Reading Test

When the economy isn’t going too well, most people would do anything to keep their jobs. But companies sometimes take advantage of this and become more demanding. The result is that we end up giving them more of our time than we should. So, we need to take a step back and consider just how much of our lives we want to dedicate to work. After all, if we are always working, when can we possibly have time to ourselves? We need to be able to relax for a while. Taking time to unwind is what keeps us healthy.

Choose the best heading for the text.

• Not everything is about work

• Hard work is the key to success

• Making sure your job is safe

Everyone’s looked at the green spots, called ‘mould’, on bread, trying to decide whether to eat it or put it in the bin. With an estimated 6.6 million tonnes of food discarded by households every year, many unnecessarily, how can we know what’s safe to eat? Any food can be contaminated as mould likes warm, moist conditions, but although not all mould is bad for us, we have no way of knowing which is which. Instead, we need to be better at planning our meals and should always cut mould out and save the rest of the food to prevent further waste.

Choose the best heading for the text.

• The environmental impact of food waste

• Food safety is critical in the home

• How we can avoid throwing food away

The mystery of why Neanderthals died out may have been solved. Scientists say it could have been something as simple as a common childhood illness. A new study has suggested that ear infections were responsible for their disappearance. Today, they can be simply treated with modern medicines like antibiotics. But the Neanderthals contracted many complications from ear infections, including breathing infections, hearing loss and pneumonia. The study published in The Anatomical Record journal found that the ears of Neanderthals were comparable to those of human children and did not change with age, as children’s do.

Choose the best heading for the text.

• Were Neanderthal children born with hearing difficulties?

• Neanderthals may have been allergic to antibiotic treatments

• Common childhood illness may have killed off Neanderthals

The combination of a growing population and an increased number of migrant workers means that there is a shortage of places to live in most major cities. The usual response to this is to simply build more houses and blocks of flats. But there is little space in the city itself to build, so construction usually takes place on green areas in the outskirts. In some areas, forests are even being cleared to build new houses. This is a worrying trend for the future and one that must be stopped if we want to do anything about protecting nature.

Choose the best heading for the text.

• Effective solutions for current problems in cities

• Solving one problem but making another one worse

• Imaginative ways to solve the housing crisis

You will be in charge of new products for the length of their development. You will supervise all aspects of product creation, marketing and evolution. You will also ensure the product and the marketing efforts to support it match the company’s goals and strategies. Among other things, this will include researching customer demand for products and managing the development of marketing activities and advertising strategies. Finally, you will also be required to submit regular reports about product income predictions and results. This will help us as a company to stay up to date with our competitors and competing products.

Choose the best heading for the text.

• Job description

• Job application

• Annual review report

The first moon landing was in 1969, and now it has been suggested that we should go back. However, this time, the plan is to stay for a while longer. Scientists argue that a base on the moon can be used to test out some of the difficulties that people going to Mars will have to deal with. But first, they will need to develop all the equipment, from a spacecraft to get there to accommodation once they arrive and a means of transport for the surface. So, they won’t be living on the moon just yet.

Choose the best heading for the text.

• Early plans to go back to the moon

• Mars mission plans are revealed

• Moon vehicle to be built

Throughout their lives, most people are engaged in the pursuit of happiness, both in their personal

lives as well as at work. The question of what workplace happiness looks like, however, has puzzled psychologists and career advisors. According to recent research, and contrary to popular belief, being offered a better salary can only help so much. Indeed, there is a host of other factors that can affect workplace happiness, such as the field a person works in, their company or their role. Studies have shown that some fields, such as those involving the care of animals, can make people content in ways other fields simply can’t. Likewise, a sense of community and a cohesive team of co-workers can lift spirits in ways other perks can’t. This will probably come as a surprise to poorly skilled managers, but among most employees, it is common knowledge.

What is a common misconception according to the text?

• That offering workers more money makes them happy

• That work benefits are less important than a close-knit team

• That it’s impossible to make people happy in most fields

Most people are surprised to learn that ships are significant sources of air pollution globally. This is predominantly due to their fuel. Thick, black and scary-looking, “bunker” fuel is made from the remains of the fuel production process and contains high amounts of sulphur. This produces poisonous gases and fine particles that can harm human health and the environment, especially in coastal areas with high levels of traffic. As more evidence points to the risks of burning bunker fuel, the global industry is launching a major change in its fuel supply. Starting in January, the International Maritime Organization will require that all fuels used in ships contain no more than 0.5 per cent sulphur. The cap is a significant reduction from the existing limit of 3.5 per cent. Public health experts estimate that once the sulphur cap takes effect, it would prevent roughly 150,000 early deaths and 7.6 million childhood asthma cases globally each year.

Why is the change in fuel happening now?

• There is now enough proof of the harm caused

• There has been enough development in the area

• There is a need for ships to be closer to land

While job candidates often focus on preparing for the possible interview questions they’ll be asked, body language is rarely given a thought. However, initial judgements about a person are formed in as little as 20 seconds and are based almost entirely on body language. So how can a candidate ensure they leave a positive impression? Good eye contact communicates confidence, though getting the balance right without coming off as threatening can be tricky. A slight tilt of the head as the interviewer talks shows that the applicant is listening carefully, while leaning in slightly also indicates interest. Finally, avoiding excessive use of gestures while talking encourages interviewers to focus on the words, instead of the body language. All of this may seem obvious, but most candidates get at least one thing wrong, so remember: practice makes perfect.

What advice does the text give to job candidates?

• Maintain eye contact throughout the interview

• Rehearse to improve your body language

• Focus on listening carefully instead of talking

A small chain of food stores in Finland has just celebrated its tenth anniversary, and we have spoken to Managing Director Saara Martinen to find out the key to their success, especially in the face of fierce competition from massive retailers. As she explained, a common customer complaint was always that, even in a recession, many essential foodstuffs were still beyond most budgets: “If I could find a way of dropping those prices and get the message out, then I felt sure those on strict budgets would be interested. We set about a social media campaign and very shortly we had thousands of followers”. So how did Martinen manage to maintain her low prices while keeping the business going? “We came up with the notion of making products available that are close to their so-called best-before dates." This still allows a few more days before they have to be consumed or discarded.

To what does Saara Martinen credit the success of her company?

• Finding a way to source products during a recession

• Identifying and exploiting a gap in the market

• Determining the best approach to social media marketing