Gateway B2 Unit 2 Reading And Use Of English

1.

A KatyPeople are always asking me what I’m going to do in the future and until now I haven’t really known how to reply. It’s difficult to explain that I think my future lies in writing. When I first mentioned it to my parents, they didn’t laugh but they acted as though it was something I would grow out of and they were confident that I would get a ‘proper job’ eventually. But I’ve always been serious about being a writer. I love the English language and I’ve been a keen reader since the age of five. I’ve done a lot of short stories and some have been printed in magazines. What I’d really like is to write thrillers. I know that sounds crazy and many people don’t think thrillers are real books at all. But I love a good puzzle, so that’s what I say now. ‘I’m going to be a thriller writer.’ Then I wait to see the expression on people’s faces!B GilesMy dad and my uncle were both journalists and wrote for Sunday newspapers. We always had people in the house who were connected with newspapers and news and I grew up with their conversations in the background. It must have rubbed off on me because I desperately want to follow in Dad’s footsteps and become a journalist, too. I don’t think I’d like to do exactly the same as he did – he was a political journalist – because I’m not that serious about politics, but I’d like to travel and maybe write reports from different places around the world. I can see myself writing about environmental problems in Australia or North Africa or somewhere like that.C TerryWhen you’re a kid, you have no real idea of what you’re going to do in the future. You might have a dream of being a famous footballer or actress or even a princess (that was my younger sister’s strong belief!). But most people don’t really know the sort of person they’re going to be, so deciding on a future career is tricky. It was only last summer that I suddenly knew what I wanted to do and that was to become a writer. I’ve always done drama in my free time and I suddenly realised that I was pretty good at writing dialogue. So next term I’m going to start a screen writing course. With luck, one day I’ll be writing the soaps and dramas you watch on TV!D SarahWe had a creative writing course at my secondary school last year and I went on it because I’ve liked writing for a long time. I always wrote diaries when I was younger and I also used to write short, funny stories for the other kids in my class to read at primary school. However, it soon became quite clear that I wasn’t going to be the next great English novelist! I’m just not patient enough and I don’t think I’ve got the skill to write complex books. But I am clever with words, so what I’d like to do is to go into the advertising world, writing adverts. What you need in that job is to write things that are catchy but short and funny. I think it’s the right profession for me because there will be lots of variety and I’ll be working in a busy, fast-moving world. I’m glad I went on the creative writing course though, because I learned that there are all sorts of jobs which involve writing, which is why I’ve made this decision.

2.

Match the statements (1–6) with the people (A–D). You can choose the people more than once. Write the correct LETTER (A-D) in the boxes.Which person:1 believes his/her choice of career was influenced by his/her upbringing? 2 has chosen a writing career because of another hobby? 3 has already had some success with his/her writing? 4 wants a job working in a high-pressure environment? 5 says that family members didn’t believe he/she was serious about his/her future plans? 6 enjoys writing things that other people find humorous?

Explanation
Person B believes his/her choice of career was influenced by his/her upbringing. Person C has chosen a writing career because of another hobby. Person A has already had some success with his/her writing. Person D wants a job working in a high-pressure environment. Person A says that family members didn't believe he/she was serious about his/her future plans. Person D enjoys writing things that other people find humorous.

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3.

Complete the text with one word in each gap.Last summer I applied for a holiday job in an architect’s office because I was thinking of training as an architect. Unfortunately they turned me (1) because there was a candidate who was already studying architecture and they thought she wouldn’t need as much training. However, two weeks later I got a call asking if I was still interested in the job. The person they (2) employed had been sacked because she spent most of her time on the phone and never did the things she was asked to do! They (3) working on a big project to renovate a museum and they really needed someone to start right away. Of course I said yes. My job wasn’t very exciting – I was responsible (4) photocopying documents for all the meetings and dealing (5) phone calls about the project and making lots of coffee – but I didn’t mind because I was learning so much. Every morning one of the partners (6) explain everything to me in great detail and I learned a lot about the business side of the firm, which was something I had never really considered before. I discovered that I enjoyed (7) all the paperwork and by the end of the summer I was like her personal assistant. Later, when I applied to university, she wrote a letter saying that I had (8) working for her firm all summer and that I had done a good job. I was able to talk about my experience at the interview and I think it really helped me to get a place on my course. But I’m not training to be an architect. I’m doing a degree in business administration and I love it!

