neighbours / difficult task / difficult jobs / personal and career success

neighbour 브레인 스토밍 (neighbour 이웃, neighbourhood 동네)

get along with annoying neighbours
individual lifestyle gets in the way
never have chances to talk to neighbours

loverly, friendly, helpful, nosey (nosy) 참견하기 좋아하는, noisy/annoying (cf noise between floors 층간소음)

Little favours from neighbours
- put my bins out for me
- feed and look after my pets
- babysit neighbours' kids
- collect mails while I am on holiday

to connect with your neighbours
to talk to your neighbour face to face
to have a quick chat
to drop in to see them for a cup of tea and a biscuit
share adjacent living spaces with neighbours
to communicate with neighbours = to make with contact with neighbours

호불호 표현
What attracts me most is that ~.
That's the great thing about ~.
One thing I like about ~ is that ~.
And the other thing is that I can ~.
I can do it for fun or ~.
I really find it ~.
What do you like doing in your free time? 
I enjoy being outdoors but best of all, I like hiking.
One thing I like about hiking is that I can do it with friends.
And the other thing is that I can improve my health (by) walking in the woods.
I can do it for fun or competitively.
I really find it very relaxing.

장단형 문제
Is it better to go traveling on your own or with other people?

There are pros and cons with going traveling on your own. On the one hand, it is free to go where you please. In other words, you can stay extra time in places as you want. On the other, you may get lonely as it's not easy to make new friends, which is a disadvantage. Also, there is less safety on your own. On balance, I'd prefer travelling alone but I need to travel with extra care. 

advantage
One definite plus is that S + V
The great advantage is ~
One of many benefits is ~
disadvantage
One problem is that S + V
Another big disadvantage is ~
A big minus is ~
중립
Balancing everything up = Weighing everything up
On balance, 이 모든 것을 고려해 볼 때
Taking everything into account

Part 1
How often do you see your neighbours?

Not very often. As I live in a high-rise apartment building on the 23rd floor, I have few chances to come across my neighbours. Everyone seems to lead a hectic life and not to care much about the people from next door. The only chance that I can see my neighbours is when I'm in the lift leaving for work in the morning or coming home in the evening.

live in a high-rise apartment building 고층 아파트에서 살다, come across = bump into = run into 우연히 마주치다, be in a lift 승강기 안에 있다 (cf elevator)

Do you invite your neighbours to your home? (why/why not?)

No, I’ve never invited any of them to my home because I don't spend much time there. But my mother often invites neighbours to have tea or light snacks. Unlike me, my mother is keen to be involved in community activities like yoga classes and other voluntary programs. So, she has kept close relationships with our neighbours since we moved in.

be involved in 참여하다, voluntary programs 자원봉사 프로그램, keep close relationship with ~와 긴밀한 관계를 유지하다

Do you think you are good neighbor?  (why/why not?)

I hope so. At least, I am pretty sure that I am not a bad neighbour. I might not be that amiable or friendly of a neighbor, but I’ve never disturbed or irritated anyone, either. In particular, I am very careful not to cause any conflicts in my neighbourhood by making a racket at night or parking in a driveway.

amiable 쾌활한, 정감있는 disturb 방해하다, irritate 짜증나게 하다, 거슬리다, cause conflicts 갈등을 유발하다, make a racket 소음을 내다

Has a neighbor ever helped you?

Yes, they often do little favours for me like holding a lift till I get on or opening the main gate when I forget my security card. One time, one of my neighbours helped me to carry heavy boxes to my house. In return, I try to do the same if possible. I always try to be nice and friendly when I run into them in the communal areas

do little favours 작은 부탁을 들어주다, hold a lift 승강기를 잡다, run into 마주치다, communal areas 공용 구역

Part 2

Describe a very difficult task that you succeeded in doing as part of your work or studies.
What task you did/ why this task was very difficult/ How you worked on this task/ how you felt when you had successfully completed this task.

