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1 UNIP LÍNGUA INGLESA SIGNIFICADO E USO 2012 Professora Mestre Silvana Nogueira da Rocha
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UNIP
LÍNGUA INGLESA
SIGNIFICADO E
USO
2012Professora Mestre Silvana Nogueira da Rocha
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I – EMENTA
Estudo das estruturas básicas da Língua Inglesa, por meio de explicações resumidas, exemplos e exercícios de fixação, que servirão como ferramentas essenciais para o entendimento dos principais contrastes e peculiaridades entre a língua materna e a Língua Inglesa.
II – OBJETIVOS GERAIS
Dar ao aluno subsídios para que ele desenvolva as habilidades de ler, escrever, ouvir e falar, buscando-se sempre contextualizar as estruturas gramaticais apreendidas por meio de diálogos situacionais e diversos tipos de textos.
III – OBJETIVOS ESPECÍFICOS
Apresentar as estruturas gramaticais básicas e de nível intermediário para dar suporte ao desenvolvimento da escrita e compreensão oral.Apresentar as estruturas gramaticais básicas e de nível intermediário em situações reais do dia-a-dia.
Comprovar a importância das estruturas gramaticais apreendidas e sua real aplicabilidade por meio de diálogos situacionais e textos da mídia internacional.
Aguçar o senso crítico do aluno ao se deparar com estruturas complexas e peculiares, presentes no segundo idioma.
Estimular a leitura de diferentes diálogos e textos para ampliação do léxico.
IV – CONTEÚDO PROGRAMÁTICO
1) Simple Present 2) Imperative 3) Frequency Adverbs and Frequency Expressions4) Pronouns 5) Simple Past 6) WH-Questions / Yes-No Questions 7) Demonstrative Pronouns 8) Used to X To Be Used to 9) Non-Action Verbs 10) Prepositions 11) Simple Future X To be going to 12) Gerund13) Infinitive
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14) Bare Infinitive15) Idioms
Text 1:
A DAY IN THE LIFE OF SARAH ROBBINS
Sarah Robbins is a newsreader. She reads the news on the early morning show on the radio. Millions of people listen to her voice every morning as they prepare to go to work. Many people do not recognize her when they see her on the street, but everybody knows her voice.
Sarah’s day usually starts when most people are still asleep. Her alarm clock normally goes off at 3 am. Her news program starts at 6am and she needs to be at the studio at 4.
She always drives to work. “It’s too early to get a train. The first train leaves at half past five”, she says. She arrives at the radio studios at about quarter to four. She always goes to the café for breakfast. She has a cup of coffee and some toast. “Then I go up to the studio and start work.” First she looks at the day’s newspaper and checks the news agency reports on the computer.
At 6am everything is ready and Sara sits down at her desk and says “good morning” to all her listeners. At nine o ‘clock, when most people are starting work, Sarah is finishing. “At the end of the program we have a short meeting to talk about the next day’s program and then we have a second breakfast!”
Sarah never goes back home after work. She prefers going to the gym, or sometimes she goes swimming or to a yoga class.
Sarah never goes out in the evening during the week because she needs to be in bed by nine o’clock. But sometimes she invites friends to her house for dinner.
At weekends, her life is quite different. On Saturday morning she gets up at 10 o’clock and has a long, slow breakfast at home. She doesn’t often go away for the weekend, “I prefer to spend some time at home.” Sometimes she goes on a day trip to visit friends, or she
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catches the train to go up to London to go to the theater or the movies, but mainly she likes to stay at home.
Questions:
1) What does Sarah Robbins do?
2) How many people listen to her voice every day?
3) Do people recognize her when she’s on the streets?
4) What time does her alarm clock go off?
5) What time does her program start?
6) What time does she need to be at the studio?
7) Why does she go to work by car?
8) What time does the first train leave?
9) What time does she arrive at the studio?
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10) At the Studio what does she order for her breakfast?
11) What’s the first thing Sarah says when she sits down at her desk?
12) What time does she finish her work?
13) What are people usually doing when Sarah is finishing her work?
14) What does she do at the end of her program?
15) Does Sarah always go home after work?
16) Why does Sarah never go out at night?
17) How’s Sarah’s life at weekends?
18) How does she go to London when she decides to go to the movies or the theater?
Writing Activity:
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Sarah Robbins is a newsreader and she has a very busy life. She always gets up early and goes to work by car. She needs to be at work at 4am. She never catches a train because the first train leaves at 5:30. Arriving at the studio, she usually goes to the café to have a small breakfast. She orders a cup of coffee and some toast. Then...
Grammar Topic – Frequency Adverbs / Simple Present
Practice 1
Example:
1) Do you never go downtown by subway? No, I always go by car.
2) Do your parents never
3) Does he never
4) Does he usually
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5) Does she never
6) Does she usually
7) Does your alarm clock normally
8) Does your father never
9) Does your maid normally
10) Does your mother usually
11) Don’t you ever
12) He never
13) How do they usually
14) How does she usually
15) How many times a month does she usually
16) How many times a week do you
17) How often do
18) How often do they
19) How often does
20) I always
21) I never
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22) I often
23) I seldom
24) I usually
25) He always
26) He never
27) He seldom
28) She seldom
29) She usually
30) They often
31) They seldom
32) We never
33) We often
34) We usually
35) We usually don’t
36) When does she usually
37) When do they usually
38) Where do they normally
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39) Where does he usually
40) Where does she normally
Notes:
Grammar Topic – Pronouns / WH-Questions
Practice 1
Example:
1) What languages does she speak? Russian and Greek.
2) How do they come here every day?
3) How does she go to college?
4) How does your father go to work?
5) What clothes does she prefer to wear during the week?
6) What do you do in the afternoon?
7) What do you do in the evening?
8) What do you do in the morning?
9) What kind of drink does she usually order for lunch?
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10) What kind of vegetables do you prefer?
11) What places do you intend to visit on your trip?
12) When do you usually attend your church?
13) When do you usually study French?
14) Where do they usually play the piano?
15) Where do you live?
16) Where do you usually have lunch?
17) Where do you want to go with her?
18) Where does he live?
19) Which car do you want to leave in the garage?
20) Which dress do you intend to wear tonight?
21) Which tie does he want to put on to go to the wedding?
22) Who comes here with him?
23) Who cooks at your house?
24) Who do you live with?
25) Who does she study with?
26) Who does the dishes at your house?
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27) Who knows where they live?
28) Who study Italian with you?
29) Whose is this umbrella?
30) Whose books are these?
Notes:
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Text 2:
EATING DISORDERS
Eating disorders refer to a group of conditions characterized by abnormal eating habits that may involve either insufficient or excessive food intake1 to the detriment of2 an individual's physical and mental health. Bulimia nervosa and anorexia nervosa are the most common specific forms in the United States. Though primarily thought of as affecting females (an estimated 5–10 million being affected in the U.S.), eating disorders affect males as well (an estimated 1 million U.S. males being affected). Although eating disorders are increasing all over the world among both men and women, there is evidence to suggest that it is women in the Western world who are at the highest risk of developing them and the degree of westernization increases the risk. (…)
Questions:
1) Do eating disorders affect only women? How do we know it?
2) Which women are at the highest risk of developing eating disorders?
Writing Activity:
1 The amount of food, drink, etc that you take into your body2 Resulting in harm or damage to somebody or something
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The short text above is about the most common forms of eating disorders in the USA. It says that…
Text 3:
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RAMBUTAN
The rambutan is a medium-sized tropical tree in the family Sapindaceae, and the fruit of this tree. It is native to Indonesia, Malaysia, The Philippines, Sri Lanka and elsewhere in Southeast Asia, although its precise natural distribution is unknown. It is closely related to several other edible3 tropical fruits including the Lychee, Longan, and Mamoncillo. It is believed to be native to the Malay Archipelago, from where it spread westwards to Thailand, Burma, Sri Lanka and India; eastwards to Vietnam, the Philippines and Indonesia. The name rambutan is from the Malay word rambutan, which literally means hairy caused by the 'hair' that covers this fruit, and is in general use in Malay and Filipino. (…)
Questions:
1) What other fruits are closely related to rambutan?
2) Where does the name rambutan come from?
