3 Reading & Writing

UNIT

Part 1

Vocabulary & Speaking

Books and reading Vocabulary and Speaking
1 Look at the photos of different things
Reading
that people read. Match the words to the
Important world
pictures.
libraries
best-seller    bookshop    dictionary    the Royal Library of Alexandria.
Pronunciation
e-book reader    hardback    library   
Regular past simple
paperback
a 5 The British Library opened in the 20th
2 Work in pairs. Choose three questions to
ask your partner.
• Do you usually read paperbacks or
hardbacks?
• Do you buy books at a bookshop or

online?
• Do you have an e-book reader? If not,
would you like to have one?
• Do you normally buy best-sellers?
• Do you have an English dictionary?
What do you like / dislike about it?
Reading
1 Read the texts on page 31 and complete
b with the missing phrases.
the biggest library in the world
the first free public lending library
the largest and most important library of the
ancient world
c d
2 Read again and decide if the sentences
are true or false.
1 The same library is open in Alexandria
today.
2 Some people say Julius Caesar destroyed
3 The Boston Public Library is not in the
original building.
4 It is the biggest library in the US.
century.
6 It doesn’t only have books.
3 Discuss in pairs.
• Do you ever go to a library?
• Is there an important library in your
country? Have you ever visited it?
• Do you think libraries will be the same or

different in the future?
• Do you think the state should spend
money on public libraries?
Extend your vocabulary
– lend and borrow
We lend something when we give it
temporarily to another person.
We borrow something when we take it
temporarily from another person.
Complete the following examples with the
correct verb.
1 Hundreds of people ___________ books
from the library every week.
2 Can you ___________ me your dictionary
for a minute?
3 A: Oh no, I’ve left my money in the office.
B: Don’t worry. I can ___________ you ten
pounds until this afternoon.
4 Can I ___________ your mobile? My
battery’s flat.

e f

30 Unit 3 Reading
 The Royal Library of Alexandria was
. It opened
in the 3 century BC. At one time it had
rd

between 400,000 and 700,000 scrolls. People

Pronunciation
1 1.31 Listen to some sentences from
the text. Tick (✔) the verbs that have an
extra syllable in the past tense.
1 open – opened
2 start – started
3 happen – happened
4 move – moved
5 decide – decided
2 Practise saying the verbs and the past
tense forms.
3 1.32 How do you pronounce the
past tense of these verbs? Listen to check.
asked    discovered    hated    finished
listened    loved    needed    started
wanted    worked
than any other library. It has 14 million books, documents in almost
disagree about how the library was destroyed.
Some people say Julius Caesar started a fire in
the port which spread to the library; others say it
happened many years later. The Egyptians opened a
new library in the same place in 2002.
The Boston Public Library in Boston, Massachusetts opened
in 1854. It was opened because of the work of local politicians
and academics who wanted all people to be able to read books.
It was in the United States.
In 1895 the library moved to its current location. It now has a
collection of nearly 9 million books and is the second largest library
in the US.
The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom.
Parliament decided to start the library in 1972 and it opened
a year later. It’s a very new library but it is very big: it is
with more books and documents
every world language and many sound and video recordings.

a  Boston Public Library b  Royal Library of Alexandria

c  British Library d  Scrolls

Reading Unit 3 31
 3 Reading & Writing
UNIT

Part 2

Vocabulary
Parts of a house &
Vocabulary and Reading Grammar
objects in a house 1 Divide the words into parts of a house 1 Write the past simple of the verbs in the
and objects you find in the house. box. All the verbs are in the text.
Reading
The Secret Garden carpet    corridor    a fire    front door    begin    drive    find    follow    lead   
hall    a light    mirror    paintings open    pull    say    see
Grammar
room    stairs    table    upstairs    wall
Past simple & past
continuous 2 Put the verbs into two groups, regular
2 Which things can you see in the pictures and irregular. How do you pronounce the
Writing on page 33? regular verbs?
A short story
3 1.33 Read and listen to the extract Mrs Medlock opened the door.
from The Secret Garden on page 33 and While they were driving, they saw a light.
number the pictures in order according to I was reading my book when the phone rang.
the text.
• use the past simple to talk about
4 The extract says that Mary felt “small completed actions in the past
and lost”. Underline words or expressions • use the past continuous to talk about an

