Q2e Reading and Writing 5 Unit 2 Test A

Name: ______________________________________ Date: _____________

Reading and Writing

Workaholic – or Life of Leisure?

Section I
It’s a classic figure from literature and film – and one which unlike others has a true correspondence in the real
world. The human figure – usually a man – sitting slaving deep into the night, or waking well before the rest of the
world to get into the office and squeeze in a few hours’ work before the others arrive.

Section II
There is a part of this truth, however, that film-makers and authors generally leave out, and that is the fact that in
real life, “workaholics” (as they are labeled) are quite often not doing work that they hate. In fact, they have found
that ideal job – the one that they would choose as a hobby if they couldn’t get paid for it. So when other people
turn off their computers with relief and head off to the bowling alley or the trout river, workaholics have no such
need. As far as they are concerned, they are already on that riverbank, reeling in the first fish.

Section III
Take Tony, for example. A successful architect, he has designed some of the most original buildings on the east
coast, and is considered a pioneer in the field of ecological design. He regularly puts in twelve hours a day, seven
days a week, and has had one holiday in five years. Yet he says that as he lay on that sun-drenched beach, all he
could think about was concrete, steel, and glass. He also says that he has been hooked on architecture since his
parents bought him his first set of building blocks, and that for him designing a structure is the very definition of
enjoyment.

Section IV
Yet the cost of such a lifestyle cannot be ignored. Though there may be exceptions, many workaholics suffer from
a similar list of health problems: heart disease, high blood pressure, and stomach complaints being some but by no
means all of them. Such a schedule also puts an awful lot of pressure on any relationships they might have, and if
you are a workaholic, the odds are that you have had or will have multiple marriages, and your life will be lonely.

Section V
Many experts say that workaholics are fooling themselves if they think doing a job they love is the same as being
permanently at leisure. What leisure really is, they say, is an activity that is pointless, one that the participant can
immerse themselves in but where the results are unimportant. In the case of fishing, we can imagine that an
angler gets enormous satisfaction and an unbeatable sense of achievement when they land a fish, but if they go
home empty-handed, so be it. The professional fisherman who returns home with an empty boat sees his
livelihood, his home, his very existence under threat.

Section VI
It is therefore leisure, and not work, that has been misunderstood. A hobby or pastime is not necessarily the
activity which you love to do beyond all others, but rather the one that fills your consciousness, allowing you to
forget the worries and stresses your daily life holds. No matter how much we love the job we do, it cannot do that,
since, along with love and family, it takes a central role in our existence.

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 Q2e Reading and Writing 5 Unit 2 Test A

Name: ______________________________________ Date: _____________

Choose the best answer.

1. What is usually true of workaholics as portrayed in films?

A. They work exclusively at night.
B. They have a passion for their job.
C. They are men.
D. They work in the newspaper industry.

2. Why does the writer say the workaholic is “already on that riverbank” in Section II?
A. Most workaholics take fishing trips in the early morning.
B. For workaholics, work is their hobby, too.
C. Workaholics get paid so badly that it is almost like a hobby.
D. Workaholics constantly dream of having an afternoon off to go fishing.

3. Tony is introduced as an example of someone who

A. is in danger of becoming a workaholic.
B. has extreme difficulty relaxing.
C. has made what they love their occupation.
D. has become highly successful through hard work.

4. Which of the following is not mentioned as a drawback to being a workaholic?

A. Your health will suffer.
B. You will lose your friends.
C. Your partner will steal from you.
D. Your husband or wife will divorce you.

5. The quality that distinguishes leisure from work is

A. meaninglessness.
B. effortlessness.
C. the lack of satisfaction.
D. the sense of achievement.

6. We can infer that workaholics suffer health problems because

A. they have problematic relationships with their families.
B. they have no time when they completely switch off.
C. they only go fishing when it’s their occupation.
D. their job plays an important part in their lives.

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 Q2e Reading and Writing 5 Unit 2 Test A

Name: ______________________________________ Date: _____________

Complete the paragraph with the correct word(s) from the word bank:
incentive labor leisure menial booming

If you’ve spent any time in a waiting room lately, you’ve probably seen more than one
person happily knitting. There seems to have been a knitting revival, and what was seen as a
(7) ____________________ task is now a popular (8) ____________________ activity. Yarn
and knitting stores are doing a (9) ____________________ business as more men, women, and
children decide to experiment with this centuries-old activity. The main
(10) ____________________ for most knitters to pick up a pair of needles is the pride they take
in their finished products. Knitters also like the fact that they can do something constructive and
relaxing while they wait—for their doctor, to arrive at their destination, or for a class to start. The
only time knitting feels like (11) ____________________ is when there is pressure to finish a
product. Pressure takes away the pleasure of knitting.

Complete the sentence. Choose A, B, or C.

12. Many South Koreans believe __________ gaming is good, clean fun.
A. why
B. that
C. whether
13. I don’t know __________ South Korea is called an “emerging market.”
A. what
B. if
C. that
14. We all wanted to know __________ Lim Yo-Hwan developed such advanced skills.
A. whether
B. that
C. how
15. Lim said __________ it was hard to have a normal relationship.
A. that
B. where
C. if

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