Unit 1
Active reading 1
4 Match the words and expressions in the boxwith their definitions. 1 to make a sincere statement that you are telling the truth (swear)
2 a piece of flesh that connects bones and moves a particular part of yourbody (muscle)
3 to make you admire or respect someone (impress) 4 to drink in small amounts (sip)
5 a period of time between two events (gap)
6 to arrive somewhere and give your personal details to the person workingat the reception desk (check in)
5 Replace the underlined words with thecorrect form of the words and expressions in the box.
1 There was only just enough room for two people. (barely)
2 Be careful or you’ll accidentally pour your drink down your clothes. (spill) 3 He was completely unaware of what to do in the library. (ignorant) 4 She was very clever and got excellent grades. (intelligent) 5 You write your name on the list to join the club. (sign up) 6 She tells me that she’s definitely read the book. (assures) She assures me that she’s read the book.
7 I need to go and buy some tea, I have finished it all. (run out of) I need to go and buy some tea, I have run out of it. 6 Answer the questions about the words andexpressions.
1 Is a warden likely to be (a) a teacher at the college, or (b) someonewho looks after the hall of residence?
2 Is a tutor likely to be (a) a teacher, or (b) astudent?
3 If you go along somewhere, do you (a) go to aplace and join other people there, or (b) walk a long way to get to a place?
4 If you rent out a room, do you (a) paint and decorate it, or (b) allow itto be used by someone who pays you regularly to use it?
Active reading 2
Dealing with unfamiliar words
4 Replace the underlined words with thecorrect form of the words in the box. 1 When he speaks, people notice that he sounds Irish. (detect)
2 Frank McCourt had read a lot of books which was deserving respect consideringhe had no high school education. (admirable)
3 You can tell the students on the underground trains by the number ofbooks they carry. (subways)
4 The woman in the admissions office suggests that his European educationis not good enough.
(inadequate)
5 The professor was writing very quickly in his notebook. (scribbling)
6 Many immigrants came to America to escape extremely bad treatmentbecause of their race, religion or political beliefs in their own countries. (persecution) 5 Answer the questions about the expressions.
1 I’m in heaven Does this mean I’m (a) delighted, or (b)unhappy?
2 ideas don’t drop fully formed from the skies Does this mean thatideas (a) need to be developed with careful thinking, or (b) areimmediately created through good teaching?
3 in the long run Does this mean (a) at a timein the future, or (b) with a great deal of effort?
4 frighten the life out of someone Does this mean (a) to makesomeone very ill, or (b) to make someone extremely afraid andnervous? Language in use with / without
1 Match the sentences with the uses of with /without . 1 (a) 2 (b) 3 (a) 4 (c) 5 (c) 6 (d)
2 Rewrite the sentences using with / without.
1 Her tutor moves his head from side to side. He spills his coffee intothe saucer. With his head moving from side to side, her tutor spills his coffee intothe saucer. 2 “Splendid,” he says. He doesn’t wait for an answer. “Splendid,” he says, without waiting for an answer. 3 Frank McCourt speaks in class. He has an Irish accent. Frank McCourt speaks in class with an Irish accent.
4 He plans to go on the subway. He has the books covered in purple andwhite NYU jackets.
He plans to go on the subway with the books covered in purple and whiteNYU jackets. 5 He’s only allowed to take two courses. He isn’t told why. He’s only allowed to take two courses without being told why.
6 He would like to ask a question. He doesn’t like to raise his hand. He would like to ask a question without raising his hand. collocations
3 Read the explanations of the words andexpressions. Answer the questions.
1 climb When you climb into / out of / throughsomething, you do it with difficulty. (a) So why does the writer’s father climb out of the room? Because the room is very small. (b) Why would you climb into bed?
You would climb into bed if you are so tired that it feels like a hugeeffort. (c) If you climb through a hole, what do you do with your body? You would probably need to bend over, and crawl through the hole. 2 spill This word usually suggests several ideas: liquid,accidentally, movement and out of control.
(a) What has happened if you’ve spilt coffee all over your desk?
You have accidentally knocked over a cup / mug and the coffee has gone(uncontrolled) all over the desk.
(b) What has happened if toys spilt out all over the carpet?
The toys are in a container, such as a box, and either the box is too fullso some toys are falling out
onto the carpet, or the box has been tipped over so most of the toys havefallen out of the box.
(c) What might be happening if crowds were spilling out of the bars andrestaurants? Many people would be leaving the bars and restaurants all at once,probably because they were closing for the night.
3 join When you join something, you become part of it. Thewriter joins a queue, and several clubs.
(a) When might someone join a band?
When they can play a musical instrument and want to play with others. (b) What has happened if you join the unemployed? You have lost your job and become unemployed. (c) What do you do when you join in?
You do the same activity that most other people are doing.
4 burst into This phrase suggests that something suddenly happens,or someone suddenly starts doing something.
(a) What does the writer suddenly start doing when she bursts intotears? The writer suddenly starts crying. (b) What bursts into bloom?
Flowers, when they emerge from buds.
(c) What do you do when something bursts into flames?
Put out the flames immediately if you can, or keep well clear and call theemergency services (the fire brigade).
5 clean This word usually suggests several ideas: not dirty, notillegal or wrong, without problems, inoffensive.
(a) If you’ve got a clean licence, what have or haven’t you done?
This refers to a driving licence. It means that you have been drivingsafely or at least you have no
penalty points on the licence – a person gets such points as a punishmentafter breaking the law on
the roads, eg speeding or causing an accident, and the licence then has anote on it (it’s not “clean”)
and the police have a record.
(b) If you use clean language, what do you avoid saying?
You avoid using swear words or other examples of bad language.
(c) If something has a clean bill of health, is it healthy orworking correctly?