EXTRA PRACTICE - KEY

UNIT 1

1. The following quotes are openings for difficult conversations. Can you report them?

“I have worked in my department for four years. We’ve had a lot of turnover which has been
good and bad. Good because I’ve learned a lot by covering other positions and bad because I
now have significantly more work and no higher title or more salary. I know money is tight, but
I want to ask my manager for a rise.”

The employee said that he had worked in his department for four years and added that they
had had a lot of turnover which had been good and bad. He explained it had been good
because he had learned a lot by covering other positions and bad because he had, at the
moment, significantly more work and no higher title or more salary. He said He knew money
was tight, but he wanted to ask his manager for a rise.

“I just received my second performance evaluation since joining this department. I was scored
as “meets” my first year and I understood that because I was new. But this year I was
expecting “exceeds”. I have done everything my supervisor asked me to do. I’ve taken
initiative, received many compliments from clients, and contributed overall to the team. I am
very disappointed. And, to make matters worse, my co-worker, who does not do as much work
as I do but has been around forever, received an “exceeds” rating”.

The employee told his boss that he had just received his second performance evaluation since
he had joined the department and that he had been scored as “meets” his first year. He said e
had understood that because he was new, but that year he was expecting “exceeds” because
he had done everything his supervisor had asked him to do. Also, he had taken initiative, (had)
received many compliments from clients and had contributed overall to the team. He
explained he was very disappointed because his co-worker who did not do as much work I he
did but had been around forever, had received an “exceeds” rating.

“My co-worker is not pulling his weight on the job and I don’t think our supervisor notices.
There are three of us providing similar services but only two of us doing any actual work. I’ve
made it clear to my co-worker that he needs to be more responsive to customers and not
disappear when the big jobs come in, but he says I have no right to imply that he is not
working hard enough. The next time it happens, I’m going to tell our supervisor and ask him to
do something.”

The employee complained that his co-worker was not pulling his weight on the job and he
didn’t think their supervisor noticed. He explained that there were three of them providing
similar services but only two of them doing any actual work. He also said that he had made it
clear to his co-worker that he needed to be more responsive to customers and not to
disappear when the big jobs came in, but his co-worker said that he had no right to imply that
he was not working hard enough. So finally, the employee said that the next time it happened,
he was going to tell their supervisor and ask him to do something.

2. This is a conversation between two colleagues at work. Report it as a narrative piece.

Tom: I have really good news today. Oh! I am so happy. I got a promotion today. You are
looking at the new supervisor of the Marketing department.

Lucy: Wow, this is great news! I am so glad for you. So, you will start your new job this
coming Monday.

Tom: No, I need to finish my current projects in the Sales department before I move over
to Marketing. I probably will start my new job a week from Monday.

Lucy: You have a lot of experience with this company. It will be very helpful to you in your new
position.

Tom: I know. However, I have no experience in supervising people. I hope I will be able to cope
with all the new responsibilities.

Lucy: You will do fine. You are a natural leader, and you will lead well. You led your soccer
team to victory last year.

Tom: Leading a soccer team and leading a Marketing department are not quite the same. In
order for me to improve my employees’ performance, I need to understand their working
habits and their skills. Then, I can give them a little bit of coaching if the need arises.

Lucy: Everybody needs to be motivated. Things will not always run smoothly. There will be
problem employees.

Tom: Right. This is the worst part of being a supervisor.

Lucy: And if you come up with new ideas, you need to be able to “sell” your ideas to your boss
and your employees.

Tom: There is no need to come up with new ideas if you cannot convince people of their value.

Lucy: All you need to do is change your leadership style a little bit in this new environment.

Tom told Lucy that he had really good news that day and that he was so happy because he had
got a promotion. He said she was looking at the new supervisor of the Marketing department.
Lucy was glad for him and assumed that he would start his new job that coming Monday. Tom
said he wouldn’t because he needed to finish his current project in the Sales Department
before he moved over to Marketing so he would probably start his new job a week from
Monday. Lucy said that he had a lot of experience with the company so it would be very
helpful to him in his new position. Tom wasn’t sure because he had no experience in
supervising people so he hoped he would be able to cope with all the new responsibilities.
Lucy told him he would do fine because he was a natural leader and he would lead well as he
had led his soccer team to victory the previous year. Tom said that leading a soccer team and
leading a Marketing department were no quite the same. He added that in order for him to
improve his employees’ performance, he needed to understand their working habits and their
skills so that he could give them a bit of coaching if the need arose. Lucy agreed that
everybody needed to be motivated because things wouldn’t always run smoothly; there would
be problem employees. Tom agreed and added that that was the worst part of being a
supervisor. Lucy also said that if he came up with new ideas, he needed to be able to sell his
ideas to his boss and his employees. Tom agreed that there was no need to come up with new
ideas if he could not convince people of their value. Lucy finally said that all he needed to do
was change his leadership style a little bit in that new environment.

