Task 6: Americans at Work

Ex. 1. Discuss the following questions with your classmates.

- Of every 100 Americans, how many do you think work for the government?

- How many Americans work in manufacturing?

- Is it common for U.S. women to work?

- How seriously do Americans take their jobs?

- How might the average U.S. worker differ from the average worker in your country?

Ex. 2. Read through the sentences, trying to imagine which words would fit in the blanks. Then listen to a dictation of the full sentences, and write the missing words in the blanks.

1. The general topic of work in the USA is an interesting one because the ___________ don’t always agree with popular general impressions about American workers.

2. Let’s take a look at 100 ___________ workers and see where they’re _________.

3. _____________, then, include a wide variety of businesses that provide services rather than produce goods.

4. ___________ trade involves purchases directly from the producer, while ________ trade is more familiar to us: purchases from stores, automobile dealerships, and so on.

5. Two smaller sectors include ______________, along with banks and the stock market, and ____________, which should make you think of gas and electricity.

6. Communication, of course, includes newspapers, magazines, and books as well as TV and radio _____________.

7. Still others work in ________, and a smaller number works in agriculture, __________, and fishing.

8. Workers with a strong __________ feel an obligation to work hard and take ______ in doing their jobs well.

9. According to ________, most Americans feel they should work harder.

10. The reason they give for not working harder is that they don’t feel they will _________ from the work.

11. The solution suggested by at least one expert has two parts, both involving ________, or encouragement, to work harder.

Ex. 3. Listen to the questions, and write short answers.