5

10

15

Choosing a career
I
1. Read the following text carefully.

20
 The nature of work is changing. You will probably change
jobs numerous times over your lifetime. The idea of a ‘job for
life’ doesn’t exist any more. Your career may involve a range of
different jobs. New technology also means that there are new
25occupations today that didn’t exist ten years ago. Many of these
occupations involve working with computer-based systems,
procedures, machinery and the Internet. Many of the occupations
of the future will mean being self-employed or working in small
business.
30 The changing nature of work will provide many opportunities
for those who are prepared for them. This will mean being able
to identify opportunities, tackle problems, take initiative,
persevere, be flexible and work in teams. It will mean
developing the right ‘enterprise skills’ for the future.
35 However, choosing a career path is not always easy. For most
people there is not one right occupation, but several occupations
they could do and enjoy. Different occupations will suit you at
different times. Your career is your whole working life, which
can be made up of a wide range of occupations and involve
40many changes in direction.
It is important that you take informed choices. It is wise to
base your career decisions on a good understanding of yourself,
as well as a thorough knowledge of the occupations and courses
open to you.
45 It takes time to think about yourself to decide what sort of
lifestyle you want, to talk to people and to explore occupations.
If you want to find work that is satisfying, however, there are no
shortcuts – and without this knowledge, you may be tempted to
react to whatever luck brings your way.
50 It is important that you take charge of your career. Only you
can make career choices that work for you. You are the person
best suited to choose work that suits your own unique skills,
knowledge, personality and interests. So be positive and act now
by taking three small steps:
55  Get to know yourself;
 Find out which career is right for you;
 Match yourself to a number of jobs within that career
area and choose those that are likely to suit you.
 60 http://jobguide.dest.gov.au/ (adapted)

2. Match the following words/phrases taken from the text with

the definitions.
65
a) involve ( l. 2) ► ___________
b) provide (l. 7) ► ___________
c) tackle (l. 8) ► _____________
d) persevere (l. 9) ► __________
e) path (l. 11) ► _____________
f) suit (l. 12) ► ______________
g) wise (l. 15) ► _____________
h) thorough (l. 16) ► _________
i) take charge of (l. 22) ► _____
j) unique (l. 23) ► ___________
1. deal with or overcome
2. not superficial
3. course of action
4. be convenient for or acceptable to
5. include
6. unparalleled
7. become responsible for
8. make available
9. having or showing good judgement
10. continue trying to do something, especially in spite of difficulty

70

3. Say whether the following statements are TRUE or FALSE.

Quote from the text to support your answer.
75
a) The idea of a career-long employment has disappeared. T □ F
□
_______________________________________________
_________________________
80

_______________________________________________
_________________________

b) New forms of work will turn up in the future. T □ F □

85_______________________________________________
_________________________
_______________________________________________
_________________________
90
c) The future job market will require new personal qualities and
skills. T □ F □
_______________________________________________
_________________________
95

_______________________________________________
_________________________

d) Choosing a career is an easy task as there are not many

100choices to suit your interests. T □ F □
_______________________________________________
_________________________
_______________________________________________
105_________________________

4. Answer the following questions on the text with complete

answers.
 110
a) What challenges will future workers have to face?
___________________________________
____________________________________________________
115__________________________
____________________________________________________
__________________________
120____________________________________________________
__________________________

125c) How can you choose the right career? ______-

_______________________________________
____________________________________________________
__________________________
130

____________________________________________________
__________________________
____________________________________________________
135__________________________

5. Fill in the gaps with the words in the box.

140
In this changing world of ____________ (1) choosing what you want to do for a skills
environment
_____________ (2) is not an easy decision, mainly for young people. A huge number of questions living
may come to their mind. Do they want to follow a _____________ (3) that corresponds to their money
work
wishes or dreams, where they do what they enjoy and are _____________ (4) at, where they have
expenses
a safe and healthy work _________________ (5) and good _____________ (6), even if the career
______________ (7) is a little bit lower than they expected? Or are they interested only in earning qualification
salary
much ____________ (8) and have good prospects of ________________ (9)? Or do they want to promotion
take any kind of work regardless of their ___________________ (10), their ______________ (11), perks
as they need to be financially independent and pay for their own ________________ (12)? good

145
II
1. Use the idiomatic expressions in the box to complete the
sentences (you may need to change the tense of some verbs).
150
To work one’s fingers to the bone Time flies when you’re having fun In no time To work wonders
All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy To have the whale of a time To mark time To be all in a day’s work

a) Try rubbing salt on it. It can

___________________________________________ with
stains!
155b) A fancy dinner with a Hollywood celebrity is
__________________________ for this reporter.
 c) Joe got the car fixed
________________________________________. We were all
surprised!
160d) Peter is just ___________________ in her parents’ office
until he finds a more interesting job.
e) You need to get out more in the evenings. You know what
they say: _____________________.
f) I can’t believe we’ve spent four hours shopping. Well,
165________________________________!
g) We all had ___________________________________ at the
party last night! It was fantastic!
h) I’ve been ____________________________ to get the report
ready before the clients get here.
170

2. Join the sentences by means of a relative pronoun starting as

suggested.
175a) A healthy and safe environment pleases the workers. It is
reflected as an increase in productivity.
A healthy and safe environment
____________________________________________________
180

b) Those youngsters won’t find a job easily. Their academic

qualifications are very low.
185Those youngsters
____________________________________________________
___________

190c) Brian works for a multinational company. He is a famous

lawyer.
Brian
____________________________________________________
195_____________________
d) Job stress has been decreasing lately. It damages the workers’
level of productivity.
200Job stress
____________________________________________________
__________________

205e) Workers want flexible working hours. This can give them the
possibility of satisfying their other needs.
Workers
____________________________________________________
210___________________

3. Fill in the correct form of the verbs in brackets to build type

215III conditional sentences.
a) If I ____________________ (not have) that Physical
Education teacher in 5th grade, I
___________________________ (not decide) to become a PE
220teacher myself.
 b) Mary ____________________________ (not learn) how to
speak Russian if she ________________________ (not take) a
gap year.
c) If Peter _________________________ (write) the application
225letter, I’m sure he _________________________________ (got)
the job.
d) Mark _______________________ (go) the job interview if he
___________________ (know) they were looking for a trainee
in Psychology.
230e) Tracy _______________________________ (not choose) that
degree course if it ___________________________ (not be) for
her father’s suggestion.

235

III

2401. Write an organized text of about 120 words on ONE of the

following topics:
Topic A:
245 In a world increasingly characterized by mobility, working
abroad is easier and may be tempting for a lot of people. Write
about the causes (what leads people to take this step) and the
consequences (advantages/disadvantages) associated with it. You
should also express your opinion defending or rejecting the idea
250of working abroad.
Topic B:
Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of working
255flexitime and say which type of work arrangement (full-time,
part-time, flexitime) would suit you the best in the future.

260
My choice: TOPIC _____

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Good work!