Page. IELTS ADVANCED: HOMEWORK DOCUMENT TOPIC FOR MINDMAP Some say that because many people are living much longer, the age at which people retire from work should be raised considerably. What problems does it lead to? Suggest possible solutions. A. Read the following text and learn interesting vocabulary and ideas from it. Refer to the Glossary in part B for explanations of the meaning of new words. Currently, in many countries, the age at which people stop paid work tends to be between 55 and 65. In the past, with few people living beyond the age of 80, it was rare for anybody to enjoy more than 20 years of retirement, However nowadays, that figure is much more likely to be 30, or even 40 years, This is often cited as a reason for requiring people to work to a later age 1. WE SHOULD RAISE THE RETIREMENT AGE -Raising the retirement age makes sense because life spans are rising. Extending retirement age is in in line with the extended life expeetaney. It can prolong the working life of people now and in the future ~ An increase in the retirement age would take the pressure off the spiraling budget deficit. When a great number of people retire early, it puts a great financial strain on our retirement systems. By delaying retirement, the government can reduce the number of retirement years that they must fund, The longer people work, the more funds will be available to help support the retirement system. ~ Productivity and intellectual ability of most workers would remain the same as they approach age 65 and in the years beyond. Physical strength is now less necessary, so one’s working age becomes extended. Some companies are increasingly seeing the adv tages of recruiting older workers: they are experienced, more reliable and responsible, and less likely to quit after only a short time, Older employees often have a wealth of experience and specialised knowledge they have obtained throughout their decades-long working lives, With senior employees, a corporation minimises the risk of relying on impetuous decisions made by young, inexperienced employees. -By working until age 67 instead of retiring at age 62, for example, a typical worker could make more savings, significantly reducing the likelihood of falling into poverty at older ages ~ A 2008 study reported that retirement leads to declines in mental health and mobility, and increases in other poor health outcomes, such as heart disease and stroke. 2. WE SHOULD NOT RAISE THE RETIREMENT AGEPage2 IELTS ADVANCED-LESSON 15, - Working in later life might not be aligned with blue-collar workers. It’s simply unfair to ask those who perform manual labor to work more years before becoming eligible for benefits. If they can hold out until 69 or 70, some may be suffering health ailments from the impact on their bodies from additional years their physically demanding jobs. \come workers always had shorter life expectancies than workers with higher incomes. New research shows that the gaps in life expectancy are growing, Life expectancy has increased more rapidly for higher-income individuals than for lower-income individuals. They also earn less on average. Thus, increasing the retirement age would be unfair to lower- income individuals. A higher retirement age would hit this group hard -Many jobs are still blue rather than white collar forms of employment. Slower reaction times and lapses in memory could make older workers much less efficient, -Although older people obviously bring to their profession a great deal of experience, they gradually become less enthusiastic and less willing to adapt to changes. Young people are more adaptable and should not have to wait until their seniors leave to get a job -Secondly, many people simply don't want to spend so much of their lives working — they want to spend time with their children or grandchildren, or to use that time for things like travelling before they grow too old to enjoy it. The earlier they retire, the more years they will have before health issues begin to limit their mobili After reading the extra reading and making the mindmap, answer the following questions: ‘What are the benefits of increasing retirement What are the benefits of retiring early? Should the retirement age of blue-collar workers be raised? Why? /Why not? Should the retirement age be raised to 70 years old? Why? /Why not? By reducing the retirement age to 65 years in all employment sectors, can the unemployment problem be solved? Why? /Why not? 6. What are the drawbacks of increasing retirement age? VOCABULARY FROM EXTRA READING 1. to spiral (prices show a continuous and dramatic increase, a situation gets worse in a way that cannot be controlled) -Crime has spiraled out of control, -House prices will continue to spiral downwards. -L think the price of the petrol will spiral up. -Tuition fees and the cost of living can lead to spiraling debts,Page3 2, budget deficit income) They're ready to cut the budget deficit by raising taxes for the next fiscal year. -There are many priorities, but reducing the budget deficit is of paramount importance -He said any measures to tackle the budget deficit should be secondary to dealing with the recession. An increase in the retirement age would take the pressure off the spiraling budget deficit. ~The state has a $14 billion budget deficit, (the amount by which what a government spends is more than it receives in taxes or other 3. paradox (n- a situation or statement that seems impossible or is difficult to understand because it contains two opposite facts or characteristics) -It’s a curious paradox that drinking a lot of water can often make you feel thirsty -It’s a paradox that in such a rich country there can be so much poverty. -There's a paradox in the faet that although we're living longer than ever before, people are more obsessed with health issues than they ever were. ~The paradox is that a fixed retirement age is still being widely adopted by many employers as usual 4, paradoxically /,pzera‘doksikli/ (in a way that is surprising because it is the opposite of what you would expect) -Paradoxically, the prohibition of liquor caused an increase in alcoholism -Paradoxically, the less she ate, the fatter she got -Paradoxically, the problem of loneliness is most acute in big cities 5. a wealth of sth (a lot of something useful or good) There is a wealth of information available about how to keep fit in the Internet. -There really is a wealth of unrecognised talent out there -Jim has a wealth of teaching experience. -There is a wealth of supporting evidence that seniors workers do not impede young employees 6. impetuous decisions (said or done suddenly, without considering the likely results) impetuous decisions -She might live to regret this impetuous deci -He's so impetuous - why can't he think things over before he rushes into them? ion. 7. Working in later life might not be aligned with blue-collar workers (has the right relationship to something else, suitable) 8. Extend the extended life expectancy. (changes in the same way and at the same rate as sth) etirement age is