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Extra fast finishers

English plus Pre-Intermediate Extra fast finishers • Units 1–3

1–3 Reading P

1 Read the article and tick (✓) the best title a, b or c. Write it at the top of the article.

a Girls prefer cars, boys prefer dollsb Boys prefer cars, girls prefer dollsc Girls and boys like the same toys

2 True, false or doesn’t say? Write T, F or DS.

1 Very young boys and girls are naturally more interested in different toys.2 The research took place around the country.3 There were 36 children in the experiment. 4 The oldest children in the experiment were three years old.5 Girls preferred playing with balls. 6 Boys and girls preferred different colours. 7 The researchers expected to find the differences. 8 Children always copy the things their parents do.

City of London University researchers put a selection of toys a metre from 90 children – aged between nine and 36 months – and studied

which toys the children chose to play with. They found that boys spent more time playing with cars, trucks and balls, while girls spent more time playing with the dolls.

Researchers say the study suggests that young children instinctively prefer toys that are stereotypical of the sexes. The children also showed a preference for different colours.

One of the researchers, Mette Pedersen, said, ‘Boys immediately chose the ball and the black car, and girls went to the teddy bear and the doll. In a separate study, we also found that girls generally preferred lighter colours like pink and the boys liked darker colours, like dark blue and black.’

The team said its study was the first to find consistent differences in the choices children make about toys. Another researcher, Dr Angela Cooper, said, ‘We were surprised to find the differences at such a young age.’

But she added, ‘Children of this age are already experiencing a lot of social conditioning. For example they possibly see their father do ‘car’ things and they see their mother look after other children. But these results show that children instinctively prefer particular kinds of toys.’ So perhaps boys and girls are closer to traditional stereotypes than we imagined.

Boys are naturally more interested in cars and girls are more interested in dolls from a very early age, a study suggests.

EPTRB-PREINT.indb 22 19/07/2011 11:12

23© OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS • PHOTOCOPIABLE


CORONATION STREET

The world’s longest-running soap opera


1–3 Reading

1 Look at the photos of the British soap opera Coronation Street. What do you think the main storylines focus on? Tick (✓) a, b or c.

a social issuesb relationshipsc strong women

Now read the article and check your answer.

2 Write questions for these answers.

1 In December 1960.2 In the fictional area of Weatherfield, near Manchester.3 Thirteen.4 With its strong characters and its sense of community.5 Homes, the local pub, the corner shop and other local businesses. 6 For its strong and independent women characters.7 Only one.8 Ken Barlow.

The British soap opera Coronation Street, which started in December 1960, is the longest-running soap opera in the world. The programme is about everyday life and is set in the fictional area of Weatherfield in a working-class region of north-west England, near Manchester. The series was originally planned to be just thirteen episodes, but its strong characters and its sense of community and social realism immediately won over millions of viewers.

The opening scenes of the programme show typical northern terraced houses and give a strong sense of regional and local identity. The programme and the storylines are based around homes in Coronation Street, the local pub, called the Rovers Return, the corner shop and other local businesses.

While the storylines of many other British soap operas seem to focus on topical or social issues, Coronation Street concentrates on family relationships and friendships. The viewer of Coronation Street is often encouraged to judge the behaviour of a particular character and to take sides with one or other of the characters.

The Street or Corrie, as it is affectionately known, in common with many other soaps, is famous for its independent and assertive women characters. In contrast, the men often seem weak by comparison.

Only one character who was in the very first episode is still in the programme – the character Ken Barlow, who is played by William Roache. Over the years many now-famous actors have appeared in Coronation Street. In addition, many famous writers and directors started their careers on The Street, before moving on to bigger projects.





1–3 Writing P T

1 Read the following posting from Zoe’s blog. Decide if the sentences about Miss Swift are true or false. Write T or F. Correct the false sentences.

1 She is a Maths teacher2 She enjoyed her job.3 She was a boring teacher.4 She only talked about Maths.5 She had favourite students.

2 Tick (✓) the words that describe Miss Swift.

1 clever 5 challenging2 caring 6 confident3 friendly 7 proud4 bossy 8 fantastic

Posted by: Zoe Jones, UKA person who really influenced me is one of my teachers from secondary school, Miss Swift. Miss Swift taught me Maths in Years 9 and 10. She was a clever, open-minded and caring person and she seemed to love what she was doing. She was very friendly, but never too friendly – she was always the teacher and the boss and we were always her students. She was very serious about her subject and she always wanted her students to learn, but she always taught it in an interesting, fun and challenging way. She really made me want to learn and to do well. And, for me at least, she always made us feel confident and proud of what we achieved.

But Miss Swift was more than a teacher. She was a person you could go to with a problem – about Maths or about other things in and out of school – and she always tried to help you find the answer. At the same time, she expected you to make the effort to find out how to do something. She always came across as someone who cared about every student in her class. And she never had any favourite students – we were all her favourites.

Miss Swift was a really fantastic teacher and a great influence on me. And thanks to her, I really enjoy studying and finding out new things.

3 Write a description (150–200 words) of a person who has influenced you (for example, a family member, a friend, a famous person). Answer these questions:

Who is he/she? What’s he/she like? How has he/she influenced you?

