SCENARIO
DIFFICULT DECISIONS
12.4
122
SITUATION
1
Read the situation below. Have you been in a
similar situation?
Anna was an Australian lawyer who worked at a large
international law firm in London. She had worked
there for six years when she was offered a promotion
to become the head of her department. She was very
happy about the promotion until she remembered that
her sister, Carol, had bought Anna and her husband
some expensive tickets to visit their family in back in
Australia. Anna hadn’t seen her family in six years and
this would be her only chance. In the past, other people
who had taken a long holiday had found it difficult to
keep working at the firm.
Anna didn’t know what to do, so she decided to ask her
husband about it later that day. Her husband thought
that she should take the promotion and then tell her
employers about the trip a few months later. Anna
thought that it might be a little dishonest not to tell her
employers first, so she called her friend, Rebecca, who
agreed with her husband.
A few months later, Anna told her employers about the
trip and everything seemed fine. Then, over the next few
weeks, her workload started to increase until she felt
that it was too much for her. She discussed the situation
with her boss, but he said that the firm was busy and
there was nothing he could do. Anna was disappointed
but she did her best to manage her workload, working
evenings and weekends, but it wasn’t enough. A few
weeks later, her boss called her into his office and said
that she wasn’t keeping up with the demands of her job
so she would have to go. Anna couldn’t believe what
she was hearing.
2
12.3
Listen to three of Anna’s friends discussing
the situation and answer these questions.
1
What do Diane (D), Claire (C) and Brenda (B) think
about the situation?
2
Do they manage to agree with each other?
KEY LANGUAGE
REACHING A DECISION
3
a
Listen again and complete the phrases below.
1
You can look at it in two
, I think.
2
It
to me that they have every right to …
3
Her boss
to be an honest person to me.
4
… there’s some
that they wanted her to leave.
5
Personally, I’m not
because …
6
Well, I’ve made up my
.
7
There’s very little
, as far as I’m concerned.
8
It’s
to me that she should have told them ...
9
I’m not sure it’s as
cut as that.
3
b
Which of the above expressions show strong
certainty, and which expressions show weak certainty?
