1 Reading
a Read Nicola’s blog on the right and tick (✓) the correct answer.
a Nicola could speak Spanish very well two years ago.
b Nicola lives and works in Barcelona.
c Nicola wanted to get a new job as a manager.
d Nicola studied Spanish at university.
NICOLA123
About two years ago, my job was getting really boring. I liked the bank and enjoyed working with my colleagues, but I needed a change. I wanted to become a manager because I thought the work would be more interesting and that I would have the chance to travel to different countries.
However, I knew that it was very important for managers in my bank to write and speak excellent Spanish. I studied Spanish at school, but I stopped when I was 16, so I couldn’t remember much. I decided to try and improve my Spanish quickly so that I could apply for a job as a manager.
To begin with, I studied my old Spanish textbook from school and did lots of exercises. After that, I started reading Spanish newspapers online for 30 minutes every day and looked up the meaning of any new words in my dictionary. Soon I could understand nearly everything I read. After a while, I found a website where I could practise listening and speaking. Then I joined a Spanish class at a language school in my town and went to classes twice a week. In the end, after about 18 months, I could understand and speak Spanish quite well.
I decided to start applying for management jobs at the bank and last month I got an offer of a job in Barcelona. My new job starts in September, so I’ve got a few weeks to find a flat. I’m really excited about going to live in Spain.
b Read the blog again. Are the sentences true or false?
1 Two years ago, Nicola didn’t get on well with her colleagues at the bank.
2 Managers in Nicola’s bank need to have a very good level of Spanish.
3 Nicola used to buy a Spanish newspaper every day.
4 Nicola studied Spanish at a language school in Barcelona.
5 Nicola is going to work for her bank in their Barcelona office.
Answer
a c
b True: 2, 5; False: 1, 3, 4
2 Writing Skills – Linking: ordering events
Complete the blog below with the words in the box.
|
then the end after soon a while first |
How I became
a top chef
Three years ago, I was a terrible cook. I could cook an English breakfast for my family, but I couldn’t cook anything more exciting than that. Two years later, I got a job in a top London restaurant as a chef. Shall I tell you how I did it?
At 1……first……, my wife helped me. She showed me how to make some simple dishes, such as roast chicken and potatoes and spaghetti bolognese. 2…………… that, I started going to cookery classes at a college in London, where I learned how to cook lots of different dishes from all over the world. 3…………… I started inviting my friends to my house for dinner and I cooked some of the meals I learned at the college. After 4……………, my friends told me I was a brilliant cook and that I should become a chef. 5…………… I entered an important cookery competition on television and, to my surprise, I won! In 6……………, I got an offer to work at The Ritz Hotel as one of their chefs, so I gave up my office job and I’ve never regretted it for one moment.
Answer
2 After 3 Soon 4 a while 5 Then 6 the end
3 Writing
Read the notes and write Kirsty’s blog about how she changed her journey to work.
Notes for Kirsty’s blog
2 years ago: go to work by bus = lots of traffic, 1 hour + buy a bicycle? but not very fit
bought old bicycle from friend …
1) frightened of cycling on road – so many cars & lorries
2) went to a park – cycled slowly, 5–10 mins.
3) house to local shops – 2 km
4) house to city centre – 5 km
5) everywhere on my bike
now: 8 km to work – feel fit & healthy
only 30 mins to work – save 1 hour a day
Answer
Suggested answer
About two years ago, I used to travel to work every day by bus. It was an awful journey because of all the traffic and sometimes it took me over an hour to get there. So I decided that I needed to find a quicker way to travel to work. I decided to buy a bicycle. The problem was that I wasn’t very fit.
I bought an old bicycle from a friend of mine. At first, I was frightened of cycling on the road with all the cars and lorries. To begin with, I took my bike to the little park near my house every day and cycled very slowly for about five or ten minutes. After a while, I started cycling along the quiet roads to the shops about two kilometres from my house. Then I started cycling the five kilometres from my house to the city centre. In the end I went everywhere on my bicycle!
Now I cycle eight kilometres to work every day and I feel really fit and healthy. It only takes me 30 minutes to get to work, so I save an hour every day.
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