Dream jobs – B2 English Reading Test

Which student

1   has done a lot of research into something closely connected to a job?

2   wants to do the same thing that someone she is close to does?

3   does not know how to get into her chosen profession?

4   understands that she is unlikely to be widely recognised for work she might do?

5   likes expressing her feelings through what she does?

6   enjoys researching details related to the job?

7   hopes to encourage others to take an interest in her subject?

8   became interested in a subject when she was taught about it?

9   enjoys sharing her knowledge of a subject with other people?

10   says the reason she would like to do a job is not what people might expect?

Dream jobs

We asked four young people what their dream job would be and why. Here are their answers.

A   Ava

‘A pilot. That would be my absolute dream job. It isn’t because I want to see the world, which everyone immediately thinks when I say what I want to do, though it would be a bonus if I got to spend time on the ground somewhere exotic. I don’t think that happens much in reality, though. I don’t even like flying that much when I’m stuck in a passenger seat staring out of a tiny window at the clouds. I’d rather be up front taking charge! One of my hobbies is making model aeroplanes with my dad. I know they can’t fly, and I know they’re nothing like the real thing, but every time we bring a new one home to build, I go online and took up everything I can about it. I’ve not only built hundreds of models but I’ve built up my knowledge about planes, too. I’m also really into physics at school and I just think flying is really interesting.’

B   Emily

‘I’ve had hearing difficulties since I was really young, and I often just zone out and stop trying to keep up with things when there’s a lot of background noise – it can be tricky trying to keep up with my friends’ conversations. My parents are both deaf, so I’ve been able to use sign language for as long as I can remember. I’m teaching my friends now, so we can communicate more easily if we’re somewhere noisy. They love it and I’ve discovered how much I love teaching them. We have a laugh when one of them gets it wrong and signs something funny by mistake. So my aim is to be a sign language teacher. I’m unsure about how to go about it yet and it’s still a pretty new idea but I’m determined to find out what I can about it and make sure I get the right qualifications.’

C   Sophia

‘I want to be a poet. I’ve been writing my own poems for a couple of years. The kind of stuff I do is called ‘slam’ poetry. It’s where you reflect on life experiences. It’s emotional and passionate and comes straight from the heart. I got interested in it when a poet came to school and gave us a workshop on it. He taught us about how to make the words flow and how to say it aloud. Slam poetry’s performed in competitions and I’ve won two now. I was so nervous the first time I stood up but then I focussed on the message I wanted to get across to the audience and then it just seemed easy. I’d love to get my poems published and carry on giving performances. People overlook poetry a bit but this is the kind of style that gets noticed!’

D   Mia

‘My mum’s a research scientist and I hope to follow in her footsteps. I’m pretty good at science at school and I love biology. I think I’d like to work on developing medicines. That’s something that can really change the world, make a big difference to people’s lives. I’m fairly realistic about it, though. I know I’ll have to do years of study and groundwork before I get to any of the really exciting stuff. Even then, I’m probably not going to be a world-famous scientist, like Einstein. I know I’ll just be a tiny part of the whole process but I still think it would be amazing to work on the next big discovery, the next big cure. Imagine that! I also want to get more girls into science. A lot of the girls in my class want to be actors or singers but that’s not very practical, is it?’