английский. Учебник английского языка для вузов. Спб. Издательство Северная Звезда
 Скачать 3.55 Mb.
|
|
Supplementary Reading Text 1 ANDREW CARNEGIE (1835—1919) The American millionaire Andrew Carnegie is known as a great philanthropist because he used his money to do good for other people. He was born in Scotland, where he also went to school. His family was quite poor. At 13 he emigrated to the United States with his parents and worked in a cotton factory in Pittsburgh. Soon afterwards he became a telegraph messenger boy*. When Carnegie was 20, his father died and he alone was left to support his mother and younger brother. He taught himself about telegraphing, became a telegraph operator in the Pennsylvania Railroad Company and then rose to be a superindendent*. He bought shares in the first company set up to run railway sleeping cars and he bought land that had oil in the west of Pennsylvania. The shares and the oil helped him make his first big money. After the American Civil War he became a steel manufacturer and built great metal works* in Pittsburgh. In 1901 he sold all his shares and other business interests to the United States Steel Corporation and retired with a fortune said to be 500,000,000 dollars, most of which he later gave to education and arts in the States, Britain and other English-speaking countries. *Note: messenger boy (n) — a boy who is sent on little jobs in the office, like taking or bringing things, and mailing letters superintendent (n) — a (kind of) manager works (n) — factory 1. Andrew Carnegie was born in Pittsburgh, wasn't he? 2. When did he start working? 3. What was his first job? 4. What did he do in the telegraph office? 5. Why did he buy land in Pennsylvania? 6. He was a big oil manufacturer, wasn't he? 7. His factory in Pittsburgh made cars for railroads, didn't it? 8. Carnegie retired at sixty, didn't he? 9. He gave his money to American education, didn't he? 10. Andrew Carnegie lived through the War of Independence, didn't he? Text 2 BILLION DOLLAR BRAIN. Bill Gates's schoolmates didn't like him much. He was the guy least likely to succeed, "with the emotional maturity of a six-year-old, who spent all his time in the computer room", according to one Seattle stockbroker. "No one would talk to him because we were all too busy hanging around". Now, Gates doesn't answer the phone when they call. Twenty years out of school, Bill Gates has changed: $7 billion dollars makes a difference. Now, Gates is America's richest man. The computer-obsessed kid turned into, well, a computer-obsessed 37-year-old*. Gates is building a house (a modest 520-million dream home) packed with electronic gadgets, including some that do not exist yet. The house is becoming almost as well known as he is. "It won't be finished for almost three years, so it's probably the most famous house in the world that doesn't exist", he says. It is not meant as a prototype for 21st-centure living. "The only thing that's really special is the idea of being surrounded by extremely high-resolution screens, and a very large image database, where you can call up about a million different images, of which 400.000 are works of art. It's art on demand: show me the Rembrandts, show me the Michelangelo, show me Mount Everest, show me Moscow, show me sail-boats, a sunset, the desert, and immediately you'll see these wonderful pictures on the walls. Just click, click, click". The trouble is, with Gates you're not sure if it's the instant art beautiful landscapes he appreciates or the powerful computer technology that makes them possible. He believes that his company's computer products will change our lives: it is the magic of the machines that drives him. Gates loves computers. At school in 1968 (at the age of 12) he and a friend made $4.200 writing a set of programs to sort out class timetables and his school used it. By the time he was in his senior year at high school, he was a programmer for TRW - one of the biggest aerospace electronics concerns in America. That was the last time he had a boss. The empire he's built up in less than two decades (Microsoft) is the world's largest software company. It's overtaken IBM's profits, even though the "Big Blue"* sells $65-billion-worth of products every year, compared with Microsoft's $2.8 billion. Gates always used to say that he wanted Microsoft to become "the IBM of software". But with the Big Blue losing money and business all over the world he has changed his mind. "It's a very challenging industry", - he says. "We moved the computer from being the centre of the organisation to being a tool for the individual. IBM didn't