Writing Activity:
The text shows us some information about an Asian fruit named rambutan…
3 Something that can be eaten; not poisonous
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Text 4:
THE KOKESHI DOLLS
There are several theories surrounding the origins of Kokeshi Dolls. The most common school of thought is that (1) ________ originated in the Tohoku region of Japan during the Bunka-Bunsei eras (1804 -1829AD). Some
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suggest that the dolls were created by lathe4-craftsmen who lived a gypsy5 life in the region's thickly forested mountains and sold (2) __________ to the visitors who came to visit the hot springs there. Kokeshi were probably made during the long nights of the snow-bound winters from Dogwood, Chestnut, Cherry or Keyaki.
Other investigations into the dolls’ origins have pointed to the possibility that (3) __________ were made by peasant6 farmers from spare pieces of wood and were given as tokens of love and friendship to family and friends.
There are now two categories of Kokeshi dolls made in Japan; the traditional dolls from Tohoku which have a cylindrical body and large round heads and the ‘Creative Kokeshi' which originated in towns near Tokyo. There are no restrictions on the design, color or inspiration of ‘Creative Kokeshi'; each doll is a piece of free expression by its craftsman.
Questions:
1) What are the categories of Kokeshi dolls that exist?
2) Are there any restrictions on the Kokeshi dolls’ designs?
Text 5:
AMHERSTIA NOBILIS
Amherstia nobilis, is perhaps the most beautiful of flowering tropical trees, certainly attractive enough to earn the sobriquet7 Queen of Flowering Trees. Obscure origins add to the mystique of this noble petite tree. It has only been collected from the wild a couple of times, in the forests of Burma, leading to its common name Pride of Burma. The tree has compound leaves and a great
4 A machine that shapes pieces of wood or metal by holding and turning them against a fixed cutting tool5 A member of a race of people, originally from Asia, who travel around the world and traditionally live in caravans6 Especially in the past or in poorer countries: a farmer who owns or rents a small piece of land7 An informal name or title that you give somebody or something
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profusion of large, irregular, yellow-spotted scarlet flowers. The genus is named after Lady Sarah Amherst, who collected plants in Asia in the early 19th century. Not only is she commemorated in one of the most beautiful of the worlds trees, she also lends her name to Lady Amherst pheasant, one of the most elegant birds. The new leaves are produced in flaccid pale tassels8 that turn purplish before they green and open out. (…)
Questions:
1) Why does Amherstia have this name?
2) Is there anything else that is named after Lady Sarah Amherst? What is it?
3) What are Amherstia flowers like?
Text 6:
BHUT JOLOKIA
The Bhut Jolokia also known variously by other names in its native region, sometimes Naga Jolokia, is a chili pepper that was formally recognized by Guinness World Records as the hottest pepper in the world. The pepper is typically called the ghost chili or ghost pepper by U.S. media.In 2007, Guinness World Records certified the Bhut Jolokia as the world's hottest chili pepper, 401.5 times hotter than Tabasco sauce. On December 3, 2010, the Bhut Jolokia was replaced as the hottest known chili pepper by the Naga Viper pepper, which has an average peak Scoville rating more than 300,000 points higher than an average Bhut Jolokia - but still not higher than the
8 A bunch of threads that are tied together at one end and hang from cushions, curtains, clothes, etc. as a decoration
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hottest ever recorded Dorset Naga. In February 2011, Guinness World Records awarded the title of "World's Hottest Chilli" to the Infinity chilli grown in Grantham, England. This chilli rates at 1,067,286 units on the Scoville scale. Later the same month, on February 25, 2011, the title returned to the Naga Viper pepper with a rating of 1,382,118 Scoville Heat Units (SHU). Currently these figures are highly controversial among the pepper growing community and tests with more rigorous scientific standards are yet to be conducted on the many various peppers vying for "world's hottest" status.
Questions:
1) How much hotter is Bhut Jolokia if compared to Tabasco sauce?
2) What happened to Bhut Jolokia on December 3rd, 2010?
Text 7:
SUNKWIFE WHO INVENTED SOAP THAT
FLOATS
Housewife Sara Fox expected to clean up with her new invention…FLOATING soap.But yesterday her dreams of making a fortune disappeared down the plughole9.Fed-up Sarah said: “I’ve always sunk 10,000 into the project and enough’s enough.”“I still believe I’ve come up with one of the greatest innovations of
modern times. But, sadly, nobody appears to be interested.” The bath time problems of sinking bars of soap first dawned on determined Sarah, 42, when her four children were still small and she had to play the game of hunt-the-soap. Bars turned gooey10 as they slid 9 To be wasted10 Soft and sticky
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underwater – then the youngsters11 slipped on them when they stood up to get out. When Sarah couldn’t find any “floating soap” in the shops, she decided to make it herself.Early attempts – including putting a ping-pong ball inside a soap bar – sank without trace.Then she hit on a buoyancy technique. This involved grating soap, microwaving it and finally putting it through a food processor.Sarah, of Hart, near Hartlepool, said: “It sounds weird, but worked by aerating the bars.”She and husband Bob, 47, an industrial fuel advisor, bought machinery to produce attractively-shaped soap.They ploughed cash into marketing attempts and even won a prize from the local council.But shops showed no interest and the big soap companies didn’t even reply to her letters.Sarah said: “It seems mankind doesn’t want to benefit.”
Questions:
1) What were the problems at bath time Sarah had that made her invent the floating soap?
2) What was her first attempt after deciding to create a floating soap?
3) Although thinking rather strange what was the technique she used that succeeded?
Writing Activity:
Sara is a housewife who dreamed about having a soap that didn’t sink. She usually had a lot of problems at bath time with her kids that…
11 A young person or a child
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Text 8:
BUNGEE JUMPING
Bungee jumping is an activity that involves jumping from a tall structure while connected to a large elastic cord. The tall structure is usually a fixed object, such as a building, bridge or crane; but it is also possible to jump from a movable object, such as a hot-air-balloon or helicopter, that has the ability to hover12 above the ground. The thrill comes as much from the free-falling as from the rebounds.
When the person jumps, the cord stretches and the jumper flies upwards again as the cord snaps13 back, and continues to oscillate up and down until all the energy is dissipated. (…)
Commercial bungee jumping began with the New Zealander, A. J. Hackett, who made his first jump from Auckland's Greenhithe Bridge in 1986. During the following years Hackett performed a number of jumps from bridges and other structures (including the Eiffel Tower), building public interest in the sport, and opening the world's first permanent commercial bungee site; the Kawarau Bridge Bungy at Queenstown in the South Island of New Zealand. Hackett remains one 12 To stay in the air in one place13 To move something into a particular position quickly
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of the largest commercial operators, with concerns in several countries. (…)
Risks…Injuries that occur despite safety measures generally relate to the abrupt rise in upper body intravascular pressure during bungee cord recoil14. Eyesight damage is the most frequently reported complication. Impaired15 eyesight secondary to retinal hemorrhage may be transient or take several weeks to resolve. (…)
Questions:
1) What happens to the cord and the jumper after the jump?
2) Who began commercial bungee jumping? Where did he first jump from?
3) What is the Kawaru Bridge Bungy? Where is it located?
4) Why is eyesight damage the most frequent injury while bungee jumping?
Writing Activity:
The text above about Bungee Jumping brings us some information about this extreme sports that…
14 Movement backwards, especially of a gun when it is fired15 Damaged or made something worse
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Text 9:
MARDI GRAS
The terms Mardi Gras (pronounced /mɑrdiɡrɑː/), "Mardi Gras season", and "Carnival season", in English, refer to events of the Carnival celebrations, beginning on or after Epiphany and ending on the day before Ash Wednesday. Read the text below and see which statement(s) is/are true concerning it:
Mardi Gras is French for "Fat Tuesday" (in ethnic English tradition, Shrove 16
Tuesday), referring to the practice of the last night of eating richer, fatty foods before the ritual fasting of the Lenten season, which started on Ash Wednesday. Related popular practices were associated with celebrations before the fasting17 and religious obligations associated with the penitential season of
Lent. Popular practices included wearing masks and costumes, overturning18 social conventions, dancing, sports competitions, parades, etc. Similar expressions to Mardi Gras appear in other European languages sharing the Christian tradition. In English, the day is called Shrove Tuesday, associated with the religious requirement for confession before Lent begins.
