Weekly Lesson Changing Jobs Use your browser's print command to print this lesson |
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Vocabulary
to be bought out |
V. to be purchased, taken over by another company |
to be laid off |
V. to lose your job because the company wants to reduce the number of employees |
competitive |
A. worthy of competition, liking competition |
dedicated |
A. very loyal; working hard for a person, company or idea. |
to downsize |
V. to reduce the size of a company, to reduce the number of employees |
to get rid of |
V. to throw away, remove, eliminate something or someone |
outdated |
A. too old, antiquated |
to retrain |
V. to reeducate someone for a job, train again |
to streamline |
V. to form into a smooth shape which can easily move through air or water |
to update |
V. to make more modern |
Vocabulary in Conversation
Use the above vocabulary to fill in the blanks in the following conversation. Your answers can be checked by
clicking at the bottom of the page.
Barbara: Did you hear Lars lost his job?
Tim: Really, he has been working for that advertising agency for almost five years. He was such a ______________________ employee - I can't believe he was fired!
Barbara: He wasn't fired, he ______________________. Terra Advertising ______________________ by some internet marketing firm from the East Coast.
Tim: That's terrible! Why didn't the new company keep him. I'm sure they could use someone with his skills.
Barbara: Lars said the new company needs to ______________________.
Tim: Why?
Barbara: They need to reduce the number of employees they have if they want to remain ______________________.
Tim: Why did they ______________________ Lars? He's great at what he does.
Barbara: They hired a specialist to come in and help ______________________ the company. Lars is creative and very respected in the advertising industry, but his skills have become ______________________. He can't use a computer and he doesn't know anything about the internet. He is no help to an internet marketing firm.
Tim: He needs to go back to school and ______________________. The career center downtown offers free classes to people who need to ______________________ their skills and training.
Barbara: Why don't you suggest that to him.
Vocabulary Follow-Up
Use the above vocabulary to fill in the blanks in the following sentences. Your answers can be checked by
clicking at the bottom of the page.
1. My grandfather's way of thinking is so ______________________; he thinks women should stay at home and have babies.
2. I have no idea what is happening in the world. Have you heard the latest news ______________________.
3. Where can I ______________________ this Coke can? Is there a trash can around here?
4. John and Mark both really want to win the contest. They are so ______________________.
5. They ______________________ the car design to reduce wind resistance and improve gas mileage.
6. That small book store ______________________ by a large international chain.
7. The government is trying to help ______________________ the auto workers who lost their jobs.
8. My company ______________________ and I am afraid I might lose my job.
9. Sarah ______________________ over two months ago and she is still looking for work.
10. Ted is the perfect father. He is very ______________________ to his family.
"Get"
1) Complete the following text by filling in the blanks with the appropriate preposition or prepositions.
Use the following prepositions: around, into, together, behind, through, up, ahead, off, to, back to
A New Start
I finally left my job and it was the best decision I've ever made. My work was incredibly boring - I just couldn't get ____________ it. I didn't want to keep doing the same old thing everyday, so I quit. My dad always said that if you want to get ____________ in this world, you need to be aggressive. I let all my friends and family know that I was looking for a new job. The news got ____________ fast. Within a week, I received a call from my cousin Joe, who works for a travel agency. He said that they had gotten ____________ in their filing at work and they needed someone to help out. I told him I didn't want to do clerical work, but he suggested we get ____________ to talk about the position.
To make a long story short, we had lunch last week. He told me that if I did the job for a few weeks, it might lead to another position with the agency. I told him that I would think about his offer and get ____________ him in a couple of days. I think I am going to accept the job. The hours are great. I wouldn't have to get ____________ work until 11 o'clock in the morning, and I would get ____________ work at 4 o'clock in the afternoon. The idea of being able to sleep in every morning sounds great. Even if I got ____________ at 9 am, I could still have breakfast and make it to work on time. I don't really want to file all day, but if I can just get ____________ the next few weeks, I might have some good job opportunities.
2) Now reread the above passage to help you complete the list of definitions below.
get _____________: to become interested in something
get _____________: to advance, move forward
get _____________: to travel, move quickly
get _____________: to fall behind, move slower than expected
get _____________: to meet
get _____________: to contact someone at a later date
get _____________: to arrive
get _____________: to leave (work or duty)
get _____________: to get out of bed and start the day
get _____________: to finish or work through something challenging
Focus on Verbs
The following passage should be completed by putting the verb in parentheses in the Present Continuous or the Present Perfect Continuous. If you are confused, you should refer to the English Page's Verb Tense Tutorial.
The Interview
Mr. Smith: So tell me a little bit about yourself, Mr. Harris. I would like to find out a little bit more about your background.
Mr. Harris: I (work) ______________________ in the insurance industry for over ten years. I worked for Met Life for six years and World Insurance for four and a half. During that time, I heard many good things about Hollings Life Insurance and that's why I (apply) ______________________ for the new sales position.
Mr. Smith: Tell me a little about your hobbies and interests.
Mr. Harris: In my spare time, I hike in the mountains outside of town, volunteer at the Sierra Club and play tennis. In fact, I (compete) ______________________ in a tennis tournament this weekend.
Mr. Smith: Really, how long (you, play) ______________________ ?