3. Look at the following board prepared by a company for its managers. Report the
orders

Difficult Conversations With Employees: Tips about What You must Do

Do: Have Regular Conversations With Your Employees

Consider introducing regular performance reviews instead of annual appraisals

Don’t: demoralise a worker

Offer them a compliment, provide a criticism and finish on a compliment.

Do: Be Incredibly Specific About Your Feedback

Be direct and specific with your performance review discussions.

Don’t: Base Arguments on Opinion

Present them with factual information

Don’t: React to Emotion With Emotion

Control your emotional response in order to convey the correct message

The company ordered its managers to have regular conversation with their
employees: to consider introducing regular performance reviews.
Also, it ordered them not to demoralize a worker: to offer a compliment,(to) provide
criticism and (to) finish on a compliment.
What’s more, the company commanded them to be incredibly specific about their
feedback, not to base arguments on opinion and not to react to emotion with
emotion.
 4. Can your report the different requests on the ranking?

The 7 Dumbest Things That Real-Life Managers Requested

 "I know my plan won't work, but don't disagree with me in front of
others, please."
 "We've experienced dramatic increases in our long-distance bills. In the
future, could you restrain concerning long distance phone calls, faxes and
emails."
 "Your report shows that 65% of our customers live outside the Unites
States. Well, why don’t you go out and find the rest of our customers?
 "I don't want to force this decision on you. It would be much easier if you
just agree."
 "We have too many unproductive meetings. Please put aside next
Wednesday to attend an all-employee staff meeting to discuss this issue."
 "Whenever you have an idea, I’d like you to discuss it with me first, and if
I feel it is a good idea, I'll tell the others. You must learn to let me get
credit for your good ideas. That's what team work is all about."
 “Next time, if you leave me an important voice mail message, do the right
thing, would you mind calling me and letting me know it's there?"

Managers asked employees not to disagree with him in front of others even if his plan
wouldn’t work.
The company experienced dramatic increases in bills so they requested them to restrain
concerning calls, faxes and emails.
They asked employees to go out and find the customers who lived outside the United States.
They asked them to just agree.
They requested to put aside the following Wednesday to attend an all-employee staff
meeting to discuss that issue.
As regards team work, they asked employers to discuss their ideas with them first and they
would tell the others so they got the credit for the employees’ good ideas.
And if they left an important voice mail message, they asked the employees to call them to
let them know the message was there.

Nicola Thorp

✔@nicolathorp_

Hey @reedcouk, just checking you're aware that this job ad is in breach of an Equality

Act or two...#lovemondays? #doubtit

4:09 PM - Jul 24, 2017

 5. Tell your class what Nicola told her followers. Remember you don’t need to re-tell
the exact words.

1. “House of Wax is responsible for the ad. It is a third party hiring for a yet to open
Shoreditch jazz bar.”

Nicola told her followers that the House of Wax was responsible for the ad because it was a
third party hiring for a yet to open Shoreditch jazz bar.

2. “I can't believe that House of Wax had the audacity to post such an advert, but I'm even
more disappointed that it was allowed to go live.”

Nicola said she couldn’t believe House of Wax had had the audacity to post such an advert
but she was even more disappointed that it had been allowed to go live.

3. “Authorities: remove this ad now!

Nicola asked the authorities to remove the ad immediately.

4. “I tried to contact House of Wax London but the company did not wish to comment.”

She explained that she had tried to contact House of Wax London but the company had not
wished to comment.

5. “Prospective employees will feel discouraged about a job hunt after reading something like
that."

She thought that prospective employees would feel discouraged about a job hunt after
reading something like that.

6. “Could any legislator please, think of a law to stop discrimination?

She asked legislators to think of a law to stop discrimination.

7. “I’m not going to stop until it is removed from all the sites.”

She said she was not going to stop until it was removed from all the sites.

8. “Listen to me, unattractive people of the world. Don´t give up. Don’t let attractive people
take the control”.

She asked unattractive people of the world to listen to her, not to give up and not to let
attractive people take the control.
 6. Look at the tips and then complete the anecdote about Malcolm’s first day at work.

Small talk: Example questions and conversation starters

for work
Career-based questions
You could try asking:

 How long have you worked for this company?

 Where did you work before you started here?
 What was your first job after graduating?

Relatable topics
It’s likely that you’ll have at least a few interests in common, so try questions
such as:

 Do you have any holidays planned for this year?

