Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Lead-In
A.
G G G G
At what age do you expect to retire? How do you expect your life to change once you have retired? Think about someone you know who has retired. Do you believe they have a good quality of life? Do you believe there are some jobs that are more suitable for younger people? Give examples and reasons for your answer.
B. Use the correct form of the words in the box to complete the sentences.
All the words are connected to the theme of employment.
hire union
dismiss salary
temping 1. I decided to do some .............................. for a few weeks during the summer vacation. dismissed 2. Brian was ........................... because he was always late for work. applicants 3. It took several days to interview all the ............................ for the job vacancy. agency 4. I signed up with the local employment ............................ because I couldnt find a job. redundant 5. If you are made ............................ , you will be given an amount of money as compensation for losing your job. union 6. If you belong to a(n) .......................... you can get free advice if you have problems with your employer. salary 7. Im on a(n) ............................ of $60,000 but I pay a lot of tax. hire 8. We need to ........................... some more workers for the busy summer period. appointed 9. When was he .............................. to the position of director? commission 10. I get 10% ............................. on every car that I sell.
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1
Reading - 1
Reading
Pre-reading - Group work A. Look at the words and expressions below which describe character and attitude towards work.
Discuss what the words mean, and whether they are negative or positive. Use a dictionary to help you if there are words you dont know.
someone who is very ambitious particularly in their career a high flyer ............................................................................................................................................................... doing the same job, things all the time and not being happy about it stuck in a rut ............................................................................................................................................................ start to make progress with the intention to do even better have a foot on the ladder ......................................................................................................................................... someone who is determined to get or achieve what they want a go-getter ............................................................................................................................................................... someone who does things very slowly a bit of a plodder .................................................................................................................................................... not interested in improving oneself or ones situation unambitious ............................................................................................................................................................ hard-working industrious ............................................................................................................................................................. naturally relaxed; calm easygoing ................................................................................................................................................................ wanting to do/be better than others competitive ........................................................................................................................................................... trying to get what one wants and not caring if others suffer because of it ruthless ................................................................................................................................................................... someone who enjoys and is good at working with other people a team player .........................................................................................................................................................
First Reading B. First, look at the information below and decide if you think it is true or false. Then scan the text
and see if your predictions were correct. Discuss any information that you find surprising with your classmates.
1. Future generations of Americans will probably retire at a younger age. boomers will have the ability - and the desire - to work productively and innovatively well beyond todays normal retirement age - so this is fa;se 2. People tend to stay healthy for longer than they used to. Thanks to medical advances, people are staying healthy, enabling them to work longer than before. - true 3. Older people are less active than they used to be. The Baby Boom generation is even fitter for its age and more determined to stay active. - false 4. Technology has made many jobs physically more demanding than they used to be. Fewer jobs require physically demanding tasks such as heavy lifting - false 5. Many people cant afford to retire early. dented retirement savings. Also, fewer workers have good defined-benefit pension plans, which would allow them to retire young. - true
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1
Second Reading
1. 78 million (para 2) 2. 74% (para 5)
Reading
1. The number of Americans born during the baby boom at the beginning of the 20th century who are now of retirement age.
C. Using your own words as far as possible, say what the following numbers refer to in the text.
2. How much a regular family with a breadwinner in their 50s-60s has increased its financial worth between 1992 and 2004
3. 80% (para 6)
3. The proportion of people in a survey who said phased retirement would encourage them to work to an older age.
D. Using your own words as far as possible, answer the questions by reading and interpreting
the meaning of the text.
1. Why will Emma Shulmans boss have to hire more than one person to replace her when she retires? Because she is so energetic and gets as much done as two average workers would.
2. Why is it still currently difficult for many older workers to reach their full potential? Because of habits and attitudes that companies have adopted over the years and legal rulings that have created retirement restrictions.
3. Why does it now make sense to train older employees? because so many employees need to be retrained regularly with the latest information and procedures that it makes no difference how long the employee is intending to stay at the company.
