Unit 4
Part Two
Listening I
For many of you this will be your last year at university and now is the time for you to begin thinking seriously about your future careers. In order to give you as much help as possible, I have quoted a list of questions that you ought to ask yourself.
First, "Have I got a clear knowledge of my abilities as well as my interests?" Be honest about your weaknesses as well as your strengths. Take a really good look at yourself and give real thought to the kind of person you are, and what kind of person you want to be.
Second, "Do I know the kinds of occupations in which people like myself tend to find success and satisfaction?" Talk to people who have similar abilities and interests and who are already in the careers that interest you. You can gain some idea of what they consider to be important and challenging in those careers. Watch these people at work.
Third, "Have I weighed carefully the immediate advantages against the long-term prospects offered by the jobs I am considering?" Will the occupation you select give you satisfaction in the years to come? Realize now the importance of education in all fields, technical and professional. Remember that chances of promotion are usually given to educated persons—other things being equal.
Fourth, "Have I talked with my parents, my teachers and my headmaster?" Remember they have a lot of experience that you can benefit from. They can help you think about the jobs. They can stimulate you to give careful thought to what you really want to do, and offer useful suggestions about how you might take full advantage of your personal qualities and qualifications.
Last, "How do I regard my job? Is it just a means of getting money to do the things that I want to do? Is the work important to my future happiness? Is it a combination of both?"
The above questions and their answers should give you some better ideas about how you should start planning your career. Your life-long job cannot be approached in any kind of haphazard fashion. It must be considered carefully, examined from every angle, and talked over with those who know you and those who can help you in any way.
Exercise 1
2.3.4.5.7
Exercise 2
1. weaknesses
2. similar abilities and interests / important and challenging
3. education promotion educated persons
4. parents, teachers / benefit /give careful thought /useful suggestions / personal qualities
5. getting money / our future happiness/ combination
Listening II
Interviewer: Some people feel that their jobs are misunderstood by others. Is that very common?
Sociologist: Oh, absolutely. Most jobs or professions have an image or stereotype attached to them, and some of these are not realistic. The serious point is that young people choose their careers based on these false images, and they may even avoid certain careers which have a negative image. This can cause problems for the economy.
Interviewer: Is there evidence of this problem?
Soc
iologist: Yes, there was a recent survey of children's attitudes to different professions.
Interviewer: How was this done? Children don't know much about jobs and professions.
Sociologist: True. What the investigators wanted to get was children's impressions and prejudices. They gave the children twelve pairs of statements, one of the pair positive, and the other negative. Children were asked to say which of the statements was "most true" for each profession.
Interviewer: For example?
Sociologist: Well, for example, "Such and such a person is likely to be boring or interesting company."
Interviewer: I see. What professions did they ask about?
Sociologist: The list is long, but it included lawyers, economists, accountants, sales representatives, scientists and engineers.
Interviewer: And the results?
Sociologist: Well, they are striking, especially for engineers who came out much worse than one might expect. About 90 percent of the children thought that engineering was a "dirty job", of "low status", and the engineer was more likely to take orders than to give them. The only other person they thought more likely to lose his job was the sales representative. But, there were good points too. Engineering was seen to be "interesting, well-paid work".
Interviewer: Hmm, not a rosy picture.
Sociologist: No, but it got better when children were asked what they thought of the engineer as a person. Most of them chose positive comments, but most thought the engineer was likely to be badly dressed.
Interviewer: What about other professions? What were the most popular?
Sociologist: Oh, the lawyers by far. Next came accountants and scientists as well as economists. The engineers and sales representatives were the least popular.
Interviewer: Sounds like a sign of the times.
Sociologist: Yes, but I think the most serious implication was the children's apparent ignorance of the importance of the engineer's role in society.
Exercise 1
1. choose their careers 2. avoid certain careers
3.different professions 4.Children’s impressions and prejudices 5. lawyers 6. accountants 7. scientists 8. most popular
9. least popular 10. ignorance
Exercise 2
1. T 2. T 3. F 4. T 5. F 6. T
Part Three More Listening
Practice One
(Here's a dialog between a woman whose job is to help people find jobs and a man looking for a job.)
Woman: Look. Here's a job that might interest you.
Man: What is it? Are you sure? The last job interview you sent me off to was a disaster.
Woman: Well, look. It says they want a sales manager, and it looks like it's a big international company. That'd be good. You might get to travel.
Man: What kind of company is it, though?
Woman: Um, let's see. Yes, it's a textile company that seems to import from abroad. They say the salary is really good. They operate a system of paying you a basic salary and then offering you a sales commission on top of that. They say it is high. And oh, look! They giv
e you a car to travel round in. That's not bad, is it?
Man: Um, do they say anything about experience?
Woman: Um, let's see. No, they want someone young with ambition and enthusiasm. Oh yes, they want graduates, so that's OK. You've been to university. Now what else? Let's see.
Man: There must be some catch.
Woman: No, the only thing is you have to travel, but then that's what the company car's for. Oh, and you have to be able to get on well with other people because it says you have to be good on a team.
Man: Um, perhaps I'll have a closer look at that one.
