Extraordinary

talents
Vocabulary Aa Bb

Personality adjectives 3 Match the words in red in the text with their opposites.
Which two words in the text do not have an opposite in
1 SPEAKING Work with a partner. Think of the box? What do they mean?
possible opposites for these words. Do
you know any synonyms for the words? big-headed (2 words) • ​good-natured/easygoing
immature • ​narrow-minded • ​outgoing (2 words)
clever • ​friendly • ​hard-working • ​patient self-confident • ​tactless (2 words)
​polite • ​quiet • ​reliable • ​serious • ​tidy

opposites: slow, silly 4 From each pair of adjectives, choose the one that
clever – synonyms: describes you the best. You can qualify the adjective with
bright, intelligent
very, quite or a little bit.
2 Read this description of a teenager called insecure/self-confident – I’m a little bit insecure.
Luke. Do you think you would like him?
Why/Why not? 5 SPEAKING Work with a partner. Talk about the adjectives you
chose in 4 and why.
Luke is one of my best friends, but we’re
very different. He’s usually quite shy and 6 Decide which adjective in each pair has a positive
reserved. When you go out with him to a meaning and which has a negative meaning. Use a
party, he doesn’t usually talk to many people, dictionary if necessary.
especially if he’s never met them before. 1 ambitious/pushy 4 frank/brusque
He’s a very sensitive and tactful person. He 2 self-confident/arrogant 5 stubborn/determined
does his best not to hurt anyone’s feelings.
3 bossy/assertive
In that sense, he’s quite mature. He’s really
gifted and talented, too. He can play three
instruments really well. But because he’s so 7 LISTENING 18 Listen to descriptions of three people. Write
modest and down-to-earth, only his good down two adjectives from this page to describe each one.
friends know just how talented he is. His 1 /
favourite type of music is classical, but he’s
quite broad-minded, musically speaking. 2 /
He’ll listen to any type of music as long as
3 /
it’s good. I don’t want to give the idea that
Luke is perfect though. He can be
very insecure at times, especially 8a SPEAKING Work with a partner. Decide what type of
when he starts worrying about personality you need to do these jobs. Give reasons for
how he’s going to do in exams.
your answers.
And he can also be a bit 1 a professional musician
bad-tempered, getting angry 2 the director of an
for no good reason. He’s still a international bank
great friend though. 3 the President
4 a Formula 1 driver
5 a TV presenter

8b Discuss your ideas with

the rest of the class.

44 Unit 4

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 Reading
1 SPEAKING Work with a partner. Look at the photos in 2 Read the article. Did the person in the photo
the article and describe what you can see. have an easy childhood? Why/Why not?

He’s the British illusionist who walks Impossible! I try harder but can no longer there were just 50
on water and has hundreds of celebrity lift him! Once he started doing tricks like people watching,
fans and friends. But he started doing this on the bullies, they left him alone. but soon there
tricks to stop his bullies at school. But their fear of him meant that nobody were thousands.
Steven ‘Dynamo’ Frayne is no ordinary wanted to be near him. So he spent his He had walked
illusionist. During our interview a pack of time in his bedroom practising. The halfway across
cards appears to levitate from the table longer you practise, the better you get! the river when the
and land in his hand before disappearing. Thanks to that dedication and hard police stopped him.
He continues talking, stops for a second, work, Dynamo is one of the most famous So, how did he do it? The best
then takes the cards from his mouth. illusionists in the world today, but he’s Was there distraction is
As he explains to me, it’s his job and possibly the most modest, down-to-earth transparent plastic an audience.
his life’s mission to amaze people. He person you’ll ever meet. He remembers under the surface of the water? Even
believes that, as we get older, we all how his career really started. When he when you look more closely at the
want to feel young again and that tricks had to spend six months in hospital images, it’s impossible to know.
and illusions can give us that feeling. because of his stomach illness, it was one ‘I can honestly say that if I started
Dynamo’s shows certainly do that. of the worst times in his life. He started explaining it all,’ Dynamo says, ‘you’d be
wondering how people would remember so bored you’d be begging me to stop after
Steven grew up in one of the most him if he died. This motivated him to
dangerous areas in Bradford. Since his a minute.’ After all, as he says, intrigue is
make something of his life. He started the most powerful part of it.
childhood, he has had a serious stomach doing tricks in the street. He talked his
illness. That meant that as a child he way backstage at concerts and did tricks Dynamo’s illness has never gone away.
wasn’t as strong as his classmates. Weak for famous artists such as Snoop Dogg, But he finds that when he’s working his
and shy, he was a target for bullies. When One Direction and Coldplay. Soon he stomach hurts him the least. ‘The best
he was 11, his mum used to send him had a massive following on social media distraction is an audience. My stomach
to school with two older kids, but they networks, with tens of millions of people hurts the least when I’m performing.
didn’t look after him. One day he told his worldwide watching his videos. Then Adrenaline stops me feeling any pain.’
great-grandfather about it, who taught came his own TV series which he has There can’t be many people in the
him a few tricks. From then on, Dynamo’s since sold to more than 190 countries, world who are so calm and
life changed. attracting 250 million viewers. easygoing about walking
He demonstrates to me one of through windows or levitating
His ability to get attention was evident in above the tallest building in
the tricks he learnt to stop 2011 when he amazed people by walking
the bullying. He asks me London. But Dynamo is no
on the River Thames in London. At first, ordinary person.
to pick him up, which I do
easily. Then he looks at
me for less than a second
and tells me to do it again.

