Text Unusual Professions

Unusual Professions

When teenagers think about their future careers, they usually imagine popular jobs like IT specialists, doctors, lawyers, or bloggers. However, the world is full of strange and wonderful opportunities that you won't find in a standard career guide. If you are tired of boring office routines, check out these unique professions.

1. The Water Slide Tester
Imagine a job where you have to wear a swimsuit to work every day. A water slide tester visits water parks around the world to test new rides. It sounds like a permanent holiday, but it is actually a serious responsibility. These people check the height, speed, and water quantity of the slides to ensure they are safe for tourists. They also rate the "fun factor." It is a dream job for adrenaline junkies!

2. The Pet Food Taster
Do you love animals? Maybe not enough to eat their dinner! Believe it or not, pet food tasting is a real profession. These brave people must chew dog or cat food to evaluate its nutritional value and flavor. Companies want to make sure their premium food tastes good for pets. But don't worry – usually, the tasters spit the food out after tasting it. They also drink a lot of water during their working day.

3. The Golf Ball Diver
Golf is a relaxing sport, but not for the golf ball diver. During a game, many balls fall into lakes on the golf course. A diver’s job is to jump into these dirty ponds and collect the lost balls. It can be a very dangerous job because these lakes are often full of mud, sharp objects, and sometimes even snakes or alligators (especially in Florida, USA). However, divers can earn a lot of money by selling the balls back to the club.

4. The Professional Sleeper
If you hate waking up early for school, this might be your perfect career. Professional sleepers are hired by scientists and doctors to take part in sleep studies. They are also hired by luxury hotels to test their beds and pillows. Their only duty is to sleep and then write a report about their comfort level. It sounds easy, but it can be lonely and boring to sleep on command.

So the job market is much bigger than we think. Whether you are adventurous, lazy, or just weird, there is a profession for everyone. The most important thing is to find something that makes you happy, even if other people think it is strange.

Task 1. Vocabulary Match

Match the words from the text (1-5) with their definitions (A-E).

1. Responsibility
2. Evaluate
3. Flavor
4. Adrenaline junkie
5. Opportunity

A. A chance to do something.
B. A person who loves excitement and dangerous activities.
C. The taste of food or drink.
D. To judge or calculate the quality of something.
E. Something that is your job or duty to deal with.

Task 2. True or False?

Read the text again and decide if the sentences are True (T) or False (F).

1. Water slide testers only care about how fun the ride is. [ ... ]
2. Pet food tasters must swallow the food every time. [ ... ]
3. Golf ball divers have a safe and relaxing job. [ ... ]
4. You can find alligators in lakes on golf courses in some places. [ ... ]
5. Professional sleepers help hotels check the quality of beds. [ ... ]

Task 3. Complete the Sentences

Fill in the gaps with the correct profession from the text.

1. A ______________ needs to be a good swimmer and not be afraid of dirty water.
2. A ______________ has to write reports about comfort and pillows.
3. A ______________ ensures that rides in aqua parks are safe for visitors.
4. A ______________ checks if the food is tasty enough for animals.

Task 4. Discussion (Speaking/Writing)

Answer the questions.

1. Which of these jobs would you refuse to do even for 1 million dollars? Why?
2. Do you think a "Professional Sleeper" is a healthy job? Why or why not?
3. If you could invent a new unusual job, what would it be?

Answers (Ключі до завдань)

Task 1:
1 - E; 2 - D; 3 - C; 4 - B; 5 - A.

Task 2:

1. F (They check safety: height, speed, water quantity too).
2. F (They usually spit it out).
3. F (It is dangerous due to mud, sharp objects, and animals).
4. T (Especially in Florida).
5. T.

Task 3:

1. Golf ball diver
2. Professional sleeper
3. Water slide tester
4. Pet food taster