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Petites annonces  Read these ads from a Francophone website that posts job openings. Then answer the questions using complete sentences. Petites annonces Comptable Banque, à Lyon, recherche un comptable à plein temps. Formation DUT our BTS comptable Expérience confirmé de plusieurs années Augmentation de salaire et promotions fréquentes Électricien industriel qualifié Pour travaux d’électricité industrielle Temps partiel (30h/semaine) avec possibilité de temps plein dans les 6 mois Formation Bac pro Électricité Expérience significative dans le domaine Salaire à négocier selon qualifications et expérience Plombier Recherche plombier qualifié et autonome Nombre d’annés d’expérience: 2 à 5 ans Type d’emploi: Temps partiel Salaire de 900 à 1.200 EUR par mois Gérant(e) de boutique de vêtements Boutique de luxe recherche gérant(e) organisé(e) et dynamique Bon niveau d’anglais Salaire élevé pour candat(e) qualifié(e) Congés annuels de 5 semaines au mois d’août  Chef cuisinier Maison de retraite recherche chef cuisiner Expérience hôpitaux/personnes âgés Vous dirigerez une équipe de 45 personnes et vous aurez la charge de la cuisine de l’établissement. Métier exigeant mais bien payé, réussite et augmentations de salaire garanties pour le candidat motivé Conseiller logiciel Vous assurerez le service client par téléphone pour un logiciel de comptabilité Formation comptabilité et informatique Bonne connaissance d’une langue étrangère (anglais, allemand, espanol ou italien) Possibilitité de mi-temps our temps partiel   Comment cette annonce décrit-elle l’emploi de chef cuisinier?  Pour quel(s) métier(s) demande-t-on un bon niveau en langue étrangère?  Quels sont les deux avantages mentionnés pour l’emploi de comptable?  Quels sont les métiers qui ne sont pas à plein temps?  Quelle formation est-ce qu’on demande pour l’emploi de comptable? Et pour l’emploi d’électricien? Quelles seront les responsabilités du chef cuisinier?  Quand est-ce que la personne qui acceptera le travail de gérant(e) pourra prendre ses congés? Résumez en une phrase les responsabilités du conseiller logiciel téléphonique. 

          Two automotive titans—Henry Ford and Alfred Sloan—symbolize the far-reaching changes that took place in American industry during the 1910s and 1920s. In 1913 and at the age of 50, Ford revolutionized American manufacturing by introducing the automated assembly line. By using conveyor belts to bring automobile parts to workers, he reduced his cars’ assembly time from 121?2 hours in 1912 to just 11?2 hours in 1914. Declining production costs allowed Ford to cut prices — six times between 1921 and 1925, reducing a new Ford’s cost to just $290. This was less than three months’ wages for an average American worker, and it made cars affordable for the average family. To lower employee turnover and raise productivity, Ford also introduced a minimum daily wage of five dollars in 1914—twice what most workers earned. In addition, he shortened the workday from nine hours to eight. Twelve years later, he reduced his workweek from six days to five. Ford proved the logic of mass production: expanded production allows manufacturers to reduce costs and increase the number of products sold. Ford also realized that higher wages allow workers to buy more products.           Alfred Sloan, the president of General Motors from 1923 to 1941, built his company into the world’s largest automaker. Sloan achieved this not by improving the production process but by adopting new approaches to advertising and marketing. He summed up his philosophy with these blunt words: “The primary object of the corporation was to make money, not just to make cars.” Sloan was convinced that Americans were willing to pay extra for luxury and prestige. His stance contrasted with Henry Ford’s. Ford, a farmer’s son, wanted to produce an inexpensive, practical vehicle with few extras. For instance, Ford said that his customers could have any color they wanted as long as it was black. Instead, Sloan advertised his cars as symbols of wealth and status. In 1927, he introduced the yearly model change, to convince motorists to trade in old models for new ones with flashier styling. Sloan also developed the idea of automotive “classes,” which classified cars by status, price, and level of luxury. According to this system, Chevrolets were less expensive than Buicks or Cadillacs. To make his cars affordable, he set up the nation’s first national consumer credit agency in 1919. If Henry Ford proved the power of mass production, Sloan revealed the importance of merchandising in a modern consumer society.  The selection is mainly organized as a

