Walls Down, Headphones On

C2 Proficiency · Word Formation · Cambridge Ready original exercise

For questions 1–8, read the text below. Use the word given in capitals at the end of some of the lines to form a word that fits in the gap in the same line. There is an example at the beginning (0).

RESIST

COLLABORATE

CONSIDER

APPOINT

EFFECT

PERPETUAL

CONCENTRATE

THINK

Few changes to working life have proved as (0) ___ as the open-plan office. When the walls first came down, the promise seemed (1) ___ : tearing out partitions would foster a spirit of (2) ___ , and chance encounters by the coffee machine would spark ideas that no formal meeting ever could. It did not escape employers' notice, either, that fewer walls meant more desks per square metre and (3) ___ lower costs. The reality has been rather (4) ___ . Far from chatting more, many people in open offices retreat behind headphones and email colleagues sitting a few metres away, (5) ___ rebuilding the walls that were removed. Constant noise and the sense of being (6) ___ on display take their toll on (7) ___ , and complaints of stress and fatigue are common. Many companies are now (8) ___ the way they arrange their space. Perhaps the lesson is not that walls are good and openness bad, but that people need a choice: room to gather when they want company, and somewhere quiet to hide when they need to think.

Walls Down, Headphones On

CONTROVERSY

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

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