Unit 1
Pre-reading tasks
1. Look through the key words and expressions and guess what this text runs about.
Smoking to see no evil tobacco
Definite link to take timid measures to tax
Bronchial troubles cigarette advertising harmful
Lung cancer to ban short-sighted policy
Governments cancer research
2. Think of and write down 5 questions the answers to which this text might contain.
3. Now look through the text to see:
a) if your guess about the contents of the text was correct;
b) what questions can be answered. (Answer these questions).
1. If you smoke and you don't believe that there is a definite link between smoking and bronchial troubles, heart disease and lung cancer, then you are certainly deceiving yourself. Let us say that you are suffering from a bad case of wishful thinking. Whenever the subject of smoking and health is raised, the governments of most countries hear no evil, see no evil and smell no evil. Admittedly, a few governments have taken timid measures. In Britain, for instance, cigarette advertising has been banned on television. The conscience of the nation is appeased, while the population continues to puff its way to a smoky, cancerous death. You don't have to look very far to find out why the official reactions to medical findings have been so lukewarm. The answer is simply money.
2. Tobacco is a wonderful commodity to tax. It's almost like a tax on our daily bread. In tax revenue alone the government of Britain collects enough from smokers for its entire educational facilities. So while the authorities point out ever so discreetly that smoking may, conceivably, be harmful, it does not shout too loudly about it. This is surely the most short-sighted policy you could imagine. While money is eagerly collected in vast sums with one hand, it is paid out in increasingly vaster sums with the other. Enormous amounts are spent on cancer research and on efforts to cure people suffering from the disease. Countless valuable lives are lost. In the long run, there is no doubt that everybody would be much better-off if smoking were banned altogether.
3. Of course, we are not ready for such drastic actions. But if the governments of the world were honestly concerned about the welfare of their people, do you think they'd conduct aggressive anti-smoking campaign? Far from it! The tobacco industry is allowed to spend staggering sums on advertising. Its advertising is as insidious as it is dishonest. We are never shown pictures of real smokers coughing up their lungs early in the morning. That would never do. The advertisements always depict virile clean-shaven young men. They suggest it is manly to smoke, even positively healthy. Smoking is associated with the great open-air life, beautiful girls, true love and togetherness. What utter nonsense!
4. For a start governments could begin by banning all cigarette and tobacco advertising and should then conduct anti-smoking advertising campaigns of their own. Smoking should be banned in all public places like theatres, cinemas and restaurants. Great efforts should be made to inform young people especially of the dire consequences of taking up the habit. A horrific warning - say, a picture of death's head - should be included in every packet of cigarettes that is sold. As individuals we are certainly weak, but if governments acted honestly and courageously, they could protect us from ourselves.
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Post-reading tasks
Read the text once again to fulfill the tasks to follow.
1. The text has no heading. Below you will find three possible variants. Choose the one that suits best the information given in the text. Explain your choice.
a) Anti-smoking campaigns;
b) Dreadful consequences of smoking.
c) Smoking! Is it really harmful?
(If none of the variants is good enough, in your opinion, suggest your own heading.)
2. Determine the meaning of the word according to the context.
Evil a) badness b) wickedness c) sin d) harm
Commodity a) thing b) convenience c) product d) purchase
To take up a) to begin b) to raise up c) to have d) to develop
Welfare a) well-being b) prosperity c) security d) happiness
3. Match questions with the paragraphs of the text. One question is unnecessary.
1. In which paragraph does the author
a) argue that medical costs of lung cancer increase?
b) give examples of the erroneous belief that ones wishes are in accordance with reality?
c) state that cigarette advertising does harm unseen and secretly?
d) prove that the population is not ready to inform young people of dreadful consequences of smoking?
2. In which paragraph is the author of opinion that governments should conduct tough, courageous and fair anti-smoking policy?
4. Complete the following sentences. Your answers must be related to the ideas contained in the text.
a. There is a definite link
b. Governments of most countries see .
c. Only a few governments take for example,
d. Why the reaction of authorities is so lukewarm
e. Authorities agree that smoking but
f. People are not ready for
g. The tobacco industry spends a lot
h. But people are never shown on the contrary
i. Among possible measures that governments can take are
5. Put the jumbled sentences in the logical order to sum up the information given in the text.
1. Moreover, a few governments take any measures aimed at decreasing the number of smokers.
2. Tobacco brings a lot of money.
3. Smoking usually results in bronchial troubles, heart disease and lung cancer.
4. Nevertheless, a number of measures should be taken.
5. It can easily be explained.
6. For a start governments should ban all cigarette advertising, then smoking should be banned at public places and young people should be informed about harmful effects of smoking.
