大学英语创意阅读(第四册)5-6.doc

Unit 5 Applying for a job
Words to note
4, 9, 22, 12, 20, 25, 18, 14, 6, 1, 3, 2, 24, 17, 8, 15, 5, 11, 16, 23, 13, 7, 21, 10, 19

Understanding the text
Part A: Comprehending the text

Statements
Yes
No
1

√

2

√
3

√
4

√
5

√
6

√
7

√
8

√

9

√
10

√

Correct Statements
2. You can convince the employer that you are still a suitable candidate for the job offered even though your qualifications, qualities or experience may not seem totally relevant to the job at first sight. It depends on whether your strategies are effective or not.
3. You can simply highlight facts about your qualifications and let the reader interpret what that says about your strengths.
4. Although all information on the application letter and resume must be accurate and true, you can emphasise your strengths and play down your weaknesses when writing your letter and resume.
5. You should modify your resume to cater for the requirements of different jobs.
6. Verifying the information you sent in on your application letter and resume is just one of the objectives. There are other objectives, including:
l to check your language abilities and knowledge of the requirements of the post;
l to assess your interpersonal skills;
l to assess your reaction to stressful situations;
l to see how you perform in competition with others.
7. It does matter! It is frequently the first few seconds of the interview that makes the strongest impression on the panel.
9. It is important to ask questions at the end of a job interview so as to show that you are keen to get the job. Only if you have done research about the company and the job will you be able to ask sensible questions.
10. A convincing application letter, an impressive resume and a successful interview may not get you the job you are applying for. You may have a good chance, but whether you can get the job or not depends on other factors as well. After all, other applicants may perform extraordinarily well too.

Part B: Summarising the text

Three Major Components of Job Application
Suggestions from the Text
1

l e.g. use the appropriate tone and style
l focus on the reader
l make the reader like you
l simply highlight facts about your qualifications or skills and let the reader interpret what that says about your abilities
2

l present your personal information and tailor it to the specific post for which you are applying
l analyse carefully your own interests, skills and experience before writing
l draw the employer’s attention to your strengths
l demonstrate to the employer how your qualities and qualifications are directly related to the post being advertised
l modify each resume to cater for the requirements of each post
l highlight important and relevant information
3

l answer and ask the questions that present yourself in the best light
l know your strengths and weaknesses
l develop effective interpersonal skills and the ability to express yourself fluently and confidently
l convince the interviewer that you fully understand the requirements of the job and that you are able to meet the requirements
l demonstrate exactly why you believe you can do the job well
l impress the interviewer right at the beginning
l transmit appropriate messages with your body language
l ask sensible questions at the end of the interview
l watch carefully for the small signals which indicate the end of the interview

Developing your skills
Part A: Adopting a “YOU” attitude
This is obviously a very “ME” letter as most of what he says is concerned with what he can get out of the company. The following expressions indicate this and in brackets are suggestions as to how these could be “improved”.
I would to like to (would like to)
Which can let me put what I have learned at university into practice (would allow me to apply these skills to improve aspects of your company)
Because you offer engineer trainees both pre-service and in-service training. What I will gain from these training programmes will definitely help my career development (the pre-training and in-service training programmes you offer would benefit both myself and the company in the long term)
I would expect (could reasonably hope)
I very much forward to (very much look forward to)

Part B: Selling yourself

Strengths
Examples
1
Example: strong-willed
When I have a good idea, I do not allow people to persuade me to drop it.
2
uncomplaining
Instead of complaining about problems, I manage to solve them.
3
well-organised
When I have a lot of work at hand, I make plans and keep everything in good order.

Your Weaknesses
How to Improve Yourself
1
People think that I am shy…
…but I think they misunderstand me. I simply wait until an opportunity arises to express my views. Perhaps I should push my opinions a little more.
2
When people say I am too ambitious…
…I usually answer that I do want to progress in my career, but not at any expense. I never try to destroy somebody else’s career to advance my own.
3
If I am thought to be too slow in my work…
…I can understand this. I am slow but I am methodical. If I need to work quickly, I will try to work at the required speed without losing my analytical approach.

Unit 6 Family Life
Words to note
3, 5, 21, 10, 18, 13, 7, 20, 6, 17, 22, 24, 26, 1, 4, 19, 8, 9, 2, 11, 15, 25, 12, 14, 23, 16

Understanding the text
Part A: Comprehending the text
1. allow the coal to be delivered and stored in the cellar.
2. the toilet was outside at the back of the house and he was afraid.
3. his father could not walk, so he could not get a job. Also, there were no state benefits at that time for unemployed or sick people.
4. they knew his father would not accept the money, even though he needed it very much, as he was too proud.
5. would otherwise have been thrown away / could not be sold in a shop / other people gave to them.
6. a tap in the cellar.
7. they never complained and always tried to help out in any way they could.
8. he then saw so little of him.
9. that no matter what difficulties a family had, the children must never find out about them or suffer in any way.
10. his father had overcome such enormous difficulties, such severe problems, to give his family a good life.

Part B: Interpreting the text
1. Likely titles: The Good Old Days / Life’s a Gas / Aren’t I the Lucky One?
2. Because it is luxurious and contrasts with his description of his earlier life.
3. Regretful reminiscence of the beauty to be found in poverty. Regretful because the writer wishes he had appreciated the truly important things in his life, which is unrealistic. It is also regretful because (as we learn in the last couple of sentences) the author’s father has just died.

Developing your skills
1. The writer was feeling rather emotional—for several possible reasons which the reader, at this stage, is not certain of but which he can assume he will find out later in the text.
2. One sack was a very small amount; probably everybody else was getting much more.
3. The writer’s family was so poor that they could never afford to buy biscuits; he had never seen whole biscuits, only the broken ones rejected by the factory and brought home by his mother.
4. The writer’s family was not that unusual; most families were suffering hardships of some kind.
5. It shows us that the writer was not really busy at all—it was simply an excuse for not visiting his parents more often.
6. It obviously shows us he is upset, but it also asks us to consider why he is upset. (Because his father has died, he misses his childhood, he misses his father, he is ashamed of not having seen his father more…All of these?)
7. The writer’s father has just died.