3 Read the text again and choose the best answers. 5 Dynamo thinks people …
1 Dynamo thinks that … a wouldn’t understand if he explained his illusions.
a doing tricks and illusions keeps him young. b are more impressed as they can’t explain his tricks.
b illusions can remind us of when we were young. c don’t like it when he explains his tricks.
c people are less happy when they get older.
4 CRITICAL THINKING
2 Other children used to bully Steven because …
a of his personality and build. Think! Then compare ideas with your class.
b he had a strange appearance. ■ Why do you think Dynamo is so successful?
c he had more money than them.
3 Dynamo got better at illusionism because …
a he needed new tricks to beat the bullies. 5 What do the underlined words in the text mean?
b he wanted people to be frightened of him. Guess and then check in your dictionary.
c he had a lot of free time alone.
4 At the start of his career … 6 SPEAKING What about you?
a famous people asked to see his tricks. Do you like watching illusionists? Why/Why not?
b he made his own TV series.
c he did his tricks outside on strangers.

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 Grammar in context Flipped classroom: watch the video on
the Resource Centre or Online Workbook.

4 Rewrite the sentences using the correct

Comparative and superlative adjectives and adverbs comparative and superlative form.
1a Look at the sentences. Which contain comparative 1 In my opinion, Caleb is the friendlier
forms and which contain superlative forms? person in this class.
1 I try harder but can no longer lift him. 2 I think Emma is slightly taller that Claire.
2 He grew up in one of the most dangerous areas in 3 That is definitely the most silly thing I’ve
Bradford. heard today!
3 Even when you look more closely, it’s impossible to know. 4 You can write much quicklier on a computer
4 He is better than the rest. than by hand.
5 My stomach hurts the least when I’m performing. 5 Sorry I couldn’t come more soon.
6 He practises the longest. 6 Is it much more further to your house?
7 It’s easier for him to do a trick than explain it. 7 You need to try more hardly if you want to
be a professional illusionist.
1b Look at the sentences again. Which contain adjectives 8 Houdini was one of the more famous
and which contain adverbs? illusionists in the world.
GRAMMAR REFERENCE ➤ PAGE 54 9 That film was terrible! It’s the less
interesting film I’ve ever seen.
2 SPEAKING Work with a partner. Complete the table below 10 She did more well than me in the test.
and then explain the rules for the different groups of
adjectives. 5a SPEAKING Work with a partner. Decide who
in your class …
Adjective Comparative Superlative 1 talks the fastest.
long 2 shouts the loudest.
slow 3 speaks the most quietly.
4 draws the best.
big 5 runs the furthest.
thin 6 arrives the earliest.
friendly 7 writes the most neatly.
tidy 8 laughs the most often.

ambitious 5b Say one of the names you chose in 5a.

hard-working Can your classmates guess the
description?
good
bad
Other ways of making comparisons
far the farthest/the furthest
little (determiner) less 6 Look at the sentences and answer the
questions a–c.
1 I tried as hard as the others.
For one-syllable adjectives, add -er to make the comparative.
2 He was not as/so big as his classmates.
3a Match the rules and examples for comparative and 3 When he works, his stomach is less
superlative adverbs. painful than when he rests.
1 We usually make comparative and superlative adverbs with 4 We get older and older.
more and the most. 5 The longer you practise, the better you
2 With some irregular adverbs we add -er and the -est. get.
3 Some comparative and superlative adverbs are irregular. 6 The earlier you start, the easier it is.

a well, bad, little a When do we use as … as?

b carefully, quietly, easily, beautifully, often b When do we use not as … as, not so …
c fast, hard, early, late, long, soon, near as, or less … than?
c How do you say 4–6 in your language?
3b Make the comparative form of the adverbs in 3a (a–c). GRAMMAR REFERENCE ➤ PAGE 54

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 Developing vocabulary Aa Bb

7 Complete the second sentence so that it has a Noun suffixes

similar meaning to the first sentence, using the
word given. Do not change the word given. You 1 Look at these words. Each one contains a noun
must use between two and five words, including suffix. Which of the nouns are for a person?
the word given.
1 Liam enjoys surfing the Net as much as playing ability • ​actor • ​artist • ​difference • ​direction
computer games. enjoyment • ​​illness • ​performance
politician  • ​​​writer
ENJOYABLE
For Liam, surfing the Net 
computer games. 2 Make nouns from these words using the suffixes
2 Eating fruit and vegetables is healthier than eating in 1. You may need to change the spelling.
fast food. Sometimes you can make more than one noun
LESS from each word.
Eating fast food  eating
act • ​appear • ​confident • ​create • ​different
fruit and vegetables.
​educate • ​electric • ​employ • ​happy • ​improve
3 When you walk at a higher speed, you get more invent • ​investigate • ​​mad • ​music
tired. relevant • ​​science
FASTER
The  more tired you get.
4 Dylan thinks judo is better than karate. 3 Complete the text below with the correct form of
the words given.
NOT
For Dylan, karate  judo. EXAM SUCCESS
5 Olivia is quick when she writes, and so is Amy.
In this type of exercise, you may need to add a
AS
prefix or a suffix or both. Sometimes the word needs
Amy writes  Olivia. to be plural. Look at the context carefully to decide.
6 Chinese is much harder to write than English. ➤ EXAM SUCCESS page 145
DIFFICULT
English is  than Chinese.

