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NSS Study Companion

2011-12
By John Millen
Dear Readers
We know that many Hong Kong students and teachers are not nding the new syllabus easy and with this in mind, our team has stepped up to help like any good friend should. In our daily publication over this rst term, we will be carrying Liberal Studies 101, a weekly guide to law, its history and how it applies to everyday life. It will be supported by our liberal studies sections the day before, and the day after, to give our readers a comprehensive view of the world and how it works. This years study companion has been compiled by Deputy Editor Karly Cox, a veteran member of Team YP with a background in educational publishing. Writer John Millen is a former teacher from Britain and a regular correspondent for Young Post. Together they have brought our readers a useful, practical book which covers the NSS syllabus from every angle for all levels of secondary school students. The easy-to-use format will make reading a breeze, and the dual-level approach will help readers measure their progress. It contains a wealth of original material which will not only be a great help to our readers, but also to teachers who nd it difcult to seek out exactly the right material for their classes. Young Post is Hong Kongs most popular English newspaper amongst senior secondary students. It is a vibrant, educational publication for teenagers, which carries topics relevant to the local syllabus while combining lively layouts and interesting stories which appeal to its target readership. The editorial team is not only committed to improving English language usage in Hong Kong, but actively encourages readers
NSS Study Companion 2011-2012

by Young Post South China Morning Post Publishers Limited Author John Millen First Published September 2011 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of South China Morning Post Publishers Limited. This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out, or otherwise circulated without the publishers prior consent in any form of binding or convert other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser. South China Morning Post Publishers Limited Morning Post Centre, 22 Dai Fat Street, Tai Po Industrial Estate, Tai Po, New Territories, Hong Kong Tel: (852) 2680 8822 Website: http://www.scmp.com Printed and published in Hong Kong
to take an interest in the community around them and participate in a variety of programmes. Through our Junior Reporters programme, we involve students in the news-writing process while broadening their horizons with a variety of experiences. Even those who are not condent in their English skills can join in. Were always looking for photographers, videographers and people who speak other languages to help us with interviews. Young Post encourages reading by keeping its audience up to date on the latest entertainment buzz with star interviews, book, movie, gadget and game reviews, and lots of local school sports reports. It engages readers on multiple levels not just teaching English, but making the process informative, friendly and fun. It is there for you, from the rst day of the new school year to the nal day of exams. As we begin this years journey of education, growth and the awesome exploration of knowledge, the editor and team at Young Post wish you health, success and good friendship. Warm regards Susan Ramsay Editor, Young Post
Foreword
Authors Bio
ohn Millen BA, Cert Ed, is a former Head of Languages in a top-band secondary school in the north of England. He is experienced in in-school lesson planning and writing language course materials at national textbook and local school group levels. During his time in the classroom, John taught English and French, with the occasional lesson of Latin, Spanish and German. A keen linguist, he has always put great emphasis on teaching languages as practical and lively subjects, a skill which he now brings to his English language pages in the Young Post. John has worked with British examination boards in syllabus preparation, examination question setting and marking, and coursework moderation. He understands and appreciates the concerns students face when learning a second language and his approach to both writing language material and classroom teaching has always kept these concerns in focus. Learning a language should be exciting, useful and modern, qualities which John tries to bring to his Young Post pages. The material that John has written in the SCMP Young Post NSS Study Companion 2011, is authentic, up-to-date, lively and, hopefully, interesting. A keen ction reader since his early teens, John always has at least two novels on the go. Writing the Sunday Young Post book recommendation is something he particularly enjoys because telling others about a good book you have read is a wonderful thing to do. There are some brilliant young adult novels in bookshops at the moment, and sharing some of them with Young Post readers is something John enjoys very much. Books are just one area of the arts that John appreciates. He is a keen theatre-goer, movie-buff and loves all forms of culture. His theatre interests range from opera to anything produced at the National Theatre in London and the Royal Exchange in Manchester. His enthusiasm for theatre comes in very handy when the NSS pages in Young Post focus on drama. John enjoys sharing his cultural interests with anyone who will listen and strongly believes that introducing young people to the arts and culture is worthwhile and very rewarding. June 2011
NSS Study Companion 2011-2012

John Millen
South China Morning Post Publishers
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Contents
Chapter Page
8 14 20 26 32 38
Chapter
Page
80 86
Social Issues
Beware of deadly u Squeezing them out of the way Children lose in custody battle Putonghua teaching hits ethnic minorities Many dollars, but how much sense? Nuclear energy for HK remains on course
Popular Culture
Read my blog Reviewing the situation
Sports Communication
For fans, by fans Rugby wake-up call 92 98
Drama
The Importance of Being Earnest The Crucible 44 50
Debating
Modern celebrity Need sexism concern us? 104 110
Short Stories
The Stare of the Gorgon The Fall of the House of Usher 56 64
Workspace Communication
Is this the job for you? In business A word from our sponsor Answers A word from our printing partner 116 122 128 130 136
Poetry
You are old, Father William The Song of Hiawatha 68 74
4
7 7
6 6
Social issues level 1
Beware of deadly u
he Centre for Health Protection has warned that schools may be shut if a student were to die
Public Health
of u. Flu has claimed nine lives in Hong Kong so far this year. The current strains of u include H1N1, also known as swine u. A number of dead birds found on Lantau tested positive for the H5N1 bird u virus, but there have been no cases of human infection in the city. A seven-year-old girl who had been ill died last week after being admitted to hospital. Tests will tell what strain of the virus she had. Centre controller Dr Thomas Tsang Ho-fai said there may be small outbreaks in schools as students return from their holidays and are brought together in conned spaces. He said that if a student were to die of u, their school could be closed for a week. If the situation became more serious, classes would be suspended indenitely. Nine people in Hong Kong died of u between January 24 and yesterday. Tsang warned that the peak u infection period in the city would last until around late March.
People should maintain good personal hygiene and wash their hands frequently. Only the use of soap, and taking time to wash hands properly, will remove germs
Tsang stressed that if students had symptoms of u, such as fever or difculty breathing, they should consult a doctor immediately and stay home. The centre urged people in the high-risk group to be vaccinated as soon as possible. These include young children, the elderly, the chronically ill and pregnant women. More than 362,000 people have been vaccinated for u under a government-subsidised scheme. Tsang warned earlier that the public should not underestimate u, as it could be fatal. People should maintain good personal hygiene and wash their hands frequently. Only the use of soap, and taking time to wash hands properly, will remove germs. They should also exercise regularly and get plenty of rest to reduce stress. Smoking should be avoided as it will weaken resistance against u and other diseases, the centre urged. Secretary for Food and Health, Dr York Chow Yatngok, said last month that more people would get u this year and more of them would develop serious complications. He warned that this seasons u would be particularly serious. This is because people who had built up any immunity during the last big u outbreak would most likely have lost it by now.
This is an edited version of an article published in Young Post on February 9
Exercises: Beware of deadly u

Key verbs
Verbs are very important. They tell us what people are doing. What do these verbs in the article mean? 1 a. b. to warn to tell someone of a possible danger or problem to ask someone to do something that you do not want to do yourself to tell to conceal to reveal or decide with certainty to vaccinate to give someone an injection to prevent disease to give a medical test to suspend to remove an object from where it belongs to stop something temporarily to claim to cause the end of someones life to make worse to stress to say something is important to tell a lot of lies to consult to disagree with what a doctor tells you to ask an expert for advice 8 a. b. 9 a. b. to last to continue over a period of time to nish suddenly to underestimate to think that something is better than it is to fail to understand the real size of something
Word power
Complete these sentences by choosing the correct verb in brackets. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 It is important to (maintain / remove) good manners even when youre angry. Im (warning / stressing) you. If you continue to turn up late every morning, you will lose your job. The movie was so boring. Whats worse, it (took time / lasted) almost three hours. I think they will (last / suspend) the ferry service if this storm continues. If your cold gets worse, you should (urge / consult) a doctor. Time will (build up / tell) if youre t enough to run the marathon. The volcanic eruption (underestimated / claimed) the lives of all the monks in the monastery. We must try and (reduce / stress) the amount of paper we use in the classroom. Dad has (built up / removed) the secrecy around his new project so much, we now think hes just pretending to be working on something.
2 a. b. 3 a. b. 4 a. b. 5 a. b. 6 a. b. 7 a. b.
10 to take time a. to do something slowly and thoroughly b. to get something nished as quickly as possible 11 a. b. to build up to make something smaller or weaker to make something bigger or stronger
8 9
10 The play was brilliant. Id (warn / urge) you to try to get a ticket.
12 to urge a. to push out of the way b. to try to persuade someone to do something 13 a. b. to maintain to keep in good condition to think badly of someone
Opposites
Look at these phrases from the article. Write a phrase with the opposite meaning by changing the highlighted word. 1 2 3 4 5 6 small outbreaks _____________________________________ dead birds _____________________________________ no cases _____________________________________ conned spaces _____________________________________ a serious situation _____________________________________ yesterday _____________________________________ late March _____________________________________ a high-risk group _____________________________________ 9 as soon as possible _____________________________________ 10 the elderly _____________________________________ 11 12 13 14 15 16 earlier _____________________________________ good personal hygiene _____________________________________ plenty of rest _____________________________________ last month _____________________________________ more people _____________________________________ this seasons u _____________________________________
14 to remove a. to take something away from where it is b. to replace an object after you have used it
Public Health
7 8
10
11
Exercises: Beware of deadly u

Key statements
Read through the article again, and then look at these statements. Which are true and which are false? True 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 The C.H.P. is the Centre for Health Prevention. Flu has been the cause of no deaths in Hong Kong this past year. A school would close if ever one of its students died of u. No dead birds in the area have tested positive for the bird u virus. Dr Thomas Tsang works for a health organisation on the mainland. During a potential u outbreak, high-risk groups of people have no need to worry. Dr Tsang says that the general public should always regard u as a serious disease and take precautions. Good personal hygiene is essential to help stop the spread of u. Careful hand washing does not remove u germs from ones body. False
A useful bit of grammar

Prepositional verbs are tricky verbs that consist of the verb word followed by a proposition. Weve just used a prepositional verb in that explanation to consist of. The prepositions that follow the verb can be a bit troublesome. In this case the verb to consist is followed by of and not in or for or any other preposition. The best way of dealing with prepositional verbs is to use them.
Have a go!
Complete these sentences by choosing the correct preposition in brackets. 1 2 3 4 5 6 My mother doesnt approve (of / in) my new boyfriend. Are you talking (for / about) the new girl in the maths group? Im trying to listen (for / to) some music. He relies (for / on) his parents too much. Do you believe (about / in) Father Christmas? I am looking (in / after) my little brother. Are you waiting (in / for) Mr Chan? Why are you staring (for / at) that open window? Do you always argue (for / with) your two brothers?
10 Smoking weakens the bodys resistance to infection.
Comprehension
Answer these questions using one word or phrase. There is no need to write a full sentence. 1 2 3 4 5 6 What facilities will close if a Hong Kong student ever dies of u? _____________________________________________________________________ How many people in Hong Kong have died of u this year? _____________________________________________________________________________ What has been found on Lantau Island? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Where did the young girl mentioned in the article die? ___________________________________________________________________________________ What must you do if you get serious u symptoms? ________________________________________________________________________________________ Who should be vaccinated immediately? _______________________________________________________________________________________________________ What should the general public never do as far as u is concerned? ________________________________________________________________ What will frequently washing your hands do? ________________________________________________________________________________________________ What should you use to wash your hands? _____________________________________________________________________________________________________
7 8 9
10 Can you get rid (for / of) this rubbish for me, please? 11 May I help you? Are you looking (in / for) something?
12 I want to listen (of / to) my MP3 player. Where is it?
Public Health
7 8 9
10 What is the coming seasons u outbreak going to be like? _____________________________________________________________________________
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13
Squeezing them out of the way
Hong Kong Today
s Au Lau-kan toils in his elds, he frets over when contractors will come to clear the last remaining houses in his village in the coming months. Au owns a 464 square metres plot of land, with his house on it. He rents 2,800 square metres of farmland from Henderson Land Development. He is among the 50-odd last families in Ma Shi Po village, which 200 families once called home. Many residents have moved out since government planners included the village in one of three new development areas of the northeastern New Territories in 1998. The three new towns were proposed in Fanling North, Kwu Tung and Ta Kwu Ling mainly for low-rise residential buildings. Social workers and villagers estimate that more than 1,000 families in non-indigenous villages will be affected. Ofcials consulted everyone except those who live here, Au said. The 54-year-old has lived in the village all his life. They drew plans over the map and decided my home would become a housing estate. But they never mentioned relocation measures to us, he said. Ofcials might
I like my lifestyle. Is there an alternative? Can you nd me another piece of land to continue farming?
think its easy to let private developers take over the land. But what do I do without my farm? During plans for the new town, the government came up with a public-private partnership development approach because more than half the area of the three new development areas is private land. This means villagers are left to deal with developers or landlords on their own. Small landowners like Au have found themselves living in an ever-more-desolate neighbourhood, where 90 vacated houses have been knocked down in the past year. Au said Henderson Land, the developer that started buying land in Fanling 10 years ago, had stepped up moves to evict tenant
villagers, asking them to move after the Lunar New Year. A Henderson spokeswoman dismissed the charges as just rumours. She denied the developer had set a deadline to clear the village and added it would try to help villagers to nd farmland elsewhere. Au said the idea of help was brought up during negotiations, but the developer didnt give details. I like my lifestyle. Is there an alternative? Can you nd me another piece of land to continue farming? Au asked. Apart from Ma Shi Po, where eviction and clearance are speeding up, three other non-indigenous villages in Fanling North and one in Kwu Tung North face the same fate. Ofcials refer to such settlers as squatters and do not regard them as villagers because the term village is only applied to indigenous settlements established before 1898. In Shek Wu San, one of these villages, New World Development has bought land and the remaining 100 households live on government land. Villager Lam Yuk-kwan said he and others who are staying put had asked the government
to reserve space in future developments for them. But it looks hopeless. The planning process is just not transparent, he said. In another proposed new area in Kwu Tung, some villagers said they had received little information of the plan, although signs of developments were sprouting inside and outside the settlement. A large site has been fenced and reserved for a future railway station. Across Fanling Highway, meanwhile, Sun Hung Kais luxury estate The Valais is under construction. One villager said: Every time I ask ofcials whether I have to leave, they only tell me the plan is not yet nalised. The proposed uses for the area of his village, at the centre of the planned new town, are private residential, commercial, research and a railway station. We watched TV and saw the
government compensate villagers in Tsoi Yuen Tsuen [which was cleared for a high-speed railway line] and help them nd a new place to rebuild the village, the 47-year-old mechanic said. Some of my neighbours thought we would be treated even better because our village is recognised. The three indigenous villages within the new town boundaries will be able to stay. Their land will be zoned for either village houses or comprehensive development with nature conservation enhancement, which allows low-density residential use. Some of the wetland slated for conservation enhancement is owned by Cheung Kong (Holdings). Chan Kim-ching, a research student in geography who has formed an action group to help villagers ght for their interests, said the public-private partnership approach had
brought a lot of unrest in the past few years. For example, vacated houses built of asbestos, a toxic material that needs specic safeguards in the demolition process, were randomly knocked down until villagers lodged a complaint with the Environmental Protection Department. Asked how many nonindigenous villages were affected, the Planning Department declined to give an answer. It said there is no clear denition for the term. It added consultants were revising a development plan, taking into account comments from villagers during consultations. More time is needed to consider how best to address the needs of different stakeholders in a balanced manner, the department said.
This is an edited version of an article which appeared in the South China Morning Post on December 20.
14
15
Exercises: Squeezing them out of the way

Key words and phrases
What do these key words and phrases mean? 1 to toil (v) a. to fail to do something b. to work very hard 2 to fret (v) a. to worry about something b. to get angry 3 indigenous (adj) a. originating in a particular area or country b. poor 4 relocation (n) a. complete destruction b. moving to another place 5 measure (n) a. something done for a particular purpose b. a problem 6 to knock down (v) a. to destroy (a building) b. to sell at a bargain price 7 to step up (v) a. to start something b. to increase the frequency of something 8 a charge (n) a. an accusation b. a review 9 to deny (v) a. to agree with someone b. to say that something is not true 10 negotiations (n) a. discussing things with other people in order to reach an agreement b. protests 11 to evict (v) a. to charge a very high rent b. to force people to move out from where they live 12 a squatter (n) a. someone who lives in an unoccupied building without permission b. the owner of a house with many rooms that are not used 13 transparent (adj) a. clear and understandable b. fair 14 to sprout (v) a. to start to grow b. to disappear
Word power
Complese these sentences by choosing the correct word in brackets. 1 If you fall behind with your rent, the landlord will (toil / evict) you. 2 Jamie (denies / negotiates) that he broke the window but Im sure it was him. 3 Dont (sprout / fret). Dad will be okay after hes had the operation. 4 My companys (measure / relocation) is going to cost a lot of money. 5 The police are (stepping up / evicting) their efforts to stop shoplifting in the new shopping mall. 6 They are going to (step up / knock down) the whole street and build new ofces. 7 It will take about a week for the seeds to (deny / sprout). 8 The poets meaning is far from (indigenous / transparent) but thats why people read this piece. 9 The company has refused to hold (charges / negotiations) with the striking workers. 10 What species of birds are (transparent / indigenous) to Hong Kong?
The lowest of the low

Low-rise buildings are buildings that are not very high. Low-rise is a compound adjective. Here are eight other compound adjectives with low. Complete the sentences below using the correct low compound adjective. a. low-cost b. low-key c. low-lying d. low-calorie e. low-pitched f. low-spirited g. low-tech h. low-cut
Can you hear a ____________________________ noise, like a moan, coming from the kitchen?
Hong Kong Today
2 Weve been looking for a ____________________________ apartment because we couldnt afford the rent on the last place. 3 You cant wear that ____________________________ dress youre far too young! 4 It was a very ____________________________ wedding. There were only 10 guests and everyone wore beach wear. 5 The PCs in our ofce are about 10 years old. Ive never worked for such a ____________________________ company before. 6 Holland is a ____________________________ country in northern Europe its below sea level and there are very few hills. 7 Grandad can only drink ____________________________ drinks on his new diet. 8 Hes been a very____________________________ man since his dog died.
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Exercises: Squeezing them out of the way

The past is the past
Put the verb in these sentences into the simple past tense. Be careful some verbs are irregular and dont take an -ed ending. Eg. Au Lau-kan (to toil) in his elds. Au Lau-kan toiled in his elds.
A bit of grammar
Simple reported speech Direct speech is when you write down exactly what somebody said. The actual words appear inside quotation marks. Au Lau-kan said, I like my lifestyle. With reported speech, we are usually telling a third party what someone else said. No speech marks are used, and the tense of what the person said is changed to the past.
Contractors (to clear) _____________________________________________ the last remaining houses from the village this morning.
Au Lau-kan said that he liked his lifestyle. Change these sentences into reported speech. Be careful with the past tense of to drink, to send, to read and to wake.
2 The residents (to move out) _____________________________________________ yesterday. 3 New Fame Development (to buy) _____________________________________________ a lot of land last year. 4 A spokesman (to dismiss) _____________________________________________ the news as rumours. 5 They (to receive) _____________________________________________ very little information about the reconstruction plans. 6 Nobody (to take) _____________________________________________ the villagers comments into consideration. 7 The developers (to knock down) _____________________________________________ several houses. 8 He (to ask) _____________________________________________ ofcials what was happening. 9 Some people (to think) _____________________________________________ it was a good idea.
John said, I hate my new job. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
2 Mr Chan said, I drink too much coffee. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 3 Maria said, I work very hard at school. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 4 Mark said, I like my new apartment very much. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 5 Mr Wong said, I walk to work every morning. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 6 Miss Pak said, I live near Tai Po. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 7 Chris said, I play badminton every Saturday morning. _________________________________________________________________________________________________ 8 Jonny said, I chat online to friends all over the world. __________________________________________________________________________________________________ 9 Jean said, I love eating Western food. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 10 Brian said, I send more than 100 texts a day to my friends. __________________________________________________________________________________________ 11 Angela said, I read a newspaper four times a week. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ 12 Ian said, I wake every morning at six. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
A whole new word

Lam Yuk-kwan says that his situation is hopeless. Hopeless means without hope. We can add -less to quite a few nouns to give the idea of having no . Complete the following sentences by forming a -less adjective from the clue in brackets. 1 My grandma is _____________________________________________ . She never seems to grow any older. (she doesnt have an age)
Hong Kong Today
2 This is a _____________________________________________ electric kettle. (it doesnt have a cord) 3 We are _____________________________________________ now that the new boss has arrived. Shes a dictator! (dont have any power) 4 Why does Aunt Margaret always wear such _____________________________________________ clothes? (with no shape) 5 That was a terribly _____________________________________________ piece of music. (didnt have a tune) 6 My grandmas dog is older than me. The poor thing is completely _____________________________________________. The dog, not my grandma! (hasnt got a single tooth) 7 Our new washing machine is completely _____________________________________________. (doesnt make a noise)
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Children lose in custody battle
Personal development
ivorce is on the rise in Hong Kong. About 19,000 couples applied for a divorce in 2009 eight times more than in 1981. This means that one in four couples in Hong Kong is likely to end up divorced. Very often, children get caught in the crossre when parents divorce. They become something of a prize when parents ght for custody in court. Amy Lee experienced it rsthand when her parents divorced in 2006. At 16, I thought: did they really care about me, or were they afraid of losing everything? Lee, a 20-year-old student at City University, told the South China Morning Post. This is one of the reasons why judges, lawyers and advocates of childrens rights have been calling for the abolition of custody laws dated back to the 1970s. The Law Reform Commission, in a 351-page report published in 2005 on Child Custody and Access, pointed out that the current law is outdated. Its rst
consultation paper on the topic was published in 1998. But 12 years on, the recommendations have yet to be acted upon although some areas, such as international parental abduction, have been included. Peter Barnes, a partner at law rm Barnes & Daly, said: Hong Kong is so far behind the rest of the common-law world. It is a matter of concern not only for the legal profession, but also for the public. The present adversarial approach places emphasis on parental rights in winning or losing custody of a child. Four years since Lees parents divorced, her mother is still ghting for the custody of Lees younger brother, who has been
At 16, I thought: did they really care about me, or were they afraid of losing everything?
living with their father for the past two years. The system overlooks the childs right to parental responsibility a right guaranteed by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, ratied in Hong Kong in 1994. Sometimes people use their children as bargaining chips, barrister Corrine Remedios said. The commission recommended replacing custody with a joint parental responsibility model in line with the UN convention. Mr Justice Michael Hartmann said introducing the recommendation of joint parental responsibility would clarify the rights and responsibilities of divorcing parents towards their children. He was speaking of the case concerning the mother of a nine-year-old girl, who had been awarded joint custody with the father; the mother was seeking a sole custody order at the Court of Appeal. The mother has daily care and control of the girl, and the
father has the right of access. In dismissing the appeal, Mr Hartmann said it was a misconception that, if sole custody was given to one parent, that parent wins the right to determine all matters big and small in bringing up the child while the other parent loses the right to have a say. In reality, there is little difference between a sole custody order and a joint custody order. Even if a party has sole custody, he or she still has to consult the other parent when making decisions concerning the child. A sole custody order merely means that the party that has it can make a nal decision for the child, but only after the other parents view has been given full consideration. Judges have been trying hard
to nd distinctions between sole custody and joint custody, Sharon Ser, vice-chairwoman of the Hong Kong Family Law Association, said. There is little difference because decisions are made depending on what is best for the children and most of the time judges would award joint custody. Under the proposed model, both parents would have a say in the important decisions in their childs life; the child would spend half the time with each parent. Judges have already embraced the model. Yet the lack of reform means that joint parental responsibility is still framed as joint custody. As a result, parents that do not get along ght for sole custody for the sake of having the upper hand, Ser said. The other party
becomes offended because he or she is not invited to joint custody. Adopting the proposed model would save divorcing parents time and money in going to court to argue for sole custody, Linda Heatheld, chairwoman of the Family Law Association, said. Barnes said similar changes were already in place in other common-law jurisdictions, including Britain, Australia and New Zealand. Yet the Labour and Welfare Bureau contends that the recommendations need to be examined more carefully because the concept of custody is deeply rooted in our local culture.
This is an edited version of an article published in the South China Morning Post on December 20
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Exercises: Children lose in custody battle

Comprehension
All these statements from the article are incorrect. Correct each one by changing ONE word. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Today, one in four marriages in Hong Kong will start in divorce. Teachers often get caught up in divorce crossre. Amy Lee is a lecturer at City University. Lawyers in Hong Kong want present trafc laws to be reformed. The current child custody law is wonderful. Sharon Ser is vice-chairwoman of the Hong Kong Criminal Law Association. She believes that after a divorce, both siblings should have a say in their childs future. Changing the current legal stand on custody would save divorced parents time and travel.

