It could help address the gender 1.___________ (BALANCE) in the digital sector – but are arts subjects valuable too?
It's no secret that the technology sector 2.___________ (STILL, DOMINATE) by men. On the last count in the UK in 2010, only 17% of jobs in the industry 3.___________ (HOLD) by women. According to ESkills, just 15% of places on computing degree courses 4.___________ (ACCEPT) by females, and the proportion of females taking a computing A-level is also low at 9%.
So how should we address this? Belinda Parmar of Little Miss Geek says she "wasted" four years studying a languages degree, and wants to show her daughter that science and technology will 5.___________ (BROAD) her horizons far more. Although she 6.___________ (ENJOY) every minute of her arts course, Parmar says practical skills such as coding are more valuable in the modern job market.
Of course, some 7.___________ (ARGUE) that arts-based skills are equally vital - such as former round-the-world sailor Ellen MacArthur who says she 8.___________ (CAN NOT, COMPLETE) at the level she did without 9.___________ (BE, FLUENT) in French. So should schools and parents do more to influence girls' career choices toward science and tech, or let them make their own 10.___________ (DECIDE)?
(From Women in Leadership, The Guardian)
TEXT 2 (B2/C1)
Choose ONE phrase from the list of phrases A-K below to complete each of the following sentences 1-10. Remember, ONE phrase is extra here.
A when circumstances require it
B that anyone can practice and adopt to become more effective
C that you yourself would want to be treated
D In spite of being competitive
E No matter what type of organization or industry you're in
F To achieve this level of connection
G that inspires your people to do whatever it takes to get there
H without being punished for doing so
I that they and their team can accomplish anything they set their minds to
J who lift us up into the clouds instead of dragging us down into the mud
K Despite all this research
Traits of Highly Effective Leaders
By Peter Economy
If you want to up your leadership game, adopt these 7 qualities.
A remarkable amount of time, effort, and money has been devoted to the study of leadership. 1.____________________________, there is little agreement about exactly what leadership is.
Still, people know effective leadership when they see it. And while great leaders may sometimes be born that way, there are certain traits that great leaders share in common 2.____________________________.
What qualities are those? Well, to be a highly effective leader, you must...
Inspire action.
Try to paint a vision of the future 3.____________________________. The best leaders also clear away the organizational roadblocks that constrain employees’ natural creativity and initiative, unleashing a tremendous amount of energy in the process.
Be optimistic.
We all want to work with and for people 4.____________________________. Make sure to seek out the positives in your people, helping them overcome their own feelings of self-doubt and spreading optimism throughout your organization.
Have integrity.
Research shows that the top thing that employees want from their leaders is integrity. Be honest, fair, candid and forthright, and treat everyone in the same way 5.____________________________.
Support and facilitate your team.
For people to do their very best work, they need an organizational environment that supports them by making it safe to take risks, to tell the truth, and to speak up... 6.____________________________. Support your employees by creating this kind of environment, and it will facilitate their progress toward attaining your organization’s goals.
Have confidence.
Highly effective leaders know deep down inside 7.____________________________. Failure is not an option. Tentative leaders make for tentative employees. If you’re confident, your people will be too.
Communicate.
In any organization, knowledge is power, and great leaders ensure that every employee, from the very top to the very bottom of the org chart, is provided with complete and up-to-date information about the organization’s goals, performance, successes and failures. 8.____________________________, you should also provide ample channels for two-way communication between employees and managers, actively soliciting their ideas for improvement and rewarding employees for submitting them.
Be decisive.
One of the most basic duties of any leader is to make decisions. Highly effective leaders aren’t afraid to be decisive and to make tough calls quickly 9.____________________________. Once you have all the information you need to make an informed decision, then don’t hesitate--make it. And once you make a decision, then stick with it unless there is a particularly compelling reason for you to change it.
10.____________________________, it's possible to become a more effective leader, inspiring your people to give their very best every day of the week. Make a point of practicing these 7 leadership traits, and you will be a highly effective leader too.
TEXT 3 (B2/C1)
Choose the correct heading for sections 1-8 from the list of headings below.
Write the correct letter A-I in the boxes given below. Remember, ONE heading is extra.
List of Headings
A Contextualize
B Kindness and respect
C Collaboration
D Sense of humour
E Let Go
F Honesty
G Emotional intelligence
H Continuous learning
I Partner with your people