Mr. Harris: I (play) ______________________ since high school. I love the sport.
Mr. Smith: Great! We like dedication here at Hollings Life. You mentioned you volunteer at the Sierra Club. I (work, currently) ______________________ with them on the sea turtle project. We (try) ______________________ to create a wildlife sanctuary near the bay.
Mr. Harris: Do you know Frank Harris? He's my brother. He (work, presently) ______________________ on the same project.
Mr. Smith: I know Frank quite well. Any brother of Frank's would be a welcome addition to Hollings Life. Just one more thing, we (look) ______________________ for somebody who is fluent in Spanish; many of our clients are from Mexico.
Mr. Harris: No problem. I (study) ______________________ Spanish since elementary school.
Mr. Smith: Sounds like you are the perfect candidate.
Weekly Lesson Answers Changing Jobs |
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Vocabulary in Conversation
Barbara: Did you hear Lars lost his job?
Tim: Really, he has been working for that advertising agency for almost five years. He was such a dedicated employee - I can't believe he was fired!
Barbara: He wasn't fired, he was laid off. Terra Advertising was bought out by some internet marketing firm from the East Coast.
Tim: That's terrible! Why didn't the new company keep him. I'm sure they could use someone with his skills.
Barbara: Lars said the new company needs to downsize.
Tim: Why?
Barbara: They need to reduce the number of employees they have if they want to remain competitive.
Tim: Why did they get rid of Lars? He's great at what he does.
Barbara: They hired a specialist to come in and help streamline the company. Lars is creative and very respected in the advertising industry, but his skills have become outdated. He can't use a computer and he doesn't know anything about the internet. He is no help to an internet marketing firm.
Tim: He needs to go back to school and retrain. The career center downtown offers free classes to people who need to update their skills and training.
Barbara: Why don't you suggest that to him.
Vocabulary Follow-Up
1. My grandfather's way of thinking is so outdated; he thinks women should stay at home and have babies.
2. I have no idea what is happening in the world. Have you heard the latest news update.
3. Where can I get rid of this Coke can? Is there a trash can around here?
4. John and Mark both really want to win the contest. They are so competitive.
5. They streamlined the car design to reduce wind resistance and improve gas mileage.
6. That small book store was bought out by a large international chain.
7. The government is trying to help retrain the auto workers who lost their jobs.
8. My company is downsizing and I am afraid I might lose my job.
9. Sarah was laid off over two months ago and she is still looking for work.
10. Ted is the perfect father. He is very dedicated to his family.
"Get"
1)
I finally left my job and it was the best decision I've ever made. My work was incredibly boring - I just couldn't get into it. I didn't want to keep doing the same old thing everyday, so I quit. My dad always said that if you want to get ahead in this world, you need to be aggressive. I let all my friends and family know that I was looking for a new job. The news got around fast. Within a week, I received a call from my cousin Joe, who works for a travel agency. He said that they had gotten behind in their filing at work and they needed someone to help out. I told him I didn't want to do clerical work, but he suggested we get together to talk about the position.
To make a long story short, we had lunch last week. He told me that if I did the job for a few weeks, it might lead to another position with the agency. I told him that I would think about his offer and get back to him in a couple of days. I think I am going to accept the job. The hours are great. I wouldn't have to get to work until 11 o'clock in the morning, and I would get off work at 4 o'clock in the afternoon. The idea of being able to sleep in every morning sounds great. Even if I got up at 9 am, I could still have breakfast and make it to work on time. I don't really want to file all day, but if I can just get through the next few weeks, I might have some good job opportunities.
2)
get into: to become interested in something
get ahead: to advance, move forward
get around: to travel, move quickly
get behind: to fall behind, move slower than expected
get together: to meet
get back to: to contact someone at a later date
get to: to arrive
get off: to leave (work or duty)
get up: to get out of bed and start the day
get through: to finish or work through something challenging
Focus on Verbs
Mr. Smith: So tell me a little bit about yourself, Mr. Harris. I would like to find out a little bit more about your background.
Mr. Harris: I (work) have been working in the insurance industry for over ten years. I worked for Met Life for six years and World Insurance for four and a half. During that time, I heard many good things about Hollings Life Insurance and that's why I (apply) am applying for the new sales position.
Mr. Smith: Tell me a little about your hobbies and interests.
Mr. Harris: In my spare time, I hike in the mountains outside of town, volunteer at the Sierra Club and play tennis. In fact, I (compete) am competing in a tennis tournament this weekend.
Mr. Smith: Really, how long (you, play) have you been playing tennis ?
Mr. Harris: I (play) have been playing since high school. I love the sport.
Mr. Smith: Great! We like dedication here at Hollings Life. You mentioned you volunteer at the Sierra Club. I (work, currently) am currently working with them on the sea turtle project. We (try) are trying to create a wildlife sanctuary near the bay.
Mr. Harris: Do you know Frank Harris? He's my brother. He (work, presently) is presently working on the same project.
Mr. Smith: I know Frank quite well. Any brother of Frank's would be a welcome addition to Hollings Life. Just one more thing, we (look) are looking for somebody who is fluent in Spanish; many of our clients are from Mexico.
Mr. Harris: No problem. I (study) have been studying Spanish since elementary school.
Mr. Smith: Sounds like you are the perfect candidate.