✨ 1. Vocabulary Match: Key Economic Terms (Mixed Scroll)
Match the **Key Term** (Dark border) to its **Meaning** (Light border). All cards are mixed together in the list below. Click two cards to form a pair.
📰 2. Reading Text: The Importance of Fair Work
Defining and Fighting Undeclared Work
Ayla is an employee at the customs administration. She is one of the people who work for the government unit that monitors **undeclared work**. In general, undeclared work is when a person works without paying **taxes** and social security contributions. Undeclared work is often illegal: for example, when a business doesn’t pay the minimum **wage** or when an employee doesn’t have a **work permit**.
Undeclared work and illegal employment cause tremendous **harm**. Businesses that follow the rules are put at a disadvantage. Employees are often subject to **bad working conditions**. Pension and social security systems lose out on important revenue. Taxes don’t get paid: this is money that is needed for **public goods** such as education, culture and infrastructure.
That’s why Ayla’s job is so important: fighting undeclared work serves the common good, and it also helps to ensure **fair working conditions** and a level playing field.
🧠 3. Reading Comprehension Check
1. Which government body is Ayla an employee of?
2. What is the core definition of undeclared work?
3. What is one main consequence of undeclared work on legitimate businesses?
📝 4. Vocabulary Gap-Fill
Choose the word from the bank to complete the sentence. Click a **Word**, then click the **blank space** to place it. Click the word in the space to put it back.
Word Bank:
1. Without a valid work , you cannot legally be employed.
2. The government must businesses to ensure fair competition.
3. Losing this contract puts our company at a serious against competitors.
4. The company announced it had lost a amount of money last quarter.
5. The new minimum is now $15 per hour.
6. Social security systems rely on steady tax to pay for pensions.
⚙️ 5. Grammar: Third Conditional (Hypothetical Past)
The Third Conditional is useful for discussing **hypothetical past situations** and their unreal consequences. It is great for talking about *what might have happened* if the past were different, like in discussions about illegal work:
- Structure: If + Past Perfect (had done), would have + Past Participle (would have been)
- Example: If Ayla **hadn't monitored** undeclared work, the government **would have lost** even more revenue. (The reality is that she did monitor it, and the government lost less.)
Choose the Correct Third Conditional Sentence
1. Which sentence correctly expresses that a business **did not** pay taxes, and therefore **did** gain an unfair advantage?
2. Which sentence correctly expresses that the employee **was** subject to bad conditions because he **did not** have a contract?
3. Which sentence correctly completes the structure: "If the government **had used** the tax money for infrastructure..."
❓ 6. Confusing Words
Choose the **best** word to complete the sentence, paying close attention to context and collocations.
1. The **customs administration** needs more staff to **[monitor / control]** illegal activity at the border.
2. Undeclared work puts law-abiding businesses at a significant **[disadvantage / difficulty]** in the market.
3. Pension systems lose out on important **[receipts / revenue]** when taxes are not paid.
4. It is important to ensure a **[level / flat]** playing field for all enterprises.
🗣️ 7. Discussion Questions
Use these questions to discuss the language and ideas surrounding undeclared work.
- Why do you think people choose to work "off the books" (undeclared), and what are the risks for them?
- What is the biggest "public good" (e.g., education, infrastructure) in your country that relies most heavily on tax revenue?
- If you **had been** an inspector, what **would you have done** to stop undeclared work? (Third Conditional practice)
- How can governments better **monitor** undeclared work without being intrusive? (Vocabulary practice)