In many areas, the term "Mardi Gras" has come to mean the whole period of activity related to the celebratory events, beyond just the single day. In some US cities, it is now called "Mardi Gras Day" or "Fat Tuesday". The festival season varies from city to city, as some traditions consider Mardi Gras the entire period between Epiphany19
or Twelfth Night and Ash Wednesday. Others treat the final three-day period before Ash Wednesday as the Mardi Gras. In Mobile, Alabama, Mardi Gras-associated social events begin in November, followed by mystic society balls on Thanksgiving, then New Year's Eve, followed by parades and balls in January and February, celebrating up to midnight before Ash Wednesday. In earlier times parades were held on New Year's Day. Other cities famous for Mardi Gras celebrations include Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), Barranquilla (Colombia), Sydney (Australia), Port of Spain (Trinidad and Tobago), Quebec (Canada), Sinaloa (Mexico), and New Orleans, Louisiana (United States).16 The Day before the beginning of Lent17 To eat a little or no food for a period of time, especially for religious reasons18 To officially decide that a legal decision etc is not correct, and to make it no longer valid19 A Christian festival held on the 6 January, in memory of the time when the Magi came to see the baby Jesus at Bethlehem. *Magi (the three wise men from the East who are said to have brought presents to the baby Jesus)
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Carnival is an important celebration in Catholic European nations. In the United Kingdom and Ireland, the week before Ash Wednesday is called "shrovetide", ending on Shrove Tuesday. It has its popular celebratory aspects as well. Pancakes are a traditional food. Pancakes and related fried breads or pastries made with sugar, fat and eggs are also traditionally consumed at this time in many parts of Latin America and the Caribbean.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mardi_Gras
I. Mardi Gras is not a French term which means Fat Tuesday.II. Mardi Gras is not related to the practice of the last night of
eating richer, fatty foods before the Lenten season, which started on Ash Wednesday.
III. Wearing masks and costumes are some of the popular practices to celebrate Mardi Gras.
IV. Mardi Gras Day or Fat Tuesday are terms used in some cities of the USA, and the festival season varies from city to city.
V. Barranquilla and Sydney, respectively in Colombia and Australia, are some cities all over the world where Mardi Gras celebration takes place.
Mark the right alternative:
a. Only the statements I and III are correctb. Only the statements II and IV are correct
c. Only the statements II, III and V are correct
d. Only the statements III, IV and V are correct
e. Only the statements I and V are correct
Notes:
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IMPROVE YOUR KNOWLEDGE - IDIOMS
English in Context:
To hear something on the grapevine – to get to know something because it has been passed informally from person to person, rather than from some official source.
Example 1: The students heard about the closing of the college on the grapevine, long before they were told officially by the college authorities.
Example 2: I heard on the grapevine that our boss was leaving the firm, but apparently that’s not true.
Alternative 1: to hear something through the grapevine Alternative 2: to hear something on the bush telegraph (used in
humorous contexts do mean the same) Alternative 3: A little bird told me
Notes:
Text 10:
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THE OLD MAN, THE BOY AND THE DONKEY
The old man and his young grandson had to go to town to buy some tools. The town was very far from where they lived, so they got their donkey to help them on the trip.The old man put the boy on the donkey and decided to walk. Along the road they met a man, who said, “This is very sad, to see a strong young boy riding a donkey and a weak old man walking.”So the boy got off the donkey and the old man got on it. After some time they met another man who said to the old man, “don’t you have a heart?” You are still a strong man, and you are riding the donkey. The boy is so young and looks so tired, and you make him walk.”After that they both decided to ride the donkey. They were riding along the road for some time, when they met still another man. The man said, “This is really a crime: two people on a donkey. Don’t you feel sorry for the poor animal?”
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So they both got off the donkey and decided to walk to town. A fellow on the road, already near the town, said to his friend in a loud voice, “Aren’t those two stupid?” They have a donkey and they are walking.”Finally, the old man turned around to the boy and said, “My dear grandson, today life gave us a very special lesson. We left home with the donkey, so we could have its help. And on the way we met different people that told us different things. And everything they told us we did, but we never did what was most important for us. We spent our time thinking about what those people thought was right and we didn’t think about what was right for us. You see, my boy, we can only live in a true way if we know what is right for us. People are all different and they all think differently, so each person has to know how to think alone. We learned today that we are here to be happy with what we are and how we think. Being happy, those who are close to us will also be happy.”
Questions:
1) Why did the old man and his grandson have to go to town?
2) Why did they both get their donkey to go together?
3) What did the first man on the road say?
4) What did the second man on the road say?
5) What did the third man on the road say?
6) What did the fellow already near the town say?
7) What did the old man tell his grandson after hearing all those things along their way to town?
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8) What do you think about this entire story?
Writing Activity:
People usually listen to what other people say, but not always…
Grammar Topic - Simple Past
Practice 1
Example:
1) I bought a new pair of leather boots last weekend because the ones that I had were very old and old fashioned.
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2) Where did you buy that striped blouse? I bought it at that shop on the corner last Tuesday and it was very cheap!
3) Bob slept all day and he
4) Did you go to the
5) Did you see what
6) George cut his
7) He did his English homework and then
8) He drove to the train station and
9) He studied hard to succeed but
10) He wore a beautiful bow-tie but
11) Helen discovered many weird things about him, so she
12) I ate a delicious grilled chicken, rice and potatoes and he
13) I caught the bus on time but14) I ordered a kiwifruit juice and
15) I saw many different
16) I wrote a letter to my father and he
17) John saw a strange man on the street last night, so he
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18) My maid swept the floor but she didn’t
19) My parents traveled to The Alps and then
20) Orich got to the mount very tired because
21) She burnt the cake and then
22) She cleaned all the rooms but she
23) She didn’t want to go to the opera with them because she
24) She dug a hole in her garden but
25) She learned how to speak French very well and he
26) She made the beds and then
27) The alarm clock went off at 6am but I
28) The kids kept all their toys in the closet, but
29) The train left the station at 9 sharp but I
30) They came to the city because they
31) They cut the carrots and the tomatoes because
32) They didn’t sell those bikes because
33) They jumped from that high wall because
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34) They typed all the reports in a hurry but
35) We arrived at the Crowne Plaza Hotel last night at 10pm but
36) We ate passion fruit mousse for dessert and they
37) We cooked a delicious caper sauce for lunch but my children
38) We didn’t buy any candies for the party and he
39) We needed to talk to the bank manager but
40) We sorted all the mails that
41) We went to the drugstore but
42) You understood the Grammar lesson very well but she
43) You vacuumed the rug but you
Text 11:
THE CHRISTMAS PRESENTS
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One dollar and eighty-seven cents. That was all. Every day, when she went to the shops, she spent very little money. She bought the cheapest meat, the cheapest vegetables. And when she was tired, she still walked round and round the shops to find the cheapest food. She saved every cent possible.Della counted the money again. There was no mistake. One dollar and eighty-seven cents. That was all. And the next day was Christmas.She couldn’t do anything about it. She could only sit down and cry. So she sat there, in the poor little room, and she cried.Della lived in this poor little room, in New York, with her husband, James Dillingham Young. They also had a bedroom, and a kitchen and a bathroom – all poor little rooms. James Dillingham Young was lucky, because he had a job, but it was not a good job. These rooms took most of his money. Della tried to find work, but times were bad, and there was no work for her. But when Mr James Dillingham Young came home to his rooms, Mrs James Dillingham Young called him “Jim” and put her arms around him. And that was good.Della stopped crying and she washed her face. She stood by the window, and looked out at a grey cat on a grey wall in the grey road. Tomorrow was Christmas Day, and she had only one dollar and eighty-seven cents to buy Jim a Christmas present. Her Jim. She wanted very much to buy him something really fine, something to show how much she loved him.Suddenly, Della turned round and ran over to look in the glass on the wall. Her eyes were bright.Now, the James Dillingham Youngs had two very special things. One was Jim’s gold watch. It once belonged to his father, and, before that, to his grandfather. The other special thing was Della’s hair.Quickly, Della let down her beautiful, long hair. It fell down her back, and it was almost like a coat around her. Then she put her hair up again, quickly. For a second or two she stood still, and cried a little.The she put on her old brown coat, and her old brown hat, turned, and left the room. She went downstairs and out into the road, and her eyes were bright.She walked along by the shops, and stopped when she came to a door with “Madame Eloise – Hair” on it.Inside there was a fat woman. She did not look an Eloise.“Will you buy my hair?” Della asked.“I buy hair”, Madame replied. “Take your hat off, then, and show me your hair.”The beautiful brown hair fell down.“Twenty dollars”, Madame said, and she touched the hair with her hand.“Quick! Cut it off! Give me the money!” Della said. The next two hours went quickly. Della was happy, because she was looking round the shops for Jim’s present.At last she found it. It was a gold chain for The Watch. Jim loved his watch, but it had no chain. When Della saw this gold chain, she knew immediately that it was right for Jim. She must have it.
