Unit 5. Working life

environmental

(Adjective) ________ means relating to the protection of the air, land, and natural water on the earth E.g. The company was found guilty of breaking _______ laws ____________ pollution is a major problem in our cities The continued use of fossil fuels raises serious _______ concerns

demanding

(Adjective) a situation or person that is ________ is difficult to deal with because they need a lot of your time or energy E.g. It's a physically ________ job My boss is very _______ A very ______ child The aerobics class was just too ______ for me Verb: demand | Noun: demand

nasty

(Adjective) if something is ______ , it is bad and unpleasant E.g. Technology could solve some _____ problems I've developed this ______ rash on my hand I hit my head and got a _____ cut The weather was especially ______ at the weekend

sensible

(Adjective) if something is _______ , it seems good because there are good reasons for it and people agree that it is right E.g. Do you think the rules are _____ and fair? He gave me some ______ advice She made two or three very ________ suggestions

rewarding

(Adjective) if something is _________, you get pleasure, money, or satisfaction by doing it E.g. it's a very _______ job it's financially _______ A richly ________ experience

varied

(Adjective) if something is varied, it changes a lot or it consists of lots of different kinds of things E.g. it's a very ____ job The work is interesting and very _____

insecure

(Adjective) if the situation you are in is ______ , it is not safe or protected and might change to a worse situation E.g. Having a short contract makes you feel very ________ His job is very _______ The workers face an _______ future

self-employed

(Adjective) if you are ____ - ____ , you work for yourself and not as an employee of a company E.g. Being ___-__ can be quite insecure I'd rather be ___-___ than work for a boss My sister is ____-______ and works 40 hours a week

grateful

(Adjective) if you are _______ to someone, you are glad that they have helped you or given you something Collocates: be/feel ______ to someone | be/feel ______ for something E.g. The families are very ______ for the job I've done I'm ______ for all your help I'd be very ____ if you could phone me

vague

(Adjective) something that is _____ is not clear or definite Collocates: a _____ idea/memory | a _____ impression | a _____ feeling E.g. He made some _____ promises His description of the robber was rather _____ She had only a _____ memory of that first year in Manchester

dull

(Adjective) something that is ______ is not very interesting E.g. The job's a bit _____ but the pay is good I started studying law, but it was so _____ Mr Hewitt's lessons were always incredibly _____

repetitive

(Adjective) something that is repetitive happens again and again, often in a very boring way E.g. Working in the factory involved doing a series of _______ tasks His poetry is very _______ The _______ nature of his job Verb: repeat

rotting

(Adjective) when plants or dead animals rot, they become softer, start to smell, and eventually become destroyed in a natural process E.g. the smell of _____ meat ____ vegetables in the kitchen will attract flies the water was full of rubbish and ______ fish

relatively

(Adverb) you use _______ when you are making comparisons E.g. It's a ______ quick way of earning money it's ______ easy to find Their furniture is _______ cheap

conditions

(Noun plural) someone's living or working ______ are all the things that affect the way they are able to live or work E.g. Working ______ in the factory were unacceptable They work in terrible _______ _______ in coal mines have improved a lot They have to put up with poor living _____

abuse

(Noun uncount) _____ is deliberately rude and insulting language E.g. We get quite a lot of _______ from customers They shouted _____ at him as they ran of he was subjected to a torrent of _____

employment

(Noun uncount) ______ is the state of having a job or of employing someone E.g. The government introduced new _______ laws ___________ fell by 2% over the year (2% fewer people had a job)

boredom

(Noun uncount) ______is the state of being bored, when you are not at all interested in what is happening or what you are doing Collocates: sheer ______ | relieve the _______ E.g. I thought I'd die of _________ The film was two hours of sheer _______ The scenery was flat, with not even any trees to relieve the _______ Put toys in your rabbit's cage to prevent ______

recruitment

(Noun uncount) is the business and activity of finding people to come and start working for an organisation or company E.g. I'm the manager responsible for ________ We use an agency to help with staff ______