Exercise 1
1. D 2. D 3. A 4. B
Exercise 2
1. sales manager 2. salary 3. sales commission 4. a car
5. travel round in 6. experience 7. university 8. on a team
Practice Two
Womack: Now what do you want to see me about, Janet?
Janet： Well, I have a few questions I'd like to ask you, Mr. Womack. Can you give me some information about secretarial jobs?
Womack： Yes, of course. First, let me get your file out. Now you're 16, aren't you?
Janet： That's right.
Womack：Well, what would you like to know?
Janet：About the opportunities in general and the basic training, and things like typing speed and shorthand speed.
Womack：Before we go any further, Janet, when you said secretarial work, did you only mean typing or more general things?
Janet： Well, I suppose I'd have to start as a word processor operator, wouldn't I?
Womack： If you left school at sixteen, yes. But if you wanted to have a better chance of getting a more interesting secretarial job more quickly, it would be better if you stayed on and took A levels. According to your file, your English is good, and you've done French and economics, haven't you?
Janet：Yes, they're my best subjects. If I stayed, what A levels would I need to be a secretary?
Womack：That depends, but those three subjects are all very suitable.
Janet： And then I suppose I'd have to do a secretarial course, wouldn't I? Um, what sort of speed do they expect?
Womack：I've got the typing speed here, I think. Oh, yes, it should be 65 words per minute.
Janet：And would I have to learn shorthand?
Womack：Yes, you would. You'd need a speed of 90 to 100 words a minute.
Janet：Oh, it sounds a lot, doesn't it? Would I have a chance to use my French?
Womack：Oh, yes, if you were a secretary with languages.
Janet：What sort of work would I have to do?
Womack：Well, you'd have to translate letters, of course, but you'd also have to answer the phone to foreign callers and interpret if foreign visitors came to the firm. It would be useful if you learned a second foreign language. That would help a lot.
Janet：I think I'd like a job like that. But I'd better go away and think about it. You see, well, after all, two more years at school is a long time, isn't it?
Womack： I'm sure it seems so at your age. If you need any more help, please come back and we'll talk about it again.
Janet：Thanks, Mr. Womack
.
Questions:
1. Who is Janet?
2. When will Janet be qualified for a more interesting secretarial job?
3. What subjects has Janet taken?
4. What is Janet's decision finally?
5. What can you infer from the dialog?
Exercise 1
1.B 2.B 3. A 4.C 5. C
Exercise 2
1. 65 words 2 . 90 to 100 words
3. with languages / translate letters/ answer the phone/ foreign visitors/ second foreign language
Practice Three
David: Hi! You're listening to Radio Southwest, the best in the southwest for music and up-to-the-minute news. Sue's here. Hello, Sue.
Sue: Hello, David.
David: And we've got the Jobspot for you today. So, if you're looking for a new job, this could be the spot for you. So, let's have a look, and see what we've got today.
Sue: Well, the first one we've got is a cook. That's in a large, busy restaurant, so it's very useful to have had experience in cooking. Must be a high school graduate and the pay is $12 an hour. So that's not bad, is it? The hours are good too. That's Monday to Friday, 3:00 p.m. till 6:00 p.m.
David: Great. Thanks, Sue. So that's a cook. Now, how do you fancy working out of doors? How do you fancy being a gardener? So as long as you're fit and strong, and at least 16 years old, that'll suit you. The pay is $8 an hour. And the hours, Tuesday to Saturday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., you have to work on Sunday once a month, but on Monday the Garden Center's closed. Now, the sort of work you'd be doing is potting, watering, things like that. So, how about applying for that? Pay, $8 an hour. Sue, what else have you got?
Sue: Right, Dave. Well, from outdoors to indoors. We've got a word processor operator job here. This job might suit a woman with school-age children, because the hours are only 15 hours a week. It's a small, friendly office, and they require a high school graduate with two years' experience operating a computer. Pay is $9 per hour. So, there you go. That's a nice job in an office. If you fancy any of those jobs, give us a ring here on Jobspot at Radio Southwest. And now back to the music.
Exercise 1
1. C 2. A 3. B 4. D 5. B
Exercise 2
1. ADF 2. BF 3. ACE
Practice Four
Interviewer: Do you think anybody can be trained to be a teacher?
Interviewee: Well, I think there are probably some people that can be teachers but I think it's a gift that you have. And not many people have that internal kind of thing.
Interviewer: Can you define any of that?
Interviewee: Oh...
Interviewer: What sort of specific uh...are there certain personality...
Interviewee: Well, I think that the best teachers are people that are fairly sensitive, and, er, extroverted, okay?
Interviewer: Uh-huh...
Interviewee: The best teachers I know are kind of extroverted people, and they really like kids...
Interviewer: Uh-huh.
Interviewee: But, by the same token, I know some teachers who really care about doing a good job and want those kids to like them and want to do well.
Interviewer: Ri
ght...
Interviewee: But for some teachers, they just don't have it. And it's...it's sad when you see that happening, because there're some teachers who don't care, you know—they're just in it now because they've been in it so long and it's too late to move out...and...
