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-1-HandoutsandKeytobook4unit1-4Unit1Activereading(1)Lookingforajobafteruniversity?First,getoffthesofaBackgroundinformationAboutthepassage:ThisisanarticlebyanEducationCorrespondent,AlexandraBlair,publishedinSeptember2008inTheTimes,along-establishedBritishqualitynewspaper.InEuropegenerally,andinBritaininparticular,foranumberofyearstherehasbeenarisingnumberofstudentswhogotouniversityandthereforemorenewgraduatesseekingemployment.However,formanygraduatesfindingajobbecameharderin2008–2009becausetheeconomicdownturn–thenarecession–meantthatmanyemployerswerereducingtheirworkforce.Aftertheirfinalexams,somestudentsrestedinthesummerbeforelookingforjobsandthentheyfoundthatitwasdifficulttofindemploymentintheirfieldorattheleveltheywanted.Thearticleaddressestheproblemsofsuchnewgraduateswhomightbestuckathomeandadvisestheirparentstobetherefortheirchildren(ietobeavailableiftheirchildrenwanttotalkabouttheproblemoriftheyneedhelp).Thearticlerecommendsfindingworkinabarorsupermarketratherthansittingunemployedathomesincethisismorelikelytoleadtobetteremploymentlater.Thestyleispartlyofareport,butalsoofahumorouscommentforlightentertainment(seeninthejokeylanguageandproblem-solvingadvicetoparents).Whyfindingajobin2008issodifficultforuniversitygraduates?UniversitiesinEurope,particularlyinBritain,haveexpandedgreatlyinthelastfifteenyears(over45%ofyoungadultsnowgoontohighereducation),sotherearemoregraduateslookingforjobs.Thiscompetitivesituationbecamealotworsein2008onwardswiththecreditcrunchandeconomicdepression,whichmeantthattherewerefewerjobsavailableandariseinunemployment.Thusnewgraduateshavetobeactivetoseekajob,theyneedtofillinmanyapplicationformsandtrytogetjobinterviews:theywon’tfindemploymentbylyingonthesofaathome.Culturepointshonoursdegree:Traditionally,intheBritishuniversitysystem,BAandBSchonoursdegreesareawardedindifferentcategories:afirstclassdegree(writtenusingRomannumbersasI),asecond(dividedintotwosubcategories,writtenasIIiiandIIii,whicharecalled“atwoone”and“atwotwo”),athird(writtenIII)andapassdegree.Mostpeoplegetasecond.Therearealsoordinarydegreeswithmoregeneralcoursesofstudywithoutthesecategories.GenerationYandGrunt:ThemainideahereisthatthereisasuccessionofdifferentgenerationsorcohortsofadultswhocomeintotheworkforceinNorthAmericawhicharegivendifferentinformalnamestocharacterizethem.First,“Babyboomers”wereborninthegreatincrease(theboom)ofbirthsafterWorldWarII(1946–1960),followedby“GenerationX”people(born1960–1980)whoweresaidtobringnewattitudesofbeingindependent,informal,entrepreneurial,andexpectedtogetskillsandhaveacareerbeforethem.“GenerationY”orthe“MillenialGeneration”(born1980sand1990sandbecomingadultinthenewmillenium)arenowmakingupanincreasingpercentageoftheworkforce;theyaresaidtobespoiltbydotingparents,tohavestructuredlives,tobeusedtoteamworkanddiversepeopleinamulticulturalsociety.Inthepassage,thisgenerationisnowbecoming(morphinginto)GenerationGrunt,whichisanironicnamereferringtorepetitive,lowstatus,routineormindlesswork–thismaybetheonlywork-2-availabletosomegraduates,whomayhavetotakeveryordinaryjobstogetexperiencebeforetheyfindsomethingmoresuitable.“Grunt”alsoreferstocoarsebehaviourorbadmannersandtothedeepsoundthatismadebyapig;whenpeople“grunt”theyexpressdisgustbutdonotcommunicatewithwords–thismaybehowtheparentsofnewgraduatesthinktheirchildrencommunicatewiththem!AcomprehensivereferstoaBritishtypeofsecondaryschoolwhichbecamepopularinthe1960s.Beforethattherewereacademic“grammarschools”andmoregeneral“secondarymodern”schoolsforthosewhodidnotpassthegrammarschoolentrancetests,butthecomprehensiveschoolsweredesignedforallstudentsinasocialphilosophyofbringingdiversestudentstogetherwhethertheywereacademicornot.Thosestudentswhowenttoacomprehensiveschoolprobablyfeltthathadtostudyparticularlyhard(Iworkedmybacksideoff)togettouniversity,comparedtothosewhowenttogrammarschoolswhereallstudentswereacademic–comprehensivestudentsfelttheyhadtostruggletogettouniversity.ChickensuitThisreferstoalargeyellowcostumethatsomeonewearswhichmakesthepersonlooklikeagiantchicken.Beforehebecameafamousactor,BradPittoncedressedinsuchacostumewhenhehadajobadvertisingforarestaurantcalledElPolloLoco(TheCrazyChicken’inSpanish)–thejobmeantthathehadtowalkaroundthestreetslikeachickentoattractcustomerstocometotherestaurant.Languagepoints1Thosememoriesofforkingoutthousandsofpoundsayearsothathecouldeatwellandgototheoddparty,begantofade.Untilnow.(Para1)Theparentspaidalotofmoneyfortheirson’suniversityfeesandlivingexpenses(sothathecouldeatwell)andforoccasionalsocialevents–atgraduationthesememoriesofmoneyweremostlyforgottenbecausetheparentswereproud.Butnowtheparentsarethinkingofmoneyagainbecausethesondoesn’thaveajobanddoesn’tseemtobeactivelyseekingone.2ThisformerscionofGenerationYhasmorphedovernightintoamemberofGenerationGrunt.(Para2)ThedistinguishedsonofGenerationX(oftheparents’generationwhoworkedhard,gotjobs,andhadgoodcareersandexpectedtheirsontodothesame)haschangedintoamemberofGenerationGrunt–hedoesn’tseemtocommunicatemuch,liesaroundanddoesn’tgetajob(orcanonlydoalowstatus