S
7 Basketball becomes easier depending on your ometimes you can get the impression
height. that (a) (science)
TALLER today spend all their time just
The  basketball becomes. improving high tech toys and
8 She’s getting increasingly good at maths. phones. But just think of the
AND (b) (important)
of some of the biggest inventions of
She’s getting  at maths.
the past. Take (c)
(electric), for example, or, more
8 SPEAKING Work with a partner. Match the halves
of these common expressions. Check that you specifically, the electric light bulb.
understand what they mean and then think of a The (d) (create)
situation when you might use them. of the light bulb is one of the key
1 The sooner a than done. moments in human progress. Its
(e) (invent) was
2 Better late b to worse.
the extraordinarily talented Thomas
3 Easier said c than never.
Edison. Edison’s biggest skill was
4 Better to be safe d the harder they fall. to take another person’s idea
5 The more e the merrier. and make (f)
6 This is going from bad f the better. (improve) to it. Electric light bulbs
7 The bigger they are g than sorry. meant the (g)
The sooner the better. You use it when you want (appear) of unsafe gas lighting. Before
something to happen as soon as possible, for electric lights, people couldn’t do much when
example the start of the holidays. it got dark at night. Edison gave people the
(h) (able) to see at night. What
a (i) (different) that made!

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 Gateway to life skills: Learning to learn

Learning
about
ACADEMIC SKILLS OBJECTIVES KEY CONCEPTS
■ To find out about Gardner’s Theory of Multiple general knowledge [n phr]: In a general knowledge
Intelligences. quiz, they ask things like ‘What is the capital of
■ To learn some study tips and think about the type France?’ measure [v]: Many tests are used to try to
of learner they can help. measure intelligence. strength [n]: One of her strengths
■
is her attention to detail. grasp [n, v]: I didn’t grasp
To find out which type of learner you are.
what you said. Can you explain it again?

1 SPEAKING Work with a partner. When we call 3 READING Read a text about one theory of human
somebody ‘intelligent’, what do we mean? Give intelligence. Which alternatives in 2a does the
examples of people you think are intelligent. writer agree with? What arguments do they give
to justify their answers?
2a Choose what you think is the best alternative.
Think about why.
1 Intelligence means/doesn’t mean knowing lots THE THEORY OF
of facts.
2 There is/isn’t just one type of intelligence.
MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCES
3 You can/can’t easily measure intelligence.
When we talk about intelligence, some people have the idea
4 Your intelligence stays/doesn’t stay the same
that intelligence is what we need to answer general knowledge
throughout your life. questions, such as What is the capital of Venezuela? or How
5 Your circumstances in life affect/don’t affect your many legs does a spider have? And when somebody knows the
intelligence. answers to all those questions, we say they’re really clever or that
they know a lot. The idea is that you’re clever if you know a lot of
facts and data. However, most experts would say that this is only
2b SPEAKING Compare your answers with a partner.
one part or type of intelligence. There are other ways that we can
think of intelligence, for example the creativity that you need in
order to find answers to questions that you’ve never seen before,
or to grasp new concepts.
This brings us to the American psychologist Howard Gardner.
Gardner says that there isn’t just one type of intelligence. There
are what he calls ‘multiple intelligences’. He talks about seven
different types of intelligence, shown in the table opposite. Of
course, each of us may be naturally strong in more than just one
of these intelligence types.
When you look at the table, you can see that Gardner’s multiple
intelligences cover everything we do in our lives and is a much
more complete and realistic way of thinking about intelligence.
For example, we all know people who aren’t so good linguistically,
but who are very strong in logic or mathematics. We would
probably all agree that this doesn’t mean one person is more
intelligent than another. They’re both intelligent, but in different
ways, with different strengths. One important reason for it not
being very easy to measure intelligence is because it all depends
on what type of intelligence we’re talking about.
The good news is that most of Gardner’s intelligences can be
developed. With practice, you can learn to see things in a more
scientific or logical way, or you can learn to appreciate literature or
music. It is possible for children to become great musicians if they
start early, and there are many bilingual or multilingual children in
the world. The interesting thing here is that your life opportunities
can make a big difference to your intelligence. If a child lives in
an environment where they speak two languages they’ll learn
to understand and speak them. If somebody has access to a
musical instrument and has lessons, we naturally expect them
to learn more than somebody who doesn’t. So intelligence is not
just a question of being born intelligent. The environment you live
in can make a huge difference.
48

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 4 Read the text again and answer these questions.
1 What does the writer say about knowing facts and
data?
2 Why does the writer say that Gardner’s theory
is more realistic than the traditional view of
intelligence?
3 According to the writer, why is it difficult to
measure intelligence?
4 What examples does the writer give to show that
intelligence is not just a question of being born
intelligent?

