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READING
Write your answers to the questions:
1 What is a typical working day like in your country?
In my country people often have a 9 to 5 job, from Monday to Friday.----------------------------------------------
2 Is working from home an option for many workers?
Unfortunately working from home is an option for a few people, who work in IT.--------------------------------
2 Read the title of the article. What do you think the article will be about?
1 How we use technology at work and how it makes us work faster.
2 The types of jobs people do and how jobs will change.
3 Changes in how and where we work.

3 Read the article about how the working day has changed and answer the questions.
1. What happened to working days in the last century?
Working days became shorter in the last century.
2. What has changed the way we work most of all?
Technology, particularly the internet, has changed the way we work most significantly. It has enabled
remote work, allowing people to work from various locations outside traditional offices.
3. Where couldn’t people work in the past but can now?
In the past, people couldn't work remotely or from locations like cafes or flexible shared workspaces.
4. What can people do if they are on the move?
If people are on the move, they can still work using laptops or devices in places with internet access, such as
cafes or by renting 'hot desks' in shared workspaces.
5. What might happen in the future?
In the future, work patterns might become more flexible, potentially eliminating the traditional 9-to-5
working structure. People might have more freedom to choose when and where they work.

From fields and factories to the comfort of your sofa.

The world of work has changed so much in the last few years, but what will it look like in the future? Two hundred
years ago, the majority of people worked in fields on farms, working long hours and doing backbreaking work for
little money. Then, for many countries, came industrialisation and the beginning of a modern urban life. We saw the
greatest changes in the last century, with people working shorter days and the beginning of the 9-to-5 routine and
office life. The types of jobs we do have also changed dramatically, with people working more in the service
industries, such as finance and banking. An even greater change has been where we work and when, due to
technology.

Since the 1990s technology has advanced rapidly, with the greatest change being the birth of the internet. People
now seem to spend most of their working days reading and sending emails in order to complete their daily tasks.

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The internet has also made an important difference to where people do their work and there is a growing trend for
people to spend more time out of the office and working from home or in connected environments, such as cafés.

In many towns and cities across the world it has been common for some time now to see people tapping on their
laptop keyboards in cafes, using the free wifi to get their work done. There has also been a huge increase in the
number of people renting ‘hot desks’ for the day or even a few hours, so they can get their work done while on the
move. What about the future? How will we work in 100 years’ time? Maybe the idea of a work-free weekend and 9-
to-5 working will no longer exist. People will be able to choose when and where they want to work.

4Read the article again. Find words/ phrases that match the definitions 1–6.
1 very heavy or hard work: backbreaking work
2 because of: due to
3 everyday jobs: 9-to-5
4 places that have the internet: connected environments
5 typing: tapping on their laptop keyboards
6 very big: huge
5What are your answers to the questions? Write them down
1 Where do you prefer to work or study?
I would like to work from home, but it would be nice to change the environment from time to time.
2 What time of day do you prefer to work and why?
I prefer to work in the morning and in the evening, because these are the parts of the day when I am
the most active and productive.

3 6 Listen to a job interview and answer the questions.

1 What kind of job has Zahra applied for?
________________________________________________________________________________
2 Do you think she did well in the interview?
________________________________________________________________________________
7 Listen again and answer the questions.
1 What is Margaret’s job?
2 When did Zahra leave college?
3 What was Zahra promoted to?
4 Why does she enjoy her job?
5 Is Zahra an organised or disorganised worker?
6 What does she like most about the job she is doing now?
8 The words/phrases in the box are from the recording. Complete the sentences with the
words/phrases.
1 My last job was working for a software company and my current job is with an internet provider.
2 She was successful because she worked very hard.
3 You must send your resume for the job before you can be selected for interview.
4 The team has a schedule for the coming month that includes working weekends.
5 I believe my greatest skill is being efficient.
6 The deadline for completing the job is 1st February.
9 What are your answers to the questions?

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1 What tasks are you good at?
I am good at doing things fast, I am not bad at grammar and at cooking.
3 Are you an organised person?
I did’t use to be the one, but I tend to be more organised.
3 Do you think it is easy or difficult to do well in a job interview?
I think it depends on the job you want to apply. If it’s something you have to compete a lot with other
people to get the job, then it will be probably difficult.