7. Instead of banning smoking altogether authorities discreetly point out that smoking may be harmful.
8. Governments of most countries do not see, smell or hear any evil.
9. In most countries cigarette advertising is allowed.
6. Use the following outline and key words and expressions to speak about the problem raised in the text.
a) Consequences of smoking (bronchial troubles, heart disease, lung cancer).
b) Governments reaction to smoking (to take timid measures, to see no evil, lukewarm).
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c) A wonderful commodity (tobacco, to tax, short-sighted policy, to spend money on research, to cure people, to ban smoking altogether).
d) Measures to be taken (to ban, cigarette advertising/smoking, public places, to warn about. Dire consequences of smoking).
Unit 2
Pre-reading tasks
1. Look through the key words and expressions and guess what this text runs about.
Online shops shopping to get a refund
To be available to find out to save records of online transactions
Economical sellers physical address tips
Convenient total cost to ensure
Safe to send cash
2. Think of and write down 5 questions the answers to which this text might contain.
3. Now look through the text to see:
a) if your guess about the contents of the text was correct;
b) what questions can be answered. (Answer these questions).
Love them or hate them, online shops are here to stay, and more and more are appearing on the World Wide Web every day.
(1) ...Online stores are usually available seven days a week, 24 hours a day, and many consumers have Internet access both at work and at home. With a click of a mouse, you can buy an airline ticket, book a hotel, send flowers to a friend, or purchase your favorite fashions. But sizing up your finds on the Internet is a little different from checking out items at the mall.
Shopping on the Internet can be economical, convenient, quick and no less safe than shopping in a store or by mail. (2) .
Know who you're dealing with. Anyone can set up shop online under almost any name. Confirm the online seller's physical address and phone number in case you have questions or problems. If you get an email or pop-up message while you're browsing that asks for financial information, don't reply or click on the link in the message. (3) ..
Know exactly what you're buying. Read the seller's description of the product closely,.especially the fine print.
Know what it will cost. (4) . Factor shipping and handling into the total cost of the order. Do not send cash under any circumstances.
(5) . Can you return the item for a full refund if you're not satisfied? If you return it, find out who pays the shipping costs or restocking fees, and when you will receive your order.
Keep a paper trail. Print and save records of your online transactions, including the product description and price, the online receipt, and copies of every email you send or receive from the seller.
These tips should ensure that you will have a safe and easy shopping experience. (6) . If you don't feel comfortable buying an item over the Internet, or if you don't trust a website 100 per cent, then you may well be right. Happy shopping!
Post-reading tasks
Read the text once again to fulfill the tasks to follow.
1. The text has no heading. Below you will find three possible variants. Choose the one that suits best the information given in the text. Explain your choice.
a) Dont trust online shops 100%.
b) Economical shopping.
c) Shopping online.
2. Determine the meaning of the word according to the context.
Consumer a) buyer b) seller c) supplier d) visitor
Economical a) careful b) expensive c) profitable d) wasteful
Available a) obtainable b) at hand c) handy d) accessible
Refund a) repayment b) money c) compensation d) another product of the same kind
3. a). Fill in the blanks in the text (1-3) using one of the suggested variants (a-d). One variant is unnecessary.
a) Legitimate companies dont ask for this information via email.
b) By following the advice below, you can ensure that your shopping trip in cyberspace is a successful one.
c) Dont email your financial information.
d) Shopping online offers lots of benefits that you wont find shopping in a store or by mail.
3. b). Fill in the blanks in the text (4-6) using one of the suggested variants (a-d). One variant is unnecessary.
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a) However, as in all areas of life, its important to have faith in your instincts.
b) Check out the terms of the deal, like refund policies and delivery dates.
c) Check the privacy policy.
d) Check out websites that offer price comparisons and then, compare apples to apples.
4. Complete the following sentences. Your answers must be related to the ideas contained in the text.
1. Online shops are .
2. Any consumer can click a mouse and
3. Shopping on the Internet is
4. One should know: a) who he ., b) what , c) what
5. It is important to save
6. These pieces of advice will help
7. If you are not sure
5. Put the jumbled sentences in the logical order to sum up the information given in the text.
1. Using the Internet for shopping is profitable and convenient.
2. Online shops are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
3. But one should know who he deals with.
4. People can use the Internet for booking and buying tickets, purchasing goods, etc.
5. It is also important to understand what you are going to buy and read attentively all the information about this product.
