以前，英國中小學生在校學習期間會尋找一些簡單的兼職零工，一方面給自己賺些零花錢，而更重要的是從中獲取生活經驗。而如今，在校期間做兼職的學生人數越來越少，這是為什么呢？本集《隨身英語》探討學生在校期間打零工的利與弊。

課文內容

Vocabulary: Work experience 詞匯: 工作經驗

When you were at school, the last thing you probably wanted to do was spend your weekends going to work. There was homework to do, sport to play and fun to be had. But our parents probably persuaded us to find a job to earn some money and get some life experience. When I was a teenager I had a paper round: delivering newspapers to people's homes. I then progressed to a Saturday job in a supermarket: stacking shelves and working at the checkout.

Today in the UK you are allowed to work from the age of 13, and many children do take up part-time jobs. It's one of those things that is seen almost as a rite of passage. It's a taste of independence and sometimes a useful thing to put on your CV. Teenagers agree that it teaches valuable lessons about working with adults and also about managing your money. So, that's no bad thing!

Some research has shown that not taking on a Saturday or holiday job could be detrimental to a person later on. A 2015 study by the UK Commission on Employment and Skills found that not participating in part-time work at school age had been blamed by employers' organisations for young adults being ill-prepared for full-time employment. But despite this, recent statistics have shown that the number of schoolchildren in the UK with a part-time job has fallen by a fifth in the past five years.

So, does this mean that British teenagers are now more afraid of hard graft? Probably not. Some experts feel that young people feel going out to work will hinder their performance at school, and they are under more pressure now to study hard and get good exam results - and a good job in the long term. However, Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, told BBC News that "Properly regulated part-time work is a good way of helping young people learn skills that they will need in their working lives." In reality, it's all about getting the right balance between doing part-time work and having enough time to study and rest.

Many young people actually want to work because it gives them a sense of freedom. One 13 year-old girl called Rachel, who has a Saturday job in a shop, told the BBC that "I enjoy my job because I'm earning money and it helps my confidence speaking to people and socialising with people I work with." That seems like something worth getting up for on a Saturday morning. Did you do a part-time job when you were at school?

詞匯表

life experience 生活經歷
paper round（通常由中小學生做的）上門送報服務
Saturday job 周六工作，業余零工
stack shelves 碼放貨架上的物品，整理貨架
checkout 付款臺，結賬處
part-time 兼職的
rite of passage 成人儀式
independence 自主，自立，獨立
CV 簡歷
detrimental 有危害的
ill-prepared 準備不足的
full-time employment 全職工作
hard graft 艱苦奮斗
hinder 阻礙，妨礙
regulated（按照規定或法律）管理的
sense of freedom 自由感
confidence 自信
socialise 交往，交際

測驗與練習

1. 閱讀課文并回答問題。

1. True or false: Part-time jobs for children are only done on a Saturday?

2. What have employers blamed for adults being ill-prepared for full-time work?

3. Why have some school children decided not to do a part-time job?

4. Which word used in the article means 'a situation where things are equal'?

5. What has happened to the number of British children doing part-time work?

2. 請在不參考課文的情況下完成下列練習。選擇一個意思合適的單詞填入句子的空格處。

1. Experts say smoking cigarettes can have a ______ effect on your health.

hinder       detrimental       regulated       hard graft

2. The sailor was ______ for his trip and his yacht ended up hitting a reef and sinking.

ill-preparation       ill-preparing       ill-prepared       ill-prepare

3. Fans say the athlete's ______ has been worth it and she deserves to win the gold medal.

confidence       socialising       hard graft       independence

4. Since Li has had her baby she's cut her working hours and now works ______.

part-time       full-time       Saturday job       socialising

5. Quitting my job and moving to the countryside has given me a new ______.

freedom sense       sense and freedom       sensible freedom       sense of freedom

答案

1. 閱讀課文并回答問題。

1. True or false: Part-time jobs for children are only done on a Saturday?
False. A Saturday job is a general term we use to describe part-time work done by teenagers on any day of the week but it is often Saturday when they are not at school.

2. What have employers blamed for adults being ill-prepared for full-time work?
Not participating in part-time work at school age had been blamed by employers' organisations for young adults being ill-prepared for full-time employment.

3. Why have some school children decided not to do a part-time job?
So they can study hard and get good exam results.

4. Which word used in the article means 'a situation where things are equal'?
Balance. "To get the right balance."

5. What has happened to the number of British children doing part-time work?
It has decreased. The number of schoolchildren in the UK with a part-time job has fallen by a fifth in the past five years.

2. 請在不參考課文的情況下完成下列練習。選擇一個意思合適的單詞填入句子的空格處。

1. Experts say smoking cigarettes can have a detrimental effect on your health.

2. The sailor was ill-prepared for his trip and his yacht ended up hitting a reef and sinking.

3. Fans say the athlete's hard graft has been worth it and she deserves to win the gold medal.

4. Since Li has had her baby she's cut her working hours and now works part-time.

5. Quitting my job and moving to the countryside has given me a new sense of freedom.