2. READING .
• Read the article below about an international supermarket business.
• Choose the best word to fill each gap from the alternatives A, B, C or D.
• There is an example at the beginning.
TRADITALIA MAKES €1.1BN IN SIX MONTHS
Italian supermarket (0) B Traditalia has been its half-year (1) rise 8.3 % to €1.1 billion, boosted by sales in its stores outside Italy. The group saw its overall sales rise 12.7 % in the six months to 31 December, with profits at its foreign businesses (2) 17.1%. Meanwhile its online operation Traditalia.com showed even faster (3) , with its profits up 32.1% in the period as customers , especially in Europe, are (4) more online than ever before.
Traditalia sales are growing twice as fast outside Italy as within the country. By the end of August, Traditalia had 762 (5) outside the peninsula, including 470 hypermarkets. Stores in Hungary, Poland, Malaysia and Thailand experienced the fastest (6) . Though known mainly as a food retailer, the firm said that one fifth of its sales worldwide were now non-food. In Italy itself, sales of electronics goods such as digital cameras, mobile phones and flat-screen televisions were up 36 % on last year, and the same (7) is occurring in its stores outside Italy.
Four years ago Traditalia made its first €1 bn (8) profit. It has now reached the same figure after six months of (9) .Traditalia’s (10) executive Antonia Bruni said that Traditalia was successful because it sold what the public wanted at prices they could afford. “Customers all over the world are choosing Traditalia,” she said.
Some accuse the chain of being too dominant and of driving out independent traders. It’s not just food (11) who are worried about Traditalia’s dominance. Traditalia is moving into entirely new (12) , such as cars and computer software. It is even planning to start its own mobile phone network.
The chain has also been criticized for paying too little to farmers for their (13) ___ and for moving food over vast distances when it should be selling locally produced food. Another criticism is that when a new Traditalia out-of-town (14) opens, local shops in the town centre are badly affected, and many of them close down. But for the moment, Traditalia is celebrating its success as one of the world’s market (15) in the extremely competitive supermarket business.
0 A LINE B CHAIN C STORES D RETAIL
1 A PROFITS B PRICES C CHARGES D TAXES
2 A RAISING B UPPING C RISING D LOSING
3 A GROWTH B GROWING C GREW D GROWN
4 A BUYING B BUY C BUYS D BOUGHT
5 A OUTFITS B OUTLETS C OUTGOINGS D OUTLOOKS
6 A EXPORT B EXTENSION C EXCEPTION D EXPANSION
7 A MOVEMENT B TREND C TRANSITION D EXCHANGE
8 A ANNUAL B YEAR C MONTHLY D DAILY
9 A TRAINING B TRAFFICKING C TRANSACTING D TRADING
10 A MAIN B HEAD C CHIEF D MANAGING
11 A RESELLERS B RETAILERS C RETIREES D RETURNERS
12 A AREAS B ZONES C SUBJECTS D HEADINGS
13 A PRODUCTION B PRODUCE C PRODUCES D PRODUCT
14 A STORE B DEPARTMENT C SHELF D DISTRIBUTOR
15 A SEGMENTS B LEADERS C MAKERS D PLACES
