13.4. What do you think of these personal qualities? Mark them p (positive) or n (negative). Explain why.

1. She’s very ambitious. I’m sure she’ll be very successful one day.

2. He isn’t very reliable. He takes a day off sick every two weeks.

3. She’s a bit lazy. She doesn’t do anything if she doesn’t have to.

4. She’s very flexible. She can adapt to most situations.

5. He hasn’t got much self-confidence. He worries about what people think of him.

6. He’s very punctual. He’s never late for meetings.

7. She’s always on top of her work. Her desk is always tidy.

13.5. Match the first parts of the sentences with the endings.

1. I wish he were more independent. He tends to rely on 2. I have to keep telling him what to do. He doesn’t really ever think 3. Whatever you ask him to do, he does it wrong. He doesn’t seem to have 4. He’s just so flexible. He’ll adapt 5. You have to tell him what to do and when to do it. He never seems to use 6. You can always depend on him for an honest opinion. He’s not afraid to speak

a) his initiative. b) much common sense. c) his mind. d) for himself. e) to any situation. f) other people too much.

13.6. Read the text and choose the headings for the parts a-e. One heading is extra.

1. Moving up

2. Hard times

3. Getting a job

4. Happier times

5. High salary

6. Leaving the company

The Career Ladder

A

When Paul left school he applied for a job in the accounts department of a local engineering company. They gave him a job as a trainee. He didn’t earn very much but they gave him a lot of training, and sent him on training courses.

B

Paul worked hard at the company and his prospects looked good. After his first year he got a pay rise, and after two years he was promoted. After six years he was in charge of the accounts department with five other employees under him.

C

By the time Paul was thirty, however, he decided he wanted a fresh challenge. He was keen to work abroad, so he resigned from the company and started looking for a new job with a bigger company. After a couple of months he managed to find a job with an international company, which involved a lot of foreign travel. He was very excited about the new job and at first he really enjoyed the traveling, but…

D

After about six months, Paul started to dislike the constant moving around, and after a year he hated it; he hated living in hotels, and never really made any friends in the new company. Unfortunately his work was not satisfactory either and finally he was sacked a year later. After that, Paul found things much more difficult. He was unemployed for over a year. He had to sell his car and move out of his new house. Things were looking bad and in the end he had to accept a part-time job on a fruit and vegetable stall in a market.

E

To his surprise, Paul loved the market. He made lots of friends and enjoyed working in the open air. After two years, he took over the stall. Two years later he opened a second stall, and after ten years he had fifteen stalls. Last year Paul retired at the age of 55, a very rich man.