What do these key words and phrases mean? 1 to apply for (v) a. to ofcially request b. to refuse to give something to someone 2 to be likely to (do something) (v phr) a. to be almost certain to b. to enjoy doing something 3 to get caught in the crossre (v phr) a. to set re to something b. to be in the middle of an argument or battle 4 custody (n) a. the legal right to care for a child b. money to look after a child 5 rst-hand (adj/adv) a. from personal experience b. imaginary 6 an advocate (n) a. someone with strong opinions b. someone who supports an idea very strongly 7 abolition (n) a. changing a law or custom b. putting an end to a law or custom 8 abduction (n) a. taking a person away illegally b. adopting someone 9 adversarial (adj) a. involving arguments and conict b. involving patience and understanding 10 to overlook (v) a. to forget something important b. not to notice or consider something 11 sole (adj) a. only b. varied 12 access (n) a. the right to see or approach someone b. the right to decide how money is spent 13 a misconception (n) a. a serious error b. a mistaken idea 14 to embrace (an idea etc) (v) a. to refuse to think about a certain idea b. to accept an idea with great enthusiasm
Re-writer!
Re-write these sentences replacing the highlighted words with one of the words in brackets. The meaning must remain the same. 1 Divorce is on the rise in Hong Kong. (decline / increase) Very often, children are caught in the crossre. (Never / Frequently) Were they afraid of losing everything? (satised / scared) The law is outdated. (contemporary / old-fashioned) Lees younger brother has been living with their father for the past two years. (several / couple of) Changes are already in place. (operation / demand) New recommendations need to be examined more carefully. (loudly / cautiously) Some family lawyers recommend a change in the custody law. (deny / advise)
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Exercises: Children lose in custody battle

Word power
Complete these sentences by choosing the correct word in brackets. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 My (sole / rst-hand) source of income is the money my parents give me. The workers will never (forget / embrace) the managers suggestion that they work on public holidays. When did the (access / abolition) of slavery take place in America? Ive got (rst-hand / second-hand) experience of what its like to have no money. My boss has (abducted / overlooked ) me for promotion again. The woman got (custody / abolition) of the child. Im going to (abduct / apply for) my driving licence this week. I had a lot of (abductions / misconceptions) about her before we met. I was caught in the (access / crossre) of a terrible row between my parents last night.
A useful bit of grammar

Making nouns Mr Justice Hartmann said introducing the recommendation would clarify the rights of divorcing parents. The noun recommendation has been made by adding -ation to the verb recommend. Lots of verbs can be turned into nouns by adding -ation or -ion. Complete these sentences by forming nouns with -ion from the verbs in brackets. (Note: for verbs ending in e, remove the e before adding -ion.) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 I think its important we take (act) _________________________________ before pollution gets any worse. These owers are in (appreciate) _________________________________ of your kindness last week. This is my most valuable (possess) _________________________________. Should we arrange some sort of (collect) _________________________________ for Mrs Tsangs leaving gift? Let me give you a (demonstrate) _________________________________ of how the camera works. I hate the (decorate) _________________________________ in his new at. The poem is an (express) _________________________________ of Robins anger its more effective than shouting. You didnt make much of a (contribute) _________________________________ at todays meeting. Students cant do these experiments without the (supervise) _________________________________ of a teacher.
10 She is a little aggressive because of the (sole / adversarial) nature of her job.
Mere adverbs
A sole custody order merely means the person who has it can make decisions for the child. merely is an adverb made by adding -ly onto the adjective mere. Complete these sentences by changing the adjective in brackets into an adverb. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Why are you speaking so (slow) ____________________________? The sun is shining very (bright) ____________________________ this morning. Hes working very (quick) ____________________________ today. Why are you behaving so (stupid) ____________________________ today? The kittens were playing very (happy) ____________________________ with each other. Do not speak so (rude) ____________________________ to your grandma! Think (careful) ____________________________ before you speak next time. The wedding went very (smooth) ____________________________.
10 (Educate) _________________________________ is important if you want to succeed in this economic climate.
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Putonghua teaching hits ethnic minorities I

t used to be one of the liveliest minority languages in China, but the Manchu language is now spoken by only a few linguists and a dozen other people even though there are nearly 10 million ethnic Manchurians. Manchu was the ofcial language of the early Qing dynasty after the semi-nomadic tribesmen conquered the country in the 17th century to establish one of the most powerful empires in the world. The quasi-extinction of Manchu indicates gloomy prospects for many ethnic minority languages, which have declined under industrialisation, globalisation and in recent years the aggressive push for bilingual teaching on the mainland. Yet some of the 55 ofcially recognised minorities refuse to accept what they see as the marginalisation of their cultures. A provincial government plan in September to drop Tibetan as a teaching language in several Tibetan-populated prefectures
Yet some of the 55 ofcially recognised minorities refuse to accept what they see as the marginalisation of their cultures
in Qinghai province prompted hundreds of students to take to the streets last month. The protest, the largest by Tibetans on the mainland since the violent protest and crackdown in March 2008, highlights the sensitive nature of teaching in Putonghua in an ethnically diverse country. The central government, on the other hand, sees the issue as one of national unity, so in areas with ethnic minorities, it has made bilingual teaching a mainstay of the countrys schooling policy.
Modern China
Any push for bilingual teaching has come with great sensitivity towards the feelings of all groups of people and wider consultation, said Professor Chu Zhaohui of the China National Institute for Educational Research. The policy was severely interrupted by Mao Zedongs Great Leap Forward, a period of reckless development and depletion of natural resources in the 1950s, and the Cultural Revolution of 1966-76, during which all ethnic languages were banned from classrooms. As a result, only larger ethnic minorities, such as the Tibetans, Mongolians, Uygurs and the Yi, are still using their native languages widely. Under the current Ministry of Education policy, schools follow one of three models depending on the ethnic composition of the population in the area. For example, in areas with a predominantly ethnic minority population, students are taught in their native language using textbooks translated from
Putonghua and also in Putonghua as a second language. In areas where the ethnic mix is more even, classes are taught in Putonghua with the ethnic language being considered the second language. Under the third, least used model, science subjects are taught in the native languages; humanities courses are taught in Putonghua. Chu said the bilingual teaching policy was the right approach to counter the impact of globalisation in regions with large ethnic minority populations. In Qinghai one of four provinces with a large Tibetan population outside the Tibet Autonomous Region an educational blueprint for the next 10 years announced in September aims to make Putonghua the principal teaching language. If implemented, it would mean a sharp departure from bilingual teaching in these areas, where Tibetan is the teaching language in many schools and
Putonghua is the second language, according to Tserang Woeser, a Tibetan activist in Beijing, who has been following the controversy. She said 300 teachers wrote to the provincial Education Departments before students took to the streets to oppose such a drastic policy overhaul, but authorities failed to heed their concerns. The education authorities later tried to assure the teachers the policy aimed to strengthen bilingual teaching in the province and that such a push would not favour one language over another. But Woeser said many Tibetans worried the move could be a trial run for the rest of the Tibetan-populated regions, including Tibet. Teng Xing, a professor specialising in bilingual teaching in ethnic minority areas at Minzu University of China, said the wording in Qinghais educational blueprint was at odds with the Law on Regional Ethnic Autonomy, which safeguards the rights of ethnic minorities to their own languages. As a provincial Education Department, they should have a better understanding of the law to show due sensitivity in the
drafting of a government policy, Teng said. Such a policy should have instead stressed the need for a good command of both languages. The recent push for bilingual teaching came after authorities were rattled by the fact a signicant proportion of youngsters who took part in the March 2008 riots in Lhasa and the fatal ethnic clashes with Uygurs in Urumqi, Xinjiang, in July last year were those with little grasp of Putonghua. So the central government reportedly resolved to give Xinjiang authorities 80 billion yuan (HK$92.7 billion) in the next ve years to boost education in the region, including access to bilingual teaching by all kindergartens in the area by 2012 and all schools by 2015. To achieve the goal, the Xinjiang government is holding a bilingual conference this month. Teng said a one-size-ts-all model in bilingual teaching was inappropriate, as even minority areas differed vastly in their ethnic composition. He would like to see a system in which kindergarten pupils in ethnic minority areas were taught only in their own languages, and then teaching in Putonghua was gradually introduced. By the time they enter secondary school, theyll have a fairly good command of their native languages, and they can be taught mainly in Putonghua, he said.
This article is an edited version of stories that appeared in the South China Morning Post on November 10
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Exercises: Putonghua teaching hits ethnic minorities

Comprehension
Answer these questions about the article without referring back to the text. 1 How many people in China speak the Manchu language today? a. approximately 10 million b. just a handful 2 What part did the Manchu language play in the Qing dynasty? a. it was a minority language b. it was the ofcial language 3 How would you describe the future prospects of minority languages in modern China? a. not very promising b. hopeful, as long as people continue to use them 4 What happened last year when plans were announced to stop using Tibetan as a teaching language in areas inhabited by Tibetan people? a. students protested b. teachers and education ofcials went on strike 5 How does the central government regard the teaching of Putonghua in all the countrys schools? a. as something that will add variety to the country b. as something that will unite the country 6 When in the past were minority languages actually banned from Chinas classrooms? a. during the Qing dynasty b. during the Cultural Revolution 7 What determines the present language teaching model of a particular school? a. the availability of qualied teachers b. the ethnic composition of the areas population 8 What is the Ministry of Educations language proposal for Qinghai province? a. Putonghua will be the principal teaching language b. the province can choose what language it wants in its schools 9 Why is this particularly controversial? a. the Tibetan language would be marginalised b. the Tibetan language would take over 10 How did the authorities react to the protests in Qinghai? a. they banned further protest b. they took no notice

What do these key words and phrases mean? 1 a linguist (n) a. an expert in languages b. someone who can speak three languages uently 2 ethnic (adj) a. having great wealth and power b. belonging to a particular racial group 3 nomadic (adj) a. roaming around from place to place b. always staying in one place 4 marginalisation (n) a. the act of treating something as inferior b. the act of treating something as superior 5 aggressive (adj) a. forceful b. enthusiastic 6 to take to the streets (v phr) a. to strongly express your opposition to something in a public place b. to hate what someone has said but to do nothing about it 7 bilingual (adj) a. written in / able to speak two languages b. unable to speak a foreign language 8 a mainstay (n) a. a foundation, essential element b. a minor part 9 reckless (adj) a. taking great care to do something b. ignoring danger and risk 10 predominantly (adv) a. hardly any b. mainly 11 globalisation (n) a. the way organisations become increasingly connected on a global scale b. the way minority social groups become absorbed into the majority 12 a blueprint (n) a. a detailed plan b. an idea that can be carried out quickly 13 to implement (vb) a. to stop doing b. to put into action 14 overhaul (n) a. to check the progress of something b. to examine carefully and repair if necessary
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Exercises: Putonghua teaching hits ethnic minorities

Word power
Complete these sentences using the key words and phrases. 1 Do you think the ______________________________________________________ mix of people in Hong Kong has changed over the past few years? 2 Do we need an ______________________________________________________ of some of the old machinery in the factory? 3 When are you going to ______________________________________________________ the new plan you showed me last month? 4 You love languages. Why dont you become a professional ______________________________________________________? 5 Have you seen the ______________________________________________________ for the new electric car? Its impressive. 6 Dont you think its about time you stopped your _____________________________________________ behaviour and started acting responsibly? 7 Of course I want to support charities, but I thought that ag-seller today was too ______________________________________________________. 8 Freedom of religion is a ______________________________________________________ of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. 9 Although there are some Chelsea supporters, my football team are ______________________________________________________ Man U fans. 10 Some students at our university are planning to ________________________________ to protest over recent cuts in the education budget.
A bit of grammar
The future unreal conditional The future unreal conditional is used to talk about imaginary situations in the future. When you use this tense, you are leaving open the possibility that what you are talking about might or might not happen. You dont know. The future unreal conditional is formed like this: If [simple past tense], would + verb. e.g. If it was implemented, it would mean a sharp departure from bilingual teaching. Complete these sentences, using the future unreal conditional. The verb you should use is obvious from the context. 1 If I _______________________________ time, I _______________________________ to your party next Saturday.
2 If we _______________________________ on holiday this year, we _______________________________ to Europe, not stay in Asia. 3 We _______________________________ very pleased and grateful, if you _______________________________ yes. 4 If she _______________________________ the money, she _______________________________ a sports car and travel all over the country. 5 If I _______________________________ the answer, I _______________________________ you just to shut you up. 6 If he _______________________________ a job, he _______________________________ his parents with their money difculties. 7 If I _______________________________ to learn French, I _______________________________ in France, not pay for lessons here. 8 If you _______________________________ a map, I _______________________________ you where my new house was. 9 If the car _______________________________, I _______________________________ my brother on my mobile. Hes a mechanic. 10 If we _______________________________ a bigger at, we _______________________________ all the family round to dinner.
Partly this and almost that

The prex semi- means half a semi-circle is half a circle. But in adjectives like semi-nomadic, it means partly. So in the article, The Manchu were semi-nomadic tribesmen doesnt mean they spent exactly half their lives wandering around, but they did spend part of their time moving from place to place. The prex quasi- means something that appears to be something, but is not that thing in fact. So in the article, The quasiextinction of Manchu means the almost total extinction of Manchu but not quite. Change the meanings of these sentences by adding semi- to the appropriate word in 1-5 and quasi- in 6-10. 1 My aunt in Scotland lives in a detached house the building is split in half. ______________________________________________________________________
2 The dinner party on Saturday night will be a formal occasion. _________________________________________________________________________________________ 3 Since he published that article, people see him as famous. _____________________________________________________________________________________________ 4 The new homeless shelters are permanent. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 5 My brother is a professional footballer. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 6 Our school uniform is military in style. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 7 My university course is practical theres not much theory. ____________________________________________________________________________________________ 8 That organisation is religious. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 9 Its a public corporation. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 10 Our experiments have been successful. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Modern China
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Many dollars, but how much sense?
Globalisation
en Bernanke, chairman of the United States Federal Reserve, is trying to revive the American economy and help those that have suffered nancially from the recession. Through a process known as quantitative easing (QE2), the US Federal Reserve (known as the Fed) will pump US$600 billion into the economy by buying bonds from the US Treasury. It plans to buy bonds worth US$75 billion a month until the end of next years second quarter, in an attempt to boost economic recovery by making it cheaper to borrow money and thus making more cash available for companies and consumers. However, the policy has been widely questioned by governments and economists, with many of them doubting its effectiveness. The critics worry about its possible inuence on the rest of the world. China will be affected along
with many other nations, too. Media reports say an adviser to Chinas central bank has warned that unrestricted issuing of US
dollars could plunge the world into a new nancial crisis. Yet US President Barack Obama disagrees. The Feds mandate, my mandate, is to grow our economy, he said. That is not just good for the United States; that is good for the world as a whole. The Hong Kong dollar, along with many other currencies, is pegged to the US dollar. This release of money will decrease the value of the US dollar. As a result, people in Hong Kong will see the value of their savings go down in the short term. No one can tell what the long-term effects will be; it could worsen the economic situation or improve it. Simple economics can explain that when the money supply increases in an economy,
interest rates go down. Ination increases as goods become more expensive against the US dollars now cheaper value. Jean-Claude Juncker, head of the group of euro-zone nance ministers, agrees. I see a risk of ination coming out of the crisis, he told the European parliamentary committee. A country that has a higher rate of ination than its trading partners nds its exports become less competitive. It begins to lose out on export orders while, at the same time, having to spend more to import goods. Ination means goods become more expensive, so people cannot buy as much. This widens the gap between the rich and poor. China holds a lot of debt valued in US dollars. If the dollar declines in value, then the money China thinks it has suddenly shrinks. As the QE2 money ows into the market, interest rates will drop. People will no longer want to save because their money will not earn them enough: they will, most likely, start to spend it. As money becomes cheaper, businesses will nd it easier
As prices go up, demand for goods falls, leading to a slowdown in production, less prot and business failures.
to borrow money from banks. Companies will grow, creating jobs and giving more people money. That will encourage people to spend more creating an upward cycle of prosperity. But remember those low interest rates? If Americans can get higher interest rates overseas, they are very likely to invest their money abroad. Capital will drain out of the economy known as capital ight. As money ows into other economies, those economies become hot and ination spirals, as can be seen in Hong Kongs property market with the inux of mainland
money. The rich get richer and the poor get poorer. If a country experiences ination, the cost of production increases. Staff want more money and materials cost more. Factories may not be able to afford this rise and be forced to lay people off, resulting in unemployment. As prices go up, demand for goods falls, leading to a slowdown in production, less prot and business failures. Many economists believe supply-side policies are a more effective way of boosting the economy. The simplest example would be decreasing unemployment benets to encourage people to look for jobs. Education schemes could be introduced to allow retraining of people out of work. Yet such policies involve large expenditure for governments money that could be spent elsewhere. And, while there are many positive possibilities that may follow this policy, all come with risk, uncertainty and potential economic problems.
This article previously appeared in Young Post on November 25
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Exercises: Many dollars, but how much sense?

Comprehension
Answer these questions about the article in full sentences. 1 Who is Ben Bernanke? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 2 Who are Bernanke and his organisation trying to help? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 3 How will Bernankes scheme help companies and consumers? ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 4 Who has expressed doubts about this policy? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 5 What does the president of the USA think of the plan? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 6 What effect will Bernankes plan on the citizens of Hong Kong? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 7 What happens in general when the supply of money in any economy increases? ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 8 What might be falsely created in China? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 9 What will encourage Americans to invest their money outside America? ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 10 What usually happens to manufacturing if a country experiences ination? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 11 When does the demand for consumer goods decline in any country? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 12 What else occurs when prices rise? ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

What do these key words and phrases mean? 1 to revive (v) a. to complete b. to bring back to life 2 a recession (n) a. happy times when good things happen b. a period when the economy of a country is not doing well 3 to pump money into (v phr) a. to take money out of one business account and put it into another b. to spend a lot of money trying to make something work better 4 a bond (n) a. a document issued by a government or company to show you have lent them money at a xed interest rate b. an agreement between a company and its workers that there will be no salary increases for a year 5 effectiveness (n) a. a reduction in manpower b. success in achieving the results you wanted 6 unrestricted (adj) a. conned in one place b. not limited in any way 7 a mandate (n) a. a document showing how much interest has been earned by a particular bank account b. ofcial authority to perform an action 8 to plunge something into (v phr) a. to suddenly enter a situation b. to pick something out for criticism 9 in the short term (phr) a. resulting in happiness b. over a brief period of time 10 competitive (adj) a. wanting very much to win or be more successful than others b. willing to be criticised and do nothing about it 11 an upward cycle (n) a. a set of events that has a positive effect b. a long period of unemployment 12 to drain out of something (vb) a. to slowly disappear from somewhere b. to rush to a hasty conclusion 13 inux a. spending or using a lot of something b. the arrival of a lot of something 14 expenditure (n) a. a loss of a large amount of money on the stock exchange b. the amount of money spent on something
Globalisation
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Exercises: Many dollars, but how much sense?

Word power
Complete these sentences using one of the key words or phrases. Make sure any verbs are in the right tense. 1 The countrys annual ___________________________________________________ on social services has been greatly reduced this year. 2 My orchids ___________________________________________________ fully when I gave them some water. 3 All the colour ___________________________________________________ my face when I saw the car crash. 4 I think our company is in an ___________________________________________________ of recovery. We all got bonuses this year. 5 The more often you take cold medication, the more its ___________________________________________________ decreases. 6 Publishing is a very ___________________________________________________ industry. 7 The country is slipping into a serious ___________________________________________________. 8 Following the papers redesign, we had an ___________________________________________________ of positive comments from readers. 9 I think they will only be happy together ___________________________________________________. They are too different to stay married for long. 10 You ___________________________________________________ the whole building into darkness when you rewired the photocopier.
A bit of grammar
Using a sufx to make a noun from an adjective or verb. In English, we can form nouns from some adjectives by adding sufxes such as -ness, and -ity, and from verbs (and a few adjectives) by adding -ment. In the article, the adjective effective is transformed into the noun effectiveness; to employ becomes (un)employment; and to prosper is the root of prosperity. Its not easy to give one rule for how this works. It does not work with all adjectives and verbs. The best thing to do is look up the words in a dictionary and practise! e.g. Paul is a very kind person.
+ I appreciate Pauls kindness.
Now complete these sentences by making a noun out of the verb or adjective in brackets. 1 There was so much (sad) __________________________________________________________ at Mrs Chans funeral. Everybody loved her.
2 There was a lot of suspicious (active) __________________________________________________________ in the street last night. 3 There has denitely been an (to improve) __________________________________________________________ in your sons attitude this term. 4 Ive never known (tired) __________________________________________________________ like this before. Im exhausted. 5 Mr Chow was surprised by the (complex) __________________________________________________________ of his sons maths problems.
Quite the reverse

Change one word in each of these sentences to give them the opposite meaning. Dont just make the verb negative. e.g. President Obama agrees with the plan. 1
6 I think he could have a serious (ill) __________________________________________________________. 7 Thank you for showing me such (friendly) __________________________________________________________. 8 Dad is enjoying his (to retire) __________________________________________________________ very much indeed. 9 You have to have a great deal of (tough) __________________________________________________________ to survive at my place of work. 10 There is a real (possible) __________________________________________________________ of rain tomorrow. Look at those clouds! 11 (To conceal) __________________________________________________________ of the truth will only lead to trouble. 12 Outside, all I could see was (dark) __________________________________________________________. 13 The number of questions you get right affects your (eligible) __________________________________________________________ for the job. 14 The (to treat) __________________________________________________________ I received in the hospital after my accident was excellent. 15 The boss always shows a great deal of (weak) __________________________________________________________ when he has to deal with a problem.
+ President Obama disagrees with the plan.
The government will buy bonds. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
2 The plan will be good for many countries. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 3 Today, the country has a high rate of ination. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 4 This plan will decrease the value of the US dollar abroad. _______________________________________________________________________________________________ 5 Exports will become more competitive. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 6 People will no longer want to save their money. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 7 Next month will see an upward cycle of prosperity. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 8 No one can tell what the short-term effects will be. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Globalisation
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Nuclear energy for HK remains on course T

he nuclear power plant crisis in quake-hit Japan has renewed debate in Hong Kong about whether the city should import more nuclear energy from the mainland. At the same time, Chinas energy chief has said lessons will need to be drawn from the accidents in Japan to ensure the mainlands nuclear energy sector develops safely. Hong Kong is pondering whether to take more nuclear energy from Guangdong to satisfy half of the citys electricity demand by 2020. Professor Woo Chungho, a nuclear specialist from Polytechnic University, said it was inevitable and necessary for Hong Kong to join the nuclear tide of the mainland. Despite the Japanese accidents, nuclear development on the mainland remains on course. Woo said the question was not whether the city needed nuclear power, but how it should be provided most safely. No matter whether you buy it or not, nuclear power is going to boom across China because it is a national security issue in which we have no say at all, he said. And only when Hong Kong joins the club may we have some say over whether a new nuclear plant will be built at our doorstep, or at least vital information can be sent to us faster. Hong Kong imports about 70 per cent of the output of the Daya Bay nuclear power station, which lies about 50 kilometres northeast of the city. Six more nuclear reactors built next to Daya Bay, at Ling Ao, help supply Guangdong province. Although nuclear plants in Fukushima and Daya Bay were all categorised as second-generation technology, the Hong Kong-area plant had strong layers protecting the reactors, Woo said. Authorities would therefore have more time to handle the possible risk of explosions and the spread of radiation, he said. The Daya Bay plant was developed in the 1970s with French technology, and uses pressurised water to carry away the heat generated from the reactors to the stream generators. In order to cope with the pressure, the reactors protective layers are at least twice the thickness of those in the Fukushima plant, which uses US technology from the 1960s. The reactors there have been in operation for 40 years, and those in Daya Bay, for 17 years. But Greenpeace activists have called on the government to opt for more renewable energy sources. Secretary for Security Ambrose Lee Siu-kwong said in a legislative meeting that the city was unlikely to suffer an accident similar to Japans. First of all, the
The Daya Bay nuclear power station in Guangdong provides Hong Kongs 7 million residents with most of their electricity needs. Photo: Cheung Chi-fai
Energy, technology and the environment
chance of Daya Bay being hit by a massive earthquake is very low, he said. Moreover, the design of the nuclear plant is different from the one in Japan. Lee said Hong Kong had an emergency plan in the event of an accident at the plant. Information was available on the Security Bureau website. There are rescue and evacuation exercises held in MTR and the other government organisations. Do we need an exercise for the whole community? Lee said. The mainlands nuclear industry remains calm. A senior
engineer from China Guangdong Nuclear Power, which owns and operates the Daya Bay plant, said the Chinese public had overreacted. I applaud our Japanese colleagues, he said, asking not to be named because he is not authorised to speak for the company. They are holding a plant designed to have a lifespan of just 50 years against a disaster that happens once in a thousand years, and they are still holding ground. I dont think the development pace of the Chinese nuclear industry will slow down. After all, we have thirdgeneration technology.
Like most commercial reactors in the world, the troubled Japanese reactors belong to the second generation, which use man-made power sources such as diesel engines to pump water to cool the reactor in an emergency shutdown. Experts believe that the third-generation technology, which China bought from the United States and France, would withstand meltdown accidents of the kind in Japan. Third-generation reactors employ gravity, rather than manmade power, to cool a reactor in case of emergency. One approach, from the US, is to build a water tank above the reactor, which can be opened when all pumps fail. Another approach, from France, has a tank under the reactor into which melted fuel can drop and cool safely. Professor Zhao Zhixiang, chief academic adviser to the China National Nuclear Corporation, said third-generation reactors would handle the bulk of the mainlands future nuclear energy supply. Third-generation technology, though, has never been tested.
This is an edited version of articles published in the South China Morning Post on March 15 and March 17
Hong Kong imports about 70 per cent of the output of the Daya Bay nuclear power station, about 50km away
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Social issues level 2 Social issues level 2
Exercises: Nuclear energy for HK Exercises: Nuclear energy for HK remains on course remains on course
Comprehension
Identify which of the following statements about the article are true and which are false. True 1 2 3 Chinas energy chief thinks that the country has no lessons to learn from the recent nuclear accident in Japan. Professor Woo Chung-ho is a nuclear power expert. Hong Kong is situated in an area of high volcanic activity. False

