3
All in the mind
Unit objectives
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Reading and Use of English Part 5: introduction to task type, skimming the text to find main ideas, locating specific information referred to in the question Writing Part 1: writing an essay, planning an essay paragraph by paragraph Reading and Use of English Part 2: introduction to task type, working out what kinds of words are missing from open cloze texts Listening Part 2: introduction to task type, identifying specific information and opinions expressed Speaking Part 3: introduction to task type, following instructions, sustaining interaction, using appropriate language to express and justify opinions Grammar: no, none, not; the passive Vocabulary: nouns which can be countable or uncountable; formal vs informal style
Starting off 1 As a warmer Ask students: • Have you ever taken an intelligence test? • What form did it take? • Did you take the results seriously? Why (not)? Get feedback from the whole class for questions in Exercise 1. 2 Answers Usually positive: competent, conscientious, genuine, imaginative, modest, open-minded, out-going Usually negative: insecure, insensitive, naïve, selfcentred Could be either: idealistic, protective, unconventional You could begin by asking students to think of a word which describes the kind of thinker they are, e.g. logical, chaotic, random, etc. Students work alone through the table in Exercise 2. Pairs then compare their scores. 3 This question is intended to encourage speculation – there are no right or wrong answers. If students don’t know any of the people listed, they could be asked to research them, or simply to make some tentative guesses based on the person’s profession. 20
4 Discuss this briefly with the whole class.
Listening | Part 2 1 The discussion questions in Exercises 1 and 2 should be used as a warmer to prepare students for the topic of the listening. 2 This question could produce a worthwhile whole-class discussion if students find the painting interesting. Background information René François-Ghislain Magritte (1898–1967) was a Belgian painter who is associated with the Surrealist art movement. His paintings continue to influence contemporary artists and photographers, music video directors and advertisers. The Son of Man dates from 1964. 3
The purpose of this first listening activity is to introduce the word prosopagnosia. Answer face-blindness
CD 1 Track 08 Presenter: This week’s All in the Mind examines an unusual condition you may never have heard of before: prosopagnosia. Here’s Professor Alexander Scharma to explain. Professor: Hello. Well, let’s start with an image some of you may be familiar with: a painting called The Son of Man, by the surrealist artist René Magritte. In the picture, an apple floats in front of a man’s face, covering the features that would normally allow him to be recognised. The painting perfectly illustrates the concept of prosopagnosia, or face-blindness. Background information Prosopagnosia (proso – face [Greek] + agnosia – without knowledge [Greek]), or face-blindness, is a neurological disorder. It occurs when the part of the brain responsible for memory and facial perception (the right fusiform gyrus) develops abnormally or is damaged later in life. The sufferer is unable to discriminate between one face and another, and some sufferers may even be unable to recognise their own faces. Prosopagnosia is not related to visual impairment and is not known to affect other aspects of working or long-term memory. There is no cure for prosopagnosia; however, sufferers may be trained to distinguish people from one another by focusing on characteristics other than the face.
