UNIT 6.

 Why was it necessary for people to work?

 At what age do people begin to work in this country?
 At what age do people usually retire in this country?

I. Work, Jobs and Professions

Diverse societies place different levels of importance on the concept of going to work. For
some peoples, work is less important to perceptions of individual, social connection or value,
while in other societies an individual’s sense of worth and social standing is strongly
connected to what someone does for a living.

Work is, according to Webster Dictionary, an activity in which one exerts strengths or
faculties to do or perform something: a: sustained physical or mental effort to overcome
obstacles and achieve an objective or result. b: the labour, task or duty, that is once
accustomed, means of livelihood.

According to the same dictionary, occupation is an activity in which one engages or the
principal business of one’s life, while profession is defined as a calling requiring specialized
knowledge and often long and intensive academic preparation or a principal calling, vocation
or employment.

Generally, employment is a type of contract between two parties, one being the employer and
the other being the employee. An employee could be defined as a person in the service of
another under any written contract of hire, where the employer has the power to control and
direct the employee. In a business environment the employer is responsible for the whole
activity in view of generating a profit, while the employee contributes labour to this activity,
usually in return for a salary. Employers offer hourly wages or a salary in exchange for the
worker’s labour power, depending upon whether the employee is paid by the hour. A salaried
employee is typically not paid for more hours worked than the minimum, whereas wages are
paid for all hours worked including overtime.

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Part-time employment is a form of employment that carries fewer hours per week than a full-
time job. Part-time employees usually do not receive the same health insurance, retirement,
and other benefits full-time receive. People may work part-time voluntarily, too. A full-time
job is a job in which an employee works the maximum number of legal hours, typically 40 in
the work week, although this standard varies around the world and can be referred to as full-
time employment or FTE.

A full-time job may be permanent or temporary. A permanent full-time job usually has
benefits (e.g. health care, vacation time, sick pay), while temporary full-time jobs do not have
benefits. Full-time jobs are often considered careers and usually paid more than part-time jobs
and there is the possibility of overtime pay. A full-time position is one of more authority and
compensation for the full-time job may be offered in the form of salary. A salary is a set
compensation, rather than an hourly wage, which is also a compensation, usually financial,
received by workers in exchange for their labour.

A fee is the price one pays as remuneration for services. Traditionally, professionals in Great
Britain receive a fee (attorneys, solicitors, doctors etc).

Full-time varies between companies, and is often based on the shift the employee must work
during each work week. The standard work week consists of five, eight-hours a day, totaling
forty hours. A person who needs full-time work, but is dropped to part-time is
underemployed, which is sometimes a form of dismissal strategy to avoid paying
unemployment benefits to a laid-off worker.

Besides this classification of workers within a company (part-time and full-time) many
companies further classify employees as exempt or non-exempt. This specification is used to
separate employees that are eligible for overtime from those who are not. An exempt
employee is one that is typically salaried and eligible to work overtime; non-exempt
employees are typically paid hourly and are eligible for overtime pay.

An offer of employment, however does not guarantee employment for any length of time and
each party may terminate the relationship at any time. This is referred to as at-will
employment. In some professions it is according to the rule to offer two weeks’ notice when
resigning from a job.

A profession is a vocation based upon specialized educational training, and it involves

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systematic knowledge and proficiency. Historically there were only three professions:
divinity, medicine and law. Nowadays professions also include accountants, architects
researchers, nurses, lawyers, vets, engineers, teachers, diplomats, librarians, a.s.o.
Professions enjoy a high social status, regard and esteem conferred upon them by the society
they live in. This high esteem arises primarily from the higher social function of their work,
which is regarded as vital to the society. All professions involve technical specialized and
highly skilled work (professional expertise). Training for this type of work involves obtaining
degrees and professional qualifications and this training requires regular updating of skills
through continuing education.

I. Understanding the text:

1. Have you ever worked?

2. What is the difference between work and job?
3. Which do you think most people prefer indoor or outdoor jobs?
4. Which do you think are some of the most demanding jobs?
5. What is a permanent/temporary job?
6. How can you define professions?
7. In your opinion what is the ideal job?
8. What is, in your opinion, the difference between swapping jobs and a career?