 What TV shows do you like to watch?
 Have you read any good books recently?

Beware of boundaries
As a general rule, don’t ask overly personal questions about an individual’s
family or home life. To avoid this, you could ask questions such as:
 What time do you leave for work?
 How was the traffic this morning?
 Are you attending the meeting on Tuesday?

“What an awful first day I have had today. When I met my boss, I found him awful but worst
of all, MY WORKMATE. We share the office and he makes a lot of questions!!! To break the ice,
he asked me ……WHERE I HAD WORKED BEFORE……..……………………………….. and also, he
wanted to know ……WHAT MY FIRST HAD BEEN AFTER I GRADUATED……………… He likes
reading and watching TV so he asked me ……IF I HAD READ ANY GOOD BOOK RECENTLY… and
……WHAT TV SHOWS I LIKED TO WATCH……………………………………. At lunchtime, he got even
more inquisitive and asked ……WHAT TIME I LEFT FOR WORK AND IF I WAS ATTENDING THE
MEETING ON TUESDAY.. In fact, he followed the manual on how to start a conversation at
work!!”

7. A BBC radio host interviewed Poppy Noor to ask her about the jazz bar
controversy.Report their conversation as a narrative piece.
Radio host: Hello, everyone. Poppy Noor is here with us today. She’s recently published an
article denouncing a bar’s discriminatory hiring practices. Poppy, why are you so concerned
about the ad published by this bar?

Poppy: I am worried because the ad reads the bar are looking for “extremely attractive”
waiting staff.

Radio host: Have the owners explained what they mean by “attractive”?

Poppy: No and that’s precisely the problem. I believe there’s a lot of hidden prejudice behind
this apparently vague and neutral phrase.

Radio host: What is the real meaning of the ad, in your opinion?

Poppy: I think they want to hire people who may be appealing to the pale trendy elite who
patronize the bar.

Radio host: Should the authorities intervene in this case?

Poppy: For sure. They must enforce compliance with the Equality Act and ask the bar to
withdraw the ad immediately.

The host said that Poppy Noor was there with them that day and that she had recently
published an article denouncing a bar’s discriminatory hiring practices. He asked why she
was so concerned about the ad published by this bar. She explained that she was worried
because the ad read the bar was looking for extremely attractive waiting staff. The host
asked if the owners had explained what they meant by attractive. And Poppy said that they
hadn’t and that was precisely the problem. She believed there was a lot of hidden prejudice
behind that apparently vague and neutral phrase. The radio host asked Poppy what the real
meaning was in her opinion and she thought they wanted to hire people who might be
appealing to the pale trendy elite who patronized the bar. So the host asked her if the
authorities should intervene in the case. And she agreed and said that they must enforce
compliance with the Equality Act and ask the bar to withdraw the ad immediately.

PRACTICE FOR PRACTICAL WORK 1

8. Report as narrative pieces.

A. Tom: Jack. Can I have a word with you for a couple of minutes? We’ve worked
together for years. I have a time management problem. Will you listen to me and give
me your sincere opinion?

Jack: Sure. What has been bothering you?

Tom: I never get everything done from my list. The more I get done, the more I end
up adding to the list. Is it correct? I don’t think so.
 Jack: So, stop doing that. Don’t add anything else to the list of the day until you have
totally finished with it. And don’t worry about the following day until the following
day.

Tom asked Jack to have a word with him for a couple of minutes. He said
that they had worked together for years and that he had a time
management problem so he asked Jack to listen to him and (to) give him his
sincere opinion. Jack agreed and asked her what had been bothering her.
Tom explained that he never got everything done from his list because the
more he got done, the more he ended up adding to the list. She asked him if
that was correct because she thought it was not. Jack requested him to stop
doing that, not to add anything else o the list of the day until he had totally
finished with it. And he also asked Tom not to worry about the following day
until the following day.

B. Susan; I can’t get the printer to work. I have already checked the paper and everything
seems right. Could you let me use the one in your office?

Bill: Of course, but have you tried turning it off and on again?

Susan: yes, but the blasted machine refuses to start working again.

Bill: you will have to call a technician to fix it. Or just call Maintenance. Do you have
the number?

Susan: No. Can you give me their extension? I haven’t got it on my phone list.

Bill: I haven’t got it either. Ask Bob next door. If he doesn’t have it, come back and I
will take you to the office.

Susan: Oh. It’s OK. Don’t worry.

