Bob is an old man. He retired last year and now he lives only on his pension. He worked in a glass factory for thirty years. Last year, the management of the factory decided that they didn’t need so many people.
The factory wasn’t getting many orders and so they couldn’t make a lot of money. The management decided to lay off about ninety people. They offered 6-month salary to those workers who left the company on their own. Bob accepted their offer. He took the money and left the company. He did not look for another job. He retired and now he lives only on his pension.
When Bob worked in the factory, he had a very good salary. He was saving every month. And now, when he is in retirement, he is getting enough money to buy what he needs. He is satisfied. He is not rich, but he isn’t poor, either.
Bob doesn’t have grandchildren. His only daughter is thirty-five years old now, but she is not married. She is single and she works as a freelance writer for various magazines and company websites. She moved to Australia and she comes home to visit her father only once a year.
Bob’s wife died five years ago. But he doesn’t feel lonely. He has many friends from his work and school days. They meet regularly every weekend either in a park or in the pub.
And one more thing: Bob has a cat.
retire /rɪˈtaɪə(r)/ – ísť do dôchodku
pension /ˈpenʃn/ – penzia (dôchodková)
order /ˈɔːdə(r)/ – objednávka
lay sb off /leɪ/ – prepustiť z práce
on their own – (oni) sami
accept /əkˈsept/ – prijať, akceptovať
in retirement /rɪˈtaɪəmənt/ – na dôchodku
freelance /ˈfriːlɑːns/ – na voľnej nohe
one more thing – ešte jedna vec
Sparrow's English Reader 