Reading and comprehension (6): study guide

Reading and comprehension

What is a dream job?

Task 2: Read the magazine article. Then complete the tasks on page 69.

The survey: ten jobs people dream about

Four professionals say what their dream jobs are really like. First, a pilot.

Airline pilot: not as exciting as it sounds

Next, an actor describes a very different feeling.

Actor: a feeling like nothing else

Now a musician explains the difference between good and successful.

Musician: good, successful, or neither?

Last, a charity worker looks at job satisfaction.

Charity worker: mostly an office job

Now check your understanding of the article.

Period 1 / Reading and comprehension

Find the meaning of the key words

1 revealed (line 1)

A repeated

B shown

2 fantasy (line 3)

A unreality

B excellence

3 job security (line 12)

A having a job that isn’t dangerous

B being sure that you won’t lose your job

4 outweighs (line 22)

A is heavier than

B is more important than

5 stage fright (line 25)

A feeling nervous before appearing in public

B gradually becoming more afraid

6 make a living (line 32)

A feel more alive than before

B earn enough money to survive

7 charity (line 51)

A non-profit organisation

B taking great care

True or false? Use the text to prove it

1 James is surprised that so many people want to be pilots.

2 Jane feels that her job is special.

3 If you are a good enough singer, you will probably succeed in the end.

4 Many musicians are also full-time teachers.

5 Some people who work for charities are not paid.

Talk about it: choosing a dream job

Next, a school shows how work can be part of education.

Period 2 / Reading and comprehension

Should schools prepare you for work?

Task 2: Read the two texts quickly. Then complete these sentences.

Text A: a school that takes work seriously

Note

TEXT A EDUCATION TODAY CASE STUDY: MILTON SECONDARY SCHOOL 1 Most schools claim to prepare students for the world of work, but Milton Secondary School takes the claim very seriously. Before they even join the school, future pupils get an informal interview at their primary school to discuss their hopes and preferences for the future. 2 The emphasis on employment continues during the first two years at Milton, and then in the third year all pupils spend a day doing work experience at a local company. Two years later, this becomes a whole week spent with a company, usually arranged by the students themselves. 3 Throughout their secondary education, students have professional careers advice, which costs the school over £30,000 a year. Head teacher Harriet Downs believes it’s worth it, though: ‘Teachers aren’t trained as careers advisers,’ she says, ‘so we bring in professional help. It’s part of a co-ordinated programme that aims to make students aware of the employment options available, and how to make the most of them. It’s too late to start talking about work in their final year.’

Now read Text B, a newspaper story about the Education Minister.

Text B: the Minister talks about job prospects

Note

TEXT B THE DAILY NEWS Wednesday 27 Feb 20— The Education Minister talks job prospects 1 In a speech yesterday, the Education Minister advised students to avoid arts subjects and choose science or maths if they want to improve their job prospects. In the past, he said, arts subjects like languages and history were chosen by students who didn’t have a clear idea of what they wanted to do in the future. He explained that this was because of a feeling that they involved skills that were useful for many different jobs, but he questioned whether this was still true: ‘Nowadays, we know differently, don’t we? The best subjects for keeping your options open are ones like science, technology and engineering.’ 2 It quickly became clear that the Minister’s words were controversial, with teachers and university heads reacting strongly to his advice. ‘Of course science and technology are important,’ said one, ‘but it would be completely wrong to neglect the arts. They provide important skills and an understanding of the world and people in general. Also, the economy depends as much on creativity as on technical knowledge.’

1 Text ___ is probably a news story.

2 Text ___ is probably a newspaper or magazine article.

3 Both texts are about the connection between _ and _.

Find the words that match the meanings

1 having or getting a job (Text A, paragraph 2) _____

2 from beginning to end of (Text A, paragraph 3) _____

3 giving good value (Text A, paragraph 3) _____

4 different parts working together (Text A, paragraph 3) _____

5 possibilities for the future (Text B, paragraph 1) _____

6 causing a lot of argument (Text B, paragraph 2) _____

7 ignore, not pay attention to (Text B, paragraph 2) _____

Use the new words in sentences

Task 4: Use the words in Activity 3 to complete the sentences below.

1 It’s good to have an interesting hobby, but don’t _____ your studies.

2 Learning is something that should continue _____ your life.

3 He has lots of different ideas about what to do, but no _____ plan.

4 A lot of students and teachers disagreed with the school’s _____ decision to have a longer working day.

5 It’s not _____ spending money on a new computer if the old one still works.

6 The Minister said the _____ for future economic recovery were good.

7 Graduates are more likely than non-graduates to find _____ in the future.

Phrases with the word job

Task 5: Look at the phrases made with the word job and use them to replace the underlined parts of the sentences.

1 Your possibility of getting a job in future will be better if you choose technical subjects. _____

2 The problem is that I have no guarantee that my work will continue. _____

3 He refused to do it because it wasn’t part of his list of duties involved in his job. _____

4 It’s important to know how to write a good letter or form to try and get a job. _____

5 For her, feeling happy about what she does is more important than a high salary. _____

6 Because of economic problems, there aren’t as many chances to get work. _____

Read the texts again and answer

Task 6: Read the texts again. Then answer the questions.

1 What are future students encouraged to do before they begin studying at Milton School?

2 Why aren’t teachers at Milton School expected to advise students about work?

3 Why did students in the past without a clear idea of their future career tend to choose arts subjects?

4 Why does the university head believe that arts and technical subjects are equally important?

Reading and comprehension

The topic explained