II. Find the topic sentence for each paragraph and then the main idea of the whole text.

III. Match the words in column A with their meanings in column B:

Duty benefit, value, use
Labour assignment, duty, chore
Livelihood effort, work, industry
Proficiency means of living, income, occupation
Shift calling, career, profession
Social standing on duty period, change, turn
Task skill, competence, excellence
Training status, rank, position
Vocation obligation, responsibility, service
Worth instruction, education, practice

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IV. Fill in the gaps with suitable words:
risk, interview, money, newspaper, available,

always, CV, employers, job, well

dangerous, work, someone, occupation,

relative, safety, application, profession,

If a person is looking for a job, they will often look in a.............or at a Job Centre and when
they find something they are interested in, they send a written ......... and their ............. If they
are successful they are invited to an ............. and asked questions about themselves, and may
be asked to give the names of former ............. who can talk about them. In most companies
there is an official process for giving ............a job and it is not usual to get a.............. because
you have a friend or a .............. who can help you. Sometimes people looking for a job, accept
dangerous occupations, too. There are many reasons why people work in dangerous .............
Sometimes such jobs are the only jobs...............in certain communities, such as logging, mill
work, and fishing. Many times there may be other jobs in the community, but none that pay as
............. as the more dangerous jobs. Others take........... jobs in order to serve and protect
others.

The decision to leave a dangerous job is not.................. as easy as it may seem. For some
people, this is the only ........... they know. Others need the............. In many communities there
is no other .................. Some place duty, honor, and service above their own
personal...............and put their lives at................... in order to serve others.

V. Topics for discussion:

1. What would you like to do after graduation? (Give arguments)

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2. Speak about your parents’ jobs.
3. Have you ever worked during your summer holiday? What did you do?
4. Speak about the qualities of a successful businessman.
5. Are there professions for women only?
6. Speak about unemployment in our country.
VI. Give synonyms and then provide the opposites:

Easy Engage
Educated Enjoy
Effective Entire
Elegant Everlasting
Employed Exhausted
Empty Expend
Energetic Expired

VII. Choose the correct profession:

A.
1. If you have a problem with your car, I can help fix it.
Physicist/ physician/ car salesman/mechanic

2. I bring you your dinner in a restaurant. After dinner I bring the check. Remember to leave
me a tip.
A cook/ a hostess/an escort/ a waiter

3. If you need to find a book, I'll help you find it.

A professor/ a librarian/ a clerk/a teacher

4. If you want to buy a loaf of bread, you'll have to pay me on your way out of the
supermarket.
A lawyer/ a clerk/ a cashier/ a shop assistant

5. I am in the army and I carry a gun.

A sailor/ a soldier/ a marine/ a police officer

6. I write books and novels.

An author/a poet/ a journalist/ a reporter

7. I write the articles you read in the newspaper.

An author/ a reporter/a journalist/ a news presenter

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8. When you ride on an airplane, I'm the person flying it.
A flight attendant/ a mechanic/ an assistant/ a pilot

9. I teach in a school.
A professor/a principle/a librarian/a teacher

10. I serve you your drinks on an airplane.

A steward/ a waitress/ a flight attendant/ a pilot
B.

1. The rate of unemployment is very high. Many people are out of........
Employment/ work/ occupation/profession

2. Please don’t forget to..............our seats for lunch at the pub.

Order/ preserve/ reserve/ invite

3. Don’t confide in her. She is not capable of...........a secret.

Maintaining/saving/ keeping/reserving

4. This work must be finished as...........as possible.

Soon/ far/ close/ well

5. Everybody worked hard, ..........Anna.

Accept/except/ expect/ outside

6. The workers in our company will remain on strike until they get a fair…….
Advantage/ pay/ deal/ profit

7. The accountant was punished for something he had done by………

Fault/error/ mistake/ defect

8. The young driver was caught speeding and………500 RON.

Charged/ cost/ fined/ ordered

9. We arrived late because we had……….the bus.

Missed/ lost/ misplaced/mislaid

10. This is the most ………..piece of information I have received so far.

Reverent/relevant/rentless/ reluctant

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VIII. Match the words in column A with the words in column B:

An actor a study
A novelist a stock exchange office
A trader a stage
A chef a surgery
A secretary a warehouse
A deliveryman a kitchen
Some teachers a waiting room
Patients (waiting) field/ greenhouse
A gardener a staff room
A doctor an office

IX. Choose the correct word:

1. Nobody employs people who are not…… for the job.

Equalized/quality/ qualification/ qualified

2. The bank has received a huge number of …… for the job.

Applies/ applicants/ applications/ appliances

3. This is a ……. The management should try and improve immediately.

Weakling/ weaker/ weakness/ weaky

4 I am interested in applying for the ………. of general manger with this firm.
Post/ position/ posture/ posting

5. He expressed his gratitude for the ……. he received on his final day at work.
Giving/ gift/ give/ giver

6. I earned my……. as a professional bar person. Therefore I love bars.

Lifetime/ life/ live/ living

7. Everybody experienced crisis and most firms made a small…….as a result.

Lost/ less / losing/ loss

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8. I’m afraid your offer is …….. .
Acceptance/ accepting/ acceptable/ unacceptable

9. This job requires a qualified food ……… .

Science/ scientist/ scientific/ scientologist

10. The supervisor is important but he can behave very…….. sometimes.

Childhood/ childishly/ childlike/ childish

X. What do these people do? Explain what each person does in that profession? Can you
suggest any new professions and occupations?