6. All these tips can result in safe and easy shopping.
7. You should know the total cost of the order and whether you can return your purchase for a full refund if you dont like it.
8. It is recommended to save records of all online transactions.
6. Use the following outline to speak about shopping online.
a) Availability of online shops.
b) Advantages of online shopping.
c) Recommendations one should follow while doing his shopping online.
Unit 3
Pre-reading tasks
1. Look through the key words and expressions and guess what this text runs about.
To vandalize to become guardian of ones own community
To intervene to take minor law and order into ones hands
To rebuke somebody a sense of respect for authority
To call forth a lot of abuse
To get facts wrong to be guilty of
To push ones luck to take ideas of active citizenship seriously
2. Think of and write down 5 questions the answers to which this text might contain.
3. Now look through the text to see:
a) if your guess about the contents of the text was correct;
b) what questions can be answered. (Answer these questions).
1. Today how many of us seeing a group of 11- or 12-year-olds vandalizing a phone box or picking on a younger child would actually intervene? Yet if we dont, who will? Intervening would be an example of active citizenship, in which citizens should become guardians of their own communities. Instead of asking for more and more policemen, we should take minor law and order into our own hands. Frankly, this strikes me as unrealistic to the point of lunacy. In a highly disciplined society Japan, for instance you might well get away with rebuking someone for antisocial behaviour. But this is because the Japanese have a very highly developed sense of respect for authority. I remember sitting in a subway train in Kyoto and noticing, to my surprise, that a young man sitting opposite me had put his feet up on the seat without removing his shoes. As a foreigner, and with limited Japanese, I did not even think of rebuking him. But he caught my glance, obviously read my unspoken thought, blushed and removed his feet. Try anything like this on the London Underground and you might find that even an unspoken, but obvious, thought will call forth a lot of abuse which has become such a notable feature of our society.
2. We all have at the back of our minds the notion that we are entitled to make a citizen's arrest. But I have never met anyone mad enough to try a citizen's arrest and with good reason. If you get your facts wrong and jump to a hasty conclusion that the man lying on the ground is the victim when he actually started the fight, then you could be guilty of 'false arrest' and be held responsible for it. Surely there are times when we have to do something. The French actually have a strict law that makes it a criminal offence if you fail to assist someone in danger or distress.
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3. In Cairo a few months ago, coming out of a restaurant, I was approached by three ragged boys begging for money. They were obviously just about to snatch my wallet and run off when two passers-by on oppose sides of the street bellowed at them in a real fury, and sent them off their way. I doubt this would happen in London. But in Cairo everyone smokes on trains and buses, everyone drops masses of litter and everybody hates the police.
4. A few years ago an elderly, publicly spirited woman I know saw a well-built mugger snatch a handbag from a girl on the Underground. She followed him down the escalator, found him standing on a platform waiting for a train, marched up to him and said: Young man, give me that handbag. He was so startled that he meekly handed it over. Then she really did behave like an active citizen: You will now come with me upstairs and we shall find a policeman and he will arrest you. Maam, he replied, dont push your luck. This is what I would say to anybody prepared to take these ideas of active citizenship too seriously.
Post-reading tasks
Read the text once again to fulfill the tasks to follow.
1. The text has no heading. Below you will find three possible variants. Choose the one that suits best the information given in the text. Explain your choice.
a) Dont push your luck!
b) Guardians of their own communities.
c) Intervene or go past?
2. Determine the meaning of the word according to the context.
Rebuking a) reproaching b) beating c) arresting d) disgracing
Meekly a) obediently b) reluctantly c) hastily d) patiently
Abuse a) misuse b) maltreatment c) attack d) swearing
Hasty a) quick b) thoughtless c) prompt d) fast
Distress a) danger b) trouble c) pain d) worry
3. Choose the best answer or statement.
1. Intervening is
a) an example of active citizenship.
b) pushing ones luck.
c) a notable feature of modern society.
2. How did the author react to the sight of the man on the train?
a) He asked him to take his feet off the seat.
b) He was embarrassed by the behaviour.
c) He didnt say anything.
3. The author thinks that
a) we should ask for more policemen.
b) active citizenship works well in Japan.
c) the idea of active citizenship is inappropriate in England.
4. In comparison with the French, the British are unlikely to intervene because
a) they leave it to the police.
b) they dont want to.
c) there is no law to make them do so.