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The shop took twenty-one dollars from her for it, and she hurried home with the eighty-seven cents.When she arrived there, she looked at her very short hair in the glass. “What can I do with it?” she thought. For the next half an hour she was very busy.Then she looked again the glass. Her hair was now in very small curls all over her head. “Oh, dear. I look like a schoolgirl” she said to herself. “What’s Jim going to say when he sees me?”At 7 o’clock the dinner was nearly ready and Della was waiting. “Oh, I hope he thinks that I’m still beautiful”, she thought.The door opened and Jim came in and closed it. He looked very thin and he needed a new coat. His eyes were on Della. She could not understand the look on his face, and she was afraid. He was not angry or surprised. He just watched her, with that strange look on his face.Della ran to him.“Jim”, she cried. “Don’t look at me like that. I sold my hair because I wanted to give you a present. It will soon be long again. I had to do it, Jim. Say “Happy Christmas, please. I have a wonderful present for you!”“You’ve cut off your hair?” asked Jim.“Yes, I cut it off and sold it,” Della said. “But don’t you love me anymore, Jim? I’m still me.”Jim looked round the room.“You say your hair has gone?” he said, almost stupidly.“Yes, I told you. Because I love you! Shall I get the dinner now, Jim?”Suddenly Jim put his arms round his Della. Then he took something from his pocket and put it on the table.“I love you, Della”, he said. “It doesn’t matter if your hair is short or long. But if you open that, you’ll see why I was unhappy at first.”Excited, Della pulled off the paper. Then she gave a little scream of happiness. But a second later there were cries of unhappiness.Because there were The Combs _ the combs for her beautiful hair. When she first saw these combs in the shop window, she wanted them. They were beautiful combs, expensive combs, and now they were her combs. But she no longer had her hair!Della picked them up and held them. Her eyes were full of love.“But my hair will soon be long again, Jim.”And then Della remembered. She jumped up and cried, “Oh, Oh!”She ran to get Jim’s beautiful present, and she held it out to him.“Isn’t it lovely, Jim? I looked everywhere for it. Now you’ll want to look at your watch a hundred times a day. Give it to me! Give me your watch, Jim! Let’s see it with its new chain.”But Jim did not do this. He sat down, put his hands behind his head, and he smiled.“Della”, he said. “Let’s keep our presents for a time. They’re so nice. You see, I sold the watch to get the money to buy your combs. And now, let’s have dinner.”And this was the story of two young people who were very much in love.
34
In Stories for Reading Circles. Oxford. Mark Furr.
Questions:
1) How much money did Della have to spend to buy a present for Jim?
2) What did Della see in the shop window to be the present for Jim?
3) Why did Della want to buy a present for her husband?
4) Did she use to spend a lot of money?
5) Where did Della live?
6) Was Della’s home a rich one?
7) Was Jim’s job a good one?
8) What did Della decide to do to get the money to buy a present for her husband?
9) How much money did she get from Madame Eloise?
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10) How much did the gold chain cost?
11) What had Jim bought as a present for Della?
12) What did Jim do when he saw that Della had bought a gold chain for his watch?
13) What did he say after seeing what Della had bought for him?
Writing Activity:
This story is about a poor young lady and her husband that lived in New York in a very simple house. Della used to save every little penny while shopping and one day…
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IMPROVE YOUR KNOWLEDGE – IDIOMS
English in Context:
Chalk and cheese – to be completely different; used in a wide variety of contexts to emphasize difference, often between people.
Example 1: Beth and Grace have been best friends since their schooldays and yet they’re chalk and cheese.
Example 2: It’s not surprising that the relationship between Tim and Lucy lasted such a short time; they were obviously chalk and cheese.
Alternative 1: dissimilar Alternative 2: unalike
Example 3: I can hardly believe that Carol and Diane are twins; they’re so dissimilar / unalike
Notes:
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Text 12:
LATE AGAIN!
Judy Parker was a nice girl, but she had one fault. She was often late for school. She always got up late, and she never had time for a proper breakfast. One week she was late for school three times. On the third morning her form master, Mr. Hopkins, was very angry. “If you’re late tomorrow,” he said, “I will write a letter to your father.”Judy’s father was very strict. So she decided not to be late again, especially because she was hoping to get a new bike for her birthday.The next morning she got up early and caught a bus which reached the school at a quarter to nine. At ten to nine she was at her desk. Mr. Hopkins always came in at nine o’clock to call the names. At nine o’clock the door opened _ but the teacher who came in was not Mr. Hopkins. It was Mrs. Green, the history mistress. “Good morning,” she said. “I’m sorry to tell you that Mr. Hopkins is ill and can’t come to
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school this morning.” Judy was very disappointed. All her efforts had been for nothing.The next morning she tried again. She missed the bus she had caught the day before, but it was still only five to nine when she reached the school gate. Suddenly she stopped. Something that looked like a wallet was lying on the ground. She picked it up. Yes, it was a wallet, and it contained a number of pound notes. “I wonder who it belongs to,” she thought. “The best thing I can do is to give it to Mr. Wilson.” Mr. Wilson was the headmaster. Judy had to wait outside Mr. Wilson’s room for nearly twenty minutes. At last he came back from Assembly, and Judy told him what had happened. He took the wallet and looked inside. “All right, Judy,” he said. “You can leave this with me. Go to your classroom now.”In the classroom the math lesson had already begun. Mr. Hopkins was in a very bad mood, and he had also noticed that Judy was absent.“Come here, Judy,” he said as she entered. “You are late again. Have you forgotten what I said the last time?”“I’m very sorry, sir,” said Judy, “but I…”“You’re the laziest girl I’ve ever met,” said Mr. Hopkins. “I’ll write to your father today.”“But sir,” protested Judy, “there’s something I must tell you. I…”“We’ve got no time to listen to your excuses,” said Mr. Hopkins. “Go to your seat.”Judy’s face was red. “But that’s not fair!” she cried.“Be quiet!” shouted Mr. Hopkins. “Take a detention.” Poor Judy sat down. She was nearly crying. The lesson went on, but Judy was not listening. She could only think about the detention and the letter that Mr. Hopkins was going to write to her father. “Oh, it’s so unfair!” she thought. “Next time I find something, I’ll keep it.”Ten minutes later the door opened and Mr. Wilson came in.“Mr. Hopkins,” he said, “Have you lost anything?”“Yes, I have,” said Mr. Hopkins. “How did you know? I’ve lost my wallet with a lot of money and my driving license in it. I’ve looked for it everywhere.”Mr. Wilson smiled and took the wallet out of his pocket. “Is this the wallet you’re looking for?”“That’s it!” he cried. He took the wallet and opened it. “Yes, it’s mine, all right. And there’s nothing missing. Where on earth did you find it?”One of the girls found it by the school gate,” said Mr. Wilson.“I must have a word with her,” said Mr. Hopkins. “She deserves a reward. Who was it?”“I think she’s in your class,” said Mr. Wilson. He looked round. “Yes, there’s the girl who found it.”He pointed to Judy.Mr. Hopkins was speechless.After school that day Mr. Hopkins and Judy had a talk together. At the end of it Mr. Hopkins did not write to Judy’s father, and Judy did not go to detention. Instead, she went home with a fifty-pence piece and a bar of chocolate in her pocket.
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Learning English Intermediate– A Modern Course. E.P.U. Stuttgart, 1976.
Questions:1) What’s Judy like?
2) Who’s Mr. Hopkins?
3) What did Mr. Hopkins tell Judy one day after arriving late?
4) Did Judy decide not to be late again? Why?
5) What things changed from that moment on?
6) What happened the day Judy arrived early at school?
7) What happened to Mr. Hopkins the day Judy arrived early?
8) Did Judy try to do the same thing the next day?
9) Was Judy successful the next day?
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10) What happened to her when she arrived at the school gate?
11) What did she do after finding the wallet?
12) What happened when she came into the classroom?
13) What did Mr. Hopkins do after knowing the truth?
14) What did you think about this story?