take part in the change. You can see now how smaller, fast machines have replaced the larger computers. IBM didn't move their skills into software and networking and the other things that are important in this new environment. In the future of the computer industry no company will have the powerful position that IBM had in the past". Ironically, it was IBM that started off the irresistible rise of Microsoft, and Gates's empire. In 1980 IBM was building its first personal computers, and needed a crucial piece of software - an operating system. This is computer code at the lowest level: it tells the disparate collection of chips and processors how to become a computer. It controls all the machine's most basic functions. IBM came to Bill Gates. Gates didn't have an operating system, but he knew where to find one. Microsoft paid $100.000 for it, called it MS-DOS (Microsoft Disc Operating System) Microsoft Seeks Domination Over Society, as its competitors are fond of saying) and sold it to IBM. The attractive part was that the deal didn't stop more sales to other computer companies. So once IBM's PC had set a technical standard, and millions of clones had appeared. MS-DOS could be sold to every other PC maker. Soon MS-DOS, not the PC itself, was the standard everyone depended on. The operating system went some way to fulfilling one of Gates's dreams. Twenty years ago his goal was a computer on every desk and in every home. Is that still desirable? I have a clearly defined vision of what kind of tool a computer can be: it's a tool to help people. We can make it easy enough to use that people want it in their homes. I think we've made very good progress. I'd even say we're half-way to achieving it". MS-DOS worked very well for the computer-literate, but even its best friends wouldn't claim that it was particularly user-friendly. To get a computer into every home. Microsoft would have to make them more accessible. "Windows" was the answer. It was an easily understood way of working √ in which, for example, deleting a file is caused by merely clicking on a picture of a folder with a pointing mouse, and dragging it to a bin on the screen. Pointing to other pictorial icons start the computer was processor, database, or even video. Windows may not be enough to persuade everyone to use a computer. Gates's latest enthusiasm is for pen-based computers, which recognise ordinary handwriting instead of relying on keyboard and mouse. "We're still in the very, very early stages. There are a lot of people working on these machines. We need better hardware and software. It's not an easy problem but I think that in the next few years most personal computers will recognise handwriting. We will create those possibilities". Gates has visions well beyond personal computers, though. "The idea is a product that is quite different from a TV or a PC, but combines both". But as the possibilities advance, the complications begin to multiply. "You're faced with too much choice - any movie, any TV show, you want to look at government services, you want to look up information. You need some kind of graphical user interface there, just to help you find what you want. We've been designing new consumer-type products with Windows applications especially developed for that specific purpose. It's called Modular Windows. The aim isn't really a PC, nor a TV: it's something completely new". This new medium ("hyper TV") could seriously upset the television applecart. "Without question", - agrees Gates, "this computer revolution means big changes for the television networks. They thrived on having a limited number of channels, so that they were commanding huge chunks of the viewing audience. But when the viewer technically has the ability to choose any movie ever made (or any number of channels) it obviously changes the whole TV business fundamentally". Microsoft is also making big changes in itself. Instead of being purely a software company, it is becoming, in Gates's words, "an information company". Microsoft has linked up with picture-led UK book publisher Dorling Kindersley to produce multi-media products combining text, pictures, music, speech and animation √ including "Dinosaurs", a prehistoric tour. Gates expects Microsoft's consumer division, which produces these products, to be the biggest in the company within five years, overtaking the programming business. One day, computers may even be able to write better programs than people. "I'm about the most optimistic person you'll meet", comments Gates, "and even I don't think computers will write programs in the next twenty years. But one day, the