unit 8 a risky business

8/12/2019 Unit 8 a Risky Business

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UNIT 8

A RISKY BUSINESS

Objectives

After learning this unit, you are expected to be able to:

1. make use of context cues in reading passages;

2. write a CV;

3. understand infinitive and its usage ;

4. understand gerund and its usage.

Pre reading Activities

Discuss the following questions with a partner.1. Have you ever made a decision about money that you now regret?

2. If so, what should you have done differently?

3. As a student, what can you do in order to help your parent to pay tuition fee?

4. What is lottery?

5. Can we make a lottery as an income source? Why or why not?

Reading Selection

Reading Activity I

Read the conversation between Julie Hart and Sam Bradley below.

Julie Hart, a trainee, is talking with Sam Bradley, who has been a firefighter for ten years. Read

their conversations.

Julie : Hi there, Sam.

Sam : Hello, Julie By the way, I have been meaning to ask you something. Dont take it the

wrong way

Julie : Yes, What is it?

Sam : Are you sure you belong in this program?Julie : Of course. Why shouldnt I be sure?

Sam : Well, Ill be honest with you, Julie. Putting out fires is no job for a woman.

Julie : well see about that, Sam! Besides, I enjoy firefighting, I feel as if I am doing something

really important for the people of this city.

Sam : I heard you were in business school before this.


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Julie : Yes, but I dropped out during the second year. If Id finish, I would have made a lot of

money eventually. I am happier doing this, though.

Sam : Well, Julie, five years from now you will be telling people, I want to quit. I want to go

back something safer.

Julie : Hmm. Would you ever quit, Sam?

Sam : Sure I would. In fact, pretty soon I will be staying home all the time, just counting my

money. I wont be risking my life fighting fires.

Julie : Oh, the lottery again. Youre a dreamer, like everyone else here.

Sam : No, I am not. I dont waste my money on lottery tickets. I put my money into things

I can see.

Julie : Do you mean you invest your money in things like art?

Sam : No, no. I mean real estate. Just old buildings like the ones around here. I have bought

one already and plan to buy more. When I leave here, I will really be making a lot of

money.

Julie : Don quit your job yet, Sam. Real estate is a risky business.

Sam : Hmm

FromD.H. Spectrum 5, A Communicative Course in English, 1994

Reading Activity II

The Five Most Popular Questions about Cruise Ship Jobs

1. What is a cruise holiday? Cruise ships are floating resorts complete cities at sea. A typical

cruise ship has a dozen decks and hundreds of cabins. A cruise vacation is about fun,

entertainment, service and worldwide travel. There are more than 300 types of job abroad

ship. Imagine yourself travelling to places youve always dreamed of and being paid for it.

2. ______________________________________? Students, retired people, career chargers,

people people who enjoy working with others. Cruise lines are always hiring people with

experience in hospitality, tourism, entertainment, restaurants and bars, teaching, childcare,

sales, customer relations, fitness, health and beauty, healthcare, finance and administration.

Cruise lines hire dependable, competent people with outgoing, positive attitudes.

3. _______________________________________? Familiarize yourself with the cruise

companies. Where do their ships travel? What facilities do they have on board? And most

importantly, what kind of passengers will you find on their ships? Choose several jobs that

interest you and compare your qualifications and experience with the duties and

responsibilities of the job. Learn what you need to add to your CV. For example, study a

foreign language. Sell yourself! Target your CV and covering letter to one specific job and

show how your work experience, talents, skills and education relate to it. Show how you can

contribute to the passengers cruise experience.

4. ________________________________________? The cruise industry hires year-round and

seasonally. Most employees work for six to nine months with one or two months off. Many

departments need extra crew in peak sailing periods.


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5. ________________________________________? Cruise ship pay compares well with

similar jobs ashore plus you save a lot of money because most expenses are left behind. On

board ship your room and meals are included.

From Dubicka, Iwonna, English for International Tourism, 2003.

Questions

Reading Activity I

Based on the conversation, sayRight,Wrong, or I dont knowabout these statements.

1. Julie had been a business student.

2. None of Julies friend thinks she should be a firefighter.

3. Julie plans to make a lot of money in business eventually.

4. Sam would like to quit his job.

5. Sam likes to play the lottery.6. Julie will leave the fire department in five years.

7. Sam plans to make a good living in real estate.

Reading Activity II

I. Complete the magazine article on the opposite page with these headings.

a) How do I get a job?

b) What kind of contracts are on offer?

c) What is a cruise holiday

d) What is the pay like?

e) Who do the cruise lines employ?

