Hue University College of Foreign Languages Department of English
Hue University College of Foreign Languages Department of English
Hue University College of Foreign Languages Department of English
SPEAKING 3
HUE - 2006
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Unit 1: LOVE
Vocabulary
appropriate lazy boyfriend love break up relationship
Let's Start
Work in pairs. Read the situation below. Decide who will play the role of the teenager and
who will play the role of the parent. If you were the parent; what would you do? If you were
the teenager, what would you do? Role play.
PARENT: You know your teenager is in a difficult relationship. Your child is dating
someone who is sloppy, lazy, and impolite. You want them to break up. Talk to your
teenager and try to get him or her to consider dating another person.
TEENAGER: You are in love! You think the person you are dating is the best thing that
has ever happened to you. You see this person as wonderful, fun to be with, and
attractive. You think your family doesn't understand your relationship. Explain
your situation and feelings.
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Let’s Talk
1. What five characteristics do young people usually consider when they look fo r a boyfriend
or a girlfriend?
2. How do older people, or the parents of the younger generation, usually judge a potential
partner? How do these characteristics differ from the younger generation's ideas of a
potential partner?
3. Did your parents disapprove of any of your past relationships? Why?
4. Did you disapprove of any of your children's or sibling's relationships? Explain why.
5. If you disapproved of a family member's relationship, would you tell that person how
you felt? Why or why not?
6. Have you ever dated someone whom you would never want to bring home to your family?
If so, explain why you chose not to introduce that person to your family. If not, did you
always introduce your dates to your family? Explain.
7. Would you break up with someone if your family disapproved of that person? Why or why
not? Have you ever broken up with someone because of that reason? Why or why not?
8. In your country, who decides whom a person should marry? Does the person decide, or the
parents? How do you feel about that? How do you feel about people who don't marry
someone of the same race, religion, or culture? Why? If that person were someone in your
family, would you feel differently? Explain.
Unit 2: STRESS
Vocabulary
more than owe raise associate shout
Usage
Word Association Game
Work in pairs. One student will say a word. The other student will choose a word that can
be associated with that word and then explain why. Write your word pairs below.
Student 1: upset
Student 2: stress
Student 2: People feel upset when they hove a tot of stress in their lives.
Let’s Start
Compare the situations and decide which would be more or less stressful. Write more or
less. Then form into groups and discuss your ideas.
5. your boss shouting at you _____________ stressful than, your spouse shouting at you
Let’s Talk
l. What is stress? What five things can cause stress?
2. What are five positive ways people deal with stress?
3. What are five negative ways people deal with stress?
4. Talk about the most stressful day that you have ever had. How did you handle the stress?
5. When you were a child, how did people in your family deal with stress? Give some
examples.
6. Have you ever broken or destroyed anything when you felt very stressed? What
have you done to combat stress?
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7. When someone you know is very upset and shows signs of stress, does it scare you? What
do you think might happen? Has this ever happened to you? Explain.
8.Would you take a very stressful job if you were paid a high salary? Why or why not?
9.How can people reduce stress in their lives? What are some things people do to relax?
10. Where do you think it is most stressful to live? Why?
11. Do you think that being single is less stressful then being married? Why or why not?
12. Do you think it is more stressful to work at a job that is physically or mentally
challenging? Why?
13. Are you an optimist or a pessimist? Why is it better to be an optimist when negative
events occur in your life?
Think
Throughout life people have stress. Compare your life now to your life when you were a
child. What is more stressful now? What is less stressful? Why? Discuss in a group.
Vocabulary
accomplish achieve grow (old) make a difference senior citizen take turns
Let’s Start
What do you want people to think and say about you when you become a senior citizen?
Answer the following questions. Then share your answers with someone in the class.
1. Where did you grow up?
2. What did you like to do when you were very young?
3. Did you ever help anyone? Who? How did' you make a difference in that person's life?
4.How do you treat your family and friends?
5. What have you achieved or accomplished? What kind of person are you?
Let’s Talk
l. What are five fears that you have about growing old?
2. How "old" is old? Why? Explain.
3. What are some advantages people have when they become senior citizens?
4. How can older people help younger people? How can younger people help older people?
Give some examples.
5. In the United States, many senior citizens need special care. They live in places called
convalescent hospitals or nursing homes. Where do ailing seniors live in your country?
6. Some people become famous, distinguished, or recognized leaders after they enter their
"golden years." Name a few of these people. What did they accomplish?
7. Was there an elderly person in your life who was special to you when you were a child?
How did that person affect your life?
8. What plans have you made for your retirement? How do you think your lifestyle will
change when you become a senior citizen?
9. Do you think there should be mandatory retirement for people over 65? Why or why not?
10. How have people in your county treated senior citizens? Explain.
11. How does the media depict older people? Do TV shows or movies generally show aging
in positive or negative light? Give some examples.
12. What are the "golden years"? Do you think that your older years will be "golden"? Why
or why not?
Think
Imagine you are in your golden years. Sit on a park bench and reflect on your life.
1. Do you remember your accomplishments, achievements, failures, adventures, some joyous
and some somber events? Share your thoughts.
2. Have you had any regrets? How can you change your life and lifestyle now to avoid
further unhappiness and failures?
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Let's Start
The president put your group in charge of improving your local city's environment. Make
a list of all the environmental problems in your city. Then make a list of how these problems
will be corrected.
Let's Talk
1. Give some reasons why people I become homeless.
2. Do you know anyone who was or is homeless? Explain.
3. Have you ever seen any homeless people on the street? What do you do when you see
them? Have you ever given a homeless person anything? What? Why?
4. What do you think is the best way to help a homeless person? Give an example.
5. What are some things that individual people in your country do to help poor people?
6. Are there any homeless people in your country? What does the government do to help
them?
7. In the United States a welfare system helps to provide assistance to some indivi duals who
cannot support themselves or their families. Food stamps, low-cost housing, shelters, reduced
utility rates, and sometimes money are offered by the government. What do you think about
this?
8.Does a public assistance or welfare system exist in your country? Why or why not? If there
is one, do you know anyone who is or was receiving assistance? Who? Why did that person
need help?
9. Name some professions that help homeless people. Name some occupations that help
people improve their lives so they might not become homeless.
10. If you were the president or leader of your country, how would you end poverty?
Usage
Find and circle your new vocabulary words in the story. Then read the story with another
student. Help each other understand your new words.
In society gender roles are changing. Traditionally, men asked women to go out on dates.
After marriage, men usually worked outside the home. Women typically stayed home to take
care of their children and do household chores. Nowadays, almost as many women as men
work outside the home. The women get paid for their work, and their employers often
congratulate them for their accomplishments.
In the past, society only looked up to and respected men, but now women are more active in
leadership roles.
Let's Start
When your teacher reads the questions, shout out, "men," "women," or "both." Then discuss
why you chose that answer.
1. Who pays on a date? Who calls whom for the date?
2. Who gives the first kiss? Who changes the babies' diapers?
3. Who asks whom to dance? Who asks whom to marry?
4. Who opens the door for whom? Who cleans the house?
5. Can you think of other situations? Ask the class.
Let's Talk
1. What are five jobs men usually do in your country? What are five jobs women usually do
in your country?
2. In your home who usually takes out the trash, puts away the laundry, takes care of the
children, cleans the house? Why?
3. In your country does a man call a woman for a date or does a woman call a man? W hy?
4. What's a man's role in your country? (What does society expect him to do?) What's a
woman's role in your country? (What does society expect her to do?)
5. Do you think traditional roles for men and women are easier than modern roles? Why or
why not?
6. What was a typical "woman's" job fifty years ago? What was a typical "man's" job fifty
years ago?
7. Do men and women always get equal pay for the same job in your country? Explain.
8. Do you think that most people look up to men or to women for leadership? Why?
9. Do you know which countries have "women's rights movements"? Name them. Is there a
"women's rights movement" in your country? Why or why not?
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10. Do you think that the women's rights movement has helped women? Men? Society in
general? Explain your answers.
11. How do you feel about a "men's rights group"? Why?
12. What has been the greatest accomplishment a woman has made in your country? Who
was she? What did she do?
ghost witness
Let's Start
Your teacher will read the following questions. Raise your hand if your answer is yes. Write
the name of a student who has also answered yes. Ask that student about his or her
experience.
Work in a group. Imagine a space ship has left behind a very strange and mysterious
creature. What does it look like? How should you greet it? How should you treat it? What
should you do with it? What should you feed it? Should you let it go free? (You sho uld study
it carefully!) Work with your group to create a picture and a story about your mysterious
creature. Present your project to the class.
Let's Talk
1. What are ghosts? Do you believe they I exist? Why or why not? Explain.
2. Where do people usually see ghosts? Have you ever seen a ghost? Discuss.
3. Do you believe that UFOs or creatures from other planets exist? Why or why not?
4. Where do people usually see a UFO? Has anyone you've known seen a UFO? Have you?
Talk about it.
5. Do you think the government should spend money to investigate or search for UFOs? Why
or why not?
6. Has any mysterious or supernatural event taken place in your country? Explain.
7. Have you ever been to a seance? Do you know anyone who has? Talk about your
experience.
8. Is it legal to hold a seance in your country? Do you think it should be? Why or why not?
9. Imagine you are an "eye witness" to a ghost, a UFO, or a supernatural phenomenon. What
should you do? Should you tell your friends and family? Should you call the police? Will
people believe you? Discuss.
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Think
Imagine you are a young child. A ghost of your mother or father is watching you and telling
you what you should and shouldn't do. What is the ghost saying?
You should do your homework. You shouldn't eat too much candy.
Role Play
Work in pairs. Imagine you are at a seance. Who do you want to make contact with and talk
to? Your partner will become that person. Tell your partner about three problems you have.
Ask your partner what you should do about them. Your partner (acting as the person you
have chosen) should be able to answer your questions.
My partner is_______________________________________.
What should I do about_______________________________ ?
What should 1 do about_______________________________ ?
What should I do about_______________________________ ?
Unit 8: DISASTERS
Vocabulary
Usage
Work with a partner. Read the vocabulary words to each other. Some of the words can be
associated with natural or other disasters. Decide in which category you think the words
belong. Write them below.