VIDEO
1 OVERVIEW: Watch the video. What dreams or ambitions do you have in common with the
speakers?
2 Read the questions about Val and watch the video from 0:10–0:28. Circle the correct answers.
1 What does Val do? Val
She’s a) a musician at the BBC. b)a producer at the BBC.
2 Is it her dream job?
a) Yes. b) No.
3 What’s she always wanted to do?
She’s always wanted to be
a) in a successful band. b) the best producer at the BBC.
4 What’s she going to talk to people about today?
a) Their dreams. b) Dream jobs.

3 What do you do? Check you know the meaning of the jobs in the box. Then watch the video
from 0:28–0:55 and number the jobs in the order you hear them. There are SIX extra jobs.
a teacher 1 a history and math teacher a vet a Salvation Army minister
a student nurse 3 a footballer a cellist an architectural technologist
a solicitor a guitarist a stand-up comedian a brass instrument repairer
a student a paediatrician

Glossary: maths vs math = British and American English variations

Salvation Army = worldwide Christian church and charity which provides social care

minister = a religious (or political) leader

cellist = someone who plays the cello

architectural technologist = provides design services to architects

solicitor = a lawyer

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Susan Paul Philippe

2. I wanted to
1. I wanted to be a teacher. 3. I wanted to be __________
be___________

Elizabeth Fawn Luke

4. I wanted to be _________
5. I wanted to be __________ 6. I wanted to be___________

4 What did you dream of doing, or being, when you were younger? Look at the people in the photos and read
the jobs in the box in Exercise 3 again. Then watch the video from 0:57–2:12 and write the correct
dream jobs in spaces 1–6. The speakers sometimes mention TWO job

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5 Is your job a dream job? Are you ambitious? Look at the people and read the possible answers. Then
watch the second half of the video from 2:13–3:31 and tick (✓) the correct answers.

Susan Philippe
1 Susan has a dream job because … 1 It’s a dream for Philippe to work in the music
a) there’s a lot of variety. ✓ industry because …
b) it’s different.
a) his father is a professional musician.
2 She isn’t as ambitious in her job as she used to b) it will help him achieve his overall
be because she’s more interested in … dream to be a professional cellist.
a) working on her own art.
b) helping other people with their art.

Fawn Phil
1 Nursing is Fawn’s dream job because she … 1 Phil thinks he has a dream job because …
a) likes hard work. a) nobody tells him what to do.
b) gets a lot of job satisfaction. b) he can be creative and do what he likes best.
2 She wants to get quite high up in her job 2 He’s ambitious in his job and likes to …
and … a)be able to make his own decisions
a) earn a good salary. b)do a lot of different things.
b) move house.

Glossary: achieve your overall dream = succeed in making your whole dream come true

get high up in a job = get promoted to a good position

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7 THE WAY WE SPEAK: The people in the pictures talk about their childhood dreams. Read and
complete what you think they say with the words from the box. Then watch the video from 0:57–2:12
what when enough performing finally get as starting of later on
and check your answers.

I wanted to be a footballer. That’s 1what I wanted to do. I wanted to play for

Liverpool or Arsenal, and I was quite good, but not good 2 .

Paul

3 I was a child, I dreamt 4 being a professional cellist

and 5 to whatever audience I could, within orchestras or on
my own as a soloist.

Philippe

6 a child, I used to play a lot of guitar. So, I dreamt of becoming,

7 a band, and becoming a world-famous guitarist.

Luke

When I was younger, I loved sports and I envisioned some kind of a career in
sports – professionally, perhaps. 8 , I was thinking of business, in the
business realm and 9 I came away with serving people: that was my dream
job
and I 10 to do that through the Salvation Army.
Barry

Glossary: achieve your overall dream = succeed in making your whole dream come true
get high up in a job = get promoted to a good position

8 PERSONALISATION: Write your answers to the questions.

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1 What do you do?
I am student and teacher.
2 What did you dream of doing, or being, when you were younger?
When I was younger I would dream about doing many things, like being an actress, a vet, a singer, a
hairdresser.
3 Would you describe your job as a dream job? Why/Why not?
I still haven’t understood. I need more time to get more experienced.

4 Are you ambitious? If so, in what way(s) are you ambitious?