II. Which of these people would be suitable to work on a cruise ship? Look at the text

and give reasons for your answers.

a) Teresa Merrick: I was fifty last month. I work as a nurse in an old peoples home but its

very hard work at my age. Ive always loved my holidays abroad. Im studying French

and Spanish at evening classes. Ill talk to anyone and Im a capable and a reliable

worker.

b) Mario Vega: I like to finish work punctually so I can see my daughters before they go to

bed. Im not a very sociable person I like to work in my garden at weekends and watch

a film on TV in the evening. Im a very responsible person.

c) Martin Lee: Im twenty-two and studying at university. I help in my parents restaurant

at the weekends. In my free time I love playing football, going out with my friends and

partying. I like meeting new people. Id like a job for the summer.


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Vocabulary

Vocabulary I

How to make use of context in reading passages

Most writers try hard to help their readers to understand the information in a readingpassage. They do this by providing cues, or aids in their writing to clarify, define, and explain

difficult concepts and keywords and expressions in the passages.

The following example sentences, common context cues in written discourse are illustrated

for word adversity.

1. Contrast : It wasadversity, not prosperity, that shaped the lives of the

early American pioneers.

2. Example : Pioneer women metadversityhead on; they used paper for

windows, carried water for miles for the weekly washing, andmade do with corn meal rather than flour for the daily baking.

3. Definition : Theadversitiesof the winter that is, the hardships and

calamities that the family lived with daily disappeared with the

warmth of spring.

4. Appositive : Locusts (the dreaded migratory grasshoppers of the prairies)

could destroy a familys whole corn crop in a matter of minutes.

From these adversities, the trials and tribulations of the times,

came the legends of the hardy American pioneers.

5. Series : The diaries of the early farmers told the hardships, calamities,

andadversities, that made their lives miserable: lack of water fodaily use, sudden epidemics that wiped out whole families, and

severe blizzards that kept people house bound for weeks.

6. Parallelism : The settlers never gave up. They struggled through the early

years, dealt with their difficulties, and in the end, overcame the

adversities.

7. WH markers : (where, when, which, who, whom, that, why), relative pronouns

often suggest the meaning of words and phrases. E.g. : The cold

cellar waswherethe farmers stored their fruits and vegetables

for winter.

8. Reason logically : making sense of unfamiliar words and phrases in a readingpassage by using other words in the sentence and the passage.

E.g. : The settlersnever gave up. They struggled through the

early years,dealt withtheir difficulties, and in the end,overcam

theiradversities.

9. Punctuation, italics, abbreviation : (the comma, semicolon, colon, dashes, italics, abbreviations) e.g

: The man is . , living a life of religious solitude.


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Read the following sentences; write the meaning of the word in italics in the space provided

as well as the context cues that helped you to figure out the word meaning. Number 1 is

as an example.

1. Although the small goslings appeared misproportioned and unattractive, the adult

swans were elegant and graceful.

( contrast cue: although small / adult)__________________________________

2. Not all newcomers turn out to be producers, directors, or Hollywood starlets; the

majority end up doingmundanetasks such as typing and filling in order to survive.

___________________________________________________________________

3. The buffet was so extravagant, and the drinks seemed to come from an endless source.

The women paraded in gowns ornamented with furs and jewels, and the men smoked

covetedCuban cigars.

___________________________________________________________________

4. The sights and smells of the market were distinctive indeed; as vendors set out their

wares, thepungentaroma of spices and coffee pervaded the square.

___________________________________________________________________5. The villages disappeared as the army advanced with tanks, guns, and short range

missiles such asaggressionwas appalling, but no one interfered.

___________________________________________________________________

6. In the ear, the eardrum (a thin membrane) is set into vibration by the pressure

compressions of the sound wave.

___________________________________________________________________

7. It is only natural that children of tall, thin parents should be tall and thin themselves,

rather thanplumplike many children.

___________________________________________________________________

8. Unlike the innocuous garden snake, all vipers have a poisonous bite and all are

dangerous to man.___________________________________________________________________

9. The young man spokeaffably throughout the night, cracking jokes and telling stories

until dawn.

___________________________________________________________________

10. Ice worms, highly specialized creatures that live only in glacial ice and snow fields,

provide food for the wild birds of the Arctic region.