Let's start
Listen. Raise your hand if the following disasters have ever occurred in your city. Look
around the room. How many students have raised their hands? Introduce yourself to these
students after class, and ask them about their experiences.
earthquake tornado storm
war food poisoning bomb
plague oil spill fire
volcano insect infestation drought
Which disasters are the most common? Do you think that they are the most common
throughout the world? Discuss as a class.
Let's Talk
1. What is a "natural" disaster? Give some examples.
2. Give some examples of other disasters.
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3. Why do you think natural disaster occur? Give three reasons. What causes other disasters?
4. What was the most recent natural disaster that happened in your city? Talk about it.
5. Have you ever lived through a major disaster? Where? Who was responsible for it? Why
did it happen? How has it affected your life? Talk about it.
6. Has anyone you've known lived through a major disaster? How did it affect that person's
life?
7. What do you think was the world's worst disaster? Why do you think it was the worst
disaster?
8. What are natural resources? Name at least ten. Tell why some are important or useful.
9. Lack of natural resources can become a major disaster in the future. What can we do to
conserve our natural resources?
10. Some people think they can predict a disaster. For example, some people say birds flock
together in an unusual pattern. Others say there is unseasonable weather before an
earthquake. Do you know any other superstitions or have you heard any other predictions
about volcanoes erupting or tornados blowing? What are they?
11. Some scientists believe dinosaurs roamed the earth until a major disaster occurred that
made them all extinct. What do you think the world will look like five hundred years from
now? What disasters will have occurred? What animals will have become extinct? What will
have happened to the human race? Use your imagination.
Survey
Ask students about their experiences with disasters. Complete the chart.
Name Native Disaster you How it affected How will you prepare
country have experienced your life for a similar disaster?
_______ _________________ _____________ _____________________
_______ _________________ _____________ _____________________
_______ _________________ _____________ _____________________
_______ _________________ _____________ _____________________
_______ _________________ _____________ _____________________
What disasters have many of the students in your class experienced? Are some disasters
common to a particular country?
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Think
Imagine it is December 1 and you are a homeowner. A salesperson offers you a special end
of the year homeowner's insurance policy that guarantees all damages to your home will be
insured for the following year. To receive this policy, your home will have to be as disaster
proof as possible. What will you have done to your home by the end of the year to receive this
offer?
1. earthquake We will have moved all mirrors away from our beds
2. flood ___________________________________________.
3. fire ___________________________________________.
4. tornado ___________________________________________.
5. insect infestation ____________________________________________.
Write
Work with a partner. Imagine a futuristic disaster and write about the effects it will have on
the environment, population, food supply, and animal survival. Write your ideas in your
notebooks. Then share them with the class.
Unit 9: GAMBLING
Vocabulary
beat (the odds) brainstorm enroll friendship
Let's Start
Life is a game or Life is a gamble is a popular expression in English. What do you thi nk it
means? Have you ever gambled or taken a chance on something important in your life? Did
you beat the odds? Fill in the chart with important decisions you have made. Then check the
box that shows how you feel those decisions paid off. Was it a good decision (you won), or a
bad decision (you lost).
Decision or What was
or event the gamble? Won Lost Explain
Let's Talk...
1. Why do people gamble? Give five reasons.
2. What are five forms of gambling?
3. Do you know anyone who likes to gamble? Who? What games does that person play?
4. Where are five popular places people go to gamble? Where can people play the lottery,
bingo, slot machines, or poker? Have you ever played any of those games? Talk about it.
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5. When did you gamble last? What game did you play? Where? Did you win or lose the last
time you gambled? What did you win or lose ?
6. Have you ever beaten the odds at a game and won a lot of money? At what game? Where?
When? Do you know anyone else who has? Who?
7. Have you ever gone to a famous gambling town such as Las Vegas, Nevada (United
States), or a famous gaming place like Santa Anita horse races in California (United States)?
Talk about your experience. What are some famous gambling sites in your country?
8.Have you ever gambled and lost a lot of money? Tell your group about it.
9. Is gambling legal in your country? What kind, if any? If not, why isn't it legal? Do you
think that gambling should be legal or illegal? Why?
10.What should the government do about people who spend all their money on gambling?
Should they be forced to attend a recovery or self-help group such as Gamblers Anonymous?
Why or why not?
11.Gambling is an addiction. Other addictions some people have are: alcohol, overeating,
oversleeping, and overworking. What addiction(s) do you have? Do you think you could
break your addictive cycle? How could you try?
Survey
Ask students if they have gambled and find out if they were successful.
Name:
Have you ever made a bet?
Where?
What kind?
Did you win or lose?
What is the most common type of gambling? Do people usually win or lose?
Think
Gambling has both positive and negative effects on society. Work with a partner. Look at the
words below that are associated with gambling. What other effects does gambling have on
society? Add your own ideas. Then complete the charts.
Write
Chose one question. Talk about it with a partner. Then write a story in your notebook.
1. Have you ever beaten anyone at a game or sport? What game or sport? Who? When?
Where?
2. Have you ever won anything? What? When? Where? Why?
Usage
Work with a partner. Listen to your teacher read the vocabulary words. Decide which have a
positive meaning and which have a negative meaning. (Some have neither a positive nor a
negative meaning.)Write the words in the category you think they belong.
Positive Negative
educate war
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Let's Start
Discuss as a class. What are some current world problems? What countries are at war?
What were you doing when you heard about these situations?
Let's Talk
l. What are five reasons why countries engage in wars?
2. Who fights in your country's military? (Do both men and women help to defend your
country?)
3. Is military service voluntary or mandatory? (Do people enlist on their own, or are they
drafted?)
4. Do you think all countries need militaries? Explain.
5.What was the last war or conflict your country was involved in? Who was your country
fighting? Why? What was your family doing when they heard about the news?
6. Were you or was anyone close to you serving in the military during the last major war in
your country? Talk about it.
7.Have you ever lived in a city during wartime? Explain what it was like.
8.What is the United Nations? What purpose does it serve?.
9. Has the United Nations been effective in resolving World dilemmas? Give some
examples to justify your answers.
10.Do you think war is necessary? Why or why not?
11.What can each country do to avoid war?
12.In the United States soldiers who risk their lives and are injured receive honorable
discharges and medals (purple hearts). Soldiers who disobey orders receive dishonorable
discharges, and some go to prison. How are soldiers rewarded and punished in your country?
13.What can soldiers do to help their country during peacetime?
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Survey
Ask students about a war or conflict their country fought in. Fill in the chart.
Name Native country who was your When ? Why were
country fighting? they fighting?
Look at your chart. What are some common reasons for wars? What are other ways to solve
countries' problems?
Think
Work in pairs. Imagine you work for a volunteer organization like the Red Cross. What items
would you bring to people whose country had been devastated by war and military conflicts?
What suggestions would you give them to help rebuild their country?
Items Suggestions
Write
Imagine you are a historian. Write about the last major war that occurred in your country. (Who
was your country fighting? Why were they having this conflict?) Your story will be used to
educate future generations. Read your story to other students.
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Usage
Work in groups of three. Read the dialog and circle your vocabulary words. Try to guess the
meanings of the words from the context.
David: Sue, did you get paid today? Will you go shopping with me?
Sue: Sorry, David. I'm not going to be able to buy anything because every penny of
my paycheck has already been spent. Soon, I 'm not going to earn enough to
pay my monthly bills.
Dan: Tell me about it. I think I'm going to be broke forever.
Sue: At least you will be able to budget for luxury items. 1 can't! I'm going to be
broke after I pay off all my bills, and I'm not going to be able to buy anything until
my credit cards are paid off.
David: I have an idea! I'm going to cheer both of you up. Will you join me for ice
cream? It's my treat.
Dan: Of course we will!
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Let's Talk
1. What are five basic monthly bills most people have to pay?
2. Think about last month. What bills did you have to pay?
3. What necessary items do you buy frequently?
4. What are some luxury items that you buy? Name three.
5. When was the last time you had extra money after paying all your monthly bills? What did
you do with the money? Why? Have you ever invested money? How? Will you invest money
in the future
6. What are you going to buy in the future? Name at least five things.
7. When are you going to buy those things? Why are you going to buy them?
8. Have you ever saved money for a major purchase? If yes, for what? If not, why not?
9. Have you ever spent too much money and been unable to pay your bills? What happened?
Were you in debt?
10. Do you think if you earned more money you would be able to save more, or do you think
you would spend more? Why?
11. Do you think most people budget their money wisely? Why or why not?
12. For what things do you think most people save money? Why do you think that?
Survey
How are you and the students in your class going to earn a living in five years? Talk to
students and fill in the chart below.
Name :
What job do you have now?
Do you earn a comfortable living?
Are you going to try to find a new job?
Will you accept a job in a foreign country?
Why or why not?
What jobs do most students have now?
Are most students willing to move? Why?
Think
Make a list of all your present bills. Write how much you spend each month for each item.
Make another list of items you want to buy. Write the cost next to them. Are you going to
have enough money to buy the luxury items you want? Compare your list to another
student's. See how you can modify your debts.
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Write
You won the lottery! Are you going to manage your money any differently? How? What will
you do with your new nest egg? Will you buy more luxury items, invest in stocks and bonds,
give more to charity, or take a long vacation? Write your ideas in your notebook. Then share
them with the class.
Unit 12 : CHEATING
Vocabulary
copy order prosper report right reason view
Let's Start
Work in a small group. Read the poem and answer the questions.
Cheaters Never Prosper
Does somebody know the answer to this question?
Can I copy anybody's paper?
What? Nobody is going to let me cheat?
I don't care. I'll copy someone's paper when that person isn't looking.
Oh, no! Somebody will catch me.
The teacher will report me.
Society will punish me.
Nobody should cheat.
1 .What was this person's view on cheating at the beginning of the poem?
2. Did the person cheat? Why or why not?
3. Is that the right reason for not cheating? Why or why not?
4. What is your reason for not cheating?
Let's Talk
1. What are five school subjects many people think are difficult? Which do you t hink is the
most difficult?
2. What are five reasons why people cheat in school? In which subjects do you think people
cheat the most? Why?
3. Have you ever cheated in school? Why or why not? If you cheated, did you get away with
it, or did you get caught?
4 . Have you ever reported anyone who cheated? Why or why not?
5. When you were in school in your country, did you know anyone who cheated on tests?
Why do you think that person cheated?
6. If someone were caught cheating in school in your country, what would the teacher do?
What do you think the teacher should do?
