| basis | ˈbeɪsɪs | основа |
| be aware of | biː əˈweər ɒv | быть в курсе |
| benefit | ˈbɛnɪfɪt | выгода |
| compensate | ˈkɒmpɛnseɪt | компенсировать |
| delicately | ˈdɛlɪkɪtli | деликатно |
| eligible | ˈɛlɪʤəbl | подходящий |
| flexibly | ˈflɛksəbli | гибко |
| negotiate | nɪˈgəʊʃɪeɪt | вести переговоры |
| raise | reɪz | повышать |
| retire | rɪˈtaɪə | выходить на пенсию |
| vested | ˈvɛstɪd | закрепленный |
| wage | weɪʤ | заработная плата |
Study the following definitions and examples.
1. basis n., основа the main reason for something; a base or foundation - основа фундамента
a. The manager didn’t have any basis for firing the employee.
b. On the basis of my ten years of loyalty to this company, I feel that I deserve three weeks vacation.
2. be aware of v., быть в курсе to be conscious of; to be knowledgeable about
a. The new staff member wasn’t aware of the company’s position on working a second job.
b. Are you aware of the new employee’s past work history?
3. benefit n., выгода an advantage provided to an employee in addition to salary; v., to take advantage of
a. Although the analyst earned a better salary at his new job, his benefits were better at his previous job.
b. We all benefit from the company’s policy of semiannual reviews.
4. compensate v, компенсировать to pay; to make up for
a, The company compensates employees for overtime by paying double for extra hours.
b. The company will compensate employees for any travel expenses.
5. delicately adv., деликатно with sensitivity
a. Senior management is handling these contract negotiations delicately.
b. The manager delicately asked about the health of his client.
6. eligible adj., подходящий able to participate in something; qualified
a. Some employees may be eligible for the tuition reimbursement plan.
b. I don’t understand why I’m not eligible if I have been with the company for over a year.
7. flexibly adv., гибко with the ability to change; loosely
a. My manager thinks flexibly, enabling herself to solve many sticky problems.
b. We need to respond flexibly if we want to keep customers in this competitive market.
8. negotiate v., вести переговоры to talk for the purpose of reaching an agreement, especially on prices or contracts
a. You must know what you want and what you can accept when you negotiate a salary.
b. The associate looked forward to the day that she would be able to negotiate her own contracts.
9. raise n., повышать an increase in salary; v., to move up
a. With his raise, Mr. Drvoshanov was able to afford to buy a new car.
b. We need to raise the standard for timeliness.
10. retire v., выходить на пенсию to stop working; to withdraw from a business or profession
a. She retired at the age of 64 but continued to be very active with volunteer work.
b. Many people would like to win the lottery and retire.
11. vested adj., законный, принадлежащий по праву, закрепленный guaranteed as a right, involved
a. The day that Ms. Weng became fully vested in the retirement plan, she gave her two weeks’ notice.
b. The company has a vested interest in the happiness of its employees.
12. wage n., заработная плата the money paid for work done, usually hourly
a. Hourly wages have increased by 20 percent over the last two years.
b. The intern spends more than half of her wages on rent.
WORDS IN CONTEXT
Read the following passage and write the words in the blanks below.
basis, compensated, flexibility, retirement, be aware of, delicate, negotiated, vested benefits, eligible, raise, wage
An important part of the job search often comes after an offer has been made. Papers should not be signed until you have successfully (1)____ your salary and (2)____.
You want to make sure you will be adequately (3)____ for your skills, work, and time. This is a (4)____ and difficult area.
You should (5)____ what the salary ranges are at the company and in the field.
Some workers are not on a salary; rather they work for an hourly (6)____. In some cases, workers who earn an hourly wage have more (7) ____ with the hours they work.
The trade-off is that the worker may not receive any benefits. For those workers on a salary, the base salary that is negotiated is critical, because most subsequent pay raises come in small incremental amounts.
Most companies have a review process either on an annual or semiannual (8) . As a result of the review, an employee may receive a (9)____.
Each employee has a unique situation. Health insurance coverage and (10) ____ plans may be essential to some employees, whereas they are not important to others.
Many companies will offer benefits in such a way that it is to the employee’s advantage to stay with the company for a longer period of time.
Employees may not be (11)____ to sign up for a retirement plan until they have been with the company for one year and employees are not fully (12)____ in these plans until they have five years of sea ice under their belts.