What do these words and phrases mean? 1 a crisis (n) a. a day when everything goes wrong b. a time of difculty and danger 2 to import (v) a. to charge a lot of money for a non-essential service b. to bring in goods from another country 3 to draw from (v phr) a. to work out, make conclusions b. to ignore, disregard 4 to ponder (v) a. to make a quick decision b. to think about something carefully 5 inevitable (adj) a. certain to happen b. likely to happen 6 to remain on course (v phr) a. to continue as planned b. to stop and then suddenly start again 7 to join the club (v phr) a. to do the same as a lot of other people b. to refuse to do something that is good for you 8 to generate (v) a. to produce or create b. to reduce 9 an activist (n) a. a scientist b. a person who believes in vigorous political action 10 legislative (adj) a. nancial b. having the power to make laws 11 in the event of a. if something happens b. after something has stopped 12 evacuation (n) a. clearing people out of a building or from a place b. estimating results 13 to overreact (v) a. to react in an angry or frightened way that isnt necessary b. to react in a way that is strange for your personality 14 to hold ground (v phr) a. to not retreat or back down b. to give up doing something you nd difcult
4 The nuclear energy plant at Fukushima was a third-generation installation. 5 The Daya Bay plant is situated 50 kilometres northeast of the city.
Energy, technology and the environment Energy, technology and the environment
6 The Fukushima plant was built using 1960s American technology. 7 Greenpeace is in favour of building more nuclear energy plants.
8 Hong Kong does have a sound emergency plan should there be any problems with the Daya Bay plant. 9 Evacuation exercises are held regularly in the MTR. 10 The chances of the Daya Bay plant suffering the same fate as Fukushima are high. 11 Chinas nuclear experts fully support the actions taken by their Japanese counterparts during the crisis. 12 Hong Kong does not use any nuclear energy to power the city. 13 Third-generation nuclear reactors still rely on water to cool them down if there is an emergency. 14 The Daya Bay nuclear plant is in northern China. 15 Experts believe that if the plant in Fukushima had been third generation, the recent problems would have been less serious. 16 The Japanese accident has had a big effect on the future of nuclear energy in mainland China.
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Social issues level 2 Social issues level 2
Exercises: Exercises: Nuclear Nuclear energy energy for for HK HK remains remains on on course course
Word power
Complete these sentences using one of the key words and phrases. Make sure any verbs are in the right tense. 1 2 3 I told Jon his football team had lost and he dropped his cup. I think he ____________________________________________________ a bit, dont you? The citys leadership is facing a serious ____________________________________________________ due to the popularity of the opposition. There was an ____________________________________________________ of the whole building when the re alarm went off.
A bit of grammar
Despite, in spite of and although are all used to talk about something unexpected or unusual. Despite and in spite of have similar meanings. They are prepositions so they must be followed by a noun (or a phrase that acts like a noun sometimes we add the fact that when using despite). Although is a conjunction and must be followed by a clause containing verbs. Despite the Japanese accidents, Chinas nuclear energy programme remains on course. Despite the fact that there have been serious nuclear accidents in Japan, Chinas nuclear energy programme remains on course In spite of the Japanese accidents, Chinas nuclear energy programme remains on course. Although there have been serious nuclear accidents in Japan, Chinas nuclear energy programme remains on course. Join these clauses using the grammar you have just learned. Do it once using despite or in spite of, and once using although. Add the fact that if necessary. 1 2 3 The weather was bad. The hikers nished their hike. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ They have a noisy dog. I quite like my new neighbours. __________________________________________________________________________________________________ We went out. It was snowing. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
4 Robs dad might be really strict now, but he was an anti-nuclear ____________________________________________________ in the 1970s. 5 The conclusions were ____________________________________________________ the experiment are fascinating.
6 It was ____________________________________________________ that he would have an accident if he continued to drive so recklessly. 7 He sat down for a moment and ____________________________________________________ what he was going to do next.
Energy, technology and the environment Energy, technology and the environment
8 The companys progress has ____________________________________________________ despite the recession. 9 ____________________________________________________ rain, the ceremony will be moved indoors. 10 Our new advertising campaign has ____________________________________________________ a lot of interest in the new product.
4 She went to work. She had a bad cold. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Time and time again

We use time expressions to explain when something happened. At the same time, Chinas energy chief has said lessons need to be learnt. Complete the sentences below using one of the following time expressions. at the same time / in three days time / by the time / is there enough time to ? / at this moment in time / another time / this is not the time to / every time 1 2 3 ____________________________________________________________ Ive nished my homework, it will be time for bed. ____________________________________________________________ I say what I think, you disagree with me. There were two important meetings going on ____________________________________________________________.
I arrived on time. There was a trafc jam in the city centre. ____________________________________________________________________________________________
6 Everything went wrong. I had done some careful planning. ____________________________________________________________________________________________ 7 Ive accepted the job. The salary is low. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
8 I slept well last night. There was a lot of noise in the hotel. _____________________________________________________________________________________________ 9 Ive booked my holiday in Australia. The prices are high. ________________________________________________________________________________________________ 10 Im wearing my shorts today. The weather is cold. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________
4 Given the economic downturn, ____________________________________________________________ ask the boss for a salary rise. 5 Ill have nished the work you gave me ____________________________________________________________.
6 Can we go to the cinema ____________________________________________________________? I really need to go to bed early tonight. 7 ____________________________________________________________ call Mum before we leave the at?
8 ____________________________________________________________ I feel very calm and relaxed Im just waiting for something stressful to happen.
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Drama level 1
The Importance of Being Earnest

Introducing Ernest
The Importance of Being Earnest is a popular comic play written by Victorian playwright Oscar Wilde. It was rst performed in 1895 in London, and it is one of the few plays of the Victorian era that is still popular with theatregoers today. If audiences go to a theatre to see a comedy they expect to have a good laugh, and The Importance of Being Earnest certainly provides that. It is about silly people doing silly things, telling lies and getting their lives into a terrible tangle. Wilde was a very clever writer who was naturally witty. The dialogue in Earnest is packed with humour, and the characters say silly things as they dig holes for themselves. Even the title of the play is a play on words. The adjective earnest means serious, while Ernest was a popular Victorian mans rst name. Why Ernest should be earnest is revealed during the plays hilarious three acts. Lets join Ernest as his life spirals out of control. in 1854. He was educated at university in Dublin before moving to London to take up a career as a writer. Wilde was famous for his amboyant style of dress and his refusal to t in with the rest of Victorian London high society. He wrote for newspapers, edited a magazine, and published a book of poetry and some short stories for children. His rst play, Lady Windermeres Fan was a hit in London in 1892, and his next success, A Woman of No Importance premiered the following year. With his third hit in a row, The Importance of Being Earnest, Wilde became the darling of London society, a position he had had his eye on for years. But Wildes fall from favour came very quickly. He was involved in a scandal, and London society turned its back on him. He lived out the last few years of his life in poverty under a false name in Paris. He died alone in 1900.
Wilde about Oscar
Oscar Wilde was born in Ireland
But Jack has a secret. He has invented a ctitious brother called Ernest, who spends most of his time in London. This ruse allows Jack to lead a double life
Laura Rees as Cecily Cardew and Jamie De Courcey as Algernon (above), Gabrielle Drake as Lady Bracknell (left). Photos: The Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester
The trouble with lies
Jack Worthing is a well-liked pillar of the community in a country village just outside London. He is a rich landowner
who is very popular with the villagers. Jack is an orphan who was found abandoned in a handbag at Victoria station in London. Baby Jack had been brought up by a rich country gentleman called Mr Cardew, and now Jack is the guardian of Cardews granddaughter, pretty 18-year-old Cecily. But Jack has a secret. He has invented a ctitious brother called Ernest, who spends most of his time in London. This ruse allows Jack to lead a double life. In the country, he is a respectable
gentleman, but when he goes to London and becomes Ernest, he becomes a party animal. One weekend, his London friend Algernon pays Jack a surprise visit at his country home. Algernon knows Jack by the name of Ernest. The same weekend, the old battleaxe Lady Bracknell and her daughter Gwendolen visit Jack. They, too, believe Jack is called Ernest, and Gwendolen is in love with him. When Algernon nds out about Jacks alternative existence, he pretends to be Jacks younger brother Ernest to woo Cecily. And so the confusion begins.
Its a farce!
A play can be a comedy, a tragedy, a musical, a thriller
or a farce. Shakespeares plays conveniently t into three boxes: comedies, tragedies or histories. Sometimes the edges between categories are blurred. The Importance of Being Earnest is a comedy with bits of farce thrown in for good measure. A farce is a comic play that gets its laughs from over-the-top situations like mistaken identity, people being in the wrong place at the wrong time, physical comic action like someones trousers falling down, and general stupid behaviour. The French farce writer George Feydeau (1862-1921) said that farces were the most difcult kind of play to write because the action and the plot had to be built up like a maths puzzle.
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Drama level 1
Exercises: The Importance of Being Earnest

What do these key words and phrases mean? 1 an era (n) a. a period of history b. a century 2 a ruse (n) a. a very big lie b. a deception or trick 3 a pillar of the community (n phr) a. someone who does a lot of work to support a community b. someone who prefers not to involve themselves in community affairs 4 a battleaxe (n) a. a young and attractive girl who is shy and gentle b. a frightening and unpleasant older woman with strong opinions 5 to blur (v) a. to make something less clear b. to make something very obvious 6 to get (your life) into a tangle (v phr) a. to do something that makes your life difcult and messy b. to make a decision to improve your life 7 scandal (n) a. debt b. an event causing public outrage 8 to dig a hole for yourself (v phr) a. to get yourself into a situation that is difcult to get out of b. to organise an event that you will enjoy very much 9 to spiral out of control (v phr) a. to improve suddenly b. to change from good to bad very quickly 10 a fall from favour (n phr) a. increased popularity b. the act of becoming unpopular 11 witty (adj) a. using a word wrongly b. using words in a clever and funny way 12 party animal (n phr) a. someone who enjoys going to a lot of parties and social events b. someone who is hired to entertain guests at a party 13 amboyant (adj) a. very showy in manner or behaviour b. extremely serious and boring 14 over-the-top (adj) a. excessive b. impressive
Word power
Complete these sentences using the correct key word or phrase. 1 Mr Chans comment about loving rock music caused a bit of a (era / scandal) in class this morning we were wrong when we thought he was really boring! 2 My dad does a lot of good things for the old people in our area. Hes a (battleaxe / pillar of the community). 3 I thought her reaction was (witty / over-the-top) when I asked her to work late tonight. 4 You are going to (dig a hole for yourself / blur) if you continue to lie to him. 5 Since Mrs Wong lost her job, her life has (blurred / spiralled out of control) she seldom has enough money to pay the rent. 6 Dad is always very (witty / amboyant) when he has to make a speech in public. 7 The joke you told last night might have caused your (battleaxe / fall from favour) Mum didnt think it was very funny. 8 The last 10 years have been (an era / a ruse) of great prosperity. 9 Our maths teacher always wears very (witty / amboyant) clothes. 10 I think his story was a (ruse / pillar) to make me give him some money.
Comprehension
Which of these statements from the article are true and which are false? True 1 The play was written at the end of the 18th century. 2 No theatre companies ever produce this play today because modern audiences do not nd it funny. 3 The playwright Oscar Wilde was Irish by birth. 4 He wrote over a dozen plays and ended his life one of the richest men in England. 5 The main character in the play, Jack Worthing, has two homes: one in London and one in the country. 6 Jack leads a double life and it is this deception that causes all the funny situations in the play. 7 There are no female characters in The Importance of Being Earnest. 8 Jack Worthing was abandoned as a baby in a bag left at Kings Cross Station in London. False
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Drama level 1
Exercises: The Importance of Being Earnest

The reviews are in
Which of these sentences are from reviews of a production of The Importance of Being Earnest? 1 The two main actors playing Jack and Algernon sang their roles magnicently. 2 The whole production was hilarious from start to nish. 3 The laughs came thick and fast in the fourth act. 4 This was one of the saddest and most moving productions of the play I have ever seen. 5 The actress playing the formidable Lady Bracknell was brilliant. 6 The orchestra played dramatically throughout the whole production. 7 The Importance of Being Earnest is one of my favourite operas and I enjoyed this production immensely.
A bit of grammar
Compound adjectives A compound adjective is an adjective made up of two separate words, e.g. well-made When the two words in a compound adjective come before the noun, they are almost always hyphenated. When they come after a noun, sometimes they are not hyphenated. This is usually when one of the words is well, most, best, least or little. (In this case, if the sentence doesnt make sense without a hyphen, use one!) The Importance of Being Earnest is a well-known play. The Importance of Being Earnest is well known.
Your turn
Look up the meanings of the adjectives in the box. Then use them to complete the following sentences. Be careful with that hyphen! a. densely-populated e. free-standing i. one-way b. best-loved f. middle-aged j. well-heeled c. part-time g. long-winded d. deeply-rooted h. ice-cold
What shall we see?

There are many different types of stage performances. Rearrange the letters in brackets below to reveal what type each show is. tragedy 1 musical farce thriller opera tear-jerker comedy history
Her boyfriend is a very ___________________________________________________ young man he owns a at on the Peak.
The Mousetrap is a famous (ILLTHRER) by Agatha Christie.
2 Mong Kok is one of the most ___________________________________________________ districts of Hong Kong. 3 Dalton Street is ___________________________________________________ a lot of drivers forget. 4 Id like an ___________________________________________________ lemonade, please Im so hot. 5 Of all Hong Kongs singers, George Lam is perhaps the ___________________________________________________. 6 The headmaster gave a really ___________________________________________________ speech at the prize-giving ceremony. 7 Is your new job ___________________________________________________? 8 My grandparents feelings about education are ___________________________________________________ in their past they were both teachers. 9 I feel very ___________________________________________________ these days. I enjoy talking about the weather, and knitting scarves. 10 Dan bought a ___________________________________________________ mirror so he can move it around the room.
2 Lady Windermeres Fan is a (MOCYDE) by Oscar Wilde. 3 The Phantom of the Opera is a successful (SUMLCAI). 4 Romeo and Juliet is a (YEDGATR) by William Shakespeare. 5 A Flea in Her Ear is a very funny French (ECRAF). 6 The Miracle Worker is a very moving (EARTERKREJ). 7 Henry V is a (IHSTYRO) by Shakespeare. 8 Madam Buttery is a wonderful (APORE).
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Drama level 2
The Crucible
he Crucible is dramatic play written in 1953 by American playwright, Arthur Miller. The story is set against the background of the horric witch trials that took place in the town of Salem in the American state of Massachusetts in 1692-93. In many of the rural settlements on the east coast of North America at this time, the supernatural was a part of everyday life. The church believed that Satan and his demons were active on Earth and had to be resisted and fought at every turn. The citizens of Salem were taught by the church to believe that every misfortune was the work of the devil. Supernatural forces were always blamed when the crops failed, a baby died or someone became ill. Suspicion and fear came to a head in Salem in 1692 when the town authorities set up a series of trials accusing some citizens of being witches in league with the devil. Hysteria spread around the town and accusations ew everywhere. In June, 1692, a special court was set up in the Salem to hear cases of witchcraft. The rst person to be tried was a woman called Bridget Bishop who was found guilty and hanged. Thirteen women and
In the New England town of Salem, a group of teenage girls is caught performing a ritual dance
ve men followed her to the gallows on three successive days of execution. Eventually, higher authorities closed down the court, but the damage had been done. The Salem witch trials remain one of the most notorious events in the history of North America.
The McCarthy witch hunt trials
The term witch hunting has grown to mean the persecution of a minority by a bigger social group who want the beliefs of this minority exposed and destroyed. In the 1950s, the USA seriously believed that communism was knocking on the door to threaten the freedom of American citizens and bring down the countrys capitalist system. A tide of fear ooded into homes across the USA, with ordinary Americans seeing communist plots everywhere.
One ambitious politician called Joseph McCarthy saw an opportunity to use the countrys fear to build power for himself. He accused many prominent Americans of secretly working for the Soviet Union. The country was so afraid of communism that they believed McCarthys accusations, and hundreds of innocent people were put on trial for supporting communism. People were afraid to speak to or give jobs to anyone McCarthy had accused of belonging to the Communist Party. Eventually America realised that McCarthy was liar, and he lost his power. But not before he had ruined hundreds of innocent lives. The playwright Arthur Miller was writing at the height of McCarthyism, and wrote his play The Crucible, a sort of allegory, to show the terrible danger and injustice of McCarthys modern witch hunts.
A town in panic
In the New England town of Salem, a group of teenage girls is caught performing a ritual dance, asking magic spirits to get them good boyfriends. When forced to explain what they were doing, the girls lie and say that they were forced to dance by the devil. One of the girls
mysteriously falls into a coma. An expert on witchcraft is brought in to question Abigail, the girls ringleader. She piles lie upon lie, and the whole town thinks that Satan has entered their community. Abigail, a vicious and ruthless liar, has been trying to attract the attention of a happily married man, John Procter. She now sees a perfect chance to get Procter to notice her she accuses Elizabeth, Procters wife, of witchcraft. Further accusations spread, and the towns authorities swing into action and set up a court to try the women accused of witchcraft. Elizabeth is arrested, and her husband vows to expose Abigail and her friends as frauds. But in court, events turn tragically against Procter. One of the girls says he is a witch himself, and he is arrested. Procter heroically thinks that if he confesses to witchcraft, he can save the lives of the others who are about to be hanged. He
signs a confession, thinking this will expose the truth, but later he takes back his confession. Procter is hanged, and the Salem Witch Trials reach their horrendous conclusion.
Power on the stage
The Crucible grips its audience like a vice. Miller wanted to present a dramatic tragedy on stage, but he also wanted to make his audience think. The action is set in a historical, church-controlled society, but the themes that run through the play are timeless and universal. The witch trials are a terrible expression of intolerance when a society brands some of their members with anti-social accusations. Equally powerful in The Crucible are the questions of damage caused by panic, hysteria and lies. A lie starts off the horror in Salem, and individuals build on this lie until things get out of control. Why do humans suffer from mass hysteria, and why do they let it control them when it occurs? The abuse of power, individual pride, the importance of reputation, the role of law in society and the effects of fear all run though Millers play, but above all it is a thrilling, powerful piece of theatre.
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Drama level 2
Exercises: The Crucible

What do these key words and phrases mean? 1 misfortune (n) a. something lucky b. something unlucky 2 allegory (n) a. a story with a hidden political or moral meaning b. a fairy tale 3 come to a head (v phr) a. reach a crisis b. disappear 4 in league with (phr) a. not agreeing with a suggestion b. working in conjunction with 5 gallows (n) a. a small prison cell b. a framework with a rope noose for hanging people 6 notorious (adj) a. unrecognised and unknown b. famous for a bad reason 7 persecution (n) a. cruel treatment of someone because of race, religion or beliefs b. legal detainment of someone innocent 8 to knock on the door (v phr) a. to stop doing something because it is too difcult b. to present itself 9 prominent (adj) a. small and insignicant b. important and conspicuous 10 a ringleader (n) a. a spokesperson for a company b. someone who leads others doing mischief 11 ruthless (adj) a. very kind and attentive b. cruel and having no thoughts for others 12 to swing into action (v phr) a. to quickly begin doing something b. to carry out a task very thoroughly
Word power
Use one of the key words and phrases to complete each of these sentences. Make sure any verbs are in the correct tense and form. 1 Tensions between the two parties ______________________________ when one politician moved to the other side.
2 The racing car driver is ______________________________ for using his fame to get his own way. 3 The company boss is going to sack the ______________________________ of the strike. I think this will just force his followers to cause more trouble. 4 Hong Kong people ______________________________ to raise funds after the Japan triple disaster. 5 I think Mum is ______________________________ with Dad to make me change my mind about not going to university. 6 He is a ______________________________ member of the British Royal Family his face is recognised all over the world. 7 The refugees left the country because they feared political ______________________________ 8 A great opportunity like this does not ______________________________ every day seize it! 9 To get to the top in the company I work for, you have to be very ______________________________ and not care about other peoples feelings. 10 The Ant and the Grasshopper is an ______________________________ for the value of hard work.
Change the meaning

Change the highlighted word in each phrase below to give it the opposite meaning. You may need more than one word. 1 Many rural settlements 7 In the northern states of America 8 The rst person to appear in court 9 An ambitious politician 10 The ringleader of the girls lies to the authorities 11 McCarthy lost a lot of power 12 The trial begins 2 A handful of citizens 3 She was found guilty 4 A powerful piece of theatre 5 Many prominent Americans 6 The town is in an uproar
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Drama level 2
Exercises: The Crucible

Comprehension
Answer these questions about The Crucible. 1 Where and when is the play set? a. the capital of England at the start of the 18th century b. a rural town in north America at the close of the 17th century 2 What great fear permeates this society? a. a fear of the authorities b. a fear of the supernatural 3 What effect does Abigails initial lie have on the town? a. it begins a wave of uncontrolled hysteria b. it makes her popular and noticed 4 How would you describe Abigails personality? a. caring and thoughtful b. selsh and spiteful 5 Why does John Procter get involved in the witch hunts? a. because he wants to save Abigail b. because his wife is falsely arrested as a witch 6 Why does Procter initially agree to confess to being a witch himself? a. he thinks this action will save others b. he thinks this will make Abigail tell the truth 7 In which decade did Arthur Miller write The Crucible? a. in the 1950s b. in the 1690s 8 What were the McCarthy Witch Hunts? a. a political movement that banned the supernatural in 1690s America b. a hysterical and unfair attack on communist sympathisers in 1950s America 9 How did Miller feel about Joseph McCarthy? a. Miller thought McCarthy was doing important work ridding Americans of Communists b. Miller though McCarthys beliefs were as ridiculous as the 17th century accusations of witchcraft 10 How would you describe the effect seeing a performance of The Crucible usually has on an audience? a. they nd it powerful and thought-provoking b. they think it is a light-hearted and entertaining piece of theatre
A bit of grammar
Useful similes A powerful piece of theatre that grips like a vice. A simile is a way of comparing something to something else using the words like, as or than to give it more meaning. Here are some useful examples. a. b. c. d. e. as white as a sheet as red as a beetroot as alike as two peas in a pod as clear as mud (not very clear) as quick as a ash f. g. h. i. j. as dry as a bone as sick as a parrot as good as gold as cool as a cucumber as scarce as hens teeth
Your turn
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Complete each of these sentences with an appropriate simile from the box. My face went ____________________________________________ when I realised I was wearing odd shoes. I was so embarrassed!
2 The standard of everyones work is very low. Good marks in this class are ____________________________________________. 3 She went ____________________________________________ when I told her the bad news. 4 He always acts ____________________________________________. I wish I had as much self-control as he has. 5 He and his twin sister are ____________________________________________. 6 Now, make sure you are ____________________________________________ for the babysitter while your dad and I are out. 7 I havent understood a word youve said. Your explanation was ____________________________________________ . 8 I feel dreadful. Ive been ____________________________________________ . 9 The soil in this plant pot is ____________________________________________ . Give it some water. 10 He agreed with what I suggested ____________________________________________ .
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Short stories level 1
The Stare of the Gorgon

