Ex. 3 Read the quotations and comment on them

1 "Can there be many people who doubt the benefits of education? I certainly don't consider that there are any disadvantages in becoming educated."

2 "Nowadays education is available in many forms and types and it is offered in a great variety of ways. The person who is interested in raising his or her general standard of knowledge in whatever field he or she chooses will be amazed by the rich landscape of opportunity for studying that is provided. There are, for example, the established institutions giving formal education at all levels. But there are also innumerable tapes and computer programs which are prepared to help the self-taught student."

3 "Primitive man learnt about his world by observing things around him, fearing the natural elements and other phenomena that he did not understand. Children today receive a wealth of knowledge from computers and push-button toys whenever they please in the comfort of their own home."

4 "Education means knowledge. It means learning about the world around, about things of interest, most importantly about oneself. But education is a lot more than just learning facts. To some people it is a means of acquiring social prestige or financial independence, to me it is a long but necessary road to becoming a better person."

5 "I certainly would not think twice about advising people to obtain more education for themselves. There is no end to knowledge and so there should be no end to our efforts to acquire it. But the greatest advantage about education is the marvelous change, the unquestionable improvement that comes over a person who believes in education and devotes time to it."

6 "I think the opportunities offered in today's world to those who want to study are so many and so varied that it is difficult for someone to remain uneducated if he or she wishes to learn. It is up to the individual to choose a particular course or method of learning that suits his or her interests, tastes and pocket."

7 "There can be no doubt that mankind has travelled a long way from the era when primitive man hid away, frightened in his cave to the present day when even children can store away specialized knowledge in their individual computers. The question is, has man learnt to use his slowly acquired knowledge sensibly and wisely and to his best advantage? This, I feel, is the one area where man still has a lot to learn."

8 "I cannot imagine people living and not wanting to learn. I certainly intend to carry on buying books and magazines on various subjects of interest. And If I cannot afford everything, then I will have to persuade the local council to spend some money on buying more material for the library."

9 “Education is the key to open the door leading to social acceptance and success."

Ex. 4 Work in pairs and do the following tasks.

1 Share the ideas about the advantages of getting higher education.

2 Explain to your partner why you have chosen the higher educational establishment you attend.

Unit 4 Looking for a Job

Pretext Exercises

Ex.1 Read the title of the text and say what the text will be about.

Ex. 2 Study the text and decide if these statements are right.

1 The best way of looking for a job is to use the help of employment agencies.

2 Employment agencies often publish their ads on behalf of their clients.

3 All printed publications publish announcements of job opportunities and they are all worth reacting to.

4 People should put much trust in ads in the yellow press.

5 An experienced reader will easily extract information on the activities of the company in the yellow press.

Text A JOB HUNTING

There are several traditional ways of looking for a job. A civilized and active means of looking for a job is studying the market of the offered vacancies to get an idea of necessary demands and size up your own chances.

The best way of doing this is to use the help of employment agencies or to independently study the ads of job opportunities being published.

Announcements of job opportunities can be read in different printed publications. But which of them is worth reacting to?

Don't put much trust in ads in the yellow press. Solid companies place ads in prestigious expensive publications with a firm reputation.

Your main task is to understand whether the position being offered is consistent with the levels of your skills, education, and experience in work.

The structure of job opportunities ads is usually the same: the name of the vacant position, the list of the candidate's professional duties, the demands made of the candidate, and the system of compensations and benefits. Ads are often published by employment agencies on behalf of their clients. The address of the office is usually not given — it is suggested that the resume should be sent to aP.O. box or else faxed.

Having carefully studied the demands and duties being offered, an experienced reader may extract information on the activities of the company and the prospects of its development.

The phrases often used about "successful work over many years in the Russian market", "New missions being opened", etc., really testify to the company's dependability, serious prospects for its growth, and the durability of its stay in Russia.

First, one must pay attention to the position. To grasp what lurks behind the position's English name, there is a need to visualize at least in general outline the personnel structure at Western companies. For instance one may be misled by the incorrect interpretation of the word "Assistant". There is a need to understand that this word does not at all imply secretarial functions. A more exact meaning of this word is: mate, aid, apprentice manager, high-class specialist capable of independently tackling the tasks set to him.

Therefore using all possible means, try to learn as much as possible about this position to prepare yourself as best as possible for a meeting with the employer.

Carefully read the demands made of the given position. The demand to know a foreign language is very important. In most cases there is a need for free command of the language — Fluent English. Free command implies an ability freely to deal with a foreign manager, competently to compile documents and speak on the phone. This demand may prove to be the most important.

Quite often the ads do not decipher other demands in detail. For example, the ability to type in Russian / Latin. According to international standards, an adequate level of typewriting is a speed of 60 words per minute. Therefore, when claiming the given position, you need to check your speed or bring it up to the required level. Besides, a secretary is usually required to be able to work on a personal computer. In general, if the ads meticulously enumerate the software products, systems, languages, etc., which the candidate must necessarily know, remember that these demands have a strictly binding force.

Such special demands set the level of the candidate's indispensable qualifications.

Exercises on the text