Dexway English Magazine: A2 – Edition 2
Interview techniques
SUCCESS IS 5% INSPIRATION AND 95% PERSPIRATION!
You are studying English. A second language is a great skill to have. It opens up your possibilities and opportunities. You could go to England to look for a job there or it might just mean you have an extra skill and you are more likely to find a good job in your own country, or maybe you can apply for a promotion at your current job.
These days it is important to have lots of transferable skills, and languages are really great. Interviews, like exams, can be quite stressful. Here are some tips for a successful interview.
- Get a good night’s sleep, nobody will want to employ you if you look like you have been up all night partying!
- Be on time, and go to the right place. If it is a really important interview and you don’t know how to get to the place, do a practice trip. Go from your house to the interview location when you have a free day, so you can check the best route and how long it takes. Employers love punctuality.
- Do some research. Read the company website, have a look on their blog, look at their Facebook page, and try to fully understand the ethos and aims of the company.
- Try to make a good first impression. Look smart, iron your shirt, polish your shoes, and smile when you first walk in. Most employers will know during the first minute of the interview whether they want to employ you or not.
- Relax, and try to be friendly. If the interviewer likes you they will be more likely to offer you a job.
- Don’t worry if you don’t get the job. Sometimes it can feel like a real blow to your confidence, but you have to persevere. Success is 5% inspiration and 95% perspiration!
Urban Foxes
URBAN LIVING
Living in a large city like London means that you meet people from all over the world, and if you learn a foreign language you have many opportunities to practice your language skills when you meet tourists and other foreigners.
But I grew up in a small town in the outskirts of London where there is more woodland. Sometimes I saw deer in my garden when I woke up in the morning, and there were always lots of interesting birds and animals in the trees, I even found some lizards and snakes in the compost heap at the end of my garden.
Sometimes I miss the wildlife of the countryside, but it’s not impossible to see some cute furry animals in the city centre. You can go to Hackney City Farm, or one of the other city farms in London, or to one of the parks in London. But there is another option if you want to see a beautiful and resourceful wild animal, the fox.
Foxes have realised that in cities they run many risks, such as traffic on the roads, but there is a lot of food and it’s easy to find. All you have to do is go out at night to a quiet road on the night that people leave their rubbish out to be collected by the council and you’ll probably see an urban fox looking for dinner.
Parkour
George Hébert is the grandfather of the modern sport that we now call Parkour. Parkour is the method of moving through an urban environment using sequences of jumps, vaults, swings and rolls. Those that practise Parkour try to move through the environment as quickly as possible while at the same time as efficiently as possible.
George Heberts was a French Naval officer and in 1915 he promoted athletic skill within the French military forces stating that athletic skill was very important. In his own physical education classes he set up what was called “The natural method” which involved walking, running, jumping, climbing, balancing, throwing, lifting, self-defence and swimming.
He said that these activities developed the three main forces which are he said; energetic, moral and physical fitness. Using these three forces a Swiss architect developed a military obstacle course to test and refine the skills.
Parkour is based on the same idea but instead of a military course Parkour runners use the urban environment. The sport has gained popularity in English cities due to a number of high profile television adverts.
Japan
AMAZING CULTURE AND EVEN MORE AMAZING FOOD!
The United Nations is putting traditional Japanese food on its list of important food. It is called “Washoku”. It is getting cultural heritage status. Also on the list are French, Mediterranean, Mexican and Turkish cuisine. There are many different kinds of Washoku; sushi, ramen noodles, tempura and sukiyahi. It is very healthy and has a good balance of minerals, vitamins, protein and carbohydrates. It is said this is why Japanese live so long and stay slim.
Food is very important in ceremonies and harvest festivals in Japan. It is special because it is very artistic, uses unique ingredients and celebrates all four seasons. The menu for New Year´s, harvest festivals and rice-planting are all very different. The government in Japan says food helps them keep a strong sense of culture. It is said ‘Washoku’ is closely “associated with an essential spirit of respect for nature.” It is very significant as well to get this status because Tokyo Japan is hosting the 2020 Olympics!
The city that never sleeps
NEW YORK, NEW YORK!
New York City is one of the most populous cities in the United States. The city has a significant impact on the world in areas such as commerce, finance, art, media, fashion, and entertainment. With all that there is to do, New York is a great place to visit.
I have lived in New York for 16 years and I can say that you can never run out of things to do there. New York City is actually divided into five boroughs which are Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens Manhattan, and Staten Island. Manhattan is usually the best known of the boroughs and the one that is the most commonly visited by tourists. On the island of Manhattan, there are many sites such as the Empire State building. As the current largest building in the city, the Empire State building rises to an incredible 1,250 feet into the sky. One can go to top of this amazing skyscraper’s observatory and see an extraordinary view of the city.
In New York City, you can also see the Statue of Liberty which stands as a symbol of freedom. You can also visit Central Park, a large park in the center of the city.
New York is also famous for its cultural diversity as there are many different types of food to try and many types of entertainment to enjoy.
Business Ethics
Is there a specific set of rules that businesses follow? Generally before, the responsibility of a company was simply to make as much money as possible and as long as there actions remained legal, there were no limits to what a company did. Business has however changed a lot in recent years and this has also changed general morality in business. Now businesses generally follow a set of business ethics and have a responsibility to their employees and their customers.
The idea of Business ethics primarily increased during the 1980’s and 1990’s and became most common in the United States. One major aspect of business ethics is a good and healthy working environment. Companies must make sure that the area where their employees work in is safe and not harmful in any way. If a working environment is seen as unhealthy or unsafe in any way, it is generally necessary for a company to fix the situation. There are also ethics in terms of wages and treatment of employees in which employees need to be given decent wages that are above minimum wage. Companies also must make sure that workers are protected from discrimination in many cases.
There are also business ethics in terms of company and customer relations. Generally it is important for the business to give care to their customers and to not take advantage of them in any way. The use of monopolies has been made illegal in some places in order to keep prices reasonable for consumers. There are also ethics against companies completely taking over other companies and driving out smaller ones.
There are many things to watch for abuses in business ethics such as labor unions and human resources. These things help companies to follow ethical policies. With the recent interest in business ethics, companies are able to cooperate with their employees and their customers to make the business world better.