nature of what it means to write software will have been automated so much as to change our business drastically". Gates himself no longer writes programs. "The last time I sat down and wrote lines of code was about ten years ago. I spend most of my time with groups which do write programs, going through what's going on; what are the changes in the marketplace; what has the product got to be like?" He has spent twenty years, trying to beat the competition. "There isn't any guarantee, you know, looking forward, and we have to fight over and over to stay ahead. But I'm still enjoying it very much, and if there's any fatigue I sort of ignore it. I'm 37 years old, and it's a very advanced age. You know, I used to work for forty hours straight. I can't do that any more". Notes: · The article was written in 1992. · The "Big Blue" is the nickname of IBM. Vocabulary: schoolmate - одноклассник least likely - вряд ли вероятно succeed - добиться успеха maturity зрелость hang* around - разг.: бродить obsessed - перен.: помешанный(на) turn into - превратиться в modest - скромный gadget - прибор, приспособление exist - существовать surround - окружать extremely - чрезвычайноhigh-resolution - высокое разрешение screen - экран call up - вызывать image - образ work of art - призведение искусства art on demand - искусство по вызову desert - пустыня click - щелкать, нажимать (на кнопку) trouble - проблема instant - мгновенный appreciate - ценить set (of) - набор senior - старший high school - амер.: старшие классы software - программное обеспечение overtake* - догнать, наверстать profit - выгода, доход tool - оружие, приборreplace - заменить environment - здесь: обстановка irresistible - непреодолимый crucial - критический, решающий level - уровень disparate - разные, отличающиеся друг от друга seek - искать competitor - соперник, конкурент attractive - привлекательный deal - дело, сделка depend (on) - зависеть (от) goal - цель desirable - желательный defined - определенный vision - видение, понимание half-way to achieving (it) - на полпути к достижению computer-literate - разбирающийся в компьютерах claim - утверждать paricularly - особенно user-friendly - легкий для пользования accessible - доступный, достижимый delete - вычеркивать, уничтожать folder - папка merely - просто point - указывать drag - таить, тянуть bin - корзина persuade - убеждать recognise - распознавать handwriting - почерк rely (оn) полагаться (на) keyboard - клавиатура stage - этап vision - видение, понимание beyond - сверх, выше, вне combine - совмещать, объединять advance - здесь: расти complication - затруднение multiply - увеличивать(ся), множиться face - сталкиваться design - разрабатывать consumer - потребитель completely - полностью, целиком upset one's applecart - расстраивать чьи-то планы thrive* - процветать, преуспевать huge - огромный chunk - разг.: кусок, ломоть viewing audience - зрительская аудитория ever made - когда-либо выпущенный obviously - очевидно instead (of) - вместо purely - чисто, только animation - мультипликация drastically - резко, решительно ahead - заранее fatigue - уставший straight - здесь: подряд Comprehension Check. Answer the following questions:
Topis to Discuss.
Text 3 JACKSON BREAKS HIS 10-YEAR SILENCE TO "SET RECORD STRAIGHT". MICHAEL JACKSON, the reclusive pop singer whose private life has become the subject of increasingly wild rumours, has come out into the open to set the record straight. No, he has not had his skin bleached; his lightening colour is due to a skin disorder. Yes, he has had "a very little cosmetic surgery. Yes, he has a girlfriend; he is dating the actress Brooke Shields and hopes to get married one day. And he wants his fans to focus on his music rather than his private life. Jackson, 34, talked of his life, personal problems and unhappy childhood to the broadcaster Oprah Winfrey in his first television interview for almost 10 years. During the 90-minute interview shown live from his Neverland ranch at Santa Inez, California, he dismissed some of the more bizarre rumours about him as "garbage". Recent rumours have him taking baths in Evian water and planning a personal expedition to the moon.He is a thoughtful and somewhat sad young man, at his happiest on stage and still haunted by memories of a tormented childhood during which, he said, he cried almost daily. His apparent frankness belied the gossip magazines that depict him as a strange and lonely eccentric with an increasing love to living in a fantasy world. His advisers deny that he agreed to the interview in an attempt to boost his latest album, Dangerous, which is a commercial and critical