Episode 113 A2
READING COMPREHENSION
Ways of working
Sarah is an office worker in an insurance company. She has a nine-to-five job with regular working hours. The work isn’t very interesting, but she likes to be able to go home at a reasonable time. In her company everybody has to clock in and clock out every day, even managers, which is unusual. Her husband, Rob, is a computer programmer. He works for a large multinational. There is a system of flexitime in his company, which means that they can work when they want, within some limits: start at any time before eleven, and finish as early as three, as long as they do enough hours each month. It’s ideal for him as they have two young children with Sarah. Rob’s father works in a car plant. He works shifts, He may be on the day shift one week and on the night shift the next week. At the beginning it was difficult for him to change from one shift to another, but after many years of working like this, he got used to it. Their friend, Jessica, is a copywriter in an advertising agency. She works in the city centre, but lives in the suburbs so she has to commute to work every day. Working from home using a computer and the Internet is becoming more and more popular, and her agency is introducing this: it’s called teleworking or telecommuting. But Jessica is not sure that she would like to work this way: she likes going into the office and meeting her colleagues every day.
Ex. 1
Find the words or expressions in the text which mean the following:
1) the guarantee to be given some money if something bad happens: __________
2) the time you spend at work: __________
3) acceptable: __________
4) to show what time you come to work: __________
5) a company operating In many countries: __________
6) not too much and not too little: __________
7) the place where heavy things a produced: __________
8) an area far from the centre of a city: __________
9) to travel to work every day: ___________
10) the person you work with: ___________
Ex. 2
Match the expressions from the two columns into logical collocations:
1) advertising worker
2) car to work
3) computer time
4) insurance shifts
5) office programmer
6) reasonable plant
7) working colleagues
8) to commute hours
9) to meet company
10) to work agency
Ex. 3
Provide English equivalents of these expressions:
1) pracownik biurowy
2) godziny pracy
3) odbijać kartę zagarową
4) firma międzynarodowa
5) elastyczne godziny pracy
6) fabryka
7) pracować na zmiany
8) autor tekstów reklamowych
9) agencja reklamowa
10) dojeżdżać do pracy
11) praca zdalna
12) kolega (z pracy)
Grammar corner…
“At the beginning it was difficult for him to change from one shift to another, but after many years of working like this, he got used to it.” The underlined phrase means that somebody learned to live in a way which was unusual for them at first (Polish: “przyzwyczaić się”). It is composed of the verb get (or be – then it means “być przyzwyczajonym, mieć w zwyczaju”) and has to be followed by a noun (pronoun) or –ing form: be/get used to (doing) sth.
For example, Jestem przyzwyczajony do wczesnego wstawania. would be: I am used to getting up early.
Ex. 4
Rewrite the sentences using the structure be/get used to (doing) sth:
1) I never eat breakfast before 9 am.
I ________________________________________________________________
2) She learned to drive on the left when she lived in London.
She ______________________________________________________________
3) They use English at work every day.
They _____________________________________________________________
4) I learned to work under stress.
I ________________________________________________________________
GLOSSARY
insurance company – firma ubezpieczeniowa
a nine-to-five job – praca o stałych godzinach
working hours – godziny pracy
at a reasonable time – o rozsądnej porze
clock in / clock out – odbijac kartę zegarową przychodząc / wychodząc
a multinational – firma międzynarodowa
flexitime – elastyczne godzine pracy
within some limits – z pewnymi ograniczeniami
enough – wystarczająco
car plant – fabryka samochodów
to work shifts – pracować w systemie zmianowym
a copywriter – autor tekstów reklamowych
advertising agency – agencja reklamowa
suburbs – przedmieścia
to commute – dojeżdżać do pracy
to introduce – wprowadzać
teleworking / telecommuting – praca zdalna
colleague – kolega z pracy
>>Answers
ANSWER KEY:
Ex. 1
1) insurance
2) working hours
3) reasonable
4) to clock in
5) multinational
6) enough
7) plant
8) suburbs
9) to commute
10) colleague
Ex. 2
1) advertising agency
2) car plant
3) computer programmer
4) insurance company
5) office worker
6) reasonable time
7) working hours
8) to commute to work
9) to meet colleagues
10) to work shifts
Ex. 3
1) office worker
2) working hours
3) to clock in/out
4) multinational
5) flexitime
6) plant
7) to work shifts
8) copywriter
9) advertising agency
10) to commute
11) teleworking, telecommuting
12) colleague
Ex. 4
1) I am not used to eating breakfast before 9 am.
2) She got used to driving on the left when she lived in London.
3) They are used to using English at work.
4) I got used to working under stress.
hide