Susan told Bill that she couldn’t get the printer to work although she had already
checked the paper and everything seemed right. She asked Bill to let her use the one in
his office. Bill agreed but he asked Susan if she had tried turning it off and on again.
Susan said she had but the blasted machine refused to start working again. Bill asked
her to call a technician to fix it or to just call Maintenance and asked if she had the
number. Susan asked him to give her Maintenance extension because she didn’t have
it on her phone list. Bill didn’t have it either, so he asked Susan to ask Bob next door or
if he didn’t have it, he requested her to come back and he would take her to the office.
Susan refused and asked him not to worry.

UNIT 2

9. Complete the blank with a suitable connector. Choose from the box. There are extra
ones:
 AS A RESULT – EVENTUALLY – DUE TO – BECAUSE – HOWEVER – AT FIRST – DESPITE –
THEREFORE – ALTHOUGH – WHAT’S MORE - SO

Darcy, from Maryland, went to Colorado during the gold rush. He dug and dug for weeks and
1
__AS A RESULT___, he found more and more gold. 2__EVENTUALLY__, he went back to
Maryland 3__BECAUSE______ he needed funds to buy equipment to start mining. 4__AT
FIRST___, he filled a cart with gold. 5_DESPITE___ the good results at the beginning, it wasn’t
enough to pay for all the equipment and pay off his debt to friends and family.
6
__ALTHOUGH___ he tried hard, he couldn’t make it. Apparently, the gold had dried up.
7
_THEREFORE__, he gave up and sold the equipment to a junk dealer. The junk dealer thought
he would give it a go. 8__HOWEVER_____, he got expert help from a mining engineer. The
engineer concluded that Darcy had failed 9___DUE TO__ his lack of professional advice.
10
__WHAT’S MORE____, he said the gold was less than three feet from where they were
digging.

10. Write the verb in brackets in the correct past tense: Simple or Perfect

1
The band U2 __STARTED___(start) in Dublin. Adam Clayton, the bass player,
2
__SUFFERED_____ (suffer) from depression which 3___LED___ (lead) to alcoholism. But the
band 4___TOOK____ (take) care of him.

In 1987, they 5__WERE___ (be) in Temple, Arizona. They 6_HAD JUST RELEASED__ (just,
release) their album The Joshua Tree. One of the songs in the album is about Martin Luther
King. The concert 7__TOOK___ (take) place on April 4th, the anniversary of Luther King’s
assassination. The day before, the band 8__HAD RECEIVED___ (receive) a death threat: Bono
would be shot if they 9__PLAYED___ (play) that song.

10
Although the FBI __HAD WARNED__ (warn) them not to do the show, they
11
__APPERARED___ (appear) on stage. Towards the end of the concert, they 12__PLAYED____
(play) the song. Bono later 13_ADMITTED___ (admit) that he 14__HAD CLOSED____ (close) his
15 16
eyes, expecting a bullet. When he _OPENED____ (open) his eyes, he __SAW_____ (see)
Clayton, the bass player, in front of him. He 17__HAD BEEN_____ (be) all the song in front of
him so that he 18__DIDN’T GET____ (not, get) shot.
 11. Write the verb in brackets in the correct past tense: Simple or Continuous

A few years ago, Industrial Designer Doug Dietz 1_WAS WORKING___ (work) for GE
Healthcare. The company 2_WAS TESTING___ (test) a new MRI machine. Doug 3___WENT____
(go) to see it in a hospital. It 4_WORKED / WAS WORKING__ (work) perfectly. But, the next
patient 5___WAS___ (be) a young girl. She 6__WAS CRYING____ (cry), terrified. Her parents
7
_WERE ENCOURAGING____ (encourage) her to be brave. Doug 8__LOOKED___ (look) again at
8
the room and _KNELT____ (kneel) down the same height as the young girl. He
9
__VIEWED_____ (view) it very differently: a big sign 10__SAID____ (say) DANGER; there were
different technicians and doctors and they 11_WERE ALL TALKING___ (all, talk). It was dark and
cold.

Doug was shocked. He, then, 12__DID__ (do) some research. He 13_CREATED____ (create) a
new machine for MRI from a child’s perspective, with a canoe, waterfalls and a different scent.
14 15
In this way, while children __WERE HAVING__ (have) their MRI taken, they _DIDN’T
NEED__ (not, need) to be afraid.

12. Write the verbs in brackets in the past tense and active or passive voice

In 1935, there 1___WAS____ (be) a competition between two big aircraft corporations:
Boeing and Martin & Douglas for a big defense contract with the US Army. Boeing 2_WAS
CONSIDERED__ (consider) a better choice at that moment because their model 299 3_WAS
REGARDED___ (regard) as super advanced: it 4__CARRIED___ (carry) five times the amount of
bombs than any other plane.

