BEST IELTS General Reading Test 549

Table of Contents

IELTS GENERAL READING TEST 549 – PASSAGE – 2

IELTS GENERAL READING TEST – 549

READING PASSAGE – 2

Welcome to Websters!

This handbook provides information for new staff. Read it carefully before your first day at work and keep it safe for future reference.

A. Websters is one of the top educational publishers and booksellers in the world. We pride ourselves on the quality of our products, both in terms of the content of our books and magazines, and the quality of the materials we use. We know that the key to maintaining our reputation is our staff, and we spend time and money on their training, career advancement and well-being.

B. The company is compliant with all government regulations which are designed to protect workers. Our workplaces are light and airy and every employee is given a personalized workspace to ensure they can work comfortably. This includes a customized chair, a desk set to the right height, and wrist supports. All staff are entitled to a free eye test every year.

IELTS General Reading Test

C. At Websters, we have a no-overtime policy to ensure all workers have a reasonable work-life balance. Employees are permitted to work from home where this does not affect the work of their team. All staff can access our mental health support service by calling our hotline, where they can receive free counselling and advice. We offer free lunchtime yoga and mindfulness sessions twice a week to everyone who works for us.

D. Every employee is offered free parking at the local multi-story car park, worth £8 per day. The staff cafeteria is subsidized by the company and offers a range of hot and cold meals at affordable prices. Tea, coffee, milk, sugar and biscuits are available free of charge in the staff kitchens on every level. The company offers low-interest loans to staff after one year of employment and discounted gym membership.

IELTS General Reading Test

E. The company arranges targeted professional development for all categories of staff. We hold an annual conference, where staff get to learn from the best publishers in the business. We have a generous budget available for staff to attend seminars of their choice around the country or even overseas. Courses in IT, presentation skills and report writing are available on a monthly basis.

F. At Webster’s your annual performance appraisal is your opportunity to request training and development opportunities which will help you gain that next promotion. We aim to retain our staff for many years and our staff performance management processes support you in moving upwards within our company. Your line manager will guide you towards the best route for you and assist you in achieving your goals.

IELTS General Reading Test

Questions 15-20

The text has 6 paragraphs, A-F

Choose the correct heading for each paragraph from the list of headings below.

Write the correct number, i-ix.

List of Headings

i. Career progression

ii. Staff wellbeing

iii. Lunchtime options

iv. Health and safety in the workplace

v. Why work in publishing?

vi. An introduction to the company

vii. Training events

viii. Sports facilities

ix. Benefits and perks

IELTS General Reading Test

15. Paragraph A

16. Paragraph B

17. Paragraph C

18. Paragraph D

19. Paragraph E

20. Paragraph F

IELTS General Reading Test

Read the text below and answer questions 21-27.

Health and safety in the workplace: manual handling

As an employee, you are entitled to protection from hazardous manual handling in the workplace. It is your employer’s responsibility to make manual handling as safe as possible for all workers. Manual handling means transporting or supporting a load by hand or bodily force. It includes lifting, putting down, pushing, pulling, carrying, or moving loads.

It is the employer’s duty to assess the risk of injury from any hazardous manual handling operations that cannot be avoided. The first option should be to avoid this kind of handling. This can be done by redesigning the task to avoid moving the load or automating or mechanising the process.

IELTS General Reading Test

If your employer has not designed the work process to avoid hazardous manual handling, you may offer suggestions for the use of mechanical aids, for example, a conveyor, a chute, a pallet truck, an electric or hand- powered hoist, or a lift truck to reduce the risk of harm. If your employer fails to take reasonable measures to prevent the need for risky handling, you should talk to your union representative.

Although your employer is ultimately liable for your safety at work, you should also take appropriate measures to ensure your own safety when manual lifting cannot be avoided. You should consider:

The posture adopted

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Bend your knees and lower yourself slowly, keeping your back straight. Bending from the waist can cause damage to the back.

IELTS General Reading Test

The weight of the load

Where possible, find out the exact weight before beginning the task. If the Information is not available, kneel down and attempt to lift a corner of the load to get an idea of how heavy it is.

The environment

Cramped work areas, poor floor surfaces, poor lighting and extremes of temperature can all affect your ability to safely carry loads.

Your own ability

Consider your strength, fitness and any underlying medical conditions (especially a history of back problems). If you find yourself breathing heavily or sweating while lifting, you should speak to your company’s health and safety officer.

IELTS General Reading Test

The number of people required

Employers may try to save money by getting one person to do a job requiring two or more. This is a breach of government regulations on employee wellbeing and must be reported to your union.

Remember that all employees – whether their job requires them to undertake manual handling or not – must complete the online training programme every year.

IELTS General Reading Test

Questions 21-27

Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.

21. The main obligation to ensure safe manual handling lies with the ……………….

22. Workers have the right to recommend ………………. which will prevent the need for manual handling.

23. Your ………………. should be consulted if you are being asked to do avoidable manual handling.

24. It is important to bend your knees when lifting as an incorrect ………………. canlead to injury.

25. Various aspects of the work ………………. can make lifting more difficult.

26. You should assess your own physical condition before undertaking manual handling. This is particularly important if you have had ………………. in the past

27. It is a requirement for workers to do the ………………. annually.

IELTS General Reading Test

SEE MORE POSTS>>