By Pamela Linwood

Class
in
The World Conker Championships [A2 PRE-INTERMEDIATE]

GETTING STARTED
A - Before you start
Answer the questions with a partner.
1) Are there any horse chestnut trees near your house?
2) Do people in your area collect horse
chestnuts? If so, what do they use them for?

B Read and answer

Read these incomplete statements. Then, without
reading, complete them.
1) The World Conker Championships is organised
by the Ashton Conker _______ .
2) This year the event is on _______ of October.
3) You cannot eat conkers because they taste
______ .
4) The childrens game of conkers began in the
_______ century.
5) The first conker competition was organised in
1965 by a group of _______.
6) At the last Championships, there were over
________ competitors from abroad.
7) The game is played by ________ players.
8) If your conker doesnt break, you are the _______.
C Read and answer
Read the article and answer the questions
1) What do you have to do to horse chestnuts before
they can be eaten by animals?
2) What do you have to do to the nut before you can
play conkers with it?
3) Why do some people think the word conker
comes from conch (shell)?
4) Why did the group of friends have a conker
competition instead of going fishing?
5) What else takes place at the World Conker
Championships?
6) What happens to the money thats made?
7) Whats the secret of winning, according to Ray
Kellock?
8) What do children do to their conkers?
9) Why is it impossible for players to do the same at
the Championships?
D Learn it! Use it!
Complete these sentences with words from the
glossary. (You may have to adapt the expression in
some way, e.g. change the verb tense, or change
from plural to singular.)
1) I won this T-shirt in a church _______ , but it
isnt my size.
2) Do you like oil, salt and _______ on your
salad?
3) This bread is only partly cooked. You have to
_______ it in a hot oven for 10 minutes.
4) Your rugby socks are very dirty. You need to
_______ them in hot water before putting them in
the washing machine.
5) Dont pick those red berries. Theyre _______ .
6) I found this antique vase on a _______ at
Portobello market.

Answers on page 6 one 1

7) If youre cold, _______ my jacket round your AFTER YOU READ

shoulders. F Check your pronunciation

8) The little boy _______ his classmate on the Underline the stressed syllable in each of
nose and _______ his glasses. these words.
event inedible confuse processes
KET EXAM PRACTICE challenge origin artisan institute
E Ready for KET? (Paper 1, Part 5) technique vinegar
Choose the best word for each space
The World Conker Championships 1________ G Talk about it
(has/take/takes) place every year near the market In pairs or groups.
town of Oundle 2________ (on/in/at) the second 1) What playground games did you play with
Sunday in October. The aim of the event is not friends when you were a child?
3
________ (alone/just/sole) to find the conker 2) Did you ever play with conkers?
champion of the world, but 4________ (too/so/
also) to collect money for charity. H Write about it
Last time, the club 5________ (could/managed/ Write about a traditional game
able) to collect 20,000. that children play in Spain.
Anyone who would 6________ (want/desire/like) - Where is it played?
to enter the competition should 7________ (fill/ - How many people can
write/compile) in an entry form and send it to the play it?
Ashton Conker Club. All entries, together with the - What are the rules?
10 entry fee, must get 8________ (at/to/in) the - Do you know how it
Conker Club by October 1st. originated?

Gothic Whitby [B1 INTERMEDIATE]

GETTING STARTED
A - Before you start
Answer the questions with a partner.
1) What do you know about goths?
2) Do you have a name for them in Spanish?
3) Do you like stories about vampires?
4) Have you read Bram Stokers novel Dracula?

READING
B Read and answer
Read the main article and the information boxes and
answer the questions.
1) What features of Whitby make it seem dark
and mysterious?
2) What are the origins of the goth subculture?
3) How did a part of Dracula come to be set in Whitby?
4) What kind of clothes do goths wear at the
Gothic Weekend?
5) Where can these things be bought?
6) Why are the Gothic Weekends held in Whitby
rather than in other towns?

