Academic English for International Exams

Course Book

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Read the prompt and think of ideas to list under the headings below.

Should the government enforce a limited number of hours per week that each citizen can work? Give specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

Find arguments for these opposite opinions:

For government law Against government law

Read the sample response. Think about the role of the sentences in each part of the essay. Look at the transitions that link the ideas – they will help to restore the right logical order. Then put the sentences in the right order.

regulate – to impose controls upon a behavior

boundary – the limit of a subject

infringe – to break a rule or agreement

favor – in an attitude of approval

Introduction:

A. I strongly believe that it is not right for the government to regulate the number of hours a person can work.
B. In support of this view, I think it is important to recognize the rights of workers and businesses.
C. Additionally, I do not believe that we should give the government so much control over something that will not succeed.
D. It is important to recognize the boundaries of where the government should and should not be involved.

Упорядочите текст, выбрав нужную последовательность селекторов.

Body paragraph 1:

A. Moreover, people should not be limited in the number of hours they work because of a law.
B. First of all, allowing the government to control how much time an employee could work would infringe on the rights of both business owners and workers.
C. Given the nature of the employee/employer relationship, I don't believe there is need for government regulation.
D. If workers are not satisfied with the hours they are asked to work, they can always look for another job.
E. In my opinion, only business owners understand how much labor they need from their workers.

Body paragraph 2:

A. Unemployment rates in these countries are high, which seems to indicate that government intervention in this business practice is not working.
B. They did this in an attempt to help the workers, but this arrangement is achieving the opposite effect.
C. In addition, government regulation in this area is not beneficial to society.
D. For example, some European governments have already passed restrictions on how many hours each citizen can work.
E. Therefore, it seems reasonable to limit the government's power in this area.

Conclusion:

A. As a result, I am not in favor of the government passing such a law.
B. The law gives the government too much control.
C. In conclusion, I see very few reasons for a law controlling hours worked.

Look back at the ideas you wrote for the prompt. Write your own response using the ideas opposite to the ones in the sample and following the structure of the sample.