The day of the exhibition, the best pilot in the US 5_WAS APPOINTED___ (appoint) to test the
plane. However, the plane 6_TOOK OFF___ (take off) into the air and 7___CAME____ (come)
down in a massive explosion. An investigation 8__BEGAN______ (begin) and it 9_CONCLUDED /
WAS CONCLUDED_____ (conclude) that the cause of the crash had been human error. When
10 11
the investigation report _WAS PUBLISHED____ (publish), the 299 ___WAS
CONSIDERED_____ (consider) too complicated for one person to fly and therefore, Martin &
Douglas 12___WAS GIVEN__ (give) the contract.

13. Write the verbs in brackets in the correct past tense and the correct voice.
 In 2017, a man named Samit Sain 1__WAS WORKING___ (work) as a security guard in
London’s Heathrow airport. He 3__WAS EARNING / EARNED____ (earn) a low wage and he
and his family 4__WERE TRYING____ (try) hard to make ends meet. They 5__SHARED_____
(share) a room with their two children in his mother’s house.

Samit was passionate about his work. He 6__HAD WORKED_____ (work) at the airport for
many years and 7__HAD NOTICED / NOTICED____ (notice) inefficiencies in the way the airport
8
__OPERATED / WAS OPERATING___ (operate). The airport staff 9_DEPENDED___ (depend)
10
on pieces of paper on confiscated items which ___WERE SENT____ (send) between
departments.

On his own initiative, Samit 11__LOOKED_____ (look) for ways to make improvements. He
12
__DESIGNED____ (design) a way to map the airport’s processes using technology. Eventually,
13 14
he __INFORMED_____ (inform) his boss about his ideas and he __WAS OFFERED_____
(offer) a position at the IT department.

14. These are complaints about bosses. Express regrets or suppositions in each case.

 “Today, my boss called me in to have a serious talk. The “serious

talk” was him asking me to notify him of my menstrual cycle
ahead of time so he can “avoid that tense period”.

If my boss had been serious, he wouldn’t have talked about such a topic

 “…He pushed staff members up against walls, threw

chairs across the room and once punched both fists into an
employee’s homemade birthday cake. “

If this boss had not been violent, nobody would have complained about
him.

 “Staff had to hide numerous affairs from his wife, were forced to
work weekends with no overtime pay and he used to send these
weird emails about how terrible we were at our job, copying in
the rest of the office.
 If he had not criticized their work, the employees would have
collaborated with him.

 “I’d just started a new school and was getting on really well, but
all of a sudden one lesson, the kids started playing up. When I told
them off, they called me ‘mental’ and asked if ‘the voices were
telling me to do it’.

If I hadn’t told them off, they wouldn’t have called me “mental”

 It was so random that I knew that something was up, so I had a

chat with one of the kids who told me that my boss – the head of
department – had spent the entire previous lesson badmouthing
me to the entire class.”

If my boss hadn’t told them bad things about me, their reaction would
have been different.

 Richard Beckman, The Conde Nast executive, was accused of

assaulting two female staff members, Emily Janacek Davis and
Carol Matthews because they refused to kiss, during an office
party. Beckman, who clearly got a little bit overexcited,
attempted to push their heads together and in the process, broke
Matthews’ nose.

If they had agreed to kiss each other, her nose wouldn’t have been
broken.
https://www.coburgbanks.co.uk/blog/friday-funnies/the-10-worst-real-life-bosses/

ANSWERS MAY VARY.

 15. In the following anecdote: - write the verb in the correct form, tense and voice.
- select the suitable connector from the options given.

Sir Charles Masifield 1__WAS WORKING___ (work) as a general manager for BAE
Systems 2 while/when he 3_WAS SENT_____ (send) to work in one of their factories in
North England.
The factory 4_WAS DESCRIBED_____ (describe) as disastrous. 5As/Due to its bad
performance, it 6_HAD ALREADY RUINED_______ (already, ruin) the careers of one or
two general managers. 7However, /Although Charles 8____WENT___ (go) in full of
enthusiasm and determined to succeed where others 9__HAD FAILED___ (fail). Charles
10
_HAD READ / READ___________ (read) a lot about productivity and the method that
11 12
__AS USED_____ (use) by the Japanese. As a result, / In addition, BAE
13
__INTRODUCED___ (introduce) a plan where workers 14__COULD WRITE_____ (can/
15
write) down suggestions to improve their factory and, if the suggestion __WAS
IMPLEMENTED__ (implement), they would get a 10% of whatever the profit was.

-finish the story in four lines.

Finally, / Eventually, ____________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________

PRACTICE FOR THE FIRST TERM EXAM

MOCK EXAM A

1. Read Tammy Boudreau´s story and solve these activities:

a- Choose the correct connector.
b- Complete the verbs in brackets in the correct form, tense and voice.

