Exercise 3
Instructions • First, type the entire passage that follows as accurately as you can . Do not worry about time . You can look at the keyboard and your fingers if you want . • Then, type the first paragraph of the passage from Exercise 4 again, as accurately as you can, • without looking at your fingers or the keyboard. In the United States, employees typically work five days a week for eight hours each day. However, many employees want to work a four-day week and are willing to accept less pay in order to do so. A mandatory policy requiring companies to offer their employees the option of working a four-day workweek for four-fifths (80 percent) of their normal pay would benefit the economy as a whole as well as the individual companies and the employees who decided to take the option . The shortened workweek would increase company profits because employees would feel more rested and alert, and as a result, they would make fewer costly errors in their work . Hiring more staff to ensure that the same amount of work would be accomplished would not result in additional payroll costs because four- day employees would only be paid 80 percent of the normal rate . In the end, companies would have fewer overworked and error-prone employees for the same money, which would increase company profits. For the country as a whole, one of the primary benefits of offering this option to employees is that it would reduce unemployment rates . If many full-time employees started working fewer hours, some of their workload would have to be shifted to others . Thus, for every four employees who went on an 80 percent week, a new employee could be hired at the 80 percent rate. Finally, the option of a four-day workweek would be better for individual employees . Employees who could afford a lower salary in exchange for more free time could improve the quality of their lives by spending the extra time with their families, pursuing private interests, or enjoying leisure activities . Recap • Take note of areas where you need improvement, such as increasing typing speed. Focus on these as you prepare for the Writing tasks . • To improve your typing accuracy, consider creative methods, such as using free online typing games or practice tools. If you don’t have access to a full-size keyboard at home, consider using apps or finding other alternatives . • Remember that TOEFL raters understand you’re typing under timed conditions . Occasional typos and misspellings are expected and won’t affect your score unless they are frequent or obscure your meaning . Practicing typing will help minimize these errors and boost your writing speed.
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