2 two
7) What could Bram Stoker see from the Royal
Hotel?
8) What kind of jewellery was very fashionable
during Victorian times? Can you imagine why?
C Read and answer (Optional)
N.B. This interview is graded as B2, so dont
be discouraged if you find it difficult. Try to
understand the main points.
Read these statements. Then, without reading, write
T (true) or F (false).
1) Elaine was born in Whitby.
2) She sells goth clothes.
3) She says Whitby is a lively place only during the
Gothic Weekend festival.
4) The people of Whitby are very inquisitive.
5) Not all goths wear dark colours.
6) Elaine says stompy goths are the ones who
dress very formally.
D Read and check your answers
Listen to the interview while reading the text.(If
you did Exercise C, check your answers while
reading.)
E Learn it! Use it!
Complete these sentences with words from the
glossary. (You may have to adapt the expression
in some way, e.g. change the verb tense or
change from plural to singular.)
1) Is Sue going to wear a skirt and blouse to her
job interview, or a ________ ?
2) When our ship arrived in Crete, we went
________ and visited the island.
3) Theres a beautiful view of the sea from the
path that runs along the top of the ________ .
4) One night the vicar heard mysterious noises
coming from the ________ behind the church.
5) The tablets the doctor gave me are so big that
its difficult to ________ them.
6) Since I moved to France,
I use the Internet to _______
_______ on all the UK
news.
7) My grandmothers sheets
all had fine ________ around
the edges.
8) The victim was stabbed
_______ _______ with a
kitchen knife.
Class
in
PET EXAM PRACTICE
F Ready for PET? (Paper 1, Writing: Part 1)
Complete the second sentence with 1 to 3 words
so that it means the same as the first. (They are
constructions used in the article.)
1) A thick fog swallows the smell of fish and chips.
The smell of fish and chips __________________
a thick fog.
2) Thousands of figures wearing black costumes
emerge from the gloom.
Thousands of figures dressed _______________
emerge from the gloom.
3) Goths from lots of different countries descend
on the town.
Goths from around ________________descend on
the town.
4) The goth subculture developed at the end of
the 1970s.
The goth subculture developed in _____________
1970s.
5) Bram Stoker wrote part of his famous novel
Dracula in Whitby.
Bram Stoker stayed in Whitby while he
______________ his famous novel Dracula.
6) He got such inspiration from the atmosphere of
Whitby that he set part of his book here.
He was _________________ by the atmosphere
of Whitby that he set part of his book here.
7) A friend asked my partner to wear his suit of armour.
A friend asked my partner if he
_________________ his suit of armour.
three 3
8) Theres a dark atmosphere; however, the 4) What styles are considered fashionable at the
Gothic Weekends are great fun. moment by your age group?
The Gothic Weekends are great fun, _________ if 5) How would you describe your style of
theres a dark atmosphere. dressing?

AFTER YOU READ AND LISTEN H Write about it

G Talk about it Write about a festival that takes place regularly in
In pairs or groups. your area?
1) Do you like the way goths dress? Why (not)? - Who is it for?
2) Have you got any friends who dress like that? - Where does it take place?
3) Do you think its important to follow fashion? - How often?
Why (not)? - What happens there?

Culture Wars Cold or Passionate? [B2 UPPER INTERMEDIATE]

GETTING STARTED
A - Before you start
Answer the questions with a partner.
1) How would you describe your character?
2) Do you usually show your emotions?
3) If so, do you think this is a good thing? Why
(not)?

READING
B Read and answer
Read these incomplete statements and choose the
correct answer.
1) The author thinks that the stereotypes of
Northern Europeans and Southern Europeans
a) are often correct.
b) are totally unreliable.
c) are not always reliable.
2) She says that the differences between
cultures lie more in
a) the intensity of peoples feelings.
b) how people express their feelings.
c) the sincerity of peoples feelings.
3) In Britain, emotional behaviour is considered a) are more likely to commit suicide than young women.
normal for b) are less likely to commit suicide than young women.
a) footballers. c) are more likely to commit suicide than elderly men.
b) politicians. 6. Americans
c) footballers and politicians. a) never talk about their feelings.
4) According to the author, keeping calm in the b) talk about their feeling less than the British
face of problems c) dont mind talking about their feelings.
a) is always the best policy. 7) British people
b) can sometimes cause problems. a) find it hard to laugh at themselves.
c) is never advisable. b) often use humour to express their emotions.
5) Statistics show that young men c) may misunderstand ironic language.

4 four
8) People from neutral cultures
Class
in

a) dont shout and gesticulate unless they are

really angry.
b) become aggressive after a minor road accident.
c) never scream at each other.

C Read and answer

Read the article and answer the questions.
1) What example does the author give of mad
behaviour?
2) Where did the slogan Keep calm and carry
on come from?
3) What caused Catherine Zeta-Joness nervous
breakdown, according to her husband?
4) Why are boys more prone to suicide than girls?
5) How do members of affective cultures
sometimes misinterpret understatements?
6) How do members of neutral cultures
sometimes misinterpret the shouting of members
of affective cultures?

D Learn it! Use it!

Complete these sentences with words from the
glossary. (You may have to adapt the expression
in some way, e.g. change the subject or the verb

tense.)
1) Whenever I eat fish, I manage to get a fishbone
stuck in my ________.
2) We heard the manager and his assistant having
a ________ discussion over the new schedule.
3) If this months sales ________ are correct, the
new product is a great success.
4) Bill cant afford a flat of his own so he
________ one with two colleagues.
5) The winner of the contest is the one who
________ the highest number of points.
6) My grandmother was very calm, _________ my
grandfather was an extremely excitable person.
7) The boys only have one computer between
them so they ______ ______ to use it.
8) The singers biography says hes American, but
________ he was born in Canada.
FCE EXAM PRACTICE
E Ready for FCE? (Paper 3:
Use of English, Part 4)
Complete the second sentence so that it has a
similar meaning to the first sentence, using the word
given. Do not change the word given. Use between
2 and 5 words, including the word given.
GTres
Example: It is thought that British people are often
cold and unfeeling.
TEND
It is thought that British people tend to be cold and
unfeeling.
1) We shouldnt take too much notice of the old
stereotype.
PAY
We shouldnt ____________________________ to
the old stereotype.
2) The difference lies in the amount of emotion
they display.
HOW
The difference lies in _______________________
they display.
3) Neutral cultures feel uncomfortable with an
excessive amount of physical contact.
TOO
Neutral cultures feel uncomfortable with
_________________ physical contact.
4) Of course, this changes according to context.
DEPENDS
Of course, this __________________ context.