In May 2014, I WAS LAID OFF of an eight-year position, along with 90 per cent of the people in
our office. We discovered the company HAD HAD financial problems for a year but we HAD
BEEN TOLD by our managers that we were safe. The managers were the first to go. Then came
the mass layoff. We WERE TOLD our positions WERE GOING to Ontario. IF we wanted to keep
the position, we needed to move. AS I have young children, moving to Ontario WAS NOT an
option SO I TOOK the layoff.

I searched for months until I WAS OFFERED two positions. I took the job with the highest pay
and best benefit package to best help my family.

In February 2015 they CUT my hours to part time, insisting that they really only wanted to hire
me part time in the first place. If I HAD KNOWN this, I would have taken the other position. In
May, I was told by human resources that the company had made a business decision to abolish
my position.

I started looking for a job right away. I spent hours a day applying for positions, researching
companies, writing cover letters, and touching up my resume, but I never got interviews. Most
businesses WERE LOOKING for younger administrative assistants out of school with diplomas,
not a middle-aged person who most likely was looking for better pay BECAUSE OF experience.

WHILE I WAS SITTING home and already desperate, I had an idea…

2. Imagine you are Tammy. Finish the story in a four-line paragraph (60 to 80 words).
Explain the idea you had, how it worked at the beginning and what happens now.
Include a REGRET you have about the whole experience.

ANSWERS MAY VARY

MOCK EXAM B

1. Read Danielle Davies’ story and solve these activities:

c- Choose the correct connector.
d- Complete the verbs in brackets in the correct form, tense and voice.

I AM an artist and a professional writer. I WAS DOING a lot of freelance writing work for a
regional magazine for a few years, WHEN the publisher asked me to step in as the copy editor.
Right from the start, I DIDN'T WANT the job BECAUSE I wanted to focus on writing — not
editing someone else's writing.

But as someone with two small kids at home, I ALSO KNEW it was a good opportunity to
expand my work experience. This job would also give me a steady writing gig and possibly
more important, a steady income stream.
AFTER dealing with an inconsiderate boss and putting up with a horrible working environment
for a year I was fed up SO I signed up for a career and guidance counselling program. I WAS
ADVISED to pick an 'end date' for that job of a year. I knew I couldn't wait that long.

I HAD JUST STARTED the program, and right away things WERE HAPPENING. Opportunities for
my freelance writing and art business started showing up. Along with two other artists, I
started making plans for a bricks and mortar shop for our artwork.

Things started to go wrong again, however, when I got an email from my boss saying that he
HAD DECIDED to move in a different direction regarding the editing of the magazine. He would
like to continue to use me as a freelance writer but he thought that, every so often, a fresh set
of eyes WAS NEEDED in a position such as copy editor. I was devastated.

In the end, that email ended up being good news after all. Instead of feeling pity for myself I
DECIDED to kickstart my art business once and for all.

2. Imagine you are Danielle. Finish the story in a four-line paragraph (60 to 80 words).
Explain the idea you had to kickstart your business, how it worked at the beginning
and what happens now. Include a REGRET you have about the whole experience.

ANSWERS MAY VARY

UNIT 3

1. This is a radio interview between anti-discrimination campaigner Nicola Thorp and a

BBC reporter. Can you report it?

Reporter: “Thanks for joining us today, Nicola. So, why did you decide to tweet a screenshot of
the Shoreditch Jazz Bar ad?”

Nicola: “Hello. I did it to raise awareness about the company’s discriminatory staff recruitment
practices.”

Reporter: “In what way is the ad discriminatory?”

Nicola: “It is discriminatory because it focuses on physical appearance as the standard for
hiring staff. As a result, many people will feel frustrated as they may feel inadequate because
they are not thin/ pale/ gender-conforming enough to be considered attractive.”

Reporter:” What should the company have focused on instead?”

Nicola: “All companies should refer to skill sets and experience levels.”

Reporter:” Is there employment legislation on discrimination in our country?”

Nicola: “Yes, there is but, unfortunately, these laws are not easy to implement and enforce due
to lack of funds and appropriate governmental control bodies.”

Reporter: “I see. You must be aware, Nicola, that lots of people are not so concerned about
these types of ads. What would you tell them?”

Nicola: “I would tell them that the “so what” attitude they have contributes to perpetuate
practices that violate basic human rights.”

