1. Choose the correct answer (a, b or c) to complete the article (1–10).
Michel Soussaline _____1 in a Paris hospital as a cancer specialist. But at present, he is only working part-time. In his free time, he _____2 his wife to develop a biotech company called Imstar. Mr Soussaline describes the difficulties of setting up a new company in France: ‘We _____3 the necessary investment, but it was impossible. There is much less help for developing companies than in the US.’ Mr Soussaline believes that Imstar _____4 a bigger company by now if it was based in California.
Mr de Bézieux, who heads a lobby group for small businesses in France, says: ‘Between 1965 and 1980, the French economy _____5 twice as fast as the US. Since then, it _____6 the opposite. One of the main explanations is that our small businesses _____7.’
But now there is a new approach to small business in France. In the past year, the government _____8 a series of initiatives to support innovative start-ups. In future, fast-growing companies _____9 extra benefits and _____10 lower rates of tax.
1 a) works b) worked c) working
2 a) helped b) was helping c) is helping
3 a) look for b) looked for c) will look for
4 a) was b) would be c) have been
5 a) grows b) is growing c) was growing
6 a) was b) will be c) has been
7 a) is not growing b) was not growing c) are not growing
8 a) launches b) has launched c) will launch
9 a) will receive b) have received c) receive
10 a) will be paid b) will pay c) are paying