          Houses aren’t the only place where insulation can be seen in our world. Two kinds of animals — birds and mammals — maintain a constant body temperature despite the temperature of their surroundings. Both have evolved methods to control the flow of heat into and out of their bodies. Part of these strategies involve the use of insulating materials — fat, feathers, and fur — that serve to slow down the heat flow. Because most of the time an animal’s body is warmer than the environment, the most common situation is one in which the insulation works to keep heat in.            Whales, walruses, and seals are examples of animals that have thick layers of fat to insulate them from the cold arctic waters in which they swim. Fat is a poor conductor of heat and plays much the same role in their bodies as the fiberglass insulation in your attic.            Feathers are another kind of insulation. They are made of light, hollow tubes connected to each other by an array of small interlocking spikes. They have some insulating properties themselves, but their main effect comes from the fact that they trap air next to the body. This stationary air is a rather good insulator. For instance, in winter, a house sparrow has about 3,500 feathers, which maintain the bird’s normal temperature even in below-freezing weather. Birds often react to extreme cold by contracting muscles in their skin so that the feathers fluff out. This increases the thickness — and hence the insulating power — of the layer of trapped air. Incidentally, birds need insulation more than we do because their normal body temperature is 106°F.            Hair (or fur) is actually made up of dead cells similar to those in the outer layer of the skin. Like feathers, hair serves as an insulator in its own right and traps a layer of air near the body. In some animals (for example, polar bears) the insulating power of the hair is increased because each hair contains tiny bubbles of trapped air. The reflection of light from these bubbles makes polar bear fur appear white — the strands of hair are actually semitransparent.            Hair grows from follicles in the skin, and small muscles allow animals to make their hair stand up to increase its insulating power. Human beings, who evolved in a warm climate, have lost much of their body hair as well as the ability to make most of it stand up. There is a reminder of our mammalian nature, however, in the phenomenon of “goose bumps,” which is the attempt by muscles in the skin to make the nonexistent hair stand up.  The author’s main purpose is to

          Houses aren’t the only place where insulation can be seen in our world. Two kinds of animals — birds and mammals — maintain a constant body temperature despite the temperature of their surroundings. Both have evolved methods to control the flow of heat into and out of their bodies. Part of these strategies involve the use of insulating materials — fat, feathers, and fur — that serve to slow down the heat flow. Because most of the time an animal’s body is warmer than the environment, the most common situation is one in which the insulation works to keep heat in.            Whales, walruses, and seals are examples of animals that have thick layers of fat to insulate them from the cold arctic waters in which they swim. Fat is a poor conductor of heat and plays much the same role in their bodies as the fiberglass insulation in your attic.            Feathers are another kind of insulation. They are made of light, hollow tubes connected to each other by an array of small interlocking spikes. They have some insulating properties themselves, but their main effect comes from the fact that they trap air next to the body. This stationary air is a rather good insulator. For instance, in winter, a house sparrow has about 3,500 feathers, which maintain the bird’s normal temperature even in below-freezing weather. Birds often react to extreme cold by contracting muscles in their skin so that the feathers fluff out. This increases the thickness — and hence the insulating power — of the layer of trapped air. Incidentally, birds need insulation more than we do because their normal body temperature is 106°F.            Hair (or fur) is actually made up of dead cells similar to those in the outer layer of the skin. Like feathers, hair serves as an insulator in its own right and traps a layer of air near the body. In some animals (for example, polar bears) the insulating power of the hair is increased because each hair contains tiny bubbles of trapped air. The reflection of light from these bubbles makes polar bear fur appear white — the strands of hair are actually semitransparent.            Hair grows from follicles in the skin, and small muscles allow animals to make their hair stand up to increase its insulating power. Human beings, who evolved in a warm climate, have lost much of their body hair as well as the ability to make most of it stand up. There is a reminder of our mammalian nature, however, in the phenomenon of “goose bumps,” which is the attempt by muscles in the skin to make the nonexistent hair stand up.  The author supports the idea that birds and mammals have methods to control the flow of heat in and out of their bodies with

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          A social network usually acts as a support system for its members. It helps members maintain good physical and mental health or prevent physical and mental breakdown. It also reduces the risk of dying prematurely or committing suicide. There are several reasons for this. Our social network of friends, relatives, and coworkers can make us feel good by boosting our self-esteem despite our weaknesses and difficulties. Because they are more objective than we are about our problems, they can open our eyes to solutions that we are too emotionally distressed to see. The companionship from our network, strengthened by our frequent participation in recreational activities, can bring us joy while chasing away loneliness and worries. Finally, our friends and relatives often give us instrumental support—money and other aid—to help us cope with our problems. All these social and psychological factors have an impact on our bodily health. They keep our blood pressure and heart rate at low levels by reducing our brain’s secretion of stress hormones.            In contrast, our loved ones place many demands on our time and personal resources. They can irritate us by criticizing us or invading our privacy. This is shown in a study of the social networks of 120 widows. In this study, the women reported that more than two-thirds of the people who made their lives more difficult were their friends and relatives. In fact, these negative experiences may drag down people’s sense of well-being more than the positive social support can raise it up. Negative encounters usually have a stronger impact than positive ones; an argument stands out against a background of pleasant experiences. Thus, an isolated friendly exchange at a wedding that is already filled with strife between in-laws can restore only a little peacefulness. On the other hand, a single heated exchange at an otherwise tranquil wedding can ruin the whole experience. In sum, social networks can have both positive and negative consequences for people’s lives.  Which sentence best expresses the main idea of the second paragraph?