Writing Activity:
Judy is a girl that is always late for school and one of her teachers, Mr. Hopkins, is always telling her that he’ll write to her father to complain about it. As Judy’s father is very strict and she is hoping anxiously to get a new bike from him, Judy decides not to arrive late anymore…
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IMPROVE YOUR KNOWLEDGE – IDIOMS
English in Context:
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Out of the blue – without being expected.
Example 1: The news that the factory was closing came out of the blue and all the workers were devastated.
Example 2: Jill was feeling bad because she had hardly any money left when, out of the blue, a cheque20 arrived from her father.
Alternative 1: all of a suddenAlternative 2: without warningAlternative 3: unexpectedly
Example 3: We had just said what a beautiful day it was when all of a sudden / without warning / unexpectedly, it began to rain.
Notes:
Text 13:AN AMAZING EXPERIENCE
Hi, how are things? Thanks for your e-mail. Congratulations on passing your driving test. Is it still safe to go out on the road?
20 BrE = cheque / AmE = check
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We had a superb weekend last weekend. We didn’t go when you were here, but do you remember the mountain? Mount Olympus? The one with the fires that burn naturally out of the rock? We decided to go and see them _ and it was great. There are some photos at the end of the message _ they’re really great!We traveled from Antalya by bus and arrived in Çiralli on Friday evening at about four o’clock. The bus stopped on the main road and we walked down to the village with our tents and backpacks. We were really tired when we got there! We had a cup of tea and something to eat in one of the cafés. Then we started the walk up the mountain. We arrived at the flames after about 40 minutes.
And then the sun started to go down. What a view! We watched the sun go down and the sky turn red and then the stars started to come out. It was really beautiful. The flames are incredible. We cooked sausages over one of the flames. We stayed awake all night. We talked and told stories. One of my friends had a guitar and he played all our favorite songs. Then the sun came up _ it was fantastic. We didn’t want to leave.
Next time you come to visit we can go there together.
Take care,
Orich
Questions:
1) Who wrote the letter?
2) Where did Orich go last weekend?
3) What’s the Mount Olympus like?
4) Did Orich go alone to the Mount?
5) How did he and his friends go to Çiralli?
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6) Where did the bus stop?
7) What were they carrying?
8) When they arrived at their destination, how were they feeling?
9) What did they drink at a café?
10) How long did it take them to get to the flames?
11) What did they watch on the mountain?
12) What things did they do there up on the mountain?
Writing Activity:
Orich wrote a letter to a friend of his to tell him about a fantastic weekend that he and his friends had in Çiralli. He said they arrived in Çiralli on a Friday evening and they were very tired…
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IMPROVE YOUR KNOWLEDGE – IDIOMS
English in Context:
Pull yourself together – to regain your self-control; often used in the imperative and used to people who are very upset about something and showing their emotions in reaction to this.
Example 1: I’m sorry that Ron has left you, but for goodness’ sake stop weeping and pull yourself together.
A shoulder to cry on – a person who listen sympathetically to your troubles.
Example 1: I’m all right now; I just needed a shoulder to cry on when I first heard that I’d lost my job.
Example 2: Yesterday Beth was looking for a shoulder to cry on because she’d broken up with Ted; today she’s going out with Johnny.
Alternative 1: a sympathetic ear
Notes:
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Text 14:
THE CLEVER COCK
Let me tell you what happened to a friend of mine, Jim Noonan.One cold November evening Noonan was driving through Ireland towards Westport in Connemara. He did not want to stop until he reached Westport, but it was late and he was tired, so he stopped in a small village at a pub called The White swan. He went into the bar and went up to the landlord.“Can you put me up for the night?” asked Noonan.“I’ve been traveling since three o’clock and I’m terribly tired.”“Well, we haven’t got any rooms for visitors,” said the landlord, “but my son’s gone to Westport to visit my brother, so you can have his for tonight. My wife will show it to you.”The room was small and cold, so Noonan soon came downstairs again to the bar. He bought a Guinness and sat down in a corner. The bar was full. There was a fire in the large fireplace on one side of the room and a big old black cooking pot full of water was hanging over it. The men were standing at the bar or sitting at tables. They were all drinking a lot.
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Four farmers were playing darts. Their jackets were hanging over the backs of their chairs near the fire. They were shouting and laughing and making a lot of noise. Then one of them, a big man called Kevin Dooley, shouted to another man: “There, I’ve won. Now I need another drink. Come on, Brendan, it’s your turn.”Brendan went to his chair and put his hand in the pocket of his jacket. Then suddenly he went red in the face. “My money’s gone!” he cried. “Somebody’s taken it!”“Don’t be funny,” said Kevin Dooley. “You’ve never got any money when it’s your turn to pay.”“But I had £5,” cried Brendan excitedly. “I sold some hens of mine to John Kelly this afternoon, and he gave me £5 for them, didn’t you, John?”“That’s right,” said John, “I did”.“And I put the money in my jacket pocket,” cried Brendan.“Somebody’s stolen it. What a lousy thing to do!”“But, I can’t believe anyone here’s stolen it”, said Mick O’Neil, another of the dart players. “We’re all friends here.”“Well, I haven’t been anywhere else,” said Brendan.“When John gave me the money I came straight here, and I’ve been playing darts all evening. Come on, now. Who’s got it?” But nobody spoke.“Well,” said the landlord, “it’s too bad, but there’s nothing we can do about it. Money all looks the same. Who can say which is yours?”At that moment Jim Noonan got up from his chair in the corner. “Just a minute, my friends,” he said.” Perhaps I can help you find the money.”“You?” said Brendan. “How?” “Well,” said Noonan, “I’m a vet. I’ve been working with animals now for many years, and I’ve learned a lot about them. They can do fantastic things. Dogs can smell drugs in suitcases, pigeons can find their way home from hundreds of miles away. Nobody knows how.”“What’s this got to do with my money?” shouted Brendan.“Wait a minute and you’ll see. _ Well, cocks are just as clever. Can you get me a cock?” he said to the landlord…”and I’ll show you.”Then he pushed a table into a corner of the room, away from the fire. After that he took the big black cooking pot from the fireplace, emptied it and put it upside down on the table. Soon the landlord came back with a lovely cock. Noonan took it and put it under the pot on the table.“Now”, said Noonan to the landlord, “lock the doors, please. In a minute we’ll turn off the lights – the room must be dark. I’ll stand here by the table. Then everybody in the room must come up and rub his right hand across the bottom of the pot. When the thief does that the cock will crow. Then I’ll hold the man until the lights are on again. All right?”So they turned off the lights. Then one by one they came up to the table and rubbed the pot. All this time the cock did not crow. “Anybody else?” asked Noonan at last. “The cock hasn’t crowed yet. Has everybody rubbed the pot?”
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No one else moved.“Oh, well, turn on the lights then, please.”The lights went on.“Now, stand in a circle around me”, said Noonan. “We haven’t finished yet.”They all stood round him.“Now show me your right hands, please.”Noonan looked at all their hands, then took somebody’s and said: “What’s your name?”“O’Neil”.It was Mick O’Neil, one of the darts players.“Well, O’Neil, give back the money.”“I didn’t take it,” cried O’Neil.“Oh yes, you did,” said Noonan.“But the cock didn’t crow.”“Look at the others’ hands, then look at yours. Theirs are black with the soot from the pot, but yours is clean. You know why you didn’t rub the pot, don’t you?”O’Neil didn’t answer. His face went white.“O’Neil!!!” shouted Brendan, “are you going to give me my money back, or do I have to take it from you?”
Learning English Intermediate– A Modern Course. E.P.U. Stuttgart, 1976.
Questions:
1) Where was Noonan driving to on a cold November evening?
2) Why did Noonan stop in Connemara?
3) What did the landlord offer Noonan when he asked for a place to stay?
4) What things were the men doing inside the bar?
5) What did Mick O’Neil say when Brendan said someone had stolen his money from the pocket of his jacket?
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6) Who stood up offering some help in order to find the money?
7) What did Noonan say about animals?
Writing Activity: Describe the strategy of Noonan in order to find the thief.
As Noonan was a vet, he knew a lot about animals, so he…
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IMPROVE YOUR KNOWLEDGE – IDIOMS
English in Context:
Gobsmacked – extremely surprised, amazed; used in very informal contexts or slang contexts.
Example 1: We were all gobsmacked when Lucy failed the exams; all the teachers said she was brilliant.
Example 2: Brian and Stella seemed the perfect couple and their friends were gobsmacked when they broke up.
