Liveand Learn

.
~

':)_

,
W Listen to three people talking about what they
used to like and dislike about school and put the correct letters in the spaces provided.

Lead-in
a. Look at the photographs and.discussin pairs: Whatkindof thingsmightthe peoplein each photograph belearning? Forwhat purpose? Whatdifficultiesmighteachof themfacewith their studies? What mightbethe thingsthat givethem enjoyment? b. Look at the title of the unit. Do you think it is important for learning to continue throughout life? Why/Why not? Tell your partner.

a too much homework

b not enoughsport

c school underfunded
BillSanders

.. [C]
@C]

d games in class

e dedicated teachers f drama classes

Sarah Ford
Claire Sharpe

IIT:J

b. Which of the following phrases did you hear in the recording?

..

a. Which of the following aims of education are most important? Rank them in order of importance, then compare with your partner.

a What I hatedmost... b Whatusedto makemeangrywas...

c Thedepressing thing aboutit was... d Theworstthingabout .... e My favourite was... f I knewI wasin for a treatwhen... f h Sometimes I got really fed upwith ... Iwasat myhappiest when ...

to develop understanding of other people/cultures to learn social skills

to prepare for life in the workplace to become aware of how the past has affected

the present

to develop critical thinking

c. In pairsdiscuss what you usedto likeand dislike about your early schooling. Use phrases from

EX.3b.

b. Which of the following school subjects/activities

help with achieving the above aims? Discuss in

pairs.

you agree with them? Why (not)? Discuss in pairs.

...

Paraphrase the following quotations. Do

sociology
me<::

history

mathematics geography
computer studies

readingand writing
languages

'Education is a progressive discovery of our own

ignorance~

music/art

Will Durant (U.S.historian)

A: Tome,sociology helpsusunderstand othercultures. B: / agree./t teachesus how human societiesdevelop accordingto theirenvironment andhistory.

'Education makes a people easy to lead, but difficult to drive; easy to govern but impossible to enslave: Henry Peter (Scottish politician) 165

---

--

"
Reading - Part3

a. Youwill readan articleby a studentwho graduated from universitywith a firstclassdegree. Before you
J,'ead,discuss in pairs:

First-Class Degree
Whatdoesit taketo graduate from universitywith a FirstMark McArdle, first-classdegree holderfrom the Univers:,of Lancaster, tells howhedid it.
"Don't spendtoo muchtime at the studentlounge,do turn up for mostlecturesa.;: tutorials and do submit all coursework- eventually."That, I wastold by a ~...: student during freshers'week, wasall I neededto do to get a 2:2. For a 2:1.:require a better attendance recordandhaveto work harder,but not at the expec. 5 of beingcut off from civilisation.And for a First, I would haveto becomesomescof social outcast,go to everylecture and tutorial (scribblingnotes madly), spet! everywaking moment immersedin academicbooks,and be amongthe lasttc -. thrown out of the universitylibrary at lOpmclosingtime. Well, I did not giveup my life for study.I didn't attendeverylectureandtutoria... 10 didn't write downeveryword spokenin lectures.I didn't get 80%or more in ever essay, project, testor exam.I wasusuallybehindwith my readingand occasionG... mystifiedby the syllabus. Sometimes I couldn't be botheredto go to universitya: stayedat homeinstead.But I alwaysknewwhereI was,what I hadto do, andwI:... not to bother with. And I alwaysworked hard on the things that count~ 15 assignments andexams. Getting a degreeis about learning,but it isn't just about learningbiology,histaEnglishor whatever.It's aboutunderstanding what you needto succeed - whaL fact, the universitywants from you and what you will get in return. You have havea feelfor the educationmarketandreallysellyour inspirations.What does;;20 lecturer want?What is the essay markersearchingfor? Somestudentstry to oe. somethingnot wanted.Otherswant to givevery little - they stealthe thoughts others andsubmitthem astheir own.But they all want to be rewarded.Excha.ng' but don't steal,andyou'll get a degree. I sawlecturersascustomers whofell into twobroadcategories. Therewerethose~ 25 whom lecturingwasanunwelcome interruption to their research work. After all ~ were studentsandwhat did we know?I would deliberatelypitch my essays to ;.;:., kindof academic sothatmyopinions appeared moreasevidence thatI hadread ;;;:: understoodthe key contributionsto the debate,rather than as an attempt to r... down monuments. Theothertypeof academic werethose whoenjoyed teaching ;;;::

How I Got My

Whatpartdo the following play in motivating people to excelin education? desire forprofessional success desire forpersonal achievement

. . .

pressurefrom family/friends! employers

2 With a partner, rankthe following accordingto how necessary you think they arein orderto do well at university.

discipline

D D
D

competitive spirit understanding what is expected of you

organisational skills

D D D

perseverance intelligence morale

Read the passagequickly. Which of the above does the writer mention? What other things helped him to succeed?Check with your partner.

I,

b. Now readthe passagethoroughly. For questions 1-7, choosethe answer (A, B, C or D) which you think fits best accordingto the text. The PhDstudent who spoketo the writer A exaggerated the needto work hard. B thoughtthe writer would get a Fi rst. ( succeeded inscaring thewriter. D was uncertain how to help the writer.

Accordingto the writer, an important factor in success at universityis A the abilityto understand the market. B acquaintance with lecturers andmarkers. ( clever useof otherpeople's ideas. D an understanding of what wasrequired. In the third paragraph, the writer warnsagainst A tryingto second-guess lecturers. B expecting to be rewarded. ( plagiarism in essays andexams. D offeringmoney to academic staff.

