Worksheet No. 16

A. Read the text.

The young woman on the pavement’s edge was facing in, not out

to the street, and she moved about there indecisively, but with a

stubborn look. Several times she seemed about to approach

somebody who had just come out of the Underground to walk

up the street, but then she stopped and retreated. At last she

moved in to block the advance of a smartly dressed matron with

a toy dog on a leash that came to sniff around her legs as she

said hurriedly, ‘Please give me some money. I’ve got to have it.

The Social Security’s on strike and I’ve got to feed my kids.’

Resentment made her stumble over her words. The woman

examined her, nodded, took a £ 5 note from her handbag, then

put it back and chose a £ 10 note. She handed it over. The young woman stood with it in her hand looking at it

disbelievingly. She muttered a reluctant ‘Thanks,’ and at once turned and crossed the street in a blind,

determined way, holding up one hand to halt the traffic. She was going to the supermarket opposite the

Underground station, (…) And she went in, took a basket, and began selecting bread, margarine, peanut butter,

cans of soup.

This incident had been observed by a young man sitting in a shabby blue Datsun at the pavement’s

edge. (…) He followed her into the supermarket. (…) At the check-out desk, when she took out the £ 10 note,

her face tense with anxiety of wondering if it would be enough, he interposed his own £ 10 note, forcing it

into the check-out girl’s hand.

Doris Lessing, D.H.S.S. (abridged)

B.Find evidence in the text for the following statements.

1. The young woman was uncertain about what to do.

2. She was hesitant about speaking to people who left the tube.

3. She finally spoke to an older woman.

4. The young woman needed money because she couldn’t receive what the government paid to the

unemployed.

5. She had to buy food for her children.

6. The matron decided to give the young woman more money.

7. The young woman was very surprised when she got the £ 10.

8. She bought a lot of goods in the shop.

9. A young man in an old car saw everything.

10. The young man paid the young woman’s shopping.

English 9th form (L.E.I) February 2015 © Elsa Escobar

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C. Now answer the following questions.

1. What problem does the text refer to?

2. What are the consequences of such a problem for the people who have to face it?

D. These are some more words you can use to talk about work. Which do you associate with employment and which do you associate with unemployment? Use a dictionary to make two lists.

redundant on the dole labour force jobless

self-

employment

unemployment rate training

strike employee employer lay-off welfare pay rises

E. Choose five words that seem to you more difficult to memorize and write an example sentence for each one.

e.g. There are plans to cut the company’s labour force.

GRAMMAR HIGHLIGHT

Phrasal Verbs

Use – We use a verb and a particle (adverb or preposition) to create a verb phrase, called phrasal verb.

verb meaningmove to change place

e.g. If the factory closes, we’ll have to move to another city.

verb meaning

move in to take control

e.g. At last she move in to block the advance of a smartly dressed matron.

Formation – verb + adverb or preposition

English 9th form (L.E.I) February 2015 © Elsa Escobar

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English 9th form (L.E.I) February 2015 © Elsa Escobar