Straightforward Business

10a Petproducts

Reading
1 Workinsmallgroups.Askand
answerthequestions.

Do you or anyone you know have a

pet? If yes, what kind of pet is it?
What kind of products do owners
usually buy for their pets?

2 Readtheprofileforapetproduct

companyandanswerthequestions.

1 When did the founder first start

working in the pet industry?
2 How long has the company been
in business?
3 What kind of products or services
do they offer?

3 Readtheprofileagain.Decideifthe
sentencesaretrue(T)orfalse(F).
Correctthefalsestatements.

1 Amy looked after her neighbours

cats for free.
2 She sold cat toys to a local shop.
3 She and her brother set up a stall at
the local market.
4 The pet industry was not doing well
at the time she opened her first shop.
5 The website offers both products and
services.

4 Workinpairs.Findtheseexpressions
intheprofile.Explainwhatthey
mean.

1
2
3
4

to have a good head for business

at very reasonable rates
the timing was perfect
the pet industry was booming

Kute Kitties
Everything you need for the komfort of your kat

Kute Kitties

is a family-run business. It was

founded in 2001 by Amy Wilkes. She was later joined by her
brother Huw and her cousin Megan. Amy has always been a
cat lover, ever since she got her first cat as a birthday present
at the age of eight. She has also always had a good head
for business and has worked with cats for more than twenty
years. At the age of 12 she was offering cat-sitting services to
her friends and neighbours at very reasonable rates. Over the
first few years of pet-sitting she developed a line of simple,
handmade toys for her cat clients. Initially she made these toys
as gifts, but then one of her neighbours suggested she sell
them at a local pet store. The toys are still one of the
top-selling products.
In 1999, at the age of 17, Amy opened a stall in the local
Saturday morning market. She sold toys for cats and advertised
her cat-sitting services. She soon expanded her business,
adding new products, including personalized beds, blankets
and bowls. At the age of 18 she signed up for a management
course at the local college but she was impatient to start her
own business. After six months she left college and opened her
own shop. Her product line included food, medications and cat
furniture, as well as toys and grooming services.
The timing was perfect. The pet industry was booming and so
was Amys business. Her brother Huw and cousin Megan joined
her as she opened two more shops and launched the Purrfect
Pets/Kute Kitties website. The website has been a great
success. As well as offering online shopping facilities, it also
hosts a free database for cat-sitters all over the country and a
service offering to find homes for abandoned cats.

StraightforwardPre-intermediateSecondeditionMacmillanPublishersLimited2012

Straightforward Business
Petproducts 10a

Grammar:presentperfectsimplewithfor
&since
We use the present perfect simple for states that began in the
past and continue into the present. The states are unfinished.
Amy has been a cat lover since she got her first cat at the age
of eight.
She has worked with cats for more than twenty years.
for more than twenty years
(a period of time)

past

since she was eight

(a point in time)

now

future

We use the past simple for actions and states that are finished.
Compare these examples.
Present perfect simple
Shes worked with cats for twenty years (and she still works
with them now).
Past simple
She worked with cats for twenty years (but now she doesnt
work with then anymore).

SeeLangUageReFerenCepage104

1 Puttheverbsinbracketsintothepresentperfectsimpleorpast
simple.

1
2
3
4
5
6

I
I
I
I
I
I

(work) for the same company for ten years.

(start) my first job five years ago.
(be) interested in stamp collecting since I was a child.
(not/want) to work in business when I was at school.
(always/want) to run my own business.
business
(live) in the same house since I was born.
born

2 Changetheexpressionsinitalicsinexercise1tomakethe
sentencestrueforyou.

3 Completethephraseswithfororsince.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12

2002
a day or two
Monday
yesterday
I left school
three years
a few weeks
an hour
the lesson started
five minutes
half past six
last week

4 Howmanydifferentwayscanyou
completethequestions?

1 How long have you been ?

2 How long have you had ?
3 How long have you known ?

5 Workinpairs.Askandanswerthe
questionsinexercise4.

Speaking
1 Thinkofasmallbusinessyouknow

well.Doyouknowtheanswerstothese
questions?

When did it first start doing business?

What products or services did it offer at
the beginning?
What products or services does it offer
today?
How long has it been in business?

2 Workinsmallgroups.Tellyourpartners
aboutthecompany.

3 Discussanysimilaritiesordifferences

betweenthecompaniesyoutalkedabout.

Straightforward
StraightforwardPre-intermediateSecondeditionMacmillanPublishersLimited2012