Question

For the last 10 years, job listing site CareerBuilder has put out a list called “The Most Unbelievable Excuses for Calling in Sick.” For example, an employee said he couldn’t come in because his false teeth flew out the window while he was driving down the highway. The excuses were gathered through a survey that ran among 3,000 workers and 2,000 hiring managers.

The list is entertaining but there is a more serious issue hidden in this story. Federal law does not require private employers to give any paid sick leave, making the US the only one of the world’s wealthiest nations that doesn’t guarantee workers this right. Since 2006, cities and states have been adopting their own paid sick leave laws. California, Washington. DC and 13 cities including New York now require many employers to provide some sort of paid sick leave. But according to the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, 39% of private employees still have no access to paid days off. In the CareerBuilder survey, 38% of respondents said they go to work when they’re sick because they can’t afford to miss a day’s pay. The survey also shows that workers are taking a risk when they come up with far-fetched excuses. Nearly one in five employers says they have fired an employee for calling in sick with a fake excuse. If you’re spending the day at the beach while pretending to be ill, don’t post about it on Facebook. Nearly one in four employers (24%) has caught an employee lying about being sick by checking social media.

The motto of this story: If you really are sick, don’t come to work and spread your bacteria around the office. But if you just want to stay home, go with “I’m running a fever.” rather than one of these ridiculous excuses.

1.The underlined word “far-fetched” in Paragraph 2 probably means ______.

A. impossible to find B. likely to be true

C. difficult to believe D. easy to believe

2.What problem is exposed in the survey?

A. Many employees have no access to paid sick leave.

B. Private employers make their workers work extra hours.

C. Some employees are not satisfied with their boss.

D. Private employers sometimes break the Federal law.

3.An employee will run the risk of being fired if he ______.

A. asks for sick leave

B. lies about being sick

C. posts his holiday on Facebook

D. spreads bacteria around the office

4.What will the author present following the last paragraph?

A. A list of survey data.

B. A list of serious issues.

C. A list of reasonable facts.

D. A list of ridiculous excuses.

Answer 1