From an ancient Greek myth Re-told by John Millen
erseus was looking out to sea at a tiny ship about to drop over the horizon. Seventeen years ago, he had arrived on these shores with his mother Danae to start a new life, far from their homeland. Danae had never told her son where they had come from, why they had ed or who he really was, even when he begged to be told. Even King Polydectes, the ruler of the island where Danae and Perseus now lived, could get no information from the beautiful stranger who had mysteriously arrived with a tiny baby in her arms. The king had fallen in love with Danae the moment he saw her, but she was not interested in becoming his queen and had turned down dozens of royal proposals. King Polydectes suspected that Perseus was the reason Danae didnt want to get married, so he decided to get rid of the young man. Perseus, I have set you a task to prove your bravery. I want you to join my elite guards at the palace, but rst you must show
that you are worthy of this high honour. Are you willing to accept a challenge from your king? Yes, Your Majesty. I am willing to serve my king in any way I can. Here is your task. It will please me and show everyone you have become a brave and fearless young man. I want you to track down Medusa and bring me back the creatures head. This will prove you fear nothing and are worthy of joining my personal bodyguard. As he stood on the shore looking at the horizon, Perseus felt anything but brave. What
As he stood on the seashore looking at the horizon, Perseus felt anything but brave. What had he agreed to do?
had he agreed to do? He was terried. Medusa was a Gorgon, a hideous monster with talons that could tear a man in two with one slash. Her head was crowned with poisonous snakes, but the most terrible thing of all was her stare. Any man who looked at the repugnant face of the Gorgon was turned instantly to stone. High on the summit of Mount Olympus, the gods had been watching Perseus and were pleased with the way he had accepted the kings challenge. They decided to help him. Zeus, the Father of the Gods, ordered three gifts to be sent down to Perseus to help him kill Medusa. Perseus was walking along the cliff path down to the harbour when he heard a crash behind him. He turned round, and saw a golden helmet lying on the ground. He picked it up, and placed it on his head. Immediately, he felt dizzy and, looking down to regain his balance, he saw that his entire body had vanished! He pulled the helmet off, and his body reappeared. Wonderful! A helmet of invisibility might be very useful
when he found Medusa. Another crash, and then a third! Perseus spun round and saw a shield lying in the dirt. For a moment he had to cover his eyes because the reection of the sun on the mirrored metal was blinding. Next to the shield lay a pair of sandals with wings on the heels. He picked up the shield and put the sandals on. Whooosh! Before he realised what was happening, Perseus was ying through the air like a shooting star. He closed his eyes and hung on to the helmet and shield for dear life. Suddenly, everything went black as Perseus crashed painfully. He was on a slope covered with shale and boulders. Around him stood at least 100 blackened stone statues he knew immediately that they were victims of the Gorgon Medusa.
Perseus crawled forward on his hands and knees until he was outside the mouth of a cave. Inside he could hear a terrible hissing sound like the wind makes when a hurricane is about to strike. How am I going to slay the monster without looking at her face? It is impossible, Perseus whispered to himself.
Suddenly he had an idea. He lifted the shield up in front of his face so that he could see the reection of where he was going, and walked backwards towards the cave. The hissing turned into a mighty roar, and the hideous Medusa crawled out of her hiding place. Perseus saw her reection in the surface of the shield. With one powerful swing, he slashed his sword through the air and the creatures gruesome head fell to the ground with a loud thud. The sun broke though the clouds as Perseus carefully lifted up the bleeding head of Medusa and put it in a sack. All was now still. The boy ew up into the bright blue sky, clutching the sack tightly to his chest. Zeus, on his throne on Mount Olympus, smiled proudly. His mortal son had done well. The Father of the Gods leaned back on his throne and closed his eyes in sleep. Both he and Perseus deserved a well-earned rest before the next heroic adventure began.
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Exercises: The Stare of the Gorgon

What do these important words and phrases from the story mean? 1 a shore (n) a. the top section of a hill b. the land along the edge of the sea 2 homeland (n) a. the immediate area around your block of ats b. the country you were born in 3 to turn down (v) a. to refuse an offer or request b. to agree to do something someone asks you to do 4 a proposal (n) a. an invitation to dinner b. a request to someone that they marry you 5 to suspect (v) a. to know that something is wrong b. to believe that something may be true 6 to get rid of (v) a. to bribe someone b. to remove or throw away something that you dont want 7 elite (adj) a. the very best b. the weakest 8 worthy of (adj) a. deserve something b. clever enough to do something 9 to track down (v) a. to knock something to the ground b. to search for and nd something 10 hideous (adj) a. very slim b. extremely ugly 11 a talon (n) a. a sharp tooth b. a sharp nail 12 repugnant (adj) a. disgusting b. covered in pimples 13 dizzy (adj) a. feeling that everything is spinning round in your head b. feeling sick in your stomach 14 shale (n) a. bits of soft grey-black rock b. very ne grains of sand 15 to slash (v) a. to cut in quick movements with a sharp blade b. to lay something down at on the ground 16 mortal (adj) a. favourite b. human
Word power
Complete these sentences by choosing the correct word in brackets 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Its a lovely evening. Lets take a walk along the (shale / shore). Bankers think they are the most (elite / mortal) members of society, but I dont think I agree. I (turn down / suspect) that hes not telling the truth. He nally managed to (track down / get rid of) the book hed been looking for. Did you hear? Ann refused Richards (shore / proposal) even after she saw the ring. I dont think he is (elite / worthy of) promotion. His Halloween mask was absolutely (dizzy / repugnant). Our parrot has very sharp (shores / talons). I dont feel well. Im really (repugnant / dizzy).
10 Kathy was wearing a (mortal / hideous) new skirt today.
Crossword clues
You are doing a crossword in your favourite magazine. Here are some of the clues. What words are you looking for? All the words appear in the story. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Another word for very small. (4 letters) _________________________________________________________________________________ The opposite of queen. (4 letters) _________________________________________________________________________________ The line between the sky and the land. (7 letters) _________________________________________________________________________________ A building where royalty lives. (6 letters) _________________________________________________________________________________ A piece of footwear made of a sole and leather straps. (6 letters) _________________________________________________________________________________ An image in a mirror. (10 letters) _________________________________________________________________________________ A large hole in the side of a hill. (4 letters) _________________________________________________________________________________ A large rock. (7 letters) _________________________________________________________________________________
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Exercises: The Stare of the Gorgon

Ancient Greek Gods and Goddesses
Greek myths are fascinating, but it helps a lot if you know who is who on Mount Olympus. Here is a list of the principal Ancient Greek gods and goddesses. Choose a word from the box to complete each description. agriculture sea countryside sun father underworld love wife messenger wine music wisdom
Comprehension
Now you know the story of Perseus, and a bit about Ancient Greek gods and goddesses, answer these questions. You do not have to write full sentences. 1 2 3 4 Where was the home of Ancient Greek gods and goddesses? _____________________________________________ Who was the mother of Perseus and who was his father? _____________________________________________ Why did King Polydectes want to get rid of Perseus? _____________________________________________ What was the name of the Gorgon that Perseus killed? _____________________________________________ What terrible power did the Gorgon possess? _____________________________________________ What did the Gorgon have on her head instead of hair? _____________________________________________ How did Perseus manage to approach the Gorgon to kill her? _____________________________________________ Which god do you think gave Perseus the winged sandals? _____________________________________________ (Clue: he needs them to do his job more quickly.) Which goddess would be furious if she knew who Perseus father was? _____________________________________________
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Zeus is the ________________________________________________________ of the gods on Mount Olympus. He is the big daddy of them all. Hera is Zeus ________________________________________________________ . She looks after all the other goddesses and makes sure they do their jobs properly. Helios is the god of the ________________________________________________________ . He makes certain that it rises every morning and sets each evening. Athene is the goddess of ________________________________________________________ . Her job is to give brainpower to humans she thinks are worth it. Demeter is the goddess of ________________________________________________________ . She controls all the farms and harvests down on Earth. Dionysus is the god of ________________________________________________________ . There is nothing he likes better than a glass of red when he is eating his dinner. Aphrodite is the goddess of ________________________________________________________ . Young Greek men pray to her every night that they will nd a beautiful girl to marry. Apollo is the god of ________________________________________________________ . His favourite instrument is a small harp called a lyre. Pan is the god of the ________________________________________________________ . He looks after trees, wild owers and rivers.
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10 Which goddess would help Perseus later on in his love life? _____________________________________________ 11 Which god would celebrate Perseus success with a large glass of red wine? _____________________________________________ 12 Who gave Perseus his ingenuity and intelligence? _____________________________________________ 13 Which god made sure the sea was calm as Perseus was ying over it? _____________________________________________ And nally 14 Which goddess did Australian pop princess Kylie Minogue name her 2011 world tour after? _____________________________________________
10 Hades is the god of the ________________________________________________________ . Humans who have been bad on Earth end up living with him in his ery kingdom. 11 Poseidon is the god of the ________________________________________________________ . He calls up storms to cause shipwrecks when he is in a bad mood. 12 Hermes is the ________________________________________________________ of the gods. His job is to run round after them delivering communications.
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The Fall of the House of Usher

By Edgar Alan Poe (1809-1849) Re-told by John Millen
had been travelling all day long and was keen to arrive at my destination. Since setting off early that morning, I hadnt seen a single person on the road. The day had been dull, dark and soundless, and I was now deadly weary in the saddle. Suddenly, beyond the tangled trees of the wood through which the road led me, I saw the gloomy and melancholy House of Usher. A sense of fear invaded my already depressed spirit. I stopped my horse and stared at the vast, shadowy house and lake in front of me. It seemed to be staring back at me, its vacant, eye-like windows veiled in thin evening mist like cataracts. I shuddered to think that I had agreed to spend the next few weeks in this forbidding mansion. My mood worsened as I coaxed my horse forward on the stony causeway leading up to the gigantic oaken doors of the House of Usher. Although as boys we had been best friends, I had seen little of Roderick Usher for almost 30 years, and his letter asking me to visit him had surprised me greatly. I knew he had inherited the family mansion, but that was the only piece of news I had received of my childhood friend since our paths had parted so long ago.
But here I was, standing outside the decaying House of Usher. A servant came out and took my horse. Another valet conducted me through the Gothic archway of the hall, up a crumbling staircase, and into his masters room. Dark cloths hung upon the walls, and many books and musical instruments lay scattered about the oor. Upon my entrance, Usher rose from a sofa upon which he had been lying and staggered forward to grasp my hand. I had difculty hiding my shock. He looked like an exhibit from the deepest vaults of a museum of horrors. His skin was ghostly pale, his eyes were like glass and his hair, all white, oated and fell about his face. In a barely audible whisper he began to tell me about the nature of his malady. He was suffering from a black depression that no doctor had been able to explain. He could not stand light, and any sound louder than a breath lled him with pain. He conded in me that his beloved sister, his sole companion and his only relative on Earth, was suffering from the same condition and he feared that she was not long for this life. Usher put his head into his hands and began to sob quietly. A gure slowly emerged from
the shadows. I had not realised that Lady Madeline had been present in the room. She passed in front of me holding a guttering candle that lit up her beautiful but hollow face. She walked out of the door without speaking a word. For the next few days, I busied myself doing what I could to ease my friends mood of melancholy. Sometimes, I thought Usher was becoming more cheered, but I was mistaken. We spent long hours in silence as the old mansion creaked around us. One night, at about midnight, Usher burst into my room with the dreadful news that Lady Madeline had died. He informed me of his intention of preserving her corpse in one of the vaults under the house until funeral arrangements were made. At his request, I helped Usher carry Lady Madeline, already in her cofn, to her temporary resting place deep under the House of Usher. I did not question my friend. I made no query as he took out a hammer and nails and nailed down the lid of the cofn. I returned to my room shaking with exhaustion. I saw nothing of my friend over the next couple of nights, but each evening on retiring to
bed, I heard a low noise like the beating of a heart coming from the cellars under the house. It was surely the wind. It could not be anything else. On the third night, a distraught Usher burst into my rooms. Without a word and with a strength I didnt know he possessed, he seized me and dragged me down the stairs into the cellars. He threw open the door of the chamber where we had laid his sister to rest, and there in the gloom stood the enshrouded gure of Lady Madeline of Usher. There was blood on her white robes and evidence of terrible struggle upon every part of her emaciated frame. The ghoul fell forward and dragged Usher to the oor. I staggered aghast from the chamber, up the stairs and out into the moonlight. Stopping at the top of the hill from which I had rst viewed the mansion, I nally dared turn just in time to see the mighty walls of the decaying edice crash to the ground. With a tumultuous roar, the waters of the lake at my feet swelled up, then silently and slowly closed in over the fragments of the doomed and dreadful House of Usher. I turned round and ed as quickly as I could into the night.
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Exercises: The Fall of the House of Usher

What do these important words and phrases from the story mean? 1 deadly weary (adj phr) a. very tired b. extremely bored 2 tangled (adj) a. in long, straight rows b. in a twisted and disorganised mess 3 melancholy (n) a. a sad mood b. a happy frame of mind 4 to coax (v) a. to persuade someone gently b. to force someone 5 to crumble (v) a. to break into small uneven pieces b. to hit with great force 6 barely audible (adj phr) a. loud and deafening b. only just able to be heard 7 a malady (n) a. a pleasure trip b. an illness 8 to gutter (v) a. to produce a lot of smoke b. to burn unevenly and weakly 9 a vault (n) a. an underground room used to store things b. a room made of glass walls 10 enshrouded (adj) a. ghostly b. wrapped in burial cloths 11 distraught (adj) a. very upset b. extremely angry 12 emaciated (adj) a. unhealthily thin b. full of hate 13 an edice (n) a. building b. cofn 14 tumultuous (adj) a. sad-sounding b. very loud
Word power
Complete these sentences using a key word or phrase. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 The string in the box is all ____________________________________________. It will take me ages to unwind. The bank ____________________________________________ was supposed to be impossible to get into, but last week, a group of thieves stole all the jewellery from it. I was ____________________________________________ after the rst week in my new job Ive never run around so much. Can you try to ____________________________________________ him to the meeting? Remind him were getting cupcakes. Bart is so old-fashioned. He says things like ____________________________________________ instead of illness. He was ____________________________________________ when his old dog died. Can you speak up a bit? Its a bad connection. You are ____________________________________________. Charities often publicise photos of starving, ____________________________________________ orphans to remind the public of their suffering.
Spooky nouns
Match these nouns with their denitions. Then use each word in sentences of your own. a. spook f. ectoplasm 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 b. poltergeist g. zombie c. phantom h. sance d. wraith i. ghoul e. familiar j. spiritualism
informal word for ghost _________________________________________________________ a spirit in animal form that assists a witch in black magic _________________________________________________________ a dead person who has been brought back to life by black magic _________________________________________________________ a very nasty-looking ghost _________________________________________________________ a pale, transparent spirit form of a dead person _________________________________________________________ a spirit that throws things around and moves things _________________________________________________________ the substance that surrounds the gure of a ghost _________________________________________________________ the belief that living people can communicate with the dead _________________________________________________________ another word for ghost _________________________________________________________
10 a meeting where living people try to talk to the dead _________________________________________________________
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Exercises: The Fall of the House of Usher

Comprehension
Answer these questions about the story without referring back to the text. You do not have to write full sentences. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 How long has the narrator been travelling when the story begins? _________________________________________________________________________________ What is his mood? _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ What is the narrators name? _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ What are his rst impressions of the House of Usher? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ What is the relationship between Roderick Usher and the narrator? _______________________________________________________________________________ What shocks the narrator when he sees Usher? _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ What is Ushers problem? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Who is Lady Madeline? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ What suddenly happens to her? ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 I was keen to arrive at my destination. ___________________________________________________________ I hadnt seen a single person on the road. ___________________________________________________________ A sense of fear entered my spirit. ___________________________________________________________ I shuddered to think I had agreed to stay. ___________________________________________________________ A servant came out and took my horse. ___________________________________________________________ Usher rose from a sofa. ___________________________________________________________ His hair oated around his face. ___________________________________________________________ He told me the nature of his malady. ___________________________________________________________ He could not stand light. ___________________________________________________________
Re-writer!
Rewrite these sentences from the story replacing the highlighted words with an alternative from the word box. The meaning should remain the same.
10 What does Usher decide to do with her? _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 11 What noise does the narrator hear sometimes at night after this incident? ______________________________________________________________________ 12 Where does Usher drag the narrator one night soon after? ____________________________________________________________________________________________ 13 What do they nd there? _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 14 What do you think happened to Lady Madeline? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 15 What does the narrator do? _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 16 How does the story end? _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
10 I busied myself. ___________________________________________________________ 11 The ghoul dragged Usher to the oor. ___________________________________________________________ 12 I staggered aghast from the chamber. ___________________________________________________________ 13 I had rst viewed the mansion. ___________________________________________________________ 14 I ed as quickly as I could. ___________________________________________________________
a. terror f. ground k. shivered
b. initially g. a living soul l. a couch
c. ran away h. occupied m. stumbled
d. eager i. a member of staff n. countenance
e. tolerate j. illness
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Poems level 1
You are old, Father William

By Lewis Carroll (1832-1898) From Alices Adventures in Wonderland
Alices Poems
Youve seen the movie and you might have read the book, but do you know the poems in Alices Adventures in Wonderland, better known as Alice in Wonderland? Alice was an instant hit when it was rst published in 1865, and has been a steady best-seller ever since. The book has never been out of print, has been translated into more than 100 different languages and made into movie, cartoon, television, comic and theatre versions. Most readers pick up Alice and its sequel Through the LookingGlass for the story and the crazy characters; few children could resist an invitation to the Mad Hatters tea party. But for anyone reading them for the rst time, the poems come as a bit of a pleasant surprise. Lewis Carroll wrote 22 poems in his two Alice books. They dont have anything to do with the story; they are just an added level of fun. Upper- and middle-class Victorian children didnt usually like poetry because they were forced to learn great chunks of heavy, classical poetry about duty, bravery and honour. Carrolls poems were very different. being amusing and subversive, some of them poked fun at the serious poems their parents made them learn. Carroll proved to stuffy Victorians that poetry didnt have to be dull.

You are old, Father William, the young man said, And your hair is exceedingly white: And yet you incessantly stand on your head. Do you think, at your age, it is right? In my youth, Father William replied to his son, I feared I might injure the brain. But now Im perfectly sure I have none, Why, I do it again and again. You are old, said the youth, as I mentioned before. And have grown most uncommonly fat. Yet you turned a back somersault in at the door. Pray, what is the reason for that? In my youth, said the sage, as he shook his grey locks, I kept all my limbs very supple By the use of this ointment, ve shillings the box. Allow me to sell you a couple. You are old, said the youth, and your jaws are too weak For anything tougher than suet; Yet you nished the goose, with the bones and the beak Pray, how did you manage to do it? In my youth, said his father, I took to the law, And argued each case with my wife; And the muscular strength which it gave to my jaw Has lasted the rest of my life. You are old, said the youth, one would hardly suppose That your eye was as steady as ever. Yet you balanced an eel on the end of your nose. What made you so awfully clever? I have answered three questions, and that is enough, Said his father, dont give yourself airs! Do you think I can listen all day to such stuff? Be off! Or Ill kick you down stairs!
Carroll wanted to entertain young minds, dust the cobwebs off poetry and show that it could be zany, funny and crazy. Animals and humans arent usually friends, but they are in Carrolls imaginative rhymes. Carrolls poetry in the two books is packed with nonsense. Some of the poems, like The Jabberwocky, are lled with made-up words. One poem, The Mouses Tale, which tells the story of a mouse, is written in the shape of a mouses tail. Sometimes characters recite a poem explaining their history, but more often a poem appears on a page with no real explanation its just there to amuse the reader. Victorian children loved the Alice poems because, as well as
Said the Walrus to the Carpenter
An eel on the end of his nose
You Are Old, Father William is a dialogue between an old man and his son. We know it is a poem because it rhymes and has a denite rhythm. The old man puts up with his son asking him one question after another, and then the old man suddenly gets fed up with the annoying young man and tells him that enough is enough. The questions the young man asks his father are quite sensible, but what the old man throws back as answers is unexpected and highly entertaining. We are surprised and amused by the old mans responses, and at the end of the poem we sympathise with the old mans impatience at being asked so many questions. The conversation may not be very realistic, but Carrolls aim was to make children smile at the nonsense of it all.
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Poems level 1
Exercises: You are old, Father William

What do these key words and phrases mean? 1 exceedingly (adv) a. extremely b. just a little bit 2 incessantly (adv) a. going on without stopping b. from time to time 3 airs (n) a. a reason to panic b. an annoyingly condescending manner 4 stuffy (adj) a. interesting b. narrow-minded 5 most uncommonly (adv phr) a. unusually b. a little 6 a somersault (n) a. a jump in which you turn head over heels before landing on your feet b. a quick burst of speed after you have been walking very slowly 7 a sage (n) a. a rich and beautiful woman b. a clever and wise man 8 Be off! (phr) a. Say it again! b. Go away! 9 an instant hit (n) a. an immediate success b. an expensive blockbuster 10 zany (adj) a. dull and boring b. odd and uncontrolled in a funny way 11 a chunk (n) a. a thin slice of something b. a thick piece of something 12 to dust the cobwebs off (v phr) a. to make something thats dull and old look nice and new b. to throw something in the rubbish because its old 13 subversive (adj) a. trying to destroy an idea that has been around a long time b. having an idea that everyone thinks is wonderful 14 supple (adj) a. exible b. shiny
Word power
Complete the sentences below using one of the key words and phrases. 1 Molly does yoga three times a week so shes incredibly _______________________________. 2 You need to _______________________________ your teaching methods and try something new. 3 Could I have _______________________________ of that chocolate cake, please? 4 The new girl in the ofce chatters _______________________________. She really gets on my nerves. 5 Theres no way to describe the lm but as _______________________________. The story was totally unrealistic, but I laughed a lot. 6 I think her new album will be _______________________________. Everybody seems to have heard of her. 7 Bill has been giving himself _______________________________ since he got promoted. He seems to think Im his personal slave! 8 Im going to do a _______________________________, a back ip and then a forward roll.
Say it another way

Can you think of another way of saying these phrases? 1 I have none b. I have a few a. I dont have any 2 In my youth a. When I was happy 3 Allow me to a. Please remember me 4 That is enough a. That is too much 5 You might have a. I know you havent 6 Crazy stuff a. silly things b. wrong things b. It is possible that you have b. That is sufcient b. Will you let me? b. When I was young
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Poems level 1
Exercises: You are old, Father William

Re-writer!
All these statements about Lewis Carroll and You Are Old, Father William are incorrect. Correct them by changing just one word. 1 Lewis Carroll was an Elizabethan writer. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
A bit of grammar
Same sound different spelling different meaning The Mouses Tale is written in the shape of a mouses tail Several words in English sound the same but are spelled differently and have different meanings. They are called homophones. Here are 12 common ones. a. bored / board e. higher / hire i. role / roll b. cereal / serial f. miner / minor j. suite / sweet c. alter / altar g. pair / pear k. vain / vein d. fair / fare h. plain / plane l . coarse / course
2 He lived in the 20th century. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 3 Carroll wrote four Alice books. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 4 The Handsome Hatter is a character created by Lewis Carroll. _________________________________________________________________________________________ 5 The poems in the Alice books are serious. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Complete the following sentences by choosing the correct homophone from the box. e.g. I was really __________________ at school today. + I was really bored at school today.
6 Carroll wrote his poetry for adults. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

1 Can you pin this up on the ______________________________________________________, please?
7 The Jabberwocky is a play by Lewis Carroll. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 8 Carroll always wanted his readers to be sad when they read his work. _____________________________________________________________________________ 9 Father William is a comic monologue. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 10 The characters in the poem are an old man and his daughter. _________________________________________________________________________________________ 11 The old man gets a bit afraid at the end of the poem. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ 12 Each verse of Father William has ve lines. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
2 I cant decide which ______________________________________________________ to do at university. 3 Do you want ______________________________________________________ , toast or a bread ______________________________________________________ for breakfast? 4 The doctor will draw blood from a ______________________________________________________ in your arm. 5 Dont ______________________________________________________ anything when you copy out the letter the two copies must be identical. 6 Weve booked a ______________________________________________________ at a posh hotel for Mums birthday. 7 Shes got very ______________________________________________________ hair. Its never smooth, but she doesnt care. Shes the least ______________________________________________________ person I know. 8 We are going to ______________________________________________________ a boat for the weekend. 9 Ive got the lead ______________________________________________________ in the school play. 10 It was only a ______________________________________________________ mistake. Dont worry. 11 I cant believe what a good deal I got on my ______________________________________________________ to Paris. It was a bargain! 12 Danny bought Sandra a _____________________________________________________ of _____________________________________________________ tarts to serve at tea.
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Poems level 2
The Song of Hiawatha

