UNIT 3.

GLOBAL WORLD ORAL PRACTICE

1A - Jobs
Part I: Text Commentary
Read the following text. During your text commentary, which is expected to
be about 3 minutes long, you should:
a) retell the main points of the text in your own words,
b) relate an experience you or somebody you know may have had, or an event you know
about related to the topic.

Huge US job losses spark recession fears

There seems to be little doubt among Americans that the USA is sinking into
recession. The US Labor Department reported 80,000 job losses in March, the
biggest reduction in five years. The cuts came as an unwelcome surprise to
economists, who predicted an increase of 50,000 jobs. Almost a quarter of a
million jobs have been lost in America in the first three months of the year. This is
another grim economic statistic that suggests the world’s largest economy has
some difficult times ahead. The US unemployment rate now stands at 5.1
percent. There are fears that further job losses will come in the next few months.
Economists are worried that employers will cut back on hiring because of a lack
of confidence in the financial system. The credit crisis and recent housing slump
has put companies off taking risks.

The US treasury secretary Ben Bernanke came as close as he has ever come to
acknowledging that a recession was looming. He didn’t use the “r” word but did
admit that the US economy could be heading into a very mild recession. "It now
appears likely that real gross domestic product (GDP) will not grow much, if at all,
over the first half of 2008 and could even contract slightly," he said. On a more
positive note, he did say any negative growth would be short term: "We expect
economic activity to strengthen in the second half of the year, in part, as the
result of [our] monetary and fiscal policies.” He said recent actions to help banks
had helped the economy, but that "financial markets remain under considerable
stress." All eyes will now be on the job figures for April.

Part II: Group Discussion

After having heard various aspects of the topic in Part 1, you should now discuss
it with your fellow examinees for approximately 15 minutes. You should compare
opinions and give good reasons for them, or state facts so as to find possible
solutions to the problems posed in the texts or those that come up during the
discussion. To do this task, you may take into consideration the following
guidelines. You may use them all or just those necessary.

- Compare the situation to the current situation in your country.

- Talk about competition in the workplace. Is it positive or negative?
- Nepotism and corruption at work.
 UNIT 3. GLOBAL WORLD ORAL PRACTICE

1B - Jobs
Part I: Text Commentary
Read the following text. During your text commentary, which is
expected to be about 3 minutes long, you should:
a) retell the main points of the text in your own words,
b) relate an experience you or somebody you know may have had, or an
event you know about related to the topic.

Men motivated by co-worker salaries

New research shows that men are not just motivated by money, but also by how
much more or less they earn than their colleagues. Traditional thinking was that
men were only interested in the size of their pay packets. New findings from a
study at the University of Bonn reveal that men are also concerned about how
much their peers are getting. The research is published in this month’s edition of
the journal Science. Researchers put 38 male volunteers under the microscope.
The men had to perform simple tasks so that scientists could analyze the activity
in the “reward centre” in their brain. They played a game in which they received
payments depending on how well they did. They were also told how much money
the other men were getting. The researchers discovered a lot more brain activity
with the men who knew they were beating their rivals.

Lead scientist Dr Bernd Weber said he now wants to conduct a similar study on
women. He wants to gauge whether they too are motivated by their peers’
earnings and not just individual success. It is not yet clear how the new findings
will affect the workplace. There is a possibility that worker productivity could
increase with the introduction of a system that created competition. Sales staff
have long been in competition with each other to win bonuses. Human resource
officers may now look at this research to find ways of bringing a sense of
competitiveness to offices and perhaps schools. However, this may have a
negative impact in the workplace if rivalries turn sour with jealousy. One
company CEO, Jackie Baxter said: “It’s a balancing act between keeping
harmony in the office and encouraging workers to be more efficient.”

Part II: Group Discussion

After having heard various aspects of the topic in Part 1, you should now discuss
it with your fellow examinees for approximately 15 minutes. You should compare
opinions and give good reasons for them, or state facts so as to find possible
solutions to the problems posed in the texts or those that come up during the
discussion. To do this task, you may take into consideration the following
guidelines. You may use them all or just those necessary.

- Compare the situation to the current situation in your country.

- Talk about competition in the workplace. Is it positive or negative?
- Nepotism and corruption at work.
 UNIT 3. GLOBAL WORLD ORAL PRACTICE

1C - Jobs
Part I: Text Commentary
Read the following text. During your text commentary, which is
expected to be about 3 minutes long, you should:
a) retell the main points of the text in your own words,
b) relate an experience you or somebody you know may have had, or an
event you know about related to the topic.

World Bank boss sorry for payout to girlfriend

World Bank president Paul Wolfowitz is still in deep trouble following his
“mistake” in giving a huge pay rise to a close female friend. There are many calls
for his resignation following allegations of favouritism and corruption. Although he
has apologised for making the "mistake", his head may still roll. The former
deputy US defence secretary refused to speculate on rumours that he might
have to resign. The World Bank's board of governors met to discuss the scandal
and Wolfowitz said he would accept “any remedies they propose”. The sorry
issue arose after Britain’s Financial Times newspaper published a report stating
Wolfowitz personally ordered promotions and hefty pay rises for his partner,
Shaha Riza, who ended up with a $200,000 salary - more than Condoleezza
Rice, the US secretary of state.

Ms Riza was on the World Bank’s payroll when Wolfowitz became head in 2005.
In line with the bank’s regulations, she was transferred to the US State
Department to avoid a conflict of interest for Wolfowitz. However, in the period
before her transfer took effect, Wolfowitz ordered and rubber-stamped the
documentation necessary to elevate his friend into a top World Bank earner. In
his apology, he said: "I take full responsibility." He acknowledged that the
situation surrounding Riza "had the potential to harm” the World Bank. He also
stressed that he had initially wanted nothing to do with her employment terms.
He said his romantic involvement with Ms Riza resulted in a "painful personal
dilemma” when he was new to the job. Nevertheless, it seems somewhat
ridiculous that such an experienced and intelligent man could make such a
serious blunder.

Part II: Group Discussion

After having heard various aspects of the topic in Part 1, you should now discuss
it with your fellow examinees for approximately 15 minutes. You should compare
opinions and give good reasons for them, or state facts so as to find possible
solutions to the problems posed in the texts or those that come up during the
discussion. To do this task, you may take into consideration the following
guidelines. You may use them all or just those necessary.

- Compare the situation to the current situation in your country.

- Talk about competition in the workplace. Is it positive or negative?
- Nepotism and corruption at work.