ANSWERS MAY VARY

The BBC reporter thanked Nicola for joining them and asked her why she had decided to tweet
a screenshot of the Shoreditch Jazz Bar ad. After greeting the host, she explained she had done
it to raise awareness about the company’s discriminatory staff recruitment practices. The
reporter then wanted to know in what way the ad was discriminatory. Nicola told him the ad
was discriminatory because it focused on physical appearance as the standard for hiring staff.
As a result, she added, many people would feel frustrated as they might feel inadequate
because they were not thin/ pale/ gender-conforming enough to be considered attractive. The
reporter wanted to know what the company should have focused on instead and Nicola told
him that all companies should refer to skill sets and experience levels. The reporter then asked
Nicola if there is/was employment legislation on discrimination in their country and she agreed
but she explained that, unfortunately, those laws are /were not so easy to implement and
enforce due to lack of funds and appropriate governmental control bodies. The reporter told
Nicola that lots of people are /were not so concerned about these /those types of ads and
asked her what she would tell those people. Nicola answered that she would tell them that the
“so-what” attitude they have/had contributes/contributed to perpetuate practices that violate
/violated basic human rights.

2. Report these utterances from the story “The Fall of Edward Barnard”.

ANSWERS MAY VARY

a. “Do you see much of Arnold Jackson, Edward?”

“Yes, quite a lot.”
“But he’s a forger and a convict! I don’t understand you.”
Bateman wanted to know if Edward saw much of Arnold Jackson and Edward agreed.
Bateman said he didn’t understand Edward because Jackson was a forger and a
convict.
b. “Come back to Chicago with me, Edward. How can you be happy selling cotton to
natives?”
Bateman requested Edward to go back to Chicago with him and asked him how he
could be happy selling cotton to natives.
c. “What do you value in life?”
 Bateman asked Edward what he valued in life.
d. “What has Arnold Jackson taught you, Edward?”
Bateman wanted to know what /the things Arnold Jackson had taught him.
e. “Are you still in love with Isabel?”
“No. I admire her and respect her but I don’t love her anymore.”
Bateman wanted to know if Edward was still in love with Isabel but Edward told him
that, although he admired and respected her, he didn’t love her anymore.
f. “Are you really going to marry a half-caste girl?”
“Yes.”
Bateman asked Edward if he was really going to marry a half-caste girl and he agreed.
g. “Will you dine with us, Bateman? I suppose you are full of news.”
Jackson asked /invited Bateman to dine with them as he supposed the young man was
full of news.
h. “What do you have to say to me? Is it good news or bad?”
“I’m not sure.”
Isabel asked Bateman what he had to say to her and if it was good news or bad.
i. “Is Edward Barnard coming back?”
Isabel wanted to know if Edward was going back to Chicago.
j. Don’t lie to me Bateman, please!”

Isabel begged /requested Bateman not to lie to her.

k. “Will you marry me, Isabel” I have loved you for many years”

Bateman asked Isabel to marry him and explained/ revealed that he had loved her for many
years.

l. “Why didn’t you tell me you loved me, Bateman?”

Isabel asked Bateman why he hadn’t told her he loved her.

3. Report the conversation between the young man and his mother from the story “The
Job Interview”

Young man: “Hello, mother. I’m back.”

Mother: “Hello, son. How did the interview go? Did you get the job?”

Young man: “Not yet.”

Mother: “What happened? Wasn’t the Director pleased with your credentials?”

Young man: “Yes, he was but he said he is looking for someone who can appreciate the help of
others.”

Mother: “He seems to be a wise man.”

Young man: “I suppose. Can you show me your hands, mother?”

Mother: “My hands? Why do you want to see them?”

Young man: “Oh, mother! Your hands are worn and coarse. This is the first time I have seen
them. I have never thanked you for all your effort. I’m ashamed of myself!”

Mother: “Don’t cry, son. I love you and I just want you to succeed in life.”

Young man: “Will you let me wash your hands? And then I am going to help you with your
washing.”

ANSWERS MAY VARY

The mother and the young man greeted each other and then the woman asked her son about
the interview and whether he had got the job or not. When the young man said he hadn’t
obtained the job yet, his mother asked him if the Director hadn’t been pleased with his
credentials. The young man said he had been pleased but he had also said he was looking for
someone who could appreciate the help of others. The young man’s mother said that the
Director seemed to be a wise man. The young man asked his mother to show him her hands.
As she was very surprised, she wanted to know why he wanted to see them. After seeing his
mother’s worn and coarse hands for the first time, the young man said he had never thanked
her for all her effort. He added that he felt ashamed of himself. The woman requested her son
not to cry and told him she loved him and she just wanted him to succeed in life. The young
man asked his mother to let him wash her hands and added that, then, he was going to help
her with her washing.