disappointment, despite selling four million copies. His 1982 album Thriller sold more than 40 million copies. More than 20 million American households are estimated to have watched the interview. Thirty-second commercial ads were sold for 160 thousand pounds, nearly twice the normal sum. Jackson appeared at ease, giggling occasionally at some of the more personal questions and talking animatedly. A report that he slept in an oxygen chamber, he said, was "completely made up", as was a story that he had attempted to buy the bones of the Elephant Man. "I was impressed with the story of the Elephant Man because I can relate to him, but what would I want with some bones?" he said. He appeared upset when asked about reports that he bleached his skin. "There is no such thing as skin bleaching," he said. "I have a skin disorder that destroys the pigmentation of the skin. It is something I can't help. I am a black Amrican and I am proud of my race. I don't want to go into my medical history because it's something that is private." He said he had had plastic surgery on his nose but few other cosmetic operations - "you can't count them on two fingers," he said,"If all the people in Hollywood who had had plastic surgery went on vacation there wouldn't be a person left in town. "I had my nose done but so did a lot of people I know. I have never had my cheek-bones doesn't or my eyes done. But I try not to look in the mirror because I am never happy with what I see." As for his love life, he said "he had a crash" on Diana Ross and was dating Brooks Shields. He appeared shocked when Miss Winfrey asked: "Are you a virgin? "How can you ask me that question?" he giggles. "I'm a gentleman. It is something that's private. Call me old-fashioned, but to me that is very personal." From the age of eight or nine he cried daily from loneliness. "I didn't have any friends when I was little. It was always work, work, work. I remember when we were going to tour South America I ran away and hid because I didn't want to go. I wanted to play. "He grew up in fear of his father, Joseph Jackson, who beat him. "He was very strict, very hard and very stern." he said. "I was very frightened of him. There were times when he came to see me I would get sick." As a teenager, he had so many pimples he refused to look in mirrors. "I washed my face in the dark. I cried every day," he said. His close friend, Elizabeth Taylor, appeared briefly on the programme to declare that he is "the least weird man I've ever known." by John Hiscock Vocabulary. set the record straight - исправлять неверную информацию reclusive - замкнутый wild - дикий rumour - слух bleach - отбеливать, осветлять due to - из-за surgery - операция date - встречаться, ходить на свидания focus - уделять внимание broadcaster - телеведущий live - здесь: прямой эфир dismiss - здесь: отрицать bizarre - странный (потрясающий) garbage - мусор recent - недавний thoughtful - вдумчивый stage - сцена haunt - преследовать(о мыслях) torment - причинять страдания apparent - очевидный frankness - откровенность bely - разг. Опровергнуть gossip - слух depict - описывать lonely - одиноко adviser - советник deny - отрицать attempt - попытка boost - создавать шумиху, рекламировать latest - последний disappointment - разочарование despite - несмотря на household - здесь: семья estimate - оценивать ad(vertisement) - реклама appear - здесь: выглядеть giggle - хихикать occasionally - изредка, время от времени animatedly - оживленно oxygen - кислород chamber - здесь: камера completely - полностью, абсолютно make up - здесь: придумать bone - кость impress - поражать relate (to) - относиться (к) upset - расстроенный detroy - разрушать skin - кожа be proud (of) - годиться count - считать mirror - зеркало have a crash on = have romantic feelings virgin - девственник old-fashioned - старомодный loneliness - одиночество hide* - прятать(ся) grow* up - вырасти fear - страх strict - строгий stern - суровый, неумолимый get sick - заболеть pimple - прищ refuse - отказываться dark - темнота briefly - кратко, вкратце declare - обявить, заявить weird - странный, необычный Comprehension Check. Answer the following questions:
