is it?
How much does it cost?
How much do you charge?
Answers： It‘s 98.
It costs 98.
We charge 98.
3. Controlled practice
A. Complete the following table. Use a dictionary if necessary. The first one has been done for you.
Noun form Adjective Opposite adjective
width wide narrow
long
depth
low distance
speed
reliability
B. Ask questions about the technical and commercial specifications of the printer above. In all cases， use an adjective form with How.
1. The width of the printer How wide is it?
2. The depth of the printer _________________________?
3. The speed of the printer _________________________?
4. The time to deliver ____________________________?
5. The cost of delivery ____________________________?
6. The reliability of the printer _________________________?
7. The length of the cable ___________________________?
8. The length of the guarantee period _________________________?
9. The cost of the printer _______________________?
10. The distance to the nearest service center _________________?