EPISODE 27
LEVEL B2

 

 

READING COMPREHENSION

 

MOVING

 

Julia is flicking through one of the magazines the stressed-out Eve has left at her place. „Moving” is the title of an article that catches her eye. Julia reads on:

„1 Month To Go: notify your landlord / landlady (= inform the person from whom you are renting the flat or house); contact telephone company to organise reconnection / installation of a line; inform gas and electrical companies that you will be the new owner of the property; start collecting (= gathering) packing materials, book time off work.”

„You’ll need lot of time off work!” thinks Julia, remembering her last move (= the operation of changing the place where you live).

„2 Weeks To Go: book a removal company (= a company that will help you move) or a van if you prefer to move your belongings on your own; arrange transit insurance for the move; tell the post office to redirect mail on date of move (= send on to the new address); organise for someone to look after any kids and pets.

1 Week Left: have meters read (= devices that measure the amount of something that is used, such as water or electricity) and pay any outstanding amount; cancel any services, e.g. newspaper delivery; confirm arrangements with utility companies (= that supply electricity or gas, for example); start cleaning the house.

The Day Before: label boxes (= put labels – little pieces of paper with names on them) and finalise packing.”

Julia gives up before finishing the article, the horrors of the move still too fresh in her mind. One thing was fun though, as she remembers – popping the bubble wrap! (Bubble wrap are the sheets of plastic air-filled bubbles used for wrapping items such as glass or art items in order to protect them. When you squeeze a bubble, it bursts with a popping sound. Don’t you ever do it yourself? Sure you do! 🙂

 

More contexts for the new words:

  • She is celebrating today – she has just signed a two-album deal with a famous record label. (= a company that records and sells music)
  • I got strawberry bubble bath from my sister for Christmas.
    (= a special liquid soap with a pleasant smell, that you put in a bath to make lots of bubbles)

 

EXERCISE 1

Give words for these definitions. Try to remember the words from the text without looking back at it.

 

  1. ………………………… = little pieces of paper with names on them
  2. ………………………… = a company that will help you move
  3. ………………………… = to send on mail to the new address
  4. ………………………… = the person from whom you are renting the flat or house
  5. ………………………… = companies that supply electricity or gas
  6. ………………………… = sheets of plastic air-filled bubbles

 

 

 

 

EXERCISE 2

Match the question halves, then answer them.

 

  1. Have you ever had your mail                              a) move? How did you arrange it all?
  2. Have you had any problems                               b) with your meters?
  3. When did you last                                                 c) redirected? Why?

 

ENGLISH IN USE 

 

Book a removal company, or a van if you prefer to move your belongings on your own.

 

This sentence uses the word „prefer”. Do you remember all the structures that this word can appear in? Let’s have a quick look at them:

  • Someone might ask you: „What do you prefer, tea or coffee?” „I prefer tea”, you might answer. We can simply use a single noun after „prefer”.
  • If we want to compare two things, we use „to„: „I prefer tea to
  • We can use a similar structure, but with verbs rather than nouns: „I prefer swimming to
  • We can also use a structure with the full infinitive: „I’d prefer to go to Madrid.” This structure can also be expanded to include a comparison: „I’d prefer to go to Madrid rather than to Bilbao.”

 

 

IDIOM CLOSE-UP

 

 

A/ I’m losing hope. I no longer believe I can do this on my own.

B/ Keep trying. FAITH CAN MOVE MOUNTAINS.

 

The saying ‘faith can move mountains ‘is used to say that if someone’s beliefs and confidence are strong enough, they can achieve something that is very difficult. If something moves mountains or moves a mountain, it can do something so difficult that it seems almost impossible.

 

 

PHRASAL VERBS CLOSE-UP

 

 

  1. When you WRAP something UP, you complete something successfully.

 

I’m tired and hungry, and it’s past 7 o’clock. Can we wrap it up for today, please?

That just about wraps it up for today.

 

  1. When you MOVE IN, you start living in a different house or flat.

 

We’re moving in next week.

He’s moving in with his friends from college.

 

 

EXERCISE 3

Put the words into the correct order to make sentences.

 

  1. move, Love, mountains, can

 

…………………………………………………………………….

  1. today, wrap, Let’s, it, for, up

 

…………………………………………………………………….

 

  1. next, moving, We’re, week, in

 

…………………………………………………………………….

 

 

NEWS

 

EMPLOYEE MOBILITY

 

Multinational companies, which are setting up their branches in Poland, are complaining about an extremely low mobility of employees in Poland. Among other nations, we are really low in our willingness to relocate. For instance, a car factory opening in a small town will have vacancies, since there are too few skilled blue-collar workers in the area. There are plenty of them in another town, a hundred kilometers away, but they refuse to move. As a result, one town suffers from labour shortage, and the other – from rampant unemployment. Such a situation would be unthinkable in West Europe, or the USA, where an employee is expected to move with their entire family a few times in their life.

 

GLOSSARY

to relocate – to move

vacancies – job openings

blue-collar workers – workers who do work that involves using physical strength or skill with their hands rather than working in an office

shortage – too little of something

rampant – existing, happening, or spreading in an uncontrolled way

 

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>>Answers

KEY TO EXERCISES 

 

Ex.1

  1. labels
  2. a removal company
  3. to redirect mail
  4. landlord / landlady
  5. utility companies
  6. bubble wrap

 

 

Ex.2

  1. c
  2. b
  3. a

 

Ex.3

  1. Love can move mountains.
  2. Let’s wrap it up for today.
  3. We’re moving in next week.

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