___________________________________________________________________

11. During the Civil War in the United States, families were often tragically divided on the

issue of the Union. It was not unusual for brothers to beestrangedfor the rest of their

lives.

___________________________________________________________________

Vocabulary II

Match the words from the text with their definitions.

1. deck a) money people spend while doing their work

2. cabin b) floor or platform built into a ship

3. entertainment c) on a boat

4. cruise lines d) room in a ship where passengers sleep


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5. fitness e) people who work on a boat, ship or aeroplane

6. on board f) movement across water in a boar or ship

7. crew g) anything people watch for pleasure: shows, films

8. sailing h) on land

9. ashore i) companies that have a number of cruise of cruise ships

10. expenses ) physical exercise to keep you healthy.

Post-reading Activities: Language Focus

Gerund and Infinitive

Infinitive V toGerund V ing

An Infinitive is the basic form of the verb + to.

A gerund is a noun made from a verb. To make a gerund, you add -ing to the verb.

Here are some examples of the verbs which should be followed by to infinitive and

gerund.

Verbs which may take either infinitive or gerund

advise, agree, allow, begin, can/could bear, cease, continue, forget, hate, intend, like, love,

mean, need, permit, prefer, propose, recommend, regret, remember, require, start, stop, try,

used to, want

Verbs taking infinitive or gerund without change of meaning

A. begin, start, continue, ceaseeither infinitive or gerund may be used without any

difference in meaning, but the infinitive is more usual with verbs of knowing and

understanding and the verbmatter.

to infinitive -ing form

agree, appear, arrange, ask, claim,

consent, decide, demand, deserve,

expect, fail, forget, hesitate, hope,

intend, learn, manage, mean, need,

offer, plan, prepare, pretend, promise,

refuse, seem, tend, threaten, wait, want

admit, appreciate, avoid, complete,

consider, delay, deny, discuss, enjoy, finish,

keep, mention, miss, postpone, practice,

quit, recall, recommend, regret, risk, stop,

suggest, tolerate, understand


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I began working/I began to work.

It ceased to matter whether or not he sold his work.

B. Aftercan/could bear(chiefly used in negative) either gerund or infinitive can be

used, but when the infinitive refers to a deliberate action the expression implies

that the subjects feeling prevent(ed) him from performing the action.

I couldnt bear to tell him.(so I didnt)

C. After intend, an infinitive is more usual than a gerund: I intend to sell it. The

infinitive is necessary when we have intend + object. This is found in formal

English.I intend to take over the department.

D. Advise, allow, permit, recommend. If the person concerned is mentioned, we use

the infinitive. However, if the person is not mentioned, the gerund is used.

He advised me to apply at once.

He advised applying at once.

E. it needs/requires/wantscan be followed either by the gerund or by the passive

infinitive, the gerund is the more usual:The grass wants cuttingorThe grass needs

to be cut.

Regret, remember, forget

A. regret, remember, forget are used with a gerund when the action expressed by the

gerund is the earlier action: I regret spending so much money. 'remember can be

followed by possessive adjective/object + gerund:I remember his/him telling me about

it. forget + gerund is possible only when forget is in the negative: I will never forget

waiting for bombs to fall.

B. When regret, remember, forget themselves express the earlier action, they are

followed by an infinitive:I regret to say that you have failed your exam.

C. regret, remember, forget can also be followed by noun clauses beginning how, when,

where, why, etc.: I cant remember when I saw him last

Choose the correct answer, whether the verb followed by to infinitive or gerund.

1. I hope she remembers _________ (to give / giving) him the message when she sees him

tonight. Its important.

2. It was such a funny story, I couldnt stop _________ (to laugh / laughing)

3. If you are not getting a good picture on your television, try _________ (to adjust /

adjusting) the aerial.

4. She began her career as a model and then she went on _________ (to make / making)

films.

5. Now, you remember _________ (to skid / skidding), but do you remember anything else

about the accident?

6. Id hate _________ (to get / getting) into trouble with the police. Wouldnt you?

7. It was a very good flight. We only stopped once _________ (to refuel / refueling) in

Kuwait.


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8. Although the policeman shouted, Stop!, the man went on _________ (to run /

running).

9. I hate _________ (to have / having) to get up early. Dont you?

10. Please make a little less noise. Im trying _________ (to concentrate / concentrating)

Writing Practice

How to Write a CV?

Curriculum Vitae (CV)

1. Use wide margins and leave lots of white space. It makes your CV easier to read.

2. Use a clear, easy-to-read typeface. Dont useitalicsor a small type size.mbe consistent with

the typefaces you use.