Some bonus plans are paid out over a period of years. Vacation time increases after more years of service.
| Noun |
basis | Your raise will be determined on the basis of performance alone. |
| Verb |
base | We base promotions on seniority. |
| adjective | based | Based on the assumption that you will earn more in your new position, you can afford the car you’ve been wanting. |
| |
||
| noun | benefits | The new employee’s benefits went into effect three months after his start date. |
| verb | benefit | In order to benefit from the plan, you must fill out the paperwork and submit it to the personnel office. |
| adjective | beneficial | The service that the insurance has provided has been very beneficial. |
| |
||
| Verb |
compensate | The company compensates its full-time employees well. |
| Noun |
compensation | Compensation will be based on your work performance over the past six months. |
| Adjective |
compensatory | Compensatory time is given in lieu of overtime pay. |
| |
||
| adverb | flexibly | She approaches problems flexibly, looking at the situation from every different angle. |
| Adjective |
flexible | Younger workers tend to be more flexible with their work schedules. |
| noun | flexibility | His flexibility on benefits was one of the main reasons we were able to hire him at this time. |
| |
||
| verb | negotiate | The employee prepared a list of her accomplishments to share with her supervisor so that she could negotiate a higher salary. |
| noun | negotiation | The director was very pleased that the negotiations brought about the end of the strike. |
| noun | negotiator | I should take lessons from Mr. Tarsa; he is such a skilled negotiator. |
| |
||
| verb | retire | Many people don’t know what to do with all their time when they retire from work. |
| noun | retirement | The administrator added more money to the fund for her retirement. |
| adjective | retired | The retired worker came back to the office from time to time to see his friends. |
Part3. Conversation
Listen to the dialogue. Then read each question and choose the best response.
13. Why is the man disappointed?
(A) His health coverage is poor.
(B) He asked for too much compensation.
(C) He doesn’t know how to negotiate.
(D) He doesn’t earn enough money,
14. How long has he been working at the company?
(A) Two months.
(B) Four months.
(C) Six months.
(D) Nine months.
15. What benefit does he get?
(A) Life insurance.
(B) Health insurance.
(C) Paid vacation.
(D) Regular raises.
READING
Part 5 Incomplete Sentences
Choose the word that best completes the sentence.
10. All temporary workers are paid on an hourly ___ and receive no benefits.
(A) base
(B) based
(C) basis
(D) basic
11. What is the company’s policy on ___ for part-time workers?
(A) benefited
(B) beneficial
(C) benefits
(D) benefit
12. The tired employee hoped that she would be ___ for all the long hours she kept and
weekends she worked.
(A) compensation
(B) compensates
(C) compensated
(D) compensate
13. Sometimes the manager is too___and his workers take advantage of him.
(A) flex
(B) flexible
(C) flexibly
(D) flexibility
14. If the ___ continue into the evening, we will break for dinner at six.
(A) negotiator
(B) negotiations
(C) negotiate
(D) negotiated
15. No one is sure what will happen to the company when the president finally.
(A) retires
(B) retirement
(C) retired
(D) retiree
Part 6 Text Completion
To all union members:
Your union has been working for you. You may ___16__ aware that we have been negotiating with management for improvements in the benefits package. Yesterday an agreement was reached on the following points:
1) All employees of the company will be __17__ for an increase in wages every six months, following a performance review. Reasons for refusal to give a raise must be carefully documented according to union guidelines.
2) Employees ___18____ at one and a half times their usual hourly wages for overtime hours. Any time worked beyond 40 hours a week counts as overtime.
3) Part-time employees can now receive full health benefits. It is each employee’s responsibility to complete and submit the application forms. Part-time employees are also guaranteed five days of paid vacation per year. These two benefits apply to employees who work a minimum of 20 hours per week on a permanent basis.
16. (A) be
(B) is
(C) are
(D) were
17. (A) flexible
(B) beneficial
(C) eligible
(D) negotiable
18. (A) will compensate
(B) are going to compensate
(C) will be compensated
(D) have to compensate
Part 7 Reading Comprehension
Questions 19-23 refer to the following e-mail message.
To: James Porter From: Helene Bourassa Subject: Re: Benefits questions
Dear James,
I will try to clarify for you your questions about retirement benefits.
Time of retirement: The time at which an employee can retire is calculated on the basis of age and number of years of service to the company.
An employee of the company can retire with full benefits at age 55 if he or she has worked a minimum of 30 years for the company.
Employees can retire at age 60 or above with 25 years of service to the company.
Since you are younger than 60 years old and have worked for the company for 22 years, you won’t be eligible to retire for another few years.
Benefits for your spouse: I know this is a delicate matter, but it is important to know about.
If you die before your spouse, she will continue to receive full retirement benefits for the rest of her life.
Health insurance: Retirees are eligible to receive health insurance.
There are several packages to choose from, and I will send you brochures about them.
Your spouse will also be eligible for health coverage when you retire.
If you happen to have any dependent children under the age of 21 and living at home, they, too, will be eligible for health coverage.
I hope this answers your questions. Please don't hesitate to contact me if you need any further information.
Helene
19. How old is James Porter?
(A) Between 22 and 25.
(B) 25.
(C) Younger than 60.
(D) Exactly 60.
20. Who can receive retirement benefits after James dies?
(A) His children.
(B) His wife.
(C) All of his dependents.
(D) Nobody.
21. Who can get health coverage when James retires?
(A) His 19-year-old son who lives at home.
(B) His 20-year-old daughter who lives with her spouse.
(C) Any of his children who want it.
(D) Only his wife.
22. The word basis in line 2 is closest in meaning to
(A) solution
(B) formula
(C) amount
(D) foundation
23. The word delicate in line 6 is closest in meaning to
(A) sensitive
(B) complicated
(C) necessary
(D) interesting