7. What do you think would happen to society if no one were punished for cheating?
8. What would you do if you found out your friend cheated on a medical exam, and now your
friend is going to be a surgeon? Would you tell? Why or why not?
9. Some business owners cheat customers: Some cashiers short-change people, some
mechanics replace car parts that don't need to be replaced, and some insurance companies
don't pay their claims. Has anyone ever cheated you in a business transaction? Talk about it.
10. Deceptive advertising cheats millions of people a year. Have you ever bought something
because you saw someone demonstrate it on a TV commercial and when you tried the
product yourself, you were disappointed? Did you feel cheated? What did you do about it?
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Survey
How do students in your class feel about cheating? Survey them.
Name:
Country/Province:
Why do you think it is wrong to cheat?
What should happen to someone who cheats?
If you saw someone cheating what would you do?
What do most students think should happen to cheaters? Would most students report
someone who cheats?
Think
How do people cheat themselves and cheat others? Work with your group to make a list.
Then discuss why you think people do these things. Share your ideas with the class.
Cheat themselves Cheat others
Write
Imagine you're a teacher in a prestigious school. One of your students has cheated on the
final exam. In your notebook, write a letter to your student's parents telling them what has
happened and what you are going to do about it.
Role Play
Now find a student in class. Pretend that student is the parent of the child who cheated. Read
your letter to that person, and decide together if your solution to the problem is appropriate.
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free secondary school free legal aid child care for the poor
Let's Talk
l. In the United States, the government taxes people on their wages, investment income, most
purchases, property, and inheritance. What are five ways other governments collect money?
2. What are five major programs most governments in the world spend money on?
3. What are some programs the government of your country spends money on?
4. Did your government have programs to benefit poor, sick, or elderly people ten years ago?
What were they? If not, what programs, if any, does your government have to help its people
now?
5. Have you ever received help from any government agency? Why? What government
services or programs benefit you? In what way? Explain.
6. Would you be interested in becoming a budget director for your country's government?
Why or why not?
7. If you were the president or leader of your country, what would you change in your
country's budget?
8.If you could be in charge of all the government's money, what five programs would you put
on the top of your list to always receive government funding? Why do you support those
programs?
9. If you had the power to cut government spending, what programs would you eliminate?
Why?
10. Do you think your government spends its money wisely? Why or why not?
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Survey
Most governments tax the people. The tax money, or revenue, is used by many governments
to provide jobs and services for the people. Make a list of the government jobs a nd services
in your city. Complete the chart and discuss in a group.
Government job
or service Continue Eliminate Why?
Public education - An educated public makes a
strong society
- An educated society has
more crime.
Decide
Finish these sentences.
If I had to eliminate one government program, I would ___________________________.
identity react
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Let's Talk...
1. Why do some people get divorced? Name a few reasons.
2. Are any of your friends or family members divorced? How do you feel about it? How did
you react when you heard the news?
3. Have you ever known anyone who was in a bad marriage but would never get divorced?
Tell your group about that situation.
4. Have you ever wished someone you've known hadn't gotten a divorce? Who? Why?
5. After a divorce, do you think people should remain friends with their ex -spouse's friends
and family? Why or why not?
6. In The United States, it is common for people to separate before a divorce. Why do you
think they do that? Do people separate before they divorce in your country?
7. After a divorce, children usually live with their mother. However, in joint custody
agreements they split their time between their parents' homes. The father is usually required
to pay alimony and child support to his ex-wife. How do you feel about joint custody? What
do you think about alimony? Child support? Explain your opinions.
8. You're having a party. Your closest friends have just gotten divorced. You'd like to invite
both of them, but they're not talking to each other. Who do you invite? Why? Who do you
think will attend?
Survey
What is the marital status of the people in your class? Ask them. Complete the chart.
Name ?
Marital status?
How long?
Do you wish your marital ? status were different ?
Why ?
Are most people in your class married or single? Who has been married the longest? Are
most happy with their marital status?
Think
Lisa has been married to Bob for three years. Now they are divorcing. Lisa, like many
women in this situation, feels she married her husband for the wrong reasons. She wonders
how different her life would have been if she had married any one of her other boyfriends,
instead of Bob. Complete her thoughts by finishing the sentences below.
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John was funny. If I had married John, I would gave laughed a lot more.
1. Joe was rich. If I had married Joe, I___________________________________________.
2. Bill was intelligent. If I had married Bill, I _____________________________________.
3. Tom was kind. If I had married Tom, I________________________________________.
4. Greg was patient. If I had married Greg, I ______________________________________.
5. Steve was lively. If I had married Steve, I______________________________________.
6. Gary was generous. If I had married Gary, I ____________________________________.
7. Mark was fun. If I had married Mark, I________________________________________.
Write
What three things in your life do you wish you had done differently? Write them in your
notebook. Share them with someone in your class.
Usage
You might get the opportunity to look for a (new) job. Work in pairs. Look in the classified
section of a local newspaper or magazine. Circle as many of your new vocabulary words as
you can. Try to understand their meanings from the context. Could you have found these
words in another source? Where? (if there are no newspapers or magazines in your
classroom, circle the Let's Talk vocabulary words on the next two pages, and guess their
meanings from the context.)
33
Let's Start
What is most important to you in a career choice? Number the following items from 1 to 10.
(1 is the highest priority, 10 the lowest). Then discuss your choices in a small group.
salary job security
Let's Talk..
1. What are some incentives your current job offers? If you aren't employed at this time, talk
about incentives you had at a previous job.
2. What do you think you should do if you have more than one supervisor and each one gives
you different directions?
3.What are some things you can do if you don't get along with someone at work? Was there
someone at a past job you didn't get along with? What could you have done differently to get
along with that person better?
4. Imagine you and your friend work at the same company. You know you work harder and
do a better job than your friend. To your surprise, your friend gets a promotion and is now
your supervisor. What do you do?
5.Imagine your supervisor is making poor decisions for the company. Do you say anything?
Why or why not?
6. What would you do if you heard office gossip that could damage a co-worker's reputation?
Would you confront the people who spread the gossip, tell your co-worker, or do nothing?
Why?
7. Think about this situation: You have a boss who asks you to go out to lunch. You refuse,
but the following day, your boss asks you out again. You feel very uncomfortable about this.
What can you do? If this had happened to you at a previous job, what do you think you might
have done?
8. If the same salary and benefits were offered by all available employers for all jobs, which
job would you choose and why?
9. If you had known when you were younger what you now know about jobs and careers,
what might you have done differently to be better prepared for the career you want?
34
Role Play
What do you say when your supervisor gives you a negative review and you feel you don't
deserve it? If you were the supervisor how would you respond?
Work in pairs to role play. One student will play the part of the supervisor and the other the
employee. The supervisor, talks to the employee about poor work performance. The employee
feels the work has been above average.
Write
Look at question number 5 in the Let's Talk section. What do you think might have happened
if you told your boss he or she was making poor decisions? Why? (If you aren't working now,
think about a previous supervisor.) Write your answer below. Share it with the class.
Usage
Work in a group. Decide if the people in these situations are telling lies or making up
excuses. Try to understand your vocabulary words from the context. John must cancel plans
with his cousin to finish his work. He's already canceled plans with him twice this month.
Both times John told his cousin that he must work. He feels he can't tell him the same thing
again, even though it's the truth. So, this time he tells him he's sick.
An amusement park attendant asks a heavy lady to estimate how much she weighs. He says
he must know for safety reasons. The woman is embarrassed. She tells the attendant she's
fifty pounds lighter than she really is.
Kathy's at a friend's house for dinner. The food smells extremely bad, and has a terrible taste.
When her friend tells her to eat some more, Kathy says that the food was really good, but
she must stay on her diet. (Kathy isn't on a diet.)
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Let's Start
What are some excuses people give when they refuse a date Which of these are usually
true and which are usually lies?
Excuses
I have to wash my hair.
I'm going to a funeral.
Let's Talk
Reflect
Think back to when you were a child. Try to remember the things that your parents told you
must and mustn't do. What problems did you have when you didn't listen? What did you tell
them when things went wrong? Did you tell the truth, or did you make up a lie or an excuse?
Complete the chart. Then share your answers with a few students.
My parents told me My parents told me I must study.
What went wrong I didn't study and I didn't pass the test.
What I told them Everyone failed because the test was very difficult
36
Think
Many professionals tell people what they must or mustn't do. What have professionals told
you to do? When they ask you if you have done what they requested, and you haven't, what do
you tell them? Share your answers with someone in the class.
Let's Start
Success has different meanings to different people. How do you define success? Number the
following from 1 to 10. (1 is the highest priority, 10 the lowest) Then form into small groups
and discuss your choices.
Let's Talk
1. What is success? What are five ways a person can be successful?
2. Have you achieved any goals you have made for yourself? If so, which ones?
If not, why not?
3. In the United States, many people think of success in terms of money and fame. With this
definition in mind, who do you consider to be successful? Where do they live? What have
they accomplished?
4. How is success generally defined in your country? Name a world renowned successful
person from your country. Why is that person so successful? What do you think that person
must have done to become so successful?
5. Have you had success in this English class? What could you have done to be more
successful?
6. Who would you say is successful in your family? Why?
7. Do you believe people must work hard to become successful? Why or why not?
8. Is being successful important to you? Why or why not?
9. Do you have the kind of success you want in your life? If so, what have you done to
become successful? If not, what do you think you should have done? What can you do now?
10. What type of success do you think you might have in the future? How will you prepare
for it?
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Role Play
Work with a partner. Think k-about question 10 in the Let's Talk section. You have an idea
you hope will be successful. Imagine your partner will be the person who helps you achieve
that goal. Who would your partner be? How would you ask for the help you need? What
would you say? Organize your thoughts. Then role play.
My goal is to_____________________________________________________________
I would say______________________________________________________________
Write
Who is the most successful person you know? In your notebook, write about why that person
is so successful, and how he or she has become such a success.
Unit 18: IDENTICAL TWINS
Reading
Read the following true story. Then work with a partner and list all the coincidences you can
find.
