Listening

Warm Up

Helpful Words and Phrases

Listen and repeat.

  1. criticism
    • ex. My coworker hates criticism. He gets angry every time that he receives negative feedback.
  2. direct traffic
    • ex. The traffic light is broken, so a police officer is directing traffic right now.
  3. an entrée
    • ex. I’m not very hungry, so I don’t want an entrée. I’m only going to order a side.
  4. break the law
    • ex. The CEO was fired for breaking the law.
  5. compensate [someone] for [something]
    • ex. The company got in trouble because it didn’t compensate workers for their overtime.

Article

Read the article below and answer your tutor's questions.

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A Chick-fil-A franchise in North Carolina, USA, has ended its volunteer program after receiving strong criticism for it online. The restaurant posted a message on Facebook looking for volunteers to help direct traffic at its busy drive-thru. For every one-hour shift, volunteers were allowed to take home five free entrées.

People said that the restaurant’s volunteer program broke the law. According to the Fair Labor Standards Act, companies must compensate employees for every hour of work. However, the manager of the franchise explained that it was only a volunteer opportunity, not a part-time or full-time job. He said that many people enjoyed the volunteer work and had signed up to do it multiple times. The manager called it a win-win situation: The restaurant received help at its busy drive-thru, and volunteers received free food.

Chick-fil-A, Inc., said that it did not approve the North Carolina franchise’s volunteer program. Chick-fil-A is a family-owned company and has become one of the most popular fast-food restaurants in the US. Despite being closed every Sunday, Chick-fil-A made over $16.7 billion (about ¥2.5 trillion) in sales in 2021.

Discussion

Choose a topic and discuss the questions with your tutor.

The Chick-fil-A Volunteer Program

  • In your opinion, did the volunteer program break the law? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • Imagine that it's okay for restaurants to give food in exchange for volunteer work. Do you think that a one-hour shift for five entrées is a reasonable trade? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • Chick-fil-A has become one of the most popular fast-food restaurants in the US. In your opinion, what is the best fast-food restaurant? Why? Discuss.

Volunteering

  • In your opinion, is it important for everyone to volunteer sometimes? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • Imagine that you're going to volunteer. Who or what do you want to volunteer for (ex. a politician, a place that helps homeless dogs and cats)? Why? Discuss.
  • In the US, sometimes criminals can do volunteer work instead of going to jail. Do you think this is a good idea? Why or why not? Discuss.