Reading Comprehension #9 - Intermediate

Complete the article with the sentences below. There is one extra sentence.

The best job in the world? Choosing a career is surely one of the most important decisions we’ll ever have to make. (0) ___a___ With one click on a website we can apply for jobs on the other side of the world in the hope of making our dreams come true. (1) _______ . The job was for six months and involved living on Hamilton Island on the Great Barrier Reef and looking after the environment there. Not only was there a very good salary but the perks included a beachside mansion boasting magnificent ocean views as well as a private swimming pool. Not surprisingly there were thousands of applicants from all over the world. After a few months, the candidates were down to the final 16 and these lucky few were flown over to the Island for the final selection process. (2) _______ . Ben, a bungee-jumping, scuba-diving charity fundraiser could hardly believe his luck when he heard that he had beaten over 34,000 other candidates to win this dream job. (3) _______ . Paradise was, however, not quite the dream he had anticipated. Instead of relaxing in the sun, Ben had very little time for any relaxation as he found himself working seven days a week and up to 19 hours a day. He had a demanding schedule involving promotional events, press conferences and administration and by the end of his contract, he had visited 90 exotic locations, made 47 video diaries and given more than 250 media interviews including a chat with Oprah Winfrey. (4) _______ . As part of his job he posted more than 75,000 words in 60 separate blogs, uploaded more than 2,000 photos and tweeted more than 730 times. Although some might argue that the blogs didn’t reveal much personal information, his bosses at Tourism Queensland were so pleased with his work that they offered him a new 18-month contract to promote their state worldwide. (5) _______ . In the end this competition, part reality TV show, generated more than $110 million dollars in free publicity.

 

Match the sentences so they best fit to the correct gaps.

a Today, thanks to the Internet, the world is a much smaller place.

b Six months on a tropical island with little more to do than lazing in the sun, snorkelling and writing a weekly blog about life in paradise

c Perhaps this really was the best job in the world after all.

d And this is just what happened to 34-year-old Ben Southall who replied to an advertisement put on the web by Tourism Queensland in Australia.

e He soon realised that this job wasn’t going to be as easy as he had originally thought.

f And as if that wasn’t enough, he also had to meet local politicians, tourists and travel industry representatives.

g They had to prepare an online video, demonstrate their swimming and snorkelling skills and show how they would sell Queensland to the world.

 

 

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