James Springer of Dayton, Ohio, and James Lewis of Lima, Ohio, are identical twin. who
met for the first time at the age of 39. They were each adopted by different couples, who
named them both James. Each was told that his brother had died at birth. Springer has been
married twice. His first wife's name was Linda, and his second wife's name is Betty. Lewis
has been married three times. His first wife was named Linda and his second wife was named
Betty. One named his son James Allan, the other James Alan. Springer has a dog named Toy,
and Lewis had a dog named Toy when he was a child. Each has the same hobbies, goes to the
same vacation resort in Florida, drinks the same brand of beer, smokes the same kind of
cigarettes, liked the same subject - math - in high school, and has had law-enforcement train-
ing. They are the same height and weight, and both have high blood pressure.
Probably no one in your class is your long-lost twin. But you may have more in common with
your classmates than you think! Go around the class and talk to as many people as you can.
Find out if anyone:
was born on the same day as you;
is the same age as you;
likes the same sports, subjects in school, and entertainment as you;
has the same astrological sign and the same kind of personality as you;
39
Useful expressions
What day were you born? What did you like to do when you were a child?
Oh, I am/do/did/was too!
I'm not/I don't/I didn't/I wasn't either! I used to ...
Do you like ... ? Me too!
I like .... What about you? Not me.
TRUE OR FALSE?
Jeane Dixon, a famous psychic, can apparently read people's minds and foresee the future.
- Once she begged her husband not to take a plane. At the last minute he took the train. The
plane crashed.
- One night she walked into a party and told the people there exactly what they had been
doing before she arrived.
- Another time she looked at the picture of a girl she had never seen before and got up and
started walking just like the girl. The girl's father was amazed - his daughter had a medical
problem and could not walk normally.
a) Do you believe in ESP (extrasensory perception)? Can some people read minds or foresee
the future?
b) Have you ever heard of incidents like the ones above? Tell your partner about them.
c) Have you ever foreseen an event or had a feeling that something was going to happen? Do
you know anyone who has?
SUPERSTITIONS
Work with a partner and write out as many superstitions as you can think of.
For example:
It's bad luck to walk under a ladder.
40
THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE: Why have over 100 ships and planes disappeared in this
area, with the loss of 1,000 lives?
UFOs: Are unidentified flying objects (UFOs) spaceships from another planet?
CLAIRVOYANCE: Can some people see objects hidden behind a wall, or see objects that
are miles away?
REINCARNATION: When people die, do they return to earth as someone or something else?
ESP (extrasensory perception): Can some people read other people's minds and know what is
going to happen in the future?
TELEPATHY: Can some people read minds and know what other people are thinking?
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PREDICTING THE FUTURE: Can some people see the future by looking into a crystal ball,
or reading someone's palm, or using cards?
Can you think of other mysterious happenings in the world that cannot be explained? What
do you think about them?
Useful expressions
That's (not) my style. I like to wear ...
I like clothes that are ...
I'd rather buy ... than..
I almost never buy ...
I can't stand ...
I don't think I'd ever ...
I (don't) think clothes are really important because ...
Useful expressions
Do you think you would have room to I'd really like to have ...
bring me ... ? Can you get... in ... ?
Would you have time to look for ... ? I know it's crazy, but I'd love ...
Useful expressions
He likes (to) . . . , so we could give him.
I think she'd like. . . , because ...
What do you think ... would like?
How much does ... cost?
I don't think he'd like..., because ...
I think she'd like ... better.
We can't get him that, because ...
We're giving her.. . , because ...
Useful expressions
One thing I'd use it for is ... There's one computer system that ...
It would be great for ... I prefer/I'd rather communicate by ...
45
Work in pairs.
Ask each other what you remember most about high school or college.
- your favorite or worst teacher
- your first job
- your best or worst school memory
- your last day of school
Useful expressions
What do you remember about ... ?
Do you remember when (the first time you)...?
What's your most vivid memory o f ... ?
Do you remember anything about ... ?
I especially remember ...
Let me think just a minute ...
The only thing I can remember is . . .
I'll never forget the time ...
MEMORY LANE
Some people find it hard to remember what happened to them when they were younger. But if
there is someone to jog your memory, it can be easy. Work in small groups and find out from
your partners as much as you can about their
early childhood
birthdays and other celebrations
vacations
first flight, train trip, trip abroad, drink, cigarette, date, interview, job, etc.
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1. In the chart below you will find some things that people used to believe. Working with a
partner, match each item in the first column with the correct answer in the second column,
and make sentences.
People used to believe that...
tomatoes were ... foretold disaster.
the earth was ... fell faster than light ones.
comets ... flat.
heavy objects... caused by evil spirits.
all illness was ... the center of the intelligence.
a woman's place was ... revolved around the earth.
the sun ... poisonous.
the heart was ... in the home.
Useful expressions
It all started when ...
I'll never forget the time I ...
Everything went wrong/right.
And to make matter worse ..........
The worst/best was when ...
I felt awful/great!
It was fabulous/terrible.
DETECTIVE WORK
Imagine that a man you know, Edward Johnson, suddenly disappears. He seemed happily
married; he had two children and a good job in a bank. Everyone is baffled. Where is he?
Did he leave on his own? If so, why? Was he kidnapped?
When you are ready, tell your version of the events to another group.
Useful expressions
He might have ...
I think he probably ...
But that doesn't make sense. Maybe someone ...
I don't think he was ...
Our theory is that ...
48
AS TIME GOES BY
Work with a partner. Imagine that these children live in your country or the country you
come from.
Useful expressions
They'll probably have to/be able to ...
It'll be harder/easier for him/her ...
They won't have to/be able to ...
It may be more ...
They'll have ...
I f I were/could. . . , I would ...
CHANGES
1 Work in groups and discuss the following questions. Talk about what you hope will happen
and what you think will really happen 5 years from now and 20 years from now.
2. Do you think prices will go up or down in the future? Discuss in groups how much you
think the following items will cost 5 years from now.
a gallon (or liter) of gasoline an ice cream cone a cup of coffee at a cafe
a daily newspaper local bus fare a movie ticket
a pair of jeans a personal computer a new car
a pair of running shoes a can of soda
3. The following events might happen one day. Work with a partner and put them in order
according to which you think will happen sooner. Which do you think will never happen?
Add two events you would like to see happen during your own lifetime.
4. Find out if any of your partners can tell you about another movie or book about life in the
future.
COMMUNICATION ACTIVITY: WHAT'S IN YOUR FUTURE?
You are going to have your fortune told. Work with a partner.
THE TIME MACHINE
1. Work in pairs. Imagine that you are going on a trip that will take you 100 years into the
future. What will you need when you arrive? You have only enough room in your time
machine for some of the equipment listed below, but not all. Put each item into one of these
categories:
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* absolutely essential
*useful but not essential
*no use at all
aspirin checkbook food
bicycle Chinese phrase book Russian dictionary
notebooks heavy shoes sleeping bag
camera English dictionary raincoat
car television set radio
cash sunglasses watch
warm clothes tape recorder calculator
2. Are there any absolutely essential items that aren't on the list? Think of three and write
them down. Then get together with another pair and compare your lists. If you could take
only two items, which ones would you take?
3. Your time machine can travel only in time, not space, so it will take you to the place you
are in now. Work with a partner and decide what changes you expect to see 100 years from
now. After 24 hours the time machine is programmed to return. What will you do during your
one day in the future?
Useful expressions
I don't think we'll need ... Another thing we'll need is ...
I'd certainly like to take ... What about a ... ?
Why would you need a ... ? A ... would be useless.
I'd take ... just in case ... Maybe ... would come in handy.
Committee A :
Your committee is responsible for BUILDING. This includes housing and public buildings
like schools, sports centers, museums, hospitals. Work out a plan for the island's future
building program. Prepare a brief report to tell the other committees about your plan.
At present there is a primary school in each of the main towns, but there is only one
secondary school (in Topa, the capital). Most of the people live in small one-story houses
without any modern conveniences. There is one small hospital, one small museum, and no
sports facilities.
Committee B:
Your committee is responsible for TRANSPORTATION. Work out a plan for the island's
future transportation system. Think about air, rail, road, and sea transport. Prepare a brief
report to inform the other committees about your plans.
At present there is a small airport at Topa (it can't take jets), but no deepwater port. There are
no railroads and no good roads. Most of the population travels by small boat, bicycle, or on
foot.
Committee C :
Your committee is responsible for COMMERCE. This includes the manufacturing industry,
banking, and tourism. Work out a plan for the commercial future of the island. Prepa re a
brief report to tell the other committees about your plan.
At present the main industries are fishing, fish canning, and coconut oil production. The few
tourists who visit the island love the calm, quiet life there and the friendliness of the people.
There are only a few very small, simple hotels. Although taxes are very low, no international
company has invested in Boa Boa.
52
1. Which things are most important for you in a job? Which are not important for you? Make
a list of the three most important and the three least important things.
2. Discuss your choices in small groups. Did the discussion make you want to change your
list?
3. Work with a partner. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of having to work for a
living.
Useful expressions
I think it's important... The best/worst things about my job are ...
I like being able to ... I hate having to ...
It doesn't really matter if... I'd rather have a job that ...
FAIR PAY?
1. Work in pairs and rank these jobs according to how well-paid you think they are in
Vietnam.
a) Which of these jobs do you think are the most boring? the most interesting?
b) Can you think of some other jobs that are particularly exciting, dangerous, or unpleasant?
c) Are there jobs that men do better than women, and vice versa?
d) How do you think these jobs would rank for pay in your own country?
e) Nurses and teachers have to study longer than bus drivers, mail carriers, and police
officers. Why do you think they earn less money?
1. Work in pairs and discuss the qualities of a good student and a good teacher. Here are
some comments from an opinion poll. Check off the ones that you think are appropriate
qualities, and add more qualities to the list.
A good student
Always comes to class on time
Memorizes the book
Asks the teacher a lot of questions
Always does the homework
Listens quietly to the teacher and takes a lot of notes
Tries to figure out problems without help
A good teacher
is very friendly with students
Is very strict
Tells students everything they need to learn
Asks students to give their ideas
Makes students figure out problems for themselves
Always knows the answers to the students' questions
2. Work in pairs and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of being a teacher. Make a
list and read it to the class. Do they agree with you? Does your teacher agree?
3. Work in pairs and discuss the qualities you need to do your job well. Make a list of the
qualities like the one in number 1. If you aren't working now, talk about a job you would like
to have.
