Are internships (实习) valuable work experience or exploitation (剥削) of the young? Sian Beauchamp, 20, is a woman who has done her intern time. She had three weeks’ unpaid work experience at Primark’s marketing head office. Now she has a job in the lingerie department of the same office. Now Sian has her say:
Qualifications (资历) are not enough to get a job. Before my internship I had no idea what working in marketing was actually like. There are things you can’t learn unless you’re actually there, and employers expect that in interviews.
I wouldn’t be where I am now without doing my unpaid internship. It was part of my degree (学位) at the Fashion Retail Academy. The course was valuable but there are some things that can’t be done in the classroom.
I don’t think all internships need to be paid. I was at Primark to learn, so it was all right that I wasn’t getting a salary — you wouldn’t expect to be paid at school. The experience was more beneficial for me than it was for Primark. People who worked there were kindly giving up their time to show me what I needed to do and teach me about the industry I was hoping to go into.
In the morning they showed me how to do the tasks and in the afternoon I’d try to do them myself. I was doing tasks such as picking products that I thought would be suitable for sending to more stores, placing orders for suppliers and sending products out.
At the end I was given a favorable review and the company told me to keep in touch. When I finished my course I applied for two jobs, including one at Primark. The other job interview was discouraging but I felt more comfortable with the one at Primark because it was familiar.
Overall, my experience was positive and helped me get on the path to a job I really enjoy.
12. What is the subject of the text?
A. How to apply for an internship. B. How to prepare for an interview.
C. Whether interns should be paid. D. Why work experience is important.
13. Which of the following can be used to describe Sian’s workmates at Primark?
A. Strict. B. Helpful. C. Confident. D. Careful.
14. What can we learn about Sian Beauchamp?
A. She is doing unpaid work.
B. She now works at Primark.
C. She sends products to different stores every day.
D. She is taking a course at the Fashion Retail Academy.
15. How did Primark probably feel about Sian’s performance as an intern?
A. It caused them a lot of trouble.
B. It needed to be improved.
C. It was nothing special.
D. It was satisfying.