By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882)
Its an epic!
The Song of Hiawatha is an epic poem, a form of poetry that has been around for centuries. Epics usually tell a spectacular story with a brave hero at the centre. An epic movie like Ben-Hur or Thor does exactly the same thing, but poetry got there rst. In ancient preliterate societies, both Eastern and Western, epic poems were oral works told by travelling storytellers. One of the rst written epic poems is the old English story Beowulf. The ancient Greek poet Homer wrote two famous epic poems, The Iliad, which is about the warrior Achilles, and The Odyssey, centring on the Greek hero Odysseus and his long journey home after the Trojan War. The ancient Mongolian poem The Ballad of Jangar, 200,000 lines long, and The Ballad of Meng Jiang Nu, the Chinese epic about a girls tears causing a rift in the Great Wall, are famous epics from Eastern cultures. An epic poem is long, heroic, spectacular and it tells a good tale. It crams a big adventure into a single poem. Dont be put off by size. Whether you read the whole thing from beginning to end, or just dip in and read one part of the journey, epic poems are great. Longfellow mainly wrote epic narrative poems that rattled along with a strong beat and told exciting stories taken from history or legend. He was the most popular and successful American poet of his day, but some poetry experts criticised
Hiawathas Childhood
him for selling out to the mass market. Longfellows popularity did not go down well with poetry snobs. Lewis Turco, a 20th century poet, said that Longfellow was minor and derivative in every way throughout his career. But Longfellow was a peoples poet and wrote for the publics enjoyment. People certainly enjoyed his work during his lifetime, and they still do today.
By the shores of Gitche Gumee, By the shining Big-Sea-Water, Stood the wigwam of Nokomis, Daughter of the Moon, Nokomis. Dark behind it rose the forest, Rose the black and gloomy pine-trees, Rose the rs with cones upon them; Bright before it beat the water. Beat the clear and sunny water, Beat the shining Big-Sea-Water. There the wrinkled old Nokomis Nursed the little Hiawatha. At the door on summer evenings, Sat the little Hiawatha, Heard the whispering of the pine-trees, Heard the lapping of the waters, Sounds of music, words of wonder; Minne-wawa! said the pine-trees, Mudway-aushka! said the water. Saw the re-y Wah-wah-taysee, Flitting through the dusk of evening, With the twinkle of its candle Lighting up the brakes and bushes, And he sang the song of children, Sang the song Nokomis taught him.
Pop poet
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was born in the state of Maine in northeast America. Coming from a fairly well-off family, Longfellow got a good education and the chance to travel in Europe when he was in his late teens and early 20s. In 1936, he became a professor of modern languages at Americas most famous university, Harvard, where he worked until he retired in 1854 to focus on his writing. Longfellow was very successful in America and Britain, where his poetry sold like hot cakes. Ten thousand printed copies of his poem The Courtship of Miles Standish were sold from newspaper stands in London in one day. The Song of Hiawatha is said to have sold 50,000 copies within a few months.
Longfellow found the perfect hero for an epic poem when he came across the name of a famed native American called Hiawatha. There had been an actual tribal leader called Hiawatha, but Longfellows creation was completely ctitious. When he wrote The Song of Hiawatha in 1885, Longfellow was interested in the hero and his story, not in representing native American
history or culture. Hiawatha is the son of the West Wind and the grandchild of Nokomis, the Daughter of the Moon, who brings him up in her wigwam by the pine forest and the great lake. The little boy listens to the sounds of the trees and the rhythm of the water, and watches the insects as each day draws to a close. Hiawatha has no inkling of what adult life has in store for him. The poem tells Hiawathas life story from childhood until the moment he sadly sails away from his tribe as a canoe full of Christian missionaries arrives, bringing a whole new way of life to the North American plains. Now read the most famous part of the poem.
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Poems level 2
Exercises: The Song of Hiawatha

What do these key words and phrases mean? 1 to be put off (v phr) a. to be forced to accept something you dont like b. to be convinced you will not like something even before you know about it 2 to have an inkling (v phr) a. to have an idea or suspicion b. to have doubts 3 in store (adv phr) a. planned b. bought 4 to sell out (phr v) a. to give up ones principles to make money b. to give up all wealth for the sake of principle 5 to dip into (phr v) a. to totally ignore b. to read small parts of a longer text 6 preliterate (adj) a. a society that doesnt have a written language b. a society that doesnt have a spoken language 7 to cram (vb) a. to force a lot of things into a small space b. to put only a few things into a large space 8 well-off (adj) a. very poor b. quite wealthy 9 mass market (n) a. a large stall selling everything from fruit and vegetables to clothes and stationery b. a large and varied number of people, not specialists 10 rattle along (phr v) a. move quickly, in the manner of a train b. move slowly, in a dragging fashion 11 derivative (adj) a. unoriginal or copied from something else b. clever and original 12 a wigwam (n) a. a native American tent b. a small hunting spear 13 wrinkled (adj) a. smooth and glowing b. covered in ne lines 14 a cone (n) a. the hard, brown, pointy fruit of the pine tree b. the red, soft, smooth fruit of the plum tree 15 to it (vb) a. to move quickly and lightly from one place to another b. to move slowly and thoughtfully from one place to another 16 to lap (vb) a. to gently splash against something b. to hit something loudly
Word power
Complete these sentences using the key words and phrases. 1 I wonder what my girlfriend has _____________________________________________________ for me on my birthday. 2 The Wongs own three ats in Kowloon Tong. They are extremely _____________________________________________________. 3 Dont be _____________________________________________________ by what Im going to tell you about the hike. Its not that scary. 4 Most small cameras these days are designed for the _____________________________________________________, not professional photographers. 5 He does not have _____________________________________________________ about what weve organised for his birthday. 6 I never read the whole magazine. I just _____________________________________________________ it. 7 Marie has had seven boyfriends this year. She just _____________________________________________________ from one to another. 8 My grans face may be old and _____________________________________________________ but I still think shes beautiful. 9 All seven members of the family somehow managed to _____________________________________________________ into the car. 10 He hasnt got any original talent. All his paintings are so _____________________________________________________.
Re-writer!
Give these sentences the opposite meaning by putting the main verb into the negative. Then, if you can, give it the opposite meaning by changing a word instead. 1 Longfellow wrote short poems. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 2 The poem tells an interesting story. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 3 He is a very popular poet with young people. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 4 Hiawatha has an inkling about whats going to happen. __________________________________________________________________________________________________ 5 My dad received a good education. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 6 The poem has a very clear rhythm. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 7 Start at the beginning. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 8 He enjoyed great popularity. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 9 Did you enjoy the poem? ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 10 His poetry sold well in America and Britain. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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Poems level 2
Exercises: The Song of Hiawatha

Comprehension
Write the questions that the following sentences answer. They are based on the article. 1 Its Homers rst epic poem. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 2 Its a state in northeast America. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 3 Hes the hero of Homers The Iliad. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 4 He taught modern languages. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 5 The West Wind. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 6 He was popular in both the USA and Britain. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 7 No, hes a ctitious character. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 8 Its Americas most famous university. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 9 Fifty thousand copies. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 10 They were Ancient Greek heroes. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Now rewrite these sentences using the alternatives from Box B 1 I wasnt lucky like you. I didnt get a chance to go to university. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 2 When I get some spare time I want to focus more on learning the piano. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Working with English

Match the words or phrases in Box A with a word or phrase with a similar meaning from Box B Box A 1 2 3 4 5 a chance to focus on one single day a strong beat to come across 6 7 8 9 10 usually famous the journey back home popularity nothing more than Box B a. b. c. d. e. a denite rhythm generally the return trip to discover to concentrate on f. g. h. i. j. just 24 hours well-known an opportunity only fame
Now, answer these questions. You dont have to write full sentences. 1 Is epic poetry a new form of poetry? _____________________________________________________
3 How much progress do you think you can make in one single day? ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 4 I like music with a strong beat. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 5 When did they rst come across gold in Africa? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 6 Does Tim usually behave so badly? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 7 Our next-door neighbour used to be a famous football player. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 8 How long will the journey back home take? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 9 His popularity has grown so much during the last 12 months. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 10 He is nothing more than a fraud! __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
2 When is the story of Homers Iliad set? _____________________________________________________ 3 Who criticised Longfellows work? _____________________________________________________ 4 Longfellow came from what sort of family? _____________________________________________________ 5 Why did he retire from teaching? _____________________________________________________ 6 Do people still read Longfellow today? _____________________________________________________ 7 Who were Longfellows readers during his lifetime? _____________________________________________________ 8 What was the name of the epic poem that Homer wrote after The Iliad? _____________________________________________________ 9 Is The Ballad of Jangar a Tibetan poem? _____________________________________________________ 10 Did Longfellow work at Harvard until his death? _____________________________________________________
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Popular culture level 1
Read my blog
Rachel is a huge fan of the actor Robert Pattinson and she reads everything she can about him. She decides he is a perfect subject for her new blog. Here are her rst posts.
Ben is the drummer in FocusSound, a band he formed with three schoolmates a year ago. They practise twice a week at Bens home, and during the past month they have performed at three public functions. Ben is also the bands blogger.
blog is like a minimagazine, or online journal. Some people write every day, like a real diary. This is especially interesting if the blogger is writing as he or she travels. A lot of other blogs are about hobbies or other interests.
Tim is visiting his uncle in London for the rst time. He wants to tell all his friends in Hong Kong about his trip, so he has set up a blog. Here are a few of his posts.
14/04/2011
Posts should be focused and snappy enough to hold readers attention. Often followers are pressed for time, so if your post is too long, they may get bored and not return. You dont need to be a great writer to blog, but as long as you are genuinely interested in your topic, and make your blog attractive, you will gain fans. Really good blogs manage to both inform and entertain their readers. They may host a forum to encourage readers to discuss issues mentioned, or invite readers to contribute to their galleries. The best ones encourage people to come back every day to read the latest posts, bookmark the URL and spread it around the blogosphere, and even dive back into the archive to read past posts.
Robert Pattinson prefers to be called Rob, but his full name is Robert Douglas Thomas Pattinson. He was born May 13, 1986, in the London suburb of Barnes. Thats a really posh part of London. His mum worked for a modelling agency and his dad imported expensive, old cars from America for English collectors. I think RPattz, as his fans call him, is a great actor. Hes perfect in the Twilight movies. But I think the part of Edward does not show off what a brilliant actor he is. Love him in these movies, but I think his best screen role still to come. We havent seen the best of Rob yet! Been reading the ofcial Twilight Twitter and retweeting all the news about the next lm. I cant wait! Did you know that Rob was once sacked from an acting job? Seriously! Who was the fool of a director who did this? OMG! In 2005, he was rehearsing for a stage play in London when the director suddenly decided he was no good :-( and replaced him with another actor. IMO it was a totally stupid thing to do. ROFL!
Ive arrived
Flight to London so exciting! :-) It took 12 hours the plane was HUGE. Watched four movies and played a load of new games. Mum and Dad slept the whole way, but I wasnt sleepy. Arrived at Londons biggest airport Heathrow which was mental. Mum and Dad were confused with all the signs LOL. Uncle Jim met us in the arrival hall and drove us to his place in a suburb called Pinner. Am exhausted. BBT!
17/04/2011
Bens Band Blog

Cousins wedding FocusSound did two numbers at my cousins wedding last Saturday. :-) Better than expected. Loads of kids and a few adults said we rocked. One girl hung around Jamie all night and he eventually plucked up courage to ask her out! ROFL! Tried rap number for the rst time. :-( Fail. We just hadnt practised enough. Will post the rest of the gig on YouTube not that bit, though!
London Eye
First day out and about in London :-) Uncle J took us to the London Eye this morning. OMG! Amazing! Never seen anything like it! FYI its a big wheel 135 metres high with 32 pods where passengers sit or stand. The wheel goes round constantly and its exciting getting on. It takes half an hour to go round and the view from the top is unreal. Was so cool, I had to share immediately, so found a Wi-Fi hotspot to post pix on FB.
19/04/2011
I hate museums
or I thought I did until today. When Uncle J said we were going to Londons Science Museum, my heart sank. :-( But this place is packed with cool stuff. Saw the space movie Hubble in the 3D Imax. IMO totally awesome. And that was the word of the day I said it so many times at the museum. Launchpad was a brilliant hands-on area with about 50 cool exhibits to play on. Spent most of my time on Flash Bang Wallop, a game where U set things on re. Exhausted now! BBL.
21/04/2011
Rob got rst job as a model when he was 12 yrs old. Suppose it was his mother who got him the work LOL! By the time he was sixteen, the modelling jobs stopped coming his way. BTW Rob has said that he thinks he got lots of modelling work in his early teens cos he looked like a girl. Any1 have pix of Rob when young teen? PM me with links! Please!
Disaster! Got rst paid gig at school charity do next month. But Simons got to go to his granddads 70th birthday party that Saturday night. Parents insist he cant get out of it! All 4 of us going to talk to his mum and dad! This cannot happen. Fingers crossed. New amp arrives The new amp arrived this morning. Its cost the four of us a lot of money but IMO will be worth it. Cant wait to try it out tomorrow. Might set up the webcam and do a webcast :-O Maybe the vid will go viral and well be FAMOUS!
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Popular Culture level 1
Exercises: Read my blog

What do these words and phrases mean? 1 blogger (n) a. someone who thinks blogs are a waste of time b. someone who writes a blog 2 a forum (n) a. a place on the internet where people can leave messages or discuss topics with others b. a place on the internet where you can store all your emails 3 a post (n) a. a photograph that you include in your blog b. a message or paragraph that you add to your blog 4 to bookmark (vb) a. to delete a section of your blog b. to record the address of an internet site on your PC so that you can nd it again easily 5 the blogosphere (n) a. all the blogs on the internet and the bloggers who read or write them b. blogs that were written a while ago and are now out of date 6 an archive (n) a. a computer le used to store old documents b. a rubbish bin where you move old documents you will never need again 7 a Wi-Fi hotspot (n) a. a place where you can get wireless internet connection, often for free b. a place where you cant get any broadband service 8 a webcast (n) a. a music le you have downloaded b. a broadcast made on the internet 9 viral (adj) a. becoming very popular through internet sharing b. causing trouble in a forum 10 to retweet (vb) a. to pass information on again on Twitter b. to read something for the rst time on Twitter 11 a gallery (n) a. a collection of online photographs b. a collection of online music 12 pix (n) a. photographs and pictures b. music and sound effects
Word power
Complete these sentences by choosing the correct word in brackets. 1 When are you going to post the (galleries / pix) you took in London? 2 Im disappointed the new shopping mall isnt a (webcast / wi- hotspot). 3 Go to the Twilight (archive / blogosphere) and youll nd all the info you want. 4 How long have you been a keen (post / blogger)? 5 I cant come out tonight. Theres a (pix / webcast) online I want to watch at 8pm. 6 Ive been searching for a (bookmark / forum) about ancient Chinese music but I cant nd one. 7 Make sure you always (bookmark / blog) an interesting new website to save time when you want to access it again. 8 Have you read todays (archive / post) on Kelvins blog? 9 Youre dreaming! There is no chance your boring videos will go (viral / bookmarked). 10 The (webcast / blogosphere) has got very excited about J K Rowlings new Pottermore website
Re-writer!
Here are some statements about the three blogs you read. Change the one incorrect word in each sentence to make it accurate. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Bens band recently did a gig at his nephews wedding. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Tim is writing his blog to tell his workmates in Hong Kong about his London trip. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Rachels blog is about the author Robert Pattinson. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Tim explains that the London Eye is a massive tower on the banks of the River Thames. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Bens friend Simon cannot play at the charity gig because of a work commitment. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Rachel tells her readers that R-Pattz was once sacked from performing in a radio play. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Tim hated his visit to the London Science Museum. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Bens band has recently bought a new microphone. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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Exercises: Read my blog

Blogging facts
Complete these statements about blogging. 1 A blog is a __________________________________________________________________________________________ a. series of articles about a topic of your choice that you put on the internet for other people to read. b. an online reference guide where you can look up facts about people and places. 2 Blog is short for __________________________________________________________________________________________. a. club logo b. web log 3 Someone who writes a blog is called a __________________________________________________________________________________________ . a. blogster b. blogger 4 Every post you put on your blog should __________________________________________________________________________________________. a. be long and complicated b. be focused and have a purpose 5 Readers will not stay with your blog if __________________________________________________________________________________________. a. you write rubbish b. you are interesting 6 Blogging is an entertaining and educational way __________________________________________________________________________________________. a. to share a bit of yourself with other people b. to get yourself trained for a career 7 A hobby blog is a great way of __________________________________________________________________________________________ with others. a. of talking about a particular pastime b. getting your homework done quickly 8 The only equipment you need to blog is __________________________________________________________________________________________. a. a printer and an external hard drive b. you and your computer 9 Six good subjects for me to write a teen pop culture blog about would be: a _________________________________________________________________________ b _________________________________________________________________________ c _________________________________________________________________________ d _________________________________________________________________________ e _________________________________________________________________________ f _________________________________________________________________________
Form sentences from the following pieces of information, making superlative adjectives in each case. Be careful: the last two questions feature irregular adjectives so use a dictionary to help you. 1 old / car / in the motor show ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
A bit of grammar
The best ones encourage people to come back every day to read the latest posts. The superlative form of an adjective expresses the highest degree of that adjective. For example, if you have three mangoes of different sizes, the most big one is the biggest, the most small one is the smallest. There must be at least three things in a group before you can use a superlative. With short adjectives, the superlative is formed by adding -est. With long adjectives, the superlative is formed by adding most in front of the adjective itself. This is the fastest train. This is the most modern train.
2 Carl / pupil / intelligent / our class ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 3 The Ritz / hotel / expensive / London _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 4 Mount Everest / high / mountain / the world ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 5 The Louvre / interesting / art gallery / Paris _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 6 The redwoods / tall / trees / America _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 7 The violin / difcult / musical instrument / to play ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 8 Manchester United / famous / football team / world _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 9 This / long / street / town _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 10 That / frightening / movie / Ive ever seen ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 11 The orchid / beautiful / ower / the park _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 12 That / delicious / pizza / Ive ever eaten __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 13 Mr West / bad / teacher / in our school ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 14 That / good / song / on the album ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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Popular culture level 2
Reviewing the situation A

Stage watch
Love should never be dull, but it certainly is in Andrew Lloyd Webbers new megamusical, Love Never Dies, or Paint Never Dries, as some witty critic has already aptly named the op. This long-awaited sequel to the massively popular Phantom of the Opera has hit the stage of Londons Adelphi Theatre with a big, dull thud. The creative talents involved with this mess of a musical should hang their heads in shame for inicting such an empty piece of theatre onto unsuspecting audiences. Lloyd Webbers 1986 musical adaptation of the classic French novel Phantom of the Opera, with its recordbreaking number of performances around the world and its total box ofce receipts of US$5 billion, has been a resounding hit with its gripping story, soaring tunes and opulent staging. The only reason for staging a followup to a smash hit like Phantom was money. Theres nothing new here. The only place the creators of Love Never Dies could take the Phantom is into their bank accounts. But the ploy has not worked. Lloyd Webber has written some interesting songs for the show, but there is nothing to hang them on.
review is a written article in which someone gives his or her opinions about a book, album, lm or play. A professional reviewer, often called a critic, has great power over a works success or failure. We are all reviewers when we see a lm, read a book or listen to a piece of music, because we form opinions. If we organise these ideas and write them down, we have a review.
How to write a review
The two lead singers have good voices, but the situation their characters are in is weak and at times ludicrous. Vast amounts have been spent on the staging of the show, but that doesnt disguise the tedium of the tale. It has taken four writers one a successful novelist and one a successful comedy writer to
come up with the yawn-inducing nonstory of this complete turkey, and that is what is at the root of the problem. The Phantoms story has already been told, and there is nothing left to say. Lloyd Webber would have been better off leaving the Phantom in the cellars of the Paris Opera House and using this music in some other story. Who cares what the Phantom did next? Of course love dies, and so will interest in this snooze-fest. It is the biggest mess currently playing in London, and to be avoided at all costs. Phantom fans, you have been warned!
Any review, whether its for a lm, book, album or play, should have a denite beginning, middle and end. It should be informative and entertaining. You should write in a relaxed, easy-to-read style, and you should not get bogged down in too much detail. The aim of a review is to give an account of the book, play, album or lm and offer opinions on its qualities or demerits. You should divide your review into sections. The rst introduces your subject be sure to include the title. Then write at least two longer paragraphs describing the contents and details such as author, director, stars, or songwriter as appropriate. Finally, give your overall judgment on the piece without making it too personal. You should try to be objective. The nal section should sum up all your thoughts. Give a clear conclusion, leaving the reader feeling sure of your opinion.
Whats on screen
Thor is one of those movies many people dont think theyll like, but end up enjoying against all expectations. Yet another Marvel Comic hero, and a minor one as well, gets the big screen treatment in this surprise success. Some audience members will know that Thursday was named after the Norse god Thor, and that he went around bashing everything with his hammer, but thats about it. What can the lm possibly offer to lmgoers who are not comic book addicts? Enthusiasm, great energy and a winning hero cover over the cracks in the Norse mythology and the sometimes plodding plot of Kenneth Branaghs hugely enjoyable Thor. Much of the lms freshness come from Branaghs obvious enjoyment at directing his rst Hollywood blockbuster, and a hearty dash of tongue-incheek humour. Branagh, one of Englands best stage actors, is an inspired choice to helm the movie. Used to taking part in Shakespearean scenes on lm and on stage with extremely talented actors, Branagh gets good performances from his four leads here. The battle scenes are particularly impressive,
and Branagh is in complete control. The plot takes Thor (Chris Hemsworth) down to presentday Earth where he meets the inevitable female interest. But as this happens to be Oscarwinner Natalie Portman, yet another classy item is added to the movies list of high points. Branagh and his actors know how to have fun and not take the material theyve been given too seriously. The lm is overlong, some of the sets are tacky, and at times the dialogue is clunky. But there is something oddly captivating about Thor that will keep comic geeks, the friends they drag with them to the cinema, and the rest of us glued to the seat. Thor is good entertainment, and unlike many comic book heroes that make it onto the silver screen, he is never a bore.
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Exercises: Reviewing the situation

What do these key words and phrases mean? 1 a op (n) a. a lm that costs a lot of money to make b. a failure that was expected to be a success 2 a resounding hit (n phr) a. something that is a big hit all over the world b. something that critics hate but the public loves 3 a complete turkey (n phr) a. something that is a complete waste of time b. a movie that makes a lot of money 4 a snooze fest (n phr) a. a lm, book or play that is so boring it sends people to sleep b. a lm for younger audiences 5 a surprise success (n) a. a book that is turned into a lm b. something that is popular when it was expected not to be 6 to get bogged down in (detail) (v phr) a. to lose focus because too many details are included b. to end with a massive surprise 7 to hang your head in shame (v phr) a. accept responsibility b. to feel very embarrassed about something you did 8 objective (adj) a. inuenced by personal preference b. not inuenced by personal preference 9 to avoid at all costs (v phr) a. to be in a rush to access something b. to do whatever it takes to keep away from doing something 10 yawn-inducing (adj) a. to be so boring, people feel sleepy b. to be so funny, people fall over 11 tacky (adj) a. cheap and nasty-looking b. very expensive-looking 12 tongue-in-cheek (adj) a. not serious b. thoughtful 13 to sum up (v) a. to give all the main points b. to begin an argument 14 to be glued to the seat (v phr) a. to be very gripped and interested by a lm or play b. to be sound asleep
Word power
Complete these sentences by choosing the correct words in brackets. 1 His last album was a complete (op / resounding hit). It only sold 200 copies. 2 I couldnt keep my eyes open. The whole lm was (yawn-inducing / a surprise success) from start to nish. 3 The new Branagh play had me (glued to my seat / bogged down with facts) from the very rst scene. 4 The movie has lost the studio millions of dollars. Its a (resounding hit / complete turkey). 5 Mika sets his (objective / tongue-in-cheek) lyrics about modern life to quirky pop tunes. 6 Everyone expected the former police chiefs debut novel to be a hit, but theres far too much violence, so it is to be (a surprise success / avoided at all costs). 7 Nobody expected this little Turkish lm to be so popular. Its been the (op / surprise success) of the year.
8 (To sum up / To avoid at all costs), I think Rowlings new book is one of the best Ive read this year. 9 The songwriter (got bogged down in / summed up) so much ancient philosophy, the lyrics dont make sense. 10 When your friend stars in a play that is so amazing, its very hard to give (a yawn-inducing / an objective) review.
Details, details
Which of these pieces of information are essential for a book review, and which are only useful, additional details? Essential 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 number of pages authors name previous works by the author book title characters names explanation of historical setting genre similar works by other authors quotes / sample sentences your opinion other, published opinions the plot high points low points sales gures the ending Non-essential
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Exercises: Reviewing the situation