166

My

~niversity degree classifications in the UK:

Why did the writer not practise writing exam questions? A Hewas advisednot to. B He thought the practice was rather boring.

5S

First class :Jpper second (2:1) ~wer second (2:2) :bird class (3)

ee

(
D

He wanted to answer exam

questions critically.

'"

He thought it might prejudice staff against him.

--. -re:

The writer concludes by advising

students to A follow his recipe for success.

discussing new ideas.

They wanted more. They wanted something different, inspirational, iconoclastic.

B make the most of being a student. ( concentrate on passingexams. D aim fora Firstat allcosts.

-r

.,... .' .

I would present my arguments to show that I had done my reading and understood the key concepts, but I would also try to add something more to the issue rather than rake over familiar ground. Essentially, it was a case of working out what was wanted and then delivering it. I can't state exactly how successful this tactic was, except to say that I sold more essays than I had returned as faulty.

~ Vocabulary Practice
2
a. Match the highlighted words in the passage with their synonyms below.

to _ ..-

I could guarantee every book on my reading list was out on long loan from the university library within five seconds of the list being issued. This was worrying at first, but I quickly learned that it was impossible to read all of the books on an -5 average reading list anyway. I sought shortcuts. Collections of selected readings or journal articles were excellent sources that often saved me the bother of reading the
()l\~\1\\\\ te;~t~. Re.\e;(e.1\ce~ \1\ \:>aa~ u.\\~,&eu me \\\\ ave. tne ~\ace \:>ut, "\N\tn a\\ tne

crucial search quickly rejecting general bewildered absorbed understanding of discussion

b. In pairs, find words in the article whicharesimilarin your language.

courses I had to do, there wasn't enough time to be dragged too far. I would flick through the book, read the introduction, note any summaries, look at diagrams, 50 skim the index, and read any conclusions. I plucked out what was needed and made my escape. I revised by discarding subject areas I could not face revising; reading; compiling notes; and then condensing them onto one or two sheets of A4 for each subject area. Leading up to the exam, I would concentrate on just the condensed notes and rely 55 on my memory to drag out the detail behind them when the time came. I didn't practise writing exam questions, although it was recommended. I prefer to be spontaneous and open-minded. I don't want pre-formed conclusions fillingmy mind. And nor should you; there is no secret to getting a First - this is just an account of how I got my First. Be a happy student by striking the right balance between 60 working and enjoying yourself. Take what you do seriously and do your best. And, no matter what you do, don't forget to appreciate every day of your university studies: it is one of the greatest periods of your life.

Text Analysis
The writer uses the following phrases. Explain them in your own words.
1 2 3 4 being cut off from civilisation (I. 5) pull down monuments (II. 28-29) I plucked out what was needed (I. 50) drag out th~ detail (I. 55)

,~.~-

~
4 In his relationship with his lecturers, the writer tried to

Discussion
Inpairs,discussthe
is your method

A showthemthat hewouldmakea goodsalesman.

B do his work in a stylewhich matched their expectations. alwayshavesome new ideasto impressthem with. D neverupset them by submittingground-breakingwork.
(

following:
Howsimilar/different
2

_
change

of studyto that of the writer? Are there things about the way you study which you would like to
or improve? Think about:

How did the writer cope with long lists of required reading? A He ignoredthem. ( Hewas selective. B Hewrote his own. D Hesummarisedthem.

being organised. being more focused.

managing your time.

167

:)
1

School Days
a. Using a dictionary if necessary,

:)
2

In the Classroom
a. Look at the cartoon. Which classdoes it show? In pairs think

<-

underlinethe correctword in the sentences. Usethe remaining words in sentences of your own. The scrlbolis thought to be highly innovative inthatit implements asystem of continuous (tests, assessment, finals) to determine grades. 2 One couldhearthe sounds of lively (debate, talk, argument)comingfrom the roomwherethe philosophy class wasbeing held. 3 Mybrother, whowants tojointheclergy,
hasjust entereda (seminary, university, college). It was inevitablethat the (seminar, lecture,tutorial) wouldbewell-attended as it was beinggivenby the renowned professor, KurtReimann. There's no way I'll be ableto come.I've got to hand in a two thousandwQrd (assignment, project, essay) on the Russian Revolution by Monday afternoon. Stephen was caught (copying, plagiarising,stealing) from his fellow student's test paperandwasexpelled. For tomorrow, pleaseread this short original (article, text, excerpt) from Dicken's HardTimes and be prepared to discuss it in class. If you'rereallyinterested in applying, ask the university to send you a (syllabus, prospectus, curriculum)for the upcoming year.

of asmanytypesof classes aspossible. Compare your list to another pair's. -

"---

/"-

Ir

f.t,'. .'.".'

...
u

b. In pairs, decide for which classesthe items in the list would be needed. Talk about what they would be used for, as in the example.

compass easel abacus theatrical prop art supplies

globe

lab skeleton test tube referencebooks

musicalscore glassslide
A: I suppose students wouldusea glassslidein biologyclassfor lookingat thingsunderthemicroscope. B: That's true.A glass slidecouldbeusedfor thesamepurpose in chemistry class, aswell.

b. Below are words that correspond

to the word sets from Ex. 1a. Tell

your partner which word goes with which set and why.

