Read the article again and answer the questions.

1. What do these figures refer to?

a) 5.5 million; b) ; c) d)80%; e) 1 in 4

2. Who do Gap Year for Grown Ups organize projects for?

3. What continent is most popular to travel to on a career break?

4. What other things do some people do on a break, apart from travel?

5. Which work areas offer the most career breaks?

FEATURES

More workers take a career break

RECORD numbers of workers are planning a career break. The latest research says that many people want to leave their job and travel the world. In the past, a gap year was for students or rich people. Now more and more ordinary workers are taking a break from their job. Almost one in five British workers – around five and half million – are planning to take a break from their careers. In the past five years, three million employees have taken a break. The research shows that more than half the people who are taking a career want to travel and see the world. A third are looking for a break from office life.

Gap Year for Grown Ups is a company that provides career break projects for people over thirty. Even people in their fifties and sixties are taking career breaks. Some people went straight from university to work and now they want to travel. The majority of people who book with Gap Year for Grown Ups are women. Eighty per cent of their clients are female. Africa is the most popular destination, and South America is becoming more and more popular for people who want to do voluntary work as well as travel and go sightseeing.

British workers like companies that offer career breaks to their staff. One in four employees works for a company where career breaks are a staff perk. The government and finance and insurance industries are leading the way – 40 per cent of their employees can take a career break. They are followed by IT and telecoms staff (36 per cent) and medicine / the health service (25 per cent). The research shows that career breaks also help employers: companies that offer career breaks are able to recruit and keep good staff.

Glossary:

Break (n) – time when you do not work or study;

Straight (adv) – directly;

Recruit (v) – find people to work in a company

Variant 4 (Р, С, Т, У, Ф, Г, Д, Я)

Vocabulary and Grammar

Complete the sentences with the words from the box.

laboratory competitors colleagues trader investment manager export manual

1. I enjoy my job because I like the people I work with. The are great … .

2. Do Lancome … to Taiwan?

3. Shell and Esso are … in the oil market.

4. Tom is working as a … on the Japanese stock market.

5. How long did you work as a … at Dell?

6. We lost a lot of money – it was a bad … .

7. We have modern scientific equipment in the new … .

8. … workers do physical jobs, for example, on farms or in factories.

Choose the correct answer.

1. Which statement is incorrect?

A) Sales department sells to customers. C) Production department makes products.

B) Marketing department arranges artwork D) Finance department deals with the company’s

accounts

2. Which phrase we do not use when we meet business contacts for the first time?

A) Where are you from? C) What’s your name?

B) What company are you with? D) How old are you?

3. Which phrase is not used to make a request?

A) Can I smoke here? C) Can I have the menu, please?

B) I’d like a cup of tea. D) Could you give me the bread, please?

4. Which words refer to people?

A) university, laboratory, lawyer C) professor, technician, salesperson

B) scientist, workshop, industry D) customer, account, manager

5. Mr Davis … usually work at the weekend.

A) is C) doesn’t

B) isn’t D) hasn’t

6. The City Museum … at 5 o’clock in the evening.

A) close C) is closing

B) closes D) is close

7. Where … your colleague live?

A) does C) do

B) is D) has

8. Ann’s mother … as a manager last year.

A) is C) works

B) work D) worked

9. He usually works to work, but he … to work yesterday.

A) didn’t went C) went

B) goes D) didn’t go

10. This meeting is … than the previous one.

A) interesting C) more interesting

B) the most interesting D) interestinger

11. Russia is … country in the world.

A) bigger C) big

B) bigger than D) the biggest

12. Tom and Mary … a report right now.

A) is preparing C) are preparing

B) prepares D) prepare

READING