I. Ask and answer the following questions in pairs.

 1. What is a commission?

 2. What is our usual practice in giving commission?

3. Why did Mr. Xiong not allow any commission to Mr. Jones at first?

4. Did Mr. Jones insist on getting a commission? Why?

5. How much commission did he usually get from European supplies?

6. Did Mr. Xiong agree to give Mr. Jones a commission is thew end?

7. On what condition did he agree to consider Mr. Jones’s request for a commission?

8. What was the rate of commission Mr. Xiong would give to Mr. Jones?

9. How would Mr. Jones like to have the commission paid to him?

10. Summarize the dialogue in your own words.

II. Fill in the blanks with right preposition or adverbs.

1. If the quality of your machine is satisfactory and the prices are right., we expect to place regular orders ______ fairly large numbers.

2. will you please say if, _____ these circumstances, you are able to allow us a special discount?

3. As you know, our turnover ______ you has been rising steadily for the past five years.

4. This would be ______ your own interests just as much as in ours.

5. we feel that you may place an order with us ______ a trail basis.

6.  Nowadays income tax is often deducted _____ a person’s wages before he receive them.

7. The sellers asks the buyer to increase his order _____ 5,000 yards.

8. _____ an extent, I think you have a point there.

9. We are surprised _______ what you’ve just told us.

10.Our end-users insisted ______ your shipping their orders at the beginning of the next month.

III. Make the following sentences less formal.

1. As this produce is now in great demand and we have on hand many inquiries from other merchants, we should be obliged if you could inform us whether you from other merchants, we should be obliged if you could inform us whether you are interested in the offers we have submitted.

2. However desirous we are to increase our business with you, we feel very regretful that we cannot accept your counteroffer or even meet you halfway.

3. We are fully committed at this moment with the result that we are not able to make you the offer as requested.

4. Please be assured that we will forward the goods by a direct steamer.

5. Had you contacted us earlier, we could have complied with your request to the full.

6. We are please to have transacted this first business with your corporation and look forward to the further expansion of trade to our mutual benefit.

7. We have approached the manufacturers again with the result that they have accepted the order.

8. As we are badly in need of the goods, we must emphasize that punctual shipment should be effected within the validity of the L/C.

IV. Translate the Chinese part into English.

1. Although our price is already very low, 但是我们例外地给你方2%折扣作为特殊照顾。

2．如果数量超过100打，we may consider giving you a discount of 2%.

3. Our record has it that 应付给你们的佣金总额为￥342.

 4．We appreciate the effort you have made in pushing the sale of our products,但是愿意指出，我们对所有公司一律只付2%佣金。

 5. Another point is that我们只对充当代理的商号支付佣金，而对进口商则不付佣金。

V．Translate the following into English orally.

  F: 现在我们已经把这笔买卖的主要方面都谈到了。我想提出最后一个问题，你知道，我当然很关心佣金问题。

  C：恐怕这没什么讨论的余地吧。通常我们是不给佣金的。再说，我们的价格已经很优惠，你应该已经有相当利润了，因此，不能再考虑给佣金或是折扣了。

  F：可我们是佣金商。 我们是在佣金的基础上做买卖，也靠佣金生存。我们取得佣金才会积极地去推销商品。其实，从长远打算，这样做可以扩大销售，对你们是有利的。

  C：你的意见不无道理。这样吧，考虑到今后的贸易发展，我们给你1%佣金。

  F：随便说说供你参考，我们从其他供应商那儿可以得到8%的佣金呢。

  C：比如说，一笔交易的总额为20万美元。

  C：这个问题值得考虑。但我们最多也只能给2%的佣金。

  F：大家让让步吧。5%，好吗？

  C：行。俗话说得好，失去一个顾客比得到一个顾客要容易得多。为了长期的买卖，我们破例给你5%佣金。这一下，你该心满意足了吧。

  F：多谢多谢。