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Unit 4 Hidden Talent

Vocabulary
Make …
A speech in front of more than fifty people
A meal for more than eight people
A phone call in a foreign language
A decision that changed your life for the better

Do….
A project with a big team
A business in another language
A well/badly in an exam
Your homework on the way to school

Which of the activities in Exercise 1A have you done?

Grammar
Present Perfect + Ever/Never
Recording 4.1
Listen and read the conversation below.
A: Have you ever made a speech in public?
B: No, never. Have you?
A: Yes, I have. I made a speech at work.
B: Really? When did you do that?
A: At a conference last year. I was really nervous.
B: I’m not surprised. Ok, have you ever made friends with someone form
another country?
A: No, I haven’t. But my brother has. He met a woman from Chile in 2014. In
fact, they got married a week ago!
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2A. Underline the correct alternative.

1. She has been/was on TV yesterday.
2. Have you ever written/ Did you ever write a speech?
3. I’ve never eaten/ never ate snails.
4. Last night I have finished/finished the book.
5. Have you ever been/ Did you ever go the USA?
6. He has finished/ finished the project this morning?

B. Complete the sentences.

1. I’ve _____________________________________________________.
2. Yesterday I _________________________________________________.
3. I’ve never ___________________________________________________.
4. I’ve always __________________________________________________.
5. When I was a child. I__________________________________________.

3. A Write the past participles in the table below.

catch ____________ give ____________
keep ____________ swim ____________
make ____________ sleep ____________
drive ____________ lose ____________
do ____________ win ____________
fly ____________ buy ____________
come ____________ pay ____________
cross ____________ grow ____________
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C Use the verbs to make six Have you ever …..? questions. Use the idea in the
box to help you.
fish anything expensive a bus a prize all day a plane
plants in a river

eg. A: Have you ever caught a fish?

B: Yes, I have. I caught three last weekend.

Listening
Recording 4.3
Listen to the interview with Mario, the boy in the story. As you listen, answer
questions 1-3.
1. What was Mario’s hidden talent?
2. When did he start to use his talent?
3. How did he use his talent to change his job?

B. Listen again and complete the extracts.

1. I’ve always _______ cooking.
2. Then in my twenties I started to _______ meals for my friends.
3. I had the idea to _______ my food at work.
4. I wanted to _______ something more interesting.
5. _______ you ever thought. “Oh, I prefer my old office job?
6. It’s the best decision I’ve ever _______.
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Audio Scripts
I: So, Mario, can you tell us how you used your talent in your job?
M. Um, well, I’ve always enjoyed cooking. I come from a big Italian family and I
learned to cook by watching my mother in the kitchen.
I. But, no one knew you could cook, right?
M: That’s right, no one knew. I only cooked at home, but I did it well. Then in
my twenties, I started to make meals for my friends. And well, I was working in
an office. And I brought food to office parties, that kind of thing.
I: Then you had an idea.
M: I had the idea to sell my food at work.
I: So, your colleagues buy your food every day.
M: Yeah, I started selling it to friends and colleagues, and then to other people
at work. I prepared all kinds of things: bread, pasta, and cakes.
I: And then you made a decision.
M: Yeah, office work was OK, but I wanted to do something more interesting.
So eventually, I asked the boss if I could open a café in the office.
I: And he was happy to..
M: He agreed. They gave me a room. Now I bring food there every day. We
have chairs and tables. And now that’s my job.
I: Have you ever thought “Oh, I prefer my old office job. This is too difficult.?
M: Never. I’ve never thought that because this is what I love doing: cooking
and preparing different menus. Really, It’s the best decision I’ve ever made.
I: And then have you thought about expanding the business, maybe opening a
restaurant one day?
M: I’ve thought about it, but it’s a long way away!
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Speaking
Think about your hidden talent or something you love doing. Write a note about
the following questions.
1. What is the talent?
2. Have you ever done it in public?
3. Do you practice? When? Where?
4. Is it/ Will it be useful in your job/ future job?
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4.2 What Should I Do?

Speaking
1A. Read the quotes about learning. Do you agree with any of them? Why/Why
not?

“We learn by doing”

“A little knowledge is a dangerous thing.”

