PART TWO
Questions 9 - 14
· Read this text from an article about health clubs.
· Choose the best sentence from the opposite page to fill in each of the gaps.
· For each gap 9 - 14, mark one letter A - H on your Answer Sheet.
· Do not use any letter more than once.
· There is an example at the beginning (0).
Travel stress brings boom to health clubs
A rapid growth in business travel has provided a lucrative spin-off for British health clubs as companies try to prevent hard-working executives from suffering travel-related stress.
Health clubs are fully booked throughout the coming months all around the country and many are planning to expand their facilities.
0 H According to Gillie Turner, group marketing manager for the Champneys group of health clubs, during the last recession executives lost many of their extra benefits as companies cut back. . 9 She says that large companies also seem to have decided that it is no good sending someone to a country like Spain as a reward for doing a good job, because they will simply eat too much and flop onto a beach. . 10
Champneys, the company acknowledged as the market leader in this field, is now planning to introduce a special "Profiting from Stress" course, which will run over three days. . 11 Jonathon Stapleton, general manager of Champneys, says that modern corporate life being what it is, most business travellers find that they are having to do the work which - even a year ago - was done by two. 12
To meet this new demand, other health clubs are also thinking of introducing similar schemes. Clare Brandish, the sales and marketing director of another health club, has noticed a marked change in the clientele at her club. . 13
Businesses of all kinds are anxious to reduce absenteeism. . 14 Much of the problem is caused by long periods away from home, irregular hours, business entertaining and jet lag.
According to the Guild of Business Travel Agents, sales of business-class airline tickets have risen by 12% in the past year, hotel bookings have gone up by 36% and car hire has risen by 24%. Dave Reynolds, the GBTA chief executive, says that the trouble is that the same number of people are being asked to travel more often. He comments that it is no
wonder they need to take a break in a health club.
A It has been calculated that about 40 million working days are lost each year in Britain because of stress, ten times as many as are lost 10 industrial disputes.
B This has involved a considerable rise in the number of business bookings, whereas previously most clients came as private individuals.
C Now they are being restored, as industry realises that the health of its executives is vital.
D But who will benefit most from these developments?
E Because of the pressures this imposes, many companies have now decided that it is worthwhile paying for their senior executives to take a proper break and get advice on how to combat stress.
F Executives taking part in it will be given massages and health treatments, workouts and a range of talks on how to deal with stress, especially when travelling.
G So what s the reason for this now trend?
