English_books / Adv_eng

New Cambridge Advanced English

20.2 A satisfying job

Reading

A Read this interview with Rosalyn Clark. In most lines of the article there is one unnecessary word. Write the unnecessary word in the spaces below. Some lines are correct - indicate

these lines with a tick (\/).

Rosalyn Clark

Rosalyn Clark, bus driver

2very male dominated which did make me a bit nervous at the first.

3When passengers will get on the bus, they sometimes look at me as if to say, "Oh my God, it's a

4girl, what's she doing?" but when they get off they usually say thank you. My friends and family

5do think it's weird that I'm a bus driver conductor - and sometimes they get on as I live locally.

6I like being in control of a big vehicle, perhaps it's the power. I don't find in London traffic

7stressful, and I don't let anyone get to me. I've learned to switch off when people start being abusive.

8I think I'm quite a good driver, although on some days are better than others. Switching back to

9driving cars when I'm not working was a bit difficult at first -1 was kept forgetting how wide the

14off the bus or anything. I clipped a BMW recently, as he was overtaking past, but that was his fault.

15I don't work through out the night, but we have to do shift-work, so I might start at 4am and

18felt too threatened. People try and get away without paying, and I sometimes get an abuse, but I've

19got the assault alarm, which usually gets rid of them away.

20I get letters sometimes from a bloke called Alan. But then he writes to everyone, specially

21the girls. He bought for everyone Easter eggs and Christmas presents.

Discuss these questions about the article:

•What are the things Rosalyn enjoys most about her work?

•What are the things she doesn't enjoy?

•If you had her job what would you enjoy and not enjoy about it?

Satisfaction and success

Speaking

The class is divided into two groups. Croup A will carry out a survey based on Questionnaire A and group В on Questionnaire B. Each group should follow this procedure:

1Interview the members of the other group and find out how they rate the following aspects. Note down their responses.

2Return to your group. Collate your findings and produce a table summarising the results of your survey. Prepare a presentation of your findings.

3Give a presentation of your findings to the whole class. Write a report of your findings (about 250 words).

A JOB SATISFACTION

1 How important are the following to you in giving you job satisfaction?

2Which of the features exist in the job you're planning to do one day (or your present job)?

New Cambridge Advanced English

Napoleon did just manage to reach Moscow in his ill-fated invasion of 1812 - but it would seem that news of his poor American deal did not.

For, astonishingly, the Russians went on to become the third victims of major land deals with America.

On March 30th 1867, the U.S. Secretary of State, William Seward, bought Alaska from Tsar Alexander II for a mere $7.2 million - thereby acquiring another 586,000 square miles of territory for less than 2 cents per acre.

The Tsar presumably thought that this remote, frozen and virtually uninhabited piece of land had nothing at all to commend it - and at first, the American people agreed with him, for Alaska was known as 'Seward's folly' and 'Seward's ice box' for years.

In 1896, however, gold was struck at Klondike in the Yukon, and since then, over 750 million dollars' worth has been mined.

In 1968, black gold was discovered - and an estimated 100 billion tons of coal are also lying underground, just waiting to be dug up.

QNow listen to the recording: you'll hear about three businessmen and some of the deals they made. Fill each of the 20 gaps below with one or two words, or a number.

Abbreviations and acronyms

Word study

If you're reading a textbook or a reference book you'll come across abbreviations like these. Match them to their meanings below:

Work out the meanings of the abbreviations in red, which are used in business situations. Use a dictionary if necessary.

Rewrite each sentence using abbreviations and contractions {isn't, can't, etc.) where possible:

1Doctor Brown does not live at thirteen Saint Albans Avenue any more - she has moved to number thirty, has she not?

2This Video Home System video cassette recorder can record near-instantaneous companded audio-multiplex stereophonic broadcasts in high-fidelity sound, and it can also play either National Television System Committee or Phase Alternation Lines system videos.

3The United States of America is over nine million square kilometres in area: it is thirty-eight times larger than the United Kingdom.

4This compact disc read only memory player operates at two hundred and twenty volts alternating current, not direct current.

5At the end of the talk there was not time for a question and answer session.

Look at an English-language newspaper and highlight the abbreviations you find. If necessary, check their meanings in a dictionary.

Note down ten common abbreviations that are used in your own country. Explain each one and, if possible, translate them into English.

Write a message to the members of another group, including six abbreviations.

New Cambridge Advanced English

Napoleon did just manage to reach Moscow in his ill-fated invasion of 1812 - but it would seem that news of his poor American deal did not.

For, astonishingly, the Russians went on to become the third victims of major land deals with America.

On March 30th 1867, the U.S. Secretary of State, William Seward, bought Alaska from Tsar Alexander II for a mere $7.2 million - thereby acquiring another 586,000 square miles of territory for less than 2 cents per acre.

The Tsar presumably thought that this remote, frozen and virtually uninhabited piece of land had nothing at all to commend it - and at first, the American people agreed with him, for Alaska was known as 'Seward's folly' and 'Seward's ice box' for years.

In 1896, however, gold was struck at Klondike in the Yukon, and since then, over 750 million dollars' worth has been mined.

In 1968, black gold was discovered - and an estimated 100 billion tons of coal are also lying underground, just waiting to be dug up.

B Now listen to the recording: you'll hear about three businessmen and some of the deals they made. Fill each of the 20 gaps below with one or two words, or a number.