Unlocking
Word Meanings
Read
the following words/expressions found in today’s article.
1. out
and about (idiom) [out] [and; unstressed uhnd] [uh-bout] – regularly going out of the house to work or do
something else outside
Example:
As news reporter, Ana is always out and
about for the latest news and updates.
2. gig
(n.) [gig] – booking or engagement to do or perform something usually for a fee
Example:
The manager gave some extra gigs to
his employees for extra income.
3. background
check (n.) [bak-ground] [chek] – gathering and
collecting important personal records of an individual (e.g. criminal, commercial and financial
records)
Example:
Banks grant loan applications to individuals after making a background check.
4. outsource
(v.) [out-sawrs, ‐sohrs] – the process wherein one company hires the services of another
company to perform tasks for it
Example:
Big companies in the Middle East usually outsource
majority of their workforce.
5. GPS
(n., acronym) [jee] [pee] [es] – Global Positioning Service
Example:
Tourists can easily track locations by using GPS.
Article
Read
the text below.
A new
company in California called Gigwalk lets people earn money when they are out and about.
The company
employs iPhone users, called “Gigwalkers”, who get paid by doing some gigs while
on their way to work. These gigs may include trying out a new iPhone
application, taking a picture of a menu for an online restaurant guide, or
visiting a wireless store for a mobile phone company. As of this time, there are already thousands
of gigwalkers in several cities in the United States.
Co-founder
and CEO of Gigwalk Ariel Seidman developed the company’s software with former
co-workers Matt Crampton and David Watanabe, both of whom used to work with him
in Yahoo. According to Seidman, many companies spend much time and money
gathering information from distant areas. He said that it is practical to make
use of the services of iPhone users who are already in those locations.
iPhone users
become part of Gigwalk when they download a certain application, register with
the company and pass a background check. Gigwalk then
uses iPhone users’ GPS locations and home addresses to give out gigs that
are near their locations. Gigwalkers only have a limited time to finish a task
once accepted. If they succeed, they will receive payment through PayPal.
Gigs come
from clients who specify the tasks they would like to outsource.
MenuPages, an online restaurant guide, pays Gigwalk to get updated information
from different restaurants across the city. According to Tom Bohan, a director
of MenuPages, Gigwalk finishes tasks much faster than workers they temporarily
hire.
Viewpoint
Discussion
Enjoy
a discussion with your tutor.
Discussion A
·
What are the usual
part-time jobs that people have?
·
What are the
advantages and disadvantages of having part-time work? How about full-time
work?
Discussion B
·
What tasks do you
think can be outsourced by companies?
·
What are the
advantages of outsourcing tasks?
