EF p 77. Being Busy. Mediation. Word Formation

TASK 1: 

You come across an infographic about people's addiction to being busy. You find it so interesting that you decide to write a blog entry about it.

Addiction to being busy

People struggle to juggle friends, family, work and fitness

Reasons for busyness:

Feeling anxious when missing an event.

To take your mind off your troubles.

To become successful.

Sample answer:

TEXT 1 

Are you (1)______________ (ADDICTION) to being busy? 

‘Let me check my diary and get back to you’, is a phrase we’ve all (2)_______________ (UTTERANCE). We are constantly on the go, trying to squeeze friends and family, work, and fitness into our (3)________________ (INCREASE) demanding lifestyles. And while we have all struggled with a jam-packed week at some stage, it’s possible some people have developed an actual addiction to ‘busyness’. 

Many busy people suffer from FOMO, which stands for ‘fear of missing out’, and is (4)______________ (DEFINITION) as anxiety, often caused by social media, that an exciting or interesting event is happening somewhere which they are not part of. Others pack their schedules in order to avoid dealing with other things in their lives. ‘When our mind isn’t occupied with a task, we are left with our thoughts and our emotions,’ says psychologist Jaimie Bloch. ‘This makes many people feel (5)______________ (COMFORT) and anxious. For example, those who have recently left relationships might use (6)________________ (EXCESS) activity as a way to keep their minds off the (7)_____________ (BREAK). Others may have a fear of being (8)_________________ (PRODUCE), so busyness feels like a way to achieve success. When these people aren’t busy, it’s a form of (9)_____________ (FAIL).’ Ms Bloch also says that in a society obsessed with (10)______________ (PRODUCE) and achievement, being busy can be a way to elevate your social status. ‘Being busy creates a sense of importance and value. The idea of relaxing, not doing anything, is linked to emotions such as (11)______________ (GUILTY) and shame.’

KEY

1. addicted

2. uttered

3. increasingly

4. defined

5. uncomfortable

6. excessive

7. break-up

8. unproductive

9. failure

10. productivity

11. guilt/ guiltiness

TASK 2: 

You come across an infographic about the effects of being busy on our health. You find it so interesting that you decide to write a blog entry about it.

Being busy and our health

Helps us live longer lives and sleep better

Keeps us physically and mentally stronger

Keeps us socially active

Prevents mental illness 

Don't retire early!

Do volunteer work!

Sample answer:

TEXT 2

What keeps you (1)____________ (HEALTH) is being busy, busy, busy! 

We all dream of leading a life of leisure. Often that dream just keeps (2)_____________ (RECESSION) from our grasp. Pension ages are going up, and smartphones and social media mean we’re never really ‘switched off’. But now, emerging (3)___________ (MEDICINE) research suggests that staying busy helps us to live longer, keeps us strong, and could even keep dementia at bay. 

(4)______________ (RECENT), American researchers revealed that we sleep better when we have lots of reasons to jump out of bed in the morning. (5)____________ (NEUROLOGY) in Chicago reported that people who are (6)_____________ (BUSY) purposeful − in particular, having a packed agenda of future plans − are less troubled by insomnia. And psychologists at the University of Texas reported that the busier people are, the stronger their mental powers, (7)___________ (REGARD) of age or education. 

It appears that keeping busy as we age is (8)____________ (PARTICULAR) beneficial – even if it means working beyond retirement age. Italian neuroscientists have warned that people aged over 50 who retire early are more likely to lose muscle (9)______________ (STRONG) and become ill. Last year, another report found that people who retired later were (10)_______________ (SIGNIFY) less likely to develop cognitive difficulties like loss of memory. Voluntary work has a similar effect. Professor Yannick Griep, a psychologist at Canada’s University of Calgary, says that seniors who volunteer are more  mentally, (11)__________ (PHYSICAL), and socially active, which helps to ward off dementia.

KEY

1. healthy

2. receding

3. medical

4. Recently

5. neurologists

6. busily

7. regardless

8. particularly

9. strength

10. significantly

11. physically

EF p 12. Work. Speaking Mock Exam

 

SPEAKING C1.1

TOPIC 1: WORK                                                               

                       

PART 1. CONVERSATION

Talk to each other about some or all of the following. (7 minutes approx.)

1. Advantages and disadvantages of working from home.

2. Work-life balance. How to improve it. 

3. Work experience. How important is it?

4. Equal work deserves equal pay.

PART 2. MONOLOGUE

Preparation time: 5 minutes 

Talk about at least two of the following ideas. (4 minutes approx.) 

The examiner may ask you further questions about the topic.

CANDIDATE A

1. Do schools and universities prepare students for the world of work?

2. Are we slaves of our jobs? 

3. How do you recharge your batteries?

CANDIDATE B

1. ‘Burnout’ at work? What might lead to this situation and how to prevent it?

2. How Important is ‘job satisfaction’ in today's workplace?

3. What dream jobs would fulfil your wildest expectations?

EF p 12. How important is it for students to gain some work experience? Speaking. Sample Answer

 

Student B: Do you think it is crucial for students to get some work experience?

Student A: Absolutely! I feel (1)__________ strongly that work experience is vital to students.To begin with, I would like to mention that it has been said that all experience is valuable. In my opinion, work experience is extremely valuable to students for a (2)________ of different reasons.