Gob = is a slang term meaning “the mouth”; and so gobsmacked means as though you had been struck on the mouth.
Alternative 1: astounded Alternative 2: flabbergasted
Example 1: Bill was astounded / flabbergasted when he heard that he got the job; the rest of the candidates all seemed better qualified.
Wax lyrical – to speak in a very complimentary or admiring way about someone or something often in an exaggerated way; a formal- sounding expression, but widely used.
Example 1: I haven’t met Joe’s new girlfriend yet, but everyone seems to like her. Even his mother was waxing lyrical about her.
Alternative 1: sing the praises of… Alternative 2: speak highly of…
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Example 2: My son was singing your praises last night; he says you’re the best teacher in the whole school.
Example 3: John may have spoken highly of the design of the new building, but I think it is very ugly.
With all the trimmings – having all the extra things, which are traditionally associated with a special occasion. Example 1: I’m going to forget about my diet and have Christmas dinner with all the trimmings.
Example 2: Last year Bill and Bella celebrated their silver wedding anniversary with all the trimmings, but a few months later they got divorced.
Burn the midnight oil – to stay up late studying or working.
Example 1: Mary has been burning the midnight oil all week writing her annual sales report; she never gets time to work on it in the office.
Example 2: Mark says that he is going to have to burn the midnight oil if he is going to get his college history project finished in time.
Origin: it refers to the days before electricity when oil lamps were used to provide light.
Text 15:
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STRAWBERRIES
One day an old man was working with his son on a farm in the South near a big river, when another farmer passed by on the road with a wagon full of manure. “Where are you going with that manure?” the old man asked. “I’m going to put it on my strawberries”, the farmer in the wagon answered. “You should come to our home for strawberries. We eat our strawberries with sugar and cream”, the old man said.
Wizard CD – Book 6
Writing Activity:
In fact the old man didn’t understand what the other farmer said because…
IMPROVE YOUR KNOWLEDGE – IDIOMS
English in Context:
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Pie in the sky – used to refer to the promise of some kind of advantage or success which will never actually happen; originally an American expression, but now used in British English in informal contexts.
Example 1: David says that he’s going to save up and go on a round-the-world trip, but it’s all pie in the sky; he has very little spare money and he spends all of that on his social life.
Example 2: Jean’s father talked of one day owning a whole chain of restaurants, but it was just pie in the sky; when he died all he owned was the local fish-and-chip shop.
Origin: The expression is a quotation from a song: “The preacher and the slave”, sung by an organization known as the International Workers of the World, which was seeking to get reasonable wages and working conditions for workers.
“You will eat by and by,In the glorious land above the sky.
Work and pray,Live on hay,
You’ll get pie in the skyWhen you die.”
Notes:
IMPROVE YOUR KNOWLEDGE – IDIOMS
English in Context:
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Leave no stone unturned – used to emphasize how thorough an investigation or search is, although it’s sometimes used to exaggerate the thoroughness of such an investigation.
Example 1: The police said that they would leave no stone unturned in their search for the missing children.
Example 2: A spokesman said that the government would leave no stone unturned in their efforts to find out the cause of the leak at the nuclear power station.
Alternative 1: explore every avenue
Sell like hot cakes – to sell extremely well and quickly.
Example 1: Tickets for next month’s pop concert are selling like hot cakes.
Example 2: The college ball is next week and dance dresses are selling like hot cakes in the town shops.
Carry the can – to be blamed for something, whether or not you are responsible; used in informal contexts.
Example 1: It was actually the manager of the department who made the mistake, but it was his assistant who was made to carry the can when the customer complained.
Alternative 1: to get the blame Alternative 2: to take the blame
Example 2: All three children were playing in the pond, but it was the elder one who got the blame / took the blame.
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Turn a deaf ear – deliberately to ignore or pay no attention to someone or something.
Example 1: We urged Jim not to leave college without finishing the course, but he turned a deaf ear to our advice.
Example 2: The authorities turned a deaf ear to those who were protesting in favor of human rights.
Face the music – to accept responsibility for doing something and be prepared to accept the consequences, such as punishment or criticism of this.
Example 1: Tom was caught playing truant by the principal and is now going to have to face the music.
Origin: 1) It refers to a singer facing the orchestra when singing in opera or a musical show; 2) it refers to a military practice of having drums beaten or a military band when a soldier was dismissed from the Army as a punishment.
Notes:
From the cradle to the grave – all your life; all your working life.
Example 1: When the welfare state was introduced in Britain, it was thought that the state would take care of people from the cradle to the grave.
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Example 2: My grandpa and his workmates worked for that company from the cradle to the grave and yet they were treated very badly.
Alternative 1: all your life Alternative 2: throughout your life Alternative 3: throughout your lifetime
Example 3: The child has been born badly disabled and will need constant care throughout her life.
At the cutting edge – at the most advanced stage in the development of something.
Example 1: The equipment in the factory is at the cutting edge of technology.
Example 2: The company’s marketing strategies are certainly at the cutting edge.
The same idea is suggested by “state-of-the-art”, also an example of jargon, which means modern and advanced.
Few and far between – rare, not occurring very often.
Example 1: Tom claims to be religious, but his visits to church are few and far between.
Alternative 1: thin on the ground (more often in informal and humorous contexts).
Example 2: Four-star hotels are pretty thin on the ground around here.
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Jump the gun – to act too soon or before the proper or expected time (just in informal contexts).
Example 1: Carol jumped the gun by moving her belongings into the flat before the others had all agreed that she could live there for a while.
Origin: it refers to someone in a race who starts to run before the starter’s gun has signaled the start of the race.
Notes:
Text 16:
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CRAZY FISHERMENThree men were sitting on a park bench. The man in the middle was playing cards by himself, and the other two were pretending they were fishing. They threw the line out on the grass, waited a little and then pulled the line back to the bench. Once in a while they pretended to examine the fish they had caught and then put it in the bag. After watching this for some time a policeman walked to the bench and asked the man that was sitting in the middle: “Are these two crazy guys your friends?” “Yes, they are”, he said. “Well, then I’m going to ask you a favor: “Could you please get both of them out of here?” “Of course, sir”, the man in the middle answered. Then he put the cards in his pocket and immediately began to row.
Wizard CD – Book 6
Writing Activity:Three men were sitting on a park bench. Two of them were pretending they were fishing while the other was playing cards by himself. The man who was playing cards alone was sitting in the middle of the bench.
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Grammar Topic – Demonstrative PronounsPractice 1Example:
1) That man over there is selling Brazilian flags and colored T-shirts to the tourists.
2) Are these two guys
3) Are these children waiting
4) Are those imported cars
5) Are those men speaking
6) Could you bring me those
7) Could you take these
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8) Don’t you think that
9) Don’t you think these socks
10) Is that rocking chair
11) Is that notebook
12) Isn’t that cake
13) Isn’t that pair of shoes
14) That machine isn’t
15) That wonderful dress in the window display
16) That farmhouse I see from here
17) That isn’t
18) This is my last
19) This is her
20) This is your first
21) This isn’t my
22) Those boys were playing soccer across the park and those girls
23) Those flowers I bought
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24) Those napkins and these forks
25) Those scissors
26) Those
27) Where do you think I should put these
28) Where should she keep those
29) Where should we take these
30) Where would they keep this
Grammar Topic – Used to X To Be Used to
Practice 2
Example:
1) I used to play cards when I was 10. And my cousins used to come to my house to play with me.