STUDENT
One of the most challenging tasks that I had to handle at university was my final team project on building a website during a summer session. I was taking a computer web design course and the assignments for the course were based on a mid-term exam and a big team project covering 70% of the mark.
As a graduating senior, I found it very challenging to juggle studying and job hunting, which requires a considerable amount of time with job interviews. So, working on a team project placed a heavy burden on me from the beginning. I would not be able to attend every team meeting due to my personal schedule, which would inconvenience my team members and put the project at risk.
To solve the problem, I arranged a meeting with the other 4 team members and calmly yet firmly explained my situation and my willingness to engage in the project as much as I could. Luckily, I had very supportive and considerate teammates who I could rely on. From there, the four of us had a fruitful discussion on a project schedule that would work best for everyone's situations. They allowed me to skip several meetings when I had job interviews.
Then, I voluntarily programmed what they had decided on in the meeting and accommodated their opinions. It was a pretty tiring and laborious task to do alone since my major wasn’t computer programming. However, I wanted to be responsible for what I said to them and show them my participation in the project. I often stayed up until late at night struggling with computer programming books. In the end, I managed to complete the website with the help of my teammates and received constructive and positive feedback from the lecturers with a good mark.
When my lecturer complimented us on our work, it felt very fulfilling and rewarding. I can say what I learned from this definitely made me more responsible, which will be a great help later at work.

That's all that I can say now.

one of the most challenging tasks 가장 힘든 일 중 하나는, build a website 웹싸이트를 구축하다, be based on ~을 기본으로 하다, a graduate senior 대학 졸업반, juggle A and B A와 B 두 가지를 병행하다, considerable 상당한, place a heavy burden on 심하게 부담을 주다, put something at risk ~을 위험에 빠뜨리다, arrange a meeting with 회의를 하다, calmly yet firmly 차분하지만 단호하게, willingness 쾌희, 자진해서 하는 마음, engage in ~에 참여하다 a fruitful discussion 유익한 토론, work best for everyone's situation 모두의 상황에 최적인, skip 빠지다, 건너 띄다, voluntarily 지원해서,  accommodate 수용하다, laborious 힘든 be responsible for ~을 책임지다 struggle with 고전하다, 고군 분투하다, manage to 가까스로 ~을 해내다, constructive and positive feedback 건설적이며 긍정적인 피드백, compliment on ~을 칭찬하다, fulfilling 성취감을 주는, rewarding 보람찬

EMPLOYEE
The most challenging task I remember is when I was managing the creation of a new website that was supposed to launch in two weeks. I work as a program leader in the IT department of a small software company. Considering the nature of my job, my team members and I often suffer from tight deadlines to meet our clients' requirements.
However, this time, the pressure was more than we had expected because one of our senior managers found a major bug in the program that forced us to push back the deadline. Obviously, neither the company nor the client would appreciate the delay. The option we usually take in these situations is to do overtime to make the deadline. However, it was not possible this time as we'd been working late recently too frequently. Everyone was very exhausted and didn't want to stay late 3 weeks in a row.
I also didn't want to push my team hard, so instead focused on finding out what they needed to improve the situation. We created a list of things we could delay and work on after the launch and put the effort into fixing the error to allow the launch – even if it was not perfect. In the end, the team understood the priorities and we were able to work together to fix the bug. As a result, we managed to launch the website on time and my team enjoyed a three-day break at home as a reward.
What I felt at first was a sense of relief that we made it, and I appreciated my team members' effort. They had been very cooperative. On top of that, I felt like a responsible leader who could work with his team effectively. That's the important lesson that I learned from this project.

That's all that I can say now.

manage the creation of a website 웹페이지를 구축하는 것을 담당하다, be supposed to ~하기로 되어있다, launch 출범하다, 출시, 개시하다, the nature of my job 내 일의 성격상, tight deadline 빡빡한 마감일, push back the deadline 마감일을 미루다, don't appreciate delay 연기를 달가워 하지 않다, do overtime 잔업을 하다, be exhausted 지치다, 3 weeks in a row 3주 연속, push somebody hard ~에게 부담을 주다, focus on 초첨을 맞추다, put the effort into ~노력하다, priority 우선 순위, fix a bug 오류를 수정하다, as a reward 보상으로, a sense of relief 안도감, cooperative 협조적인 On top of that 무엇보다도 (= above all)

Part 3
What are the most difficult jobs that people do?

