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University, took as samples 200 male prisoners from Yaxchilan Men's
Correctional
Institute and 150 female prisoners from Monambak Women's Prison. The
prisoners were
each made to work through a series of activities designed to assess
performance in
three separate literacy areas. The three areas included what the
study tem1ede
'X-literacy', which is the ability to correctly fill out forms or
follow written
directions; 'Y-literacy', the comprehension of reading passages; and
'Z-literacy',
which calls for correct interpretation of text that is primarily
number-based. This
latter skill often includes some calculation. All activities were
identical to those
used in a national adult literacy survey carried out in 1990.
¡¡¡¡It was found that the prison population did,
in fact, have a lower rate of
X-literacy than the general population, but that the overall
difference was slight.
In an activity which had the prisoners complete mock job
applications, for example,
just 62% of female and 60% of male prisoners could correctly fill
out the
applications compared with 66%in the national adult sample (see
figure l). Similar
differences were found between general and prison population
completing insurance
applications, although it should be mentioned that individual
differences in this
task were great.
¡¡¡¡There were activities in which prisoners did
more noticeably worse. however.
In one activity, the proportion of male prisoners who could
correctly identify the
main and secondary points of newspaper articles was 54%, compared
with 64% of the
general public. Interestingly, female prisoners, with 61%, were much
closer to the
national average for this activity. Prisoners, again more noticeably
males, also
did significantly worse in keeping a running total of a bank
account, a quantitative
task of relative complexity.
¡¡¡¡But, Importantly, both male and female
prisoners outperformed the national adult
sample in other activities; in one, far fewer general adults than
prisoners could
correctly interpret tram timetables, while in identifying directions
on medical
prescriptions, both male and female prisoners were marginally better
than their
counterparts on the other side of the prison fence.
Questions 14-18
Below is a list of the materials used in assessing the three
literacy areas in the NPD study. Complete the list. Choose ONE or
TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer. Write your answers in
boxes 14-18 on your answer sheet.
MATERIALS USED IN:
X-literacy activities
¡¤(14)...
¡¤(15)...
Example ¡¤medical prescriptions
Y-literacy activities
¡¤(16)...
Z-literacy activities
¡¤(17)...
¡¤(18)...
Answer:
14. job applications
15. insurance applications
16. newspaper articles
17. train timetables
18. bank accounts
Passage3..
Job satisfaction and personnel mobility
¡¡¡¡Europe, and indeed al the major industrialized
nations, is currently going through a
recession. This obviously has serious implications for companies and
personnel who find
themselves victims of the downturn. As Britain apparently eases out
of recession, there are
also potentially equally serious implications for the companies who
survive, associated with
the employment and recruitment market in general.
¡¡¡¡During a recession, voluntary staff turnover is bound to fall
sharply. Staff who have
been with a company for some years will clearly not want to risk
losing their accumulated
redundancy rights. Furthermore, they will be unwilling to go to a
new organization where
they may well be joining on a 'last in, first out' basis.
Consequently, even if there is little or
no job satisfaction in their current post, they are most likely to
remain where they are, quietly
sitting it out and waiting for things to improve. In Britain, this
situation has been aggravated
by the length and nature of the recession-as may also prove to be
the case in the rest of
Europe and beyond.
¡¡¡¡In the past, companies used to take on staff
at the lower levels and reward loyal
employees with internal promotions. This opportunity for a lifetime
career with one company
is no longer available, owing to 'downsizing' of companies,
structural reorganizations and
redundancy programmes, all of which have affected middle management
as much as the
lower levels. This reduction in the layers of management has led to
flatter hierarchies, which,
in turn, has reduced promotion prospects within most companies.
Whereas ambitious
personnel had become used to regular promotion, they new find their
progress is blocked.
¡¡¡¡This situation is compounded by yet another
factor. When staff at any level are taken on,
it is usually from outside and promotion is increasingly through
career moves between
companies. Recession has created a new breed of bright young
graduates, much more
self-interested and cynical than in the past. They tend to be more
wary, skeptical of what is
on offer and consequently much tougher negotiators. Those who joined
companies directly
from education feel the effects most strongly and now feel uncertain
and insecure in mid-life.
¡¡¡¡In many cases, this has resulted in staff
dissatisfaction. More over, management itself has
contributed to this general ill-feeling and frustration. The caring
image of the recent past has
gone and the fear of redundancy is often used as the prime
motivator.
¡¡¡¡As a result of all these factors, when the
recession eases and people find more confidence,
there will be an explosion of employees seeking new opportunities to
escape their current
jobs. This will be led by younger, less-experienced employees and
the hard-headed young
graduates. 'Head-hunters' confirm that older staff are still
cautious, having seen so many good
companies 'go to the wall', and are reluctant to jeopardize their
redundancy entitlements. Past
experience, however, suggests that, once triggered, the expansion in
recruitment will be very
rapid.
¡¡¡¡The problem which faces many organizations is
one of strategic planning; of not knowing
who will leave and who will stay. Often it is the best personnel who
move on whilst the worst
cling to the little security they have. This is clearly a problem
for companies, who need a
stable core on which to build strategies for future growth.
¡¡¡¡Whilst this expansion in the recruitment
market is likely to happen soon in Britain, most
employers are simply not prepared. With the loss of middle
management, in a static
marketplace, personnel management and recruitment are often
conducted by junior personnel.
They have only known recession and lack the experience to plan ahead
and to implement
strategies for growth. This is true of many other functions, leaving
companies without the
skills, ability or vision to structure themselves for long-term
growth. without this ability to
recruit competitively for strategic planning, and given the speed at
which these changes are
likely to occur, a real crisis seems imminent.
Questions 1-2
According to the information in the reading passage, select the most
appropriate of the given options (A-D). write the appropriate letter
for each question in boxes 1-2 on your answer sheet.
1. The current economic downturn...
A has serious consequences for personnel and companies which survive
B has serious consequences for companies which survive
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