Playing Brandon on such a popular show has led to the near-total (полный) loss of private life. As Jason said on a recent TV talk show, "I can't go to a shopping mall (универсам) on a Saturday - it's potentially dangerous (опасно)!" Naturally, he's recognized (узнаваем) wherever he goes, and while he's grateful (признателен) for fan support, there is a part of him that is desperately (отчаянно) trying to keep his personal life private.
Jason manages (удаваться) to keep as normal as possible a life. He unwinds with sports, lots of them. He plays golf, tennis, and rugby, loves to snow-ski or go for a spin (прокатиться) on his Yamaha motorcycle. Every Sunday he plays center on a two-division hockey team, alongside (наряду с) Michael J.Fox, and regularly competes (состязаться) against National Hockey League old-timers (бывшие игроки).
His newest off-camera hobby, however, is his favorite. It's called bungee jumpee, which means he leaps off (прыгать с) a bridge while still attached (прикреплен) to it by a bungee cord (веревка, бечевка). Jason loves the whole dare-devil (залихватский) aspect of it - while admitting (признаваясь) to a national magazine: "Every time I jump, I'm thinking, 'Oh, God, I've just willingly committed suicide (совершить самоубийство)!'"
Of course Jason does indulge in (предаваться) several less heart-stopping pursuits (занятия, дела). He's perfected the art of relaxing and in his new condo (квартира) (he won't say where) he loves to just "hang out" (поболтаться) with his friends on the weekends and maybe pop a video from his extensive (богатый) collection into the VCR (видео). Among his favorites: Blue Velvet and A Clockwork Orange. In fact, when he's not playing Brandon, Jason doesn't even look very Brandonish: Most likely he's dressed in tattered (поношенный) jeans and T-shirt, wearing round '60s-style rimless(без ободков) glasses (not contacts, as he does on the show), a day or more's worth of stubble ("щетина") on his chin (подбородок), and - alas (увы) - a cigarette in his hand.
A GOOD GUY - AND A GOOD FRIEND. Jason has claimed(утверждать) that in his real life he's not as perfect as Brandon - but it's a claim nearly all his cast (актеры данной картины) and crewmates (съемочная группа) dispute. "To know Jason Priestleyis to like him and respect him a lot," they agree. He doesn't flaunt (рисоваться, щеголять) being the "star" of the show, though there's no question that he (and Shannen Doherty) are the show-biz pros (разг. "главные специалисты") in the bunch (группа). There isn't a cast member who's not remarked at Jason's acting ability (способность) and grace (изящество) under pressure. "For the rest of us, this show is a learning experience and we sometimes struggle (сражаться) with it. For Jason (and Shannen) it's a walk in the park. They know exactly (точно) what to do and when to do it at any given moment," the others agree. Of course, sometimes that means breaking the tensions (напряжение) on the set (группа, круг лиц). Jason knows just how to do that!
Jason has gotten particularly tight (особенно близок) with Luke Perry (Dylan) and Ian Ziering (Steve). The hunky (первоклассный, отличный) trio get often together, dreaming up new script (сценарий) ideas and scheming about pooling (объединять деньги) their money and opening a restaurant one day. Friendships and loyalty (преданность) are important to Jason: he goesout of his way to maintain (поддерживать) his ties.
Dealing with fame (слава) still feels a little strange to the Jason. His instinctive reaction to most questions from the press is to deflect(отражать) them with humor. When questioned about the deluge (перен.: поток) of fan mail he gets, Jason admitted (допускать) that he reads only a few of the letters that come his way. "I like to see what people are saying, like maybe they're telling me I should get my teeth cleaned or something!"
Joking aside, Jason does have plans for the future. He's dabbled (любительски заниматься) in writing and directing (although the typically modest (скромный) Mr. Priestley says, "I don't think I'm a very good writer") and sees his career going in that direction - eventually (вконечном итоге). "I have to master one craft (овладеть профессией) before going on to another," he once explained. Randy Reisfeld. The Stars of Beverly Hills, 90210: Their Lives and Loves.
(An Unauthorised Biography). New York, 1991.
Comprehension Check.
Ex. Answer the following questions:
1. What is meant by the phrase "near-total loss of private life"?
2. What sports does Jason do?
3. What is his favourite hobby?
4. What are his thoughts like when he is leaping off a bridge?
5. Does he say anyone where his apartment is?
6. What are his favourite video-films?
7. Does Jason look like Brandon (whose role his acts)?
8. Is acting easy for him?
9. What does he wear?
10. Is he as perfect as Brandon?
11. What does the show mean for him and for the cast?
12. Who are his best friends?
13. What are they dreaming about?
14. How does Jason deal with the fame?
15. What are his plans for the future?
Topics to Discuss.
1. Jason's hobbies.
2. Jason in comparison with Brandon.
3. Jason and fame.
4. His plans for the future.
Text 6
ROLE OF TEMPS.
Is the job of your dreams beyond your reach because some
company's computerized screening device doesn't find the right buzzword
on your resume? "If I could just get in the door for an interview," you
groan, "I could knock their socks off." That's where temping comes in.
No longer just a fill-in for vacationing secretaries and recep-tionists,
temps are now brought in for special projects and long-term assignments.
They increas-ingly include white-collar technical and profes-sional
workers - even the occasional executive.
Temping can help you learn new skills or bridge the gap between
jobs. Some people are even making a career of temping - mostly those who
like the independence or need more flexible work schedules, such as
working mothers. All told, companies shelled out $4.9 billion to temps
in 1995, more than double what they paid four years earlier, according
to the National Association of Temporary and Staffing Services. More to
the point, companies are increasingly using tempo-rary assignments to
fill full-time jobs. About 40 percent of those sent out on temp
assignments get offered full-time positions, estimates the associa-tion.
