Task 1

A.
1. Stress on the job costs American companies as much as $150 billion a year in lower productivity, unnecessary employee sick leave, and higher medical costs.
(remember that a “cost” is anything that takes something away from you or something that you don’t want to happen, not just money or prices)
2. The most stressful professions are those that involve danger, extreme pressure, and those that carry a lot of responsibility without much control.
3. The best way to deal with stress is through relaxation, but sometimes the only answer is to fight back or walk away.
(also known as “fight or flight”)
B. skip

Task 2

A.
1. give in so easily to hijackers’ demands
a. threaten to blow up a plane, commit some other outrage
b. hold out against this kind of blackmail, always have terrorists, start executing terrorists automatically
c. be prepared to face the consequences of evil
2. .
a. it’s the lesser of two evils, terrorists have proven often enough that they really mean business
b. innocent lives, threatening the innocent will achieve its ends
B. skip

Task 3

A. skip
B.
1. It is located in a narrow street with five- and six-storey buildings eight kilometers from downtown Los Angeles.
2. This factory makes shirts and jeans.
3. She’s already been working for ten hours, but she won’t stop for another two hours.
4. She can’t complain because she is an illegal immigrant.

Task 4

A. social trends
1. marked differences
a. one hour more every day, three hours more every week
b. 1 percent, cleaning and ironing, keep household accounts, do repairs or improvements
c. 30 percent
2. leisure activities, watching television, 20 hours a week, going for walks, swimming, British women
B. skip

Task 5 skip

Task 6
1. Mrs. Carter
2. She was a tall, handsome woman who used to come into the shop at least twice a week.
3. She lived alone in a large house on an old farm about three miles from the shop.
4. He was absolutely certain. Otherwise he would never call the police. His evidence was this: First, he saw her do it; second, he found the things in her bag; third, she had done it before.
5. Two young people saw her. The shopkeeper believed that if they didn’t punish her, young people would think that stealing didn’t matter.
6. The judge thought that it was a difficult case from a humanitarian point of view. The excuses he found for her were: First, the woman was old and she lived alone, so she was lonely. Second, she wasn’t poor. She was well-known for her generosity and didn’t need to steal. The items were only worth a pound or two. Third, she pleaded not guilty and said she didn’t know that she had done it.
Task 7 skip

Task 8 skip

Task 9

A. skip
B.
1. F
2. T
3. F
4. F
5. T
6. T
C. skip

Task 10 skip

Task 11 dictation

I could hear the guard blowing his whistle, so I ran onto the platform and up to the train. Luckily someone saw me coming, a door opened, and I jumped on while the train was moving out of the station. “Phew!” I thought. “That was hard work!” I was sure the other passengers could hear my heart beating; it was so loud, and I was in a cold sweat. After a while, I recovered, and had a look at the other passengers. The compartment was full, but I was the only one standing. The people in the carriage turned their eyes away as they noticed me looking at them; all except one, a beautiful woman sitting in the corner. I saw her watching me in the mirror. Automatically, I adjusted my tie. She had seen me running for the train: maybe this was my lucky day after all. I prepared to say hello. She spoke first, however. “Would you like my seat?” she asked. “You look rather ill.” That was the day on which I realized I was getting middle-aged.