“Some people nearing retirement don’t want to
leave their jobs. But defying expectations can be difficult – both in the
office and at home”
By: Anne Tergesen
Level of Difficulty: ***
Note to the Student: This is a tough level **
and an easy level ***: some of the
questions are pretty straightforward but others are tough.
BEFORE YOU READ
·
Should
there be an age of legal retirement? After all, some countries have such a
figure, others don’t.
·
If
the answer is ‘yes’ what should it be and why?
·
What
factors should governments take into consideration when determining the age of
legal retirement?
·
What
factors should individuals take into consideration when deciding to retire?
·
Why
do you think many people don’t want to retire?
QUESTIONS
1.
Start
reading the text. Now answer the following questions.
·
Where
does the introduction end and the development begin?
·
Which
sentence informs the reader of the issue to be discussed?
·
What
is the relationship between the first sentence in this section and the last?
2.
The
conclusion we can draw from the paragraph beginning still is that …………………….
3.
The
fact that…………….enables the well educated white collar workers to continue
working longer.
4.
What
two factors motivate these people to continue working rather than retiring?
5.
The
major life style choice faced when deciding whether to retire or not is
……………………….
6.
The
yardstick which determines whether a person has what it takes to continue
working is his willingness to…………………………………………………………..The reason is that this
indicates he has…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
7.
Look
at the bar graph detailing the reasons why most people seem to want to continue
working. There are two broad categories of reasons. Divide the reasons into two
categories and give each category a name.
8.
Now
study the pie chart under the heading ‘Working Late’ and write a paragraph
detailing the trends you observe. Include your predictions based on the
information you have gleaned from the text as well. A sample paragraph is
included in the ‘Key’
9.
Read
the story of Randall Martin. Which sentence in the section best summarizes the
reason why retirement is not for him for the time being?
10.
Read
Jan Abushakrah’s story. Should she be asked to retire? Why or why not? Explain
with reference to the text you are reading.
11.
Study
the bar graph titled ‘The Changing Face of the Office’. It can be understood
from this graph that whereas ……………………has been dropping steadily and is expected
continue to do so in the future, ………………………..has been rising steadily and is
expected to continue to do so.
12.
Read
the section titled ‘Discontent at home’. The disagreements listed in this
section are probably not due to: mark as many as necessary
·
Different
world views
·
Lack
of forward thinking
·
Lack
of forward planning
·
Lack
of communication
·
Lack
of agreement
13.
Find
the wrong answer. Discussing the decision concerning retirement can:
·
Make
all the sense in the world
·
Develop
empathy and understanding
·
Lead
to disappointment
·
Lead
to arguments
·
Lead
to a compromise
14.
Mrs.
Peterson resolved her differences with her husband by making sure to be……………..
15.
Read
the story of Roberta Taylor and Bruce Narasin. Their solution to the dilemma
they faced was not for…………………………………………but to…………………………………………………………………
16.
Why
should someone who decides to continue working inform people he is working with
of his decision?
17.
The
older worker who wishes to go on working can avoid negative consequences in the
office by ……………………………………………and………………………………………………………………..
18.
Why
does Mr. Harnden organize goal setting exercises? You will need to tweak the
text.
WRITING TASK: THE FIRST ALTERNATIVE
Look back to question 8. Graph
writing is an integral part of the IELTS exam so put your interpretation skills
to the test by completing this task.
WRITING TASK: THE SECOND ALTERNATIVE
Discuss the factors that enable an
individual to go on working after the socially expected retirement age. Use the
text.
·
Passion
and excitement
·
Keeping
up with modern technology
·
Physical
and mental health – people live, on average 25 years longer
·
The
continued to desire to commit to the job
WRITING TASK: THIRD ALTERNATIVE
Discuss the advantages of delaying
retirement:
In terms of the state:
·
The
strain a large group of pensioners who live into their 90’s put on the economy
avoided
·
Benefitting
from amassed skills and experience
·
Passion
and excitement allowed to spread
In terms of the individual:
·
Satisfaction
derived from continuing to be useful
·
Satisfaction
derived from doing a job one loves
·
Better
physical health linked to improved psychological health
WRITING TASK: FOURTH ALTERNATIVE
Discuss the reasons why people don’t
wish to retire
Practical considerations:
·
Keeping
health insurance benefits
·
Need
money to make ends meet
·
Want
money to buy extras
Lifestyle factors:
·
Want
to stay active and involved (people live longer, physically fit)
·
Enjoy
working (passion and excitement)
A GUIDE TO NOT RETIRING KEY AND TEACHER’S NOTES
The subject matter of this text may not have
much appeal to some young people but the issue is so well analyzed on various
levels and leads to such a superb writing task that I couldn’t resist.
Retirement is, after all, becoming a major concern in both developed and
developing countries: think Japan, France and Turkey. Increasing longevity
makes retirement a serious economic problem for governments; good health way
into what is traditionally defined as ‘old age’ makes it a personal problem for
individuals. Whichever way you look at it, retirement is a huge issue.
1.
The
development begins with the paragraph beginning “Still”. The issue to be
discussed is introduced in the last sentence of the development. The first
sentence introduces the issue of retirement and the last sentence narrows it
down as any good introduction should
2.
Deciding
to stay at work isn’t easy.
3.
Life
expectancy is a good 25 years longer than it was a century ago
4.
Working
at something they love and get paid for.
5.
How
people want to spend that scarce time. You need to replace ‘they’ with people
and explain what ‘that time’ is. You need to replace all references in an
answer.
6.
Take
on a new project, raise his hand particularly if it gives him new skills to
stay current; passion
7.
The
first group which could be called practical or financial reasons comprises
‘keep health insurance and other benefits, need money to make ends meet and want
money to buy extras’. The second category which could be called lifestyle or
personal reasons comprises ‘Enjoy working and want to stay active and involved’
8.
Pie charts: Working Late: The two pie charts
demonstrate the views concerning the retirement age in 1999 and 2014. There are
marked differences in attitude concerning the issue and over all there seems to
be a swing towards a higher retirement age. The percentage of people who felt one should retire before the age of
60 halved in this five year period; the percentage of those who felt the
retirement age should be somewhere between 60 – 64 dropped by 6% and lastly, the
percentage of people who felt 65 was a good age to retire dropped by 8%. One
the flip side, there seems to be an increasing inclination to retire later
reflected in the views of those who wanted to retire between 66 – 69, those who
wished to retire at 70 and later and those who wished to remain on the job for
ever. The percentage of people who wanted to retire between 66 – 69 almost tripled
reaching 11%. The percentage of people
who wanted the retirement age to be 70 or older rose from 14 to 22%. The
percentage of people for whom retirement was not an option doubled. This trend
is expected to continue as people live longer and remain both physically and
mentally fit for longer. People also appear to be more desirous to work; a wish reflected in the charts
9.
Developing
these innovations is what gets me up in the morning
10.
No, she should not because she has passion.
Such people are very useful for a company or institution.
11.
The
number of 16 – 24 year old workers / the number of workers over 55
12.
Lack
of communication and lack of agreement (The fact that they disagree means that
there is obviously plenty of communication and no agreement)
13.
Lead
to disappointment
14.
More
available
15.
Ms.
Taylor to retire but to spend good quality time together
16.
When
you are in your mid 60’s and above, unless you state otherwise, the assumption
is that you will be retiring soon. The previous sentence will not do because it
is not specific enough.
17.
Signaling
a long term commitment and a youthful mindset and disclosing the desire to
stick around in both informal conversations and an annual performance review.
18.
To
create passion and excitement