A person who has influenced me





1–3 Writing T

1 Read the essay about television. Tick (✓) the themes that are mentioned.

The advantages and disadvantages of televisionMany people all over the world spend a lot of their free time watching television. Although most of us believe that this is bad for us, television has advantages as well as disadvantages.

Firstly, television keeps us informed about current affairs in the world. When we see events on screen, they are more vivid and immediate than in newspapers, books and magazines. Secondly, because there are many factual programmes and documentaries on TV, we can learn a lot and increase our knowledge of the world. It is also a great way to pass the time and relax after a hard day at work or at school.

Television, however, also has some disadvantages.

Firstly, it can make us unsociable. It prevents us from communicating with each other and it can separate us from the real world. Families don’t talk to each other as much as they used to. Also, the influence of television can cause negative behaviour. There are a lot of very negative images on TV, such as violence and crime, and people may copy this.

In conclusion, television is useful to us when we know how to use it. But we need to be careful about what we watch and about how much we watch it.

2 Make notes about the advantages and disadvantages of the Internet. Think about the following ideas.

communication/socialising security/identity theft learning/education reliability/accuracy of information schoolwork/exam practice buying/selling music/films

3 Write an essay (150–200 words) about the advantages and disadvantages of the Internet. Use the essay in Ex.1 to help you. Include this information:

Paragraph 1: IntroductionParagraph 2: Advantages of the InternetParagraph 3: Disadvantages of the InternetParagraph 4: Conclusion

a learning about current affairsb increasing knowledge c recreation and relaxation d watching and learning about sport

e families (not) communicating f copying negative behaviourg being addicted to televisionh people talking about television





1–3 Speaking T

✁

Student A

1 Find out Student B’s personality. Look at the quiz and write complete questions for 1–5 using the correct form of the verbs.

Student B

1 Find out Student A’s personality. Look at the quiz and write complete questions for 1–5 using the correct form of the verbs.

2 In pairs. Ask Student B the questions and tick (✓) his or her answers. Then answer Student B’s questions. Give reasons for your answers.

3 When you both finish, check your results in the score section. Do you agree with the analysis of your personality?

Useful languageI reckon... I (don’t) agree with...I think... I’m not so sure about...

2 In pairs. Answer Student A’s questions. Give reasons for your answers. Then ask Student A your questions and tick (✓) his or her answers.

3 When you both finish, check your results in the score section. Do you agree with the analysis of your personality?

Useful languageI reckon... I (don’t) agree with...I think... I’m not so sure about...

Find out your true personality!

1 Which kind of films/you/prefer?

a romance b horror films c dramas

2 What/be/more important to you?

a buying a lovely house and living there

b travelling around the world

c changing the world

3 In your free time, you/prefer…?

a going shopping

b playing on your computer

c organising things in your bedroom

4 When you’re at school, you/enjoy…?

a staring out of the window

b teasing your friends

c listening to your teachers

5 Which of these activities/you/prefer?

a a picnic by the river

b bungee-jumping

c visiting a museum

Find out your true personality!1 Which/you/think is the better job?

a an artist b a politician c a scientist

2 When you choose a book, you/prefer…?

a books that make you cry

b books that frighten you

c books that teach you things

3 Your parents are watching a romance on TV. What/you/do?

a sit next to them with a box of tissues

b read a book

c make jokes about the film

4 You want to make the world a better place. What/you/do?

a volunteer for a charity

b protest against things at marches

c organise a campaign

5 At school, you/generally…?

a dream in the classroom

b do silly things in the classroom

c learn new things

Your scoresMostly as: You should sometimes think more with your head than your heart. You aren’t very practical. Are you too much of a dreamer?Mostly bs: The world isn’t crazy enough for you. You’re happiest when you’re doing something mad or scary. You are determined, confident and active.Mostly cs: You’ve got a great brain and a great future. You are clever and sensible. But don’t forget to have fun!

Your scoresMostly as: You should sometimes think more with your head than your heart. You aren’t very practical. Are you too much of a dreamer?Mostly bs: The world isn’t crazy enough for you. You’re happiest when you’re doing something mad or scary. You are determined, confident and active.Mostly cs: You’ve got a great brain and a great future. You are clever and sensible. But don’t forget to have fun!





1–3 Speaking P T

Student A

1 In pairs. Look at the picture. Describe your picture to Student B and describe what the family is like. Find ten differences between your pictures.

2 In pairs. Tell your partner how you and your family typically spend your evenings.

Do you generally do things together as a family in the evenings?

What kinds of things do you do?

Do you watch TV together? Which programmes do you

watch? Is the scene in the picture

typical of what you and your family do in the evenings?

What is a typical family scene in your home?

✁

Student B

1 In pairs. Look at the picture. Describe your picture to Student A and describe what the family is like. Find ten differences between your pictures.

2 In pairs. Tell your partner how you and your family typically spend your weekends.

Do you generally do things together as a family at the weekend?

What kinds of things do you do?

Do you go out together? Where do you go? Is the scene in the picture

typical of what you and your family do at weekends?

What is a typical family scene in your home?

Useful languageIt’s raining… On the left/right…The mother/father has got… In the background…The son/daughter… There is/are…

Useful languageIt’s raining… On the left/right…The mother/father has got… In the background…The son/daughter… There is/are…


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