which you think contribute to this feeling. action in progress in the past
• the past continuous is common with
the past simple when one action
interrupts another
Treasure Island
 (Robert Louis Stevenson) 3 Read the start of some other famous
children’s novels and complete with the past
Jim Hawkins (work) simple or past continuous.
in his parents’ hotel when a
mysterious old sailor G  rammar focus – explanation & more
G
practice of past simple and past continuous on
(arrive). page 136

Alice’s Adventures in Gulliver’s Travels

Wonderland (Lewis Carroll)  (Jonathan Swift)
Alice (walk) in the Lemuel Gulliver (travel) by
garden when she (fall) sea when his ship (sink).
down a rabbit-hole into a world of His adventures (start) on
adventure. the island of Lilliput.

Swallows Anne
and Amazons of Green Gables
 (Arthur Ransome)  (Lucy Maud Montgomery)
The children of the Walker family When Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert
(spend) their summer (decide) to adopt a boy to
holiday near a lake. One day, when work on their farm there
they (sail) their boat, (be) a mistake. The orphanage
they (meet) two other (send) Anne Shirley, a girl
children who also loved sailing.  who (live) there.
32 Unit 3 Reading
 They drove on through the darkness until
at last Mary saw a light in the distance. Mrs
Medlock saw it at the same time “We’re
nearly there now,” she said.

At last the carriage pulled up in front of

The Secret
a long, low-built house. Most of it was
Garden is a classic of
English children’s literature. in darkness, but there was a light
It was published in 1911 in one of the upstairs rooms. Mary
and tells the story of Mary, an followed Mrs Medlock through the
orphan who is sent to live with
large wooden front door into the hall.
her uncle. It is a story about
loneliness, friendship and It was a very large room and the walls
self-discovery. were covered with paintings of people
who had lived a long time ago. But it was
so dark in the hall that Mary found it quite
frightening to look at the paintings. She
suddenly felt very small and lost.

“I’ll take you to your room now,” said Mrs

Medlock. She led Mary up some stairs,
down a long corridor, up some more stairs
and along two more corridors. Then she
opened a door into a room. There was a
fire burning in the room, and there was
some dinner on the table.

“Here you are,” said Mrs Medlock. “You will

live here and in the rooms next door. And
you must stay in these rooms. Don’t forget
that!”

And that is how Mary began her life at

Misselthwaite Manor.

The author, Frances Hodgson Burnett

(1849–1924), was born in England but emigrated
to the US with her family at the age of 16.
She began writing to earn money
after her father died.

Writing
1 Read the opening sentences from
three short stories.
Mark was sitting in the most comfortable armchair when he heard the strange
noise again.
It was dark now and it was raining heavily when suddenly the lights went out.
As she was waiting to get on the plane she got the strangest phone call.

