Out of work

Read and translate the text.

In the United States a lot of people are out of work. Tracy Kowalski is 19. She dropped out of high school two years ago and got a job as a check-out clerk in a supermarket. She was fired four months ago and hasn't been able to find another job yet.

"My old man just doesn't understand. He started working in the steel mill here in town when he was 16. Things are different now, but he thinks I should start bringing home some money. I'm on unemployment, but it isn't very much and I'm just fed up with standing in line to sign for it every other week. I hate having to ask folks for money. My mom gives me a couple of dollars now and then, but she can't stand having me around the house all day. I've almost given up looking for job. I look at the paper every day, but I'm really tired of going through the want ads. There are at least fifty people for every job. I was interested in becoming a receptionist for a dentist or a doctor because I like meeting people, but now I'd take any job that came along. People ask me why I don't move to California or maybe Houston, but I really don't want to leave my family and my friends. Anyway, I'd be scared of living all alone in a strange place".

Tracy went to the state employment office to fill out one more questionnaire.

Decide which of the statements are true and which are false. Mark + the true statements - the false ones.

1) Her mother gives her enough dollars now and then.

2) Tracy hates having to ask her folks for money.

3) Tracy wasn't fired four months ago.

4) She wants to live alone in a strange place.

5) Tracy finished school four years ago.

6) Her father started working in the steel mill when he was 16.

7) Her father just doesn't understand Tracy.

8) Tracy was interested in becoming a receptionist for a doctor.

9) She wants to move to California as soon as possible.

10) Now she would take any job that came along.

Living in the city and in the country

Fill in the gaps in the following text with a suitable word. Mind that more than one variant is possible.

Living in the city has both advantages and ________ (1). On the plus side it is often easier to ______ (2) work, and there is usually a choice of public _______ (3), so you don’t need to own a car. Also there are a lot of interesting things to do and _______ (4) to see. For example, you can eat in a good ______ (5), visit museums and go to the theatre or to concerts. When you want to relax you can go to a _______ (6) and just sit on a bench and read a book. The city life is full of bustle and variety and you don’t need to _______ (7) bored.

However, for every plus there is a ______ (8). For one thing, unless your job is well paid, you won’t be able to afford many of the things because living in the city is often more _______ (9) than in the country. It is practically difficult to find a good and cheap accommodation. Besides, public transport is often dirty and ______ (10), especially in the rush hour. But in spite of all crowds, many people feel ______ (11) in big cities.

For the last two hundred years there has been a tendency for people to ______ (12) from rural to urban areas, mainly in search of work. After one or two factories have been ______ (13) in or near the town an industrial area begins to grow. Soon a residential ______ (14) where the factory workers can live appears nearby. The _______ (15) of these workers need schools, hospitals and shops, so more people come to live in the area to provide these services, and so the city grows. In every major city there is a business district where the big ______ (16) have their offices. They are usually in the city ______ (17), in huge office blocks. The people who work there often communicate to work from the ______ (18) or “bedroom” districts every day. Some suburbs are very pleasant with a lot of nice houses and big gardens. Others look more like slums.

But what is the future of big cities? Will they _______ (19) to get bigger and bigger? Perhaps not. Even now some major cities have become smaller in the last ten years and it is quite possible there will be tendency for people to move from big cities back to the ________ (20).