5. Which statement is closest to the authors opinion?
a) People in Cairo hate the police as much as the British.
b) People in Cairo are less organized but more likely to intervene.
c) People living in Cairo dont intervene if somebody is in danger or distress.
6. What does the author think about the action of the elderly woman?
a) It was foolish of her.
b) She taught the criminal a good lesson.
c) She expected too much.
4. Put the jumbled sentences in the logical order to sum up the information given in the text.
1. But if you try anything like this in London, it will call forth a lot of abuse.
2. This idea is unrealistic because of a lot of abuse which has become a notable characteristic of modern society.
3. It would never happen in London.
4. He handed it but refused to go to the police telling the woman not to push her luck.
5. One can try a citizens arrest, but if he gets facts wrong he can be guilty of false arrest.
6. Intervening is an example of active citizenship.
7. In a highly developed society you can get away with scolding somebody for antisocial behaviour.
8. An elderly woman saw a mugger snatch a handbag from a girl.
9. In Egypt I was approached by three boys who wanted to snatch my wallet.
10. She followed him and demanded to return it back.
11. Two passers-by intervened and sent them off their way.
5. Using the following words and word combinations give the main idea of the text.
- Citizens, to become guardians, community.
- People, to take into ones hands, minor law, order.
- Highly disciplined society, Japan, to get away with, to rebuke, antisocial behaviour.
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- Japanese, a sense of respect for authority.
- A young man, to put ones feet up, to catch ones glance, to blush, to remove.
- The London Underground, to call forth, abuse.
- To make citizens arrest, to get facts wrong, to be guilty of, false arrest.
- France, strict law, to fail to assist, in danger, a criminal offence.
- An elderly woman, to behave, active citizen, to push ones luck.
Unit 4
Pre-reading tasks
1. Look through the key words and expressions and guess what this text runs about.
To get older to live longer to increase
Life expectancy genetic engineering to promote long life
To alter diet to reduce to control
The process of ageing the number of calories to function efficiently
Immune system intake of vitamin E
2. Think of and write down 5 questions the answers to which this text might contain.
3. Now look through the text to see:
a) if your guess about the contents of the text was correct;
b) what questions can be answered. (Answer these questions)
1. People are getting older an obvious truth, isnt it? Everyone ages with the passing of time. But there is another meaning to this unavoidable fact. It is that peoples life expectancy is increasing and there are a growing number of people in the world who live longer than ever before. In 1900 there were between 10 and 17 million people aged 65 or older; they made up less than 1% of the worlds population. Now there are about 345 million people in this age group, constituting over 6% of the worlds population. Average life expectancy has increased from 26 years 2,000 years ago, to 49 years at the beginning of the twentieth century and to 76 years in many countries today. The Japanese have the longest life expectancy, with women living to an average age of 82.5 and men to 76.2.
2. However, despite the rise in average life expectancy, there does not seem to have been an increase in maximum lifespan. In other words, more people are living longer today than in the past, but the longest time that anyone lives has not changed much over many centuries. The longest that a human is known to have lived is 120 years; this figure compares with maximum life expectancies of 150 years for a tortoise and three-and-a-half years for a mouse. The age of 120 years seems to be a limit for human life. The challenge for scientists is to raise this limit.
3. One way of increasing lifespan may be by means of genetic engineering. Scientists have doubled the life of a certain type of fly from 25 to 50 days by using the flies that live the longest for breeding. It is thought that the flies have over 100 genes which control the process of ageing. Humans probably have more than 1,000 such genes. If some of these can be identified and treated in some way, it may be feasible to delay the ageing process.
4. It may also be possible to increase lifespan by altering diet in various ways. In experiments on rats and other animals, scientists have found that reducing the number of calories taken in by the animals actually increases their lifespan. Although this may seem strange, it is supported by the evidence of a small group of people who lived in a specially-constructed environment in order to see how people can adapt to living on another planet such as Mars. These people grew their own food inside the place where they lived, but because of problems with food production their diet was very restricted for several months. Surprisingly, their blood pressure and cholesterol levels fell and the immune systems of their bodies functioned more efficiently than before. There is obviously a limit of the reduction of calorie intake and most people would probably not be very happy restricting their diet in this way, but scientists may discover a way of producing the effects of calorie restriction without causing feelings of hunger!
5. Another way in which diet may promote long life is through the intake of vitamin E. Scientists studying people over 100 years old found that they had high levels of vitamin E in their bodies, while in an experiment people who took extra vitamin E had 40% less risk of suffering from heart disease than others.
