Unit 3 Job Interview

Unit 3 Job Interview Text A Get the Job You Want Text B A Mortal Flower

Objectives • Grasp the main idea and structure of the text; • Realize the importance of examples in illustrating one’s points; • Master the key language points and grammatical structures in the text; • Conduct a series of reading, listening, speaking and writing activities related to the theme of the unit.

Contents • Part Ⅰ Pre-reading Activity • Part Ⅱ Text A • Background Information • Text Analysis • Language Points • Part Ⅲ Text B • Questions • Translations • Part Ⅳ Theme-related Task • Part Ⅴ Assignments

Part Ⅰ Pre-reading Activity Task One: Preparations for a Job Interview 1. Discuss with your partner to see what preparations we should make before taking part in a job interview.

Tips: 1. Know the exact place and time of the interview, the interviewer's full name, the correct pronunciation and his or her title. 2. Learn pertinent facts about the company such as annual sales revenue, principal lines of business and locations. 3. Find out why the hiring manager and/or client representative are/is interested in your qualifications. 4. Determine how the opportunity will impact your immediate and long-term career development. 5. An interview is a "two-way street." Know what questions to ask during the interview. Your questions allow the hiring manager to evaluate your professional and personal needs. Insightful questions help you determine if your relationship will be mutually rewarding. Lastly, the better you understand the opportunity, the more you will be able to communicate your interest in the position. 6. Put your best foot forward. Always wear proper attire and greet your interviewer with a firm handshake and an enthusiastic smile.

2. Some “Dos” and “Don’ts”Read the following items with your partner and fill them into the chart. Item 1: Do plan to arrive on time or a few minutes early. Item 2: Do wait until you are offered a chair before sitting. Sit upright, look alert and interested at all times. Item 3: Talk as much as you can, so that the interviewer can understand you better. Item 4: You can inquire about salary, vacations, so that the interviewer will think you are really serious to get this job. Item 5: You can call the interviewer by his first name if you are sure of it. Item 6: When asked about your present or former employers, you can make some derogatory remarks. Item 7: You should try to get the interviewer to describe the position and the duties to you early in the interview so that you can apply your background, skills and accomplishments. Item 8: When the interviewer steers the conversation into politics or controversial issues, you should try to do more listening than speaking.

“Dos” “Don’ts” Item 1 Item 3 Item 2 Item 4 Item 7 Item 5 Item 8 Item 6

Task Two: Writing Write a one-minute self-introduction.

PartⅡ Text A • “Get the Job You Want” • Background Information • Text Analysis Part One Para 1-6 Part Two Para 7-27 Part Three Para 28-31 • Language Points

Background Information Michael Jordan • American professional basketball player, considered by many to be the greatest player in basketball history. The 6 ft 6 in (198 cm) shooting guard first became known as an explosive individual scorer, but as he matured as a player he adopted a more team-oriented approach to the game. Jordan led the Chicago Bulls to six National Basketball Association (NBA) championships (1991−1993, 1996−1998). His widespread appeal to fans has helped keep basketball one of the world’s most popular spectator sports.

John Michael Landy • Australian athlete, and the second runner, after England's Sir Roger Bannister, to break the four-minute mile. He did so in 3 minutes 58 seconds in 1954, two months after Bannister set his mark.

Marathon • Marathon race, long-distance foot race deriving its name from Marathon, Greece. According to legend, in 490 B.C., Pheidippides, a runner from Marathon, carried news of victory over the Persians to Athens. In the first modern Olympics of 1896, a commemorative event retraced his route. The race soon became an Olympic event, its distance standardized in 1908 at 26mi, 385yd (42.195 km). The popularity of running as part of a physical fitness boom in the 1970s engendered a proliferation of marathons, some of them televised. Races in Tokyo, New York City, and elsewhere joined the famed Boston Marathon (begun in 1897). Tens of thousands of runners entered these and less celebrated marathons seeking to achieve personal records and to test their endurance. One of the most influential male runners was Bill Rodgers, who won the Boston and New York City marathons four times each between 1975 and 1980. Until the 1970s, women were largely ignored in (or excluded from, as at Boston) marathon racing, but in 1984, American Joan Benoit won the first Olympic race for women, and Grete Waitz won the New York City marathon nine times in 1978−1988.

