Simple Past vs. Present Perfect

Last Christmas, my boss ____ (appoint) me as the new head of R&D.

appointed

John ____ (become) a senior manager when he was very young. I think he was 21 years old.

became

There used to be a time when our boss ____ (bring) flowers to all offices, but unfortunately those times are over.

brought

Last week, I ____ (catch) a flue, but I am better now.

caught

At the end of my schooldays, I wanted to study economics, but after my internship at SAP I ____ (decide) for business informatics.

decided

I ___ (do) my A-levels in 2015 and started an apprenticeship as a data administrator before I started studying.

did

I ____ (finish) my apprenticeship two years ago and am now working for SAP.

finished

In 2008, I was in New York, and three years later I _____ (fly) to San Francisco.

flew

This morning we ____ (have) much trouble with one of our clients, but in the course of the day, we could settle the problem.

had

For years, it ____ (be) a dream of mine to travel to the United States and now I really get the chance to visit our US headquarters. Great!

has been

Lately, our CEO ____ (be) on quite a lot of business trips.

has been

Our Marketing Manager ____ (be) in Japan for two weeks now.

has been

Since September, our Marketing Assistant Billy ____ (be) enrolled in a Master's study course, so he has got less time now.

has been

When our CEO was young, he usually led our weekly meetings, but for some time now, her assistant _____ (be) in charge of our meetings.

has been

Oh, our secretary _____ (cut) her finger on a sheet of paper. Look, there is blood everywhere.

has cut

Today the IT department ___ (have) quite some problems with its computer system. And the problems are still not solved because our IT manager is ill.

has had

Has Sandra ever been to Japan? - No, she ____ (never/be) there, but maybe next year she'll go on a business trip to Tokyo.

has never been

Tom ____ (not/be) to our US headquarters yet.

has not been

It seems that our secretary ____ (take) typing lessons. Her typing is much faster now.

has taken

For two years, I ____ (be) an employee of a local company.

have been

How are the negotiations with the Chinese subsidiary? - So far, they ____ (be) good, but I still expect some problems ahead.

have been

Since 2018, I ____ (be) the head of the Marketing Department.

have been

Since my childhood, I ____ (be) interested in math. That's why I'm a bookkeeper now.

have been

I ____ (know) Jim for many years now, but I have never seen him so angry.

have known

I have been searching for my passport for two hours now, but I ____ (not/find) it yet.

have not found

I ____ (not/have) much contact with Rita lately because she is often on a business trip abroad.

have not had

I ____ (repeated) the new vocabulary already a thousand times, but I simply cannot get the words into my head.

have repeated

I _____ (tell) you a thousand times that you should make regular backups. Now, the files are gone and you are in trouble.

have told

So far, I ____ (visit) our US headquarters once.

have visited

When our CEO was young, he usually ____ (lead) the weekly meetings , but for some time now, her assistant has been in charge of our meetings.

led

At the age of sixteen, I ___ (leave) secondary school. I did my A-levels later on after my apprenticeship.

left

As a teenager, I ____ (play) the flute.

played

When our boss was new, he ____ (put) a lot of emphasis on puctuality, but now he doesn't care.

put

When our boss was young, he sometimes ____ (shout) at his staff, but now he is really calm and manages his staff very well.

shouted

Last night, our HR manager was at a bar with our Japanese partners. He ____ (spend) a lot of money there.

spent

Two years ago, I ____ (spend) a semester at a Spanish university.

spent

At the age of ten, I ___ (start) to code small programs.

started

In 2018, I graduated from university. Then, I ____ (start) to work in a local medium-sized company.

started

Last week, our finance manager ____ (teach) us how to fill in the tax forms more efficiently.

taught

At the end of my schooldays, I ____ (want) to study economics, but after my internship at SAP I decided for business informatics.

wanted

Cindy had worked in the company for many years, but in 2017 she ____ (be) suddenly fired.

was

How ____ (be) the presentation of our boss last Monday, Susan?

was

In 2008, I _____ (be) in New York, and three years later I flew to San Francisco.

was

Last night, our HR manager ____ (be) at a bar with our Japanese partners. He spent a lot of money there.

was

Last Easter, I _____ (go) on a business trip, but this Easter I will definitely stay home.

went

Last night I ____ (go) to bed really early.

went

Yesterday, two new employees _____ (be) hired for the finance department.

were