The Future of Work
English Department, Huzhou Teachers College
Objectives
1) To enable students to talk about changes
in working practices.
2) To read an extract about work in the future
and discuss the issues involved.
3) To use one of the diagrams to find out
about each other’s working environment.
Tasks and Schemes
1. Reading one. 50’
2. Assignment.
 Reading one on page 43.
I. Warming-up questions:
1) Where do you see yourself five years from
now?
2) Can you vision or predict what the future
of work is?
• Please look at the picture and show us
what the scene evoke for you?
• evoke (To call to mind by naming, citing,
or suggesting:使人想起，使人产生：通
过名字、引用或暗示使想起)
II. Difficult points:
1) Vision:
Dream, but to some extent vision implies what
you imagine or hope a future situation or
society would be like. At present vision is more
prospective and fashionable than dream when
we talk about future and make predictions.
2) This is as good as it gets.(1/1)
Extremely good, as good as they come.
As bright as crystal; transparent; limpid. It
always used to modify water or diamond, also
message or statement, implicating
understandable, such as: a crystal clear
diamond晶莹的钻石; a crystal clear
presentation条理清楚的陈述
3) The golden beach, the crystal clear
water and the gentle refreshing
breeze.(1/1)
Producing a feeling of comfort
and new strength.
4) You knew working from Sri Lanka for a few
months would be a good idea, but this is
paradise.(1/2)
你早知道在斯里兰卡工作几个月会是很不
错的主意，可真正身临其境，才觉得这里
确实是人间天堂。
5) Suddenly your pleasant thoughts are
interrupted by our pager – the meeting, of
course!(1/4)
An electronic device that can mention its owner to
pay attention to the relevant information. 传呼机
A flat area next to a house, used as an outdoor
living area. 阳台\露台
6) You walk through the terrace doors and
shout at your personal work organiser to
down load any mail and access all the
meeting preparation files.(1/7)
acquire
A common minute book or note book, but at present it
refers to a small computer that functions like a kind of
diary which you can add pages to or remove pages from
to keep the information to date.
电子商务通, 或电子工作记事器
Shine with an unsteady light
and then pictures appear.
闪出图象
To make a
continuous sound
or buzz.
7) On the wall a large flat monitor hums and
flickers into life as you head into the
shower.(1/9)
A washing of the bodyby standing under an opening.淋
浴an apparatus for washing body, such as an opening.
淋浴喷头a cubicle that contains a shower带淋浴喷头
的浴室
To find or describe the exact
nature or cause of
8) You try to pinpoint exactly about what it
is about him that you dislike, but you
can’t.(1/12)
你试图确定营销项目小组长究竟哪点
让你讨厌，却又说不上来。
That can exist or work in
agreement together or with
another.符合
9) …and selecting those most compatible with
your CV, which, of course, it updates
automatically before submitting.(1/18)
To offer something for
consideration. 提交
A meeting of giving last instruction or
necessary information.情况通报会
10)You forget the briefing for a moment
and gaze out across the terrace at the
waves gently lapping against the
shore.(1/20)
一时间,你暂时忘记了情况通报会,目光越过露
台,眺望着波涛轻轻拍打着海岸。
• III. Answer questions after reading
1. What year do you think the author’s
writing about?
In the near future, maybe in two or three
years. Part of it is already the reality.
2. What would be the advantages or
disadvantages of this lifestyle?
 Advantages:
1) Have virtual project teams that discuss
tasks on line.
建立虚拟项目小组，通过网络
进行工作沟通.
2) Work can be done anywhere and anytime.
3) Possible to give distant job brief.
远程下达工作指标
4) Have more leisure time.
5) Can ensure high efficiency, raise
productivity, etc.
 Disadvantages:
1) Difficult to specify individual task.
很难针对每一个人做到布置工作具体化.
2) Affected by Internet technologies.
3) Indifferent (machine-like) attitude caused
by lack of face-to-face contacts.
缺乏人与人之间的感情交流(机器化)
可能会发送太多不相关信息.
4) Possibility of circulating too much
irrelevant information, etc.
5) Hard to differentiate between work-time
and private time.
6) Potential system failures caused by virus
/ hacking.
容易受电脑黑客或病毒攻击而导致系统瘫痪.
3. Do
you think this way of working will
become reality?
……
4. Would you like to have this lifestyle?
 It depends.
Assignment
Continue to preview the left parts
of this unit
Thank U 4 your attendance!