Lesson 4

Job Trends

Objectives

★ To practice matching sentences with sentence gaps in a text.

★ To practice vocabulary related to work and jobs.

★ To practice collocations (verb + noun, verb + adverb, verb + adjective).

Pre-reading

In pairs, discuss these questions. The

Key Words may help you.

1. What job areas have become more

important in the last twenty

years?

2. What jobs have become less

important?

3. What skills and qualities are useful

to get a good job nowadays?

Job areas: farming, coal mining,

information technology, the

media, services, ship

building, steel production

Key words

agriculture

coal mining

Information technology

the media

shipbuilding

Steel production

Skills: communication skills, computer skills, driving, language skills, typing

Communication skills

computer skills

driving

language skills

typing

Qualities: creative, flexible, hard-

working, motivated, un

derstanding, helpful, go

od judgement

Reading

Read the sentences below and the

text. Then follow the steps in the

Reading Strategies to find the correct

sentences (a-f) for each gap (1-6) in

the text.

a. On the other hand, the service

industry, the media and information

technology are booming.

b. Because of this, people who work with

computers will be in much greater

demand.

2

3

c. However, understanding other

people, their minds, culture and

history will be very important.

d. First of all, don’t panic.

6

1

e. They will also need people who

can work together and get on well

in a team.

f. Because of this, workers will

have to be more flexible.

5

4

Post-Reading

Read the article again and answer

these questions.

1. What is “future shock” ?

The speed of change that affects

people’s lives and work.

2. What is one of the job areas of the

future?

The media, information technology.

3. How will jobs change?

People will have different contracts,

not work for one company.

4. How will companies change? They will be organized more

democratically. 5. What skills and personal qualities will

people need? Communication skills, computer

skills, working with people from different cultures.

6. What personal benefits will the

new situation bring?

You can live where you want,

continue your studies and have a

lot more free time.

Language PointsLanguage Points

1. It is sometimes difficult to work

out the patterns of change.

有时很难搞清变化的规律。 work out 算出 , 估计出

He sat down at his desk to work ou

t the exact figures.

他在书桌旁坐下来 , 准备算出准确的数字。 He was meant to work out these ma

th problems all alone.

他应当独立完成这些数学习题。

2. People will move sideways to do dif

ferent jobs, rather than moving up

the “company ladder” as before. 人们不会像以前那样在同一个公司寻求提升 , 他们会多方去寻找不同的工作。

rather than 与其……毋宁…… It was what he meant rather than what he said. 尽管他没有说出来 , 但那是他的意思。 He was an objective rather than a subjective writer. 与其说他是个主观型作家 , 不如说他是客观型作家。

3. Many more people will work for

small, dynamic companies which can

react quickly to changes in the marke

t. 许多人会供职于小而具有活力的公司 , 这样的公司能快速适应市场变化。

react to 对某事作出反应 , 对某人有 疗效。

How did he react to the news?

他对消息的反应如何？How is your patient reacting to the

course of treatment?

你的病人对疗程的反应如何？

4. Above all, a manager will need to f

eel comfortable working with peopl

e from other cultures and coping w

ith cultural differences.

最为重要的是 , 一个经理需要与不同文化背景的人愉快合作 ,

需要适应各种文化差异。

cope with 应付 , 处理

They lack the strength to cope with all

these problems.

他们无力处理这些问题。 This is more than I am able to cope wi

th. 这超出我的处理能力。

★ Use the table below to classify these words from the text that often go together.

decrease rapidly, become international,

start one’s own business, feel

comfortable, find (something) difficult,

have an advantage, have free time, pay

attention, respond quickly, take a deep

breath

verb+ noun

verb+ adverb

verb+ adjective

have an advantage

decrease rapidly

become international

start one’s own business;have free time;pay attention;take a deep breath

respond quickly

feel comfortable; find (something) difficult

★ Complete the sentences below with the correct form of expressions from Exercise 6.

1. I never really _______________

speaking in a foreign language.

2. If you look at unemployment, it

________________ in the past

few months.

feel comfortable

decrease rapidly

3. We get so much homework that I do

n’t ____________ to relax.

4. I’d like to ____________________ on

e day and not work for a boss.

5. Drivers have to _______________ to

avoid accidents.

6. I _________________ in maths. I eve

n ________arithmetic ________.

have free time

start my own business

respond quickly

have an advantage

find difficult

★ Complete the vocabulary networks with words from this list:

bored, my own business, an accident, a job, an exam, an excuse, somebody a favor, a good time, home, your homework, married, a mistake, money, a bonus, a suggestion, your best

an exam

somebody a favor

your homework

your best

an excuse

a mistake

money

a suggestion

do

5.

6.

7.

8.

make

1.

2.

3.

4.

my own business

an accident

a job

a good time

bored

home

married

a bonus

9.

10

.

11

.

12

.

have

13

.

14

.

15

.

16

.

get

Writing and Speaking

In pairs, take turns to say sentences

about yourself. Use the verb

collocations from Exercise 8.

Example I’d like to have my own

insurance business one day.

Then write a composition about your

favorite job in the future.