Topics to Discuss. 1. M.Jackson's childhood. 2. His appearance. 3. His latest achievements. Text 4 Pablo Picasso's Fortune Pablo Picasso knew what a scramble there would be among his legal heirs and claimants over his fortune when he died. He even predicted. «It will be worse than anything you can imagine». Thus he didn't even bother to make a will, and died intestate. His lawyer friend Armand Antebi said Picasso died without leaving a will because of his superstition about death. Some say he just wanted to be ornery. In any event, Picasso's prediction came true. He left an estimated $90,000,000 in bank accounts, investments, real estate, art works, etc. Besides all that, there is the incalculable treasure of his own works stored in his many homes, which include a forty-room castle in Vauvenargues, Provence, and his country mansion near Grasse. His biographer Sir Rowland Penrose said Picasso kept hundreds, possibly even thousands of his paintings, drawings, and sculptures. There are two known legal heirs to this vast fortune: his second wife Jacqueline, who married him in 1961, and Paulo Picasso, his fiftyish son by his first marriage to Russian dancer Olga Kolgova. Francoise Gilet, his former mistress who bore two illegitimate children of Picasso's, Claude and Paloma, and who is now very respectably married to a polio vaccine discoverer Dr. Jonas Salk, let it be known that she expects her children to fight for the share of the estate. Claude and Paloma and an older illegitimate half sister have all been to court seeking to be recognized as Picasso's legitimate offspring. If the suits of all the claimants fail, Picasso's widow Jacqueline is entitled to half of all that her husband acquired since their marriage in 1961, and Paulo, the painter's only legitimate son, will inherit the remainder of the estate. Vocabulary. fortune - богатство, состояние scramble - схватка, борьба heir - наследник claimant - лицо, предъявляющее право, претензию или требование predict - пресказывать imagine - представлять bother - беспокоить(ся) make* a will - составить завещание interstate - умерший без завещания superstition - суеверие, предрассудок ornery - злобный, своенравный, упрямый in any event - в любом случае come* true - сбываться estimate - оценивать account - (банковский) счет investment - вклад real estate - недвижимость art work - произведение искусства incalculable - неподдающийся оценке treasure - богатство, сокровище store - хранить include - включать castle - замок mansion - особняк vast - обширный marriage - брак former - бывший mistress - любовница bore* - родить illegitimate - незаконнорожденный polio - полиомиелит share - доля, часть seek - стремиться recognise - признавать offspring - потомок, потомки suit = lawsuit - иск, судебное дело/процесс fail - проваливаться, не удаваться widow - вдова acquire - приобретать, получать the only - единственный legitimate - законорожденный inherit - унаследовать remainder - оставшаяся часть Ex. Answer the following questions.
Topics to discuss.
Text 5 THE PRIVATE SIDE. Playing Brandon on such a popular show has led to the near-total (полный) loss of private life. As Jason said on a recent TV talk show, "I can't go to a shopping mall (универсам) on a Saturday - it's potentially dangerous (опасно)!" Naturally, he's recognized (узнаваем) wherever he goes, and while he's grateful (признателен) for fan support, there is a part of him that is desperately (отчаянно) trying to keep his personal life private. Jason manages (удаваться) to keep as normal as possible a life. He unwinds with sports, lots of them. He plays golf, tennis, and rugby, loves to snow-ski or go for a spin (прокатиться) on his Yamaha motorcycle. Every Sunday he plays center on a two-division hockey team, alongside (наряду с) Michael J.Fox, and regularly competes (состязаться) against National Hockey League old-timers (бывшие игроки). His newest off-camera hobby, however, is his favorite. It's called bungee jumpee, which means he leaps off (прыгать с) a bridge while still attached (прикреплен) to it by a bungee cord (веревка, бечевка). Jason loves the whole dare-devil (залихватский) aspect of it - while admitting (признаваясь) to a national magazine: "Every time I jump, I'm thinking, 'Oh, God, I've just willingly committed suicide (совершить самоубийство)!'" Of course Jason does indulge in (предаваться) several less heart-stopping pursuits (занятия, дела). He's perfected the art of relaxing and in his new condo (квартира) (he won't say where) he loves to just "hang out" (поболтаться) with his friends on the weekends and maybe pop a video from his extensive (богатый) collection into the VCR (видео). Among his favorites: Blue Velvet and A Clockwork Orange. In fact, when he's not playing Brandon, Jason doesn't even look very Brandonish: Most likely he's dressed in tattered (поношенный) jeans and T-shirt, wearing round '60s-style rimless(без ободков) glasses (not contacts, as he does on the show), a day or more's worth of stubble ("щетина") on his chin (подбородок), and - alas (увы) - a cigarette in his hand. A GOOD GUY - AND A GOOD FRIEND. Jason has claimed(утверждать) that in his real life he's not as perfect as Brandon - but it's a claim nearly all his cast (актеры данной картины) and crewmates (съемочная группа) dispute. "To know Jason Priestleyis to like him and respect him a lot," they agree. He doesn't flaunt (рисоваться, щеголять) being the "star" of the show, though there's no question that he (and Shannen Doherty) are the show-biz pros (разг. "главные специалисты") in the bunch (группа). There isn't a cast member who's not remarked at Jason's acting ability (способность) and grace (изящество) under pressure. "For the rest of us, this show is a learning experience and we sometimes struggle (сражаться) with it. For Jason (and Shannen) it's a walk in the park. They know exactly (точно) what to do and when to do it at any given moment," the others agree. Of course, sometimes that means breaking the tensions (напряжение) on the set (группа, круг лиц). Jason knows just how to do that! Jason has gotten particularly tight (особенно близок) with Luke Perry (Dylan) and Ian Ziering (Steve). The hunky (первоклассный, отличный) trio get often together, dreaming up new script (сценарий) ideas and scheming about pooling (объединять деньги) their money and opening a restaurant one day. Friendships and loyalty (преданность) are important to Jason: he goesout of his way to maintain (поддерживать) his ties. Dealing with fame (слава) still feels a little strange to the Jason. His instinctive reaction to most questions from the press is to deflect(отражать) them with humor. When questioned about the deluge (перен.: поток) of fan mail he gets, Jason admitted (допускать) that he reads only a few of the letters that come his way. "I like to see what people are saying, like maybe they're telling me I should get my teeth cleaned or something!" Joking aside, Jason does have plans for the future. He's dabbled (любительски заниматься) in writing and directing (although the typically modest (скромный) Mr. Priestley says, "I don't think I'm a very good writer") and sees his career going in that direction - eventually (вконечном итоге). "I have to master one craft (овладеть профессией) before going on to another," he once explained. Randy Reisfeld. The Stars of Beverly Hills, 90210: Their Lives and Loves. (An Unauthorised Biography). New York, 1991. Comprehension Check. Ex. Answer the following questions: 1. What is meant by the phrase "near-total loss of private life"? 2. What sports does Jason do? 3. What is his favourite hobby? 4. What are his thoughts like when he is leaping off a bridge? 5. Does he say anyone where his apartment is? 6. What are his favourite video-films? 7. Does Jason look like Brandon (whose role his acts)? 8. Is acting easy for him? 9. What does he wear? 10. Is he as perfect as Brandon? 11. What does the show mean for him and for the cast? 12. Who are his best friends? 13. What are they dreaming about? 14. How does Jason deal with the fame? 15. What are his plans for the future? Topics to Discuss. 1. Jason's hobbies. 2. Jason in comparison with Brandon. 3. Jason and fame. 4. His plans for the future. Text 6 ROLE OF TEMPS. Is the job of your dreams beyond your reach because some company's computerized screening device doesn't find the right buzzword on your resume? "If I could just get in the door for an interview," you groan, "I could knock their socks off." That's where temping comes in. No longer just a fill-in for vacationing secretaries and recep-tionists, temps are now brought in for special projects and long-term assignments. They increas-ingly include white-collar technical and profes-sional workers - even the occasional executive. Temping can help you learn new skills or bridge the gap between jobs. Some people are even making a career of temping - mostly those who like the independence or need more flexible work schedules, such as working mothers. All told, companies shelled out $4.9 billion to temps in 1995, more than double what they paid four years earlier, according to the National Association of Temporary and Staffing Services. More to the point, companies are increasingly using tempo-rary assignments to fill full-time jobs. About 40 percent of those sent out on temp assignments get offered full-time positions, estimates the associa-tion. If hiring the right people is so critical, why not test drive the merchandise first? Many people who might not otherwise get an interview are getting permanent jobs through temp work. Once they get the temporary jobs, they can quickly build experience. For their part, the companies, knowing they've got a free trial period, are