General Training Reading 2024-11 Test 3

A. Purple Rainbow: The Truth: Having actors playing popular rock band Purple Rainbow seemed like a bad idea, but in fact they're impressive musicians themselves. Their fans in the film were actual fans of the group and transferred their enthusiasm to the actors very convincingly. I assumed there would be plenty of music, linked by weak dialogue, but I was wrong. And the support that band members gave to lead singer Jerry Cosgrove when tragedy entered his life had me close to tears, giving me a new appreciation of the band. B. Home Fires: I expected a standard, rather dull, story about domestic life, like the director's last two films. Instead, Home Fires had me on the edge of my seat with excitement. It's certainly worth a second viewing. Having said that, although it is apparently a film intended for all ages, many children would find the long discussions of relationship issues boring, and they contributed little or nothing to the film. C. The Jeffersons: One of the most popular films of the past half century is Mary and Tom, and a remake of it seems unnecessary. Nevertheless, The Jeffersons has some delightful elements, particularly the acting of Yvonne Richards. She really brought the character she played to life, but sadly, neither she nor the other actors could make the script sound natural. D. Space Challenge 5: This film makes an important ethical point about treating other people with respect, but that is likely to be missed by many teenagers, the target audience, as it assumes familiarity with the world as it was 20 years ago. With change happening so fast these days, many of the references will leave them confused. E. Uplands: Uplands could have been a delightful film: it has a charming story, witty dialogue, and is visually breathtaking. But the two lead actors are at their best in thrillers, not films like this one. James Petherick, who plays the hero, fails to gain the sympathy of the audience, who should be moved by the ups and downs in his life.

1. Put your phone away at the dinner table: This phone etiquette rule may seem obvious because hello, it's rude, but being courteous in public to both your dining partner and other diners is important, says Amy Rice, Gadget Expert for Gazelle. Parenting, etiquette, and financial expert Brett Graff adds, "If it rings, and you must answer it, explain to your dining companions that your child is home by him or herself or that you're waiting for a huge business deal to close. Otherwise, ignore it," she says. 2. End phone conversations when paying for purchases: Just because you may not know the cashier doesn't mean you can keep chatting away while they're helping you. Unless it's an emergency, it's just rude to stay on the phone right in their face. These are the most annoying coffee shop habits, according to Starbucks baristas. 3. Never shout when talking on the phone: Can you hear me now? If they can't, maybe you should call them back later. When in public, it's a good phone etiquette practice to try not to raise your voice while on the phone. No one else needs to be privy to your conversations—or your arguments. 4. Never text or talk and drive: This is an obvious one. Many states have laws in place regarding texting and talking on the phone while driving. Hint: It's a big no-no. These are the warning signs that you could be a cell phone addict. 5. Avoid texting in work meetings: You don't want your boss looking up and seeing you texting away and completely ignoring what's going on. Plus, if you're the boss, it's setting a bad example for your workers. 6. Turn off the phone in places such as a church, temple, or theatre: There are no exceptions to this rule. There are just certain places where cell phones should be and often are off-limits. And remember, checking your phone and having it light up in a dark theatre—even if you don't tai text, or Tweet—is just as rude. 7. Avoid talking on the phone in a waiting room, but if you must, leave the area first: Waiting rooms can be crowded and noisy—not exactly conducive to a phone call. If you must talk on the phone, Rice suggests leaving the area so as not to disturb your fellow waiting room occupants. 8. Avoid using a phone on public transportation: On public transportation, people are often stressed, rushing, or exhausted. All they want to do is get where they're going, not listen to your conversation about your cousin's new boyfriend's sister. "Be courteous when you are in public, enjoy the moment and your friends, but above all be smart about your smartphone manners," says Rice. 9. Lower your voice when using your phone in public: This phone etiquette guideline is a continuation of never shouting in public. Not only should you not shout, but you should automatically lower your voice. If you don't want to hear other people's phone conversations, they definitely don't want to hear yours either. 10. Don't take a call in the middle of a face-to-face conversation: "Cell phones can destroy all your interpersonal dealings," says Graff. "You should not even give the screen a glance while you're speaking to someone at a party or a dinner." Sometimes it's best to think of how would you feel if that happened to you? If it would bother you, then you probably shouldn't do it to someone else.

The following are among the services provided by the College. STUDENT COMMON ROOM & GAMES ROOM You can relax in the Student Common Room - there's music & TV and help available from our student services team, including the Youth Worker and Student Union Executives. On the other hand, you might want to let off steam in the Games Room with pool and table tennis. WHERE TO EAT The Refectory: - everything from confectionery, a quick snack, hot and cold drinks to a full meal - all at the keenest prices. Open every day from 8.30 am. The Bistro: - the very best of European snacks and light meals. 2nd floor of the main building. Open every day 10.00 am-3.00 pm. The Restaurant: - for a really sophisticated dining experience, try either lunch (noon-2.00 pm) or dinner (7.00-10.00 pm) in our licensed restaurant. We recommend that you book in advance on 020 8982 5068 The Oaktree Café: - snacks and drinks are available between 10.00 am and 3.00 pm with a full meal service at lunchtime. SECURITY: We are an open access college and we take your safety and security very seriously. In order to maintain a safe environment for everyone, we provide Student Identity Cards, which must be worn and be visible at all times. Our commitment to maintaining a safe and secure environment for our students, staff and visitors is supported by a security team and closely monitored Closed Circuit Television (CCTV). EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES: The College attracts students from a wide range of backgrounds and cultures. We work on the assumption that anyone entering the College shares our view that all people have a right to an education to meet their particular needs, in an atmosphere in which individuals are respected. We make every effort, therefore, to ensure that no one is treated unfavorably on grounds of race, gender, age or disability. We have an Equal Opportunities policy, monitor our enrolments and have firm rules dealing with racial and sexual harassment.

