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Grammar 1A Present simple and continuous for facts and trends Choose the best verb form to complete the text about employment. Circle your answer. People’s working lives (1) are becoming / become more flexible, as people (2) are no longer expecting / no longer expect to have a job for life. Statistics vary, but the average worker (3) has / is having somewhere between 5 and 10 different jobs over their working life. Increasingly, employers (4) are taking / take on workers on fixed term contracts to meet short-term needs. In some areas, such as IT, the number of contract workers (5) now overtakes / is now overtaking the number of permanent staff. Of course, this trend (6) brings / is bringing with it a whole new set of issues around workers’ rights. However, a more flexible job market (7) does also create / is also creating more opportunities for people to shape their own careers.
Grammar 2 Ellipsis Choose the best shortened version of the underlined part of these informal exchanges. Tick (✔) the correct answer.
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Grammar 1B Adverbials with present simple and continuous Complete the sentences with the best adverbials from the box.
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always currently every other week generally speaking increasingly nowadays 1
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Can you access the internet on this phone? I think you can access the internet on it. • I think so. •I think can. A: Would you send a birthday message on Facebook instead of a card? B: No, I wouldn’t just send a Facebook message. I think it’s nice to get proper cards. • No, I wouldn’t send. • No, I wouldn’t. A: Do you post something on your blog every day? B: Yes, I try to post something every day. • Yes, I try to. • Yes, I try so. A: Has Jake replied to your email? B: Not sure. I haven’t checked my mail yet. • I not checked my mail yet. • Haven’t checked my mail yet. A: Have they fixed the wi-fi problem? B: No, I’m afraid they haven’t fixed the problem. • No, I’m afraid so. • No, I’m afraid not. A: You know, you should’ve just told your boss you were ill and taken the day off. B: You’re right. I should have told him I was ill and taken the day off. • I should have. • I should have told.
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With the rise of budget airlines, people are making short trips by air. , it is now cheaper to fly from London to Edinburgh than to go by train. though, people are also becoming more and more aware of their carbon footprint. Eco-campaigners are telling us how damaging air travel is for the environment. The modern business traveller flies a couple of hundred miles for a meeting . Many governments are considering measures to introduce green taxes to discourage unnecessary air travel.
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Vocabulary 1 Wikis/Web 2.0
Vocabulary 2B Nouns to describe emotional reactions
Match the two parts of the sentences.
Complete the text using the noun form of the adjectives in brackets.
Web 2.0 applications include user-generated This concept of collective intelligence Web 2.0 doesn’t rely on the professional Instead, ordinary individuals add to the knowledge In the best cases, content is then peer Social media have also become a means of disseminating Even traditional news channels are using citizen Developing news stories now include eye-witness
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expertise of a small, elite group of experts. reviewed in order to eliminate errors and obvious bias. content rather than information from a single source. pool in any particular subject area. journalists to gather information. brings together ideas from a wide range of contributors. information instantly. accounts mixed with professional reporting.
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Vocabulary 2A Gradable and ungradable adjectives Choose the correct adverb to qualify the adjectives in these sentences. Circle the correct answer. Viewers around the world were absolutely / very / fairly horrified by the scenes of destruction from the disaster area. The effects of the earthquake were felt across an absolutely / incredibly / utterly large area. Villages near the centre of the quake were pretty / very / totally devastated. Many roads were damaged, making it rather / utterly / absolutely difficult for emergency teams to get through. The first rescuers on the scene said they were a little / absolutely / very shocked by what they witnessed. Some people who had lost everything were utterly / somewhat / fairly distraught. Other people were wandering the streets, clearly in shock, looking completely / incredibly / a little bewildered.
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You’d think that going to see your favourite standup comedian would be a lot of fun, but my recent experience in the front row at a comedy gig proved distinctly uncomfortable. Not long into his routine, the comic started chatting to members of the audience. To my (1) (relieved), he started off with a guy at the opposite end of the row. The poor guy was asked about his job as a computer technician, and to everyone’s (2) (amused), the comedian went off into a great sequence about IT geeks. But then, to my (3) (horrified), he strode across the stage and stopped right in front of me. I soon found myself explaining that I worked as a dance teacher. I knew it would be a rich source of humour, but to my utter (4) (dismayed), he invited me up onto the stage to teach him a few steps. Rather to my (5) (surprised), he turned out to be quite a good mover and to the (6) (delighted) of the audience, I managed to teach him quite a passable tango.