Accountant Fireman/fire-fighter Receptionist

Architect
Florist Secretary
Author
Hairdresser/hair stylist Shop-assistant
Baker
Lawyer/ solicitor Traffic-warden
Butcher
Newsreader Travel agent
Carpenter
Nurse Teller
Chef/cook
Plumber Window cleaner
Designer
Real estate agent Web designer
Doctor

Key terms
Add other words or phrases you know related to the topic of “Work, Jobs and Professions”.
Activity Job
Degree Occupation
Employment Perform
Fee Profession

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Resign Train
Salary Update
Skill Wage

Related terms - Make up some sentences of your own with five of the most relevant terms.
A. General:
 letter of application for a job, resume/ CV, interview; contract, work agreement;
 employer, employee, staff member, to be on staff; temporary worker, season
worker;
 to hire, to work full-time, to work part-time, to have a part-time job, to work
overtime, flexitime; work-at-home programs
 pay, wages, salary, income; pay slip, wage cut, pay day;
 to be paid by the hour, to be paid by the month; to earn one’s living; to run a firm;
 monthly pay, weekly pay, hourly pay, yearly pay / annual pay;
 gross pay, net pay, take-home pay, bonus, overtime pay;
 taxes, expenses, deductions;
 fringe benefits, sick leave, medical insurance;
 a regular job, skilled/unskilled worker, apprentice, vacancy;
B. Unemployment:
 Period of notice, to be unemployed, to be out of work, to be on the dole (BE), to
fire,/ to sack (B.E), to give someone notice, to dismiss somebody, to hand in
one’s notice, to resign to quit; unemployed, jobless, to look for a job;

C. Recent terminology:
 shift system: with companies opened 24 hours a day operate on a: 3 shift
system
 work-at-home programs = allow employees to do all or some of their work at
home
 telecommuting = employees are connected by technology to the workplace
 job-sharing = two employees sharing a full-time job
 Some organizations permit flexitime, which involves allowing employees to
partially set their own work hours.

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  a band time = the total time the company operates: 8 am to 7 pm
 the core time = when all employees must be at work: 10 am to 4 pm
 fringe benefits or perks = free or subsidized meals, a company car, low
interest credits etc.
 employee (fixed) benefits = extra rewards such as health insurance, retirement
plans or child-care

II - Focus on grammar

Perfect Forms

 Present Perfect Tense

Present perfect tense describes an action that happened at an indefinite time in the past or that
began in the past and continues in the present. This tense is formed by using has/have with
the past participle of the verb. Most past participles end in -ed. Irregular verbs have special
past participles.

Example Meaning
The tourists have travelled to many countries in order to see as much At an indefinite time
as they could.
Women have voted in presidential elections since 1921. Continues in the
present

 Past Perfect Tense

Past perfect tense describes an action that took place in the past before another past action.
This tense is formed by using had with the past participle of the verb.
e.g. By the time they arrived at conference hall, the lecture had ended.

 Future Perfect Tense

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Future perfect tense describes an action that will occur in the future before some other action.
This tense is formed by using will have with the past participle of the verb.
e.g. By the time the students return, the teachers will have spent several days waiting.

Perfect Progressive Forms

 Present Perfect Progressive

Present perfect progressive tense describes an action that began in the past, continues in the
present, and may continue into the future. This tense is formed by using has/have been and
the present participle of the verb (the verb form ending in -ing).
e.g. The management has been considering a transfer of the business to a new location
where profits would be higher.

 Past Perfect Progressive

Past perfect progressive tense describes a past, ongoing action that was completed before
some other past action. This tense is formed by using had been and the present perfect of the
verb (the verb form ending in -ing).
e.g. Before the budget cuts, the students had been participating in many outdoor
activities.

 Future Perfect Progressive

Future perfect progressive tense describes a future, ongoing action that will occur before some
specified future time. This tense is formed by using will have been and the present
participle of the verb (the verb form ending in -ing).
e.g. By the year 2030, anthropologists will have been studying and defining the human

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society for more than 200 years.