I am not sure if there are any particular jobs that most people agree are the most demanding, because it depends on people and their situations. For example, people working in customer service have to deal with a variety of complaints from customers every day, which causes a great deal of stress and pressure. So, they can think their job is the most demanding. Or, doctors often have to work long hours and are on call around the clock. Plus the responsibilities that come with being a doctor can be stressful, such as making a mistake and losing a patient. Therefore, some believe being a doctor is the most challenging. In my opinion, generally, the level of stress, time commitment, and income decide whether the job is hard to do or not.

demanding 고된, 어려운, deal with ~을 처리하다, 다루다, a variety of complaints 다양한 불만, on-call around the clock 24시간 대기하다 time commitment 시간 투자, 시간 소모

Why do you think some people choose to do difficult jobs?

I suppose it is because some people are goal-oriented, high achievers who have already experienced a sense of accomplishment after completing a difficult task. As a result, those positive experiences motivate people to challenge themselves with laborious tasks again. They may fail to complete the task this time, but the satisfaction and rewarding feeling they felt from previous experiences would push them to exert themselves, as they’ve already learned that difficult jobs usually come with good rewards. That’s why certain people prefer to engage in tough jobs.

be goal-oriented 목표 지향적인, high-achiever 우등생, a sense of accomplishment 달성감, 성취감, motivate 동기 부여를 하다, exert oneself 스스로 노력하다, difficult = demanding = laborious = tough = challenging = arduous 어려운, 고된

Do you agree or disagree that all jobs are difficult sometimes? 

Yes, I do agree that every job has its arduous parts we need to handle. The criterion to rate the level of difficulty in jobs can be very subjective. So, I think there is no point in arguing that performing heart surgery is more stressful and intense than looking after infants. Every type of profession is equally important and hard to perform from time to time. That’s why all jobs are worthwhile and indispensable in our society, and we shouldn’t look down on them or judge them superficially.

arduous 힘든, 고된 criterion (criteria) subjective 객관적인, there is no point in ~ 하는 의미가 없다, intense 극심한, 치열한, worthwhile 가치가 있는, indispensible 없어서는 안될, 필수적인, look down on 무시하다

How important is it for everyone to have a goal in their personal life?

In my opinion, it’s quite important because setting goals encourages us to strive for success. In general, a goal-oriented person tends to have more satisfaction in life than those who don’t reach for the stars. In addition, even if you fail to reach a goal, you'll still discover something that will help you understand yourself better.

set goals 목표를 정하다, strive for ~을 얻으려고 노력하다, reach for the stars 얻기 어렵거다 불가능한 것에 도달하려 한다, 
Goal collocation
establish / set a goal 목표를 정하다
pursue a goal / work towards a goal 목표를 향해 나아가다
achieve / attain / reach a goal 목표를 달성하다
goal + to V / goal of ~ing ~한 목표

Is it always necessary to work hard in order to achieve success?

If you aim to be successful in your career, in my mind, definitely hard work is essential. To be successful in your field, commitment and a willingness to work hard are fundamentally required. Having said that, there are some factors like good fortune or financial gifts which play a considerably significant role in helping people to attain their goals. Moreover, people think we should apply ourselves to tasks with enormous energy and dedication if we want to be the best, but in the modern era, we need more than just our best endeavours to be successful. We also need effective networking systems, good interpersonal skills, and even luck. Therefore, I agree that hard work is the foundation of one’s success, but it is not always required.

aim to ~하는 것을 목표로 하다, fundamentally 근복적으로, having said that 하지만 (=however), play a significant role in ~에 중요한 역할을 하다 good fortune 행운, attain one's goal 목표를 달성하다, apply oneself with 전념하다, 몰두하다, endeavour 노력, 시도

Do you think that successful people are always happy people?

That’s a good question. Well, I think it’s hard to say. If success means you are successful in your career or you manage to reach the goals you set, it’s possible you could feel incredibly happy and fulfilled. However, before long, you will realize after reaching your goal that you still want more. You end up in a cycle of setting goals and finding that you are not as happy as you thought. So, I believe that achievement shouldn’t dictate your overall happiness. I suppose it’s important to not directly connect success and happiness, as there are so many other things in life such as health, family, wellbeing, and social relationships. All have a place in your life and need to be nurtured to live a satisfying life.

incredibly 엄청나게, 믿을 수 없을 정도로, in a cycle of setting goals 목표 설정의 순환, dictate ~을 좌우하다, ~에 영향을 주다, nurture 키우다, 육성하다

from Siwonschool Cambridge IELTS 14 Speaking Test 3 by Sherry Park