فرنلیش - FCE speaking 2 part 4 grammar article

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SPEAKING 2 Part 4 Farther discussion

In Part 4 of the Speaking test the examiner will ask you questions which are related to the topic in Part 3 . Discuss the following questions on the topic of change.

HOW TO GO ABOUT IT

- Answer the questions fully, giving reasons for your opinions.

- As well as responding to the examiner. you can also interact with your partner, as in Part 3.

- Do you think the quality of life in general is better now than it used to be?

- Some people say we have too much choice nowadays. What do you think?

- How could the education system in your country be improved?

- If you could change one thing in your life, what would it be?

- Some people don't like cnange. Why do you think that is?

- What do you think will be the biggest changes in the next 100 years?

Language focus 2: Articles

A The definite article (the) is most commonly used:

1when there is only one of something, either in existence or in a particular context.

I'd like to speak to the manager, please.

2 when something is mentioned again.

'I've read three novels and two plays by Camus.' 'What did you think of the plays?'

3 when both listener and speaker know what is being referred to.

Hurry up! The film starts in 10 minutes.

4 when talking about a specific aspect of something, where the noun is followed by of.

We're studying the history of architecture.

5 to speak generally about certain groups of singular countable nouns.

The mobile phone is thought to pose a serious threat to health

Animal species : The whale is still hunted by some countries such as Japan.

6 with adjectives referring to general classes of people, e.g the homeless, the blind, the deaf, the rich, the poor, the old, the young, the French, the Spanish

Not enough is being done to help the homeless.

7 with superlatives.

Who is the greatest footballer in the world?

8 with musical instruments.

I'd love to learn to play the piano.

9 with types of transport which have a fixed timetable.

Shall we get the bus or cake a taxi?

10 with some countries, e.g the USA, the UK

11 with oceans, mountain ranges, deserts, rivers, etc, e.g the Atlantic, the Pyrenees, the Sahara, the Thames

12 with some geographical areas.

we're going to the mountains rather than the coast.

B The indefinite article (a/an) is most commonly used:

1 when a singular countable noun is mentioned for the first time.

A man went into a bar with a fish.

2 when referring to any one of several things.

It's quiet in here. Shall I put a record on?

3 when talking about a person's job.

My father is a nuclear scientist.

4 with some numbers, e.g a hundred and one dalmatians, a thousand people, a million pounds

5 when it means 'per' in some expressions, e.g twice a day, 50 miles an hour, £80 a week

C No article is used:

1 when referring to nouns in a general sense.

a Plural countable nouns

Do you think computers will replace teachers?

b Abstract nouns

We sang songs of love and peace.

c Other uncountable nouns

Alan won't eat cheese or meat.

2 with most streets, towns, cities and countries.

I went to Bond Street wizen I was in London.

3 when a town's name is used with a building, e.g Luton Airport, Oxford University.

4 in many common expressions, e.g to go home,

to go to work/ school/ university/ prison/ hospital/ church/ bed/ to go on holiday, to be at home /work / school/university, to be in hospital/ church/ bed/ prison, to go by car/ bus/ coach/ train/ plane, to have breakfast/ lunch/ dinner (but have a meal), at night (but in the morning/afternoon/evening)

1 Read the extract from the article entitled 'A century of change', ignoring the spaces for the moment, and answer the following questions. TALK ABOUT IT

• Which two areas from the speaking activity are mentioned in the extract?

• Which of the changes mentioned in the extract did you discuss in the speaking activity?

2 Now read the extract again and complete each of the gaps with a, an or the, or leave it blank. There is an example at the beginning (0).

3 Read the main rules for the use of articles of the Grammar reference. Then use them to give reasons for each of the answers in exercise 2.

Example: . 0 Section A 4: a specific aspect or part of something; where the noun is followed by of.

Write a/an/-/the

Question No. / 20

A century of change

Since (0)the beginning of the last century there have been enormous changes in the way (1) people live. (2) world has become a much smaller place and (3) life is much faster.
In (4) first half of the twentieth century, (5) horse was gradually replaced by (6) motorcar as (7) most popular form of transport. (8) hundred years ago, (9) air travel was in its infancy; now there are over 90000 commercial flights (10) day worldwide. In the 1940s, (11) steam trains were still a common sight on the world's railways. They have now all but disappeared from mainline routes and in several countries electric-powered high-speed trains can be seen racing across (12) countryside at around 300 kilometres (13) hour.

And (14) information travels faster, too, thanks to developments in information technology, telecommunications and mass media. Having your own computer at (15). home was almost unheard of in 1970, but just 40 years later in 2010 there were well over I . (16) billion personal computers in use worldwide. Invented in 1876, (17) telephone was already fairly widely in use by 1910, with some seven million installed in (18) United States alone. But who could have predicted that a century later an estimated 70 per cent of the world's population would own (19) mobile phone? Commercial television did not really take off until just after (20) Second World War - and we all know how successful that phenomenon has been!

Another area where enormous changes have taken place is ....

Listening 2 part 3

multiple matching

Read the following Listening Part 3 instructions. You will hear five different teachers talking about changes that have been made in their schools. For questions 1-5 , choose from the list A-H what each speaker says. Use the letters only once. There are three extra letters which you do not need to use.

HOW TO GO ABOUT IT

Underline the key words and phrases in the eight options. The first one (A) has been done for you. However, if you hear one of these words or phrases, do not assume that the option which contains them is the answer.

- Listen carefully both times before making your final decision.

