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--- lesson 4 The double life of Alfred Bloggs |
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--- Listen to the tape then answer the question below. |
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--- Why did Alf want a white-collar job? |
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These days, people who do manual work often receive far more money than people who work in offices. |
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People who work in offices are frequently referred to as 'white-collar workers' for the simple reason that they usually wear a collar and tie to go to work. |
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Such is human nature, that a great many people are often willing to sacrifice higher pay for the privilege of becoming white-collar workers. |
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This can give rise to curious situations, as it did in the case of Alfred Bloggs who worked as a dustman for the Ellesmere Corporation. |
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When he got married, Alf was too embarrassed to say anything to his wife about his job. |
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He simply told her that he worked for the Corporation. |
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Every morning, he left home dressed in a smart black suit. |
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He then changed into overalls and spent the next eight hours as a dustman. |
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Before returning home at night, He took a shower and changed back into his suit. |
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Alf did this for over two years and his fellow dustmen kept his secret . |
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Alf's wife has never discovered that she married a dustman and she never will, |
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for Alf has just found another job. |
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He will soon be working in an office. |
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He will be earning only half as much as he used to, but he feels that his rise in status is well worth the loss of money. |
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From now on, he will wear a suit all day and others will call him 'Mr. Bloggs', not 'Alf'. |