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LSP301 – ACADEMIC ENGLISH II

SEMESTER II, ACADEMIC SESSION 2023/2024
READING COMPREHENSION TEST SAMPLE
DURATION: 1 HOUR

Name: __________________ Matric No: ______________ Group No: ___

For each question, choose the correct answer.

TEXT 1
Ronan
I work in a fairly traditional office environment doing a typical nine-to-five job. I like
my job, but it’s annoying that my commute to work takes an hour and a half each
way, and most of my work could really be done online from home. But my boss
doesn’t seem to trust that we will get any work done if left to our own devices, and
everyone in the company has to clock in and out every day. It’s frustrating that they
feel the need to monitor what we do so closely instead of judging us based on our
task performance, like most companies do these days.

Jo
I used to do a typical five-day week, but after my parental leave, I decided to spend
more time with my children before they start school. After negotiating with my boss,
we decided to cut my working week down to a three-day work week. This, of course,
meant a significant cut in my pay too, as I’m paid on a pro-rata basis. I’ve since
noticed, though, that my workload hasn’t decreased in the slightest! I’m now doing
five days’ worth of work in three days but getting paid much less for it! I find myself
having to take work home just so that I can meet the deadlines. It’s wearing me out
trying to juggle work with looking after my children and my family, but I don’t dare to

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bring this up with my boss because I think he feels he’s made a huge concession
letting me come in only three days a week.

Marcus
I work for a global IT company, but because their headquarters is in the States, I do
all my work online from home. That means that I don’t waste time commuting or
making idle chitchat with colleagues. I work on a project basis, and this flexibility is
very valuable to me because it means that I can easily take some time off when my
children need me to go to their school performances or if I need to schedule an
appointment with the dentist. The downside is that without clear office hours, I tend
to work well into the evening, sometimes skipping dinner to finish a task. It can also
get quite lonely working on my own, and I sometimes miss sharing ideas with
colleagues.

Lily
I’m a freelancer and work for myself. This is great because I am in control of what I
do and how I spend my time. At first, I was working from home, but I found it really
hard to concentrate. There were just too many distractions around: housework that
needed doing, another cup of tea, my family members wanting my attention for
various things. So, I started to go to a nearby café to work, but the Wi-Fi connection
wasn’t ideal and I found myself drinking too much coffee. In the end, I decided to rent
a desk in a co-working space with five other freelancers like myself. I liked getting
dressed to work in the morning and being able to focus in an office environment. The
other freelancers do similar kinds of web-based work to me, so it’s nice to have
workmates to bounce ideas off as well.

4 - OPTION MCQ

Choose the correct answer.

1. Ronan would prefer to…

a. work from home.
b. not clock in and out daily.
c. spend more time in the office.
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d. be monitored based on the task given.

2. Jo wanted to reduce her working hours because she could …
a. bring her work home.
b. perform better at home.
c. be with her children more.
d. continue her parental leave.

3. Jo is unhappy with her three-day work week because …

a. her workload has remained the same.
b. she has more deadlines to meet at home.
c. she is afraid to negotiate further with her boss.
d. she has to spend more time looking after her children and family.

4. According to Marcus…
a. he misses working in a team.
b. he tends to work later into the day.
c. talking with colleagues is a waste of time.
d. he is able to run errands during office hours.

5. Lily disliked working from home because…

a. her caffeine intake increased.
b. she had difficulty staying focused.
c. she didn’t have a good internet connection.
d. her family members pushed all chores to her.

6. Based on the text, Lily…

a. enjoys being her own boss.
b. is unable to work at all at home.
c. needs coffee to work at a café.
d. does not require internet access for her work.

7. Lily rented a desk in a co-working space because…

a. she could concentrate better.
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b. she wanted to wear work clothes.

c. she wanted to be with other freelancers.
d. she could work on projects with other freelancers.

TRUE / FALSE
Are the following statements true or false? Circle your answer.
1. Ronan spends three hours daily to travel to True / False
work.
2. Ronan’s employer believes that employees are True / False
not productive if they work from home.
3. Ronan’s company is the minority that judges True / False
the task performance.
4. Jo is paid equally for both five-day work and True / False
three-day work week.
5. Jo had to work beyond office hours to complete True / False
her work.
6. Jo is exhausted balancing both work and True / False
childcare.
7. Jo thinks her boss has been generous to let her True / False
work three days in a week.
8. Marcus misses the interaction with his True / False
colleagues.
9. Not having fixed office hours also has its True / False
disadvantages.
10. It is likely that Marcus works until evening. True / False
11. It is a challenge for Marcus to focus on True / False
personal matters.
12. Lily couldn’t work from the café because of a True / False
poor network connection.
13. Lily is her own boss. True / False
14. Lily herself divides her work tasks and work True / False
schedule.

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TEXT 2
FILL IN THE BLANKS
4 sentences have been removed from the text below. Match each question with
the correct answer/sentence. There is 1 extra sentence which you do not need
to use.

When the Covid-19 pandemic spread around the globe, many banks took action.
The Federal Reserve began to quarantine money, while in some regions of China,
banknotes were taken away and disinfected. At the same time, banks encouraged
the public to avoid using cash and make electronic payments where possible. (1)
__________. In the UK, the number of contactless payments increased by 36%
between 2020 and 2021.

