Question 14:

Four people are discussing their views on their social lives. Complete the sentences. Use each answer only once. You will not need two of the reasons.

I would always be up for hanging out with friends. Back in the day when I was in high school, I was such a social butterfly. I think at my peak I was in five or six clubs and teams, and I was always trying new things. I think I must have exhausted myself because I'm much more introverted these days. Of course, I still like to spend time with my friends from time to time, but not every day like before.

Question 15:

Speaker 1:

Listen to two friends discussing living situations. Read the statements and decide whose opinion matches the best. The man's, the woman's, or both.

Speaker 3:

Look at these photos of my new apartment I'm moving in next Saturday.

Speaker 2:

Oh wow. It's nice. But I thought you lived with your parents.

Speaker 3:

Well, I am, but I decided to move. I don't like how my mom and dad are always getting involved in my personal life. I can't even talk on the phone without being interrupted. Plus, I just graduated university, so I feel like it's time to be on my own.

Speaker 2:

Fair enough. I know that I didn't feel like that when I moved out, but I see your point. Are you living alone or do you have any housemates?

Speaker 3:

Well, my original plan was to move into a studio flat by myself. Unfortunately, I didn't think I would be able to afford it in the long run. The rent wasn't so bad, but I knew once bills came, it would be a challenge to make ends meet. So I'm gonna live with my friend from uni.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, good choice. I also have two housemates and we split the rent, electricity, gas, and wifi three ways. By doing so, we have more funds to spend as we wish.

Speaker 3:

So you live with two other people. How do you divide up the chores?

Speaker 2:

Well, we think it's most effective to do it together. We choose a mutually convenient day and put on some good music to help the time go by. It really works for us.

Speaker 3:

I don't think that will work for my situation. We have very different schedules, so I think it would be a burden to try that out. We'll probably just have a rotation.

Speaker 2:

Hmm. I've tried that before and it was unsuccessful. I found that my old housemates would always try to shirk responsibilities and make up excuses for not doing their share of cleaning. I hated it.

Speaker 3:

Was that when you lived in your old apartment? It was so far.

Speaker 2:

I know. It was awful. It was so far away from work and took me ages to get there. I'm so much happier living in walking distance from the office now.

Speaker 3:

Really? But you were right downtown. I would much rather be around the shops and nightlife than by work. I don't mind commuting so long as I have a good podcast to listen to on my way.

Question 16:

As the scholastic year is coming to a close, I know many of you will begin your job hunt. While you're likely to be applying to part-time positions, I hope you'll find these tips applicable to both your short and long-term searches. Now, many people believe that the key to success is that students must complete endless amounts of unpaid internships in order to secure a successful role after graduation. However, that couldn't be further from the truth, nor is the popular myth that you should be applying to hundreds of jobs a week.

I mean, I suppose that might statistically improve your chances, but it's not a guarantee. Rather, being able to effectively network is the single most important factor in securing employment. While it is widely believed that using personal connections is a form of nepotism, I don't see how using these bonds to help you get your foot in the door is a problem.

Of course, it is your attitude that is your best resource when it comes to thriving in a company. I assume most of you have able to manage time wisely written on your resume because you think it is what prospective employers would like to see. However, did you know that workers are really only productive for about three hours a day? Bosses and supervisors know this, and I'm sure they are guilty of it too in its place. Try presenting another soft skill from my own personal hiring experience.

Companies want someone who will radiate positivity in the face of adversity. Some confuse this with flexibility. Don't get me wrong. It is important to be willing to adapt to change, but being too flexible will result in you being taken advantage of. For this reason, I always recommend going into an interview with a big smile on your face.

Question 17:

As we know, fiction and nonfiction are two very different genres. While nonfiction usually doesn't have a place in book clubs, I can respect some aspects of it in other circumstances. For instance, through historical accounts, people can learn how things were in a specific era. These texts give us the possibility of properly understanding important events in a detailed manner. Another brilliant example of nonfiction that many people enjoy is biographies. These stories narrate the life of a person who has distinguished himself or herself in their particular society.

However, it is important to always read nonfiction such as these with a critical lens. As the writer's perspective greatly shaped how history is recorded. For this reason, I always suggest reading books on the same topic by different authors in order to have a more balanced, truthful version of facts. Even though I can recognize the positive features of nonfiction works, I have to say that I strongly prefer fictional literature.

Since I'm a really imaginative person, I do not always like to stick to reality. As a matter of fact, I tend to gravitate towards stories concerning unreal characters. In a mystical land, my preference could be classified under the genre of fantasy as they mostly share a futuristic setting and usually tell the story of humans traveling into outer space and coming in contact with extra terrestrials. These days, I have been really into literature showing dystopic conditions, allowing me to space out and dive into the plot line. However, this week I want to focus on a compromise between the two major types.

These are historical novels which narrate the stories of imaginary characters living in a specific and real epoch. Personally, I think it is really the best of both worlds. Through these writings, the author can teach history, but in a more attractive way, inventing a new narrative, which helps him to keep reader's attention. You still get the element of being able to escape into a text that you have in fantasy as well, because it is hard to discern what is fact versus fiction. Being sucked into a good story is surely the best part of it all.