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1 Zentralkommission für Englisch die Lehrabschlussprüfungen der kaufmännischen und der Büroangestellten Leseverständnis Lehrabschlussprüfungen für kaufmännische Angestellte 2003 Serie 4/4 Kandidatennummer: Name: Vorname: Datum der Prüfung: Erlaubtes Hilfsmittel: Wörterbuch Zeit: 40 Minuten Erreichte Punktzahl: Die Experten: Diese Prüfungsaufgabe darf 2003 nicht im Unterricht verwendet werden. Die Zentralkommission hat das uneingeschränkte Recht, diese Aufgabe für Prüfungs und für Übungszwecke zu verwenden. Eine kommerzielle Verwendung bedarf der Bewilligung des Autors, des Inhabers des Urheberrechtes. HAG

2 Jamaica appoints whizz kid to top job By Earl Moxam 0 Teenage professional KINGSTON, Jamaica, Friday, July 24 (Reuters) The Jamaican government has appointed a 13-year-old computer whizz kid to help the bureaucrats with the newest developments in computer technology. 1 Makonnen Blake Hannah became the youngest-ever government adviser when he was recruited to his new position of youth technology consultant by Minister of Commerce & Technology, Phillip Paulwell, this week. Paulwell said the boy would be responsible for advising me on the opinions of the younger generation and will inform the minister about new trends in computer technology. He will receive an honorarium for his efforts. 2 Hannah s high-profile is similar to that of his grandfather, Evon Blake, a journalist and author. He broke the colour barrier in Jamaica by jumping into the whites only swimming pool at Myrtle Bank Hotel in Kingston. Such an action was forbidden in Jamaica in the 1940s and it is still remembered today. 3 Hannah s advice will help the government develop a computer-based education programme which will then be made available to all Jamaican school children. Paulwell recruited Hannah after meeting him during the filming of a movie and after being impressed by his great knowledge of computer technology, officials said. 4 Paulwell announced Hannah s appointment during a ceremony at a new computer technology college that his mother, Barbara Blake Hannah, a journalist and former senator, will run. The centre will train highlytalented children aged 6 to 18 and the U.S. software giant Microsoft Corp has donated software to the college through its Learning Community programme. 5 Barbara Blake Hannah said her teenage son had been using computers most of his life. The Minister has just been elected to his post but my boy has been in computers for six years, so he's in a good position to advise him, she said. Makonnen Hannah told Reuters he planned to help Paulwell optimise the minister's computer system and give him daily updates on world-wide developments in technology. I can do almost everything. I can program a little bit, I'm good at system design, advanced Windows and DOS usage, stuff mainly like that, Hannah said. You could call me an expert. 6 Makonnen Hannah has also appeared in two versions of a children's movie Kids' Paradise. His mother wrote and produced these films that show the kind of self-confidence his grandfather had, Barbara Blake Hannah said.

3 Task 1 16 points Please look at the information grid below and scan the text for the information you need to complete it. Use key words. Example: Country where the story takes place Jamaica Reason why Makonnen Hannah is special He s only 13/his age/he s very young 2 Makonnen Hannah s job title Youth technology consultant (Only answer) 2 Phillip Paulwell s political title Minister of Commerce & Technology 2 Why Evon Blake s action was so terrible It was forbidden in the 1940s he broke colour barrier 2 When Paulwell first met Makonnen Hannah During the filming of a movie 2 What Hannah s mother will do Run new computer technology professionally in the future college 2 What jobs Makonnen Hannah s mother has a) Journalist done so far b) Senator c) Film writer d) Film producer (Any 4 x 1 2 pt = 2 pts) How long Makonnen Hannah has 6 years 2 worked with computers?

4 Task 2 14 points The following paragraph headings are missing from the text. Choose the most suitable heading from the list A H for each part of the article (1 6). There is one extra heading you do not need to use. There is a sample beginning (0). A American assistance 4 B Acting roles 6 C A computer all-rounder 5 D Teenage professional 0 E Working on school software 3 F Success at last G Insider information for the government 1 H Shocking act 2 Bitte wenden!