5 Look at the table of Gardner’s Multiple

Intelligences. Where do you think these go?
a dance e being in control of yourself
b singing f scientific thinking
c literature g teaching people
d architecture

6 SPEAKING Work with a partner. What do you think

GARDNER’S MULTIPLE of Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences?

Do you agree with it? Why/Why not?
INTELLIGENCES 7 LISTENING 19 Watch or listen to
Deana talking about study tips. Make
1 LINGUISTIC notes about her study tips for each
Includes reading, writing, talking, listening, poetry … intelligence 1–7.

Intelligence 1: Intelligence 5:

LOGICAL AND MATHEMATICAL Intelligence 2: Intelligence 6:

2 Includes ability with numbers, legal thinking … Intelligence 3: Intelligence 7:
Intelligence 4:

SPATIAL 8 SPEAKING Work with a partner. Talk about each tip.

3 Includes driving, navigating a boat or plane …
Which of these things do you already do? Which
would you like to try? Why?

MUSICAL
4 Includes playing an instrument, composing music …
ACADEMIC TASK
Find out what type of learner you are.
Follow this plan:
BODILY-KINAESTHETIC
5 Includes sports, drama, making things …
1 Do the Multiple Intelligence Test on page 159.
2 Work with a partner. Talk about your results in
the test. Do you agree with the results? How
INTERPERSONAL might the results help you in your studies?

6 Includes understanding other people, communicating

3 Do some research to find a study tip or
activity that can help learners with your natural
with them, helping them …
strengths. When you are ready, work in groups
and share your tips and activities.
INTRAPERSONAL
7 Includes understanding yourself, reflection …
49

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 Listening Grammar in context

Articles
1 Read these sentences.
1 There was a programme that stood out.
2 The programme was the first in the series.
3 [–] Nurses treat [–] patients in [–] emergencies.
4 You could be the best diver in the world.

2 Match the sentence halves to make rules. Find

Free climbing in the mountains an example of each rule in a sentence in 1.
1 SPEAKING Work with a partner. Look at the photo 1 We use a/an … 4 We use the …
and answer these questions. 2 We use the … 5 We use no article …
1 Would you like to be in this situation? Why/Why not? 3 We use the …
2 What type of people do you think normally do this
type of activity? a to talk about a singular countable person or thing
for the first time, or to say that the person or
3 How much training do you think you need to do this?
thing is one of a number of people or things.
b to talk about a specific person or thing or a
2 LISTENING 20 Listen to two people talking about
a new TV series. Are these statements True (T), person or thing mentioned before.
False (F) or is the information Not Mentioned (NM)? c to talk about things in general in the plural.
1 For Sue Wilson, there wasn’t much d to talk about someone or something that is
competition for best programme of unique.
the week. T/F/NM e with superlative adjectives, adverbs, first and last.
2 She had the wrong idea about the GRAMMAR REFERENCE ➤ PAGE 54
programme Hidden Talent at first. T/F/NM
3 To make this programme, they invited 3 Choose the correct alternative.
people with special talents to do tests. T/F/NM 1 In general, I think the/[–] teachers can help the/[–]
4 Maggie Reenan had always wanted to young people to develop their talents.
try rock climbing. T/F/NM 2 Last night I saw a/[–] programme about a/the young
5 Being a nurse was possibly an advantage girl who has a/the really good voice.
for Maggie when rock climbing. T/F/NM 3 Did you read a/the book I gave you yesterday about
6 Being able to detect lies is quite a the/[–] science?
common ability. T/F/NM 4 I reckon she’s the/[–] better than most TV presenters.
7 With the FBI, Brenda Chamberlain 5 A/The biggest problem with a/the world today is
watched videos of suspects again that we are all too busy.
and again. T/F/NM
6 I’ve got a/the friend who trains the/[–] animals to
8 Sue thinks that Maggie never knew about appear in the/[–] films.
her talent before because she never
7 Last week I read an/the article about the/[–] first
had time for herself. T/F/NM
episode in a/the new comedy series.
3 20 Listen again and answer the questions. 8 I think the/[–] rock climbers do the/[–] most amazing
things.
1 How many people did the tests for Hidden Talent?
2 How many tests did they do? 4 Complete the text with a, an, the or [–].
3 What do you know about Maggie’s family situation?
I’ve got (a) friend who has (b) amazing
4 How high was the rock she climbed?
talent. She has (c) incredible memory. She’s
5 What often makes the rock more difficult to climb?
6 How many people do they say have a strong ability really good at remembering (d) faces. She
for detecting lies? once met (e) man for just a few seconds.
7 What two things did the FBI teach Brenda? When she saw (f) man again six months
8 What did the programme make Sue think? later, she recognised him immediately, even though
(g) clothes he was wearing were completely
4 SPEAKING What about you?
different and now he had (h) beard. I’m exactly
1 Would you like to watch this TV series? Why/Why
not? the opposite. I think I have (i) worst memory in
2 Would you like to do tests to see if you have a (j) world!
hidden talent? Why/Why not?

50 Unit 4

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 5 Read the text and correct 1 I’m 15, so I’m young to vote in a general
seven mistakes in the use of ENGLISH ARAB
IC
articles. election.