Text Analysis 3. The author offers four keys to getting hired. All are instructive yet each is begun in a way different from the rest stylistically. Please match these strategies with each suggestion. 1. Prepare to win. 2. Never stop learning. 3. Believe in yourself, even when no one else does. 4. Find a way to make a difference. starts with a surprising fact begins with a question starts with a quotation begins with a personal opinion

Language Points prospective:adj.expected; probable; intended e.g. The chief function of direct-mail advertising is to familiarize prospective buyers with a product. Translate: 这个世界闻名的大学收到近200名学生的申请表。 • This university of world fame had applications from nearly 200 prospective students.

as I see it:in my opinion e.g.As I see it, this press conference is the most successful one we have ever had. Translate: 在我看来，这些钱足够他在国外生活一年了。 • As I see it, the money is sufficient for seeing him through a year abroad. Collocation: see about: 安排; 采取行动 see out: 送出门, 送到门口 see to: 负责; 照料 • It’s time for me to see about cooking dinner. • I’ll see you out. • If I cook lunch, will you see to the children?

apply: v. 1) request something, esp. in writing e.g.Anyone who has a college degree can apply for the job. 2) bring or put into use e.g. Apply as much force as is necessary. 3) have an effect; be directly related e.g. This regulation doesn’t apply.

1) a person’s trade or profession Translate:快要毕业的学生都尽力找工作。 The students, who are approaching the school-leaving age, endeavor to look for employment. 2) the condition of having paid work Translate:未受过高等教育的人在就业问题上常遇到阻碍。 People without higher education often face barriers in employment. employment: n.

do one’s homework: make preparations beforehand e.g. He had evidently done his homework and read his predecessor’s reports. Translate: 在演讲之前，他做了充分的准备工作。 • He had done his homework before he delivered the speech.

go after: try hard to obtain; chase e.g.He went after a prize in the English speech contest. Translate: 你会不会去这个公司找工作？ • Are you planning to go after a position in this company? Collocation: go about: 从事 go again: 违背；对…不利 go ahead: 开始

incidentally:by the way e.g. I really got to go now. Incidentally, don’t forget to pay a visit to your mother tomorrow. She is expecting you.

1.n. a position in the hierarchy of the armed force or society e. g. He was at last promoted to the rank of Captain. Translate:社会各阶层的人都很关心这个案件。 People of all ranks are very attentive to this case. 2.v. be or put (in a certain class) Translate:这座城镇在新英格兰风景区中名列前茅。 This town ranks high among New England beauty spots. rank:

(in)adequate: adj. 1) enough for the purpose, and no more e.g. The city’s water supply is no longer adequate. 2) having the necessary ability or qualities e.g. I hope he will be adequate to the job.

blurt: v.say (something which should not be said) suddenly and without thinking e. g. As soon as the teacher put forward the question, he blurted the answer out. Translate: 他没有考虑后果就脱口说出了那消息。 • He blurted out the news before he considered its effect.

Expressions for Unemployment 1. I got fired. 我被炒鱿鱼了。 2. I got the boot. 我被开除了。 3. I got the ax. 我被开除了。 4. I got sacked./ I got the sack.我被开除了。 5. They kicked me out. 他们把我踢出来了/把我开除了。 6. My boss showed me the door yesterday. 我老板昨天叫我走人。 7. I was canceled. 我被开除了。 8. I was laid off. 我下岗了。 9. The boss told me that I don’t have to come in tomorrow, or any other day. 老板告诉我说，我明天或以后都不必来公司了。 10. My boss told me to find a “better” job. 老板叫我“另谋高就”。

Part Ⅲ Text B • “A Mortal Flower” • Comprehension Questions • Translation

Comprehension Questions 1. Why were the author’s parents not confident of her success when she wrote for the job? 2. Why did the author want to get the job? 3. What can we infer about the author’s parents? 4. What did the author do to disguise her age? 5. How did the author feel at the interview? 6. What quality of the author impressed the Comptroller?

Translation • Neither Father nor Mother thought I would get in. “You have to have pull. It’s an American thing, Rockefeller Foundation. You must have pull.” • Of course, one who does not work must not eat unless one can get married, which is called “being settled at last.” • She had the new style of hair, all upstanding curls, which I admired, a dress with a print round the hem; she was very pregnant, so that her belly seemed to be coming at me first. • I told Mr. Harned you were shy and upset, and that’s why you couldn’t take dictation. He’s all right, just takes getting used to, that’s all.

Part IV Theme-related Task 1. Role Play Carry on a dialogue with a partner based on the following situation: Imagine one of you is an employer and the other a college graduate applying for a job. The employer is now conducting an interview with the applicant. The questions the employer asks are mainly about the applicant’s academic training, practical experience and other relevant details.

Part IV Theme-related Task 2. Discussion 1. In your opinion, what should the college graduate have done before the interview? 2. What do you think of the writer’s four suggestions about job application? Can you add anything? 3. Think of as many occupations as possible and write them down on a piece of paper. Try to classify them into categories. Evaluate each job from different perspectives. After comparing, choose your favorite kind of job.

Part Ⅴ Assignment Essay Writing • Write a letter to Mr. Mackay to apply for a job in his company. • Prepare for the next Unit: 1) do the pre-reading task; 2) preview Text A Read the writing strategy on page 105 before you write it and the checklist on page 106 after you finish your writing.

The End

Unit 3 Job Interview