5 Workers May Be 'Bullied'* Out Of Jobs By George Nishiyama TOKYO, Monday, October 25 (Reuters) Japanese workers are increasingly being forced out of (1) their jobs by firms that want to slim down but still avoid government laws on dismissing employees, labour officials say. Putting pressure on workers to quit, called bullying by the Japanese media, is attractive to companies because Japanese law makes it extremely difficult and very costly to dismiss workers, (2) they say. Cases of companies forcing employees to quit have increased recently as companies try to avoid the strict regulations, said Ichiro Natsume, a lawyer specialising in labour disputes. Earlier this week, the case of a 35-yearold man who was formerly employed by video game maker Sega Enterprises Ltd was handled by a Tokyo court. He was obliged to sit in a room with only a single phone and no windows, where he was given no work to do. (3) It added that the worker, who was later dismissed, was not allowed to bring in any personal belongings and had to report to the personnel section whenever (4) he wanted to leave the room. Sega told the court the room was for workers waiting to be moved to other jobs in the company, and it was not meant to force them to leave the company. But labour activists say cases of workplace bullying are rising. This is because Japanese firms are restructuring at a time when the economy is starting to improve again after years of stagnation. Giants like Japan's number two car maker Nissan Motor Co (NMC) and its largest telecommunications provider Nippon Telegraph & Telephone Corp (NTT) are believed to be planning massive job cuts. Hiromichi Yamazaki, Vice Chairman of Tokyo Managers' Union, (5) which represents white-collar workers, said companies are using a number of methods to force workers out of their jobs. (6) These include moving them to unwanted positions in the company and not allocating work for (7) them to do, in other words making the worker sit around without any duties in order to humiliate him or her. There are even cases of workers being told to just sit and write résumés all day, Yamazaki said. Companies that want to dismiss employees in Japan must overcome some legal hurdles before doing (8) so, for example proving that they must reduce their staff numbers and proving that they have taken every possible measure to avoid the layoffs. * to be bullied: weggedrängt werden Aufgabenblatt i

6 Task 3 24 points Multiple choice: Choose the best answer a, b or c. 1) ) a) Some Japanese firms dismiss workers who aren t slim. ) b) Some Japanese firms want to reduce their staff numbers. ) c) Japanese law does not help to protect workers jobs. 2) ) a) Working conditions for all Japanese employees are unfair. ) b) It is expensive for Japanese companies to dismiss a worker unfairly. ) c) Japanese companies find the media attractive. 3) ) a) A video game producer dismissed an employee this week.. ) b) A video game producer appeared in court this week. ) c) An employee appeared in court for stealing video games from Sega Enterprises. 4) ) a) The Japanese employee left his job because his company imprisoned him. ) b) The Japanese employee was locked in his office during working hours. ) c) The Japanese employee lost his job after his company treated him unfairly. 5) ) a) The Japanese economy has just begun to grow again. ) b) The Japanese economy has not been restructured for years. ) c) The Japanese economy has been growing for years. 6) ) a) The NMC (Nissan Motor Co) and the NTT (Nippon Telegraph & Telephone Corp) are currently recruiting new staff. ) b) The NMC and the NTT will probably have fewer workers in future. ) c) The NMC and the NTT are small Japanese firms. 7) ) a) Some companies force workers to quit by not giving them work to do. ) b) Some workers quit because they have to wear white collars. ) c) Some companies force workers to quit by giving them too much work to do. 8) ) a) Japanese workers can t be dismissed if they jump over hurdles. ) b) Japanese companies can t dismiss any employees. ) c) Japanese workers can be dismissed if the company can show it has too many employees. Task 4 16 points The words underlined and numbered in the text refer to expressions or ideas. What are these expressions or ideas? 1) their = 2) they = 3) It = 4) he = 5) which = 6) These = 7) them = 8) so =