One of the most interesting Dictionary 2 It’s such beautiful day today.
episodes of Hidden Talent 3 She isn’t tall to get the book off the top
was about a boy called James shelf.
Whinnery. He was only 19. They
discovered that the boy had a 4 It’s too late say that you’re sorry.
special talent for the languages. 5 I have such good memories of living by
He learnt the Arabic in just 19 the sea.
weeks. He did a test working in
Turkish restaurant for a day, talking to the waiters in 6 The film was exciting I watched it twice.
Arabic. Then, for his training, they say he learnt the new 7 When you’re 18, you’re old to drive in
words – one hundred words each day! At the end of the most countries.
episode, he travelled to Jordan and they interviewed
8 Rebecca and Christine are good friends
him in Arabic on a special programme. Of course,
nobody can really learn new language in just 19 weeks. that they seem like sisters.
But James learnt a lot of things in that time. It seems 9 I love that band. Their music is good!
that sometimes the TV programmes can have positive
effect on people and their lives. 8 Complete the second sentence so that it has a
similar meaning to the first sentence, using the
so, such, too, enough word given. Do not change the word given. You
must use between two and five words, including
6 Look at these sentences and complete the the word given.
rules below with so, such, too or enough. 1 That artist does such good pictures that everyone
a The weather is usually so bad that it can be a copies her. SO
scary experience. That artist’s pictures copies
b She did it so well. her.
c It’s such a difficult climb that you usually need 2 The water was so cold we couldn’t swim. TOO
many years of experience. The water was swim.
d It’s such a pity. 3 Her paintings are so good you could sell them.
e She’s always been too busy to find the time. ENOUGH
f She was(n’t) good enough to do it. Her paintings sell.
4 It was so cold that day that they stayed at home.
1 We use to say if something is SUCH
or isn’t excessive. It comes before an adjective It was they stayed at home.
or adverb. 5 He’s so insecure that he’ll never be a good leader.
2 We use to say if something is SELF-CONFIDENT
or isn’t sufficient. It comes after an adjective or He be a good leader.
adverb. 6 Kate doesn’t sing very well so she won’t become a
professional singer. ENOUGH
3 We use to intensify a noun
Kate doesn’t to become a
(with or without an adjective). If the noun is
professional singer.
singular we use a/an before the noun.
4 We use to intensify an 9a Use your imagination to complete these
adjective or adverb. sentences.

5 We use to + infinitive after and 1 They’ve got such a big house that …
. 2 There was a woman who was so rich …
3 My friend is so quiet …
6 We use that after and
4 I knew somebody who was too lazy to …
.
5 We aren’t fit enough to …
GRAMMAR REFERENCE ➤ PAGE 54
6 I’m such a good student that …
7 My friend is so clever …
7 Complete the sentences with these words. You
can use the words more than once. If no word is
necessary, put [–]. 9b SPEAKING Work in small groups. Compare your
sentences in 9a. Choose the best ones and tell
them to the rest of the class.
a  • ​enough  • ​so  • ​such  • ​to  • ​too

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 Developing speaking

Presentations – 1 SPEAKING BANK

A B Useful expressions to structure a

presentation
Beginning your presentation
■ I’d like to begin by saying …
■ To start with …
■ The first thing I’d like to say is …
■ I’m going to talk about …

Ordering your arguments

■ First of all,
■ Firstly,
■ Secondly,
■ Another thing is that,
■ Furthermore,
■ What’s more,
■ It’s important to remember that …
■ It’s also true that …
Concluding your presentation
C D
■ In conclusion,
■ Finally,
■ To sum up,
■ Last but not least,
■ The point I’m trying to make is …
■ In short,

6 Organise your notes from 3 in a logical

order, with an introduction and a
conclusion.

7 SPEAKING Work with a partner. Read the

advice in Exam success. Take it in turns
to give a presentation with your opinion.
Remember to use expressions from the
Speaking bank. When you finish, discuss
how well you did your presentations.
1 SPEAKING Work with a partner. Talk about the people in the
photos. Who are they and why are they famous?
EXAM SUCCESS
2 SPEAKING How would you define a ‘hero’? Would you call When you give a presentation remember
any of the people in 1 heroes? Why/Why not? that you can look at your notes, but don’t
just read them aloud. Don’t forget to look
3 SPEAKING Work with a partner. Look at the presentation at your audience to see if they understand
topic and discuss if you agree or disagree with the you and are interested.
statement. Make notes of your ideas. Think of arguments ➤ EXAM SUCCESS page 145
to justify and explain your opinions.
‘There are no heroes in today’s world, just celebrities.’
Do you agree? Why/Why not? PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT
8a SPEAKING Prepare a presentation about
4 LISTENING 21 Listen to a student giving a presentation on somebody that you admire. Give reasons
this topic. What is their opinion? Do they mention any of why you admire them. It can be a famous
your ideas in 3? person or someone in your life, for
example a friend or relative.
5 21 Listen again and tick (✓) the expressions in the
Speaking bank that you hear. 8b Give your presentation to the class.

52 Unit 4

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 Developing writing
An article – 1 3 Match the paragraphs A–D to these
topics.
1 SPEAKING Work with a partner. Read this announcement and ■ Brief conclusion
talk about people that you could write about and what ■ The person’s name/introductory
talents they have. information about them
■ The person’s main talent(s)
■ The person’s appearance and personality

4 Read the Writing bank and underline

examples in the article in 2.