III. Activities

1. Put the verb in present continuous or present simple:

1. Excuse me, ______________ (you/speak) English?

2. Tom _________________ (have/shower) at the moment.
3. They _____________ (not/watch) television very often.
4. Listen! Somebody _______________. (sing)
5. She’s tired. She ____________ (want) to go home.
6. How often ____________________ (you/read) a newspaper?
7. Excuse me, but you __________________ (sit) in my place. „Oh I’m sorry”.
8. I’m sorry. I ___________________ (not/understand). Please speak more slowly.
9. Where are you Roy? I am in the office. I ___________________. (read)
10. What time __________________ (she/finish) work every day?
11. You can turn off the radio. I _____________________ (not listen) to it.
12. He ____________________ (not/usually/drive) to work. He usually ________. (walk)

2. Put the verb into the most suitable form- continuous or present simple

1. I..........(go) the movies tonight.

2. ...............the movie.........at nine? (begin)
3. I.........(not/go) out this evening. I .............. (stay) at home.
4. .....................(you/ do) anything tomorrow morning?
5. What time........ (this bus/get) to Arad.
6. Alexa ..........(marry) next month.
7. What …....you......... (do) this evening?
8. What time .........you............... (come)?
9. I..................... (not to work) tomorrow, so we can go out.

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10. They.................(to work) for Coca-Cola.

3. Choose the answer you think is correct:

1.When ..............................this faculty?

Have you joined/ did you joined/ did you join/have you ever joined

2. He is the most difficult room mate..............................

I never deal with/ I never had to deal with/ I’ve ever had to deal with/ I’ve never had
to deal with

3. ...... from a business trip to England.

I come back/ I came back/ I never came back/ I have just come back.

4. Prices......in 2004, but then......... in 2010.

Rised-falled/ rose-fell/ have risen- have fallen/ rose-have fallen

5. I can’t believe that........”DaVinci’s Code”

You haven’t read/you didn’t read/you don’t read/you read not

6. You.......to a word...........
Listened- I haven’t said/ didn’t listen- I say/ listen-saying/ haven’t listened- I’ve said

7. The King’s Speech is the best movie ...............................

I never seen/I didn’t see/ I used to see/ I’ve ever seen

8. .....................in England?
Did you ever was/ have you ever been/ were you /didn’t you have been

9. ............a cheque last year and it is still valid.

We have signed/ we signed/ we haven’t signed/ we have sign

10. ......................................to the Dean last week.

I spoke/ I have already spoken/ I didn’t spoke/ I speaked

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4. Use the words in brackets and fill in the gaps with the appropriate tense:

Last night, while I was doing my assignment my friend................. (call). She said
she..........(call) me on her cellular from her English class at the FEAA. I asked if
she..........(wait) for class, but she said that the teacher was in front of the room lecturing while
she..............(talk) to me. I couldn’t believe she...........(make) a phone call during the class. I
asked what was going on.

She said her English teacher was so boring that several of the students..................(sleep
actually) in class. Some of the students...............(talk) about their plans for the weekend and
the students next to her...........(draw) a picture of a horse. When Dana............................(tell)
me she was not satisfied with the class I ............(mention) that my English teacher was quite
good and ...............( suggest) that she switched to my class.

While we........................(talk), I ..............( hear) her professor yell, “Are you..........(make) a

phone call?” Suddenly, the line went dead. I...........................(hang) up the phone and went to
the kitchen to make dinner. As I..........................(cut) vegetables for a salad, the
phone.................(ring) once again. It.........(be) Dana but this time she .............(not sit) in
class.

5. Fill in the gaps with the appropriate tenses using the words in brackets:

1. ”What ........................(you, do ) when the accident occurred?” ’’I ..........(try) to change a

light bulb that had burnt out.”

2. After I ..........(find) the wallet full of money, I....................... (go, immediately) to the police
and...........................(turn) it in.

3. The doctor..........(say) that Tom..............(be) too sick to go to work and that

he..................(need) to stay at home for a couple of days.

4. Dan is in the bedroom watching TV. At this time yesterday, he (watch, also)........television.
That’s all he does all day long.

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5. When I .....( walk) into that office the secretary...............talk on the phone with the
customer, several girls................(work busily) at their desks and two
supervisors.............(discuss quietly) matters to improve customer service.

6. Andra.....(be) in the room when Dan told me what .........(happen), but she didn’t hear
anything because she...............(not listen).

7. It’s strange that you..........(call) because I.............. (think, just) about you.

8. The Titanic........( cross) the Atlantic when it.............( hit) an iceberg.

9. Anna...........(live) in Timisoara for more than two years. In fact she.......(live) there when
the Revolution started.

10. The fireman...............(rescue) the old lady who......(trapped) on the second floor.

IV. Evaluation

1. What have you done in this unit?

2. What have you learnt from it?

3. What did you like about it?

4. What would you change concerning its contents?

5. Do you have any suggestions for improving it?

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