Dress standards at our restaurants are extremely important whichever area you work in. The following information will help ensure that you have a professional appearance every day as you carry out your foodservice duties. Palvin's Restaurant chain provides new kitchen staff with their uniforms and you are advised to come to work with a note of your chest, waist and hip measurements to assist in this process. On your first day, you'll be issued with two pairs of trousers, two aprons, two jackets and two hats. Once you're happy that you have the correct size, please take the garments home and add a name tag to each one. Put these inside the garments so that they cannot be seen. Kitchen work can be messy, and it is up to you to make sure that your uniform is kept clean but you will receive a laundry allowance to help you do this. Towels are available at work, but it's a good idea to bring your own too in case you need it. You can keep this and any other personal items safe in the lockers that are available for use while you're on duty. It's advisable to bring your own small padlock for these. Uniforms should not be worn outside work. You should wear your normal clothes to and from work but make sure they're respectable. For example, hoodies and other similar tops are not acceptable in the kitchens; if it's cold, wear a jacket. When you arrive at work, you can use the changing facilities located next to the lockers to put on your uniform. You can wear your own shoes in the kitchens as long as they're sturdy and enclosed. We strongly recommend rubber soles so that they do not slip on the floor. If you incur any injuries that require crutches while you're working for the company, you cannot then take on any tasks that involve standing up. However, if such a situation should occur, we will make every effort to place you in an appropriate area where you can sit down to work and take time off. Employees who have smaller injuries, such as hand cuts, need to check with their manager whether they can come to work: you may have to take time off to avoid infection.

A. The story of how games designer Paul Wickens achieved success with his best selling game Ntropy is an object lesson to those who want to strike out on their own. Firstly, there's no need to rush. "I had the idea for what ended up as Ntropy which, by the way, is a play on the word entropy, meaning chaos or disorganization about 20 years ago," says Mr Wickens. "I was building structures with matchsticks while waiting for some friends in a bar. Later I made a scaled-up version of a box of matches, which we used to play with at college for hours on end." B. After leaving college, Mr Wickens, though interested in starting his own company and having designed another couple of games by then, took the safety-first route. "I got a job in IT as a programmer," he recalls. Later I moved into sales support in specific applications, mostly centered round e-commerce. For the most part I forgot about my games. So what reawakened his interest? "It was about two years ago," says Mr Wickens, "and there was a downturn in the IT industry. Several of my friends and even colleagues lost their jobs and a couple of them started their own companies. And yes, I suppose I did re-evaluate in the way you do when you think: 'What would I do if I were made redundant?' I knew nothing about the UK toy market but I had a lot more general business experience than I did when I left college." C. The next step was to make a full replica of the game, mostly in his workshop and a converted garage at home. Then I had to test it. My father helped here because he works at an outdoor center. He gave it to people who had no idea who I was. I figured I had to get third parties to assess it and listen to what they had to say. The result was a return to the workshop for a fairly drastic redesign and some rule changes. D. Nevertheless, the designer was convinced by now that Ntropy had commercial potential. The next question was: "Am I prepared to spend what it takes for the next stage of development?" On the money side, Mr Wickens says it represented his savings over 20 years and remortgaging his house. He set up a company, Tadpole Games; friends helped with the design and logo for the firm and the game box and he registered with the UK Patent Office at a cost of £4,000. E. The next stage was to design the plastic base on which the stick structure could be built. Mr Wickens says: "A friend came up with the design and a firm I found used this very futuristic process called Selective Laser Sintering to produce the first mold. I kept the different parts of the project separate to protect it." F. Each Ntropy game consists of 64 identical sticks. "I could only have done this with the help of the Internet," he says. "I spent weekend after weekend looking for a sustainable source of timber. In the end I found a firm in southern Thailand which used wood from rubber trees and could do it for about 20p a stick. It was also through the Net that I learned about letters of credit and shipping cargo on boats." G. After an anxious six-week wait, the container arrived. "I think it was a shock to my neighbors," says Mr Wickens. There were 700 boxes with 300,000 sticks. I checked some samples and they were the right size. I was overjoyed. Too soon. "Over the next few days I went through the other boxes and found around half of them weren't the exact size I needed. It's the first really big lesson I've learned. Never do a deal like this without going and checking it out first." H. Mr Wickens formally launched Ntropy to the trade at the London Toy Fair. Then a stroke of luck, essential to all budding entrepreneurs, came his way. As he tells it: "I gave the game to a friend who was meeting some mates in the pub. They played and really enjoyed it. My friend rang the next day to tell me and added: 'Oh, by the way, they work at Hamleys.'" Hamleys is London's top toy shop. "Then their boss rang me to say, despite one or two concerns, 'We like it, so let's give it a go'." The rest, as they say, is history. Ntropy took off and the first batch of 2,500 moved fast. I. And the future? "I've just taken on someone to develop the commercial side of Tadpole," says Mr Wickens. "If that works out, he will take a stake in the business. I want Ntropy to be a global product but I don't necessarily see myself as an out-and-out businessman. I already have another couple of games I'd like to develop."

Paul Wickens's development of Ntropy • built matchstick structures and created a big model of a 28 _________ • left college and worked in IT • sent 29 _________ of Ntropy to games companies • built 30 _________ of Ntropy • tested the game • redesigned the game and introduced 31 _________ • founded a firm named 32 _________ • had the base for the game designed by a friend • had the base made by a firm using something called 33 _________ • had the sticks made using material that comes from 34 _________