Interviewer: Well, aren't there some very definable management skills involved in teaching that often are neglected in teacher training, maybe? I mean...
Interviewee: I don't know how you train somebody to do that. To be a good teacher, I think you have to have a high tolerance level for confusion—I think you have...
Interviewer: Um...
Interviewee: To have that when you've got thirty kids... You have to have that. You have to be a very patient person, and I know it just sounds totally inadequate, but I don't know how to put my...my finger on it. It just...
Interviewer: But you do believe it is uh...there is a gift of some sort, or there is something...
Interviewee: Yeah, I do.
Exercise 1
1.sensitive extroverted 2.kids 3.doing a good job
4. tolerance level 5. patient
Exercise 2
1. T 2. F 3. T 4. F 5.T
Part Four Testing Yourself
Section 1
There are at least 100 million workers in the Unites States. Most of them are on the job 35 to 40 hours a week. Their typical day includes seven to eight hours of work. Usually, they have a 15-minute coffee break in the morning and in the afternoon. But work schedules vary from job to job.
White-collar workers—office workers and many professionals—usually have "nine to five" jobs. They begin at 9:00 a.m. and finish at 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. "Blue-collar" workers—mechanics, electricians, and laborers—often work from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. In many factories, blue-collar workers come to work in eight-hour shifts. Typically, these shifts start at 8:00 a.m., 4:00 p.m., and midnight. Finally, sales people and managers in retail stores work on Monday and Thursday nights, when the stores are open. Many retail workers also work on Saturdays, and some work on Sundays.
These are the normal schedules for most American workers. However, many businesses now use a new system called "flex-time scheduling". Under this system, the employees choose their own working hours. Some people work from 8:00 to 4:00 five days a week. Some work from 9:00 to 5:00. Other people work 10 or 12 hours a day four days a week. Employees and managers are both happy with the system. The employees like the freedom of choice, so they work hard. The managers, of course, like the hard-working employees.
What, then, is a typical work schedule? It depends on the job—and on the workers.
1. 100 million 2. 35 to 40 3. 7 to 8
4. office workers many professionals 5. 8:00 to 4:00
6. eight-hour shifts 7. Monday Thursday Saturdays Sundays
8.choose their own working hours/freedom of choice /happy with
Section II
Man: How long have you worked for AM-ADMEL, Gill?
Woman: Only for a year. It's May now, isn't
it? Yes, I joined last August in fact.
Man: August in 1996.
Woman: Yes.
Man: What did you do before that?
Woman: I used to work for a travel agency in London.
Man: It was interesting, wasn't it?
Woman: Not really. It was just secretarial work, rather like this job. And it wasn't too well-paid. But I took a secretarial course when I left school and I couldn't think what else to do.
Man: So you went straight from school into a secretarial course, didn't you?
Woman: Well, not quite. I left school when I was 16, in 1989, I think it was. And then I went to work in a hotel in Austria for a year, to learn some German.
Man: Austria? Why Austria?
Woman: I don't know really. Well, we used to go there on holiday quite often when we were younger, and, well, I like Austria actually. Anyway then I went back and did the secretarial course. That was a year's course.
Man: And then you got the job at the travel agency I suppose.
Woman: Yeah, that's right. That was in 1991.
Man: So you were there for five years!
Woman: Yes, it's awful, isn't it? Actually, I'm thinking of giving it all up to become a nurse.
Man: Really?
Woman: Well, I worked in a hospital in Twickenham during my last year at school. Just cleaning and helping to make beds and so on. It was part of our Practical Careers training.
Man: And you liked it?
Woman: Yes, it was interesting.
1. D 2. A 3. A 4. C 5. D
Section III
Man: Well, now then, one thing I'd like to ask is, er, exactly why you applied for the job. I mean, just looking at your application form, you're actually over-qualified...
Woman: Yes, I thought you might ask that. Um, the thing is, in my present job, although I'm actually in charge of a small team and I have a lot of responsibility, it's largely a desk job with a lot of paperwork...
Man: And you're not too keen on being stuck in an office all day?
Woman: To be honest, no, I'm not. I much prefer being out on site where I can supervise things, and deal with problems as they occur. And this job should give me the kind of contact with other engineers, architects, builders and so on.
Man: Mmm. You'd certainly have to do quite a lot of traveling in the local area, you know, visiting different sites. You do realize, though, that the starting salary isn't as good as the salary in your present job?
Woman: Yes, I realize that, but um, it does say in the job advertisement that the promotion prospects are very good.
Man: That's true, and er, as this is a new project that we're working on, we think there'll be a very good chance of fairly quick promotion, depending on performance, that is...
Woman: Yes, of course. Well, you see, I've got very little chance of promotion in my present job. I mean it's a very small company and there's nowhere really for me to go; that's why I'm looking around for somewhere else.
Questions:
1) What kind of position is the woman applying for?
2) What does the interviewer want to know exactly?
3) Why does the woman want
to leave her present job?
4) What is said about the job the woman applies for?
5) What can we say about the woman?
1. B 2. C 3. C 4. D 5. A