54
New Jersey drivers and front seat passengers are required by law to wear seat belts. The
problem for Beth Marinelli is that car manufacturers don't make seat belts large enough for
obese people. As a result, people with weight problems are not required to buckle up like
everybody else. "Statistics show how much safer it is to be in an accident while wearing a
seat belt," says Marinelli. "The lawmakers are saying that if you're fat, you can be exempt
from wearing a seat belt - that it's OK to die in a car accident,"
Marinelli talks publicly about the obese who face discrimination and has formed a group
called HOPE - Helping Oversized People Everywhere. But this is only one step in her
attempt to get the same opportunities for overweight people as for "normal" people.
"I want them to change the anti-discrimination laws from `You can't discriminate on the
basis of race, creed, color, or sex,' to `You can't discriminate on the basis of race, creed,
color, sex, or weight,"' says Marinelli. She claims that she is forced to work as a cook at her
brother's fast food restaurant because her weight discourages employers from hiring her.
Social discrimination against the obese is very strong, according to Marinelli. She left high
school because of constant teasing about her weight. But the cruel jokes and comments didn't
end with her youth. She recalls being out on a date with a young man and overhearing a
woman say to a friend: "What is that beautiful man doing with that fat cow?"
One day Mari- nelli wants to write a book about her life. She'll call it "Growing Up Fat in
America." She wants to warn young people who are overweight about what's in store for
them, and encourage them to lose weight. "If one 10-year-old fat kid listens to me and says,
`I don't want to go through that,' then I've succeeded."
In small groups, discuss the following questions.
a) What are the difficulties that fat people have? Can you think of others not mentioned in
the article?
b) What do you think about Marinelli's "fat rights" crusade?
c) List some other minorities who are victims of discrimination and describe their problems.
(examples: left-handed people, very tall people, handicapped people)
d) What should be done, if anything, to accommodate these "special" people?
55
e) Are these problems similar to the discrimination problems faced by women, races, or
religious groups? Explain why or why not.
Work in small groups. Imagine that the whole world is ruled by one government and that yo u
and your partners are leaders in that government.
It isn't in your power to change human nature, but you can try to improve social life and
economic affairs. What five changes would you propose?
Write down your proposals. Then explain them to another group of leaders.
Useful expressions
I think I'd...
The first thing I'd want to do is ...
I f possible, I'd ...
TODAY, as part of a new advertising campaign from the sportswear giant, Nike, Peter Hull
will appear on billboard posters all over London, alongside the slogan: "Peter is not like
ordinary people...". Indeed he is not. Peter has no forearms and no legs and, we are told, he's
done the London Marathon.
Peter hopes that his image will help to promote disabled sport. The cynical might say it will
simply promote Nike. "I did wonder whether this ad was going to be in good taste," he
admits. "But when they explained the idea to me, - quite liked it. It portrays me as an athlete,
not a victim and I think it's a positive message.
56
"The fact is, I've always been like this. I was born like this and you don't miss what you've
never had. I dream of having limbs. Of course I do. But I'm happy the way I am and I get
on."
Caret Press
Notes:
advertising campaign planned series of advertisements
giant extremely large company
billboard posters very big adverts at the side of the road
slogan advertising phrase that is easy to remember
Marathon long-distance (41.8 km) race
promote make people more interested in
the cynical people who do not believe in human goodness
in good taste what most people think is artistically acceptable
portrays shows
Key Language
Read this sentence from the article.
Imagine you work at Nike's advertising agency. The Peter Hull advert is still at planning
stage. Discuss it, using the prompts + might/might not.
a the campaign / not work
The campaign might not work.
b a less shocking slogan / give a more positive message
c the message / not be very clear
d the ad / be exploiting his disability
e the ad / shock the public too much
f people / say the ad is not in good taste
g the ad / offend disabled people
1. How do you know the Peter Hull photo is an advertisement for Nike?
2. What does the slogan Just Do It mean?
3. The advert does not tell us to buy Nike products. Why not?
4. Which three adjectives from this box best describe the ad?
What do you think of the Nike ad? Give reasons for your opinion. These notes may help
you:
Giving opinions
It seems to me ...
In my opinion...
Personally, I think..
My feeling is that...
As I see it...
If you ask me...
Asking opinions
Do you agree that...
We want your views on ...
How do you feel about...
Where do you stand on ...
What do you feel about...
What's your view on...
OVER TO YOU
How successful is this advertisement? Give your views in a one-minute speech.
Consider these points:
1. What is the ad for and how do you know?
2. Why are the jeans made of concrete? (The message?) How is colour used?
3. Who is the advertisement aimed at: men, women or both?
Will people remember the ad? Why/why not?
Guess the ending of the slogan which normally accompanies the ad:
LEVI'S 505 ZIPFLY JEANS
a Make you feel like a statue!
b Worn by Construction Workers since the 1960s.
c Heavier than concrete.
59
Check with your teacher for the correct slogan. Which one do you think is best and why?
Give a name to one of the following products and write a radio commercial for it, for two
actors. Then act out the commercial to the rest of the class.
In Britain, the ASA (Advertising Standards Authority) controls advertising. Here are some of
its rules:
1. Advertising must provides consumers sufficient information about the products advertised.
2. Advertisements must be "legal, decent, honest and truthful".
3. There can be no TV or cinema advertising of cigarettes.
4. Advertisements for alcoholic drinks should not be aimed at under-18s. They should not
suggest that a drink will make a person more popular.
5. Advertisements should not make children feel unpopular for not buying a product.
6. What do you think of the ASA rules? Is there an advertising authority in your country?
Have you seen any adverts that break any of these rules? Make up two more rules.
Unit 26:
Focus
What sort of experiments on animals do you know about? What is an animal rights activist?
ANIMAL RIGHTS
Man has bred animals for research for decades, but their use in the laboratory is increasing.
In 1994 the total number of experiments on animals rose by 15,000 to 2.8 million. Genetic
manipulation of animals is now the fastest-growing area of vivisection. The number of
creatures whose genes were tinkered with as part of an experiment, rose by 22 per cent to
256,000.
Brothers Charles and Jay Vacanti hope the technique they are pioneering, growing an ear
from human cells on the back of a genetically-engineered mouse, could be used to
reconstruct ears lost in accidents or to give normal hearing to children born without ears.
60
There are plenty of protesters queuing up to oppose these developments. "It's obscene,
declared a spokeswoman for compassion in World Farming. "Shocking and bizarre," added a
senior researcher for the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection.
Some organizations have taken their concern to the European Courts. The focus of this legal
challenge is the so-called "onco-mouse", a rodent bred specifically to contract cancer so that
the disease, and potential treatments, can be better understood. To animal righ ts activists,
onco-mouse is an animal designed to suffer and die prematurely.
Find the answers in the text to these questions.
a How many experiments on animals were done in 1994?
b What does the Vacanti brothers' research consist of?
c What is the aim of the research?
d List three adjectives used by protesters about this type of activity?
e What do scientists hope to learn from the "onco-mouse'?
Notes :
bred animals kept animals (so that they produce baby animals)
vivisection operating on living animals for research
pioneering developing for the first time
queuing up ready immediately
concern worry, anxiety
European Courts official tribunals which represent the European Union countries
focus principal area
challenge opposition
rodent small animal with long, sharp front teeth, eg. rat, mouse, rabbit.
Replace the participles in italics in the sentences below with who/which + verb.
a The Vacantis hope to help children born without ears.
b They also hope to reconstruct ears lost in accidents.
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Unit 27:
Before You Read
1 What makes a person beautiful? A perfect face? A good body? A healthy attitud e to life? A
good character?
2 There is a famous children's story called The Ugly Duckling.
3. Do you know what happens? The article below has the same title. Can you guess what it is
going to be about?
BEAUTY
The UGLY Duckling
I realised how cruel life can be for an unattractive child. when everybody in my class was
invited to a tenth birthday barbecue on the beach. Everybody, that is, except for me. At first I
thought there had been a mistake and that my invitation had been lost. But when I made
inquiries to the hostess, she didn't beat about the bush: "Sorry, Susie. You're too fat to wear a
swimsuit on the beach and you can't see without those horrible glasses anyway."
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I went home and cried for hours. My mother was ready with comforting cuddles, yet even
she couldn't bring herself to reassure me I was lovely. I used to spend a long time staring at
my brother and twin sisters and feeling extremely hard done by.
The chip that was developing on my shoulder became obvious in my aggressive manner.
This, of course, only made things worse
Tea invitations stopped, I walked home from school alone and often found drawings that
looked like me in the classroom wastepaper bin. I hated everyone because everyone seemed
to hate me.
When I was 14, my mother decided that I should go to the church youth club. I stood alone
watching the dancing, feeling embarrassed, ugly and awkward. Then a miracle happened.
A skinny boy called Peter, with glasses and spots, asked me to dance. He also had a brace on
his teeth. We didn't talk much but he asked if I would be there the following week. I have to
credit Peter with changing my life. He stopped me feeling hideous.
Encouraged, I put myself on a diet, begged my mother for contact lenses and grew my hair.
Then another miracle occurred. I grew taller and, as that happened, I started looking slimmer.
The brace was finally removed and my teeth were even. I was never going to be a beautiful
swan, but I was going to try.
Notes:
beat about the bush waste time before saying something important
cuddles embraces
bring herself force herself
hard done by unfairly treated unlucky
chip ... shoulder inferiority complex
tea early evening meal
awkward uncomfortable
skinny extremely thin
brace metal frame (for straightening teeth)
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KEY LANGUAGE :
Used to means something regularly happened in the past but doesn't now. The negative form
is didn't use to. The interrogative form is Did ... use to...?.
Examples:
I used to wear glasses but I wear contact lenses now.
She didn't use to worry about her appearance when she was younger.
Did you use to wear a brace when you were a child?
How have you changed? Tell your partner about these topics.
• appearance
• sports and exercise
• food
. family
Make 10 statements with used to/didn't use to. Here are some examples: I used to have long
hair but now it's short.
I didn't use to do much exercise but now I play a lot of tennis.
Prepare to retell Susie's story in your own words. Write brief notes. Close your books. In
groups tell the story, each person saying a sentence.
Do you think the girl was right to exclude Susie from her birthday party? Why/why not?
Which aspects of her appearance did Susie worry about most of all ? What other aspects do
teenagers worry about? (Look at these photos.)
How do you choose your friends? What influences you in your choice? Put these ideas in
order of importance (1 = most important, 9 = least important) and discuss you r decision with
a partner.
