I. Assessment of Communicative Language Competences.

Reading Comprehension – 30
points.
Read the text and complete the tasks that follow.

Work-the Daily Grind We Just Can’t Do Without

Work may sometimes seem like hell, but when people haven’t got it, they miss it. They miss it,
they want it and perhaps they even need it. Everyone wants to be valued and it seems to me that a
salary is proof that you matter.
I have been doing some informal research on this topic and some jobs are better than others
when it comes to how valuable they are to us. Housework and voluntary work tend to be seen as
non-jobs. In this work-centered culture of ours, a “proper job” means paid employment. Being
paid for a job is better for our self-esteem. Of course, people prefer work to be useful and
interesting , as well as paid. But you don’t have to enjoy your job to get psychological benefits
from it. According to some experts, achieving unenjoyable tasks during our work actually
contributed to a sense of well-being. The obligation to be in a particular place at a particular time,
working as a part of team towards a common goal, gives us a sense of structure and purpose that
people find difficult to impose on themselves. The workplace has also taken over from the
community as the place of human contact. Work often functions as a social club, an information
network, an informal dating agency and a marriage bureau.
Genuine workaholics are uncommon, but I think that many people are job addicts without
realizing it. When people can’t work for whatever reason, they show similar signs to real addicts
who are deprived of their “fix”- they become irritable and lethargic. Among newly retired men in
particular, death rates increase significantly in the first six months after leaving employment. For
most of their lives, their personality, self-esteem and status have been defined by work; without it,
research shows that they lose their appetite for life. I don’t think that life was always so driven by
employment , however. Work in the pre-industrial age was task-oriented not time-structured, and
focused not on money but on the tasks necessary for survival. The Industrial Revolution radically
changed the way people worked. From that point on, work became separated from the rest of life,
and began to provide money rather than food and goods.
More recently, the revolution in Information Technology has again changed the nature of work
and employment. The workplace itself may become redundant. Apparently, 3.5 million employers
in the UK now work from home, keeping in touch via email and phone. Many employers say that
working “remotely” improves productivity, as workers are happier and waste less time commuting.
There are disadvantages too, however, as workers lose touch with the workplace and the people
there. After all, we managed to accept the nine-to-five working day and there is reason why we
can’t accept a different way of working, too.
No. Item Scor

I. Circle the letter corresponding to the correct variant to complete the statements. 4
poin
1. The obligation to be in a particular place at a particular time… A
a. gives us a chance to be a part of a team. 0
b. gives us a sense of purpose. 1
c. gives us human contact.

2. People become irritable if they … A

a. can’t work for whatever reason. 0
b. show similar signs to real addicts. 1
c. are deprived of their „fix“.

3. The Industrial Revolution radically… A

a. separated people from the rest of life. 0
b. began to provide money. 1
c. changed the way people worked.

4. A great numbers of employers in the UK… A

a. improve their productivity. 0
b. work from home. 1
c. waste time commuting.

II. In the text, identify the meaning of the words. Circle the letter corresponding to the correct 2
variant. poin

1. The word “research“ in the text means: A

a. science 0
b. investigation 1
c. exploration

2. The word “lethargic“is closet in meaning to: A

a. apathetic 0
b. heavy 1
c. slow
III. Briefly answer the questions below, choosing the information from the text. 4
poin

1.What is better for if we are paid for a job ? A

_______________________________________________________________________ 0
2.What is a team working towards ? 1
_______________________________________________________________________ 2
3.Which term refers to genuine workaholics even if they don’t realize it ? 3
_______________________________________________________________________ 4
4.What has recently changed the nature of work and employment ?
_______________________________________________________________________

IV. Match the halves of the sentences. Write the answers in the table below. One is extra. 4
point
 1. A salary is a a. useful and interesting. A
2. Housework and voluntary work b. a social club. 0
3. People prefer work to be c. proof that you matter. 1
4. Work often functions as d. on the tasks necessary for survival. 2
e. tend to be seen as non-jobs. 3
4
1 2 3 4

V. Identify if the statements are true or false. Circle the letter corresponding to the correct 6
variant. Justify the answer by quoting the text and write it on the lines below. poin
1) Achieving unenjoyable tasks brings us psychological benefits. A
a. True b. False 0
________________________________________________________________________ 1
________________________________________________________________________ 2
________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
2) Work in the pre-industrial age was time-structured, and focused on money.
a. True b. False A
________________________________________________________________________ 0
________________________________________________________________________ 1
________________________________________________________________________ 2
3) Workers are happier if they work from home and waste less time commuting.
a. True b. False
________________________________________________________________________ A
________________________________________________________________________ 0
1
________________________________________________________________________
2
VI. Write the most important ideas in order they come in the text. Fill in the table with the 8
letter corresponding to the correct variant (A, B, …). poin
A. Pre-industrial age wasn’t focused on money but on the tasks necessary for survival. A
B. People prefer useful, interesting and well-paid work as it gives the sense of structure and 0
purpose. 2
C. Working from home improves productivity, yet makes people lose touch with the 4
workplace. 6
D. Job addicts don’t realize that they are workaholics, thus if they retire, they lose their 8
appetite for life.

1 2 3 4

VII. What is the main idea of the text? Circle the letter corresponding to the correct variant. 2
poin
a. Work serves as a social club, it is a place of human contact; moreover, we can even find a A
partner for life there. 0
b. The advantages of working “remotely” are inevitable: we can improve our productivity 2
and keep in touch via email or phone.
c. We need work as we want to be valued; moreover, work contributes to a sense of well-
being and gives us psychological benefits.