5
CAE – Reading comprehension (part 8)
1. READING COMPREHENSION
You are going to read some extracts of people talking about their jobs. For each question, choose
from the extracts (A – F). The extracts may be chosen more than once, but only one choice should
be made per question.
Jobs
A The Writer
I’m often accused of living in a parallel universe. The nature
of my job demands a natural inclination to all things weird
and wonderful. After all, I’m creating an unreal world based
on what I see, feel and experience. I don’t remember a time
when I didn’t write but I never had aspirations to earn a
living from it until a cousin of mine entered a short story I’d
written into a national competition and I won! It was a bolt
out of the blue seeing as I knew nothing about the
competition. The cash prize was substantial so I shared it
with my enterprising cousin. Now she tries to claim
commission on the royalties of every book I have published,
not that she has any luck!
B The Postal Worker
I love the freedom of my job. You are out on the streets
delivering and there is no one to bother you. Well, with the
exception of the local wildlife of course. I’ve had a few close
Mandibola canina
encounters with a canine jaw or two but no actual bites. I’m
a fast runner when need be. I’m not so sure that some of the
letters I deliver survive some of the cuddly dogs that rip
them out of my hand as they go through the letterbox. In
some houses I can hear great snarling and ripping noises as I
walk away from the door. Still, once they are through that
box, they’re no longer my responsibility.
Seriously though, it can give you a warm feeling inside
sometimes when someone is waiting for something special
and they look so happy when you deliver it. Exam results
time, not that’s an emotional one. Poor kids, you see them
looking out of a window or even hanging around outside
their house, just waiting form me to come along with that
dreaded envelope that will affect their whole future.
C The Teacher Deboli di cuore
It’s not a job for the fainthearted that’s for sure. But on the
other hand, I think people make it out to be worse than it is.
The majority of the time, things run very smoothly, well as
smoothly as they can with a building containing over a
thousand kids. It’s a fascinating job when you think about it,
all those little personalities developing in front of your eyes.
The wonderful thing is when they stay in touch and come
back on regular visits to keep you up to date on how their
life is panning out. And then you feel really old as their
children come along and you end up teaching the next
generation.
D The Actor
My brothers always say that I’ve never had a proper job in
my life. That’s just because they are jealous since they are
stuck in nine-to-five jobs. We were always competitive
with each other as kids and I guess we still are in some
ways.
They crave my freedom but I admire their skills as fathers.
I love acting but I sometimes wonder if I’ve missed out on
the traditional way of life. Maybe the stability of a ‘proper’
job would be more rewarding in the long run. It must be
great to have workmates that you’ve known for years and
joked with day in, day out. And office Christmas parties,
now they sound like fun.
E The Au Pair
My job is quite strange if you think about it. I move into
the home of complete strangers and overnight I become
an integral part of the family. It can often be hard for the
children to adjust to a new au pair. Sometimes they are a
bit resentful because they want more of their parents’
attention and the au pair is considered, at best, a poor
substitute and at worst, an invader in the family home. We
are trained to deal with such issues though and have
techniques to help us win the trust of the children and to
make them see that having an au pair is a positive thing in
their life.
Usually things turn out well in the end and it can be a real
wrench when you leave a family. I’ve stayed in touch with
all the families that I’ve worked for.
F The Bus Driver
I wouldn’t say my job is particularly stressful. Some of the
other drivers grumble about traffic and rude passengers
but I think that you get what you give and if I give people a
cheery good morning they are going to respond in a
positive way towards me. That’s not to say there aren’t a
fair few idiots on the road. Some drivers think they have a
divine right to go wherever they want without paying any
attention to fellow road users and others have a thing
about buses and feel obliged to overtake them at all costs
and in any situation, whether it’s safe or not. There’s a real
sense of camaraderie among the drivers and we have a
good laugh together in the depot canteen. With this job
you’ve got to keep a smile on your face.
 5
In which extract (A-F) is the following mentioned?

A situation that makes you realise you are ageing. 1 ______

Initial hostile behaviour that can be changed. 2 ______

Treating people as you wish to be treated yourself. 3 ______

People anxious for news. 4 ______

A family member taking credit for someone’s success. 5 ______

Desiderare ardentemente/aspicare
Longing for a more conventional life. 6 ______

The risk of being physically attacked. 7 ______

Needing a certain amount of courage. 8 ______

Not intending to follow the career they have ended up doing. 9 ______

Putting other people at risk. 10 ______

 5
ANSWERS – CAE READING COMPREHENSION – JOBS

1. C - And then you feel really old as their children come along
2. E - Sometimes they are a bit resentful….. We are trained to deal with such issues though and have
techniques to help us win the trust of the children
3. F - I think that you get what you give and if I give people a cheery good morning they are going to
respond in a positive way towards me
4. B - Exam results time, not that’s an emotional one.
5. A - Now she tries to claim commission on the royalties of every book I have published
6. D - I sometimes wonder if I’ve missed out on the traditional way of life.
7. B - I’ve had a few close encounters with a canine jaw or two but no actual bites
8. C - It’s not a job for the fainthearted that’s for sure.
9. A - I don’t remember a time when I didn’t write but I never had aspirations to earn a living from it
10. F - others have a thing about buses and feel obliged to overtake them at all costs and in any situation,
whether it’s safe or not.