Vocabulary:

last night - минулого вечора

to be a bore - бути нудним

a chat - розм. бесіда, розмова

none of us - ніхто з нас

a social get-together - "посиденьки", компанія

an exciting conversation - захоплююча бесіда

by the way - між іншим

since time immemorial - з незапам'ятних часів

to the point - доречний, умісний

Questions:

1. How many parts could you divide the text into?

2. What sort of classification does the author suggest?

3. What kind of a conversationalist do you belong to?

Text 8 which desk is yours, then?

Take a look at your desk. Everyone you work with will have done so already, and from it formed an opinion about you. It will be the sort of opinion that is never voiced but will influence the way they treat you.

Desk space is highly personal. "Your desk surrounds you, like a car, like a second skin", says Donna Dawson, a behavioural psychologist who has just conducted a study into the subject.

Like your clothes, what you display on you desk is a social statement, whether you know it or not. And such statements are important because snap judgements carry far more weight than any of us like to admit. In the accelerated pace of office life, the first impression - which is formed in about 20 seconds, says Dawson - is often the lasting one.

Dawson has identified six types of desktop personality. The Super-Organized Personality is likely to be a pot office manager - "functional and very neat with no fuss or frills," says Dawson. The emphasis on functionalism should not be mistaken for impersonality. Personal relationships are very important to this personality. Such types are not cold: Dawson even uses the term "motherly" to describe them and "most charming and helpful when relied upon." Conversely, they are also capable of displaying an ugly side when they feel put upon. Beware of "a small chip on the shoulder - due to lack of appreciation".

The Super-Organized Personality is not to be confused with the Show Desktop Personality. This person is likely to hold a position somewhere around the middle of an organization - they may be a department head - and has exorcised all signs of personality. No matter how jolly they are away from their desks, once behind them the job expresses them, not the other way round.

The complete opposite of these two types are the Chaos Twins - Organized Chaos and Creative Chaos. The difference is that while Organized Chaos has to rummage through everything to find something, Creative Chaos is surrounded by irrelevant, but often fascinating clutter. Neither is a slob - the state of their desks reflects the frenetic pace of their lives. They both want everything within reach all at once. Organized Chaos, in particular, likes stimulation, so expect to find coffee cups and, where it's still allowed, an ashtray among the piles of paper, plus a series of ingenious charts and plans. Both are social types, too, likely to be friendly and obliging.

Just like the Show Desktop Type, the Personality Extension has also twigged that a desk says everything about it's occupier, and so dedicates every inch to this fascinating topic. Here you'll find teddy bears, family photos, cacti and that amusing postcard about the Italian staying in a London Hotel. It's very girlie.

Performance is all, for the last type - the Trophy Desktop Personality. A second glance at the odds and ends scattered around reveals that each is strategically placed and carefully selected to reflect glory of its owner. It reflects an exuberant personality with a taste for the larger-than-life. Even simple accessories will be garish. Expressions of displeasure will be larger than life, too, so be tactful.

It is only a game, but like all games there are winners and losers, so it is worth employing some degree of strategy - you never know when you will be judged, or by whom.