WRITING BANK
Extraordinary talents!
We want to know who you think are the most Useful language in descriptions
talented people in the 21st century! ■ He/She seems …
Write about one famous person who you think has
■ He/She looks …
extraordinary talents. Describe them and what ■ He/She is very/really/extremely +
they do. It could be an actor, singer, musician, ‘normal’ adjectives (good, big …)
writer, artist … anyone with an amazing talent! ■ He/She is completely/totally/absolutely/
Send us your articles … now! really + ‘extreme’ adjectives (fantastic,
huge …)
■ He/She is quite/rather + ‘normal’
2 Read an article written about the singer Ed Sheeran. adjectives
What talents does the writer of the article say that Ed ■ He/She can be …
Sheeran has? Make a list. ■ He/She tends to …
■ He/She has a … side.
■ He/She shows that …
■ What I like (most) about him/her is …

How many good singers

are there today? 5 SPEAKING Use expressions in the Writing
Hundreds, maybe? But how bank to talk about the people you chose
many can write great songs? in 1.
And how many can perform a
whole concert on their own, What I like most about Daniel Radcliffe
without any other musicians? is his sense of humour.
In my opinion, there’s only
one, and his name is Ed
Sheeran. PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT
Apart from his red hair, 6a Choose one person and write your
Ed Sheeran doesn’t look
article. Follow the paragraph plan in 3
very special. Maybe that’s also
and use expressions from the Writing
because he tends to wear
bank.
normal clothes like jeans and
T-shirts. But when he starts to
sing, you can tell that he is in 6b When you finish writing your article,
fact incredibly special. As for check it carefully. Have you included
his personality, what I love the relevant information? Is it easy to
about him is that he’s understand the ideas and information?
modest, funny and friendly. Are there any grammar or spelling
One of Ed Sheeran’s most important talents is that he mistakes?
can play and sing in lots of different styles. For example,
WRITING BANK ➤ PAGE 153
he has some very romantic songs, but he also raps sometimes.
Another of his great talents is being able to write lyrics. He
usually writes about down-to-earth things that young people
understand. He also makes brilliant videos. In one video, he
shows that he’s a talented dancer, too!
Ed Sheeran is already a great singer and performer. But
the most exciting thing is that he’s still very young. Just
watch how he gets better and better!

Unit 4 53

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 Language checkpoint: Unit 4
Grammar reference

Making comparisons
■ We usually make comparative and superlative ■ We use as … as to say two things are the same.
adverbs with more and the most. Dogs are as clever as cats.
carefully ➙ more carefully, the most carefully ■ We use not as … as or not so … as to say that the
■ With these adverbs we add -er and the -est: second person or thing is more … than the first one.
fast ➙ faster, the fastest Animals aren’t as intelligent as humans.
late, long, soon, near, hard, early (= Humans are more intelligent than animals.)
■ These adverbs are irregular: ■ We use The + comparative, the + comparative to talk
well ➙ better, the best about two things that happen together.
badly ➙ worse, the worst The faster I run, the more tired I feel.
little (determiner) ➙ less, the least The harder you study, the better your results.
■ Less is the opposite of more. ■ We use comparative and comparative to talk about
Animals are less intelligent than humans. situations that are increasing.
(= Humans are more intelligent than animals.) Things are getting better and better.

Articles

a/an ■ We also use the to talk about specific things or

■ We use a/an with singular countable nouns. We use it people.
when we mention something for the first time, or to say The computer I bought was quite cheap.
that the person or thing is one of a number of people ■ We use the to talk about something unique, that there
or things. is only one of.
I’ve got a computer. It’s a laptop. the Sun, the government, the floor, the world
■ We use a/an to say what somebody’s profession is. ■ We use the with superlative adjectives and adverbs,
He’s a scientist. and with first and last.
the No article
■ We use the with countable (singular and plural) and ■ We do not use an article with plural countable nouns

uncountable nouns. We use it to refer to something or or uncountable nouns when we are talking about
somebody previously mentioned. people or things in general.
I’ve got a computer. The computer’s really fast. Scientists say that animals have complex brains.

so, such, too, enough

■ We use so to intensify an adjective or adverb. ■ We use too to say that something is excessive. It is not
She’s so hard-working. She works so hard. the same as very because it has a negative meaning.
■ We use such to intensify a noun, with or without an Too comes before the adjective/adverb.
adjective. We use a/an after such with a singular A: He’s very clever. (= positive)
countable noun, but not with uncountable or plural B: Yes, but sometimes he’s too clever. (= negative)
nouns. ■ We use enough to say that something is sufficient and
It’s such a pity. He asks such difficult questions. not enough to say that something is insufficient. It
■ In sentences with a so or such clause we can continue comes after adjectives/adverbs. We use to + infinitive
the sentence with that. after too/enough.
His theory is so complicated that I don’t understand it. He’s gifted enough to win a Nobel Prize. I’m not patient
enough to wait.
She’s such a good boss that everybody loves her.

Vocabulary

Personality adjectives  ​ambitious  • ​arrogant  • ​assertive  • ​bad-tempered  • ​big-headed  • ​bossy  • ​broad-minded

brusque  • ​determined  • ​down-to-earth  • ​easygoing  • ​frank  • ​gifted  • ​good-natured  • ​immature  • ​insecure
mature  • ​modest  • ​narrow-minded  • ​outgoing  • ​pushy  • ​reserved  • ​self-confident  • ​sensitive  • ​shy  • ​stubborn
tactful  • ​tactless  • ​talented
Noun suffixes  ​ability  • ​action  • ​activity  • ​actor  • ​appearance  • ​artist  • ​confidence  • ​creation  • ​creativity
creator  • ​darkness  • ​difference  • ​direction  • ​education  • ​electrician  • ​electricity  • ​employer  • ​employment
enjoyment  • ​happiness  • ​illness  • ​importance  • ​improvement  • ​invention  • ​inventor  • ​investigation
investigator  • ​madness  • ​musician  • ​performance  • ​politician  • ​relevance  • ​scientist  • ​writer
Other words and phrases  ➤ page 138

54 Unit 4

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 Grammar revision

Making comparisons  / 8 points

1 Choose the correct alternative.

1 She doesn’t work as hard/hardly as me. 5 The Theory of Relativity is not as/so difficult as
2 My classmates are a lot less hard-working people imagine.
than/as me. 6 They’re the most/more confident people I know.
3 The sunnier it is, it gets hotter/the hotter it gets. 7 The sooner she finishes her work, the earlier/earliest
4 She speaks faster/more fast than anybody else she can get home.
I know. 8 When you rewrite your essay, do it more careful/
carefully this time.

Articles / 7 points

2 There are no articles in these sentences. Add seven articles in the correct places.
1 I met friend yesterday in city centre. 4 When I’m bored I pick up book and read.
2 Most important thing in life are good friends. 5 I like listening to actors and things they say about
3 Experts say government is having problems. life in Hollywood.
6 Programmes I watch are all on late at night.

so, such, too, enough / 8 points

3 Match the sentence halves and complete the sentences with so, such, too or enough.
1 The test was long a to see the start of the film.
2 My uncle was serious b that we didn’t stay to see the end.
3 My friend wasn’t patient c that we’ve decided to go there again next year.
4 He arrived late d to carry all the dictionaries.
5 It was a long film e to wait for me.
6 He was strong f that he never laughed.
7 His assignment was bad g that the teacher gave it a 0.
8 We stayed in a beautiful hotel h to finish in just one lesson.

Vocabulary revision

PERSONALITY / 9 points NOUN SUFFIXES  / 8 points

1 Complete the sentences with an appropriate adjective 2 Put the words in the correct noun form.
of personality. 1 One day she’d like to become a
1 A person is someone who is not very professional (MUSIC).
careful in the way they speak and behave. 2 What an (IMPROVE).
2 He’s very famous, but he’s still modest and . Your work is much better now.
3 A person is someone who accepts many 3 Playing a sport well is often a question of
different types of behaviour and is not easily shocked. (CONFIDENT).
4 Being is the opposite of being self- 4 They’re spending more and more
confident. money on health and
5 If someone is ambitious but in a negative way, they are (EDUCATE).
. 5 There was no light, just
6 His friends say he’s determined, but other people say he’s (DARK) everywhere.
. 6 Who was the (CREATE)
7 She’s 25, but she’s quite because she acts of Facebook?
like she’s still a child. 7 The lights aren’t working. We need to call
8 A student is one who has an impressive an (ELECTRIC).
natural ability. 8 Your (APPEAR) is
9 Please be and tell me what you think. important in creating a good impression.

Total: / 40 points Unit 4 55

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 Gateway to exams: Units 3–4

Reading
➤ TIP FOR READING EXAMS 3 Read the text again. Complete the gaps with sentences
A–H.
In missing sentence activities, remember … A It’s almost impossible to reach that number all by yourself.
If there are gaps which you cannot
B It’s no good if you’re still at high school.
complete, continue with other, easier
gaps first and then go back later to the C His father probably wrote down all the earliest pieces, and
difficult ones. perhaps improved them in the process.
D The good but not great students had totalled 8,000 hours.
➤ EXAM SUCCESS page 144
E Gates went to a very exclusive school.

1 You are going to read a text called ‘What F In fact, researchers have agreed on what they believe is a
makes a genius?’ Before you read the special number to become a true expert.
article, answer the questions. G But around the age of eight, real differences began to appear.
1 In your opinion, what is a genius? H By the time Gates left Harvard, he’d been programming non-
stop for seven years.
2 How do you think somebody can become
a genius?
4 SPEAKING What about you?
2 READING Read the text. What is the main The text suggests that to be a genius you need to work hard
message? and have opportunities. Do you agree? How important is
natural talent?

(3) It’s 10,000 hours. ‘In study after study, of

composers, basketball players, fiction writers, ice-skaters,
concert pianists, chess players,’ writes the neurologist Daniel
Levitin, ‘this number comes up again and again.’
This is true even of people we
think as prodigies. Mozart, for
example, famously started
writing music at six. But,
compared to the standards
of mature composers,
Mozart’s early works are
not outstanding. (4)
People generally agree that
Mozart didn’t write his first
masterwork until he was
21. By that time Mozart had

WHAT MAKES A
already been composing
concertos for ten years.