          A social network usually acts as a support system for its members. It helps members maintain good physical and mental health or prevent physical and mental breakdown. It also reduces the risk of dying prematurely or committing suicide. There are several reasons for this. Our social network of friends, relatives, and coworkers can make us feel good by boosting our self-esteem despite our weaknesses and difficulties. Because they are more objective than we are about our problems, they can open our eyes to solutions that we are too emotionally distressed to see. The companionship from our network, strengthened by our frequent participation in recreational activities, can bring us joy while chasing away loneliness and worries. Finally, our friends and relatives often give us instrumental support—money and other aid—to help us cope with our problems. All these social and psychological factors have an impact on our bodily health. They keep our blood pressure and heart rate at low levels by reducing our brain’s secretion of stress hormones.            In contrast, our loved ones place many demands on our time and personal resources. They can irritate us by criticizing us or invading our privacy. This is shown in a study of the social networks of 120 widows. In this study, the women reported that more than two-thirds of the people who made their lives more difficult were their friends and relatives. In fact, these negative experiences may drag down people’s sense of well-being more than the positive social support can raise it up. Negative encounters usually have a stronger impact than positive ones; an argument stands out against a background of pleasant experiences. Thus, an isolated friendly exchange at a wedding that is already filled with strife between in-laws can restore only a little peacefulness. On the other hand, a single heated exchange at an otherwise tranquil wedding can ruin the whole experience. In sum, social networks can have both positive and negative consequences for people’s lives.  The author states that

          Two automotive titans—Henry Ford and Alfred Sloan—symbolize the far-reaching changes that took place in American industry during the 1910s and 1920s. In 1913 and at the age of 50, Ford revolutionized American manufacturing by introducing the automated assembly line. By using conveyor belts to bring automobile parts to workers, he reduced his cars’ assembly time from 121?2 hours in 1912 to just 11?2 hours in 1914. Declining production costs allowed Ford to cut prices — six times between 1921 and 1925, reducing a new Ford’s cost to just $290. This was less than three months’ wages for an average American worker, and it made cars affordable for the average family. To lower employee turnover and raise productivity, Ford also introduced a minimum daily wage of five dollars in 1914—twice what most workers earned. In addition, he shortened the workday from nine hours to eight. Twelve years later, he reduced his workweek from six days to five. Ford proved the logic of mass production: expanded production allows manufacturers to reduce costs and increase the number of products sold. Ford also realized that higher wages allow workers to buy more products.           Alfred Sloan, the president of General Motors from 1923 to 1941, built his company into the world’s largest automaker. Sloan achieved this not by improving the production process but by adopting new approaches to advertising and marketing. He summed up his philosophy with these blunt words: “The primary object of the corporation was to make money, not just to make cars.” Sloan was convinced that Americans were willing to pay extra for luxury and prestige. His stance contrasted with Henry Ford’s. Ford, a farmer’s son, wanted to produce an inexpensive, practical vehicle with few extras. For instance, Ford said that his customers could have any color they wanted as long as it was black. Instead, Sloan advertised his cars as symbols of wealth and status. In 1927, he introduced the yearly model change, to convince motorists to trade in old models for new ones with flashier styling. Sloan also developed the idea of automotive “classes,” which classified cars by status, price, and level of luxury. According to this system, Chevrolets were less expensive than Buicks or Cadillacs. To make his cars affordable, he set up the nation’s first national consumer credit agency in 1919. If Henry Ford proved the power of mass production, Sloan revealed the importance of merchandising in a modern consumer society.  As used in the second paragraph, the word stance means [His stance contrasted with Henry Ford’s. (Sentence 5, Paragraph 2)]

Extra credit Votre copain vous envoie ce SMS: kestufé? Comment répondez-vous?

Au travail  Complete these questions with a form of lequel. (Don’t forget the various forms it takes when a preposition is necessary!) (8 x 1 pt. each = 8 pts.) 1. Vous avez le choix entre deux assurances maladie. [lequel1] préférez-vous? 2. Ce sont tous des métiers intéressants. [lequel2] offrent les meilleurs emplois? 3. Nous employons ces deux conseillers. [lequel3] voulez-vous parler? 4. Ces deux candidats viennent de passer un entretien. [lequel4] voulez-vous me parler? 5. Ces deux professions sont exigeantes. Dans [lequel5] voulez-vous réussir? 6. Vous avez eu plusieurs mentions. [lequel6] parlez-vous? 7. Il y a plusieurs syndicats dans l’entreprise. [lequel7] avez-vous entendu parler? 8. Toutes ces candidates sont excellentes. [lequel8] avez-vous choisies pour l’entretien?