Which woman do you think is the most beautiful? Which image do you react most strongly
to and why? Which practice do you find the most acceptable? Which practices do you think
are bad for women?
Choose one of the following statements and prepare an argument to support it. (Don't worry
if you don't believe in it!) Make some notes first.
"It's much more important for women to be attractive than for men. "
"You don't have to be physically perfect to be attractive. You just have to be self -confident. "
"Beauty contests are an insult to women. "
Unit 28:
Before You Read
1. Can you name any religious cults? How did you hear about them and what do you know
about them?
I'M A BELIEVER
Jane Allison joined the Unification Church - the Moonies - three days after her 18th birthday
"I met up with some girlfriends and someone suggested going to a Moonies meeting for a
laugh. We went along and were surprised - everyone seemed kind and intelligent. I started
going to their meetings and hanging out with them at weekends. They talked about helping
the elderly and poor and working towards a better world. I told my parents about them but
they told me to stop seeing them immediately. I'm not a rebellious person but I didn't see why
I should stop - they knew nothing about it. Just alter my 1 8th birthday u the Moonies asked
me if I wanted to join them officially in London. I said "yes". It seemed the right thing to do.
I went to a big house in Kent to do a 21-day workshop. By the end of the 21 days everybody
feels euphoric.
But what was actually going on without me realizing it was a classic form of brainwashing.
I left to join a Moonie centre in Leeds. My life revolved around fundraising and trying to get
new recruits. I got up at 8 am and didn't stop until 11 at night, seven days a week. I carried
on like that for nearly four years. I hardly ever saw my family. They kept writing and
phoning but I wasn't interested. I believed they were evil because they were trying to steal m e
away from the organisation.
One day I couldn't take any more and when everyone was out I rang a friend to come and get
me. You can't imagine how difficult it was. I could have walked away physically at
any time, but mentally it's so difficult. They tell you you'll never have a fulfilled life if you
leave, and you believe them. It took me a long time to feel anything like normal. I felt guilt,
shame and fear."
Notes:
hanging out spending time
workshop course
euphoric unreasonably happy and excited
brainwashing forcing someone to reject old beliefs and accept new ones
fundraising getting money for the organisation
recruits members
fulfilled enjoyable and satisfying
Talk about it
Why do you think the Moonies waited until Jane was 18 before inviting her to join them?
Why do you think Jane became a member and why did her parents object? Use evidence from
the article, the box below and your own ideas.
THE MOONIES
• The organisation, also known as the Unification Church, has 2-3 million
members worldwide and about 500 in Britain.
• Its Leader Sun Myung Moon was born in Korea in 1920.
• The first Moonie centres were set up in Britain and the USA in the 1960s.
• Moonies must not drink alcohol, smoke or have sex before marriage.
• Moon, who calls himself The Lord of the Family, claims Jesus appeared to him in a
vision and asked him to continue his work on earth.
• Moon says in his book The Divine Principle that Jesus died before he could get
married and therefore failed to have a perfect family. He claims that he and his
wife, known in the group as The True Parents, are putting this right.
What is the difference between being in a group like the Moonies and being a member of an
established religious group like the Roman Catholic Church? Discuss these points:
• How new and how big is the group?
67
Roleplay a conversation between Jane and a friend who is trying to get her to leave the
Moonies.
Do you think it is possible to have strong moral values without having a religion to guide
you? Think about your own attitudes to:
• killing
• stealing
• helping people who are weaker than yourself
Are your attitudes based on religious beliefs, your family or school's moral views, the law in
your country?
In Britain, Christianity is the religion. By law, every school in England should have a
religious service every day and teach religious education. Do you think this is right? What
sort of religious education is best in a multi-cultural society?
Give a short speech on your beliefs or religious practices.
Write a questionnaire about beliefs and religious practices. Prepare about 12 questions.
Here are some possibilities.
Do you believe in...
God?
an afterlife?
Do you...
pray?
attend religious services regularly?
attend religious services only on special occasions?
If so, which ones?
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Unit 29:
Before you read
Should we be hard or soft on young criminals? Should we throw them into prison, or
should we try to understand and help them ?
TEENAGE KILLERS FREE AFTER 5 MONTHS
by Cherry Norton
THE PARENTS of 12-year-old Louise Allen, who was killed last year, have reacted with to
the news that her killers are to be horror released on the anniversary of her death.
Louise was kicked to death by two girls in a fairground in Corby, Northamptonshire.
She had intervened to separate two girls who were fighting. A fourth girl joined in, thinking
the fight had become a two-against-one affair.
Louise was attacked and kicked repeatedly, once while lying motionless on the ground. She
died the next day.
The teenagers were convicted of manslaughter in December, and given a two-year custodial
sentence.
The original charge of murder was dropped after extensive negotiations involving the police,
defence lawyers and Louise's parents. The girls will be released on April 30, just five months
after being convicted - the term is based on a 12-month reduction for good behaviour and
seven months spent in custody before the trial.
Louie's mother said she could not believe they were going to be released on the first
anniversary of Louise's death.
She will visit her grave on Wednesday with her ex-husband John and Louise's brothers,
John, 12, and Dean, 2. The family intends to put flowers in the red and white of Manchester
United, her favourite football team, on the grave.
THE SUNDAY TIMES
Which of these headlines would be suitable for the article? Explain your choice.
a Shock at 12-year-old girl's death
b Anger at early release of killers
c. Louise: murder charge dropped
Notes:
anniversary the same date, one year/two years etc. later
fairground park with amusements (eg. the big wheel, ghost train)
intervened got involved
motionless not moving
Here is some important language for talking about crime and the courts.
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If the police arrest you, they charge you with a crime; the charge could be theft, possession
of drugs, murder etc.. In court there are two lawyers: one against you, and one representing
you - the defence lawyer. If the court decides you are not guilty, it releases you - you are free
to go. If the court finds you guilty, it convicts you of the crime. The judge then decides on
the sentence - eg. how much you must pay (as a fine), or how long you must stay in prison.
In custody (a custodial sentence) means in prison or, if you are too young for prison, in a
special children's home. Manslaughter means killing a person, but it is not as serious as
murder - perhaps you wanted to hurt, but not kill, him/her.
The two girls who killed Louise were only 11 and 12 years old. Do you think that the
sentence was right?
Here are some of the sentences possible in an English court.
Probation You have to stay out of trouble. Once a week you visit a "probation
officer", who asks about your behaviour
Suspended You don't go to prison immediately, eg. "a six-month
prison sentence sentence suspended for one year" means if you behave well for one
year, you are free. If you do something wrong, you go to prison for
six months
Prison You go for a fixed period (ranging from a very short period to "life")
Now look at these cases. If you were a judge, what sentence would you give to these people?
Choose from the chart, give full details (eg. a £1000 fine/3 years in prison/one year on
probation) and discuss your decision(s).
a 18-year-old Miranda worked in a shoe-shop. She lost her job when she stole £92
from the shop.
b Nigel is 38. He drank a bottle of wine and then drove home. He had a car accident
and killed a 13-year-old boy.
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c Kevin, 15, was caught travelling on the train without a ticket. The correct ticket
would have cost £1.75.
d Stacey, aged 22, was caught selling marijuana at a disco. At her flat about 50
grammes of the drug were found (value: around £250).
e Dean, 17, broke the window of a new Mercedes and stole a mobile phone and four
CDs.
f Samira is 32. She killed her husband with a knife while he was asleep. He had been
very cruel and violent with her for more than 10 years, and he often had girlfriends.
The courts sometimes make mistakes, and innocent people are found guilty. Is this an
important point in the argument?
Some people say the death penalty is against the constitution of the USA, because the
constitution forbids "cruel or unusual" punishments. Do you agree that the death penalty is
cruel?
In different states of the USA, different methods of execution are used, eg. hanging, the
electric chair, lethal injection, shooting by firing squad, lethal gas. Which do you find the
most and the least acceptable?
The last woman to be executed in Britain was Ruth Ellis. She was hanged in 1955.
She had shot her lover because he had another girlfriend.
It was a "crime of passion". Do you think the death penalty should be used for this type of
crime?
71
Unit 30 :
Before you read
Are there any rules in your house? How strict are your parents compared with your friends'
parents?
SEX... DRUGS... ALCOHOL?
What really does go on in a teenager's bedroom?
Notes:
trusts me believes that I am honest, sincere
out of order wrong
take liberties use one's freedom in the wrong way
behave say/do things
condoms contraceptives worn by men
have ... over invite
as long as if
put up with tolerate
a degree of some
There are many different ways of talking about rules. Read these sentences from the article.
c be home by
d go out at the weekend
e have parties
f watch TV during the week
g have friends round
h use the telephone
i pay for telephone calls
j have friends stay over
k have boy-/girlfriend stay over
l smoke cigarettes
m help with the housework n alcohol
o drugs
In groups, compare the rules in your families. Make a list of the five commonest rules. Do
you agree with them? Why/why not?
1. Are there different rules for boys and girls in the same family? If so, what are the
differences and do you think they are fair?
2. What do/did you argue about with your parents most often? Describe the worst argument
you have ever had with them.
3. With a partner, make a list of five rules for parents of teenagers. Tell the rest of the class
why you think each rule is important.
4. What do you think of Sharon's behaviour? What would you have done in her situation?
5. Do you think the headteacher was right to expel her?
6. What are the main rules at your school? Are they written in a rule book? Do you agree
with them? Why/why not? Which rule do students break most often? What other rules do you
think would be useful?
Corporal punishment is forbidden in state schools in Britain. These are some of the usual
punishments
• Detention
• Extra school work
• Suspension
• Unpaid jobs at the school (eg. cleaning the classroom)
• Not being allowed to take part in certain school activities (eg. school excursions, sport,
music)
• Expulsion
74
Make a list of punishments that people have received at your school. What had they done
wrong? Do you think their punishments were reasonable?
Choose one of the following statements and make an argument to support it. You don't have
to agree with it! Make a few notes first.
"Giving children freedom turns them into responsible adults. "
"Society is becoming more violent because parents and schools are not strict enough. "
"Strict parents produce rebellious children. "
"The main reason parents are strict with their children is because today's society is very
dangerous. "
Unit 31:
Focus
What do today's fashion models look like? Do you like that look? Why/why not? Are you
influenced by fashion?
ARE TODAY'S TEENAGERS VICTIMS OF FASHIONS?
