STEP 1

In this first step, you will read carefully the presentation of this unit (phrasal verbs have been highlighted in yellow). A full glossary below will help you understand it better. To get information in Spanish, just place the arrow of your mouse on any highlighted word without clicking.

John Martin, the Sales Manager, persuaded Hector Grant to let him try and open up a new export market in Habraka, Africa. Some months have gone by and there have not been any orders from Habraka.
Hector Grant is having a look at the quarterly breakdown of overheads detailing actual expenditure against budget. He finds that the amount spent by the Sales Manager on travelling and entertainment is rather high.
However, John Martin has had an enquiry from the Habrakan Government. He has been asked to give a quotation to supply office furniture for two new government buildings. If the order is placed with them, it will be one of the largest orders the firm has ever received.
John Martin has been keeping quiet about it because he wanted to wait until the order was definite, but he has checked with Peter to ensure they have the production capacity to meet the quoted delivery dates.
A buyer from the Habrakan Ministry of Public Works proposes to visit England to see the factory and negotiate the order. John Martin considers he will have to be suitably entertained: his hotel booked for him, a car put at his disposal, etc. In the letter from the Habrakan Ministry there is a curious reference to some "special requirements". Hector Grant is astonished to discover what they are!!

GLOSSARY:
to open up a new market: to develop a new market, start up a market (market: an area where goods can be sold) (iniciar, abrir un negocio o mercado);
to go by: to pass by (time) (pasar. transcurrir tiempo);
quarterly: every quarter or three months (trimestral);
breakdown: analysis or investigation of the component parts (análisis);
overheads: the expense of maintaining property (property taxes, etc) (gastos fijos);
budget: an estimate of future needs calculated for a definite period; a summary of intended expenditures along with proposals for how to meet them (presupuesto);
quotation: price of goods and delivery conditions, offered before a sale; the price of goods given to a potential buyer (cotización);
to quote/quoted/quoted/quoting: to give the price of goods and delivery conditions to a potential customer before a sale (cotizar);
to keep quiet: to refrain from divulging confidential information; keep quiet about confidential information (mantener la confidencialidad);
to book: to make a reservation in advance (hacer una reserva);
at his disposal: at his service (a su disposición);
astonished: amazed (asombrado).