UNIT 13

PEOPLE AND JOBS

Text 1
Inferring
The minute you climb in, you start feeling excited. Theres nothing so
exciting for me, not even a jet plane. You get in and start up and off you go. And
then youve got to pay attention every minute. Theres always someone doing
something crazy whos likely to end up under your wheels. I sometimes think its
a miracle if i can get all the way there with no accidents. Youve always got to be
thinking ahead. Thats hard when you have to keep going for so many hours
alone. There are a lot of people in this job who have stomach problems from the
tension. They lose their hearing too, because of the noise. Youve got to be tough
on this job, you know.
My day starts at four oclock in the morning. Thats when my feet hit the
floor. Im at work at five thirty, and I finish at two in the afternoon. In between I
do a lot of walking. I wear out a lot of shoes each year maybe four or five pairs.
And my poor feet, at the end of the day theyre really hurting. The other problem
is the dogs. Sometimes you can make friends with them and theyll follow you
around. But other times, they can be mean. Ive been bitten a couple of times. I
cant say as I care much for dogs any more. But its not all bad, my job. One thing
I like is the way you meet a lot of people. You learn all about their private lives,
too. It never gets boring.

Text 2
Professional photographers have been engaged in a contest with nature
since the origin of their craft. They have ventured into the most adverse
conditions, from the broiling heat and stinging sand of the Sahara to the extreme

cold of the Arctic, to capture the perfect image. Although setting, lighting, and
action all pose challenges to the photographer, environmental obstacles are in any
ways the trickiest to surmount. Heat, humidity, dust, and cold all jeopardized
photographic materials and equipment. The harm caused by these conditions is
sometimes immediately obvious, such as when the shutter or film advance
mechanism jams, but often it is impossible to detect until after the film is
developed of the effects of camera corrosion show up.
To avoid catastrophes, photographers have devised a number of ingenious
ways to protect their equipment, from sophisticated cases and housings to simple
plastic bags and picnic coolers. Armed with these devices, professional
photographers have bested the worst that nature can present and have brought
back from their campaigns photographic trophies or rare beauty.

Sometimes statements above can be inferred, others cannot. Put a check

mark next to the statements that can be inferred from the passage.
1. ................... Only recently have photographers had to contend with
environmental problems.
2. ................... heat is not the only problem photographers have to contend with
Sahara Desert.
3. .................... photographic equipment should never be taken to places where
there are adverse conditions.
4. .................... A photographic will brave discomfort and danger to get a great
picture.
5. .................... The effect of humidity on photographic equipment is usually
immediately evident.
6. .................... Photographers have not proven to be very creative when it comes
to protecting their equipment.
7. .................... Sometimes the most basic items provide the best solutions to the
problems facing photographers.

Text 3
A major revolution for the automated office is electronic mail. The
customary portal system requires written on paper to be transmitted physically
from one location to another. With electronic mail, messages are converted into
electronic signals, transmitted anywhere in the world, and then changed back into
the original written form, all in several seconds or minutes at most.
Through the use of video screens in company offices, a single document
can be transmitted to hundreds of people in dozens of branch offices at the same.
Thus, electronic mail along with databases, can be an important assets in
teleconferences. Furthermore, the use of electronic mail in the form of a mailbox
attached to a telephone is a lot of great value. Since in offices many telephone
calls reduces telephone use and saves time.
Electronic mail is far more expensive than the postal system, as it must
compete for tranmission space of satellite, telephone, and cable links. But planned
increases in satellite communications should lower the price and assist in the
spread of electronic mail.
1. It can be inferred from the passage that the advantage of electronic mail are......
a. Its low cost and efficiency
b. Its use of the postal system and telephone mailboxes
c. Its role in satellite communications and teleconferencing
d. Its speed and utility
2. The passage implies that electronic mail.....
a. Will be used more often in the future
b. Will soon outlive its usefulness
c. Is too costly for more offices
d. Could never take the place of the current portal system
3. From the passage, it can be inferred that Gehrys buildings
a. Have a very unusual look
b. Are archaic in form and structure
c. Fit in well with surrounding structures
d. Are simplistic and elegant
4. It is most probable that Gehrys designs......
a. Will be limited to certain areas
b. Will lose their appeal to future architects
c. Will become conventional over time
d. Will continue to be evident in urban architecture on a global scale

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

The trip to Bali made me feel ................

The class was so ............. that we fell asleep.
After all that has been .............. and done, she still asks for more.
It was a very .............. vacation, as we learned to paraglide.
He keeps doing the same thing, making us feel ..............
6. The government keeps ............. that railroad transportation is safe, although
accidents keep happening.