requirement

(Noun) a ___________ is something that must happen or be done because of a law or rule Collocates: meet/satisfy a _________ | A legal _________ | A strict __________ E.g. It's a legal ________ to pay at least the minimum wage These are technical products that have to meet strict quality ________s

surgeon

(Noun) a doctor who cuts people's bodies open in order to repair them or replace parts of them E.g. It takes years of training to become a ______ The ______ removed a lump from my knee A top heart ________ (a _______ who specialises in operating on people's hearts)

labourer

(Noun) is someone whose job involves using physical strength Collocates: a farm _____ | an unskilled ______ E.g. Unskilled ______s were paid very low wages She was the daughter of a farm _____ from Sussex Over 2,000 _______s were involved in building the canal

accountant

(Noun) is someone whose job is to organise the financial records for a company or for a person E.g. He's an ______ for a big law firm | my ____ sorts out all my finances

plumber

(Noun) is someone whose job is to repair and connect water pipes, sinks, baths, toilets etc E.g. A good ______ can earn a lot of money We had to call out a _____ when the tap wouldn't turn off Our plumber fixed the leak in the water pipe

responsibility

(Noun) your _______s are the things you have to deal with, especially when they are officially part of your job E.g. it's an easy job with no real ___________ The directors have a lot of _____________

in charge

(Phrase) if you are ______ , you control something or are responsible for it Collocates: be _____ of something | be put _____ E.g. I'm _____ of 30 staff She's ______ of the whole department He was put _____ of the Amsterdam office Who's _____ here?

in advance

(Phrase) if you do something __ ______ , you do it before a particular date, or before it is needed E.g. You're supposed to make the arrangement a month __ _______ I had to pay a month's rent __ ______

fine

(Verb) if a person or organisation is ______d, they have to pay money as a punishment for something wrong that they have done E.g. The company was _____d because it had broken health and safety rules The restaurant was heavily _____d for having rats in the kitchen

stare

(Verb) if you _____ at something, you look at it for a long time E.g They have to _____ at a computer all day It's rude to _____ at people She was ____ing into space He _____d intently at the floor

slam

(Verb) if you _____ something, you hit it hard against a hard surface E.g. He _____med down the phone He _____med the door in my face The bus _____med into the back of a car

bend

(Verb) if you _____ something, you make it folded and not straight E.g Philip _______ over the boy, looking down at him A strong metal that won't bend easily _____ your arm She _____ down and picked up the letter

handle

(Verb) if you _____ something, you touch it or move it with your hands E.g. You shouldn't _____ rotting meat without gloves on Nurses often have to ________ dirty nappies Fragile - _____ with care!

interrupt

(Verb) if you ______ someone, you get their attention while they are busy doing something else or speaking to someone else E.g. I'm sorry to ______ , but can I have a quick word? Don't _____ me while I'm working He repeatedly _______ed me while I was trying to finish my essay

predict

(Verb) if you ______ what will happen, you say what you think will happen in the future E.g. People have been ______ing that technology will give us more free time Experts _______ that the situation is going to get worse The forecast ______ed strong winds and heavy rain

preserve

(Verb) if you _______ something, you keep it fresh, or stop it from rotting or being destroyed E.g. Chemicals that are used to ______ dead bodies The need to _______ historic buildings A perfectly _____d Roman road

enforce

(Verb) to ______ a rule or law means to use your authority to make sure that it is obeyed Collocates: _____ a law/rule | ______ a ban E.g. The government doesn't do enough to _______ the law The parking ban is strictly ______d at weekends

expose

(Verb) to _______ someone to something means to make it possible that something harmful or dangerous will happen to them E.g. They had been _____d to dangerous chemicals You mustn't ______ them to danger A lot of children are still _______d to cigarette smoke

competitive

if an activity is _______ , everyone doing it is trying hard to do better and be more successful than everyone else E.g. A very _______ market The mobile phone business is very _______

fire

if your employer _____s you, they officially tell you that you no longer have a job E.g. It is now easier for companies to hire and _____ people She was ____d for stealing from the office After ten years with the company he was _____d when he missed a sales target