Apparently, teenagers need more sleep than the rest of us, so next year we're starting lessons at 10, rather than 9 every day. The head says the kids will be more awake, more receptive during class if they come in an hour later. It's a fairly radical idea and it's attracting a lot of attention from the press. The head's given three newspaper interviews already - all of which goes to confirm my belief that she has her own interests in mind rather than those of the kids. It's just another of her schemes to get publicity for herself. Perhaps I should have spoken out at the consultation meeting, but she's got the support of the whole teaching staff, and they don't care that her motives are all wrong.

I'm really fed up with our head of department. We all are. As well as having absolutely no interpersonal skills, he has a habit of making changes without bothering to find out what anyone else thinks first. He told us in a meeting last week that we're going to be using a different coursebook for Year 8 next term, and he's ordered three class sets already. Now, I'm not saying that a change wasn't necessary - I think we're all a bit tired of the book we're using at the moment - but I do think he could have let us have some say in the matter before going ahead. It's no way to run a department.

I teach maths to as many as two hundred students in one year, so I'm not at all pleased about the changes to report writing. Until now, a student's end-of¬term report consisted of a mark for each subject,and then the class tutor made a summarizing comment at the end. With the new system, each subject teacher has to write a comment as well. It'll take ages! The head says the tutor's comment isn't enough to give parents a full picture of how their child's getting on, but as long as it's carefully written, it's fine. Most parents won't read the comments anyway - they're just interested in the marks. It's a waste of time as far as I'm concerned, and I know the majority of my colleagues feel the same.

The situation in Year 10 is not much better than it was before. Mixing up the classes like that - splitting up thetroublemakers - is a step in the right direction but it doesn't go far enough. They're still there, and they're still causing disruption to lessons. The head should have asked the parents to come in and got the kids to make certain guarantees in front of them, made them promise to improve their behaviour and so on. Then if the promises aren't kept, expel them from the school. We told her that, but she said expelling them would just create problems for other schools. She needs to be much tougher.

There's some building work going on outside the music room, so you can imagine how difficult it is to teach in there. The windows are double glazed, but they're not enough to keep out the noise, so I've been moved - along with my piano - to a room on the other side of the school. Now I've changed rooms many times before, but never to one as bad as this. The ceiling's enormously high and the acoustics are terrible for the piano. Plus I practically have to shout to make myself heard, so my throat is suffering. And then the sun streams in during the afternoon and sends the kids to sleep. I'm telling you, as soon as the work's finished, I'm moving straight back to my old room.

A The change has resulted in a number of new problems.

B Too many changes have been introduced.

C The change is insufficient to solve a problem.

D We should have been consulted about the change.

E The change is being made for selfish reasons.

F Most parents support the change.

G The change has brought unexpected benefits.

H Most of the teachers feel the change is unnecessary

Question No. / 1

Speaker 1

Question No. / 1

Speaker 2

Question No. / 1

Speaker 3

Question No. / 1

Speaker 4

Question No. / 1

Speaker 5

Check your answers using the listening script. Underline those parts of each extract which guide you to the correct answers.

3 One student wrote the following incorrect answers.

1D 2H 3C 4A 5B

Identify the language in each extract which may have caused the student to choose the wrong answer. DO IT NOW

Example : 1 Perhaps I should have spoken out at the consultation meeting.

4 Work in pairs. Tell your partner about two changes which have occurred recently in your life. Describe the reasons for the changes and your attitude towards TALK ABOUT IT

Writing part 1 Essay

1 Read the following Writing Part 1 instructions and the example answer. Do you agree with the writer's conclusion? Why/Why not?

Your English class has been discussing the effect of technology on sport. Now your English teacher has asked you to write an essay.

Write an essay using all the notes and give reasons for your point of view

Essay question

Has the technology made a positive contribution today?

notes

write about:

1- the use of technology to imptove performance

2- the use of technology in refereeing decisions.

3- ....

Has technology made a positive contribution to sport today?

Some people feel that technology has helped to improve our enjoyment of sport and they approve of its use. Others, however, point to the negative aspects and would prefer to see its influence limited.

On the positive side, the use of technology in footbal I to decide if a goal has been scored or not, or in tennis to judge whether the ball is in or out, clearly helps to make the games fairer.Communication between football officials via microphones also improves the quality of their decisions. Another positive influence of technology is its role in increasing safety for competitors. Modern helmet design in cycling is an example of this.

On the other hand, the use of technology to improve performance can give some sportspeople an unfair advantage over others. For this reason, full-length swimsuits and so-called 'superbikes' have now both been banned from some swimming and cycling competitions.

To conclude, I think that as long as sporting achievements remain the result of human effort, rather than scientific advances, then the contribution of technology will always be positive.

2 The third note in the question asks for 'your own idea'. What is the writer's own idea in the example answer?

3 What is the purpose of each of the four paragraphs in the example answer?

Question No. / 8

Match the paragraph and the purposes.

positive aspect of change a general introduction disadvantages of change conclusion

Paragraph 1:

Paragraph 4:

Paragraph 2:

Paragraph 3:

4 a A number of linking devices can be used to express contrasts. Complete the table using an appropriate expression from the example answer.

Question No. / 6

Expressing contrasts

On the positive side On the other hand Others, however

On the one hand

Some people

On the negative side

b Add the following linking devices to the appropriate column in the table below. The three examples all appear in the example answer.

Adding information : Write 1

Expressing result : Write 2

Concluding : Write 3

Question No. / 6

In addition (to this) Consequently

On balance What is more

Furthermore To sum up

Moreover As a result

In conclusion Firstly/Secondly/Finally