A survey among the 1,300 pupils at Caldicot Comprehensive School, near Newport, Wales
shows that teenage girls and boys are deeply affected by the images presented by the fashion
industry in magazines.
When we asked whether super-slim fashion models influence anorexia - the eating disorder
in which people go without food-100 per cent of our sample replied "Yes".
It's not just our schoolmates who hold these views. We interviewed psychologist Dr Glenn
Waller of London's Royal Holloway College, an expert on the influence of fashion on
adolescents. He told us that fashion photographs in magazines make a huge impact on young
people's self-image, particularly females aged 13-19.
"Young people are guided by media standards while they are looking around for an identity,"
he said. "Magazines provide ideas and these can affect vulnerable people ." "If women look
at supermodels who are beanpoles, they may imagine that they themselves are fatter than
they really are. If the media used a wider range of female shapes it would be better."
Fortunately, many Caldicot students are not victims of the image-makers. Here's what some
of them said:
"If you're constantly dieting, you can't enjoy life. "
"Fashion is something kids can control it is a path many teenagers take to break free and
have fun."
"I find nothing attractive about six- foot models who are two stone underweight; they just
look ill."
"Friends shouldn't write you off for wearing unfashionable clothes; if they do, they aren't
very good friends. "
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Notes:
affected influenced
go without food don't eat
sample the people who were interviewed
our schoolmates other pupils at our school
make a huge impact have a big effect
self-image the opinion people have of their own looks
are guided by follow
media standards what they see in magazines/newspapers and on TV
Looking around for an identity trying to decide what sort of style to have
vulnerable sensitive
beanpoles very thin
range variety
path road
six-foot 1 metre 83
two stone about 13 kilos
Tick (.v) the six opinions which are expressed in the article. Find the sentences in the story
where they are expressed.
a True friends don't expect you to be fashionable.
b You can't blame the fashion business for anorexia.
c Clothes look better on thinner people.
d Dieting takes the fun out of life.
e Fashion allows teenagers to feel free and have fun.
f Fashion models today are getting larger.
g Images of very thin models may make ordinary women feel fat.
h Underweight models are unattractive.
i Pop groups influence teenagers' ideas about fashion.
j The media should show different sizes and shapes.
Read this sentence from the article.
They may imagine that they themselves are fatter than they really are.
Comparative words like fatter and more fashionable can go with a clause (than...)
Make similar sentences from the prompts.
76
Example:
There is a big choice of styles now. There didn't use to be a big choice.
There is a bigger choice of styles now than there used to be.
a She thinks her figure is bad. It isn't bad.
b He thinks being fashionable is very important. It isn't really very important.
c She used to be relaxed about her appearance. She isn't so relaxed now.
d Nowadays young models look unhealthy. They didn't use to look unhealthy.
e Fashion models are very thin. They shouldn't be so thin.
f Fashion should be practical. It isn't practical in the fashion magazines.
Example:
"- looks very feminine in her Indian skirt. It's very comfortable and the colours go well with
her tie-dyed top. "
Choose one of the following statements and make a one minute speech supporting it. You
don't have to agree with it! Make a few notes first.
a "You can know a person's character from their clothes. "
b "Clothes are becoming more and more aggressive in style. "
c "Fashion has been greatly influenced by sportswear. "
d "Young people look as though they are wearing a uniform, they are all so
similarly dressed. "
Which of these factors are most important when you choose your clothes? Number them from
1 (most important) to 10 (least important).
Do a survey to find out the top three factors in the class.
comfort
what your friends are wearing
colour
cost
what's available in the shops
material
originality
if the clothes suit you
what pop/TV stars are wearing
fashion magazines
78
Unit 32:
Focus
How do you get on with new people? What if you have to live or work together? Do you
become friends - or drive each other mad?
LIVING WITH A STRANGER
Thrown together, roommates can become the best of friends - or enemies
The roommate situation is the first challenge students face. Learning to tolerate a stranger's
idiosyncrasies may teach flexibility and the art of compromise. But the learning process is
often painful. At Ithaca College in Upstate New York, Julie Noel and her roommate were
uncommunicative and uncomfortable throughout the year. "I kept my stereo up once for a
whole day just to test her because she was so timid," says Noel. "It took her until dinnertime
to finally turn it off." Near year's end, the two ended up in a screaming fight. "Looking back,
I wish I had talked to her more about how I was feeling," says Noel.
Most roommate conflicts spring from such small, irritating differences. Suzie Orr, director
of housing at Indiana's St Mary's College, says that the matching process is complicated: "Do
you put together people who are similar -or different, so they can learn about each other?"
Alan Sussman at the University of Maryland says: "I think they must have known each of our
personalities and picked the opposite." While Sussman was neat and a compulsive studier,
his roommate was messy and liked to party into the early hours. Sussman considered moving
out at the end of the semester, but decided to stay and "fight it ', out". Against all odds, the
two ended up being friends. Says Sussman: "We taught each other a lot."
There are many stories of college roommates becoming lifelong friends. Singers Jean Norris
and Renee Neufville of the soul duo Zhane started writing songs while rooming together at
Temple University in Philadelphia. After breaking up with their boyfriends within 24 hours
of each other, they managed to compose their way out of the blues.
Match the people with the facts.
a Suzie Orr didn't like her shy roommate
b Jean Norris tries to put the right students together
c Julie Noel is very tidy, unlike his roommate
d Alan Sussman ended up working with her roommate
Notes:
idiosyncrasies somebody's individual qualities/ habits (eg. sleeping with the
window open)
flexibility being happy to change; easy with other people
compromise half way between two points of view
conflict disagreement, fight
79
Make your own list of the most irritating things about people in your life - friends, family, or
just people you know. Then say what you like about the same people.
Mahatma Gandhi said "The only really lasting and valuable friendship is bet ween people of a
similar nature. " In the article, Susie Orr is not so sure of this. What do you think?
The English poet William Blake (1757-1827) wrote:
I was angry with my friend.
I told my wrath, my wrath did end.
I was angry with my foe.
I told it not, my wrath did grow.
Can you explain the meaning of the poem? (wrath = anger, foe = enemy) Do you agree with
the idea?
When a girl gets a boyfriend, does that often affect her other friendships? And what about
when a boy gets a girlfriend?
Which of these quotations or proverbs do you agree with? Say why/why not.
a "Friendship never ends." (The Spice Girls)
b "Money can't buy friendship."
c "A faithful friend is the medicine of life." ( Ecclesiasticus)
d "A friend is a person with whom I may be sincere." (Ralph Waldo
Emerson)
e "The only way to have a friend is to be one." (Ralph Waldo Emerson)
f "Old friends are best."
g "Good neighbours become good friends." (The title song of Neighbours, a
TV soap opera)
Read this letter to Sandy, an "agony aunt" working for a magazine.
Dear Sandy,
I don't know what to do. Emma and I have been best friends for years. We do everything
together. But now things are going wrong. Two months ago I started going out with a
gorgeous boy called Darren. I'm crazy about him. The problem is that Emma really likes him,
too. I can't help noticing the way they look at each other. We've always discussed everything
in the past, but we don't talk about him - its almost a forbidden subject. If they get together,
I'm going to lose my best friend AND my boyfriend - I can't bear to think about it. Please
help me.
Catherine
Imagine you are Sandy .Talk to Catherine, giving her some advice.
81
Unit 33:
Focus
Do you live in a place with traffic jams? traffic jams? Do you know about any other
environmental problems caused by cars?
LEAVE YOUR CAR AT HOME !
In the last hundred years, cars have revolutionized the way we travel... but at what cost? If
you're a driver, using your car less is one of the most important things you can do to help the
environment - and help make it easier for everyone to get around. Here's why.
IT'S A CHOKE!
Car fumes are the leading cause of smogs, which are choking our towns and cities, and a
major contributor to poor air quality in rural areas, threatening the health of one in five
people.
Pregnant women, young children and people who suffer from heart and lung disease are
most at risk.
GOING NOWHERE
With 21 million cars alread y, clogging up UK roads, travelling can be a slow and frustrating
experience. If we don't do anything to cut car use, there could be more than 30 million cars
competing for road space by the year 2025.
Road congestion already costs our economy some £IS billion every year.
CLIMATE CATASTROPHE?
Road traffic is the fastest growing cause of carbon dioxide, the main "greenhouse gas".
Rising levels c greenhouse gases in our atmosphere threaten to make the Earth hotter leading
to disastrous changes in the world's climate.
Cars pump out 14% of all the UK's carbon dioxide pollution.
CARMAGEDDON
Making cars, producing fuel and building roads gobbles up precious natural resources,
destroys and poisons huge areas of land.
In the UK, road building threatens to damage or destroy over 50 of our finest wildlife
reserves.
WHAT A WASTE!
When cars are scrapped, many materials end up in the ground or burnt, poisoning our air,
water and soil with harmful chemicals. Each year 1,400,000 cars are scrapped worldwide.
choke not being able to breathe
rural in the country (not the city)
82
threatening risking
clogging up blocking
congestion heavy traffic (= traffic jams)
fuel petrol
Pollution things which damage the environment
gobbles eats greedily
resources useful natural things (eg. metals, oil)
scrapped destroyed
soil the earth in which plants grow
harmful dangerous (for people animals or plants)
Why do people love cars so much? Is it because they are convenient means of transport - or
do they have other qualities? (Think about car adverts.) Do a survey in your class to find out.
Is it possible to "use cars less"? In groups, discuss these ideas
• provide good public transport
• make it difficult for car users (eg. expensive parking)
• cut down the need for journeys (eg. new technology)
1. The article talks about damage to the environment even if we don't use cars much. Discuss
one or more possible solutions to this problem.
2. Who should solve these problems - governments or individuals? Would you rather join a
political campaign, or do something about it yourself, instead?
3. Farmers in Brazil want to cut down the forest to make room for agriculture. Tourists want
to keep the forest so that they can seethe wildlife. In groups, prepare the arguments on each
side, and then talk about the issue in class.
4. Many people in Britain think that tropical countries should preserve their rainforest. But
those countries sometimes say: "You in Britain have cut down all your forest. You have no
right to tell us what to do." It is true that 6,000 years ago, Britain was covered in forest, and
now only a tiny area remains. How do you feel about this argument?
5. What can you do to prevent the destruction of the rainforest? Make a list of ideas, then
discuss and decide which are the most useful.