Post-reading tasks
Read the text once again to fulfill the tasks to follow.
1. The text has no heading. Below you will find three possible variants. Choose the one that suits best the information given in the text. Explain your choice.
a) Genetic engineering the key to increase lifespan.
b) Population growth in the 20th century.
c) Possibilities for increasing lifespan
2. Determine the meaning of the word according to the context.
Intake a) consumption b) production c) conservation d) absorption
To promote a) to prevent b) to ensure c) to raise d) to assist
Feasible a) impossible b) convenient c) plausible d) executable
To delay a) to postpone b) to put off c) to slow down d) to hinder
3. Choose the best ending.
1. Ageing
a) is unavoidable.
b) can be controlled.
c) cannot be slowed down.
2. The longest time that a man can live
a) has not changed much with the passing of time.
b) has increased.
c) has decreased.
3. Scientists suppose that the process of ageing in humans is controlled by
a) about 100 genes.
b) less than 1000 genes.
c) more genes than in flies.
4. It is found that calorie restriction
a) can result in decreasing blood pressure and cholesterol level.
b) can lead to a constant feeling of hunger.
c) can have harmful effects on peoples health.
5. Scientists have discovered that people who have high levels of vitamin E in their bodies
a) do not suffer from heart disease.
b) are protected against part of the ageing process.
c) have a lifespan of at least 100 years.
4. Put the jumbled sentences in the logical order to sum up the information given in the text.
1. The age of 120 is a limit for human life.
2. If scientists could identify and treat some of them, the process of ageing could be delayed.
3. In spite of the increase in average life expectancy maximum lifespan has not changed much over many centuries.
4. People are growing older and it is an unavoidable fact.
5. The other possible way of increasing lifespan is by altering diet.
6. Diet may also ensure long life through the intake of vitamin E.
7. Life expectancy increases and there are a growing number of people who live longer.
8. Genetic engineering can help to increase lifespan.
9. Calorie restriction can lead to a decrease in blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
10. There are more than 1000 genes that control the process of ageing in humans.
5. Using the following words and word combinations give the main idea of the text.
- To get older, ageing, unavoidable.
- Life expectancy, to increase.
- Despite, rise, average life expectancy, increase, maximum lifespan.
- The longest, a human, to live, 120 years.
- Way, to increase, lifespan, genetic engineering.
- 1000 genes, to control, the process of ageing.
- Scientists, to treat genes, to delay, ageing process.
- To alter diet, to increase lifespan.
- To reduce calorie intake, to result in, immune system, to function more effectively.
- To promote, longer life, intake, vitamin E.
Unit 5
Pre-reading tasks
1. Look through the key words and expressions and guess what this text runs about.
Real life rehearsal to share a delusion
Majority to procrastinate life-long planning
To miss the best moments to be under pressure temporary state of affairs
To realize dreams to give up well-paid job
To enjoy/appreciate this very day
2. Think of and write down 5 questions the answers to which this text might contain.
3. Now look through the text to see:
a) if your guess about the contents of the text was correct;
b) what questions can be answered. (Answer these questions)
SEVERAL YEARS ago while sheltering from a typhoon in a sleazy motel in Cincinnati I came across a tattered beer-stained notice pinned to a wall above a public telephone. It read simply: This isnt a rehearsal. This is Life, dont miss it.
It was a message which has ghosted through my life ever since. How many of us can honestly claim not to have mortgaged our lives to some future dream, a dream which as likely as not will never be realized?
We live life on the never-never: telling ourselves that just as soon as we have got past this or that particularly onerous chore or stage we will be able to devote our energies to what we really want to do.
I must admit to being a master of the art of the never-never. Daily I say to myself that as soon as I have finished this or that script, or article or paid off my overdraft, then I will really start to live. It is, I believe, a delusion I share with the great hopeful majority, and a delusion it is dangerous to harbour, because each of us knows that tomorrow never comes.
For some I suspect that this life-long planning for the future is a way of procrastinating: a get-out for not having the will, talent or nerve for trying something new and discovering oneself to be a failure.
How many people have I met who have told me about the book they have been planning to write but have never yet found the time? Far too many.
This is Life, all right, but we do treat it like a rehearsal and, unhappily, we do miss so many of its best moments.
We take jobs to stay alive and provide homes for our families always convincing ourselves that this style of life is merely a temporary state of affairs along the road to what we really want to do. Then, at 60 or we are suddenly presented with a clock and a couple of grandchildren and we look back and realize that all those years waiting for Real Life to come along were in fact real life.