five 5
5) In these cultures, people disapprove of histrionics. FIND
ARE Members of affective cultures _________________
In these cultures, histrionics ____________________ release emotion in this way.
6) You can now find the poster on the walls of
many offices. AFTER YOU READ

BE F Talk about it
The poster ___________________ on the walls of In pairs or groups.
many offices. 1) Do you agree that fundamentally people
7) Michael Douglas felt his wifes breakdown was everywhere feel the same emotions? Why (not)?
a result of her character. 2) Do you think there is an element of truth in
BLAMED national stereotypes?
Michael Douglas _______________________ her 3) If so, in which ones?
character. 4) Have you ever been in a situation in
8) Its hard for members of affective cultures to which cultural differences have caused a
release emotion in this way. misunderstanding? If so, what happened?

Answers sic, a raffle and the stalls of local

artisans. 6) It goes to the Royal
National Institute for the Blind. 7)
THE WORLD CONKER He says it depends where and
CHAMPIONSHIPS how you strike the conker. 8)
B Listen and answer They soak their conkers in vinegar
1) Club 2) 14th 3) bitter and they bake them in the oven.
4) 19th 5) friends 6) 50 9) Because the Conker Club pro-
7) two 8) winner vides the conkers

C Read and answer D Learn it! Use it!

1) You have to boil them. 2) You
have to make a hole through the
middle of the nut and thread a
string through it. 3) Because the
original game used snail shells.
4) Because it was raining/it was a
wet weekend. 5) Theres live mu-
1) raffle 2) vinegar 3) bake
4) soak 5) inedible/bitter 6) stall
7) wrap 8) struck smashed
E Ready for KET?
1) take 2) on 3) just 4) also
5) managed 6) like 7) fill 8) to
F Check your pronunciation
event inedible confuse
processes challenge
origin artisan institute
technique vinegar

GOTHIC WHITBY
B Read and answer
1) The fog that comes in from the
North Sea and the abbey on the
cliffs that dominates the area.
2) It developed from the punk mu-
sic scene. 3) Bram Stoker stayed
in Whitby while he was writing the
novel and he was inspired by the
atmosphere of the town. 4) They
wear Victorian clothes, black lace,

6 six
rubber suits and chains. 5) In
Whitbys goth shops or at the Bi-
zarre Bazaar market. 6) Because
Whitby is a very tolerant town and
the goths and the locals mix hap-
pily. 7) He could see the East cliff
with its 199 steps leading to St
Marys Church and graveyard.
8) Jewellery made from jet, a shiny
black semi-precious stone. It
became fashionable in Victorian
times because for many years after
her husband (Prince Albert) died,
CULTURE WARS COLD OR
PASSIONATE?
B Read and answer
1) c 2) b 3) a 4) b 5) a
6) c 7) b 8) a
C Read and answer
1. Shouting and gesticulating
while having a phone conversa-
tion using an earphone. 2) It
came from a propaganda poster
produced in 1939 by the Brit-
ish government. 3) Her stiff-
upper-lipped attitude to his throat
cancer. 4) Because of their ten-
dency to bottle up emotion rather
than expressing it.
5) They dont always realise they
are intended ironically.
6) They sometimes think the peo-
Queen Victoria only wore black
Class
in
jewellery.
D Listen, read and check your D Learn it! Use it!
answers 1) dress 2) ashore 3) cliff(s)
1) F She moved to Whitby. 2) T 4) graveyard 5) swallow 6) catch
3) F She says there are festivals up 7) lace 8) to death
all through the year. 4) F When
her partner wore a suit of armour F Ready for PET?
in the street, nobody looked twice. 1) is swallowed by 2) in black
5) T 6) F They dress very casu- (costumes) 3) the world/globe
ally. They wear baggy trousers, 4) the late 5) was writing 6) so
chains and T-shirts. inspired 7) would wear 8) even
GTres
ple shouting are really angry and E Ready for FCE?
about to start a fight. 1) pay too much attention
2) how much emotion 3) too
D Learn it! Use it! much 4) depends on
1) throat 2) heated 3) figures 5) disapproved of 6) can now
4) shares 5) scores 6) where- be found 7) blamed his wifes
as 7) take turns 8) actually breakdown on 8) find it hard to
seven 7