If hiring the right people is so critical, why not test drive the
merchandise first?
Many people who might not otherwise get an interview are getting
permanent jobs through temp work. Once they get the temporary jobs, they
can quickly build experience. For their part, the companies, knowing
they've got a free trial period, are more willing to take a chance on
someone who might not fit exactly their job profile.
When attorney Michael Mayer moved to the lawyer-glutted Washington,
D.C., area last year, he couldn't find a job, despite sending out
count-less resumes. So he signed up with Lawcorps, a temping agency for
lawyers and paralegals. Last June he got a one-week assignment at Weil,
Gotshal, & Manges, a blue-chip firm where he had considered job
prospects so unlikely he hadn't even sent a resume. He reviewed an
article one of the partners was preparing for publication. The firm
liked his work, and asked him to stay beyond the one-week period.
Eventually he was hired full-time as an attorney.
"Lawyers coming out of law school have found that one of the best
things they can do to find a job is to sign up with an agency," says
Brice Arrowood, president of Lawcorps. "You get some real experi-ence;
that's better than just a nice degree." About 25 percent to 30 percent
of Lawcorps' people find full-time employment through the agency, he
esti-mates. Temping can also help you to pursue new career routes,
through the training that many temp agencies now offer and through
assignments that stretch people's skills
After college, Carolyn M. Harper, of King of Prussia, Pennsylvania,
wasn't having much luck finding a job in human resources' or corporate
training, logical possibilities for someone with a psychology degree.
But she sent her resume our to some temp agencies and got a message: The
Bradley Burns agency had a "temp-co-perm" job as the database
administrator for Pinpoint Communi-cations, a start-up Internet
advertising company. While she had no high-tech skills, she and the
company decided to give each other a two-week whirl. Six months later,
Ms. Harper, now full-time, is putting together Web'pages for the
company's new Web site.
Brian Altman dropped out of a Ph.D. program in organizational
psychology at Temple University in Philadelphia to seek a career on
Wall Street. But prospective employers didn't take him seriously. They
changed their tune after he accepted a temp assignment as an
administrative assistant for Zurich American Insurance. "It showed I had
a commitment to not going back to school," he says. And the assignment
involved considerable computer work, which also spruced up his resume. A
week ago he landed a job as an analyst of asset portfolios at Merrill
Lynch. "They were interested in finding someone with good computer and
quantitative skills," he says.
To enhance your chances of finding good temp jobs that can lead to
full-time work, talk to your temp agency counselor daily, says Richard
M. Rogers, a veteran temp who wrote "Temping: The Insider's Guide." Also
make sure the counselor knows your skills and the kinds of permanent
jobs you'd like. "You want to become more than a name," he says.
As with everything else involved in careers these days, temping
is no panacea. But, as Mr. Rogers notes, "The question isn't how
insecure temping is, but how secure is full-time employment these days?
The gap between the two is narrowing."
By Hal Lancaster (from The Wall Street journal)
Note:
· temp = temporary - временный.
A temp is a secretary who is imployed by an agency that sends him or
her to work for short periods of time in different offices, replacing
secretaries who are ill or on holiday.
Vocabulary.
temping - временная работа (секретаря)
beyond one's reach - вне достижимости
screening device - прибор с экраном
buzzword - сленг: слова, говорящие о владении ПК
groan - тяжело вздыхать, стонать
knock the socks off = утереть кому-то нос
fill-in - заполнение
long-term - долгосрочный
assignment - задание
increas-ingly - все в большей степени
include - включать
white-collar - перен.: служащий, работник
occasional - приуроченный к опред. времени
executive - руководитель, начальник
skills - навыки, умения
bridge the gap - заполнить пробел (брешь)
independence - независимость
flexible - гибкий
work schedule - рабочий график
shell out - разг.: расколшелиться
temporary - временный
staff - штат (сотрудников)
full-time job - работа с полным рабочим днем
estimate - оценивать
test drive - перен.: пробная поездка, тестирование
merchandise - товары
otherwise -иначе, другим способом
permanent - постоянный
free - бесплатный
trial period - истытательный период
fit exactly - точно подходить.
attorney - адвокат
lawyer - юрист
glutted - заваленный, переполненный
count-less - бесчисленный
sign up - подписать контракт (о поступлении на работу)
paralegal - вспом. cостав в сфере юриспруденции
assignment - задание
prospect - перспектива
unlikely - маловероятный
beyond - свыше
hire - принимать на работу
full-time - полный рабочий день
employment - занятость, работа
esti-mate - оценивать
pursue - заняться, приступить
route - путь
training - обучение
stretch - расширить
skills - умения; квалификация
message - записка, послание
temp(orary) - временный
perm(anent) - постоянный
trial period - испытательный период
drop out - выпадать, исчезать
seek* - искать; поиск
prospective - потенциальный, возможный
employer - работодатель
accept - принимать
insurance - страхование
commitment - решимость
involve - включать
considerable - значительный
spruce up - разг.: дополнить, обогатить
assets - фин.: актив
portfolio - портфель
quantitative - количественный
enhance - увеличить, усилить
counselor - советник
daily - ежедневно
make* sure - убедиться
insecure - ненадежный
gap - разрыв
narrow - сужаться
Comprehension Check.
Answer the following questions.
1. What is a temp?
2. What can one achieve my means of temping?
3. What are merits of temping?
4. Is it possible to make a career through temping?
5. Is temping a panacea?
Topics to Discuss.
1. Temping.
2. People who found their jobs through temping
(take examples from the text).
Text 7:
