llf ·...,.

Life lessons

._. Learning the hard way

A Read about these people's problems. What mistake did each person make?
'

What Did I Get Myself Into?

-------.-. -. ----
Three mistakes that led to big messes

I was supposed to be studying for a

math test this weekend, but my friends
In high school, I had to wear a uniform,
------------
so I didn't have a lot of fashionable
We weren't supposed to cook in our
dorm rooms, but I had a microwave
made me go to the beach with them clothes. When I started college, I anyway. The cafeteria was right next
instead. I mean, I didn't have to go with thought I needed to have more, so I door, so I re-ally didn't need to have it.
them, but I did. Now the test is in two wasted a lot of money on trendy outfits. Anyway, I got caught making popcorn
hours, and I'mtotally unprepared. I But I really shouldn't have done it. last week, and the school took the
should have stayed home and studied! Now I'm broke! microwave away.
- Alicia, Tepic, Mexico - Kenichi, Osaka, Japan - Melanie, Toronto, Canada

B Pair work What should each person do differently in the future? Compare ideas.
"I don't think Alicia should listen to her friends in the future."
"Yeah, I agree. She shouldn't let them influence her like that."

PJ LISTENING
I 'll never do t hat again!
a4»l A Listen to Frank talk about a bad decision he made. What was his decision?
Why was it a bad one?

a4»l B Listen again. Are these statements true or false? Choose the correct answer.
True False
1. Frank and his neighbor were good friends. D 0
2. Frank knew he was allergic to cats. D 0
3. Frank marked his calendar to remember to feed the cat. D D
4. Frank forgot what time his train was going to leave. D D
5. Frank remembered to feed the cat on Saturday. D 0

1O AIWifJ Mistake s and myst eries

 GRAMMAR
Past modals and phrasal modals of obligation
Should have, was supposed to, had to, and needed to all describe obligations in the past,
although they have slightly different uses.
I should have stayed home and studied! (It was a good idea, but I didn't do it.)
I was supposed to be studying this weekend. (It was expected, but I didn't do it.)
I had to wear a uniform. (We were forced to do this.)
I didn't have to go with my friends, but I did. (There was no obligation.)
I thought I needed to have more clothes. (I thought this was necessary.)
see page 108

A Look at the Starting Point on page 10 again. Can you find other examples of
past modals and phrasal modals of obligation? What does each one mean?

B Choose the answer that is true for each sentence. Then compare answers w ith a partner.
1. I shouldn't have invited them. 3. We didn't have to study for the test.
0 a. I didn't invite them. 0 a. We forgot to study.
0 b. I invited them. D b. We were prepared for the test.
2. That was a secret! You weren't supposed 4. I know Jane didn't like my cooking, but
to tell anyone! she didn't need to be so rude about it.
0 a. You didn't tell anyone. 0 a. Jane was rude to me.
D b. You told someone. 0 b. Jane wasn't rude to me.

C Complete the sentences w ith information about yourself. Then compare

answers with a partner.
1. After I started high school, I had to ...
study a lot harder.
2. I made someone angry once because I wasn't supposed to . . .
3. I wasted a lot of money once because I thought I needed to . . .
4. When I had t he opportunity, I should have ...

"9.J Past experiences

A Look at the survey and choose the items that are true for you.

"'lave you ever ...

O e n joye d doing something you weren't supposed to do?
O not done something you s hould have done?
O done something fo olish that you didn't need to do?
0 had t o follow a rule you d idn't like?
O had t o enforce a rule you didn't like?

B Pair work Discuss your answers. Ask follow-up questions.

"Have you ever enjoyed doing something you weren't supposed to do?"
"Sure. At my old job, I wasn't supposed to take a long lunch, but I took long lunches
at the park, anyway. How about you?"

Life lessons 11
 @ VOCABULARY
Recogniz ing problems
A These verbs are often used to talk about problems. Use the verbs to replace
the boldfaced words and phrases in the sentences.

aggravate
-§ • A!
avoid
cause
deal with
a problem
identify
ignore
run into
solve

1. My friend never does anything about his problems.

Maria
My friend always ignores his problems.
2. Maria can look at a broken bicycle and find the problem right away.
3. My sister is never afraid to try to take care of a difficult problem.
4. Dan always makes his problems worse.
5. Ruby always follows the recipe closely to prevent problems when she cooks.
6. Michael always unexpectedly encounters problems when he tries to fix things.
7. Carla is great at completely fixing any kind of problem at work.
8. Al is the kind of student who always makes problems for teachers.

B Pair work Tell your partner about people you know w ho are similar to the
people in the sentences in part A.
"My cousin always ignores her problems. Her car is always making strange noises,
but she never does anything about it.n

m
VOCABULARY f'LUS see page 131

LISTENING
• Dealing w ith problems
a4»> A Listen to Ray (R), Felipe (F), and Jennifer (J) talk about a problem that they
each had. What did each person finally do about the problem? Write the
correct letter.
__ ignored it dealt with it __ aggravated it

a4»> B Listen again. Briefly describe each person's problem.

Ray: _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _

F e l i p e : - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - --
Jennifer: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

12 dJ§liEJ Mistakes a nd mysteries

itiT2)_W
__
R_IT_IN_G
____________________________________
-..,, Brainstorming

Brainstorming means making a list of ideas about a topic. Then you can use this
list to come up with a topic sentence and ideas to support it.

A Group work Brainstorm as many ideas as you can to add to the dos and don'ts
for living on a budget.

Living on a Tight; Budget;

Do Don't;
• compare prices • buy the first thing you see
• look for_sales • buy brand names
• check ads for used iteme • uee credit carde

B Group work Brainstorm dos and don'ts for one of these topics. Write your ideas.
• getting over a bad cold • staying safe in a big city • preparing for entrance exams

C Read th is paragraph about living on a tight budget. Then write a topic

sentence and a similar paragraph about your topic using your ideas. Write your own.
.,. . . . . ""' .. .. . . ..

Living on a tight budget is easy if you follow some simple rules when you go
shopping. First of all, you should never buy some.thing at the first store you visit. You
need to check at least a few other stores and go on line to compare prices. Second,
don't be in a hurry! If you take your time, you might find a sale. If there are no sales right
now, ask a salesperson if there's going to be one soon. Third, consider buying used, or
secondhand, items. You can check in the newspaper or on line to find what you're looking
for. Finally, you might get a better price at some stores by paying cash instead of using a
credit card, so be sure to ask about cash discounts.

D Pair work Exchange brainstorming lists and paragraphs with a partner.

Then answer the questions.

1. How many brainstorming ideas did your partner use? Do you think he or she
chose the best ones?
2. Do you have any questions about your partner's paragraph? Is there anything
you disagree with?
3. Can you think of a gooq t itle for your partner's paragraph? Explain your choice.

Life lessons 13