:)
3

Study Methods
a. Look at the study methods in the list. For which of the tasks (1-10) is each method best suited?
<-

exams class vocational school talk homework cheating

summary course list 'Exams' corresponds withnumber1.Thewords arewaysin whicheducators cantellhowwell a student isdoing. 1 2 3 4 S 6 7 8 9

revising

cramming highlighting note-taking

proof-reading

summarising

editing

Preparing for an end-of-term exam Isolating informationfromits context Checking andimproving on a piece of work Condensing informationfor quickaccess Recording informationduringa class/lecture/seminar Keeping newknowledge freshin yourmind Re-organising an essay/composition Organising materialinto manageable units Ensuring a piece of writtenwork meetsallformalrequirements (format, word-count,etc) 10 Makingimportantinformationstandout

168

t>. In pairs,discuss the following.

Which of the stated study methods do you use? 2 3 4 5 6 What do you usually use them for? What other methods do you use? How much time do you spend studying? Do you usually study alone or with a classmate? Why? Are exCUJls a fair means of assessment? If not, what would be a better way to assess students?

.
4

Tothe head master's .................................................

delight each and every one of his pupils was

accepted into Oxford University.

Although he paid a(n) ...............................................

amount of money for his daughter's education, she

= Build up your Word Power

.1 "11e adjectives below havebeengroupedin orderof ;'1creasing intensity.Usethem to completethe sets of sentences which follow. Useeachadjectiveonly once.

. . .
.

has never held down a steady job.

Inthe past, many history bookswere ........................ towards those countriesthat had lost wars.
You may well have a PhD in philosophy, but to my mind you are both and racist. My grandfather is very opinionated about certain things, but at least he is ............................................ of co-educational schooling.

His

attitudes towards

progressive educationwon him a position at the prestigiouscollege.

rhaic<dated < modern< advanced

<substantial < immense < extravagant

goted<biased <tolerant
.. "

<ope~.minded ~< pleasant<moving < inspirational

I mustsayfor a womanwho is supposed to be so articulate,the Dean's welcomingspeechwas quite
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. .

,I "
":J

I.
-

. .
2

The life of Anne Sullivan,Helen Keller'steacher, serves asa(n) message to all of thosewho workwith the disabled.

Thehead girl'swords werevery..............................

and severalof her fellow classmates were in tears beforeshehadfinished. Thekindergarten teacherhad a............................... singingvoice,and as a result her young students lovedthe timetheyspentlearningnewsongs. Most schoolsin the countryhave'opted to teach Greek asopposed to ancientGreek. The elderlyprofessor was let go as he refusedto changehis teachingpractices. I'm sorry,but asour institutionseeks to maintaina traditionalstandard, yourideas arejust too .............. for us. Thatreference bookwaspublished over20 years ago so someof the information it containsis probably rather . My parentsearneda(n) income and were unable to send me to musicclasses. Her praise embarrassed the child so badlythat he refusedto

. . . .
.

:)
5

Words often Confused

Underline the correct word.
John'sexcusefor not doing his homework was that he had

been too tired, but the teacherdismissed/denied/ignored/ refused this asnonsense.

2 3 4 Gable's theory pulled/tooklattracted/engaged

a lot of

a:

. .

interest from the scientific community.

The approach/entrance/opening/advent of new technology is bound to revolutionisethe function of the classroom.

draw any morepicturesin art class.

Writing is generally considered a more severe/thorough/ demanding/critical task than reading. S The library willbe sheltered/housed/included/contained in the old building on Bridge Street.

169

language Focus

Have

------.-

Do
goodmarks anexam one'shomework for one'sfinals expelled/suspended
an Easterbreak

a biologyproject
extracurricularactivities

b. Canyou think of one morephraseor expression

170

to go undereachheading?In pairs,usethem to makesentences.

c. Sketcha picturefor anotherone of the idioms from Ex.8a.Showit to the classand seeif th~i canguesswhich idiom you havedrawn.

.J

:)
-...
e

Fixed Phrases(phraseswith by)

Replace the underlinedwordsand expressions with one of the fixed phrases below.Then,in pairs,use the fixed phrases to makeup sentences of your own.

b. Now usesome of the phrasalverbs,in their

correctform, to completethe sentences.
The arrogant young man managedto ..................... the informationthat he hadthreepostgraduate degrees. 2 Asthe longwinter the poorstudent poredoverhertext booksnightafternight. 3 Even thoughheworkeda full timejob whilegettinghis diploma,Sammanaged to hisstudies. 4 A goodlecturer will the syllabus in ordernot to confuse students. 5 Justadmityouplagiarised youressay, he'll yousooneror lateranyway. it

byar'ldlarge byandby (fall)bythe wayside bychance bytheway bythebook bylaw byword ofmouth
Herplansto becomea teachercameto nothingwhen shewasforcedto drop out of schoolto lookafter her youngersiblings. 2 Incidentally. didyouknowthat Susan finished at the top of hergraduating class? 3 Coincidentally. I found myoid schooluniform while I wascleaning out the attic. 4 We heard about the privateschoolthrough various conversations with friendsandcolleagues. 5 If we'regoingto do thisright,we'll haveto do it exactly aswe wereinstructed. Don't worry if you don't understand the theorybehind it, you'llcatchon eventually. 7 Generally speaking. the number~f peopleleaving school without obtaininga qualification ison the rise. 8 Legally, all institutesof learningmustbe equipped with smokedetectors andsprinkler systems. :. 6

Communication: Describing Similarities/ Differences

11

a. Thephrases in the languagebox below,canall be usedwhen makingcomparisons. In pairs, decidewhich of them areappropriatefor formal writing and which aremoresuitablefor conversation.
Describing Differences

IX

Describing Similarities isratherlike appears similar to seems like resembles shares characteristics with reminds meof hasa lot in common with isprettymuchthe same as iscomparable to

is nothing like is totally different from

~ PhrasalVerbs ~
10
[[]

Appendix 1

varies greatlyfrom hasverylittle in common with

a. Matchthe phrasalverbs(1-8)with their meanings (a-h).

