Passage:
This story is about a young man who had bad luck related to work. He got his first
job when he was nineteen so he was still very young. He brought his personal
problems to his work and he spent his time discussing his private issues. As a result,
he was fired. Then, he got a job at a good company but after one month the company
lost a lot of money so the owner downsized his company. The third company moved
its location from Cairo to Sohag so he was laid off.
The young man decided that he needed to have two part-time jobs instead of one
full-time job. That way, if he lost one of them, he would still have the other. After a
couple of weeks, he received a job offer from a multinational company. Consequently,
he quit his two part-time jobs and joined the multinational company. His employer
was a very nice man who gave his employees many benefits. They had a month of sick
leave and two years of maternity leave for women. He also gave high salaries and
wages. Moreover, there was no dress code, so he could wear either casual or formal
clothes. There was a two-hour break every day.
He worked in a very good department where all the members of the staff were very
nice. However, one of his colleagues was a whistle-blower who told the manager
everything that was going on in the department. That whistle-blower envied the young
man because he was a workaholic and worked very hard. The whistle-blower told the
boss some lies about him. As a result, the company terminated his contract. He
became sad and kept looking for a job for a long time, but he wasn’t hired. He suffered
from unemployment. One day he said to himself, “I am a hard worker and a
charismatic person. People love me. I am not repugnant, so I can start my own
business and I will have a lot of customers.”
When he started his own business, he worked very hard and became a very
successful businessman. That was his last employment for the rest of his life.
1. Comprehension Questions
1. How old was the young man when he got his first job?
2. Why was he fired from his first job?
3. What happened to the second company he worked for?
4. Why did the young man lose his third job?
5. What was his solution after losing several jobs?
6. Why did he leave his two part-time jobs?
7. What were some of the benefits provided by the multinational company?
1
8. Who caused problems for the young man at his last job?
9. What did the whistle-blower do to the young man?
[Link] did the young man finally become successful?
2. True or False
1. The young man lost his first job because he always arrived late. (True/False)
2. The second company downsized because it lost a lot of money. (True/False)
3. The young man’s third company moved from Sohag to Cairo. (True/False)
4. The multinational company had a two-hour break every day. (True/False)
5. The whistle-blower told the manager lies about the young man. (True/False)
6. The young man eventually started his own business and became successful.
(True/False)
3. Vocabulary Check
Match the word with its meaning:
Word Meaning
a. Someone who reports wrongdoing
Whistle-blower
b. Someone who works very hard
Workaholic
c. Not having a job
Unemployment
d. Being liked and charming
Charismatic
Repugnant e. Causing strong dislike
4. Discussion Questions
1. Do you think it is better to have one full-time job or two part-time jobs? Why?
2. What do you think of the benefits provided by the multinational company?
3. Have you or someone you know ever experienced problems at work? How did
you or they handle it?
4. What qualities helped the young man succeed in the end?