My review
Complete these sentences from lm reviews by choosing the correct word or phrase in brackets. Then use 10 of the sentences as the starting point for a review about a lm you have seen recently. 1 The lm is a cool (mixture / summary of) comedy and thrills. 2 The whole (scenery / plot) is unconvincing. 3 The spectacular (special effects / dialogue) made the second half outstanding. 4 The whole lm was very (evocative / negative) of 1930s Shanghai. 5 The story had lots of unexpected (plot twists / lm stars). 6 The (phenomenal hype / poor publicity) behind this lm was totally unjustied. 7 Brad Pitt gave a very moving (portrayal / script) of a soldier in torment. 8 The superb music added a great deal to the lms (prots / atmosphere). 9 The lms rst few minutes were full of (premieres / suspense). 10 The dialogue was full of (clichs / accents). 11 The chase sequences were absolutely (hilarious / positive). 12 The director really built up (scenery / momentum) in the last 20 minutes. 13 It is a pity that this lm has been (poorly / regularly) reviewed in the press. 14 The (meaning / overall quality) of the movie was impressive. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
10 sensible / Grandpa / to go to the doctors sooner 4 tasty / Aunty Mary / to use more salt 5 interesting / the students / to include some photographs 6 useful / the manufacturers / to make it smaller 7 expensive / us / to travel rst class 8 good / her boyfriend / to tell the truth 9 striking / Audrey / to pick a different colour 1 easy / us / to catch the MTR 2 quick / Uncle John / to take the train 3 cheap / you / to buy your ticket online eg. better / to use a brighter coloured paint It would have been better if you had used a brighter coloured paint. Use the construction to form sentences from the following pieces of information.
A bit of grammar
Commenting on past actions Lloyd Webber would have been better off leaving the Phantom in the cellars of the Paris Opera House and using this music on some other story. When you want to comment on something that has happened, but you think it would have been better a different way, we use this construction: It would have been (comparative adjective) + if + [person] + pluperfect tense
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Sports Communication level 1
For fans, by fans A

fanzine is a magazine produced by the fans of something, not by professional writers. The word fanzine is a combination of the words fan and magazine. They are particularly popular with sports, music and science ction fans. A fanzine is an excellent way of sharing your love of a particular hobby or interest. They are usually given out for free, or sold for a small fee to cover the cost of paper and printing. The amateur writers of a fanzine do their work for the love of it, not to make money. Sport is a rich area for fanzines, and there is a title for most top football teams, produced by dedicated fans, and featuring news and star proles. The rst football fanzine appeared in Britain in 1971, and now all the Premier League and Football League clubs have one or more fanzines
Issue 1
TOP BOARD
There is no doubt that diving is one of the most interesting and exciting sports both to do and to watch. It has everything: it keeps you supert, it requires great skill, and it brings a real sense of achievement when you perform a perfect dive. Unlike most sports, it can either be an individual or a team event. Diving, for anyone who does not know, is the sport of jumping or falling into water from a platform or springboard. The dive can be a straight one into the water or it can involve acrobatics. Diving is an internationally recognised sport and it has been in the Olympic Games programme since 1904. An extra thrill for any diver is knowing that spectators love to watch what he or she is doing. Diving is one of the most popular Olympic sports with spectators tickets for the 2012 London Olympic diving events were snapped up as soon as they went on sale. A dive might seem to be over quickly, but it involves so much skill and beauty. A diver has to show strength, exibility, air awareness, perfect timing and total awareness of what his body can do. Divings rst superstar was the American Greg Louganis who had the world holding its breath at the 1984 Los Angeles and 1988 Seoul Olympics. Louganis gained extra publicity for his frightening performance in Seoul. During the preliminaries, he suffered a concussion after hitting his head on the springboard. He completed his prelims despite his injury, and with millions of spectators cheering him on, he won gold for a spectacular reverse dive. Greg Louganis is a legend that every diver admires and looks to for example and inspiration.
to supplement the clubs ofcial magazine. But fanzines are not exclusive to football. In the US, there are fanzines for American football, basketball, baseball and ice hockey, for example. In recent years, the traditional fanzine has moved away from paper onto the web, but it doesnt matter how a fanzine is read, written or produced. It is for fans, by fans, and it is something exciting and unique.
Why dive?
Top Board
Peter is a young schools championship diver. His ambition is to one day dive at the Olympic Games. Recently Peter and a small group of other young divers started a fanzine about diving called Top Board. Peter is the editor, and wrote the rst article for the rst edition, while one of Peters teammates wrote a star prole. Here are the articles.
Prole
Coach Liang Divings popularity and success in China is due to the work, personality and dedication of one man. Liang Bo Xi is the driving force behind the success and popularity of the sport in China. Born in Guangdong province, Liang was a star of the Guangzhou Youth Swimming Team in the early 1950s. He won his rst diving competition at the age of 16. Liang was one of the rst divers to represent China in international competitions. Between 1955 and 1965, he won six championships in national events as well as medals on the international scene. The world was starting to notice Chinese diving because of Liangs success. He became a diving coach in 1970, and was promoted to head coach of the Chinese national diving squad in 1981. One of the young divers Liang brought to international attention was Chen Xiaoxia, Chinas famous diving ballerina and the countys rst diving champion. Recent diving stars like Tian Liang, the mens 10-metre platform dive champion at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, owe their fame and success to Liang Bo Xis vision for the sport and his unfaltering commitment to making his personal passion a Chinese success story.
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Exercises: For fans, by fans

What do these key words and phrases mean? 1 dedicated (adj) a. authorised to do something b. completely focused on and devoted to something 2 professional (adj) a. paid to do a certain job b. doing a job for the rst time 3 amateur (adj) a. doing a job without any ofcial qualication, for no pay b. really good and respected 4 springboard (n) a. a wall where sports scores are recorded b. a bouncy platform divers jump off 5 spectator (n) a. someone who judges a competition b. someone who watches a competition for entertainment 6 concussion (n) a. temporary unconsciousness or confusion from hitting your head b. a deep wound that wont stop bleeding 7 preliminaries (n) a. the last round in a sports competition to decide the winner b. the rst round in a sports competition to see who will enter the heats 8 legend (n) a. a ctitious character that parents use to teach children a lesson b. someone admired as the best in their eld 9 driving force (n phr) a. the person making the most effort to get something done b. the person appointed to transport a sports team 10 ambition (n) a. a strong wish to achieve a particular thing b. the nal part of a long task 11 represent (v) a. take part on behalf of someone or a country b. challenge a group of people 12 exibility (n) a. the state of being able to bend easily b. the ability to jump high in the air 13 timing (n) a. controlling a move so that it is effective at exactly the right moment b. complete concentration on something 14 commitment (n) a. when you give a lot of time and energy to something you think is important b. the exact time it takes to do something 15 to be promoted (v) a. to be given a more important job b. to be transferred to another department 16 bring to international attention (v phr) a. make people around the world notice something b. send to another countrys team
Word power
Complete these sentences by choosing the appropriate word in brackets. 1 Ronaldinhos (timing / concussion) with that free kick was perfect he made Nasri think he wouldnt do it, then BOOM! 2 Goalkeeper David Stockdale was (represented / brought to international attention) when he played for England earlier this year. 3 It is my (preliminaries / ambition) to get into the citys premier under-16 football squad. 4 He has shown so much (exibility / commitment) to improving his buttery stroke. 5 Her intention is to become (an amateur / a professional) swimmer. 6 I dont have enough (concussion / exibility) in my legs to be a really great long-jumper. 7 Coach Jim is the (springboard / driving force) behind the cross-country teams passionate performances. 8 John suffered a (concussion / legend) when he fell off his horse. 9 My sister and I are (dedicated / representing) St Teresas at the inter-school rugby tournament. 10 Arthur is a really talented karate practitioner, but he gets nervous when there are (driving forces / spectators) watching.
Which articles?
Which of the following types of article would be good in a sports fanzine? 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 horoscopes book reviews competition reports recipes interviews player proles explanation of rules the weeks TV listings 9 venue reports 10 movie reviews 11 12 13 14 15 16 articles about past players / athletes parenting advice sports star gossip sudoku sport word games interesting facts and gures
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Exercises: For fans, by fans

Portmanteau words
A portmanteau word blends the sounds and meaning of two words to form a new word. The new word is usually formed with the rst part of one word and the last bit of another, but not always. Fanzine is a portmanteau word. What portmanteau words are based on the following pairs of words? You can use a dictionary to help you.
1 Not very well. I was a bit off-form that day and I wasnt placed.
On your bike: Q & A

Matt Chan is a brilliant 16-year-old Hong Kong cyclist, and the rst edition of a new sports fanzine called Champ! features an interview with him. Match the questions asked in the interview with his answers.
noun: a popular, less formal version of the NBA sport street / basketball ___________________________________________________
2 I am considering turning professional when I nish Form Six. 3 Yes, very much. Its a great challenge. But I do miss my family. 4 I am strong at cycling downhill, so long road races are the best for me.
2 noun: a TV programme that consists of news reports news / broadcast 3 noun: a typed facial expression emotion / icon 4 noun: acceptable behaviour when you are communicating with others online internet / etiquette 5 noun: computer programmes that you can use for free on a trial basis share / software 6 noun: a being with both biological and robotic parts cybernetic / organism 7 noun: a long-lasting spelling competition spelling / marathon 8 verb: to take illegal control of an aircraft during a ight sky / hijack 9 noun: the smallest unit of an image on a TV or computer screen pictures / element 10 noun: a broadcast made on the internet worldwide web / broadcast ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________
5 Just over four years. I joined them when I was 12. 6 Theyre really happy for me. Lots of them ask me to teach them how to ride a bike. 7 I won a medal in the Mens Road Race at the Asian Junior Cycling Championships in Thailand in February. 8 My mum keeps them in a special drawer in her bedroom. 9 Ill be cycling for my club in the Taiwan road race next month. 10 Abroad, the cycling tracks are usually a lot longer. a. What is your most recent cycling achievement? b. How did you do in round two of the Road Cycling Race Series? c. How long have you been a member of the Hong Kong Youth Team? d. Whats the main difference between racing at home and international competitions? e. What is your immediate ambition? f. Do you enjoy taking part in competitions abroad? g. Whats your next race? h. What aspect of cycling are you really good at? i. How do your friends look on your success? j. What do you do with all your medals?
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Rugby wake-up call
short while ago, the future looked bright for the Hong Kong Rugby Squad, but out of nowhere things have suddenly gone pear-shaped. Any sports team is only as good as the sum of its players, and the players in Team HK are wondering where it all went wrong. Sevens Shield winners last year, Asian Games silver medallists four months ago, coach Dai Rees cannot believe how far his squad has fallen in such a short time. How did a squad with such a promising track record suffer humiliating defeat in this years Shield competion by losing 35-26 to China, a side they had thoroughly thrashed at the Asian Games just four months ago? It is time for questions to be asked. Eleven players from the successful Asian Games squad played in this years Shield, but they looked a pale shadow of the side that recently brought home the silver medal. Lacking any spark, spirit or skill, Hong Kong has failed to win a game this year, a far cry from 12 months ago when they defeated the mighty Wales before going on to win the Shield. Yesterday, Russia, the team Hong Kong had beaten in the Shield nal last year, was playing in the Cup competition. The Hong Kong team, however, was nowhere to be seen.
Shield winners last year, coach Dai Rees cannot believe how far his squad has fallen
Coach Rees has suggested a number of factors that might have been responsible for the recent letdowns, but he has had to admit that the main reason for the loss of team form was poor individual performances. Was it the mindset, fatigue or the weight of expectations? You dont become a bad team in four months. These guys won an Asian Games silver medal where they beat a better China team than what we faced today. At the end of the day, I think we just under-performed as individuals, Rees said. The Shield nal did begin hopefully. Keith Robertson gave Hong Kong an early lead before China scored three tries to take a 21-5 lead at the break. The decisive moment came just after Chinas second try. With half-time arriving just as play restarted, Hong Kong won the ball and swept deep into their opponents quarter. But a knock-on by Kwok
Ka-chun ended with Hong Kong being penalised, and China made full use of that opportunity to score their third try and take a commanding lead. Instead of cutting down the decit to just two points if they had scored Hong Kong were trailing by more than two scores as the second half of the match began. Salom Yiu Kam-shing, one of the few Hong Kong players to emerge with his reputation intact, grabbed a couple of tries, the second with China down to six men, but it was a lost cause with the Hong Kong defence full of holes and unforgivable errors. For periods of the game we were in it, but it has been the story of the weekend we missed too many tackles, Rees said. We should have been scoring at halftime to be two points behind, we dropped the ball and they went the length. We came back, with two minutes to go we were 19 points down, and it was great comeback but really we were dead and buried. Disappointed Hong Kong skipper Ant Haynes put up his hand and admitted his team had under-performed. We were at this weekend. We needed to push ourselves and we tried our hardest but somehow we couldnt quite get it together, Haynes said. I cant fault the effort of the
boys but this is a good wake-up call. We picked up some notable silverware in the past 18 months the East Asian Games and Asian Games silver medals and the Shield nal here last year and you could say we over-achieved. But now we have to start all over again. The Hong Kong players have tough times ahead as they face up to a World Cup qualifying campaign next year. The 2013 World Cup Sevens will be staged in Moscow, and the IRB will begin its worldwide qualifying process in 2012. Hong Kong, with a proud record of having played in every World Cup behind them, are determined to keep it that way. This was part of the
Keith Robertson playing for Hong Kong
problem we faced this year for there was nothing really riding on this year. Eighteen months ago, we lost every game at the World Games [in Taiwan] before bouncing back and winning two silver medals and the Shield nal last year, Rees said. This [weekends performance] is the line in the sand for us now. We will reset the boundaries, and start all over again. We will be a different team coming into the Asian Sevens Series in September [the rst leg in Shanghai], promised Rees. We were unrecognisable in terms of intensity. We will have to be more switched on when we return. Rugby fans all over Hong Kong are holding their breath as their home squad faces an uncertain future with new determination. They will need a lot of luck to get them back to where they were just a few months ago. But miracles do happen in sport. Keep your eye on the oval ball!
This is an edited version of an article that appeared in the South China Morning Post on March 28
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Exercises: Rugby wake-up call

What do these key words and phrases mean? 1 track record (n) a. the fastest speed an athlete can achieve while running around a track b. the list of an athletes past achievements and performances 2 squad (n) a. a manager b. a team 3 full of holes (adj phr) a. behind schedule b. containing many faults 4 to humiliate (v) a. to make someone look foolish b. to make someone look good when they arent 5 to thrash (v) a. to lose by a lot of points b. to beat someone by a lot of points 6 to penalise (v) a. to give bonus points b. to punish 7 a mindset (n) a. attitude b. temporary illness 8 a letdown (n) a. a great disappointment b. a massive surprise 9 to under-perform (v) a. to do worse than you are capable of b. to surprise someone with what you do 10 to trail (v) a. to be losing by a number of points b. to be winning by a number of points 11 weight of expectations (n phr) a. the pressure of people thinking you will do something b. the feeling you need to lose weight 12 a comeback (n) a. an attempt to get back power or fame after losing it b. a late arrival 13 to ride on (v phr) a. to depend on b. to be happening 14 the line in the sand (n phr) a. the cut-off point b. the starting line
Word power
Use one of the key words or phrases to complete these sentences. Make sure any verbs are in the right tense. 1 Venus Williams made a spectacular ___________________________________________________ after some recent disappointments. 2 The result of Saturdays match will largely ___________________________________________________ Wayne Rooneys performance. 3 That poor result must be a big ___________________________________________________ for Manchester United. 4 Li Na was ___________________________________________________ Maria Sharapova 6-2, 4-2, when suddenly she had a burst of energy and won the set. 5 Some players feel stressed by the ___________________________________________________, but their manager says it pushes them to work harder. 6 Rafael Nadal ___________________________________________________ Roger Federer to win the French Open. 7 If West Ham ___________________________________________________ like this again, ending with such a poor result, they have no chance of reaching the nal. 8 Despite their disappointing ___________________________________________________ recently, the Hong Kong equestrian team are expected to win medals at next years Olympics.
Writer!
You are going to write an article about your favourite sport for a fanzine some friends produce. Answer these questions about the sport, and then use the answers to write your article. 1 What is your favourite sport? 2 Why do you like it? 3 How long have you been playing it? 4 How many times do you play each week? 5 Where do you play? 6 Do you ever play in competitions or matches? 7 Do you know anything about the history of your sport? When was it invented or when did it start? 8 What are the basic rules of the sport? 9 What is it played on? What equipment do you need? 10 What do you aim to do when you are playing? 11 Why is this a good sport, in your opinion?
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Exercises: Rugby wake-up call

Sports talk
You have to be careful which verb you use when you are talking about sport. We usually use to play when we are talking about a game and to do when we talk about a sporting activity. We use to go when we are talking about going to the place where we do the sport. To take up means to begin doing a sport and to give up means to stop doing it. If your sport or activity ends in ing (walking / running), we use to to go. Complete 1-7 by choosing the correct verb in brackets. Complete 8-14 using the correct form and tense of the appropriate verb. 1 Do you (do / go) much sport during the week?
Sport report
Complete this report on a footballer by choosing the correct word in brackets.
Torres scores
Fernando Torres, Chelseas 50 million star (player / manager), has nally shown that he might just be worth the record (account / fee) that the club paid for him. In the match against West Ham on March 23, Torres nally scored a goal for his team when he came on as a (substitute / winner) in the second half of the match. Soccer superstar Torres had not scored a single (score / goal) since joining Chelsea from Liverpool at the end of January. Whatever had happened to the striking (skill / time) for which he was famous? Torres played 14 matches for Chelsea before he managed to get the ball into the (air / net). Do players at the top of the game lose (condence / celebrity) when they know that miracles are expected of them each time they go onto the (pitch / track)? After the West Ham match, Torres was obviously (relieved / upset) to have broken his goal (record / drought). I have had 14 games waiting for a goal, he told reporters. There will be less (pressure / knowledge) on me now. Chelsea and the mighty Manchester United meet in the Premier League at the beginning of May. Man U are (currently / previously) six points ahead of Chelsea in the League. Now that Chelseas new (goalkeeper / striker) Torres has begun to score goals again, this should prove to be an epic match. No pressure on Torres there, then!
2 I (go / play) skiing every Christmas. 3 I (go / play) a lot of tennis in summer. 4 I would like (to take up / to go) ice hockey. 5 How many times a week do you (go / play) to the gym? 6 I had (to give up / to take up) running when I injured my knee. 7 I love (to go / to do) hiking during the summer. 8 My brother loves ______________________________ basketball with his friends. 9 I used ______________________________ aerobics at the gym. 10 Are you planning ______________________________ swimming this weekend? 11 I hope I have time ______________________________ jogging after choir tonight. 12 I go swimming a lot and am thinking about ______________________________ water polo. 13 You need ______________________________ more exercise if you want to get t. 14 Im going ______________________________ golf next year. It looks fun.
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Debating level 1
Modern celebrity
Im a celebrity!
There is no doubt that celebrities play a big part in contemporary popular culture, but what is a modern celebrity? What exactly does he or she do, and why have the rest of us non-celebrities granted one person celebrity status, and not another? Twenty or 30 years ago, it was clear what a celebrity was; and there werent many of them around, so they were special. But all that has changed. The recent rapid growth in mass media, and the rise of gossip magazines, reality TV shows and celebrity websites have pushed celebrities in our faces whether they deserve to be there or not. In 1968, the American artist Andy Warhol observed that in the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes. Warhols words seem to be coming true as today celebrities pop up and then vanish with alarming regularity. Is the world in danger of running out of celebrities? Everyone has opinions on celebrities, and the nature and value of modern celebrity is often a topic for hot debate. So, lets get back to the original question. What exactly is a celebrity? How do you become one? The Oxford Dictionary of English denes it as a famous person, especially in entertainment or sport. But these days, people become famous for all sorts of reasons. Which of the following statements do you agree with? 1 A person should do something really outstanding before we class them as a celebrity. 2 Talent should not be necessary for someone to reach celebrity status. 3 If someone achieves overnight success, like the singer Susan Boyle, this person is automatically a celebrity. 4 It is ne for a person to be a celebrity because they have done something bad. This qualies a person for celebrity status. Celebrity is not all about being positive. 5 It doesnt matter whether a person is famous for just a short time or for many years, he or she is still a celebrity. 6 It is okay for someone to become a celebrity not because of what they have done but because the media has created them. 7 Our society needs celebrities. 8 Celebrities create themselves. They cannot be created by others.
William (aged 16)

I love reading about celebrities in magazines. But I never take what I read seriously. I just read for entertainment. Its important not to always believe what celebrities are said to have done and said, because its not always accurate. I am fully aware that magazines want to sell copies and so will print anything about famous people. And some people just want to be famous and so they will do anything to get into a magazine. I think I am intelligent enough to know when a celebrity, say Lang Lang, is really talented and deserves to be famous, and when someone has no talent and is just in the magazine to get publicity. I know when a person is just famous for being famous! I read to be amused by such desperate people, and then I forget what I have read. Someone like Lang Lang doesnt need to be in celebrity columns, so when I read about him in such publications, I take it with a pinch of salt. Modern celebrities entertain me with their antics. But I dont let them inuence what I think or do.
Jenny (aged 15)

I want to be an actress when I leave school, but I dont know whether I want to be famous. I just want to do the job well and be respected for my work. Im interested in reading about young actresses in newspapers and magazines, and what I read sometimes upsets me and makes me angry. One young famous American actress seems to be more famous for her bad behaviour than for her acting. She is always in some sort of trouble and this makes headlines. I read the other day that she had been charged with theft after she allegedly stole a necklace from a jewellery store. She has already been in jail for drink-driving. Why do we need to read about these things? They have nothing to do with her acting. A famous young English actress I admire has a very different attitude to being a celebrity. She does not want to appear in gossip columns and wants to keep her private life private. She has appeared in lots of Hollywood blockbusters, but she also appears in plays in London theatres. An article I read about her recently was all about the brilliant performances of her current stage show. Both these young actresses are celebrities, but seem to be doing different things with their careers. Modern celebrity can be very confusing at times!
Vox Pop
A celebrity or a waste of space?
At the centre of any debate on the issue of modern celebrity is the denition of the word itself.
When planning a debate, it is useful to have other peoples opinions to support your own. Here is what two teens wrote about modern celebrity in an online forum.
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Debating level 1
Exercises: Modern celebrity

What do these words and phrases mean? 1 to grant (v) a. to give or allow someone something b. to refuse to do as you are told 2 on the issue of (phr) a. concerning b. taking no notice 3 alarming regularity (n) a. happening suddenly b. happening so often it makes you worried 4 overnight success (n) a. fame that takes a long time to achieve b. fame that happens quickly 5 to take something with a pinch of salt (v phr) a. to believe something only after you have done a lot of research b. to not completely believe everything you are told 6 antics (n) a. funny and strange behaviour b. lies that people tell when they are in trouble
Lets have a debate!