You'vehad all the advantages in the world. Why would you get involved with that manwhen he'jl onlydragyoudown? Keepto your studyplanthroughoutthe academic yearandyou'resureto do well. Inorderto keepup with yourclassmates duringyour recovery you'llhave to do a lot of revising at home. Theteachermanaged to drag a confession out of the naughtypupil. I keep back 10%of my payeachweek for when Tommy attendsuniversity. Why did you drag in the fact that you had never graduated in front of yournewboss? Thelecturedraggedon well intothe afternoon. Thecollegekept the elderlygardener on evenafter hewastoo oldto do muchwork. e manageto elicit f continue to employ 9 stay levelwith h continue unnecessarily

isquite unlike
bearslittle resemblanceto

differsdramatically from

!ill [ill

rn
!ill !ill
[[] [ill

WListento two peoplediscussingthe issueof

chances?

publicvsstate schooling.What arethey saying life about: cost, qualityof education,increased

Who do you agree with most? Discuss in pairs.

the similaritiesand differences c. In pairs,discuss between:

the education system inyourcountry/the education system inthe UKor the US 2 wearingschooluniform/wearing what youlike 3 state-wide exams/continual assessment A: I thinkour education system isratherliketheUS system. B: Iagree. It'snothinglikethe UKsystem.

-~-

a adhere b reserve c inappropriately mention d ruin, lessensb

171

(Listening-Part 1

(Listening - Part3

-*'
......

Youwill hearthree different extractsabout three

unrelated topics. For questions 1-6, choose the answer (A, B or C) which fits best according to what you hear. There are two questions for each extract. .~

a. Youwill hearpart of a radio interviewwith the universitylecturer,Dr HarryGrey,about children and languagelearning.Beforeyou listen,discuss in pairsthe following.
Is it possible for veryyoungchildrento learna secorc language? Howeasy/difficult isthis? 2 Do you think that learningtwo languages might bE confusing or difficultfor veryyoungchildren?

~art

of an interviewabout storytelling. Accordingto Tim,why do somepeoplefind it difficult to performin public? blocked A because they become B because theyarenot verycreative e because theyfear theirperformance will not begood enough 2 Howcana storytellerovercome the fearof performing? A by experimenting with the storyandthe audience B bystickingto a well-crafted plan e bysuppressing panic

Now listen to the recording. For questions 1-6,

choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which fits best according to what you hear. In the past,how did immigrantfamiliesviewtheir oWr' mothertongue? A It wasa source of pride. B It wasless importantthanthe mainlanguage of tE' hostcountry. e It wasa means of retaining theircustoms andcultur D It helped themto adjustto their hostcountry.

part of a radio programmeabout traditional

kitchen gardens. 3 Why were traditional gardens in monasteries laid out

in the shape of a cross?

A in orderto irrigatethe gardenbetter B for religious reasons e to createasymmetrical pattern 4 What is the advantage of planting a variety of
different plants, vegetables and flowers?

2 What often happenswhen childrenare learningtwc languages simultaneously? A Theyget theirwordsmixedup. B Theycannotdistinguish between the two language: e Theirvocabulary-range maybesmall. D Theyintermixwordsfromboth languages. 3 When do bilingual children use each of their tw: languages? A Theyonlyuseoneof the languages with theirfarr B Theyuseboth languages with theirfamily. e Theyuseeachlanguage in specific situations. D Theyusethe formalvocabulary of eachlanguage formalsituations. When might children have a problem with sec<r: languagelearning? A whentheylearnone language well priorto lear" a second B whenboth languages areintroduced simultaneoLi5 e whentheylearn more thantwo languages 0 whentheylearna language beforestartingschoo

A It ismoreefficientthan modernmethods. B Youcanadaptit easily. e It creates a naturalsystem of pestcontrol.

p'rt of , d;"",,;oo about

etiquette in Victoriantimes.

manners and

5 Why does Anthea make a comparison between

Victorian and modern manners?

, -

A to highlightthe Victorians' obsession with etiquette B to show that commonpoliteness was encouraged boththen andnow

Bilingualchildren

e to show howmanners have changed over time

6 What does Anthea say about manners in nineteenth century America?

A mayhavea better commandof one of the ~;

languages. B usually speakboth languages equally well. e speak both languages to boththeir parents. D understand more of eachlanguage than they :: produce. 6 Whoshouldparents consultif their childhasa langua;problem? A an interpreter B a medical expertwho speaks both languages e someone who speaks both languages D a grammar teacher ::

A allclasses of people observed thebasic rules of etiquette B onlythe wealthyobserved the basic rulesof etiquette e certainprofessionals did not observe the basicrules of etiquette

"..

"""

Speaking - Part 3: Discuss, Hypothesise & Sele~t

Idrer 1lSCl&

:>
3

Learning For Life

--("G!udents A -&
B

Look at these pictures showing various skillsand abilities.Talkto each other about the situations where the skillsand abilities shown might be necessary. Then decide which two skills/abilities are most important a~d should be emphasised in educational systems.

