On Screen p 25. Work-life Balance . Speaking

1. MONOLOGUE. Prepare a talk of AT LEAST 5 minutes on the subject. You may use the pictures above and the contents below if you wish:  

You may make some notes for your talk to take into the exam. These should not exceed five lines. 

 

“We need to do a better job of putting ourselves higher on our own ‘to do’ list.” —Michelle Obama, former First Lady

“Never get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life.” —Dolly Parton, singer
“Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.”
Robert Louis Stevenson

 

“One of the best pieces of advice I ever got was from a horse master. He told me to go slow to go fast. I think that applies to everything in life. We live as though there aren't enough hours in the day but if we do each thing calmly and carefully we will get it done quicker and with much less stress.”
Viggo Mortensen

 

“Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t – you’re right.”
Henry Ford

 

“People rarely succeed unless they have fun in what they are doing.”
Dale Carnegie  

 

"It's like Forrest Gump said, 'Life is like a box of chocolates.' Your career is like a box of chocolates - you never know what you're going to get. But everything you get is going to teach you something along the way and make you the person you are today. That's the exciting part - it's an adventure in itself." Nick Carter

2. INTERACTION

In this part of the test, the examiner will ask you some questions about topics related to the TOPIC. Remember that you are expected to have a conversation as natural as possible and give full answers. This part of the examination will last AT LEAST 5 minutes. You will not see the questions below. 

 

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TEACHER'S QUESTIONS

1. Has anybody at work ever planned a birthday party for you unbeknown to you?
2. Which could be the drawbacks of being a foreman at a factory?
3. Have you heard of any factory fires in the past few years? How were they ignited?
4. What do you think our subsequent generations will think of some of our jobs today? What work skills do you think will be passed on to subsequent generations?
5. How do you envisage a future into which we are being propelled by advanced technologies in the workplace?

6. How do you use the hours of a normal weekday? What about the weekend? Are you a workaholic? Do you work all hours? Do you think it's good to have a breather from time to time? Do you take a short rest in the afternoon? How often do you find yourself feeling short of time, on average? In what ways do we waste time every day? Do we tend to waste time at any time of the day or at specific times? How do you while away a Sunday afternoon? What time of the year are you able to kick back and relax?
7. Have you ever held down two jobs at once?
8. Do you know the symptoms of a heart seizure? Would you be able to help a colleague? Could you use a defibrillator if one of your workmates suffered a cardiac arrest?
9. Under what circumstances may people suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)? Do you know the symptoms? Can it be brought on by overwork?
10.  What are the most sought-out skills in employees today?

11. If you had more time outside work or school, how would you spend it? What would you like to do to chill out more? What helps you unwind after a busy day? Does a good night out help you take your mind off work? Do you enjoy letting your hair down at the weekend?
12. Are you realistic when you map out what you hope to achieve in the time available?
13. What kind of things can often present major obstacles to our achieving the goals we have set ourselves or to meeting the deadlines that others have set for us?
14. Do you set aside enough time to pursue your own interests? What helps you to ease your mind after a stressful day? Where do you hang out after work? Do you put your feet up when you get home or you carry on with the household chores?

 

Vocabulary 

unbeknown: /ˌʌnbɪˈnəʊn/ (also less frequent unbeknownst /ˌʌnbɪˈnəʊnst/) unbeknown to somebody without the person mentioned knowing. E.g. Unbeknown to her they had organized a surprise party.

foreman: /ˈfɔːmən/ (plural foremen /ˈfɔːmən/) a male worker who is in charge of a group of other factory or building workers. E.g. He got a job as foreman of a building site.

ignite: /ɪɡˈnaɪt/ to start to burn; to make something start to burn. E.g. The petrol tank suddenly ignited. The candle ignited the plastic. The fire was ignited by sparks.

subsequent: /ˈsʌbsɪkwənt/ happening or coming after something else. E.g. These skills were passed on to subsequent generations.

propel: /prəˈpel/  

1. to move, drive or push something forward or in a particular direction. E.g. mechanically propelled vehicles. A boat propelled only by oars.

2. to move someone into a new situation. E.g. The film propelled her to stardom.

against (all) the odds/against all odds: If you do or achieve something against (all) the odds/against all odds, you do or achieve it although there were a lot of problems and you were not likely to succeed. E.g. Against all the odds, he recovered.

hold sth. down: to be able to keep a job. E.g. He couldn't hold down a job for more than a few months at a time. She had three children, and still managed to hold down a full-time job.

seizure /ˈsiːʒə(r)/ a very sudden attack of an illness in which someone becomes unconscious or develops violent movements. E.g. an epileptic seizure. a heart seizure.

defibrillator: /diːˈfɪbrɪleɪtə(r)/ a piece of equipment used to control the movements of the heart muscles by giving the heart an electric shock in a carefully managed way.

 

arrest: an act of something stopping or being interrupted. E.g. He died after suffering a cardiac arrest (= when his heart suddenly stopped). 

post-traumatic stress disorder: /ˌpəʊst trɔːˌmætɪk ˈstres dɪsɔːdə(r)/ (abbreviation PTSD /ˌpiː tiː es ˈdiː/) a medical condition in which a person suffers mental and emotional problems resulting from an experience that shocked them very much. E.g. treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder.

bring sth. on: to make something develop, usually something unpleasant. Cause. E.g. He was suffering from stress brought on by overwork.

overwork: /ˌəʊvəˈwɜːk/ the fact of working too hard. E.g. His illness was brought on by money worries and overwork.

seek-out: to look for and find somebody/something, especially when this involves using a lot of effort. E.g. He admired her ability to seek out bargains.

map something out to plan or arrange something in a careful or detailed way. E.g. He has his career path clearly mapped out.

ease: /iːz/ to become or to make something less unpleasant, painful, severe, etc. E.g. The pain immediately eased. This should help ease the pain. The plan should ease traffic congestion in the town. It would ease my mind (= make me less worried) to know that she was settled.

hang out (informal) to spend a lot of time in a place. E.g. The local kids hang out at the mall. She knew all the clubs where he usually hung out.

put your feet up: to sit down and relax, especially with your feet raised and supported. E.g. After a hard day's work, it's nice to get home and put your feet up.

chore:  /tʃɔː(r)/ a task that you do regularly. E.g. doing the household/ domestic chores.