Student B: I couldn't (3)_________ more. Firstly, you can put it on a CV and use it to help you get job interviews.  

Student A: Undeniably,  a graduate who has some work experience is (4)________ more likely to get a job after university than someone who has (5)_________. 

Student B: Secondly, working while at university allows you to explore career options. For instance, you can find out (6)_________ or not a particular line of work suits you. 

Student A: This is very (7)_________. In addition, working while studying has financial benefits. Not only will you be able to have some pocket money, but you will also avoid being burdened (8)_________ so many debts when you leave university.

Student B: I see your point. (9)_________, there is one disadvantage. It must be taken into (10)__________ that working while studying reduces the time you have for your university work.  

Student A: I fully agree with you. This is why you need to have good time (11)___________ skills. 

 

Student B: That's so (12)________. We all seem to be so (13)____________ for time these days. (14)________ for you personally, have you had any work experience (15)_________ far? 

Student A: Surprisingly (16)________, this summer I am planning to work in the hospitality sector. Wish me luck!

Student B: Don't worry! You will be a great asset (17)_______ the company 

Student A: You are too kind! Thank you for the encouraging words anyway. I really (18)________ that.

 

 

KEY

 

 

1. very

 

 

2. number 

 

 

3. agree 

 

 

4. far/much 

 

 

5. none 

 

 

6. whether 

 

 

7. true 

 

 

8. with 

 

 

9. However 

 

 

10. account 

 

 

11. management 

 

 

12. true 

 

 

13. pressed/pushed 

 

 

14. As 

 

 

15. so 

 

 

16. enough 

 

 

17. to  

  "You're too kind" is not meant to be taken literally. It is a hyperbole. Read literally, the person is saying "I do not deserve the amount of kindness you display to me." As an idiom, it means "Thank you for being kind.

 

 

18. appreciate

EF C1.1 p 14. The Night Receptionist. Word Formation

People assume I get bored, but I enjoy the (1)___________ (SOLITARY) . I like the (2)_________ (HOUR) walks through the quiet corridors and listening to the patter of the rain on the windows while enjoying a cup of tea. I enjoy finishing a good book or watching the birds in the car park feeding on the muffins I put out yesterday. 

The (3)___________ (TIRED) is the hardest. Sometimes I have a good routine and my sleep is not affected. Other times, I walk into doors, zombie-like, and (4)____________ (OCCASION) I’ve been surprised to find that I’ve actually made it home. My husband tells me I should find a new job, and I have been applying for some since I began working here, but ‘night receptionist’ is not a good thing to put on a CV. 

I’m good with people; I just don’t like a lot of them. But though my job often (5)____________(PERPETUAL) this (6)__________(LIKE), I am (7)______________ (COMPASSION) towards those in need. I never think twice about letting someone in from the cold, or giving away a free room if it is a genuine cause. But if the intercom goes off at 2 a.m. and I see a couple who can hardly stand, I’ll probably say the hotel is full, even when it isn’t, (8)____________ (ESPECIAL) if I’ve just prepared a (9)____________(NOURISHMENT) AND (10)____________ (APPETITE) midnight snack. 

 

 

 

KEY

 

 

1. solitude

 

 

 

 

 

2. hourly 

 

 

 

 

 

3. tiredness 

 

 

 

 

4. occasionally 

 

 

 

 

 

5. perpetuates 

 

 

 

 

6. dislike 

 

 

 

 

7. compassionate 

 

 

 

 

8. especially 

 

 

 

9. NOURISHING 

 

 

 

 

10. APPETIZING 

EF p 12. 25 Jobs Before She Was 25. Cloze

Emma Rosen had one of the best, (1)___________ sought-after graduate jobs in the country, in the civil service. 20,000 people apply, but (2)____________ than 1,000 are offered jobs. But it turned (3)___________ that she didn’t like commuting and she didn’t like sitting (4)___________ a desk all day, and she struggled to see how (5)____________ she was doing would make much difference to anything. ‘I thought, ‘Get (6)_____________ it, you’re being a snowflake millennial,’’ she says. ‘I had a job for life. I thought, ‘I’m so lucky to be here, I can’t believe I’m not enjoying it. What’s wrong with me? (7)___________ am I so ungrateful and selfish?’’ 

Emma (8)_____________ have gone to work every day and complained (9)________________ her job (10)__________________ she reached retirement age. (11)_____________, she decided to find out what made her happy, what her skills were, and what sort of career (12)____________ use them. She wrote a bucket (13)_____________ of the jobs she had wanted to do (14)____________ childhood and set (15)_____________ getting two-week placements in all of them, over the course of a year. She was 24 years old, and before her 25th birthday she wanted to have tried out at (16)______________ 25 different jobs. She spent the months before she resigned from the civil service saving up her salary to cover the cost of her year off, and spent all her free time setting (17)____________ the different jobs. 

‘There was archaeology in Transylvania, property development for a company in London, alpaca farming in Cornwall, wedding photography, travel writing, interior design, journalism, landscape gardening, marketing, TV production, publishing – all things that I thought I (18)____________ want to do.’

KEY

1. most

2. fewer

3. out

4. at

5. what

6. over

7. Why

8. could

9. about

10. until

11. Instead

12. would

13. list

14. since

15. about

16. least

17. up

set up: organise

E.g.

Can we set up a meeting for 8 November?

18. might