more willing to take a chance on someone who might not fit exactly their job profile. When attorney Michael Mayer moved to the lawyer-glutted Washington, D.C., area last year, he couldn't find a job, despite sending out count-less resumes. So he signed up with Lawcorps, a temping agency for lawyers and paralegals. Last June he got a one-week assignment at Weil, Gotshal, & Manges, a blue-chip firm where he had considered job prospects so unlikely he hadn't even sent a resume. He reviewed an article one of the partners was preparing for publication. The firm liked his work, and asked him to stay beyond the one-week period. Eventually he was hired full-time as an attorney. "Lawyers coming out of law school have found that one of the best things they can do to find a job is to sign up with an agency," says Brice Arrowood, president of Lawcorps. "You get some real experi-ence; that's better than just a nice degree." About 25 percent to 30 percent of Lawcorps' people find full-time employment through the agency, he esti-mates. Temping can also help you to pursue new career routes, through the training that many temp agencies now offer and through assignments that stretch people's skills After college, Carolyn M. Harper, of King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, wasn't having much luck finding a job in human resources' or corporate training, logical possibilities for someone with a psychology degree. But she sent her resume our to some temp agencies and got a message: The Bradley Burns agency had a "temp-co-perm" job as the database administrator for Pinpoint Communi-cations, a start-up Internet advertising company. While she had no high-tech skills, she and the company decided to give each other a two-week whirl. Six months later, Ms. Harper, now full-time, is putting together Web'pages for the company's new Web site. Brian Altman dropped out of a Ph.D. program in organizational psychology at Temple University in Philadelphia to seek a career on Wall Street. But prospective employers didn't take him seriously. They changed their tune after he accepted a temp assignment as an administrative assistant for Zurich American Insurance. "It showed I had a commitment to not going back to school," he says. And the assignment involved considerable computer work, which also spruced up his resume. A week ago he landed a job as an analyst of asset portfolios at Merrill Lynch. "They were interested in finding someone with good computer and quantitative skills," he says. To enhance your chances of finding good temp jobs that can lead to full-time work, talk to your temp agency counselor daily, says Richard M. Rogers, a veteran temp who wrote "Temping: The Insider's Guide." Also make sure the counselor knows your skills and the kinds of permanent jobs you'd like. "You want to become more than a name," he says. As with everything else involved in careers these days, temping is no panacea. But, as Mr. Rogers notes, "The question isn't how insecure temping is, but how secure is full-time employment these days? The gap between the two is narrowing." By Hal Lancaster (from The Wall Street journal) Note: · temp = temporary - временный. A temp is a secretary who is imployed by an agency that sends him or her to work for short periods of time in different offices, replacing secretaries who are ill or on holiday. Vocabulary. temping - временная работа (секретаря) beyond one's reach - вне достижимости screening device - прибор с экраном buzzword - сленг: слова, говорящие о владении ПК groan - тяжело вздыхать, стонать knock the socks off = утереть кому-то нос fill-in - заполнение long-term - долгосрочный assignment - задание increas-ingly - все в большей степени include - включать white-collar - перен.: служащий, работник occasional - приуроченный к опред. времени executive - руководитель, начальник skills - навыки, умения bridge the gap - заполнить пробел (брешь) independence - независимость flexible - гибкий work schedule - рабочий график shell out - разг.: расколшелиться temporary - временный staff - штат (сотрудников) full-time job - работа с полным рабочим днем estimate - оценивать test drive - перен.: пробная поездка, тестирование merchandise - товары otherwise -иначе, другим способом permanent - постоянный free - бесплатный trial period - истытательный период fit exactly - точно подходить. attorney - адвокат lawyer - юрист glutted - заваленный, переполненный count-less - бесчисленный sign up - подписать контракт ( о поступлении на работу) paralegal - вспом. cостав в сфере юриспруденции assignment - задание prospect - перспектива unlikely - маловероятный beyond - свыше hire - принимать на работу full-time - полный рабочий день employment - занятость, работа esti-mate - оценивать pursue - заняться, приступить route - путь training - обучение stretch - расширить skills - умения; квалификация message - записка, послание temp(orary) - временный perm(anent) - постоянный trial period - испытательный период drop out - выпадать, исчезать seek* - искать; поиск prospective - потенциальный, возможный employer - работодатель accept - принимать insurance - страхование commitment - решимость involve - включать considerable - значительный spruce up - разг.: дополнить, обогатить assets - фин.: актив portfolio - портфель quantitative - количественный enhance - увеличить, усилить counselor - советник daily - ежедневно make* sure - убедиться insecure - ненадежный gap - разрыв narrow - сужаться Comprehension Check. Answer the following questions. 1. What is a temp? 2. What can one achieve my means of temping? 3. What are merits of temping? 4. Is it possible to make a career through temping? 5. Is temping a panacea? Topics to Discuss. 1. Temping. 2. People who found their jobs through temping (take examples from the text). Text 7: TAKING A FLIER ON TNE WEB. (Executives left Corporate America for the unknown). Internet start-ups aren't just for kids; executives at the top of their game in established businesses are chucking security for a piece of the Net. Below are a few of the big names that have recently struck out for cyberspace
For nearly two decades, Gerry Laybourne was the queen of Kids' TV, building the Nickelodeon brand and later heading up the Disney/ABC Cable Networks. Now she's aiming for the women's market. Oxygen produces Web content on topics ranging from personal finance to child care and will launch a cable network next February. The women's on-line field is crowded, with tenacious competitors like Candice Carpenter of i--village. But Laybourne has powerful partners - Oprah Winfrey and Carsey-Werner's Marcy Carsey. "Oxygen is one of the sites that will still be around in three to five years," says Jupiter Communications' Anya Sacharow.
When he ran the advertising firm Chiat/Day, Jay Chiat was known for his funky office space and brisque business style. He gave up the offices, but Chiat's still in the business of moving fast. His Screaming Media pulls real-time content from sources like AP and The New York Times and delivers it in customized packages to clients like AOL (America On-Line) and Microsoft.
Dr. Koop quit his job as U.S. surgeon general a decade ago, but he's still one of the most recognizable names in medicine. In 1998 he launched a site featuring news and advice on health topics from flu shots to the Ebola virus. The site is a huge hit; more than 1 million people visited it in August. And Koop has joined the ranks of the paper million-aires (his options are worth about $46 million). Koop recently came under fire for receiving a percentage of sales of services and products on the site. But an aide says his contract has been changed to eliminate these fees.
Like Laybourne, Frank is a former Disney executive who wanted a taste of the Net. His site features point-and-click ordering from 10,000 restaurants nationwide. Frank says he loves his youthful staff's enthusiam. But getting people to return calls can be tough. "When I was at Disney, I'd certainly get someone on the phone," he says. "Now it's 'Rich from where?'
After two decades at CNN, the former host of "Moneyline News Hour" and "Business Unusual" struck out for the wilds of the cyberworld. Space.com, a new and entertainment site about outer space, was launched in July, and analysts say it has star potential. "It's well put together and has an easy name," says Datamonitor analyst Robert Shavell. "If we send somebody to Mars or find little critter in thge water of asteroids, everybody's going to go there." Comprehension check. Ex. Answer the following questions. a/ GERALDINE LAYBOURNE
b/ JAY CHIAT
c/ C. EVERETT KOOP
d/ RICH FRANK
e/ LOU DOBBS
Topics to discuss. Speak about yourself as if you were: a/ Geraldine; b/ Jay; c/ C. Everett; d/ Rich; e/ Lou. QUATATIONS AND JOKES FAME AND CELEBRITIES. - One of the drawbacks of Fame is that one can never escape from it. Nellie Melba.
- Fame usually comes to those who are thinking about something else. Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.
HUMAN RELATIONS. Acquaintance, n.: a person whom we know well enough to borrow from, but not well enough to lend to. Ambrose Bierce. - Only person who has faith in himself is able to be faithful to others. Erich Fromm. INTELLECT.
LEADERS AND LEADERSHIP.
JOKES
UNIT VII |