GENIUS?
Ten thousand hours is, of
course, an enormous amount
of time. (5) You need parents who are encouraging
and supportive. You can’t be poor, because if you have to do
a part-time job to earn money, there won’t be enough time

I
n the early 1990s, the psychologist K. Anders Ericsson and two in the day.
colleagues did some investigation at Berlin’s elite Academy of Music.
With the help of the academy’s professors, they divided the school’s Let’s turn to the history of Bill Gates. A gifted young
violinists into three groups. First were the stars – the students with mathematician discovers computer programming. He leaves
the potential to become world-class soloists. Second were those who Harvard. Then he starts a little computer company called
were very good, but not as good as the stars. In the third group were Microsoft with his friends. Being brilliant, ambitious and
the students who would probably never play professionally. All the hard-working, he builds it into the giant of the software
violinists were to answer the same question: ‘Over the course of your world. Now let’s look more closely. (6) One year the
career, ever since you first picked up the violin, how many hours have school spent $3,000 on a computer terminal. From that
you practised?’ moment on, Gates lived in the computer room, learning
how to use this strange new machine. In one seven-month
Everyone, from all three groups, started playing at around the same period in 1971, Gates and his friends ran up 1,575 hours of
age – around five. In those first few years, everyone practised roughly computer time.
the same – two or three hours a week. (1) The students who
would become the best in their class began to practise more than (7) So, he had spent a lot more than 10,000 hours on
everyone else. Six hours a week by age nine, eight by age 12, 16 a week computers. Very few teenagers at that time had the kind of
by age 14, until by the age of 20 they were practising well over 30 hours experience Gates had.
a week. By then, the elite performers had all totalled 10,000 hours of January 1975 was the start of the personal computer age.
practice over the course of their lives. (2) And the third group Who was in the best position to take advantage of it? You
just 4,000 hours. don’t want to be too young. (8) The perfect age to be
This idea – that excellence at a complex task needs a critical, in 1975 is young enough to see the coming revolution but
minimum level of practice – appears again and again in studies. not so old as to have missed it. You want to be 20 or 21, born
in 1954 or 1955. When was Bill Gates born? 28 October 1955.

56 Units 3–4

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 ‘CAN DO’ PROGRESS CHECK p148 CEF

Use of English Speaking

➤ TIP FOR USE OF ENGLISH ➤ TIP FOR SPEAKING EXAMS
In word formation cloze activities, remember … In presentations, remember …
To change the type of word, you will usually need a suffix Don’t speak too fast. If you do, people will
(e.g. -ion to make a noun, -ly to make an adverb). To change not be able to follow you.
the meaning of the word, you will usually need a prefix (e.g. ➤ EXAM SUCCESS page 145
im-, re-).
➤ EXAM SUCCESS page 145
7 Look at this topic. Prepare a
presentation: make notes, but do not
5 Work with a partner. write complete sentences.
Make a list of things that
you think you know about You can choose three famous, talented
Albert Einstein. Then read people to go on an excursion with. Who are
this short text and see you going to choose and why?
if it mentions any of the
things on your list. 8 SPEAKING Work with a partner. Brainstorm
One exceptional talent in any expressions you know for …
the world of science was, 1 beginning a presentation.
of course, Albert Einstein. 2 ordering your arguments.
As we all know, Einstein’s 3 concluding a presentation.
fame and (a) came from IMPORTANT
his Theory of Relativity, which changed the 9 SPEAKING Work in groups. Take it in turns to
way that the (b) community SCIENCE give your presentations. Use expressions
from 8.
understood space and time. However, it’s
interesting to note that Einstein took an
(c) long time to begin to USUAL
Writing
speak. He didn’t start until after his second ➤ TIP FOR WRITING EXAMS
birthday. He was also rebellious towards
authority when he was at school. These In stories, remember …
two facts may have been the origin of a Use a variety of past tenses and linkers of
time and sequence to make it clear when
popular myth that the (d) SCIENCE
the different events in the story happened.
was a bad student and that he failed at
➤ EXAM SUCCESS page 145
school. This is simply not true. We should
not (e) his amazing ESTIMATE
(f) in science subjects. ABLE 10 Work with a partner. Read this task
and plan your story. Think about the
Einstein was already an outstanding
main events, the background and any
(g) and a very good PHYSICS important scenes.
(h) when he was young. MATHEMATICS
At 16 he wrote a brilliant essay that had a Your English teacher has asked you to write
a story for the school magazine. Your story
direct (i) with his later work CONNECT
must begin with this sentence:
on relativity. But the myth may also come
Jack didn’t usually enjoy travelling, but
from the fact that when he was 16 he tried, today was different.
(j) , to get into the prestigious SUCCESSFUL Your story must include:
Federal Polytechnic in Zurich, failing some of ■ a famous person

the non-science subjects. The normal entrance ■ a competition

age was 18, so he was two years younger than

usual. The next year, when he was just 17, 11 Write your story. Follow the advice in the
he passed! Writing bank on page 152.

6 Read the text again. Complete the gaps with the correct
form of the words at the end of the lines.

Units 3–4 57

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