Name: ____________________________ No: ____ Class: ____ 9th form, level 5

Grade: __________________________ Date: ___________________________

Teacher: _____________________ Enc. Educ.: __________________________
READ THE FOLLOWING TEXT CAREFULLY

Find An Ideal Place to Work

For many Americans, looking for a job means finding an employer who will hire you
and pay a decent salary - few take the time to make sure the company is among the most
prosperous. "Many people do more research when they buy an air conditioner than when
taking a job," said Alan Johnson, managing director of Johnson Associates, a compensation
consultancy in New York. "When you buy an air conditioner, you read Consumer Reports,
you talk to people," he said. But "people take jobs almost on whims."
Before you can determine whether a workplace
matches your ideal, you'll need to know what that
ideal is. Some people want a lot of freedom to make
their own mistakes. Others don't want to work long
hours, said Tag Goulet, chief executive of FabJob.com,
a publisher of career guides. "People have to make up
their own list. A good starting point is usually what
they didn't like at their previous job."
A company's past and present employees are a
source of information for knowing whether the
company is a good workplace. Ask friends and family
whether they know anyone working at the company. If
you're not yet focused on a particular company, specify
the type of workplace in which you're interested. Most people just go into a job search
with no idea of what their ideal job looks like, said Kevin Donlin, president of Guaranteed
Resumes, in Minnesota. When you know what you want concerning benefits, corporate
culture and salary, "communicate that to your friends and networking contacts," Donlin
said.
When you're called in for an interview, ask some questions of your own. For
instance, find out how long the previous person held the post and why he left, Donlin said.
"If you're the third person in 18 months, there's a serious problem. If they were promoted
internally, that's a good thing."
Another way to get information about the workplace culture: Hang around. "I've had
people just driving by the parking lot to see when people leave," Johnson said. Or sit in the
company cafeteria or local cafe. "It's interesting how frank people can be in an anonymous
coffee shop. You may hear some interesting things," Goulet said. Check out the company's
Web site, including press releases and annual reports, to find out whether "the company is
results-oriented, bottom-line focused, or a more sensitive, humanistic kind of place"
Johnson said. Look for a company that publishes press releases about employees being
promoted, Donlin said. "A good company will be talking out loud about employees."
Be warned that general research on a company won't necessarily give you relevant
information about the job itself. "It only gives you information about the department you're
going to be in," Wisnik said. "You can work for the greatest company and have the lousiest
boss."

A. ACCORDING TO THE TEXT, ARE THESE STATEMENTS TRUE OR FALSE?

CORRECT THE FALSE ONES.
1. Before taking a job, people usually search for information about it and the company
where they want to work.
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
2. People should list the aspects they give more importance to when they look for a
job.
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
3. A good way to find out whether the company is a good place to work is talking to the
boss.
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
4. If you do some research about a company or a job, it will be the perfect workplace
for you.
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
B. ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS ABOUT THE TEXT.
1. Which aspects do people usually consider when they take a job?
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
2. Where can you find information about a job?
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
3. What can you learn from a companys press releases or annual reports?
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
4. Would you like to study and work at the same time? Why or why not? Which would
your ideal workplace be?
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
C. FILL IN THE BLANKS WITH THE PAST SIMPLE OR PRESENT PERFECT SIMPLE
OF THE VERBS IN BRACKETS.
1. __________ you ever __________ (ride) a horse?
2. It _______________ (rain) a lot last week, but it _______________ (not rain)
today so far.
3. They __________ always __________ (live) in this town, but their neighbours next
door _______________ (move) to the countryside last October.
4. __________

she

__________

(see) the

film

Oceans

12

yet?

Yes,

she

_______________ (see) it last Sunday.

5. How long __________ you __________ (be) a teacher? I _______________
(teach) Maths for twenty years.
6. Kate __________ just __________ (be) to the shops and she _______________
(buy) a lot of things.
7. Is she at home? No, she _______________ (go) to the park.
D. COMPLETE THE SENTENCES WITH THE VERBS IN BRACKETS IN THE
CORRECT FORM OF THE FUTURE (WILL OR GOING TO).
1. -Ive heard the album Escapology so many times that my CD player needs fixing.
Can you fix it for me?
- I _______________ (take) a look at it as soon as I can.
2. Hes amusing, humorous and intelligent. He _______________ (be) a brilliant
comedian.
3. I think Nigel and Mary _______________ (have) a party. They have bought so much
food.
4. Ive invited my sister out for a quiet dinner. I _______________ (try) to find out
what is upsetting her.
5. Wheres your workbook, Mark?
- Im sorry. I _______________ (bring) it to class tomorrow.
6. There _______________ (probably/ be) a vacancy in this company very soon.

E. COMPLETE THE SENTENCES USING EACH OF THE ADJECTIVES BELOW WITH

THE CORRECT PREPOSITION.
Different

Surprised

about

of

Upset

Frightened

for

with

Responsible

Pleased

from

of

Excited

Aware

at

about

1. She feels _______________ other friends who tell her to leave the group.
2. Sandra

is

_______________

the

problems

her

group

has.

She

wasnt

_______________ what they were going through.

3. Shes got a place at the Royal Academy of Music! Shes really _______________
studying there.
4. Hearing a band play live is totally _______________ listening to a recording.
5. Lucys mother isnt _______________ her exam results. She thinks she could have
done better.
6. Its amazing but his elder brother is _______________spiders.
7. We hired a well-known architect to build our house. Hell be _______________ our
project.