In America they have a saying much ridiculed by the English: Have a nice day they intone in their shops, hotels and sandwich bars. I think it is a wonderful phrase, reminding us, in effect, to enjoy the moment: to appreciate this very day.
How often do we say to ourselves, Ill take up horse-riding (or golf, or sailing) as soon as I get promotion, only to do none of those things when promotion comes.
When I first became a journalist I knew a man who gave up a very well paid responsible job at the Daily Telegraph to go and edit a small weekly newspaper. At the time I was astonished by what appeared to me to be his complete mental aberration. How could anyone turn his back on Fleet Street for the parish pump? I wanted to know.
Now I am a little older and possibly wiser, I see the sense in it. In Fleet Street the man was under continual pressure. He lived in an unattractive London suburb and he spent much of his life sitting on Southern Region trains.
In Kent he became his own boss, lived within minutes of the office in a very pretty village and found his life enriched tenfold. His ambition for advancement in his career had been smothered by his enjoyment of the life he was leading. His life had stopped being a rehearsal and become the real thing.
I am not suggesting that this would suit every one of us. Unhappily it would not suit me. But in many ways I consider that man in Kent to be one of the luckiest chaps I know.
I am not advocating that one should live for the minute in any hedonistic sense. That isnt the answer. But it is, I hope, an exhortation to some degree of self-fulfillment. Whatever you want to do, do it now: because, no matter how old you are, its later than you think.
Post-reading tasks
Read the text once again to fulfill the tasks to follow.
1. The text has no heading. Below you will find three possible variants. Choose the one that suits best the information given in the text. Explain your choice.
a) Life-long planning for the future is a way of procrastinating.
b) Life isnt a rehearsal.
c) Dont miss the best moments in your life.
2. Determine the meaning of the word according to the context.
To share a) to divide b) to distribute c) to participate d) to have equal shares with others in the use, enjoyment, etc of something
Chore a) work b) job c) unpleasant task d) ordinary task
To miss a) to fail b) to drop c) to be late d) to lose an opportunity
To advocate a) to recommend b) to promote c) to support d) to argue
3. Complete the following sentences. Your answers must be related to the ideas contained in the text.
1. Several years ago I came across a notice that
2. Many of us have mortgaged
3. Being a master of the art of the never-never I
4. Life-long planning for the future is
5. People take jobs to stay alive and they convince
6. I knew a man who gave up
7. At that time I thought it was . but later .
8. I am not suggesting that
4. Put the jumbled sentences in the logical order to sum up the information given in the text.
1. This is a delusion I share with the great hopeful majority.
2. At first I thought it was complete mental aberration.
3. We hope that this style of life is a temporary state of affairs.
4. The majority live life on the never-never.
5. Once I found a message that read This isnt a rehearsal. This is life.
6. In some time I realized that there was some sense in it.
7. Most of us treat life as a rehearsal and miss its best moments.
8. It has ghosted through my life.
9. Once I knew a man who gave up a well-paid job in London and moved to the country.
10. I dont think that this would suit everyone but I consider him the happiest man I have ever known.
11. From day to day I promise myself that soon I will really start to live.
5. Using the following words and word combinations give the main idea of the text.
- Message, to come across, to read, life, rehearsal.
- To mortgage ones life to, future dream, never, to realize.
- To persuade, to get past, onerous stage, to devote ones energy.
- To share a delusion, majority, tomorrow, never, to come.
- Life-long planning, way, to procrastinate.
- To take up golf or sailing, to get promotion.
- To give up, well-paid, to edit, small newspaper.
- Life, to enrich, tenfold, to stop, rehearsal.
- Life style, to suit, everybody.
- Whatever, to want, to do, now.
Unit 6
Pre-reading tasks
1. Look through the key words and expressions and guess what this text runs about.
To make a mess to decide
To keep rooms neat and tidy to give the rights
Hostile/female territory to take the role of a parent
To feel like guests to feel responsibility
To have the last and counting vote martyr
A reaction against a command
2. Look through the text to see if your guess about its contents was correct. If it wasnt, give the information that you have missed.
Are Men Lazy?
Why does it seem like men make more mess than women do?
Maybe we do make more mess in some places but we usually keep it neat and tidy where we work or where we have our hobbies. We mess more when we are in "female territory", where we for some reason feel that we are guests. And why do we feel like guests in some areas?