UNIT
1 Fact & Fiction
Vocabulary 3A Science
Vocabulary 3B Science
Choose the correct definition of the underlined word in each sentence. Tick (✔) the correct answer.
Complete the text about life on other planets with the words in the box.
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Engineers conduct regular tests to check the safety of all electrical equipment. a carry out b allow heat or electricity to pass through They were temporarily blinded by a glaring white light. a very easily seen b very bright Archaeologists dug away the top layer of soil to expose the remains of an ancient castle. a show something that is hidden b put something in an unprotected environment As water conducts electricity, it shouldn’t be used to put out electrical fires. a carry out b allow heat or electricity to pass through The inside of an aircraft is a sealed and pressurised environment. a closed tightly b made definite There were a number of glaring errors in the research that invalidated the results. a very easily seen b very bright The original colours of the temple have faded after being exposed to the sun for many years. a show something that is hidden b put something in an unprotected environment Yesterday the company sealed a deal to build the new aircraft. a closed something tightly b made something definite
ageless definitive evidence form theoretically unmanned
Is there life on other planets? It’s an (1) question, but one without a (2) answer as yet. Since man first started exploring space, the search has been on for any (3) of life on other planets. In 2008, the Phoenix mission landed an (4) spacecraft on the surface of Mars. Some people had suggested that microbial life could possibly exist on the surface of the red planet, an idea that is at least (5) sound. The Phoenix lander found some indications that there may have been water on the planet in the past, but produced no conclusive (6) that the planet’s harsh environment could support life.
Extend your vocabulary 1 Collocations for going online Choose the best verb to complete the sentences. Circle your answer. 1
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Thousands of people of all ages visit / enter social networking websites every day. Many people renew / update their status daily, or even several times a day. Some people update / upload photos of themselves to their profiles and their friends can type / post comments about them. If they want, people can transmit/ download the photos to their own computer. It’s also possible to upload / transfer videos to videosharing websites. Friends can then click / tap on a link on your profile to watch them.
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Extend your vocabulary 2 Prefixes
Pronunciation 1 Sentence stress – correcting facts
Write the correct prefix in each gap to complete the words in the two texts.
1.02 Listen to these people correcting facts. Underline the words you think carry the main stress in each sentence.
fore inter multi post tele ultra
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The newspaper claimed she was divorced, but in fact, her husband died a few years ago. Most people think he’s American, but actually, he’s Canadian. In interviews he comes across as quite confident, whereas in reality, he’s a very shy person. Media reports said that the band had split, but in fact, they’re still together. He described himself as a doctor, but in truth, he’d had no medical training.
The university is at the (1) front of e-learning technology. Many (2) graduate students are enrolled in distance learning programmes where much of the course is delivered online using sophisticated (3) media applications. As well as watching lectures and downloading lecture notes, they complete (4) active exercises that give them instant feedback.
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Scientists are able to (5) cast ‘space weather’ using the EIT (6) scope aboard the SOHO spacecraft, which can produce images of the (7) violet light from the solar corona; the ‘atmosphere’ that surrounds the sun. In order to see light at the extreme end of the spectrum, it uses (8) layer mirrors, made up of hundreds of different layers that absorb different types of light sandwiched together.
Pronunciation 2 Adjective word stress
Listening Live blogging 1.01 Listen to a radio programme and decide if the sentences are true or false. Circle your answer. Susie is in favour of live blogging. • True • False Martin is not against all forms of live blogging. • True • False Susie describes live blogging as a form of social networking. • True • False Martin’s main objection to live blogging is its lack of analysis. • True • False He says newspapers shouldn’t edit news stories in real time. • True • False Susie believes that traditional newspapers will find new readers in the future. • True • False
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1.03 Write the adjectives in the correct group according to their stress pattern. Then listen and check your answers. amused appalled astonished bewildered delighted dismayed distraught euphoric heartbroken horrified overjoyed speechless
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UNIT
1 Fact & Fiction
Reading The (unreliable) narrator 1 Read the two versions of the opening lines from a story. What is the difference between them? a
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I woke up with a jolt. Had I really heard a shot or had I dreamt it? I lay still and listened for any sounds around me. I could hear Julia talking downstairs, but I couldn’t make out what she was saying. Jeff woke up with a jolt. Had he really heard a shot or had he dreamt it? He lay still and listened for any sounds around him. Downstairs Julia was talking to the electrician on the phone. It was the third time this week the power had blown.
