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Modismos del trabajo y la carrera profesional

Nombre:Fecha:

Aprende modismos como hit the ground running, move the goalposts, call the shots y the glass ceiling para describir la vida laboral con matices.

Elige la mejor opción

Elige el modismo o la expresión que completa cada oración.

  1. Tomás ___ when he joined: within a week he was leading the client meetings himself.
    • a) hit the ground running
    • b) touched base
    • c) called it a day
    • d) passed the buck
  2. The sales team is frustrated because every time it meets a target, management raises it. They keep ___.
    • a) pulling their weight
    • b) moving the goalposts
    • c) going the extra mile
    • d) getting a foot in the door
  3. If you are burning the candle at both ends, you are ...
    • a) saving money by working from home
    • b) doing too much and not resting enough
    • c) pretending to be busier than you are
    • d) working slowly to avoid mistakes
  4. I'll ___ with you on Thursday to see how the draft is coming on.
    • a) cut corners
    • b) jump ship
    • c) pass the buck
    • d) touch base
  5. Getting a foot in the door means ...
    • a) leaving a job suddenly
    • b) gaining a first opportunity to enter a profession
    • c) being promoted unexpectedly
    • d) interrupting a meeting
  6. Having agreed to lead a fourth project, she realised she had ___.
    • a) bitten off more than she could chew
    • b) pulled her weight
    • c) called the shots
    • d) got a foot in the door
  7. Although she had excellent qualifications, she came up against a ___ that stopped women from reaching the top roles.
    • a) glass ceiling
    • b) red tape
    • c) paper trail
    • d) blank cheque
  8. Newcomers are expected to ___ and share the workload fairly.
    • a) move the goalposts
    • b) burn their bridges
    • c) pull their weight
    • d) call the shots

Completa el modismo

Escribe la palabra que falta para completar cada modismo. Usa cada palabra una sola vez: candle, deep, door, goalposts, ground, mile, plate, shots.

  1. The new manager hit the ___ running and had fixed the rota by Friday.
  2. It isn't fair to move the ___ after the project has already started.
  3. Mina always goes the extra ___ for her clients, often staying late to help them.
  4. I can't take on anything else; I already have far too much on my ___.
  5. He has been burning the ___ at both ends, working nights to finish his thesis.
  6. A short internship was her first chance to get a foot in the ___.
  7. On her first day she was thrown in at the ___ end and asked to chair a meeting.
  8. The founder still likes to call the ___ on every major hiring decision.

Respuestas

Elige la mejor opción

  1. a) hit the ground runningHit the ground running significa «empezar a trabajar con eficacia desde el primer momento».
  2. b) moving the goalpostsMoving the goalposts significa «cambiar los objetivos de forma injusta después de que la gente haya empezado a trabajar para alcanzarlos».
  3. b) doing too much and not resting enoughBurning the candle at both ends significa «agotarte trabajando muchas horas y descansando muy poco».
  4. d) touch baseTouch base significa «ponerse en contacto brevemente para compartir novedades o comprobar cómo va algo».
  5. b) gaining a first opportunity to enter a professionGetting a foot in the door significa «conseguir esa primera oportunidad, como unas prácticas, para entrar en un sector».
  6. a) bitten off more than she could chewBite off more than you can chew significa «aceptar más trabajo del que puedes manejar».
  7. a) glass ceilingA glass ceiling es una barrera invisible que impide que algunos grupos sean ascendidos.
  8. c) pull their weightPull your weight significa «hacer la parte del trabajo que te corresponde».

Completa el modismo

  1. groundEl modismo es hit the ground running.
  2. goalposts / goal postsMove the goalposts significa «cambiar los objetivos de forma injusta».
  3. mileGo the extra mile significa «esforzarse más de lo esperado».
  4. plateHave a lot on your plate significa «tener muchas tareas que atender».
  5. candleBurn the candle at both ends significa «agotarse por exceso de trabajo».
  6. doorGet a foot in the door significa «conseguir una primera oportunidad para entrar en un sector».
  7. deepBe thrown in at the deep end significa «recibir una tarea difícil con poca preparación».
  8. shotsCall the shots significa «tomar las decisiones importantes».