EPISODE 117
LEVEL A2

 

READING COMPREHENSION

 

Company results

A firm reports its performance in a particular period in its results. Results for a particular year are shown in the company’s annual report. This contains, among other things, a profit and loss account (in American English called income statement).

In theory, if a company makes more money than it spends, it makes a profit. If not, it makes a loss. But it’s possible for a company to show a profit for a particular period because of the way it presents its activities under the accounting standards or accounting rules of one country, and a loss under the rules of another.

A pre-tax profit or a pre-tax loss is one before tax is calculated. An exceptional profit or loss is for something that is not normally repeated, for example the sale of a subsidiary company or the cost of restructuring. A company’s gross profit is before charges like these are taken away; its net profit is afterwards. The final figure for profit or loss is what people call informally the bottom line.

If a company is making a loss, commentators may say that it is in the red. When a company’s results are presented in a way that makes them look better than they really are, even if it follows the rules, it may be accused of creative accounting.

 

Exercise 1

Match the two columns into correct collocations:

1. accounting         accounting
2. annual                company
3. creative              line
4. income               loss
5. pre-tax               loss account
6. profit and          performance
7. subsidiary         profit
8. the bottom       report
9. to be in             standards
10. to follow         statement
11. to make a        the rules
12. to report         the red

 

Exercise 2

Find in the text words that mean:

1. wyniki (firmy)
2. sprawozdanie roczne
3. rachunek zysków i strat
4. wykazywać zysk
5. rachunkowość
6. przed opodatkowaniem
7. spółka zależna
8. restrukturyzacja
9. opłaty
10. ostateczny wynik finansowy

 

Exercise 3

What does it mean…?

If a company is making a loss, commentators may say that it is in the red.

This idiom can also be used about everyone’s personal financial situation: simply speaking, when we don’t have any money left on our accounts we are in the red. Fortunately, there is an opposite idiom as well: to be in the black.
Are you in the red or in the black at the moment?

 

Grammar corner…

 

A pre-tax profit or a pre-tax loss is one before tax is calculated.
When a company’s results are presented in a way …

These sentences contain a very common grammar structure: passive voice.
We use passive voice when we don’t have to say WHO does something because the important thing is just WHAT happens.
It can be generally presented as: to be + past participle (3rd form of the verb).

 

Exercise 4

 

Complete the sentences correctly with the passive voice structure:

1. Our offices (clean) ____________________________ by an outsourced company.
2. You (advise) ____________________________ not to waste time on phone calls.
3. Employees (not/allow) ____________________________ to send private emails.
4. I (pay) ____________________________ very well in my job.
5. My work (monitor) ____________________________ on a regular basis.
6. In our company reports (complete) ____________________________ every week.
7. Bad workers (fire) ____________________________ very quickly.
8. My colleague (promote) ____________________________ every 2 years.
9. It (not/permit) ____________________________ to smoke inside the building.
10. The first permanent contract (sign) ____________________________ after a year of work.

 

GLOSSARY

company results – wyniki firmy
to report- raportować, robić sprawozdanie
performance – wyniki
particular – poszczególny, konkretny
annual report – roczne sprawozdanie
to contain – zawierać
profit and loss account / income statement – rachunek zysków i strat
to make a profit / a loss – osiągać zysk / ponieść stratę
to show a profit – wykaz(yw)ać zysk
accounting standards / rules – zasady rachunkowości
pre-tax profit / loss – zysk / strata przed opodatkowaniem
tax – podatek
to calculate – wyliczać
exceptional – wyjątkowy
sale – sprzedaż
subsidiary company – spółka zależna
restructuring – restrukturyzacja
gross / net profit – zysk brutto / netto
charges – opłaty
to take away – odejmować
final figure – ostateczna liczba
the bottom line – ostateczny wynik finansowy
to be in the red – być na minusie (debecie)
to follow the rules – postępować zgodnie z zasadami
to be accused of – być oskarżanym o
creative accounting – kreatywna rachunkowość

 

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>>Answers

ANSWER KEY:

Ex. 1
1. accounting standards
2. annual report
3. creative accounting
4. income statement
5. pre-tax loss
6. profit and loss account
7. subsidiary company
8. the bottom line
9. to be in the red
10. to follow the rules
11. to make a profit
12. to report performance

Ex. 2
1. company results / performance
2. annual report
3. profit and loss account
4. to show a profit
5. accountancy
6. pre-tax
7. subsidiary company
8. restructuring
9. charges
10. the bottom line

Ex. 4
1. Our offices are cleaned by an outsourced company.
2. You are advised not to waste time on phone calls.
3. Employees are not allowed to send private emails.
4. I am paid very well in my job.
5. My work is monitored on a regular basis.
6. In our company reports are completed every week.
7. Bad workers are fired very quickly.
8. My colleague is promoted every 2 years.
9. It is not permitted to smoke inside the building.
10. The first permanent contract is signed after a year of work.

 

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