3. Make the section headings clear and leave a clear space between sections.

4. Separate each part of your work experience and education clearly.

5. Dont assume the reader will know the abbreviations and acronyms mean. If in doubt, use

the full name.

6. Dont exaggerate your talents but dont underestimate them either. Remember to sell

yourself by using positive adjectives.

7. Watch out for grammar and spelling mistakes. Do a spell and grammar check on your

computer when you finish your CV and ask someone else to check it for you.

Learn the example of CV below.

Curriculum Vitae

Carla Hennesy

Personal details

131 Nelson Court, London W16, UK

Telephone: +44 (0) 20 7946 0002

Email:[email protected].

Date of birth: 13/3/1982

Place of birth: Hammersmith, London.

Nationality: British

Objective

To obtain a full-time position as waiter on a cruise liner that offers experience in

high standard of customer care.

Education and qualifications

1998: GNVQ Leisure and Tourism Diploma, Acton Tertiary College, London.

1996: 4 GCSEs English, French, maths and biology, Acton Comprehensive Schoo

Employment history

1999 to present date: cocktail waiter, Magpie Hotel, Ealing, London.

1998: aerobics instructor, Acton Vale Youth Club, London.

1996 to 1998: shoe shop assistant (Saturday only), Beta Shoes, Ealing, London.

Additional information

Active member of an amateur theater group. Excellent computing skills.

Heading

Begin your CV with personal

details including your name,

address, telephone, email address

and date of birth. Some people

also include their place of birth,

nationality and identity number.

Your CV can also include an

objective, describing the type of

work you are hoping to do.

BodyThe middle section of your CV gives

details of your work experience

and education. List your training,

qualifications and work experience

in reverse chronological order.

Its difficult to know what to write

early in your career. If you dont

have a lot of work experience,

concentrate on your relevant free-

time activities or unpaid

experience.


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Covering Letter

When applying for a job you should always send a covering letter with your CV. This is how to

write a covering letter:

1. In a personal letter you can put your name, address, telephone number and email on the

right-hand or left-hand side of the letter.2. There are different ways of writing dates: 12 July 2011, July 12th 2011, or 12/7/2011 but in

US English the month comes first, e.g. 7/12/2011.

3. If you dont know the name of the person you are writing to, start withDear Sir/Madam.

4. Write in short paragraphs so that the letter is well organized and easy to read.

5. When you dont know the name of the person you are writing to, close withYours faithfully,

followed by a comma.

6. Remember to write your full name clearly after your signature.

Exercise

Work in pairs. Interview your partner and find out enough information to write his/her CV. Then

write the CV for your partner.

Charles Piper

41, Sefton Road

Manchester

M19 8RU

[email protected]

12th

July, 2011

Dear Sir/Madam

I am writing in reply to your advertisement in the Manchester Evening Times on Wednesday 10 July.

I would like to apply for the position of Assistant Purser with Royal Mediterranean International.

I am an outgoing and motivated person and I also have strong communication and organizational

skills. I have not worked on board a cruise ship before but I have experience as a hotel receptionistand I have the GNVQ Diploma in Leisure and Tourism.

Please find enclosed a copy of my CV. I am available for interview at any time. I look forward to

hearing from you.

Yours faithfully,

Charles Piper


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Summary

1. Most writers try hard to help their readers to understand the information in a reading

passage by providing cues, or aids in their writing to clarify, define, and explain difficult

concepts and keywords and expressions in the passages.

2. An Infinitive is the basic form of the verb + to.

3. A gerund is a noun made from a verb. To make a gerund, you add -ing to the verb.

4. Dont exaggerate your talents but dont underestimate them in writing CV. Remember to

sell yourself by using positive adjectives. When applying for a job you should always send a

covering letter with your CV.

Reflection

In this unit, you have learnt how to make use of context cues in reading passages, to write a CV,identify infinitive and its usage, and identify gerund and its usage. Put a check on the column

based on your own self-assessment.

Objectives Achieved More practice needed

to make use of context cues

in reading passages

to identify infinitive and its

usage

to identify gerund and its

usageto write a CV

For more practice on conditional sentences, you can go to the following sites:

1. http://www.englishpage.com/gerunds/index.htm

2. http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/infinitive-gerund

3. http://www.eflnet.com/grammar/gerinf1.php

unit 8 a risky business

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