Today, many people are embracing the cashless economy. After all, it comes with
many advantages. (2) __________. Credit and debit cards are too, but it’s possible
to trace payments and cancel the cards. Mobile payments are even more secure. As
well as that, all your transactions are logged, making record-keeping far
simpler. Banks, businesses and governments are also keen to make the transition.
Cashless transactions make it easier for them to collect data, identify economic
trends and detect fraud.

(3) __________. Recent data shows that cash has made a comeback since the cost
of living started to rise steeply. That’s not unusual since people tend to prefer having
paper money at hand when times are hard. It was the case during the USA’s Great
Depression and in Iceland during the Credit Crunch of 2008. Using notes and coins
helps people budget, whereas, with electronic payments, it’s harder to keep track of
where your money is going.

Even if cash payments do not vanish entirely, our economies are transitioning to
become far less reliant on cash than they once were. And while switching to
electronic payments is simple and convenient for many people, this isn’t true for
everyone. There are concerns about those who rely on cash, such as the homeless,
the undocumented or the elderly. (4) __________. Moreover, alongside the decline
in cash usage, the number of ATMs and local banks has dropped significantly. This
makes access to cash increasingly hard for those who depend on it.

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Despite the popularity of electronic transactions, it’s clear that they won’t become the
sole transaction method, at least in the near future. And as companies rush towards
finding ever more convenient transaction methods, it’s important not to abandon
those who prefer to pay in the traditional way.

A. An increasing number of stores have stopped accepting cash payments

altogether, meaning that such people may become more marginalised.

B. The public responded positively.

C. The most cash-friendly societies in the world, China and Sweden, utilise
innovative ways to make quick, simple payments.

D. However, it seems as if we are just not ready to say goodbye to cash for good.

E. For a start, it’s safer, as cash is easily stolen.

TEXT 3
Background
Millennials (born between the early 1980s and the early 1990s) make up a huge part
of our workforce, but they seem to lack loyalty to the companies and the leaders they
work for. Multinational companies are noticing larger turnover rates of millennials as
employee retention rates fall. This report looks at the findings of two large-scale
surveys on the mindset of the millennial generation and explores how organisations
can strive to address these needs, increase employee engagement and encourage
retention.

Research
In a global survey conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), more than 40,000
millennials (born between 1983 and 1993) and non-millennial responses were
collected on the topics of workplace culture, communication and working styles, pay
structure, career development, work–life balance, etc.

In a separate global survey conducted by Deloitte, more than 10,000 millennials

participated in a study about their perceptions of the threats and opportunities in the
complex world of work.

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Key findings
• Millennials are as committed to their work as their more senior colleagues.
• Millennials value interesting work and a good work–life balance. They do not
believe that excessive work demands are worth sacrificing their personal lives.
• Millennials want flexible working hours and are willing to give up pay increases and
promotions for a flexible working schedule. They believe that success should be
measured by productivity and not by the number of hours they are seen in an office.
• Millennials want to feel supported and appreciated by their company and superiors.
• Millennials want more opportunities to develop their skills. These include
technological skills, teamwork and interpersonal skills.
• Millennials believe that businesses and business leaders should contribute to the
improvement of society, and they are more likely to be loyal to a company with
strong ethics.

Recommendations
Organisations and managers wanting to retain millennials should consider:
• monitoring their workload and satisfaction levels with their work–life balance
• creating a flexible work culture where employees have more control over their
working hours and their work location
• providing meaningful work and interesting opportunities
• offering help and support in continuing professional development
• changing the organisation’s goals from being mainly about profit-making to motives
that address social concerns and solve wider societal problems.

3 – OPTION MCQ
Choose the correct answer.

1.The background of this report stated that ______________.

a. Millennials form the largest portion of our workforce.
b. Millennials appear to have an absence of commitment to their company.
c. Multinational companies have a large turnout of millennials at the workplace.

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2. One global survey studied the millennials’ ______________.

a. opportunities in the workplace.
b. workplace ethics in the workplace.
c. perception of threats in the workplace.

3. Millennials will be more devoted to the company if ______________.

a. they are given opportunities to develop their skills.
b. they are supported and appreciated for their efforts.
c. companies and their leaders are more socially responsible.

4. PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) conducted a survey on ______________.

a. more than five topics.
b. those born after 1983 only.
c. more than 40,000 millennials.

5. One of the key findings in the report is ______________.

a. work must be interesting for millennials.
b. millennials are reluctant to sacrifice their personal lives.
c. a flexible working schedule is prioritized over pay raises and promotions.

TRUE / FALSE
Are the following statements true or false? Circle your answer.
1. The survey was conducted in several different countries True / False
2. Millennials allow taxing work demands to take over their True / False
personal lives.
3. Millennials are satisfied with their technological skills. True / False
4. Millennials expect business and business leaders to offer True / False
assistance for the betterment of society.
5. Organizations and managers must follow the True / False
recommendations to retain millennials.

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OPEN-ENDED
For each question, write the correct answer.
1. How is flexible work culture defined in the report?
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________

2. What should organisations change to retain millennials?

___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________

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