Explanation
Last summer I applied for a holiday job in an architect's office because I was thinking of training as an architect. Unfortunately they turned me down because there was a candidate who was already studying architecture and they thought she wouldn't need as much training. However, two weeks later I got a call asking if I was still interested in the job. The person they had employed had been sacked because she spent most of her time on the phone and never did the things she was asked to do! They were working on a big project to renovate a museum and they really needed someone to start right away. Of course I said yes. My job wasn't very exciting – I was responsible for photocopying documents for all the meetings and dealing with phone calls about the project and making lots of coffee – but I didn't mind because I was learning so much. Every morning one of the partners would explain everything to me in great detail and I learned a lot about the business side of the firm, which was something I had never really considered before. I discovered that I enjoyed doing all the paperwork and by the end of the summer I was like her personal assistant. Later, when I applied to university, she wrote a letter saying that I had been working for her firm all summer and that I had done a good job. I was able to talk about my experience at the interview and I think it really helped me to get a place on my course. But I'm not training to be an architect. I'm doing a degree in business administration and I love it!

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4.

Read the article again and choose the best answers, A, B or C.Katy found it difficult to

A.

Decide what she wants to do
B.

Justify her career choice
C.

Become a thriller writer

Correct Answer
B. Justify her career choice

Explanation
Katy found it difficult to justify her career choice. This suggests that she struggled to provide reasons or explanations for why she chose her particular career path. It implies that she may have faced criticism or doubt from others, or perhaps even from herself, and had difficulty defending or explaining her decision.

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5.

She thinks that thrillers are considered

A.

A less important form of writing
B.

Too difficult to understand
C.

To be difficult to create

Correct Answer
A. A less important form of writing

Explanation
The given correct answer suggests that the person believes thrillers are considered to be a less important form of writing. This implies that the person perceives thrillers to be undervalued or less respected compared to other genres of writing.

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6.

Giles wants

A.

To be just like his father
B.

To travel before he decides what to do
C.

To work in a different way to his father

Correct Answer
C. To work in a different way to his father

Explanation
The correct answer is "to work in a different way to his father". This suggests that Giles wants to have a career that is different from his father's, possibly because he wants to pursue his own interests or have a unique professional identity. He may want to explore different industries or job roles that are not similar to what his father does, allowing him to carve his own path and establish himself independently.

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7.

Terry believes that young people find it difficult to choose a career because they

A.

Don’t know anything about different jobs
B.

Don’t know themselves very well
C.

Are too influenced by what they see on television

Correct Answer
B. Don’t know themselves very well

Explanation
Young people find it difficult to choose a career because they don't know themselves very well. This means that they may not have a clear understanding of their own interests, strengths, and values, which makes it challenging for them to make informed decisions about their future career paths. Without self-awareness, they may struggle to identify the type of work that aligns with their personal preferences and abilities. Consequently, they may feel uncertain and overwhelmed when faced with the task of choosing a career.

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8.

Sarah

A.

Has tried various forms of writing
B.

Has always wanted to work in advertising
C.

Is impatient to become a novelist

Correct Answer
A. Has tried various forms of writing

Explanation
The given answer suggests that Sarah has tried various forms of writing. This implies that she has explored different genres or styles of writing, indicating her interest and experience in the field. This information helps us understand Sarah's background and experience in writing, which could be relevant in the context of the question or any related discussion.

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9.

Writing for advertising

A.

Is not as good as being a novelist
B.

Requires different skills to writing novels
C.

Is more difficult than writing novels

Correct Answer
B. Requires different skills to writing novels

Explanation
The correct answer suggests that writing for advertising requires a different set of skills compared to writing novels. While being a novelist may involve creative storytelling and character development, writing for advertising requires the ability to effectively communicate a message within a limited space or time frame. It involves skills such as persuasive writing, understanding target audience, and creating compelling content that can capture attention and drive action. Therefore, the answer implies that the two forms of writing require distinct skill sets.

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