Motion: This house believes that modern celebrity is hollow and has no value. You are the proposition, or afrmative, side for the above motion. Usually there will be three speakers on each team. The opening speech should introduce the motion and dene what it means. The following speakers will give examples supporting their side of the argument, rebut the opposing teams argument and sum up their sides case. You can use the following steps and proposal phrases to plan the speeches. a. Explain what you think modern celebrity is. (What is a celebrity in your opinion? What role does celebrity play in our lives? How can an ordinary person become a celebrity? How are celebrities created? What is the difference between a celebrity and an ordinary person? Where do we nd celebrities in our everyday lives?) b. Explain what you mean by the words hollow and have no value. Why, in your opinion, do these two ideas apply to modern celebrity? c. Give examples to support your proposals. (What do celebrities do that has no value? Do people who become famous for real talent need celebrity? When can celebrity be positive? Do celebrities use their fame for good?) Useful phrases 1 2 We support the motion that We believe that We hope to show you that Firstly, I must dene the word / phrase We believe that what is meant by is There are many examples of this in real life For example, consider who While may be the case, it is true / not true that We strongly believe that
True or false?
Which of these statements based on the article and forum posts are true and which are false? 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Celebrity plays just a small part in modern popular culture. The meaning of celebrity has changed a lot over the past 20 years. Modern celebrities are often created by the mass media. All contemporary celebrities are famous because they have incredible talent. Today, celebrity takes a long time to achieve. Newspapers and magazines always print the truth about celebrities. Some celebrities do their best to stay out of gossip magazines. All celebrities crave fame. News about celebrities always focuses on their work.
3 4 5 6 7 8 9
10 The opposition may argue that but 11 Next I would like to illustrate our argument that by 12 So what have we told you today? Firstly Secondly 13 In conclusion, these arguments prove beyond any doubt that 14 For these reasons, the motion must stand.
10 Talented people get in the news simply to become more famous.
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Debating level 1
Exercises: Modern celebrity

Questions to ask yourself
When you are preparing for a debate, it is useful to look at both sides of the argument. You are proposing the motion This house believes that modern celebrity is hollow and has no value, but you should also consider the oppositions view. This will help you defend your arguments. Remember, in a debate, you do not have to agree personally with the side of the debate you are arguing. You just have to give a convincing argument supporting your assigned side. Think about both the pros and cons of modern celebrity. Which of these statements is a pro and which is a con? You can use the appropriate statements to support your side of the debate. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Being chased by press and photographers. Celebrities enjoy the good things in life like expensive food and luxury travel. Being in a goldsh bowl all the time. A celebrity has a great deal of personal power that comes from having fame and money. Getting admiration from others. Being able to support charities. Becoming a celebrity can bring stress that leads to drugs and alcohol. Not having a private life. A celebrity cannot have personal secrets.
Getting it together
Some of these statements are useful for the proposition side of the debate, and some for the opposition. Complete the statements by choosing the correct word or phrase in brackets. Proposition Celebrity can destroy a person. It could be argued that Princess Diana died in a (grand palace / motor accident) because she was famous. Fame can lead to personality problems among celebrities who do not know how (to reveal / to cope). Wanting to be a celebrity can give an ordinary person (sympathetic / unrealistic) goals. Not having a (public / private) life is not good for any human being. Celebrities can fall out of (favour / fame) with the public very quickly; this can lead to problems. Opposition Fame is a great way of letting other people share your (secrets / talent). A celebrity with a positive attitude to fame can use his or her fame (to hinder / to help) others who are less fortunate. Fame can bring you a lifestyle that is very (satisfying / selfish) and (hideous / comfortable). Celebrity can lead to people genuinely showing you (affection / distrust) and (good will / bad attitude). It can be a great condence booster. A positive celebrity can be a good (master / role model) for others who want to make something of their lives.
10 Celebrities can get into events that ordinary people cant. 11 Being famous means that a lot of people can enjoy your talent. 12 Being famous can change your character. 13 Stalkers sometimes follow celebrities. 14 Being a celebrity can distort your personal values.
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Debating level 2
Need sexism concern us?

Shout it loud?
Sexism is prejudice or discrimination based on gender. For the most part, it is used to refer to discrimination against females, but it is also possible for males to be discriminated against because of their gender. In public life, schools and the workplace, sexism rears its ugly head when one sex gets advantages over the other, when a person is denied opportunities because of their sex, or when a person of one sex is paid more or given better opportunities than someone of the opposite sex. Even now in many rstworld countries, women struggle for equality with men on many fronts, particularly in the world of education and work. On a very simple level, sexism is unfair, and that is why most people do not tolerate it. A person should be judged or given opportunities on merit, regardless of gender. Great strides have been made in equal opportunities during the past 20 years, but there is still work to be done. Whatever our sex, we should speak out against discrimination. Remaining
A person should be judged or given opportunities on merit, regardless of gender

silent in the face of sexism is hardly any better than having sexist views yourself.
Sexist watchdog sexist?
Is it possible that a government department set up to ght sexism is itself sexist? Questions have been asked recently about the staff running the Government Equalities Ofce (GEO) in Britain. The head of the GEO is presently facing questions as to why all recent appointments have been women. The GEO was set up as a watchdog organisation to look out for and deal with sexism in public life. But these criticisms suggest the ofce is not practising what it preaches. The GEO, led by the British Home Secretary Theresa May, has a work force of a 110 staff,
40 of whom are male. All recent vacancies have been lled by female applicants. May insists that all new additions to the workforce have been appointed on merit. Male employees at the GEO are keeping their heads down and making no comment. The GEO, set up in 2007, is a high-prole, controversial government department which is proving unpopular with some employers and companies. These groups feel the GEOs snooping and interference is unnecessary; most bosses, they say, can sort out sexism problems themselves without going up to government level. While most companies and government departments have been cutting staff during the past 12 or so months, the GEO increased its staff by 10 per cent last year. And all the extra staff were female. The aim of any anti-sexism campaign, department or lobby has to be to stamp out sexism, not increase it. The GEO is under the microscope over its recent appointments. But if these were indeed made on merit, this casts the male applicants in a bad light. Boys!
According to the powers that be at the GEO, you just werent good enough. Its time to shape up.
Sexist row
You would think a man in his position would know better, but it seems the chairman of Deutsche Bank didnt think before opening his mouth in February. Josef Ackermann, CEO of the all-powerful German banking institution, unleashed an almighty row when he stated publically that more females on the boards of the worlds top companies would make life prettier and more colourful. Is that what a woman board member is there for? Decoration? The sexism lobby around the globe attacked Ackermann for his tactless and tasteless remark. Looking at the board structure of Deutsche Bank itself, there is
certainly room for female members, with an allmale club of 12 members. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who has appointed a signicant number of women to ministerial jobs, has recently dismissed a proposal that there should be a quota for females on the boards of Germanys top companies. Merkel has expressed hope that company bosses will
increase the number of female board members without the need for a law that forces them to do so. Merkel, one of the most highly-regarded world leaders, has obviously got her eye on sexism in German companies, and is sensibly hoping that any problems will sort themselves out naturally without the government having to step in with legislation.
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Debating level 2
Exercises: Need sexism concern us?

What do these words and phrases mean? 1 on many fronts (adj phr) a. in many elds b. in most peoples opinion 2 to make great strides (v phr) a. to notice small changes b. to make a lot of progress towards something 3 to practise what you preach (v phr) a. to do the things you advise others to b. to speak up about problems 4 to shape up (phr v) a. to improve ones behaviour b. to complain 5 in the face of (phr) a. when accused of b. when confronted with 6 to be under the microscope a. to be small and unimportant b. to be critically analysed
This House supports campaigns to raise womens representation in all areas of public life
For the motion

1 Notes and preparation When you take part in a debate, the rst thing you have to do is take sides. You may not necessarily support that argument in real life, but your job is to prepare as good a defence for it as possible. It is important to be very well prepared for the debate. Think about the arguments your opponents will raise. This will also help you to better support your side of the argument. These suggestions will help you prepare your speeches. a. Dene key terms in the motion. What do these terms mean to you? How do you interpret the motion? b. Argue your stance logically and persuasively. Support ideas in your argument with evidence wherever possible. c. Conclude your speech clearly. Sum up what you have said and perhaps say why you have said it. Do not just stop and leave things hanging in the air. Make it obvious you have nished making your points. 2 Consider these questions about todays motion. Expand some of them into the main body of your speech. a. Why do women (and not men) need extra help to get them into key positions in public life? What struggles have women had in the past to get public recognition? Have women been held back in the past by sexist views? Can public campaigns help stamp out sexism? Why is todays motion important and why should it be embraced? b. Do women still have to ght sexism to gain recognition? Where is there evidence of this? Is there anything else left for women to achieve? What are the general statistics about what women are paid for the work they do? What about sexism on company boards? Can you give examples? c. How can women show that they are just as capable as men of playing a central role in public life? Why do they need outside support in doing this? Have women been losing out to men in the past? Should we be bothered if this is so? d. Why are these questions important and why should they be given serious thought?
Comprehension
Answer these questions about the article. There is no need to use a full sentence in every case. 1 Dene sexism as concisely as possible. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 2 In what context is the word usually used today? _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 3 Why do you think this is? ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 4 What is a watchdog organisation? ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 5 What job does the GEO do for the British government? ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ 6 What has the GEO recently been accused of? _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 7 What is the present stafng ratio at the GEO? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 8 Do you think the recent criticisms are valid? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 9 Who are the powers that be? _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 10 How did Josef Ackermann create problems for himself earlier in the year? ______________________________________________________________________ 11 How might you accuse Deutsche Banks directors of sexism? ___________________________________________________________________________________________ 12 What does Angela Merkel hope will happen with regard to sexism in Germany? _______________________________________________________________
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Debating level 2
Exercises: Need sexism concern us?

Against the motion
Complete these ideas opposing the motion by choosing the correct word in brackets. 1 Women have no more battles to ght in getting (promotion / recognition) in the workplace and in public life. They are already there. Why campaign for something when it is already in (position / the past)?
And nally
A debate is a verbal sparring match. To win, you have to be able to chip away at, and demolish, the opposing teams arguments. There are formal ways of doing this. To bring anything the opposing team has said into question is important. Match up the two halves of these sentences to form statements that will help attack the other side. 1 The evidence given by my friends on the opposition
2 It is now up to women to prove their (application / worth) in public life. They dont need (internal / external) support. They should lead by example. 3 Pushing women forward promotes an unnatural (existence / equality) between the sexes. There is nothing wrong with sex (harassment / differentiation) in some areas of public life. 4 Campaigns and (laws / programmes) in favour of women can actually damage the women they are trying to help. Campaigning for women as a separate (group / movement) undermines the principle that women can compete with men on equal terms. 5 Campaigns (focusing / staying) on the promotion of women in public life fail (to address / to refuse) the fact that men might be having the same problems. Picking women out as a special case does them no favours. 6 Fears of being (accused / worked) of sexism often lead to unfair (discrimination / proposals) against men. 7 A modern woman should know that she can (compete / promote) with a man on equal terms and should not need campaigns and laws to (support / refuse) her.
2 Here is a big weakness in the opposing teams case. They do 3 The opposition is asking you to accept that 4 What my opponent has said is simply not true because 5 Let me simplify the propositions main arguments. They argue that 6 Let me reinterpret what the opposition has said about 7 The oppositions statement that is an unreasonable argument. 8 We accept that but this is not enough. 9 Because of the opposing teams argument holds no water. 10 I must point out the lack of common sense in my opponents argument when he says that a. the lack of sexism in the workplace. b. not have the evidence to support their argument. c. women are always equal to men in all walks of life. d. the ght for female equality is over e. does nothing to prove their point that sexism does not exist in the workplace. f. laws against sexism do exist g. his evidence is too imsy. h. all employers look at job applicants on merit. i. the lack of common sense and logical reasoning j. women desperately need external support in order to prove they are equal to men.
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Workplace communication level 1
Is this the job for you? Y

our dad is currently working as the Chief Finance Ofcer of an export company. He has been there for three years, and wants a change. You see this job advert in the appointments section of a newspaper. Read it carefully. It is very different from what he does now. Think about what skills he could bring from his current job if he applied.
Ben Wong
Selling your skills
When you apply for a job, the rst thing you must prepare is an up-to-date CV. A CV is a record of experience and qualications. Ben Wong has revised his CV to accompany his application for the job at Road House School.
Personal Details Address: Apt 73, Golf Court, Green Road, To Kwa Wan, Hong Kong Telephone: 5555 5555 Email: bbenwongwong@me.com DOB: 12/04/1981 Personal Prole Adaptable, efcient and personable nance graduate with eight years work experience in the eld of nance. An excellent understanding of nancial management. Keen to take on the daily challenges and rewards of a demanding job. Education and Qualications 1999-2002 City University BSc Honours Financial Management 1992-1999 Big Bridge Secondary School 1985-1992 Ten Trees Junior School Work History 2006-present 2004-2006 2002-2004
ROAD HOUSE SCHOOL
RHS is one of the citys leading independent co-educational day schools, educating 1,100 pupils aged 3 to 18, and employing 200 staff. The current position has become available due to the retirement of the present holder.
Chief Accountant & Clerk to the Governors

The Governors invite applications for the post of Chief School Accountant and Clerk to the Governors from January 2012. The Chief Accountant heads a team of four and is responsible for the Schools finances. The position also involves overseeing the management of property, services and human resources. The successful candidate will be an experienced leader and manager, with significant senior level experience in financial management and excellent communication skills. A background in education is not necessary. For further information on the post, please go to http://www. roadhouseschool.com/appointments. If you would then like to discuss the role, please contact Brian West on 0123 5743 9435. Closing date for application: Friday, July 1, 2011 Longlist interviews: Wednesday, July 13, 2011 Shortlist interviews: Friday, July 22, 2011 Road House School is an equal opportunities employer
Financial manager, Global Logistics Deputy nancial controller, XPort Shipping Assistant accountant, Dak Publishers
Voluntary Work Summer 2000 Financial help for Cats Protection League Summer 2001 Sports leader at Scouts summer camp Skills and Achievements Self-funded Advanced Business English course at British Council Volunteer English tutor for local Scouts group Fund-raiser for Cats Protection League Social co-ordinator at XPort Shipping Active member of CityU Business Club Strong interpersonal skills developed in school holiday retail jobs Secretary and treasurer of local photography group References Available on request
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Exercises: Is this the job for you?

Comprehension
Answer these questions based on the job advertisement and the CV. 1 Who is the present holder of a job? a. the person who was rst to do the job b. the person who is doing the job now 2 What is a leading company or organisation? a. a company that is successful and important b. a company that is having nancial problems 3 What can the word post mean in the context of the workplace? a. an online job advertisement b. a job in a company or organisation 4 The verb to oversee means ... a. to do something the wrong way b. to be in charge of a job to make sure it is done correctly 5 What do you do if you head a team? a. you pay people to do a job you cannot do yourself b. you lead and are responsible for other people doing a job 6 What is a longlist? a. a list of candidates who are good enough to be seriously considered as nalists b. a small group of people invited for a job interview 7 CV is short for the Latin phrase curriculum vitae. This literally means: a. a list of work b. a list of life 8 What is an equal opportunities employer? a. a company careful to employ people regardless of their sex, age or race b. a company with a very small work force 9 What are you like if youre personable? a. you have a lot of siblings b. you get on with people 10 What can you do if you are adaptable? a. get used to change quickly b. use a computer well 11 If you self-fund something, what do you do? a. you buy something expensive to help you with your job b. you pay for something yourself 12 What are interpersonal skills? a. the skills needed to get on with other people b. knowledge of the company you work for
Mr Terry Leung Head of Human (Resources / Resorts) St Williams Hospital North Point
Letter of application
As well as a CV, it is important to write an application letter when you apply for a job. Jamie Ng is interested in a job as chief physiotherapist at St Williams Hospital. Complete his application letter by choosing the correct word from the brackets.
Apartment 765 Sunny Villas Lok Fu Hong Kong
Dear Mr Leung, I am (responding / applying) to your advertisement in last weeks (Nursing Times / TV Weekly) for the (nurse / position) of Chief Physiotherapist at St Williams Hospital. I consider that my qualications and (salary / experience) match with your (doctors / requirements) and I am excited to apply for the job. You will see from my (photograph / CV) that I have had experience for the last seven years in the (pool / eld) of physiotherapy, working both at public and (private / general) hospitals. I have also worked for a popular (chain / track) of gyms as a sports (illness / injury) specialist. I believe I have both the (results / skills) and the experience to (follow / lead) the team of physiotherapist at St Williams. I look forward to hearing from you (receiving / regarding) this application. Yours faithfully, Jamie Ng
Please nd enclosed: CV Three (references / envelopes)
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Exercises: Is this the job for you?

Classieds
The Classieds section of a newspaper is where you look for job vacancies. Look at these extracts from actual job adverts and choose the correct phrase to complete each one. 1 2 3
Sort out the CV

June Tsang is applying for a job as a senior sales assistant in a new clothes store. She has lost her CV, so has to write a new one. Here are her details, qualications and experience. They are not in order. Sort out Junes CV so it is ready to send. Remember to list qualications and work experience with the most recent rst. Use the CV headings on page 117.
receptionist
Experience of working in a clinical environment is ______________________________________________ a. a disadvantage for this post. b. desirable but not essential.
Golden Medical Centre requires a
Shannon Engineering requires an
office administrator
The successful candidate will have
Studio Technician
Previous experience of working _____________________________________________ is required. a. in export and sales b. in a design and technology environment
Alfred Art College requires a
1991-1998
Top Street Secondary School Volunteer youth worker
2 Summer 1999 3 8765 1119
4 Fluent in Cantonese and English 5 Apt 335, Glen Villas, Stanley 6 Secretary of a local hiking club 7 21/03/1980 8 2007-present Senior Sales Assistant, Miami Modes
_____________________________________________ a. experience in all aspects of secretarial work. b. a good background in sales.
9 Sociable, out-going personality with a keen interest in people 10 1984-1991 11 2003-2007 Grove Junior School Senior section sales mens department, Kick Fashion
12 Excellent sales record in all past positions
13 Christmas 2007-9
Choir member at Senior Citizens parties
14 Member of amateur dramatic society
Coffee Bar Manager

The successful candidate must _________________________________________ a. have full catering and food hygiene qualications. b. have previous experience of working in a warehouse.
Harveys Book Stores requires a
school cleaner
required.
Work hours are 3.30-5.30pm Monday to Friday. ________________________________________ a. A driving licence is essential. b. Full-time position also available.
Part-time
Transport Co-ordinator
The ideal candidate will have experience in ______________________________________________ a. food and drink packaging. b. a wide range of computer skills.
West Logistics requires a
15 1998-2003 16 1995-1997
Junior sales assistant, Trend Sports Shop Saturday assistant, Young Field Fashion
17 Member of local sports centre badminton team 18 Keen to take on new responsibilities and challenges 19 Understand the need for excellent customer service 20 References: available on request
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In business
Business e-mails
Denis is a senior shipping clerk in an export company in Kwai Chung. Denis has to write dozens of e-mails to the companys head ofce in New York every week. Business e-mails must be succinct and to the point. Here are a few Denis sent last week.
Business memos
A memo is a short document used in business, for example, to communicate internal information to people who work in different departments of the company. A memo should be set out as follows:
From: To: Date: Subject: this tells the recipients who is sending the memo this says who the memo is for the date on which the memo is sent what the memo is about
The writer then gives details of why he is sending the memo. Wembley Gyms is the biggest chain of gyms in town. Their biggest gym is in Central and their head ofce is there too. Here are a couple of memos that went out to staff last week.
A
Dear Miss Hung As Mr Wu is out of the HK ofce on leave until the end of the month, I am acknowledging receipt of your email dated June 15, 2011. I will bring this to his attention immediately upon his return to work. If I may be of any assistance in the meantime, please do not hesitate to call. Sincerely Denis Tan
B
Dear Mr James As of Monday, May 30, 2011, Mayower Bags, one of our chief suppliers in Shenzhen, will be relocating their manufacturing division to 487, South Bay Boulevard, Shenzhen. This is for your information only, and any communication with them will be done as usual through this ofce. I attach full details of Mayowers new works location for your les. Sincerely Denis Tan
A
From: To: Date: Subject: Senior Management All staff 14/05/2011 Welcoming Jeff Lau
The Senior Management at Wembley Gyms is pleased to announce that Mr Jeff Lau will be joining the team from June 1. Jeffs role will be to oversee the training of staff in our ever-developing eld of business. We are very fortunate to have Jeffs leadership as we hope to expand in-house and external training courses for staff in all departments. As development ofcer for this area of stafng, Jeff will liaise with staff at all levels, and will also play an active part in other Senior Management activities. Contact information for Jeff will be forwarded to all employees as soon as this is available. Please join us in welcoming Jeff to our team.
C
Dear Miss Locatelli It is my great pleasure to advise you that Mr Terry Lai has joined our accounts department in the Hong Kong ofce. Terry will be contacting Betty in your accounts department to introduce himself fully. He has come to us after working for two years in the accounts department of an export company in Central. He is highly qualied and joins our team with glowing references. Please add Terry Lai to your list of employees in the HK ofce. He replaces Mrs Chan who retired at the end of last month. Sincerely Denis Tan
D
Dear Mrs Fowler I have received today notication of a rise in transport costs from China Moon, one of the logistics companies that transports goods to us from the factories in Shenzhen. They have avoided raising their prices for as long as possible, but can no longer offer us services at the present rate. I attach their new price list for your review and comments. You will see that their prices are now in line with those of other logistics companies we use. The new pricing comes into effect on the rst of next month. I await your comments. Sincerely Denis Tan
B
From: To: Date: Subject: Jenny Tang Catering Manager All staff 16/05/2011 New coffee shops opening hours
I am pleased to announce that from June 12, we intend to extend the opening hours of our coffee shops in all our gym facilities. We have decided to do this following suggestions and requests from both staff and gym members. All coffee shops will now open at 7.30am and close at 10pm. Full drink and food facilities will be available during these hours. Notices about the new opening hours will be displayed in all our gyms, and advertising space is being booked in local newspapers. To man the new hours, the catering department will be taking on extra staff, and details of the new posts will be advertised shortly. I hope that all staff and members will support this extension of catering facilities at Wembley Gyms.
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Exercises: InIn business Exercises: business

Key phrases
Business e-mails and memos are written in formal language, even if the subject matter is informal. Here are some useful key phrases. 1 We acknowledge receipt of 2 I will bring the matter to the attention of 3 This will be dealt with as soon as 4 If I may be of further assistance in the meantime, please do not hesitate 5 As of Tuesday, June 7, 2011 6 Please be informed that 7 This is for your information only and 8 I attach full details of 9 It is my great pleasure to advise you that 10 I have received notication that the 11 We are pleased to announce that 12 Further notice will be given
A bit of grammar
Business abbreviations The world of business is fast and furious and no one working there has a minute to waste. Often in business communication abbreviations are used for common words and phrases. It is important to understand and be able to use common abbreviations. What do these abbreviations mean? 1 ASAP a. as shown as proved 2 AGM a. actual graduate manager 3 CEO a. chief executive ofcer 4 COD a. context on demand 5 N/A a. non allergic 6 Plc a. private limited company 7 PR a. private relatives 8 VIP a. very interesting prole 9 attn a. for the attention of 10 ETA a. estimated time of arrival
b. as soon as possible
b. annual general meeting
b. communal English ofce
b. cash on delivery
b. not applicable
Now match up each of the key phrases with a suitable second half of a sentence. a. to contact me in the usual way. b. no response is expected. c. the social club hike scheduled for Sunday, May 15, has been cancelled. d. our prots for the past year have risen by 30 per cent. e. your order dated 15 May, 2011. f. renovation work on Park Lane gym will begin on July 1. g. next years holiday dates. h. the senior management team as soon as possible. i. Mr Leo Chan will join the team at Park Lane at the start of next month. j. during the next seven days. k. further details become available. l. the phone number of the transport co-ordinator will be 0654 0012.
b. public lost corporation
b. public relations
b. very important person
b. on the arrival of
b. equal task addition
Now
Write an internal memo for each of the abbreviations eg With regard to next paper delivery. ETA Thursday next, May 12, at 15.00.
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Workplace communication level 2 Workplace communication level 2
Exercises: Exercises: InIn business business

