FCE 1 - TEST 4 - READING 3

 Changing Lives with a Stranger


What would it be like to live somebody else's life for a day?

A Mandie Currie, a zoo-keeper, spent the day in the offices of the magazine Marie Claire.

'Choosing what to wear for my day at Marie Claire was tricky because normally I wear a uniform at work. First I went to a still-life photo studio, then to press previews, all before lunch. The zoo is such a tranquil, peaceful place - and here I was rushing around when I could be sitting quietly giving an animal a cuddle. Some of the members of the fashion team seemed quite stressed - my job doesn't really get pressurised. At a fashion shoot in the afternoon, it made me laugh to think that I'd usually be cleaning out cages or handling rats. I'm fascinated to see how magazines work, but I really enjoy my job at the zoo so I'll stay put.'

B Alice Cutler, a fashion assistant at Marie Claire, spent the day at London Zoo.

'I arrived at the zoo in my leather boots and dark blue trousers. The zoo gave me a green polo shirt instead to work in - which was just as well, as I got very dirty. As I stroked one of the elephants, I reckoned Mandie would probably be packing up clothes in the cupboard. By five o'clock, I stank but I'd had such a brilliant day. When I retire from fashion, I could see myself working with elephants - but maybe in Africa.'

C Karen Hodson, a nurse at Hammersmith Hospital, went on location with the television gardening programme Ground Force.

'I was extremely excited about meeting the team, and Alan Titchmarsh, the programme presenter, was really nice. One of the things I liked was the chance to be in the fresh air. Depending on my shifts, I sometimes never see daylight. Even though it was hard work, it was great fun. I thought I was pretty strong but I felt weak compared with the rest of the team. My romantic vision of landscape gardening had not included physical hard work or meticulous planning. I was more an enthusiastic than effective gardener, so I don't plan to give up my other job.'

D Charlie Dimmock, landscape gardener with the TV programme Ground Force, worked a shift at Hammersmith Hospital.

'I made beds and handed out tablets. I expected to faint when I was doing some jobs, but I amazed myself by finding that it didn't bother me. The friendship among the nurses is great, and it felt tremendously 'girlie' compared with my normal male environment. I feel myjob is a real waste of time compared with nursing. My day at the hospital was not exactly pleasant but it left me with a great sense of satisfaction.'

E Lucy Harvey, a personal trainer, spent the day with the airline Ryanair as a member of the cabin crew.

'I changed into the uniform, and the moment I put it on I felt completely different - people suddenly look up to you. Before the flight, our supervisor told us about safety, what to do if someone had a heart attack - which I knew about from my fitness training. When the passengers boarded the flight to Paris I gave out magazines. Everyone stared at me and I felt very self-conscious. On the return journey, we had 80 schoolchildren on board who wouldn't sit still. I wished I was back in the gym with one sensible adult to look after.'

F Sonia McDermott, an air hostess with the airline Ryanair, spent the day as a personal trainer in a gym.

'I was dreading doing this swap as I don't do any exercise. I was amazed at how much attention you give to one person. In myjob you meet 130 passengers four times a day. I was very surprised at lunch to see that some of the trainers didn't eat ultra-healthily, but they all drink lots of water. I wouldn't swap myjob for this. However, it has inspired me to join a gym and try to be a bit healthier.'

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

FCE 1 - TEST 4 - READING 2

  IN THEIR NATURAL HABITAT What keeps film-makers Amanda Barrett and Owen Newman away from their home comforts for months on end? The search for the perfect shot. Of all the creatures to be found in the jungles and plains of East Africa, two of the hardest to track down must surely be producer Amanda Barrett and cameraman Owen Newman. Their present habitat, the Ngorongoro Crater, has been lashed by six months of almost continuous rain, giving rise to a number of unforeseen problems.  Newman explained that they had to invest in an expensive piece of equipment so that whenever one of their vehicles gets stuck in the mud, Amanda can pull him back to safety.   His working partnership with the talented producer has created some of TV's finest wildlife films, such as their amazing and well-received film on leopards. Even while this film of one of Africa's shyest cats was being shown, the pair were already back where they belong - this time trailing that equally shy animal, the ...
Read more

FCE 1 - TEST 2 - READING 2

Onto a winner  Two brothers are finding that their childhood game is very good for business.  Dave and Norm Lagasse, two bushy-bearded brothers in their forties, are sitting in their modest home in Santa Fe in New Mexico. USA, and reliving their childhood. In front of them lies a wooden board covered in round plastic pieces. They are playing the ancient game of pichenotte, one which, they insist, is unlike any other.  Their grandfather, Lucien Rajotte, a grocer originally from Quebec, Canada, brought the game into the USA and introduced it to his family. It wasn’t long before, on just about every weekend and holiday. the family were playing the game and, as Dave says, ‘having the best time ever’. Eventually, the family moved to New Mexico.  But Grandpa's pichenotte board, which he'd made out of wodden food crates, was not forgotten and they continued to play regularly.  If visitors dropped by they were often fascinated, for the game was completely unknown in sou...
Read more

FCE 1 - TEST 1 - READING 3

  My line of work A Lisa - Exhibition Programmes Organiser, Science Museum I'm responsible for putting temporary exhibitions together. This includes planning and designing the exhibition and promoting it. I have to read up about the subject of the exhibition beforehand and then talk to important people in the area so that I can establish the main themes and aims of the exhibition, and plan what objects and pictures should be displayed. I have to make sure the public can understand the thinking behind the exhibition, which means planning interactive displays, workshops and theatre. I also have to bring in engineers and electricians to make sure the final display is not dangerous to visitors. Before the exhibition opens, I help design and write the brochures and leaflets that we'll use to tell people about it. B Janet - Teacher of London Taxi Drivers The first thing I do when I get here at 7.30 a.m. is check the accounts. Then I see what new maps and documents need to be produced...
Read more