Reading — Test 14

Reading passage

After eleven years managing the loading dock at Fraser Valley Distribution, Tomasz Kowalski is retiring at the end of this month, and the warehouse team is planning a proper send-off. His last shift falls on a Friday, so staff have organized a small gathering in the break room that afternoon, with cake, coffee, and a card that has been quietly circulating for signatures since Monday. Tomasz joined the company in 2015, back when the warehouse still tracked shipments on paper clipboards. He is widely credited with pushing management to adopt the barcode scanning system now used across all three shifts, a change that supervisors say cut inventory errors by nearly half. Younger employees describe him as the person who trained almost everyone currently working the dock, and several coworkers mentioned that he has a habit of remembering small details, like which drivers prefer their coffee black and which loading bay door sticks in cold weather. Colleagues are asked to bring a small contribution toward a group gift rather than buying something individually. A donation box has been placed near the time clock, and whatever is collected will go toward a fishing trip Tomasz has talked about for years but never had time to take. Anyone who cannot attend the Friday gathering in person is encouraged to leave a written note in the card instead, since it will be presented to him before he clocks out for the last time. Management has not yet announced who will take over the dock supervisor role, though an internal posting is expected within two weeks. In the meantime, the assistant supervisor will handle scheduling. Staff have been reminded that regular shift duties continue as normal right up until the day of the party, so the celebration will run during the last hour of the shift rather than replacing any work time.

Question 1 of 9