Here is a short list of environmental "green" issues. Which do you think is the most
important? Explain your choice to the class.
• climate change - global warming, or "the greenhouse effect"
• acid rain
83
• species in danger of extinction (eg. the rhino, the elephant, the tiger)
• destruction of the rainforest
• destruction of the countryside
• pesticides and other pollution in food
It is sad when an animal or plant species becomes extinct. But we don't feel bad about the
dinosaurs - and they disappeared millions of years ago. Does it really matter if we lose a few
more species?
We use would or 'd when we imagine a situation or action. Often there is an if -clause with
the past simple in the same sentence.
Examples:
If I found a 5-pound note in the street, I would hand it in.
I'd buy a boat if I won £100,000 in the lottery.
Use the prompts to make questions with if + past simple and would.
a shop assistant (give) you too much change by mistake / what you do?
b you (see) someone cheating in an exam /you report them?
c you (crash) your motorbike into an expensive car and nobody (see) you / you tell the
police?
d your rich friend (forget) he had lent you £20 /you remind him?
e how you feel / you (lose) your wallet containing £50?
f you tell the waiter / he (forget) to charge you for your drink?
4 In pairs, ask and answer the questions above. Give reasons.
Do you think the Readers Digest experiment was a good way of checking on people's
honesty?
Do you agree that women are more honest than men? Why/why not?
What would you do in the situations described in the last two paragraphs of the article?
Would you choose one of the options or take some other action?
Have you, or has anyone you know, ever lost money or something valuable? What
happened? Did you/(s)he ever get it back?
Do you think it would be excusable for a very poor person to keep a wallet found in the
street?
85
Unit 35:
Focus
English is becoming a world language. Is this good news for everyon e, or can it cause
problems?
NO GETTING AROUND IT : ENGLISH IS GLOBAL TONGUE
by the Marques de Tamaron
Most of us feel that our own language is an essential part of our national identity, yet at the
same time we realize that we need a world language, a sort of lingua franca.
Over the centuries, Greek, Latin, Spanish, French, Malay, Swahili and other languages have
been used as international instruments for trade, diplomacy or religion. Many of them are
still used in that capacity But three new elements have complicated the situation. The first is
the rise of English to the position of world language. This makes life easier for many people,
but it irritates others. Many speakers of less widespread languages feel threatened by English.
It is like sleeping next to an elephant; regardless of its intentions, the size of the animal
makes it dangerous.
Speakers of minority languages quite rightly fear the disappearance of their cultural identity.
According to Michael Krauss of the Alaska Native Language Center, nine out of ten of the
6,000 languages in the world will die out within the next century. This is the second new
element in the linguistic situation. The third, more dangerous, novelty is the modern
reluctance to accept multilingualism. Why shouldn't a Corsican use Corsican in some cases
and French in others? Indeed, why should a Frenchman feel dishonored using Englis h to sell
Camembert to a Japanese?
Nowadays, linguistic rivalry is the third most common cause of conflict, after race and
religion, and is often mixed with the other two. It need not be so.
Everyone is right in trying to preserve his or her vernacular tongue. But this should not
exclude other languages. Speakers of minor languages will also have to learn a major
language to profit from the expanding world economy.
INTERNATIONAL. Herald Tribune
Some French speakers in Quebec want independence from English-speaking Canada. The
Basque language (Euskera) was banned by the Spanish government; after a long struggle, it
was accepted as an official language only in 1980. Why do people care so much about their
own language? Would you fight for the right to speak your language?
Why do you think English is becoming a world language? Is it because it is easy to learn? Or
is it for historical or economic reasons? What are these reasons?
In some countries people are getting angry about the use of English words in t heir own
language. For example, not everybody likes le marketing, le stress and le fast food in
French. How do you feel about this? Does it matter? Can it be stopped?
87
You are learning English at this moment. Is there any other language that you would real ly
like to learn? Give your reasons. Have a vote in your class to discover the most popular
language (other than English).
There used to be a lot of dialects around Britain - each with its own words and grammatical
forms. Now the dialects are more or less dead, and only regional accents remain. Is that a
good or a bad thing? Do you speak a dialect? What is happening to dialects in your country?
Here are some possible effects of growing up bilingual.
Unit 36 :
Focus
What does the Internet mean to you? Have you ever tried it? Do you think it is a good or a
bad thing?
NET ADDICTS LEAD SAD VIRTUAL LIVES
In the fall of 1994, Lisa Bowes decided to give up her computer. As an undergraduate in
California she'd spent so much time chatting with strangers on the Internet that she
eventually made close friends in places as far away as Sweden and Germany. And a man
from Pennsylvania she met online came to visit her, with romantic intentions.
Nearly all of her free time - up to seven hours a day - was spent with the computer.
The Internet has its own language. Before you start using it, you'll need to know a few basic
words.
the Net the Internet
virtual not real, existing only on the computer
online when you are connected to the Net
surf play with the Net, not looking for anything in particular
(the opposite is "search for something")
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download copy something from the Net onto your hard disk
e-mail electronic mail sending letters through the Net
modem the device which connects your computer to the telephone line
People also get addicted to computer games. Have you played them? Why do you think they
are "addictive"?
If you collect photos of TV or film stars, or if you study the history of football in South
America, the Internet is for you. You can always find groups of people - somewhere in the
world - with the same interest or hobby. What special interest groups would you like to check
out on the Internet, and why?
With television and newspapers, there has always been some government control and
censorship. With the Internet, control is almost impossible. Can you think of problems or
dangers that might come from the freedom of the Internet?
The Internet can offer some wonderful things. For example, how do you think doctors or
writers or students might use it? What are the possibilities of the Internet?
Computers do some jobs much quicker and cheaper than humans. Make a list of jobs which
might be done by computers. Do you think that computers cause unemployment?
One CD-ROM can hold the same as almost half a million pages in books. So they are very
good for reference materials, like encyclopedias. They can also carry sound and video
pictures. But are they better than books in every way? Is there any reason to prefer books?
We are in the middle of an "information revolution": computers, CD-ROMs, the Internet and
mobile phones. In what ways can these technologies be good for the environment?
Every night an army of invisible people disappear into the alleys and abandoned buildings of
Austin, Texas. They are the city's homeless.
But here and in more than 40 cities across the United States, the homeless are facing new
laws banishing them from the streets. Critics see the movement as proof of the growing
hardheartedness of America. There are about 700,000 homeless people in the United States.
In Austin the city council is nearing final approval of a law to ban camping in any public
place.
In New Orleans, an anti-camping law has just been proposed, to control the homeless youths
who swarm the French Quarter. "The general public is fed up," said New Orleans city council
president Peggy Wilson. "People should be able to use public spaces. When other people
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come in and build cardboard tents and so on, the area becomes inaccessible for everyone
else. Particularly in Lafayette Square, there's a group that feeds people on weekends, and
they make no effort to clean up; they dump the garbage, and there's the presence of enormous
rats."
In Austin, the city's estimated 6,000 homeless can be found near the drinking clubs of Sixth
Street, near the University of Texas campus and in tents in corners of the city parks.
It is the business community who wants rid of them most. "Austin is known as an easy city.
It provides a lot for the homeless," said Jose Martinez of the Downtown Austin Alliance,
which favors the anti-camping bill.
The city's new anti-camping law is expected to carry fines as high as $500. At the same time,
the council's homeless task force, is proposing a $3.5 million "campus" for the homeless.
Task force member Tom Hatch, an architect, said: "It's insane to make not having a home a
crime."
The Guardian/Washington Post
Which of these are generally "for" (F) or "against" (A) the homeless?
critics (paragraph 2)
the Austin city council (3)
the general public (4)
Peggy Wilson (4)
the group that feeds people (4)
the Downtown Austin Alliance (6)
the homeless task force (7)
Tom Hatch (7)
1. Try to imagine being homeless. How would you feel? What sort of problems would you
have? What would you miss most from your present life?
2. In some countries asking for money on the street "begging" is illegal. Do you think it
should be allowed? Do you ever give money to beggars?
3. Young people can't get a job if they are homeless - and they can't afford a home if they
haven't got a job. How can they get out of this dilemma? Should the government or city
council do something to help?
4. In Britain some homeless people make money by selling a magazine called The Big Issue.
Would you buy the magazine? Do you think it's a good idea?
Role play. In pairs, act out the parts of Emily and Steve, and continue their argument. Make
sure you use some of these phrases
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from Key Language. Spend a few minutes preparing your points before you begin. Here is
some information:
Steve
"Unicef says that... "
• half the money spent on cigarettes in Europe would save the lives of all the children in the
world who die from preventable disease
• 800 million people in the world do not have enough to eat
• more than 1 billion people do not have clean water
• 25,000 people die each day from diseases carried by dirty water
• half a million babies die each year from tetanus, often because there isn't a clean blade
(price: 30 cents) to cut the umbilical cord
• in the poorest countries, life expectancy is only just above 40 years; in the richest countries
it is almost 80 years
Emily
"In the USA... "
• there are about 700,000 homeless people, including 100,000 children
• there is a lot of
unemployment. When the City of Los Angeles advertised for 100 low-paid cleaners, 25,000
people applied
• every day six children commit suicide, most of them from poor families
• all around us there are adverts showing rich people enjoying expensive products
• getting rich is part of the "American Dream"
How do you feel about the role of charities? Is it a good way to help the poor, or should the
government deal with such problems?
One famous type of sports shoe is made in Pakistan and costs $70 to buy in the USA. But
who exactly gets the money?
Rich countries pay very low prices for goods from poor countries - not only factory-made
things, also fruit, vegetables, coffee etc.. Is this right? What can be done about it?
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REFERENCES
Clark, A. 1976. The Secret Of The Andes. Penguin Group, Maryland, USA.
Grisham, J. 1999. A Time To Kill. Penguin Readers Ltd Original Publishing House, Maryland,
USA.
Jones Leo and Victoria Kimbrough. 1992. Great Ideas. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
Lawrence, D. 1999. British And American Short Stories. Penguin Ltd, Maryland, USA.
Leonard, T.J. 1996. Talk, talk: American Style. Tokyo: MacMillan Languagehouse Ltd.
Lowry, L. 1989. Number The Stars. Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Maryland, USA.
Spack, R. 1999. International Story. Ho Chi Minh City Publishing House, HCM City, Vietnam.