← Back to C1 General contentsWorkbook · 1B. A job for life?
Home practice · work & discourse markers · answer key included
1 · Modern work — choose the best word
After eighteen months without a break, he was hospitalised for ______.
As a ______ professor, she cannot legally be dismissed without serious cause.
She was ______ by a rival firm during a conference.
His growth ______ in year three; the role stopped teaching him anything new.
Weekend photography began as a ______ and slowly became her main income.
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2 · Complete with the correct linker
- The interview went badly; drop _, she was not shortlisted.
- The role pays well. drop _, the international travel is a bonus.
- It is a demanding job. drop _, hundreds apply every year.
- drop _ his lack of formal qualifications, he was promoted first.
- drop _, a portfolio career is a strategy, not an accident.
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3 · Combine into one formal sentence
The salary is good. On the other hand, the hours are brutal.
She works hard. Because of this, she was promoted twice in a year.
He has no diploma, but the company hired him anyway.
The report is short and it is clear.
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4 · Workplace phrasal verbs
- to hand indrop or tap here…
- to take ondrop or tap here…
- to step downdrop or tap here…
- to work your way updrop or tap here…
- to fall behinddrop or tap here…
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5 · A career-change confession
Listen to a mid-career professional explain why she resigned from a corporate job to open a small bakery.
📄 Show transcript
Speaker: So, looking back, I guess it was my 35th birthday that really cemented my decision. I was stuck in the office, working through the entire weekend, all to hit some arbitrary quarterly target. It just hit me – is this really what I want to be doing with my life? That Monday, I handed in my notice.
Don't get me wrong, there are things I miss. The generous health insurance was certainly a perk, and I do occasionally miss grappling with those enormous, complex problems that the corporate world threw at you. That intellectual stimulation was definitely a draw.
But running 'The Daily Bread' has been… an experience! The biggest surprise? How utterly physically demanding it is. I mean, who knew baking could be such a workout? My sleep has definitely improved – I’m out like a light – but my body definitely hurts more these days. Still, no regrets. Not one.
- Which single moment triggered her decision?
- What does she miss most about the corporate world?
- What has surprised her most about running a bakery?
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6 · Formal email (140–170 words)
Write a formal email to your manager requesting a four-day working week. Use at least four discourse markers and two work-vocabulary items from this lesson.
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