.t
!!Ira

~ 1..
)"

,..., - '-=
~

] Useful language: Hypothesising

For example.if you ... then you would need to ...

Should youfindyourself in asituation where...thenyouwould haveto ... Supposing you ...thenyoumust...

eir t\ c

Without... you wouldn't be ableto cope in a situation where ...

Imagine if youhadto ... ; thenyouwouldalmostcertainly

needto ...

In which situations do you think the skillsand abilities shown might be necessary? Which two skills or abilities are most important and should be emphasisedin educational systems?

Whatif... ?Theonlywayto dealwith that wouldbe... It would beespecially usefulin situations whereyouarecalled

upon to ...

r sec<Y'C

Speaking - Part4
aneol.&

(~dents

A-& B

~ Everyday English
6
b No way! c You didn't!

ExpressingDisbelief

Discussthe following questions together.

Apartfrombeingessential for certaincareers, what isthe importance of goodeducation? Howcangovernments make surethat everyone hasaccess to goodeducation? Whatmakes agoodteacher? Towhatextentshould art bepartof education? Howmuchof a sayshouldparents havein theirchildren's education?

scroo
2 ~he:'
_

In pairs, decide what the other speaker has said and use the expressions below in response. a Youcan't be serious!

they calanguage

3 4 5

d You must be joking! e You're having me on! f Isthis a joke? A: Have youheard? MikeandSylvia aregettingmarried. B: You can'tbeserious!

Listento two candidates doing the speaking tasks

in Exs. 3 and 4 and compare their performance to that of your classmates. Assess your classmates

es

intermsof:

grammarand vocabulary discourse management pronunciation interactive communication

173

Reading - Part2

a.

Youwill readan articlewritten by a mother whose childstarted readinglaterthan others.Beforeyou read,in groupsdiscuss the following.

1 Howimportantdo youthink it isfor children to startreadingearly? 2 Generally~peaking, at whatagedo children inyourcountrylearnto read? 3 Whatshouldbethe roleof the parents in a child'searlyeducation?

b.

The following words and phrases appear in the passage. look at the title, then in pairs discusshow they might be connected with the subject of children learning to read.

coaxed, pressed and, if required, bribed

consequences

coaching

cooperatewith others

pleasure

c. Readthe first and the last sentence of each paragraph. Can you guess what each paragraph is about? Discussin pairs. Now, read quickly and check.

..

YeM c.a., ",a~

1't8Ao tt,

1-t ,eM c.a.,'t",a(e 1't8(t~.

(,.

Weforce children into reading far too early. Today Einstein, who learnt to read at 10, would be in remedial class, argues Anne Karpf
A good news story about education? It sounds like an oxymoron, but blazoned on Monday's front pages was the finding of a major new international surveythat 'UK pupils move close to top of world class', especially in reading. This will have been gratifying to a government for whom 'education, education, education' increasinglyseems to be a euphemism for 'reading, reading, reading'. But such ~\l\~emmdednessnas nad o\net, \ll\adffiow\edged
consequences.

matter of when she learned to read seemed so awfulthat I decided to stop meddling altogether. . 4 But in other schools there's no shortage of horror stories, like the parents of four-year-olds paying for coaching to help them keep up with the fast readers. The mother of a fouI-and-a-half-year-oldwas told that her son had to apply himself to reading because the schoo\ didn't W(\l\thim t.. end up at the bottom of the pile. Einstein may h.. learned to read only at 10, but today he'd be stigmatlSl:: and in remedial class. 5
I

Traditionalists, however, maintain t'hat you're never too young to learn to read: on the contrary, the earlier the better. Reading, and especiallyearly reading, is considered so self-evidently good that children are coaxed, pressed and, if required, bribed into submission. 2I My own position has changed radically between my first and second child. The first taught herself to read at the age of four. Thereafter she secreted books around her bed like contraband, and had to be physicallyprised from them at the dinner table. When her younger sister started school last year, I expected a repeat performance. . 3I Should I be vacuuming away her words, and pumping in someone else's? Should I have been coercing her to try to read when she was plainly unwilling?I can coerce when it's necessary, but the thought of becoming a dictator in the

Other parents are more successful in their efforts, ye children get there in the end. What counts, surely, is .;
they do so, since this is paramount for future pleasure

'.

can, just about, drill children into learning to read, bffi cal}.'t compel them to enjoy it. In a culture increas:_ obsessed with what is measurable, what a pity reopleasure can't be tested. ..... 6

I think my own now almost-six-year-old would preferred this approach. However, something has ra.-. clicked in the reading part of her brain, and she is ~way to becoming a voracious reader. It's probabI: coincidence that this transformation was over exac'_ same period that she started learning the violin.

...... Like other reception class mothers, I peeked at her friends' bookbags to see if the books they_ were reading were more advanced. Invariably they were. My growing anxiety was assuaged by a wise fellow mother remarking that my exuberant childwas busilyengagedin things,like pretend games and drawing, which delighted her more. She als~ loves books, but often pleads for the right to be able to make up her own stories to the pictures (frequently more exciting than
those by the author).

a. Read the article. Sixparagraphs have been removed.

Choose from the paragraphs A-Gthe one which fits each gap (1-6). There is one extra paragraph you do not need

..

to use.
b. Underline the words which helped you do the task. Compare with your partner.

