First Listening
Please listen to a short passage carefully and prepare to answer some questions. Life for the first Europeans to settle in America was a struggle. But they worked hard to give their children a better life. Working for the future gave them a sense of pride. But in America today life is not such a struggle, so the belief in hard work is not as strong. If you lose your job, there is usually help available while you are not earning money. Also, people today are better educated, and they expect more from a job. Of course, there are still people struggling in low-paid jobs they don’t enjoy. Society has changed a lot, but the basic values of work have not. Work is still important in earning money to survive, having a sense of pride, and building personal relationships. (Words: 126)
Second Listening Listen to the tape again. Then answer the following questions. 1. What did work mean to the first European settlers?
2. What are the elements that have weakened the belief in hard work?
3. What are the basic values of work?