2) Are they used to drinking
3) Are you used to
4) Aren’t they used to
5) Did she use to go
6) Did they use to cook
7) Did you use to drink
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8) Did you use to eat
9) Did you use to play
10) Didn’t they use to
11) Didn’t you use to
12) I didn’t use to
13) I used to
14) Is she used to
15) Isn’t she used to
16) Isn’t she used to
17) She used to cook
18) They are used to washing
19) They aren’t used to going
20) We aren’t used to eating
Grammar Topic – Non-Action Verbs
Practice 3
Example:
1) Did you notice that they _________________ to talk to me? (Simple Past – to want)
2) Do you know if he ________________ to see this document? (Simple Present – to want)
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3) Do you know if they _______________________ money now? (Simple Present – to need)
4) He ________________ a lot of money to pay off his debts. (Simple Present – to need)
5) He (1) _________________ she didn’t want to talk about that subject. That’s why he (2) ____________________ to insist. (1) Simple Past - to notice; (2) Simple Past - not / to want)
6) He _________________ you are wrong and should think twice before signing these papers. (Simple Present – to think)
7) He __________________ money to buy a new apartment downtown. (Simple Present - to need)
8) He told me he _______________ to go to the theater next weekend. (Simple Present – not / to want)
9) I _______________ to miss the bus so we’d better hurry up. (Simple Present - not / to want)
10) I _________________ this situation. (Simple Present – to hate)
11) I __________________ to go there because it’s dark and dangerous. (Simple Present - not / to go)
12) I ___________________ the things they are saying. (Simple Present – not / to understand)
13) She always __________________ me. That’s why she’s always here listening to me. (Simple Present - to believe)
14) She ___________________ Chinese. (Simple Present – not / to understand)
15) She said she _______________ you because you’re stubborn and never listen to people’s advice. (Simple Present – not / to like)
16) They ________________ all the things I say. (Simple Present – to believe)
17) We ______________ breakfast at 7am every day. (Simple Present – to have)
18) We ______________ to have dinner now. (Simple Present – to want)
19) We __________________ the explanation he gave. (Simple Past – not / to understand)
20) We __________________ they don’t want to go to the party with us. (Simple Present – to realize)
Notes:
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Grammar Topic - Prepositions
Practice 4
A LONG DISTANCE CALL
People usually have a real hard time finding a good maid. Sometimes, women think that girls from the countryside work hard and don’t complain as much. However, they usually have serious communication problems and don’t like to be around people very much. Betsy was a young country girl, who had been working for Mrs. Williams in a large and fancy house in Chicago. One day, Mrs. Williams was waiting for an important call from California. When the phone rang, Betsy picked it up and talked to the person on the other end. Then Betsy said something angrily and hung up. “Who was it Betsy?”, Mrs. Williams asked a little disturbed. The maid answered: “It’s nobody important. It must have been an idiot without anything to do.” “Why, Betsy?”, Mrs. Williams asked. “The guy said it was a long distance from California. I told him I knew it was and I hang up.”
Notes:
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Practice 5
A BRILLIANT IDEA
A businessman was suddenly notified that he must immediately go to a big conference at his company’s headquarters in Chicago. The conference was supposed to last a week and he had to catch the plane at LaGuardia Airport within the hour. While he checked his personal belongings for the trip, he realized that he would not be able to reach his wife by phone to tell her his new plans. She had gone shopping downtown and would be back only in the evening. The man thought hard about what he could do to get in touch with his wife, then he said to his secretary: ”I have a brilliant idea. Please, call all the major stores downtown and cancel my wife’s credit cards. In less than fifteen minutes he was talking to his wife on the phone.”
Notes:
Practice 6
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CHICKEN FEED
People who live in the country seem to be very worried and busy than people who live in large cities. They enjoy making fun of people from the cities who presume to know more than they do about their method of working. A recently graduated engineer observed as a farmer let his chicken run loose in the field to find their own food. “Those chickens would grow faster if you gave them chicken feed instead of letting them run loose”, the engineer said. “Yes, I suppose they would grow faster”, the farmer agreed. “But my chickens are not in a hurry.”
Notes:
Grammar Topic – Gerund X Infinitive
The text below shows us some examples of gerund as nouns and adjectives.
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Practice 1
LONDON EYE
London Eye on the Thames, London, Great Britain
The giant wheel of the British Airways London Eye began carrying its first passengers at the beginning of 2000 and has now given 21 million people the best bird's eye view of the capital.
The wheel is 135 meters high and continuously rotates over one of the world's most famous cities, providing panoramic views over the snaking River Thames, Big Ben, St Paul's, Trafalgar Square and even the countryside around the city. On clear days, passengers can see over 25 miles in each direction from the wheel's enclosed capsules.
It was conceived21 and designed by architects David Marks and Julia Barfield, the husband-and-wife team who responded to calls for a landmark to celebrate the arrival of the new millennium. The concept of a wheel was devised to represent the turning of the century, and as a universally recognizable symbol of regeneration and time.
A perfect setting for a James Bond scene, the London Eye is almost three times as high as Tower Bridge and four times wider than the dome of St Paul's Cathedral.
The wheel carries 32 sealed and air conditioned passenger capsules attached to its external circumference. It rotates at a rate of 0.26 meters per second or 0.85 feet per second (about 0.9 km/h or 0.5 mph) so that one revolution takes about 30 minutes to complete. The wheel does not usually stop to take on passengers; the rotation rate is 21 To conceive = ter uma ideia, imaginar, planejar.
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so slow that passengers can easily walk on and off the moving capsules at ground level. It is, however, stopped on occasion to allow disabled or elderly passengers time to disembark safely.
The wheel was constructed in sections which were floated up the Thames on barges22 and assembled lying flat on pontoon23. Once the wheel was complete it was raised into its upright position by cranes, initially being lifted at a rate of about 2 degrees per hour until it reached 65 degrees. It was left in that position for a week while engineers prepared for the second phase of the lift. The total weight of steel in the Eye is 1,700 tons.
The Eye was opened by British Prime Minister Tony Blair on 31 December 1999, although it was not opened to the public until March 2000 because of technical problems. Since its opening, the Eye, operated by Tussauds Group, but sponsored by British Airways, has become a major landmark and tourist attraction. Recently, The London Eye was voted the world's best tourist attraction in a poll commissioned by the snack company Pringles .
The Eye enjoyed a warmer reception from the British public upon its opening than London's other significant Millennium project, the Dome, although the delay in opening had caused some press scepticism. By July 2002 around 8.5 million people had "flown" the Eye. It originally had planning permission only for five years, but at that time Lambeth Council agreed to plans to make the attraction permanent.
Although the Eye is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the tallest observation wheel in the world, it is unlikely to keep that title for long. Plans have been announced to build a 170m wheel on the Las Vegas Strip, a 185m wheel dubbed24 "Giant Wheel" planned to open in 2008 in Berlin and a 200m wheel in Shanghai.
Since 1 January 2005, the Eye has been the focal point of London's New Year celebrations, with grand25, 10-minute fireworks displays taking place, involving the fireworks blasting26 from the eye itself.
As of 2006, Tussauds owns 100% of the Eye, with British Airways continuing its brand association with the landmark. Tussauds, British Airways and the Marks Barfield family (the lead architects) had
22 Barges = barcos grandes para carregar mercadorias ou pessoas em um rio ou canal.23 Pontoon = plataforma flutuante.24 To dub / dubbed = dar um nome a algo ou alguém (geralmente humorístico), apelidar.25 Grand = impressionante.26 Fireworks blasting = queima de fogos.
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previously owned one-third of the Eye each, with the airline also providing the original construction loans.
Practice 2
Complete using either gerund or infinitive:
1) I’m tired of ______________ you the same thing. (to tell)2) They told me they don’t want _______________ to that concert. (to
go)3) ______________ is a good exercise and demands a lot of energy
and good fit. (to run)4) They postponed _________________ to me about that subject. (to
talk)5) He appreciates ______________________ from you all the truth. (to
hear)6) She is thinking about _____________________ to New Zealand next
December. (to go)7) He enjoys _____________ to the gym after work. (to go)8) I remember __________________ the door every time I leave
home. (to close)9) I forgot ____________________ you that he wouldn’t come
anymore. (to tell)10) It’s a _____________________ chair. (to rock)11) The __________________ days are from Mondays through
Fridays. (to open)12) Do you know if they thought about _________________ new
blankets for the trip? (to buy)13) No _________________! (to fish)14) No _________________! (to smoke)15) ________________ in that pond was forbidden. (to fish)16) They started _____________________ at 6am today. (to work)17) Go __________________ with your friends. (to swim)18) They went ____________________ in Hawaii (to snorkel)19) She preferred to go __________________ last Saturday with
her friends. (to dance)20) He admitted _________________ at the police station. (to lie)
Practice 3 – Writing Skills
Talking about yourself
1) What’s your name? How old are you? What do you do? Where do you work?
2) Where do you live? Who do you live with? Have you got any pets?
3) What time do you usually get up?
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4) What do you do in the morning before leaving home to go to work?
5) How do you go to work?6) What time do you usually have lunch? Where do you have
lunch? What do you usually order for lunch?7) What time do you leave your job?8) What time do you get to your house / college?9) What things do you normally do before going to bed?10) What do you like doing at weekends?