Vocabulary Practice

Those who consider such reservations a middleclass luxury should look at Europe. We're alone in bullying children to read so young. The ~orwegians don't start until they're seven, when it's usuallypainless. SylviaHopland, beadteacher of the Norwegian School in London, says: 'We know that we could teach children to read at four, but we want them to spend those years playing. We want to teach them to solve problems,
cooperate with Qthers and cope with life.' Imagine the blow that might have dealt to his creative genius. Also, one problem with exerting such pressure on pre-school children is that it can make children resistant to reading. Once affecting extravagant interest in my second daughter's new book-title, I was rewarded with: 'You're just trying to get me to read it and I won't.'
oJ'

Match the highlighted words in the article with the definitions below, then use them in your own sentences. You may change the form of the verbs if you wish.
2 livelyand excitable; 3 a phrasewhere two 1 pretendingaffecting; contradictoryterms appeartogether; 4 most important; 5 carried something heavy with difficulty;6 persuade someone to do something against theirwill;7 people whoresist change andfavour established ideas; 8 hid;9 unacceptably unconventional andunreasonable; 10 verykeen Affecting shyness, thenormallyboldchildrefused to saya word.

Text Analysis
a. Explainthe meaning of the following phrases taken from

the article.
2

ing..

tori~

~rof _ lapp_.

When I asked her to tell me what she thought of her classes, she was unabashedly sincere: 'I like books with pictures, but books with too many words are boring.' My immediate urge was to force her, threaten her or coax her nose into her books. Until it suddenly occurred to me: at what age did I start reading? For the best part of a year I lugged her wretched bookbag to and from school without opening it, and resolved as far as possible to follow her own

1 ... I expected a repeatperformance. (beforegap3) ... the thought of becoming a dictator ... (before gap 4)

3 ... to endup at the bottomof the pile.(beforegap5) 4 ... something hasrecently clicked... (aftergap6) 5 Andthe heresy that darenot speakits name... (paragraph G)

b. Act out a dialogue between mother and child based on para C opposite.

3;rn ,..... .~

, we ialised

yet a.. ish<r' :. YOt. Dt ~~~ lSingt :ading

reading timetable. Her reception teacher adopted what today is a rare, daring stance: there isn't muchyoucan do to makea childread beforethey'reready.
Being against it, is like being against vitamins or bank holidays - completely perverse. Among the over half-million web pages devoted to teaching children to read, none of those I browsed are on learning to read too soon. The obsession with reading has led to a major decline in the time and energy given over to music, art and drama. And the heresy that dare not speak its name is that children are being pressurised to learn to read too early.

ha'-e rentl: )n the sheer II) the

Discussion
What is the value of learning to read early? What
are the pleasures of reading? Should children be left alone to begin reading when they are ready or should they be forced into it? Discuss in pairs.

5 ...

175

Relative Clauses

~ Reference Grammar
3

Pam reada novel. Themaincharacter in it wasshipwreckec ona desert island.

Fillthe gapswith the correctrelativepronounor adverb.Indicatewherethe relativescanbeomitted by placingthem in brackets.

Theman(wholwhom) youwerespeaking to earlier isMike, wlidisanexpert on networks that/which runon Unix. 2 Thepupils sangin the concertgavea wonderfulperformance was praised bytheir music teacher. 3 My aunt, visitedme lastweek,hasa housein France shegoesevery summer. 4 Themostinteresting film I'veseenin a longtime isthe oneaboutthe artist ........................... went to livein Spain. 5 OurlocalMPpromised to do everything ........................ he could to help those houseshad beendamaged in the earthquake. 6 Thisisa film will beverypopularwith teenagers enjoyrockmusic. 7 Laurence, had been havinglessons for months,took his test when he wasoffereda job required a dritlinglicence. I went 8 Thefirsttime I visitedPortugal to a villagein battle. 9 therehadbeena famous

9 David went to Prague. Heattendeda conference there 10 Harry isanengineer. Hiswifehasjustgivenbirthto twins.

Chain story: Continue the story. Use an appropriate relative pronoun or adverb inyour sentence.

Last Monday, Mr Smith, who is the school principal, asked Johnto hisoffice.

Dan, fatherisGreek, boughta holiday cottagein the village hisgrandfather lived. Peter wasengaged, applied would entailher movingto the newcompany wasbased.

10 Isabelle, to for a job Holland,

Fiveout of the seven sentences below contain ar unnecessary word. Findthe unnecessary words a.~.: underline them.
Pele,is alsoknownas 'the BlackPearl',is regardec the greatestfootballerof alltime.
2 Becausethe teacherswho were on strike, the pupils-

Join the sentences using relative clauses. Indicate where relatives can be omitted by placing them in brackets. There may be more than one way to join the sentences. Add commas where necessary.
STeve and Lynn are An?ericans. They own the fittfe

t
.

restaurant on Bridge Street. Steve and Lynn are the Americans who own the little restaurant on Bridge Street.

no lessons for days., 3 TheUniversity madethe students that pay tuition fee. 4 Theplaceto whichthe reportrefersis on the outskirts of London. 5 The story which it takes place in Italy is about the relationship betweena fatherandhisyoungson. 6 Those whoseessays whichhavenotyet beenreturned are to check with the departmental secretary on Monday. 7 Mr Johnson, who is well known for his insistence on punctuality, would not allowthe pupilsthat arrivedlate to sitthe examination.