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5 Complete the sentences with the correct words, then read the text again to check your answers. 1
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Is the narrator in exercise 1a ‘reliable’ or ‘unreliable’? Is the narrator in exercise 1b ‘limited’ or ‘omniscient’?
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3 Read the text again and decide if the sentences are true (T) or false (F). Correct the false sentences. 1
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An author can write from the viewpoint of one character in the first or third person. Telling a story through the first person can reduce the reader’s interest. A limited narrator doesn’t necessarily know all the facts in a story. Stories with unreliable narrators are always written in the first person. Authors started using the device of the unreliable narrator in the 1960s. The unreliable narrator is used exclusively in books.
4 Cross out the alternative that has a different meaning to the others. 1
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It could be that their view of what happens is coloured by events or biased / impartial / prejudiced / subjective in some way. In other words, they are human and are fallible / make mistakes / are false / are imperfect. There have been numerous / countless / innumerable / various examples of unreliable narrators.
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Whenever an author on a work of fiction, he or she has to decide from the who is telling the story. However, writing a story in the first person places certain limitations on the narrative, it is only possible to recount that particular character sees, knows, feels, and does. The term ‘unreliable narrator’ is usually used with to a work of fiction in the story is told in the first person. The term ‘unreliable narrator’ dates back to 1961, but there have been numerous examples of unreliable narrators since people started telling stories to each other.
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Can you think of an example of a book told in the first person, and one in the third person? Have you ever read a book or seen a film with an unreliable narrator? What happened? Can you think of any unexpected twists in plot or denouements in a book you have read or a film you have seen?
This often enables / allows / forces / permits the reader to become more emotionally involved in the story. A story is usually more engaging / objective / entertaining / interesting when it is told in the first person. Writing a story in the first person places certain limitations / emphases / restrictions / constraints on the narrative. Their interpretation of what is happening is not always trustworthy / reliable / dependable / sincere.
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1 Fact & Fiction The (unreliable) narrator Every story needs a narrator, or in other words, the person telling the story. Whenever an author embarks on a work of fiction, he or she has to decide from the outset who is telling the story and whether it is to be told in the first or third person. The main advantage of using the first person, is that it allows the author to write from the viewpoint of one of the characters in the story, or a person related to the story in some other way. This can enable the reader to become more emotionally involved in the story, as they are seeing it unfold through the eyes of one character. The same is true when we tell each other stories in everyday life, as a story is usually more engaging when it is told in the first person. However, writing a story in the first person places certain limitations on the narrative, since it is only possible to recount what that particular character sees, knows, feels, and does. Writing in the third person, by contrast, allows the author to tell the story from different angles, and provide additional information as seen through the eyes of different characters. This is useful when the story would be enhanced by the inclusion of multiple perspectives. This type of narrator is called ‘omniscient’, because they have an overarching view of everything that occurs in the narrative. It is, of course, also possible to write a story from one person’s point of view in the third person. This type of narrator is called ‘limited’ because their description of the events is limited to what they can reasonably be expected to know. The term ‘unreliable narrator’ is usually used with reference to a work of fiction in which the story is told in the first person (although it can also sometimes apply to stories told in the third person). If the person telling the story is a character in the story, then their interpretation
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of what is happening is subjective, and not always trustworthy. It could be, for example, that there are facts that the narrator is unaware of, or that their view of what happens is coloured by events or biased in some other way. In other words, they are human and fallible, or play with the truth like anyone else, and are therefore ‘unreliable’. The term ‘unreliable narrator’ dates back to 1961, but there have been numerous examples of unreliable narrators ever since people first started telling stories to each other. There are several examples in the fictional Arabic tales of the One Thousand and One Nights, also known as the Arabian Nights, as well as in the classic The Canterbury Tales, by the British author Geoffrey Chaucer. The device is very useful, especially in certain genres such as crime fiction. Using an unreliable narrator allows the author to hoodwink the reader or include unexpected twists in the plot. For example, a key fact revealed towards the end of a story can dramatically overturn the reader’s expectations by undermining everything they have read and believed to be true up to that point. It is also used to great effect in film and television, often to generate suspense and create a shock ending, as in the dramatic denouement commonly used at the end of a detective thriller. Glossary denouement (noun) – the end of a book or play, when everything is explained device (noun) – a way that a writer creates a particular effect hoodwink (verb) – to make someone believe something that is not true jolt (noun) – a sudden strong feeling, especially one of surprise or fear omniscient (adjective) – knowing everything overarching (adjective) – including everything unfold (verb) – to happen, or to develop
UNIT
1 Fact & Fiction
Writing A blog entry Reading 1 Answer these questions. 1
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Do you use any social networking sites? If so, which ones? Do you keep a blog or know anyone who does? Can you think of a recent news story in which social networking or text messaging were involved?
