About half of 16 and 17 year old in the United Kingdom have got jobs, and three quarters of this age group also go to school. They do part-time jobs before or after school and at weekends. The most common jobs are babysitting(very popular with girls) and paper rounds(popular with boys). Cleaning and working with a shop are also popular jobs.In the UK school students are not allowed to work more than two hours on a school day, or more than twelve hours in total during a school week. They are not allowed to work before 7 a.m. or after 7 p.m. (but babysitters can work later). They must have at least two weeks’ holiday from school each year when they don’t work at all. Teenagers do part-time jobs because they want to earn some money. However, they don’t usually earn very much. In the UK there is a minimum wage for adults: 5-6 pounds an hour. For 16 and 17 year olds, it is 3.5 pounds an hour. For children under 16 there is no minimum wage, so many teenagers work for 2-3 pounds an hour.
Post-Reading Activity.
Exercise 1. Answer the questions.
1) How many young people aged 16 and 17 have jobs in the UK?
2) What are the most common jobs for teenage girls?
3) What are the most common jobs for teenage boys?
4) How many hours in total can young people work during a school week?
5) Why do teenagers do part-time jobs?
6) What is the minimum wage for a 16 year old…for a 15 year old?
Exercise 2. Match the words in bolds with their definitions.
1) looking after children while parents are out
2) get money for working
3) jobs that you do for a few hours a day
4) the smallest amount of money you can get for working
5) cannot do smth.
6) delivering newspapers to people’s home
My Hobby
I learnt to read when I was five years old and since that time I have read hundreds of books. I read all kinds of books — adventure stories, fantasy, historical novels, science-fiction, biographical novels, horror stories, etc. I love reading and I think it is the best hobby in the world. Let me explain why I think so.
First, I can read a book anywhere whenever I have free time. Secondly, a traditional paper book does not need any batteries or cables. Thirdly, there are so many books in the world that you will never run out of them. Fourthly, reading books makes you smarter, especially if you have a good memory.
Finally, reading is the safest hobby in the world. You can take part in adventures оn the way to the tops of volcanoes, or to Mars and back, around the world in 80 days, down to the bottom of the ocean — and the only injury you could suffer is a paper cut.
Мое хобби
Я научился/научилась читать, когда мне было пять лет, и с тех пор я прочитал(а) сотни книг. Я читаю разные книги: приключения, фэнтези, исторические романы, научную фантастику, биографические романы, ужасы и т. д. Я люблю читать и думаю, что это лучшее хобби в мире. Позвольте мне объяснить, почему я так думаю.
Во-первых, я могу читать книги где угодно, когда у меня есть свободное время. Во-вторых, традиционной бумажной книге не нужны батареи или кабели. В-третьих, в мире так много книг, что ты никогда не перечитаешь все-все. В-четвертых, чтение книг делает тебя умнее, особенно если у тебя хорошая память.
Наконец, чтение — самое безопасное хобби в мире. Ты можешь участвовать в приключениях на пути к вершинам вулканов или к Марсу и обратно, проехать вокруг света за 80 дней, опуститься на дно океана — и единственная травма, которая, тебе грозит, — это порез листом бумаги.
22-hour workday New York, once the largest city in the world, is now only the ninth or tenth largest. Of its over seven million people, 52 per cent are white, 24 per cent black, 20 per cent Hispanic, and 4 per cent «other». As a Korean immigrant, Lee Chang-Soon is one of the «others». Together with his wife and his mother-in-law, Mr Lee runs a fruit and vegetable store on Manhattan's Upper East Side. His workday starts at midnight when he drives his truck to the fruit and vegetable market in the Bronx. It ends at 10 p.m. when he locks the door of his store and goes home with his wife. Here's part of our reporter's conversation with Lee Chang-Soon. Reporter: Mr Lee, you're at work when the rest of us are sleeping, and you're still working when we're watching TV in the evening. Mr Lee: Yes, in our kind of business you have to work long hours. I spend five hours at the market every night, and the store's open from 8 a.m. to p.m. People here want a wide choice of fruit and vegetables; everything must be fresh and clean - and cheap! Reporter: Your wife's cleaning lettuce right now and you're sorting green peas Mr Lee: Yes. We have to be very quick. There are 15 boxes of strawberries and a lot of asparagus and cauliflower waiting. There's always work to do. Reporter: When do you sleep? Mr Lee: Well, when I get back from the market - at about six o’clock in the morning - my wife and I first unload and store everything. That takes us about two hours. After that I sleep for an hour or so. And I get a bit of sleep in the evening after work ... Reporter: ... before you leave for the market again at midnight. Life's pretty hard for you and your family, Mr Lee. Mr Lee: Yes - but that's the way it is. We want to get on. We're not complaining.