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Exercise 2. Correct the error(s) in each sentence.
a) I'd rather you (not/watch) television while I'm reading.
a) I wish I bought that old house.
b) I'd rather you don't eat all the bread
c) It's time I go
d) I wish I own a motorbike
e) I wish we are not leaving in the morning
f) Sue would rather reading than watching television
Exercise 3. You are going to listen to an interview with David Burns, a soap opera star.[Part III, pp. 159; 1, T, p.39] In it, he talks about his troubled past. What sort of skeletons do you think there are in his cupboard?
| TRUE | FALSE | ||
| David Burns talks about his school life | |||
| Talks about his relationship with his parents | |||
| About working relationship with a director | |||
| A person who helped him | |||
| His future acting roles |
Exercise 4. Listen to the interview again for the expressions below. Tick the ones you know the meaning of. Put a question mark next to the ones you are not sure about. Put a cross next to the ones you do not understand and cannot guess the meaning of from the context.
a. the public eye e. tuned into me i. obsessed
b. a bully f. playing villains j. was hogging the limelight
c. a taunt g. an edgy person k. my lips are sealed
d. downward spiral h. it can turn nasty
Exercise 5. What kind of perks would you like to have when joining a new company?
Exercise 6. Discuss these statements
1. Companies should be fully involved in the lives of their employees.
2. Sick days are a perk.
3. A pay rise is better than a job in a caring company
What kind of perks do you have in your company?
Do you want to change something?
[Part III, pp.180, 3 p. 41.]Exercise 7. Read and translate the first paragraph of the text.
Perks that work
Keeping people happy is an increasingly tough trick. With unemployment at record lows, companies are trying just about anything to retrain employees. Not only are employees being pampered, they’re getting more money, better benefits and help with personal problems such as child care and financial planning. Bosses once shunned such intervention. Retention is no longer a human recourse issue, it’s a business issues. Because technology companies face the tightest labor markets, they have been the most aggressive in devising ways to keep workers. Maybe. all companies-including technology firms-have to be careful they do not create a business model that’s not profitable. Perks and benefits can be effective, but they have to be custom fit to the company and the business sector.
Yet companies still face labor crunches that can really hurt. How do you keep workers? Start by making them feel they’re part of a special place with unique culture. “We want to hire people that are totally aligned with our values”, says Tim Huval, general manager for South Dakota-based gateway’s 2,200-employee call center and manufacturing facility in Hampton. “Honesty, efficiency, aggressiveness, respect, teamwork, caring, common sense and fun. Those are values that live by.” Founder and CEO William Tyler pushes pairing quality of life with a sense of social responsibility. Workers can designate which non-profit groups Xperts contributes to, for example. A strong culture makes it hard for people to leave, Tyler says. “They don’t have an urge to leave because they’ve found a home.” They’re happy. Notice this corporate culture stuff doesn’t say much about shareholders or profit. It’s a decidedly employee-centric approach. “If you ask any of them, they’re all going to say, “Pay me more money “But that’s not the truth,” Tyler says. What people are looking for is, A place that’s looking out for me. What that means is helping employees cope with problems they face outside the office. Employees take time off when they need it and don’t have to call it a sick day or vacation. Work-life issues are huge, Bailey says. You make them feel as though they’re not interested in looking elsewhere, because they’re very happy with their life.
Exercise 8. Read the text and say which lines are these ideas mentioned in?
1. Money is less important motivator than a caring company.
2. Giving employees more choice how they organize their time away from work.
3. Creating an atmosphere and culture which employees feel they belong to
4. Examples of up-market perks offered by technology companies
5. The increased benefits being offered to employees
Exercise 9. You and several other managers feel that your company’s system of perks needs improving, or employee retention might become a critical issue. One of the directors has asked you to put forward your ideas in writing.
Use the following words and word expressions in your proposal
bonus, bigger salary, commission, praise, more responsibility, a better working environment, promotion opportunity, perks or fringe benefits, hard-working boss, working for successful company.