2 Read the blog entry and match it with one of the news stories a–c. a b
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Public sector workers are organising strike action. Unemployed people are marching on the country’s capital. Young people are camping in city centres in protest at government cuts.
An update It’s week three of the protests and some of the people here are starting to talk about leaving. I think there’s a real danger of us splitting into groups and losing both the power and the hope that we have. The weather is bad again, but curiously, the hard conditions seem to bring us closer together. Sometimes it’s difficult to sleep at night, but who wants to sleep when so much is going on? Every day I meet interesting people from around the world. I am learning a lot about life in other cultures. I have a new friend called Marc who’s been telling me about the image of the protests that is being presented each day to the public on TV. A lot of the coverage is negative. I think it’s wrong to say that we are causing problems for the local shops and businesses. We do our best to keep the square clean and some of us visit the shops each day to make sure they are happy. No-one has told us that we are having a negative effect on their business. In fact, most of them support us. It is in our interest not to upset the people who have to live and work here. As I write this, I am receiving messages from protestors in other parts of the country. I can’t begin to describe how good it feels to be part of this movement. For years, our parents have been telling us that young people today have it too easy and have nothing to fight for. Maybe that was true before. But now it’s different. The level of youth unemployment is around 45 per cent and the politicians don’t seem to be doing anything about it. And cutting social spending is not necessarily the way to get us out of the current crisis. This protest is important. Hopefully it is encouraging more young people to think about politics and the world in which they live. I also hope it is changing the way politicians think about young people.
3 Look at the checklist of things to include in a live blog. Read the blog again and highlight the parts that relate to the things on the list. 1 2 3 4 5
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Establish the time/date Describe what’s happening now Describe the conditions Include accounts of other people Mention how other people are reporting events (if relevant) Convey the immediacy of what’s happening Express personal feelings and opinions Provide some background information End with a final thought or statement
Language focus: the present continuous 4 Look at the blog and match the underlined examples of the present continuous with the descriptions below. 1
An activity in progress at a particular moment
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A description of change or a new development
Writing skills: giving a first-hand account of an event 5 Look at the useful phrases to use when giving a firsthand account of an event. Match the sentence halves. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 a b c d e f g
There’s a real danger of … I am learning a lot about … I think it’s wrong to say that … We do our best to … It is in our interest not to … I can’t begin to describe how good it feels to … For years, our parents have been telling us that … we are causing problems. life in other cultures. keep the square clean. us splitting into groups. be part of this movement. upset the people who have to live and work here. we have nothing to fight for. Unit 1
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Preparing to write 6 Read the Writing task below. When preparing your blog, try to include some of the items on the checklist in exercise 3. Writing Imagine you are involved in a news story or are describing a news story that is taking place as you write. Write a blog entry to describe what is happening, any new developments, and what you see and feel.
Useful language: • But curiously ... • No-one has told us ... • In fact ... • As I write this ... • This (protest) is important ... • Hopefully it is encouraging ... • I also hope it is changing the way ...
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