4. Look at the following answers for the question “Why should we hire you?” and
choose the correct options.

Best Answers

1. I HAVE some strong work experience that WILL HELP me with this job if I am
successful. I WORKED for a year as a student in a local Pizza restaurant. That helped
me to get confidence in talking to the public, and also showed me that this is a job
where I will need to work hard. I then WORKED for a short while in a kitchen, helping
the chef. That showed me the other side of working in a restaurant, so I can
understand the importance of giving the chef accurate information with orders. I also
worked for a while in a bank. That SHOWED that I am confident with handling money,
which will help when I take payment for meals.

2. Three years ago, I WORKED in ABC Company as a Sales Associate. In that position, I
was responsible for handling all the sales activities, from lead generation through to
close. I WAS ASSIGNED to elevate company standards, achieve sales goals and meet
 clients’ expectations. During my tenure, I COMPLETED various professional and
vocation training organized by the company. Then, I was able to complete the goal
using my own methods of sales technique. I WAS ALSO AWARDED with different titles
at my work.

3. You HAVE EXPLAINED that you are looking for a sales executive who is able to
effectively manage over a dozen employees. In my 15 years of experience as a sales
manager, I HAVE DEVELOPED strong motivational and team-building skills. I HAVE
BEEN TWICE AWARDED manager-of-the-year for my innovative strategies for
motivating employees to meet and surpass quarterly deadlines. If I WERE HIRED, I
would bring my leadership abilities and strategies for achieving profit gains to this
position.

4. Honestly, I almost feel like the job description WAS WRITTEN with me in mind. I HAVE
the 6 years of programming experience you’re looking for, a track record of successful
projects, and proven expertise in agile development processes. At the same time, I
HAVE DEVELOPED my communication skills from working directly with senior
managers, which MEANS I am well prepared to work on high-profile, cross-department
projects. I HAVE the experience to start contributing from day one and I am truly
excited about the prospect of getting started.”

5. How would you answer these crazy interview questions?

ANSWERS MAY VARY

6. Complete these characters’ suppositions from the stories in units 1, 2 and 3. Use
Conditional Type 2.

ANSWERS MAY VARY

7. Write the words in the correct order to make sentences or questions someone could

ask you in a job interview.

a. nice/ Good afternoon, / to/ you. / meet/

Good afternoon, nice to meet you.

 b. in touch. / Thank you/ We’ll be/ for coming today.

Thank you for coming today. We’ll be in touch.

c. got/ any questions? / Have you

Have you got any questions?

d. your/ tell us/ you/ previous work experience, /Can/ about/ please?

Can you tell us about your previous work experience, please?

e. in a team? / you/ Do / work well

Do you work well in a team?

f. start? / could/ When / you

When could you start?

g. this job? / you want/ Why/ do

Why do you want this job?

h. a few questions. / would/ to ask/ We/ you/ like

We would like to ask you a few questions.

i. have you got/ help you/ What skills/ that/ in this job? / would

What skills have you got that would help you in this job?

j. £10.50 per hour/ Sundays. / and work / Wednesdays to / You'll get

You’ll get £10.50 per hour and work Wednesdays to Sundays.

8. Write the interviewer's questions from the previous exercise in the correct places.

Interviewer: Good afternoon, nice to meet you.

Interviewee: Hello. Nice to meet you, too.

Interviewer: We would like to ask you a few questions.

Interviewee: Ok, great. I’ll do my best to answer them.

Interviewer: Can you tell us about your previous work experience, please?
Interviewee: Yes, of course. I am unemployed at the moment, but my last job was at

a supermarket. I worked there for 18 months. Before that, I worked

as a cleaner at a school.

Interviewer: What skills have you got that would help you in this job?

Interviewee: I’m very organised and always on time. I have good people skills and I

am polite. I can cook and I have a certificate in food safety.

Interviewer: Why do you want this job?

Interviewee: I would like the job because this is a good organisation to work for. I

like meeting people and talking to customers. Also, I can work at

lunch times and in the evenings – the hours are good for me.

Interviewer: Do you work well in a team?

Interviewee: Yes. I like working together with other people.

Interviewer: When could you start?

Interviewee: Straight away!

Interviewer: Have you got any questions?

Interviewee: Yes. How much will I get paid per hour? Which days will I have to

work?

Interviewer: You’ll get £10.50 per hour and work Wednesdays to Sundays.

Interviewee: Thank you very much. I look forward to hearing from you.

Interviewer: Thank you for coming today. We’ll be in touch.

16. What job do you think the interview is for?

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Adapted from http://esol.britishcouncil.org/content/teachers/lessons-and-activities/lesson-

plans/job-interview

10. Imagine you were called for an interview after applying for the job in the ad. Complete
the answers you would give.

ANSWERS MAY VARY