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Task 1
A: Well, you see, our company is going to attend a trade fair in the US.
B: Yeah, sounds exciting. Since we've never done that before, we need to have good advance preparations for the trip.
A: You're right. The first thing to do is of course to make travel and accommodation arrangements, such as choosing an airline offering good services and the flight of the right time so that we can arrange things well and in an effective way.
B: This can be done by making several phone calls. And we have to make advance reservation with a local hotel so that the people for the trade fair can have a place to stay immediately after they arrive in the country.
A: With early booking, we may even enjoy some discounts. And it's better to choose a hotel near the trade fair. That can save the time traveling there.
B: Or we can arrange beforehand to hire a car from a local car rental company.
A: In addition, it would be useful to know about some business customs in the US, including commonly accepted business practices, ways of doing business, and laws and regulations, etc.
B: Yeah, especially those different from ours. Say, different ideas about punctuality. I heard that in the United States, people tend to be very time-conscious. Being late would be considered poor etiquette.
A: Also in China, business transactions are often concluded by treating business partners to lavish dinners and giving them expensive gifts, I'm afraid they seldom do it this way in the West or in the US.
B: I was told that in Western countries, people attach much importance to formal agreement and contracts with detailed terms and conditions. They never feel comfortable with verbal agreements. In China, however, business is often concluded simply by verbal agreement.
A: We should also learn about business customs such as the different systems of measurement. For instance, we use the day/month/year system for dating while the US use month/day/year system. And there are many other differences including topics acceptable in conversation.
B: Also, Chinese businessmen tend to have business negotiations in a rather indirect manner, while American businessmen have a more direct style. Our people should be made to understand all these differences.
A: But how to find out about all this?
B: I think there are many ways to find out about these before the trip, say, we can go to the Internet, read some reference books or get tips from experienced colleagues and clients.
A: They could be effective ways. Let's do them.