Often the woman occupies the kitchen, the living room, the bathroom and the bedroom. She often decides how it shall look, she buys the curtains, she chooses the colours, she makes the food and so on. What would happen if the husband tore down the curtains and said they were tasteless and looked horrible? I guarantee there would be trouble in the air. If the opposite happened, she took down the curtains, nothing much would happen. We, men, are somehow used to that. We would adjust to the new curtains in "our" room. It is difficult to make men feel responsibility in an area where the woman has the last and counting vote. Why do men always delay practical work at home?
Most women have heard our excuses: I will do it tomorrow. Does it have to be now? Maybe tomorrow.
This is not because we are lazy, but more like a reaction against a command. We wish to have something to say about things, and the very least we can do is to decide when to do it, since we are not in the position to decide if it should be done. We know it is the best time, right now, but do not like that she decides all the time. It is also annoying always to be asked to do this and that. And there is no difference in her voice whether she comments her little boy or her husband. She takes the role of a parent towards both. We immediately remember our mother when she was angry. We do not need a new mother. So, if a wife keeps up this mothering thing, she either gets a new son or an angry husband.
Why do not men feel satisfaction when cleaning?
We do not feel any satisfaction while cleaning up in her world. That is also why we would rather do it later. When we do it, it is to please her, not ourselves. While we discuss whether to do it or not, she often already has begun to do it herself. And now nothing can stop her. Now she will go on until she is finished. She is now the martyr, and enjoys to feel the hate against him and put another little note in the "black book".
Give us some of your domain and we will feel different about. Give us half of the rights, and we will do half of the work.
Then there is a woman who has heard about this, and declares that from this minute he has half the rights and tells him to go on with it. She has totally misunderstood. One must start from the beginning and make some choices. Do I need a husband, or do I need a butler? Am I ready and willing to take the consequences by giving my husband the right to decide how the bedroom should look like?
Post-reading tasks
Read the text again to fulfill the tasks to follow.
1. The text is headlined Are men lazy? Does it suit the information given in the text? Below youll find some more headings to this text. Choose the one that suits best and motivate your choice.
a) Give us more rights and well do our best.
b) Dont expect equality in the cleaning thing!
c) Equal rights, equal responsibilities!
2. Determine the meaning of the word according to the context.
Lazy a) idle b) doing little work c) slow d) inert
To adjust a) to adapt b) to regulate c) to fix d) to arrange
Mess a) trouble b) difficulty c) disorder d) dirtiness
Right a) justice b) virtue c) goodness d) claim
Domain a) field b) province c) territory d) branch
3. Complete the following sentences. Your answers must be related to the ideas contained in the text.
1. Men usually make more mess in female territory . but they often keep it neat
2. Women occupy and they decide
3. Men usually dont feel responsibility in .
4. If men delay practical work at home
5. There is no difference in the womans voice when
6. Men dont feel any satisfaction while
7. If the woman cant make her husband do any work about the house, she
8. Women should give men
4. Put the jumbled sentences in the logical order to sum up the information given in the text.
1. Men cant feel any responsibility in areas where the woman has the last and counting voice.
2. Women usually occupy the kitchen, the living room, the bedroom, then bathroom and often decide how they will look.
3. Its more like a reaction against a command.
4. Men dont feel any satisfaction while cleaning up in her world.
5. Men make more mess in female territory where they feel like guests.
6. Men dont like women to decide all the time.
7. There would certainly be trouble in the air.
8. They want to decide themselves what to do and when it should be done.
9. Give us some of your territory and well feel different about it.
10. What would happen if the husband said that the curtains were tasteless.
11. But if the opposite happened nothing much would happen, men would simply adjust to the new curtains.
12. Men always delay practical work at home thinking of different excuses not because they are lazy.
5. Using the following words and word combinations give the main idea of the text. Add connectives and some more words if necessary.
- Men, to make a mess, women.
- Men, to keep neat and tidy, female territory, to mess more.
- Women, to decide, to look, her territory.
- Men, usually, to adapt to, changes.
- Men, to feel responsibility, area, women, the last and counting vote.
- Men, to delay, housework, reaction, command.
- Annoying, no right, to decide.
- To feel no satisfaction, to clean up, womans world.
- To give, female territory, rights, to feel different.
Unit 7
Pre-reading tasks
1. Look through the key words and expressions and guess what this text runs about.
Teenagers to come into contact
To grow up drugs
To allow freedom alcohol
To make life harder permissive
To lack experience to contend with
To tolerate to put on pressures
Supportive AIDS
To receive less care threat
2. Look through the text to see if your guess about its contents was correct. If it wasnt, give the information that you have missed.