Propertyprices are rising. This meansmany young couples cannotaffordto buytheirown home. 3 Some teachers wanta payrise. Theymayorganise a strike. 4 Alexhasjust married a teacher. Shelectures in Politics. 5 Jennyhasno brothersor sisters. Herparentsspoilt her whenshewasa child. 6 7 Damascus isa fascinating city.It isthe oldestcapitalcity in the world. I gaveMarka paperweight asa birthdaypresent. Heisa writer.

176
- ---

( Useof Eng/~h- Part2

I.

smooth good . rough

Forquestions1-15,think of the word whichbest

fits each gap. Use only one word in each gap.

A Ihavea

trackledthroughthe woodsto the house. ideaofwherethe music schoolis,but fromworking on the farm.

I'm not entirely sure.

Hishandswere

On 5 September 1977,the American spacecraft Voyager One blasted 0) off on its historic mission to Jupiter and beyond. 1) board, the scientists, who knew that Voyager 2) ......... one day spin through distant star systems, 3) installed a recorded greeting from the people of the planet Earth. Preceding a brief message in 55 4) languages for the people of outer space, the gold-plated disc plays a statement from the Secretary-General of the United Nations, speaking on 5) of 147member states - in English. The rise of English is a remarkable success 6) . When Julius Caesar landed in Britain over two thousand years 7) , English did not exist. Five hundred years later, English, incomprehensible to modem ears, 8) probably spoken by about as few people 9) currently speak Cherokee. Nearly a thousand years later, at the end of the sixteenth century, when William Shakespeare was 10) his prime, Englishwas the native speech of 11) 5 and 7 million Englishmen. Four hundred years later, the contrast is extraordinary. Between 1600and the present, in armies, navies,companies and expeditions, the speakersof English- including Scots, Irish, Welsh, American and many more - travelled 12) every
comer of the globe, carrying their language and culture 13) ........ them. Today, English 14) used by at least 750 million people. Some estimates have put the total at 1 billion. Whatever the total, English at the beginning of the twenty-first century is more 15) widely scattered, more widely spoken and written, any other language has ever been. It has become the

Use of En~/~h - Part 4

Forquestions 1-5, think of one word which can be used appropriately in all three sentences.
o Please write your name and address on this slip of paper. Did I say 'wash the breakfast fishes'? It must have been a slip of the tongue. The police officer chased the thieves but they managed to give him the slip. I know he was having a sleepless night because I could

hearhimpacing andforthinhisroom. I'llget ...... to youassoonas Ihearanynews. Let'sgo and sit further - beingso closeto the
screen is hurting my eyes.

2 Kimpulledon hercoatand out ofthe house. Thelittleboatwas againstthe rocks. I off a letterto let himknowthat we weren't
coming after all.

3 You'vedone a marvellous
really looks fantastic.

with the house;it inthe localfactory of fixing thistable

Katehas decidedto take a

until she can find something else.

Petercertainly madea good - it doesn't wobble at all now.

4 Wheredoesthislittlepath to? The latestclues the policeto believe that the

murderer was known to the victim. The book describes the breakdown of a marriage and the

language of the planet, the first truly global language.

eventswhich

upto it.

~
6

Gappedsentences
Choose one word from the box to complete all
three sentences.

S You've got a dirtymarkon the of yournose. Ican't remember hisnamebut it'son the of my tongue. Thewaiterwasverypolitesowe lefthima .

near narrow

short

Thisis sucha slowly.

roadthat youhaveto drivevery

escape - that red car nearlyhit us! margin.
I

That was a

JerryBrownwon the election by a

I problem

. inability . failure

The stock broker's.. ... . ... .. to act on the information he had

been given,leadto hugefinancial lossesforthe company. Unfortunately,Mike'sbusinessventure was a(n) A(n) being lost. . in the computer system led to all the data

~
8

Word formation
Completethe followingsentencesusingwords formed from the words in bold. attract

Useof Eng/~h- Part 3 Forquestions 1-10, use the words in bold to form ~o

wordsthat fit inthe numberedspacesinthe text.

other 2 pass

.
.

Usif1gthis polish on your car will give its surface an attractive shine.

Apart from the rock concert, there were several

at the festival.

The escaped prisoner took a hostage and demanded

safe
. 3 beauty

out ofthe country.

. After the heavy snow. the mountain roads were

. . . . .

Flowerarrangementshelp to house. The talented

her own salon.

a decidedto open

4 sign Thischequeis
bank cannot cash it.

.so I'mafraidthe
on its petition.

The anti-hunting group collected over 5,000 It is hopedthat the

will take place tomorrow.

of the agreement

Child prodigies are the circus animals of our age, an 0) endless source of

END
FASCINATE

1)

to usall;whethertheyare in

5 like The restaurant was too sophisticatedfor my

.

fact worthy of admiration or of pity is

2) however. It ismorethan two decadessincethe 3) Ruth

Lawrence, at the age of thirteen, obtained a First in Mathematics at Oxford Uhiversity. becoming a national 4) . More 5) six-year-old Justin Chapman enrolled at the University of Rochester, to study ancient world history. These children's intellectual 6) are obviously impressive. but surely such children are too 7) to cope with university? Some psychologists point out that while it is

DEBATE REMARK

Marianna bearsa strong father. 6 terror

to her

CURIOUS RECENT

Blowing up the ambassador's car was an act of condemned by the government. . I'vejust heardthe news about the .............................. train crash. 7

ACHIEVE MATURE
UNDERSTAND

. .

stop Once Ruth starts talking about her cats. she's .

entirely 8) 9) 10)

that parentsof themto succeed,it i~ pressure. andalsothat

Factory workers have voted for daily 3-hour

in protest at the planned pay cuts.

such exceptionally gifted children should COURAGE EXCESS important that they are not put under their emotional and social development as children is not neglected.

head
Thearticle had a rather uninspiring .