Example:I’m Jessica and I’m 25. I’m a secretary and work in a law office. I live in a good apartment in Edinburgh, Scotland. Near my apartment there are a lot of parks and other buildings. From my bedroom window I can see the subway station and crowds of people going to work in the morning. I live with my mother and sister and I don’t have pets. I think animals need space and apartments aren’t good places for them. I usually get up at 6 every day and have breakfast at home. I usually eat bread and cheese, some fruit and drink a glass of strawberry juice.Before leaving home I take a shower, get dressed and go to work by car. Wow! I was about to forget to say that I always check my emails before going to work!Arriving at work I check the agenda, answer emails, schedule meetings and talk to people. It’s always a busy work day.At midday sharp I have lunch. Sometimes alone, others I have lunch together with some co-workers.We usually go to a cheap and good restaurant near the office. I usually order grilled chicken and some green salad. I seldom drink during my meals.Then I go back to the office and work until 6pm.After organizing everything in the office I go back home.
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I usually arrive home at 7 or 7:30 pm. The traffic is mostly heavy.When I am finally at home, I turn on my computer, the T.V and prepare something to eat. Sometimes there is some food ready.I go to bed at about 11pm every night. And on the weekends I like to go jogging at the park, visit some friends or travel to the countryside to visit some relatives.
My Daily Routine
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Practice 1: Complete the paragraph:
Jean telephoned Susan to say that his elder sister was ill and he needed to take care of her kids. Susan…
Practice 2: Complete the paragraph:
It was a Saturday afternoon and Mrs. O’Neil, an Irish farmer, was hanging out the washing in the yard. Her husband came across the yard towards her. When she saw him she asked why he was back so early that day. He said he needed…
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Practice 3: Complete the paragraph:
Jill was a girl that wanted so much to work at the Victoria Hotel, in Edinburgh. One day she decides to go there to apply for a job. The hotel manager interviews her and explains to her there are other six girls there that begin work at 6am. They lay the tables for breakfast and take breakfast to some of the guests’ rooms. When the guests are up the girls make the beds and clean the rooms and the bathrooms. They empty the waste-paper baskets and put clean towels…
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Practice 4: Complete the paragraph:
One evening when Mrs. Potter arrived home from work she found a very mysterious letter in the letter box. Her husband came half an hour later, and she showed it to him.She said that someone had sent them two tickets for a show.Her husband, Mr. Potter, thought it very strange because on the envelope there wasn’t name or address. So…
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Practice 5: Complete the paragraph:
Peter and Susan’s mother had died long ago. Their father, a radio operator on a trawler, was at sea most of the time, so the children had lived with their grandmother. But after a few years the old lady was no longer able to look after them. Peter and Susan had no other relatives, so they were taken to a children’s home. There…
Practice 6: Complete the paragraph:
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Penny’s father worked at the International Holiday Center near Bournemouth, so Penny often went there in her free time. One afternoon, when she arrived at the Center, she noticed a crowd of people near the swimming pool. When she got nearer she saw that they were standing round an old man…
Practice 7: Complete the paragraph:
It was the birthday of the captain of the Mary Browns and the men on board were singing happily celebrating his birthday. A large ham was brought to the table and the captain invited them all to a good meal. It was already 6pm and the trawler was in the North Sea, on its way to
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the fishing grounds. The sea was calm, the weather was good, and there was plenty to eat and drink. Only Ali, an Algerian sailor, did not join the feast because he wasn’t allowed to eat pork because he was a Moslem. Two hours later…
Practice 8: Complete the paragraph:
It was Monday morning and it was a warm day. There weren’t clouds in the sky. Elm Street was already busy at 8am. Many people were on the street, but Mike Stewart wasn’t. He was still in his bedroom. His mother was with him and she was taking care of him. He was sick and couldn’t go to school.
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Practice 9: Complete the paragraph:
Mr. Robertson was at the airport, in New York. He had just arrived from Boston. He was at the baggage claim waiting for his bags when suddenly a woman started to talk to him saying that she hated to wait for baggage and that she was always nervous and apprehensive because some years ago they lost her baggage. Happily her bags arrived first and Mr. Robertson had to wait a little more. After waiting for some time he noticed that everyone else’s bags had come off the baggage claim except his. So he went to the airline representative counter to complain about it. Arriving at the counter, he…
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Practice 10: Complete the paragraph:
Ian King was in Florida for his first time and Rebecca Larsen was his host. As it was the first time Ian was visiting the city, he asked Rebecca to take him to a restaurant to eat a local specialty. Rebecca said there were several good restaurants around there and their specialties were seafood. Arriving at the restaurant…
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Business Letter 1
To whom it may concern
I have known Mr. Frank Barrington for several years and as far as I know him, I must tell you that it is a pleasure to recommend him. Concerning my knowledge of him, what impressed me most, is his leadership among his colleagues. He is regarded by all who know him, not only as a very capable worker, but also by his relationship among his friends.
During the time I could share his company he revealed a good deal of his easy-going personality. He has been characteristically careful and efficient, intelligent highly responsible and truly an organizer. He has the rare ability to obtain the most unreserved cooperation and enthusiasm from his colleagues for any project he proposes, what proves his ability to get along with others.
It is a privilege, as well as a pleasure, to have been asked to recommend such a likeable person, who has reached a high degree of learning in his own area.
Truly yours,
Mr. Keanu R. Swanson
Notes:
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Business Letter 2:
Mr. T. HakkaYashima Life Assurance CompanyYo sui ChomeTokyo, Japan
Dear Mr. Hakka
A friend of mine, Mr. Albert Henning, would very much like to meet you. He is a student of Economics at the University of Zurich (School of Applied Economics and Business Studies), and plans to enter the insurance in a few months’ time. Meanwhile he is making a study trip to the Far East, in order to contribute towards a book, which is in preparation entitled “Social Insurance Abroad”.
You were kind enough, when you were here, to offer me your assistance. I would very much appreciate it if you could find time to see Mr. Henning, or to give him an introduction to someone on your staff. Thank you.
Yours sincerely,Paul Saxer
Public Relations DepartmentLUCERNE LIFE INSURANCE
Notes:
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Business Letter 3:
Knowles Domestic Appliances1112 Houston BoulevardLos Angeles, California 90041
Los Angeles, May 18,1998.
Dear Sirs:
When I placed my order on 30th March, I pointed out that the repair of my washing machine was done next week. However, it is 18th May and no repairman appeared in order to solve my problem.
I would like to ask you for the following request: Any repairman of your shop should come to my house until the end of this week because I cannot wait anymore. If my order cannot be accomplished, I will beg for changing my domestic appliance, which is in warranty.
I hope my problem will be solved.
Accept my thankfulness beforehand.
Yours faithfully,
Tony Martins (Ms)
Notes:
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Business Letter 4:
Mazda Automobiles Agency3456 Brooksfield StreetNew Jersey, 56009
New Jersey, May 22, 1998.
Dear Mr. Carlton:
I would like to make you aware that my new car was taken to your agency in order to check some accessories that could be with manufacturing defects. But, I believe that the maintenance was not well done, because my car is not functioning very well and I took it several times.
It would be unpleasant for me to discuss this fact once again. So, I would beg a new inspection in order to clear up my doubts and solve my problem, which is getting an inconvenience to me. Moreover, I do not have only this matter to worry about.
Thank you in advance for your attention.
Sincerely yours,
Steve Johnson (Mr)
Notes:
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Bibliografia Básica
DRISCOLL, L. Cambridge English Skills Real Reading 2 with answers. Cambridge do Brasil. 2008.
GOWER, Roger. Cambridge English Skills Real Writing 2 with answers and audio CD. Cambridge University Press. 2008.
JONES, S. & KALBACH, S. Catalyst - Writing from Reading. Thomson & Heinle. 2008.
Bibliografia Complementar
CLARK. Stewart. Word For Word: Make The Right Choice, Get The Right Meaning. Oxford University Press. 2007.
FOLSE, Keith S., SOLOMON, Elena & TORTORELLA, Donna M. Top 10 - Great Grammar for Great Writing. Thomson & Heinle. 2008.
GREENALL, Simon. Reading 3 – Cambridge Skils for Fluency. Student’s Book. Cambridge University Press. 2007.
HORNBY, A. S. Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. Oxford do Brasil, 2008.
MCCARTHY, Michael. English Collocations in Use. Cambridge University Press, 2010.
