Exercise 1 Complete the definitions below with the following words:

booming (2) broadband (5) in bulk (4) secure (3) tech-savvy (1)

1. (adj.): having a good practical knowledge of technology

2. (adj.): very successful, e.g. business is

3. (adj.): free from being accessed by an unauthorized person

4. (phrase): in large numbers or volume

5. (noun): a communications system used for high-speed Internet access

Exercise 2 Find a word or phrase in the text which means:

1. experiencing (a change) (verb +-ing, P1) (Undergoing)

2. a temporary period of very successful economic performance (noun, P2) (bubble)

3. space in a shop to display products (noun phrase, P3) (shelf space)

4. a great and sudden increase (noun, P5) (proliferation)

Exercise 3: Grammar in the text - tenses for describing trends. Study the following sentences from the article and the underlined tenses.

1. The retail industry is undergoing a revolution. (2) Present Continuous

2. Websites will become more sophisticated. (4) future “will” + infinitive

3. By the time of the dotcom gold rush in 2000, Internet sales had reached £800m a year. (3) Past Perfect Simple

4. E-commerce sales have exploded since 2000. (D) – Present Perfect Simple (1) Present Perfect Simple

Which sentence and tense describes...

1. a trend that started in the past and is complete in the present?

2. a trend that is in progress at the moment?

3. a trend that was completed before a particular point in the past?

4. a predicted future trend?

Exercise 4 Now form complete sentences below, using the same tenses as above.

1. Turnover has not changed since the company relocated to Germany (Present Perfect Simple)

2. Next year consumer spending will go up dramatically (future “will” +infinitive)

3. At present sales are increasing rapidly (Present Continous)

4. By the end of the last quarter our profits had fallen by 12% (Past Perfect Simple)

5. The number of online subscribers has reached 2 million since we started the business (present Perfect simple)

6. At the end of this year sales will reach $1m (future “will” +infinitve)

7. Interest rates have dropped by 2% over the last five years (present perfect simple)

8. More and more people are working at home these days (present continuous)

9. The population of the island reached 2 million in 1999 (past simple)

10. By the time he was ready to expand the business he had spent $2 million on advertising (past perfect simple)