Shetrippedand fell stairs. 9 understand

downthe
'I

I said 'eight o'clock'. not 'nine o'clock'; you must have .............................
When I told him my daughter was ill he was very and let me leave work early.

178

~
10

Key word transformations

Complete the gaps with a short word or phrase to make two sentences which mean the same as the first sentence. Thepolice suspect that AndyDover committed thecrime. a Anay Doveris suspicion.................... havingcommittedthe crime. b AndyDoverissuspected committedthe crime. 2 Leah's psychological problems go backto herchildhood. a Leah'spsychological problems in her childhood. b The origin Leah's psychological problems isin herchildhood. 3 Tony wasintenton reaching thesummitof the mountain. a Tonywasdetermined the summitof the mountain. b Tony had made his reachthe summitof the mountain. 4 to 8

the truth. I am not obligedto reveal

a I

b Nobody

the truth. obligationto reveal to reveal the truth.

Hefoundthe beauty of natureinspiring. a He bythe beautyof nature. b His wasthe beautyof nature.

(Use of Eng/~h - Part5

11

Forquestions 1-8, complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence, using the word given. Do not change the word given. You must use between three and six words.

Simon isn'tcapable of cooking for himself.

ability Simon doesn't have the ability tocook forhimself.

Themainpointof hisspeech wasthat we haveto make cut-backs. boiled What his that we haveto make cut-backs. 2 Hehasa verygoodknowledge of scientific matters. about Heis scientific matters.

Extra tuition in MathsandScience will be of greatbenefit to thechildren. a Extratuition in Mathsand Science will .................... the children. b Extratuition in Mathsand Science will be beneficial the children.

5 There isnoaccess to the building fromthisroad. a Thebuildingisnot fromthisroad. b Youcannot the buildingfromthisroad.
......

3 Wearealonein the house sowe canhavea party! ourselves We havethe. sowe canhavea party! 4 Emily stronglyresembles hermother's sideof the family. bears Emily... family. 5 hermother's sideof the

6 Iwouldhavenohesitation ingivingyoumysupport.
a I would give you my support moment's . b Iwouldn't youmysupport. a

Manypeoplebelieve that Pavarotti wasthe world'sfinest tenor. widely Pavarotti the world'sfinesttenor.

I understand that it'sdifficultto workfull-timewhenyou haveyoungchildren. be I know haveyoungchildren. to work full-timewhenyou

It seemed pointless to staythereanylonger. little There thereanylonger.

I couldn'thavesolvedmyproblem without yourhelp. been If problem. , I couldn't havesolvedmy

179

';:

Writing: Information Sheets

Information sheets arewritten in bothformalandinformalsituations, depending onthe targetreader. Likearticles, theyoften have c mainheadingbut theyareusually dividedinto sections with subheadings, in the same wayasreportsandproposals. Moreformaltasksshouldfocuson providing factualinformation, but you mayneedto usetactful or diplomaticlanguage. e.g. Wri.c aninformation sheet announcing some major changes thatarebeing planned forthecoming year inyourcompany. You should reassure thepublic thetheywillbeinconvenienced aslittleaspossible. Forless formaltasks,aswellasproviding information, morelight-hearted or persuasive language maybeneeded. e.g. Youhavehelpec toorganisem sporting orcultural event inyourarea. Write aninformation sheet which willencourage young people toattend.. Information sheets shouldinclude: a title whichattractsthe attentionof the reader andstates the content an introduction whichmakes the reader want to continue a mainbodydividedinto headed sections, focusing on the relevant informationin the rubric a briefconclusion wheremainpointsaresummarised Layoutis important- useclearheadings and makesureyour writing is well spaced out on the page.Bulletpointscan be usedtc separate yourpoints.

-~

. .

-.

:) LanguageFeatures
1
Lookat the list of featuresand tick the onesyou would usein an informationsheetto inform accountholders about the services offered by a bank.

. . . . . . . . . . . . .
2

descriptive language

financial terms short sentences persuasive language imperatives very formal language
rhetorical questions

- .

longsentences colloquial language hyperbole longparagraphs light-hearted headings

idiomatic expressions

- . '-

:) Understandingthe Rubric(1)
Readthe rubricbelow and discuss the questionswhich follow.
Some foreignlecturers aredueto visityouruniversity for a series of seminars but knowverylittle aboutthe area. YouarePresident of the Students'Unionandhavebeen askedto write an informationsheetto be sent to the visitorsin advance of their arrival.You shouldinclude detailsaboutthe university, the area,andthe activities that areavailable to themduringtheirstay. Writeyourinformationsheetin 220-280 words. 1 2 3 4 5 Whoarethe target readers? Howformaldoesyourwriting needto be? Howmanysections wouldyouwrite? Whichof the language featuresin Ex.1wouldyouuse? What kindof informationdo youthink yourtarget readers would like to be given?Shouldyou includedetailsabout the seminars? Why(not)? 6 Whichtype of writing (discursive, narrative or descriptivel will youusemost?

5 I "

:
:

180