Teenagers Now
They seem to grow up so quickly these days is commonly on adult lips followed by "When I was young" and a tirade of which the main line of argument seems to be that not only was life much harder, but that everyone did a better job of living it. It seems to me however, that there can be no objective discussion as no one is a teenager twice.
The young of today do have problems. They are considered adults long before their parents were. This removes the frustration of not being taken seriously or respected, and allows much more freedom. Unfortunately, it often makes life harder because teenagers are not adults. Although they look and act like adults, they lack experience and so often make mistakes which people dont understand or tolerate. Unfortunately, the family is not such a strong and supportive unit as it was. One-parent families are common and mothers often work, either because they have to or because they wish to have a career. This means that children and teenagers receive less care and time, and this lack of parental input leads to many teenagers dropping out and not working. Mothering is no longer recognized as the most important and difficult job and this in turn devalues children and teenagers.
Young people start to dress and look like adults at an early age and so come into contact with drugs, cigarettes, alcohol and sex earlier. The permissive society that we live in now is very contradictory and difficult to contend with. It has also so changed that parents have no idea of the pressures put on the young by their peers and so cannot help them. AIDS is a new threat, but perhaps will help teenagers as it will prevent them from sleeping around and so losing much self-respect. It might also give them an unquestionable reason for saying no.
If you conclude, as I have, that adolescence is harder now than it was for our parents, it might also be recognized that being a parent is also now more difficult.
Post-reading tasks
Read the text again to fulfill the tasks to follow.
1. The text is headlined Teenagers now. Do you agree with this heading? Express your viewpoint. Below youll find some more headings to this text. Choose the one that suits best and motivate your choice.
a) Is it difficult to be a teenager?
b) Teenagers problems.
c) Nowadays being a teenager is as difficult as being a parent.
2. Determine the meaning of the word according to the context.
To tolerate a) to permit b) to allow c) to stand d) to authorize
Permissive a) giving permission b) optional c) tolerant d) giving more opportunities
Peer a) equal b) noble c) lord d) rival
Lack a) shortage b) need c) abundance d) absence
Frustration a) defeat b) disappointment c) discouragement d) failure
3. Combine two sentences together omitting less important information and adding connectives.
1. There cant be any objective discussion connected with problems of two different generations. Nobody can be a teenager twice.
2. Teenagers of today are considered adults long before their parents were. It leads to more freedom and it makes life harder.
3. Teenagers lack experience and often make mistakes. People usually dont understand and tolerate teenagers mistakes.
4. The family is no longer a supportive unit as it was. It results in children receiving less care and time.
5. Modern society has changed a lot and become very contradictory. Parents do not know about pressures put on the young by their peers.
6. Adolescence is harder now. Being a parent is also more difficult nowadays.
4. Put the jumbled sentences in the logical order to sum up the information given in the text.
1. It allows more freedom but it also makes life harder.
2. At present adolescence is harder but being a parent is also more difficult now.
3. The family is not as supportive at it used to be.
4. Teenagers grow up so quickly nowadays.
5. Parents often have no idea of the pressures put on their children by their peers and cant help them.
6. The young of today are regarded adults long before their parents were.
7. As a result teenagers receive les care and time.
8. Teenagers lack experience and make mistakes that elder people dont tolerate.
9. The society they live in is very contradictory and difficult to contend with.
5. Using the following words and word combinations give the main idea of the text. Add connectives and some more words if necessary.
- These days, teenagers, to grow up, quickly.
- Objective discussion, none, to be, teenager, twice.
- The young, to have, problems.
- To become adult, long before, parents.
- To allow, more freedom, to make, life, harder.
- To lack experience, to make mistakes, elder people, to understand.
- Supportive, family, to receive, less care and time.
- To come into contact with, alcohol, drugs, cigarettes.
- Modern society, contradictory, difficult, to contend with.
- Society, to change, to put on pressures, peers, to help.
- Adolescence, hard, to be a parent, difficult.
Unit 8
Pre-reading tasks
1. Look through the key words and expressions and guess what this text runs about.
Modern life restlessness to deal with problems separately
Stressful loss of appetite to share ones responsibility with others
To compete sleeplessness to find the cause of stress
To earn as much as possible unsociability gloominess
To become tense to get rid of to talk to somebody
Signs of stress irritability to change ones view over the situation
2. Look through the text to see if your guess about its contents was correct. If it wasnt, give the information that you have missed.
