Episode 211

EPISODE 211
LEVEL A1.2/A2.1

 

 

READING COMPREHENSION

 

WORK: DUTIES

 

When I asked Hannah about her new job, she was really enthusiastic about it!

She says her job involves a lot of traveling (= she often has to travel on business), but as she loves driving, it’s no problem. Hannah is a manager, she is in charge of a team of 10 people (= she controls the work of 10 people). I’m sure she’ll make a good boss (= she will be a good boss) because she is experienced at organizing people’s work (= she has done it before).

The company made her responsible for (= this is her main job) customer care (= contacts with clients). Her department often has to deal with/handle customer complaints (= they take action when the customers are unhappy).

As Hannah attends (= goes to) lots of meetings outside the workplace, she is often absent from the office (= she is not in) and so delegates some of her work to other employees from her department (= tells other people to do some of her work).

As you can see, Hannah has many responsibilities/duties (= there are many things she has to do), but as she loves challenge (= a new or difficult thing to do), I’m sure she will be successful.

 

 

More contexts for the new words:

 

• Who’s on duty today?

(= who is working today?; used about nurses, police officers etc.)

 

• How are you going to deal with this problem?

(= how are you going to solve this problem?)

 

 

EXERCISE 1

Complete each gap with one word.

 

1. What are you responsible ……………….. at work?
2. Steve is …………… charge of a small restaurant.
3. I can’t deal ……………. this situation. Can you help me?
4. I’m afraid I’m going to be absent …………….. work next Friday. Can we meet on Thursday?
5. Are you experienced ……………….. working with kids?

 

EXERCISE 2

Match the halves of the questions and then answer them yourself.

 

1. What does your job
2. When did you last attend
3. When are you going to be absent

 

1. a meeting? Who with?
2. involve?
3. from work? Why?

ENGLISH IN USE 

 

Let’s concentrate on the expressions similar to a sentence from the text:

She is experienced at organizing people’s work.

In English when we say how good we are at doing something we us „at” not „in„, so we say:

I am good at mathematics.
I am bad at languages.
He is fantastic at driving cars.
He is terrible at cooking.

It is very important for us to remember that to say „I am good in …” is a mistake.

 

 

IDIOM CLOSE-UP

 

A/ I’m sure you’ll make a good impression!

B/ I know, but I still HAVE BUTTERFLIES IN MY STOMACH before the first day at work. 

 

If you have butterflies in your stomach, you feel very nervous, usually about something you’re going to do. Be careful, this idioms is sometimes used in Polish with a different meaning!

 

 

PHRASAL VERBS CLOSE-UP

 

 

1. You APPLY FOR something when you ask for something, usually officially and in writing.

 

He applied for the job as a marketing manager.

When you have a child, you can apply for a benefit called ‘becikowe’.

Students often apply for grants to study abroad.

 

2. When you LOOK FORWARD TO (doing something), you feel pleased and excited about something that is going to happen.

 

I’m really looking forward to my holiday.

She was looking forward to seeing the grandchildren again.

I’m not looking forward to Christmas this year.

 

Remember, when you use a verb after ‘look forward to’, it is always in the ‘-ing’ form.

 

 

EXERCISE 3

Complete the sentences using words from the idiom/phrasal verbs you have learned in the correct form.

 

1. I want to …………………………. for a grant. I don’t have enough money to finance my studies.

 

2. Before my first date, I had ……………………. in my stomach.

 

3. I am really looking ……………………. to seeing you.

 

 

NEWS

 

A MALE JOB?

 

These days there seems to be hardly any job which is entirely male or female.

Some time ago, when London Underground put an advert offering a job as a train driver in ‘Cosmopolitan’, lots of women applied.

According to experts, it shows that many women follow other than traditional careers. Boys have always wanted to become train drivers, police officers, detectives etc. Now it appears girls can and want to do it too. After all, the passengers do not care who drives the train as long as it’s on time.

 

 

GLOSSARY

– hardly any – almost no

– entirely – totally

– according to (e.g. experts) – as experts say

– it appears – we can see

– do not care – it’s not important

– as long as – if only

 

 

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