times during our school years. Perhaps, it was difficult for us to give a
definite answer earlier. But now we understand that the time to choose our
future profession has come. Finishing school is the beginning of an
independent life for millions of school-leavers. Many roads are open before
us: technical schools, colleges and universities.
Centuries ago there were only a few jobs: people were farmers, bakers,
butchers or carpenters. Today there are thousands of different kinds of
jobs, and new ones are constantly appearing. No wonder that it is not an
easy thing to make the right choice.
When choosing a future career, we should consider different factors. In my
opinion, money is one of the most important factors when you make a choice.
There are highly paid jobs and low-paid jobs. For example, a businessman, a
president or a film star, are highly paid jobs. A worker, a doctor or an
engineer, are low-paid jobs. I think everybody wants to earn as much money
as possible. Training, promotional prospects and conditions should be also
taken into account.
On the other hand, it’s good when you get satisfaction from your job. It is
very important to choose a profession that suits your interests. In my
opinion, a job should be interesting and socially important. Some jobs are
considered to be more suitable for men and others for women. For example,
the professions of secretary or nurse are more suitable for women. A
lifeguard or a pilot are more likely the jobs for men. You should also
decide whether you want to work indoors or outdoors.
To make the right choice, you should take into account your traits of
character. It goes without saying that to become a good doctor you must be
patient, caring and kind. Teacher’s work requires love for children,
profound knowledge of subjects, and the ability to explain. A secretary has
to be efficient and careful in order to do her work quickly and accurately.
Salespeople need to be friendly and persuasive, to get people buy their
products.
There are so many people who influence us in choosing our occupation.
Parents and friends play a very important role in our choices.
My father works is a bisnessman. It is a highly paid job and it offers a
lot of opportunities. You can travel abroad and meet different people. My
father is a friendly person and he is easy to talk to. He thinks that I
must choose my future profession according to my taste and preferences. I
respect him but I want to become a programmer.
I have always been interested in computers. I’m rather communicative and
have good social skills. I have good analytical abilities and I am good at
problem-solving. Besides, I am good at English. English has become the
standard language for all kinds of international programs. To know English
today is absolutely necessary for every programmer.
But to become a good specialist in computing, you should know a lot of
programming languages and application programmes. So after finishing school
it is necessary for me to enter a university or a college and to study
computer science. I’ll have to take three entrance examinations: in Maths,
Physics and Literary composition. If I am lucky, I’ll have the chance to
study interesting sciences, and to listen to the lectures of famous
professors.
4. There are different ways of learning about the world: through the mass
media, books, travelling, visiting museums, meeting other people, etc.
Which ways do you prefer to learn about the world?
There are a lot of different ways of getting new information. In the past
the only way to learn about the world was traveling. The first travelers
were explorers who wanted to discover new lands. Nowadays, millions of
people travel around the world either for pleasure or on business.
Traveling has always been a part of people’s education. It teaches people
about the art and culture of different countries. It teaches them to be
understanding. Besides, you can improve your knowledge of foreign
languages. In my opinion, traveling is the most pleasant way of learning
about the world. It’s always interesting to discover different ways of
life, to visit different museums, to try different foods, and to listen to
different kinds of music. In brief, when we travel, we can learn a lot of
things that we can never see and learn at home.
But to travel around the world you need a lot of money. That is why the
main source of information for millions of people is mass media. Mass media
includes newspapers and magazines, advertising and radio, and, of course,
television.
Television is a reflection of the modern world. It gives you an opportunity
to travel all over the world, to see different peoples, and learn about
their customs and traditions. Television keeps you informed about the rest
of the world. When you need immediate information about the latest world
events, you switch the TV on. There are always a great variety of
programmes on TV: current affairs programmes and documentaries, plays and
feature films, talk shows and TV games. A lot of people like TV news
because they can see everything with their own eyes. Besides, TV has the
power to educate and broaden our minds.
Some people think that the only way to be in the know of everything is to
read newspapers and magazines. If you get on a bus or catch a train during
the morning and evening “rush hours”, when most people travel to and from
work, you will see a lot of people with their heads in a newspaper or a
magazine.
Newspapers are packed with the latest news, information, fashion and facts.
They cater to a variety of political views, interests and levels of
education. Papers are generally divided into “quality papers”, or
broadsheets, and “popular papers” that are half the size of broadsheets.
But the size is not the only thing that makes them different. “Quality
papers” are serious, with long, informative articles; while “popular
papers”, known as “tabloids”, have a more sensational reporting style and
contain more human interest stories than news. The two most popular British
daily newspapers, The Sun and The Daily Mirror, are both tabloids. Tabloids
sell many more copies than broadsheets.
In Russia we also have these two types of newspapers. For example,
Izvestiya or Kommersant are broadsheets. They contain political, business
and cultural information. Such tabloids as Megapolis-Express and Express
Gazeta contain the latest gossip, sensations and crossword puzzles. People
choose a paper according to their tastes and preferences. Though newspapers
don’t react to events as quickly as TV, they usually provide us with extra
details, commentaries and background information.
There are also a lot of magazines and other periodicals. Whatever your
interest, there is likely to be a magazine about it – from sport, cookery,
and farming, to religion, computers, cinema and more. Young people below
the age of 18 do not buy newspapers; but they do buy magazines. Girls enjoy
magazines about pop music, clothes, fashion and make-up; whereas boys
prefer to read about sport, cars and computers. As far as I am interested
in fashions I enjoy reading Yes. It is a monthly magazine for girls
containing the latest information about our favourite pop, film and soap
stars, brilliant fashions and beauty, sports and romance. It approaches
interesting subjects with intelligence and good humour. Besides, there is a
lot of useful advice on various areas of life.
Still, many people prefer the radio. It’s good to listen to the radio in a
car, or in the open air, or when you do something about the house.
Listeners can tune into all kinds of stations: pop or classical music,
news, sport or foreign radio stations. People can often call in and ask
questions about everything from cooking or car repair to politics or
health. Callers often get a chance to give their opinions on the air.
Besides, radio has fresher news than newspapers. They inform every half
hour.
The Internet has recently become another important source of information.
It is a computer system that allows millions of people around the world to
receive and exchange information about almost everything. The main use of
the Internet is to find information – for your schoolwork or job, or just
to find out more about your hobbies, sports or current events. All the
latest information is available to you in your home, at any hour of the day
and night. It’s much faster and easier to surf the net in search of
information from all over the world than to travel to libraries in dozens
of countries.
However, the real world of the Internet may not be as perfect as it seems.
With so much information available, finding what you want can take you
hours. Multimedia web pages with photographs are attractive, but they make
downloading slow and boring. Besides, there is too much advertising instead
of real information.
With so many modern forms of finding information, such as radio, TV and the
Internet, people read fewer books, newspapers and magazines. Nowadays, most
people consider television their most important source of information, and
a majority ranks television as the most believable news source. In my
opinion, we can’t say exactly which source of information is the best. It
depends on what kind of information you need. However, I don’t think we
should forget the educational value of reading a good book.
5. Travelling is one of the ways of discovering new countries. What
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