Rethinking the Working Week

C1 Advanced · Multiple Choice Cloze · Cambridge Ready original exercise

For questions 1–8, read the text below and decide which answer (A, B, C or D) best fits each gap. There is an example at the beginning.

experiment

test

try

trial

whole

total

complete

full

gave

put

proved

set

pull

drag

haul

tow

ill

sick

ailing

poorly

day

time

hour

clock

carry

hold

take

pick

cancel

delete

erase

remove

The idea that people should work five days a week is so deeply (0) ___ that few of us stop to question it. Yet a number of companies have begun to (1) ___ with a four-day week, in which staff work fewer hours on (2) ___ pay. Early results have (3) ___ many sceptics wrong. Several firms report that output has held steady, partly because staff waste less time in meetings that (4) ___ on for too long, and that employees take fewer (5) ___ days and are less likely to leave. The model does not suit every organisation, however. Hospitals, care homes and other services that must operate around the (6) ___ cannot simply close on Fridays. To give staff an extra day off, they would have to (7) ___ on additional employees, which could (8) ___ out any savings. Supporters accept this, but argue that a shorter week need not look the same everywhere: some workplaces may prefer shorter days, while others stagger days off so that someone is always available.

Rethinking the Working Week

ingested

ingrained

infected

inflicted

Available as a free printable PDF worksheet with an optional answer key.

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