4. Give two examples of how technology has helped people to work for longer? Medical advances have improved health and hence the ability to work longer and technology has provided systems that enable workers to organize and remember things, plus many jobs have become physically easier.
5. What, for many people, is a favourable alternative to sudden retirement? A process whereby people gradually do less work as they get older.
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Vocabulary in context E. Find a word or expression in bold in the text that has the same meaning as (or a similar meaning to)
each of the following:
1. compulsory; required 2. something or somebody that is of no use but costs money 3. the act of stopping or ending something 4. start using a supply of something 5. keep to 6. to take from or reduce (an amount of money) 7. in a creative and original way 8. rise or increase greatly 9. the condition of no longer being of any use (and having being replaced by something better) 10. sudden 1. mandatory 2. deadweight 3. cessation 4. tap 5. stick to 6. dent 7. innovatively 8. soar 9. obsolescence 10. abrupt
F.
Use the correct form of the words below to complete the sentences. All the words have been taken from the text.
recruit enable
harbinger demanding
enhanced 1. Her looks were greatly .............................................. by her new hairstyle. veteran 2. He is a(n) ................................................ of the Second World War. swept aside 3. All his fears were ............................................ when he realised hed passed the test.
Class discussion
How effective is the social security system for elderly people in your country ?
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Reading
Skimming & Scanning
So, when asked to infer the writers general view from the article as a whole, skim the text again to gain a general understanding and highlight areas where the writers opinion is expressed. Read these carefully if necessary. And, when asked for the writers view on a specific point, locate the relevant paragraph and read it carefully.
Now, lets look at some questions based on the first text.
1: Multiple Choice
The questions are in order, therefore the first answer will be found near the beginning of the text, the second answer next and so on. There are 4 choices a,b,c and d. Choose the correct one.. You may be given part of a sentence and asked to choose the best way to complete it or you may be asked a question, then you must choose the best answer. Sometimes there may be more than four options i.e. a,b,c,d and e and two correct answers you will be told if there is more than one correct answer 36
A.
Example A B C D
Emma Shulman is very easy to replace according to her boss. is almost 93 years old. has little or no energy to give to her job. is a candidate for treatment at an alzheimers clinic.
6 Pilots A may continue working after the normal retirement age. B received equal rights in 1986. C still have a mandatory retirement age. D joined Congress for the first time in 1986. 7 This article is about A competitiveness in the workplace between the old and young. B reasons for and advantages of older retirement ages. C the legal rights of older people in the workforce. D the problem of scarcity of skilled workers in some. fields
1 What do many of todays economic forecasts predict? A Older people wont contribute much. B Older people will make a large contribution. C Economic collapse will postpone retirement. D Legal barriers will be hard to overcome. 2 What does research suggest about the effect work has on people? A It wears them down. B It causes health and fitness to deteriorate. C It can be beneficial to physical and mental health. D It makes them want to retire early due to stress and fatigue. 3 What group of people already tend to retire late? A boomers B those who do physical work C the poorly-paid D the highly-educated 4 Why does the fact that knowledge is becoming obsolete more quickly work to older peoples advantage? A because it is considered wasteful to train people nearing retirement B because all employees have to be retrained every year, age is not a factor anymore C because older people are easier to retrain D because high-level work is more difficult for young people 5 Technology aids the ageing workforce by A enhancing peoples actual memory and providing auxiliary memory resources. B remembering the searches they conduct and sites they visit on the internet. C reversing the physical effects of ageing. D compensating for low productivity.
B.
For questions 8 and 9, choose TWO letters A-E. What TWO probable benefits will be gained if we tap into the talents of older people? A B C D Living standards will be higher Doctors will have less work to do The workplace will be friendlier and more cooperative. Problems financing healthcare and social security can be solved more easily E Young people will have more free time
C.
Which THREE of the following choices are reasons more people are retiring later nowadays? A B C D E F G Older families are getting richer. People have less savings. There are fewer legal barriers stopping older workers. Older workers receive better pensions. People no longer slow down with age. Fewer workers have good pension plans. They must adjust for inflation.
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