Memos Emails Memos Emails
You are the ofce manager at Lilac Publications. Each week, you write many e-mails and internal memos. You have notes on your desk from various members of staff who need you to send memos and e-mails for them. Use the notes to write the appropriate message. 4 Memo. Maintenance dept. Water cooler in main ofce still broken. 2nd day. No one looked at it yesterday. Important. Needs to be mended today. Send someone asap. External repair if necessary. Urgent. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Memo. All staff. Mrs Chung in reception retiring next month. 30 years service. Ideas for party and present? Mrs C on holiday this week. Keep arrangements secret.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
5 Email. Tom Lee. Cover design next months Beat magazine. Promised for yesterday? Where is it? Urgently needed. Problem? Cant get you on phone. Respond asap. Needs to go to print. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
2 Memo. All staff. New company logo. All designs now in. On display in staff dining room for rest of week. Everyone to look. Send in opinions. Must choose by end of month. All comments / ideas / suggestions welcome. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
6 Email. CEO Jim West. Captions missing all photos Jen Hotel brochure. Who responsible? Cant go to print today as hoped. PR will chase up. Get back to me asap with that 1 question. Vital. Will sort out immediately. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
3 Email. Mr King / Ink Designs. 10 possible logos from your designs selected. Thanks for efciency. Final selection by end of month. Will inform. When can samples be provided? Need more colour suggns. Must discuss logo wording. Please send wording suggns. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
7 Memo. Catering dept. Havent received next months lunch menus. Any changes? Need to see asap. Why late? Also complaints about coffee prise rises. Why necessary? Menus to me asap. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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Beware of deadly u
Key verbs 1. a, 2. b, 3. a, 4. b, 5. a, 6. a, 7. b, 8. a, 9. b, 10. a, 11. b, 12. b, 13. a, 14. a Word Power 1. remove, 2. warning, 3. lasted, 4. suspend, 5. consult, 6. tell, 7. claimed, 8. reduce, 9. built up, 10. urge Opposites 1. large, 2. live, 3. some, 4. open, 5. trivial, 6. tomorrow, 7. early, 8. low-risk, 9. late, 10. young, 11. later, 12. bad, 13. little, 14. next, 15. fewer, 16. last / next Key statements 1. F, 2. F, 3. T, 4. F, 5. F, 6. F, 7. T, 8. T, 9. F, 10. T Comprehension 1. schools, 2. nine, 3. dead birds, 4. in hospital, 5. consult a doctor, 6. people in high-risk groups, 7. underestimate its seriousness, 8. remove germs, 9. soap, 10. particularly serious Grammar 1. of, 2. about, 3. to, 4. on, 5. in, 6. after, 7. for, 8. at, 9. with, 10. of, 11. for, 12. to
Grammar 1. John said that he hated his new job. 2. Mr Chan said that he drank too much coffee. 3. Maria said that she worked very hard at school. 4. Mark said that he liked his new apartment very much. 5. Mr Wong said that he walked to work every morning. 6. Miss Pak said that she lived near Tai Po. 7. Chris said that he played badminton every Saturday morning. 8. Jonny said that he chatted online to friends all over the world. 9. Jean said that she loved eating Western food. 10. Brian that he sent more than 100 texts a day to his friend. 11. Angela said that she read a newspaper four times a week. 12. Ian said that he woke every morning at six.
Key words 1. a, 2. b, 3. a, 4. a, 5. a, 6. a, 7. a, 8. a, 9. b, 10. b, 11. a, 12. a, 13. b, 14. b Word power 1. ethnic, 2. overhaul, 3. implement, 4. linguist, 5. blueprint, 6. reckless, 7. aggressive, 8. mainstay, 9. gloomy, 10. take to the streets Partly this ... 1. semi-detached, 2. semi-formal, 3. semi-famous, 4. semi-permanent, 5. semi-professional, 6. quasi-military, 7. quasi-practical, 8. quasi-religious, 9. quasi-public, 10. quasi-successful Grammar 1. had, would come, 2. went, would go, 3. would be, said, 4. had, would buy, 5. knew, would tell, 6. had / got, would help, 7. wanted, would live, 8. had, would show, 9. broke down, would call, 10. owned / had, would invite
Quite the reverse 1. buy / sell, 2. good / bad, 3. high / low, 4. decrease / increase, 5. more / less, 6. save / spend, 7. upward / downward, 8. short-term / long-term Grammar 1. sadness, 2. activity, 3. improvement, 4. tiredness, 5. complexity, 6. illness, 7. friendliness, 8. retirement, 9. toughness, 10. possibility, 11. concealment, 12. darkness, 13. eligibility, 14. treatment, 15. weakness
Nuclear energy for HK remains on course

Comprehension 1. F, 2. T, 3. F, 4. F, 5. T, 6. T, 7. F, 8. T, 9. T, 10. F, 11. T, 12. F, 13. T, 14. F, 15. T, 16. F Key words 1. b, 2. b, 3. a, 4. b, 5. a, 6. a, 7. a, 8. a, 9. b, 10. b, 11. a, 12. a, 13. a, 14. a Word power 1. overreacted, 2. crisis, 3. evacuation, 4. activist, 5. legislated, 6. inevitable, 7. pondered, 8. remained on course, 9. In the event of, 10. generated Time and time again 1. By the time, 2. Every time, 3. at the same time, 4. this is not the time to, 5. in three days time, 6. another time, 7. Is there enough time to, 8. At this moment in time Grammar suggested answers 1. In spite of the fact the weather was bad, the hikers nished their hike. / The hikers nished their hike although the weather was bad. 2. Despite the fact that they have a noisy dog, I quite like my new neighbours. / Although they have a noisy dog, I quite like my new neighbours. 3 In spite of the fact it was snowing, we went out. / Although it was snowing, we went out. 4. Despite the fact she had a bad cold, she went to work. / She went to work although she had a bad cold. 5. In spite of the trafc jam in the city centre, I arrived on time. / I arrived on time although there was a trafc jam in the city centre. 6. Despite the fact I had done some careful planning, everything went wrong. / Everything went wrong although I had done some careful planning. 7. In spite of the low salary, Ive accepted the job. / Ive accepted the job although the salary is low. 8. Despite the fact there was a lot of noise in the hotel, I slept well last night. / I slept well last night although there was a lot of noise in the hotel. 9. In spite of the high prices, Ive booked my holiday in Australia. /
Children lose in custody battle

Comprehension 1. start / end, 2. teachers / children, 3. lecturer / student, 4. trafc / custody, 5. wonderful / outdated, 6. criminal / family, 7. siblings / parents, 8. travel / money Re-writer! 1. increase, 2. frequently, 3. scared, 4. old-fashioned, 5. couple of, 6. operation, 7. cautiously, 8. advise Key words and phrases 1.a, 2. a, 3. b, 4. a, 5. a, 6. b, 7. b, 8. a, 9. a, 10. b, 11. a, 12. a, 13. b, 14. b Word power 1. sole, 2. embrace, 3. abolition, 4. rst-hand, 5. overlooked, 6. custody, 7. apply for, 8. misconceptions, 9. crossre, 10. adversarial Mere adverbs 1. slowly, 2. brightly, 3. quickly, 4. stupidly, 5. happily, 6. rudely, 7. carefully, 8. smoothly Grammar 1. action, 2. appreciation, 3. possession, 4. collection, 5. demonstration, 6. decoration, 7. expression, 8. contribution, 9. supervision, 10. Education
Many dollars, but how much sense?

Comprehension 1. He is the chairman of the USFR. 2. They are trying to help people who have suffered nancially from the recession. 3. It will make more cash available for companies and consumers. 4. Both governments and economists doubt the effectiveness of the plan. 5. Obama thinks the scheme is good for the world as a whole. 6. They will see the value of their savings fall. 7. When the supply of money increases, interest rates decrease. 8. The plan will create an upward cycle of prosperity. 9. Higher interest rates will encourage Americans to invest outside America. 10. The cost of production increases. 11. This always declines when prices go up. 12. Price rises also lead to a slowdown in production. Keywords 1. b, 2. b, 3. b, 4. a, 5. b, 6. b, 7. b, 8. a, 9. b, 10. a, 11. a, 12. a, 13. b, 14. b Word power 1. expenditure, 2. revived, 3. drained out of, 4. upward cycle, 5. effectiveness, 6. competitive, 7. recession, 8. inux, 9. in the short term, 10. plunged
Squeezing them out of the way

Key words 1. b, 2. a, 3. a, 4. b, 5. a, 6. a, 7. b, 8. a, 9. b, 10. a, 11. b, 12. a, 13. a, 14. a Word Power 1. evict, 2. denies, 3. fret, 4. relocation, 5. stepping up, 6. knock down, 7. sprout, 8. transparent, 9. negotiations, 10. indigenous The Lowest of the Low 1. e, 2. a, 3. h, 4. b, 5. g, 6. c, 7. d, 8. f The past is the past 1. cleared, 2. moved out, 3. bought, 4. dismissed, 5. received, 6. took, 7. knocked down, 8. asked, 9. thought A whole new word 1. ageless, 2. cordless, 3. powerless, 4. shapeless, 5. tuneless, 6. toothless, 7. noiseless
Putonghua teaching hits ethnic minorities

Comprehension 1. b, 2. b, 3. a, 4. a, 5. b, 6. b, 7. b, 8. a, 9. a, 10. b
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Ive booked my holiday in Australia although the prices are high. 10. Despite the fact the weather is cold, Im wearing my shorts today. / Im wearing my shorts today although the weather is cold.
Grammar 1. b, 2. j, 3. a, 4. i, 5. c, 6. h, 7. d, 8. g, 9. f, 10. e
Spooky nouns 1. a, 2. e, 3. g, 4. i, 5. d, 6. b, 7. f, 8. j, 9. c, 10. h Comprehension 1. all day 2. impatient and tired 3. we dont know 4. gloomy, sad-looking, scary, huge, dark 5. childhood friends 6. Ushers appearance / what Usher looks like 7. he is suffering from unexplained depression 8. Ushers sister 9. she dies 10. to keep the body in the vault 11. the sound of a heart beating 12. the vault 13. Lady Madeline 14. she had been nailed alive into the cofn 15. he runs out of the house 16. the House of Usher collapses Re-writer! 1. d, 2. g, 3. a, 4. k, 5. i, 6. l, 7. n, 8. j, 9. e, 10. h, 11. f, 12. m, 13. b, 14. c

Key words and phrases 1. b, 2. a, 3. a, 4. a, 5. b, 6. a, 7. a, 8. b, 9. b, 10. a, 11. a, 12. a, 13. b, 14. a, 15. a, 16. a Word power 1. in store, 2. well-off, 3. put off, 4. mass market, 5. an inkling, 6. dip into, 7. its, 8. wrinkled, 9. cram into, 10. derivative Re-writer 1. didnt write, long, 2. doesnt tell, boring, 3. isnt unpopular / old, 4. doesnt have, 5. didnt receive, bad, 6. doesnt have, unclear, 7. dont start, end, 8. didnt enjoy, little, 9. didnt you enjoy, 10. didnt sell well, poorly Comprehension 1. Whats The Iliad? 2. Wheres Maine? 3. Who is Achilles? 4. What did Longfellow do at Harvard? 5. Who was Hiawathas father? 6. Where was Longfellow popular? 7. Is Hiawatha real? 8. What is Harvard? 9. How many copies did Hiawatha sell in the rst few months? 10. Who were Achilles and Odysseus? 1. No. Its been around for centuries. 2. During the Trojan War 3. Poetry snobs. 4. His family was well-off. 5. To focus on his writing. 6. Yes, but in smaller numbers. 7. Ordinary people 8. The Odyssey 9. No, its Mongolian. 10. No, he retired in 1854. Working with English 1. h, 2. e, 3. f, 4. a, 5. d, 6. b, 7. g, 8. c, 9. j, 10. i 1. an opportunity, 2. to concentrate, 3. just 24 hours, 4. a denite rhythm, 5. discover, 6. generally, 7. well-known, 8. the return trip, 9. fame, 10. only
The Stare of the Gorgon

Key words and phrases 1. b, 2. b, 3. a, 4. b, 5. b, 6. b, 7. a, 8. a, 9. b, 10. b, 11. b, 12. a, 13. a, 14. a, 15. a, 16. b Word Power 1. shore, 2. elite, 3. suspect, 4. track down, 5. proposal, 6. worthy of, 7. repugnant, 8. talons, 9. dizzy, 10. hideous Crossword clues 1. tiny, 2. king, 3. horizon, 4. palace, 5. sandal, 6. reection, 7. cave, 8. boulder Ancient Greek Gods and Goddesses 1. father, 2. wife, 3. sun, 4. wisdom, 5. agriculture, 6. wine, 7. love, 8. music, 9. countryside, 10. underworld, 11. sea, 12 messenger Comprehension 1. Mount Olympus 2. Danae, Zeus 3. He wanted to marry his mother. 4. Medusa 5. Her stare turned men to stone. 6. snakes 7. by looking at her reection in his shield, not at her actual face 8. Hermes 9. Hera 10. Aphrodite 11. Dionysus 12. Athene 13. Poseidon 14. Aphrodite
The Importance of Being Earnest

Key words 1. a, 2. b, 3. a, 4. b, 5. a, 6. a, 7. b, 8. a, 9. b, 10. b, 11. b, 12. a, 13. a, 14. a Word power 1. scandal, 2. pillar of the community, 3. over-the-top, 4. dig a hole for yourself, 5. spiralled out of control, 6. witty, 7. fall from favour, 8. an era, 9. amboyant, 10. ruse True or False 1. F, 2. F, 3. T, 4. F, 5. T, 6. T, 7. F, 8. F The reviews are in 2, 5 What shall we see? 1. thriller, 2. comedy, 3. musical, 4. tragedy, 5. farce, 6. tearjerker, 7. history, 8. opera Grammar 1. well-heeled, 2. densely-populated, 3. one-way, 4. ice-cold, 5. best-loved, 6. long-winded, 7. part-time, 8. deeply rooted, 9. middle-aged, 10. free-standing

Key words and phrases 1. a, 2. a, 3. b, 4. b, 5. a, 6. a, 7. b, 8. b, 9. a, 10. b, 11. b, 12. a, 13. a, 14. a Word power 1. supple, 2. dust the cobwebs off, 3. a chunk, 4. incessantly, 5. zany, 6. an instant hit, 7. airs, 8. somersault Say it another way 1. a, 2. b, 3. b, 4. b, 5. b, 6. a Re-writer! 1. Elizabethan / Victorian, 2. 20th / 19th, 3. four / two, 4. Handsome / Mad, 5. serious / funny, 6. adults / children, 7. play / poem, 8. sad / happy, 9. monologue / dialogue, 10. daughter / son, 11. afraid / angry, annoyed, 12. ve / four Grammar 1. board, 2. course, 3. cereal, roll, 4. vein, 5. alter, 6. suite, 7. coarse, vain, 8. hire, 9. role, 10. minor, 11. fare, 12. pair, pear
The Crucible
Key words and phrases 1. b, 2. a, 3. a, 4. b, 5. b, 6. b 7. a, 8. b, 9. b, 10. b, 11. b, 12. a Word power 1. came to a head, 2. notorious, 3. ringleader, 4. swung into action, 5. in league with, 6. prominent, 7. persecution, 8. knock on the door, 9. ruthless, 10. allegory Change the meaning 1. urban, 2. lot, 3. innocent, 4. weak / ineffective, 5. ordinary / unknown, 6. calm, 7. southern, 8. last, 9. unambitious, 10. tells the truth, 11. gained, 12. ends Comprehension 1. b, 2. b, 3. a, 4. b, 5. b, 6. a, 7. a, 8. b, 9. b, 10. a
The Fall of the House of Usher

Key words and phrases 1. a, 2. b, 3. a, 4. a, 5. a, 6. b, 7. b, 8. b, 9. a, 10. b, 11. a, 12. a, 13. a, 14. b Word power 1. tangled, 2. vault, 3. deadly weary, 4. coax, 5. malady, 6. distraught, 7. barely audible, 8. emaciated
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Read my blog
Key words and phrases 1. b, 2. a, 3. b, 4. b, 5. a, 6. a, 7. a, 8. b, 9. a, 10. a, 11. a, 12. a Word power 1. pix, 2. Wi-Fi hotspot, 3. archive, 4. blogger, 5. webcast, 6. forum, 7. bookmark, 8. post, 9. viral, 10. blogosphere Blogging facts 1. a, 2. b, 3. b, 4. b, 5. a, 6. a, 7. a, 8. b Grammar 1. the oldest car, 2. the most intelligent, 3. the most expensive, 4. the highest, 5. the most interesting, 6. the tallest, 7. the most difcult, 8. the most famous, 9. the longest, 10. the most frightening, 11. the most beautiful, 12. the most delicious, 13. the worst, 14. the best
Grammar 1. It would have been easier if we had caught the MTR. 2. It would have been quicker if Uncle John had taken the train. 3. It would have been cheaper if you had bought your ticket online. 4. It would have been tastier if Aunty Mary had used more salt. 5. It would have been more interesting if the students had included some photographs. 6. It would have been more useful if the manufacturers had made it smaller. 7. It would have been more expensive if we had travelled rst class. 8. It would have been better if her boyfriend had told the truth. 9. It would have been more striking if Audrey had picked a different colour. 10. It would have been more sensible if Grandpa had gone to the doctors sooner.
Word power comeback, 2. ride on, 3. letdown, 4. trailing, 5. weight of expectations, 6. thrashed, 7. under-perform, 8. track record Sports talk 1. do, 2. go, 3. play, 4. to take up, 5. go, 6. to give up, 7. to go, 8. to play, 9. to do, 10. to go, 11. to go, 12. taking up, 13. to do, 14. to take up Sports report player, fee, substitute, goal, skill, net, condence, pitch, relieved, drought, pressure, currently, striker
Against the motion 1. recognition, position, 2. worth, external, 3. equality, differentiation, 4. laws, group, 5. focusing / to address, 6. accused / discrimination, 7. compete / support And nally 1. e, 2. b, 3. c, 4. g, 5. j, 6. a, 7. d, 8. f, 9. i, 10. h
Is this the job for you?

Comprehension 1. b, 2. a, 3. b, 4. b, 5. b, 6. a, 7. b, 8. a, 9. b, 10. a, 11. b, 12. a Letter of application Resources, responding, Nursing Times, position, experience, requirements, CV, eld, private, chain, injury, skills, lead, regarding, references Classieds 1. b, 2. a, 3. b, 4. a, 5. b, 6. b Sort out the CV Order: 5, 3, 7, 19, 12, 18, 9, 1, 10, 8, 11, 15, 16, 2, 4, 6, 13, 17, 14, 20
Modern celebrity
Key words and phrases 1. a, 2. a, 3. b, 4. b, 5. b, 6. a True or false? 1. F, 2. T, 3. T, 4. F, 5. F, 6. F, 7. T, 8. F, 9. F, 10. F Questions to ask yourself 1. con, 2. pro, 3. con, 4. pro OR con, 5. pro, 6. pro, 7. con, 8. con, 9. con, 10. pro, 11. pro, 12. con, 13. con, 14. con Getting it together 1. motor accident, 2. to cope, 3. unrealistic, 4. private, 5. favour, 6. talent, 7. to help, 8. satisfying, comfortable, 9. affection, good will, 10. role model
Reviewing the situation

Key words and phrases 1. b, 2. a, 3. a, 4. a, 5. b, 6. a, 7. b, 8. b, 9. b, 10. a, 11. a, 12. a, 13. a, 14. a Word power 1. op, 2. yawn-inducing, 3. glued to my seat, 4. complete turkey, 5. tongue-in-cheek, 6. avoided at all costs, 7. surprise success, 8. To sum up, 9. got bogged down in, 10. an objective Details, details Essential: 2, 4, 5, 10, 12, 13, 14 My review 1. mixture, 2. plot, 3. special effects, 4. evocative, 5. plot twists, 6. phenomenal hype, 7. portrayal, 8. atmosphere, 9. suspense, 10. clichs, 11. hilarious, 12. momentum, 13. poorly, 14. overall quality
For fans, by fans

Key words and phrases 1. a, 2. a, 3. a, 4. b, 5. b, 6. a, 7. b, 8. b, 9. a, 10. a, 11. a, 12. a, 13. a, 14. a, 15. a, 16. a Word power 1. timing, 2. brought to international attention, 3. ambition, 4. commitment, 5. a professional, 6. exibility, 7. driving force, 8. concussion, 9. representing, 10. spectators Which articles? 3, 5, 6, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 16 Portmanteau words 1. streetball, 2. newscast, 3. emoticon, 4. netiquette, 5. shareware, 6. cyborg, 7. spellathon, 8. to skyjack, 9. pixel, 10. webcast On Your Bike 1. b, 2. e, 3. f, 4. h, 5. c, 6. i, 7. b, 8. j, 9. g, 10. d
In business
Key phrases 1. e, 2. h, 3. k, 4. a, 5. l, 6. c, 7. b, 8. g, 9. d, 10. f, 11. i, 12. j Grammar 1. b, 2. b, 3. a, 4. b, 5. b, 6. a, 7. b, 8. b, 9. a, 10. a
Need sexism concern us?

Key words and phrases 1. a, 2. b, 3. a, 4. a, 5. b, 6. b Comprehension 1. prejudice based on gender 2. referring to women 4. a group that monitors others 5. monitors equality in companies 6. sexism, hiring women over men 7. 4:11 9. the people in charge 10. made a sexist comment about having women on boards of companies 11. by not allowing women onto the board 12. it will sort itself out
Rugby wake-up call

Key words and phrases 1. b, 2. b, 3. b, 4. a, 5. b, 6. b, 7. a, 8. a, 9. a, 10. a, 11. a, 12. a, 13. a, 14. a
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A word from our printing partner
CTPS
Printing through the pages of time
TPS are responsible for printing this years NSS Study Companion. They are masters when it comes to printing textbooks, with products covering primary, secondary and university level publications. They have been providing book-printing solutions for 20 years to educational publishers such as Pearson, MacMillan, Oxford University Press and Harcourt. Printing is an industry that is seldom highlighted, yet, if it were not for the printing press many of us would not be able to read today. Before printing presses, books were copied by hand, usually by monks who spent their days bent over manuscripts. Printing was the rst method of mass communication and made reading affordable and available to a large number of people who ordinarily would never be able to afford a handwritten book. Naturally, printing started in China, with the earliest known book dating from 868 CE. But it is thought that printing was happening a long time before this. At that time, whatever was to be printed had to be hand carved into stone or wood, rolled with ink and transferred on to paper. Eventually people invented a
Operator at Print Engine controls.
Bindery line delivers 500 books per hour.
Printing started in China, with the earliest known book dating from 868 CE. But it is thought that printing was happening a long time before this.
way to make moveable type. This allowed printers to pick out letters, or characters, that were already carved, set them in rows to make words or sentences, and then ink them, push the paper on to them and voila! The Koreans were the rst to print a book using moveable type in 1241. In the West, a German by the name of Johannes Gutenberg made metal moveable type that really brought down the time and cost of producing printed text. The rst book he printed in this matter was the Gutenberg Bible. In 1456, Gutenberg also invented a printing press that was really like a giant chop, with paper
held in place to prevent it from slipping and smudging the ink. At the same time, thin metal sheets, or plates, were engraved with whole pages and used to make many, many more copies. The development of printing and printing presses went hand in hand with the devolvement of paper and suitable inks. By 1891, printing presses could print and fold 90,000 four-page papers an hour. Suddenly information was widely accessible to a lot more people. This miracle was made possible by the invention of the rotary web-fed press. Rotary, of course, means turning. These presses carried the images and texts on turning cylinders. Webfed means the paper, instead of being printed in single pages, was fed through the press in a ribbon of one continuous sheet from a giant paper roll. This allowed for the mechanisation of the entire printing process and a great increase in speed. Most modern presses work on
The sci--looking HP T300
this method. But making changes to a page is a lot of work. Presses have to be stopped and a lot of paper is wasted to ensure the colour is correct. CTPS uses this traditional method of high-quality printing for its books. But it has also moved on to colour digital printing, and is the rst printer to install such digital printing machines in Asia. Digital, or ink jet printing uses micro propelled ink jet nozzles to form the images on the pages. The digital way of printing is far more efcient. It
is more cost effective because it cuts out the expense of the metal plates. Presses do not have to stand idle while plates are changed, and paper is not wasted on making adjustments to the colour. Furthermore, removing the need for plates and solvents, reducing paper waste, and relling ink containers makes digital printing far more environmentally friendly than the traditional method. The digital book production process takes only a few hours to produce nished copies this is compared to several days required for the older process. Digital methods also make it easier to tailormake individual copies of a product, including, for example, a company logo or students names These advantages are passed on to the customer, in many cases teachers and parents, and schools and students directly benet from the wonders of technology used at our plant.
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NSS Study Companion

NSS Study Companion 2011-2012

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South China Morning Post Publishers

Social issues level 1

Social issues level 1

Exercises: Beware of deadly u

Social issues level 1

Exercises: Beware of deadly u

A useful bit of grammar

10 Smoking weakens the bodys resistance to infection.

12 I want to listen (of / to) my MP3 player. Where is it?

10 What is the coming seasons u outbreak going to be like? _____________________________________________________________________________

Social issues level 1

Squeezing them out of the way

Hong Kong Today

Social issues level 1

Exercises: Squeezing them out of the way

The lowest of the low

Hong Kong Today

Social issues level 1

Exercises: Squeezing them out of the way

John said, I hate my new job. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

A whole new word

Hong Kong Today

Social issues level 1

Children lose in custody battle

Social issues level 1

Exercises: Children lose in custody battle

Key words and phrases

Social issues level 1

Exercises: Children lose in custody battle

A useful bit of grammar

10 (Educate) _________________________________ is important if you want to succeed in this economic climate.

Social issues level 2

Putonghua teaching hits ethnic minorities I

Social issues level 2

Exercises: Putonghua teaching hits ethnic minorities

Key words and phrases

Social issues level 2

Exercises: Putonghua teaching hits ethnic minorities

Partly this and almost that

Social issues level 2

Many dollars, but how much sense?

Social issues level 2

Exercises: Many dollars, but how much sense?

Key words and phrases

Social issues level 2

Exercises: Many dollars, but how much sense?

+ I appreciate Pauls kindness.

Quite the reverse

+ President Obama disagrees with the plan.

The government will buy bonds. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Social issues level 2

Nuclear energy for HK remains on course T

Energy, technology and the environment

Social issues level 2 Social issues level 2

Key words and phrases

Social issues level 2 Social issues level 2

4 She went to work. She had a bad cold. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Time and time again

The Importance of Being Earnest

Wilde about Oscar