“Anyone who stops learning is old, Whether at twenty or eighty”

“The best way to learn is to teach”

Vocabulary
Language Learning
2A. Read sentences 1-7. Then match the words in bold with definitions a)-g).
1. I re-read articles we use in class.
2. I look up new words in a dictionary.
3. I watch films with subtitles.
4. I go online to read news in English.
5. I chat with other learners.
6. I note down new phrases in my notebook.
7. I listen to English songs and I try to memorize them.

a) find information in a book/on a computer

b) read again
c) talk (possibly on the Internet)
d) study until you remember
e) words in a film that translate what a character says
f) write
g) use the internet
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B. Work in pairs. Discuss the questions.

1. Which of the activities above do you do? How often?
2. Which do you think are the most important/useful for learning English?

Function
Giving Advice
4A. Read the website message below and think of three things Zeynep can do
to improve her English.

Hello everyone, in two months I’ll start to work at an international company.

The only problem is I need to improve my English quickly. I did well in my
recent English exam, but I need to do business in English, and I know it’ll be
more difficult. Do you have any good ideas?

Read the replies and discuss. Which ideas have you tried? Which do you think is
the most useful?

1. Hi! Zeynep. I think you should use message boards to make new friends.
Then you can chat with them online in English.

2. Zeynep, go online and find a business website you like. When you don’t
understand some words, you should look them up and write them in a
notebook.

3. You shouldn’t worry. They gave you the job, so you’re good enough. Relax
and just watch some movies in English.

4. Why don’t you use graded readers? They’re enjoyable and they’ll help you
learn the new world.

5. I think it’s a good idea to use language learning apps, as these help you
measure your progress.
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5A. Look at the replies in Exercise 4 again. Complete phrases 1-6 below.
1. I ______ you should …
2. Find/Write ______
3. You should ______
4. You Shouldn’t ______
5. Why ______ you ______ …?
6. I (don’t) think it’s a good ______ to…

Recording 4.5 Silent Letters How should be pronounced? Which letter is silent?
Listen and repeat.
Recording 4.6 Listen to two teachers discussing language learning. What
problems do they mention?

B. Complete the notes.

Problem Advice
Students are too shy to speak. Give students time to ______.
Worry about ______ ______. Let them practice in ______

Students have problems ______. Watch film clips on YouTube.

Watch the mouth, ______, body
Language. Use ______
the second time.
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Listen again to check.

Recording 4.6
G: Magda, many of my students are too shy to speak in front of the class. They
worry about making mistakes.
M: Yes, this is a common problem. Teachers should give students time to
prepare. Tell them the question and give them a few minutes to think about
what they’ll say. They can take notes first.
G: That’s a good idea.
M: Also, let them practice in groups before they speak in front of everyone.
This’ll give them confidence.
G: Yes, you’re right. I do usually give them a chance to practice first. Now what
about those students who have problems listening to English?
M: Problem listening? That’s common, too.
G: Native speaker-for example people from the UK or Australia or the State-
speak really fast and it’s difficult to understand them.
M: Yes. Students should practice listening to native speakers. Fortunately, If
they have the internet, there are lots of opportunities. They can listen to the
news and to podcasts. But even better is to go on YouTuve and watch film clips.
When we can see people speaking, it makes it easier. We can watch the mouth
and the hands and the body language and it helps us to understand.
G: And using subtitles? Some teachers say we shouldn’t use them. Ever!
M: I’m not sure that’s a good idea. Subtitles can be a real help. Students can
see the differences between the spelling and the pronunciation of words. They
can see which words are swallowed.
G: I suppose so.
M: For me, students should use subtitles maybe the second time they watch.
G: OK and what about… student’s pronunciation. They have a lot of problems.
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D: Discuss the questions.

1. Do you have the problems mentioned in the recording?
2. What do you think of the advice?
3. Can you add any other advice?
Learn to
Respond to Advice
7A: Read the extracts below. How did the listener respond? Listen again and
write the response.
1. They can take notes first. ____________________
2. Let them practice in groups before they speak in front of everyone. This’ll
give them confidence. ______________________.
3. And using subtitles? Some teachers say we shouldn’t use them. Ever!
_______________________.
4. They can see which words are swallowed. _______________________.
B: Read the response. Mark them ( ) I agree. ( ) disagree or ( ) I agree but
not completely.
1. That’s a good idea. ( )
2. I suppose so. ( )
3. You’re right. ( )
4. I’m not sure that’s a good idea. ( )
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8A. Complete the conversations in picture A-D using the words in the
brackets.

B. Look at pictures. A-D below. What do you think their problems are?
1. _____________________________________________________
2. _____________________________________________________
3. _____________________________________________________
4. _____________________________________________________