2 Choose one of the sentences and continue the story. Write three or
four more sentences.

3 Work in pairs. Swap your stories and add another sentence to your
partner’s story. Then return the story to your partner.
Reading Unit 3 33
 3 Reading & Writing
UNIT
Part 3
Speaking & Reading
Things people write Speaking and Reading
1 Think about the things you write in your
Listening
everyday life. Write two lists.
Writing now and in
the past 1 The things you write by hand.
2 The things you write using some type of
Grammar machine or electronic device.
Used to
2 Compare with your partner.
Speaking 3 Read about three different types of
What you write writing. What are they? Choose from the
list in the box.
blog    diary    doing exams    email   
letters    lists    notes    poetry   
social networking    taking notes in a lecture   
telephone messages    texts    Twitter
A is a type of website.
They are normally interactive: one
person writes and the people who read
can post their comments. For some
people they are like a type of online
diary; for people like politicians they are
a form of public communication. They
started in the 1990s and the name
comes from a mixture of the words
web and log.
The first electronic mail message was
sent in 1971, but people didn’t start
using the name until
1982. At first it was a way for different
computer technicians to communicate,
but now 600 million people worldwide
use their computers to write this type
of message.
34 Unit 3 Writing
The first computer-to-phone
communication took place in 1992
and was quickly followed by phone-to-
phone. Using mobile phones for this
written form of communication became
increasingly popular through the first
decade of the 21st century. In Britain
and the US, people talk about sending
but in many other
countries the term SMS (short message
service) is used.
4 Read again. What can you say about the
name of each type of communication?
Listening
1 1.34 Listen to two people talking
about this subject. Which three types of
writing from the box do they not mention?
2 Listen again. Which speaker:
1 uses writing to communicate with his
children?
2 uses a diary and lists at work?
3 has a physical problem with writing?
4 doesn’t like social networking?
5 used a blog when travelling?
6 uses his phone instead of writing?
3 1.35 Listen to the speakers again.
Which of these three questions are they
answering now?
1 How often do you write?
2 What did you write in the past that you
don’t write now?
3 Do you like writing?
Grammar Speaking
1 Work in pairs. Look at the pictures of
When I was 14 I used to write a diary every different types of writing. Talk about each
night. one in turn. Say:
We didn’t use to speak on the phone.
My mum used to make me write things. If you write it now
If you used to write it in the past
• use used to to talk about regular actions
2 Finally say which two types of writing
in the past which don’t happen now
are the most important for you.
• use used to to talk about situations in
the past which aren’t true now
• the negative of used to is didn’t use to

1 Look at the picture and rewrite the

sentences with used to.

Classrooms in the past were very different

from how they are now.
Classrooms in the past used to be very
different from how they are now.
1 The teachers wrote in chalk on a
blackboard.
2 The teachers didn’t have whiteboards or
data projectors. 1
3 The schoolchildren used small
blackboards called slates.
4 There weren’t any computers in the Reading and Listening
Circle
1 Look at the addresses.
classrooms. the postcodes.

2 1.14 Listen and correct

the
•   The postcode is part
 of your 
2
address. 
postcodes.

2 Make questions with did and use to. Add

is zip code.
postcodes. Are •   In the US, the word 
3 Read the text about
false (F)?
the sentences true (T) or d Russia 
•   In Australia, China an
1 In Britain the
word is zip code.

two more questions. 2 In

3 S2
Russia
67X is
the
an
postcod
Austral
e is a number.
ian postcode.
the postcode is a number. 

•   In Britain the postcod
e is 
ester postcode.
4 B6 7TT is a Manch
numbers and letters. The  3
1 Where you Language note:
use an before a vowel
sound: an address;
first letter is the city: 
L4 0TH is a Liverpool 

go to school?
e
an Australian postcod
postcode (Liverpool 
your postcode? is L). G53 6XW 
4 Work in pairs. What’s

What you
is a Glasgow 
Tell your partner.
2 5 Work in pairs. A: turn
to page 96.
postcode 
e saying (Glasgow 

write with?
B: turn to page 100. Practis
is G). 
postcodes.
Writing and 4

3 Which subject you Grammar

What’s the postcode?
Speaking
Work in pairs. Ask your
te
partner questions to comple
like best? What’s your name?

• use What’s (what

is) to ask about things
the form. Choose A or

A
B.

talk about yourself, or

ns with the words A: turn to page 96.

G
B
1 Complete the questio
 rammar focus – explanation & more
G in the box.
B: turn to page 100.
5
phone number Name
practice of used to on page 136 address name
Address
postcode
Postcode
1

A: What’s your
B: Paul Jackson.
? Phone number
Writing Unit 3 35
?
A: What’s your
2
Useful phrases
B: 01202 671150
? /
3 A: What’s your • What’s your name / address
?
ester. postcode / phone number
B: 2 London Street, Manch
? • Can you spell that?
4 A: What’s your
3 6ST • Can you repeat that?
 3 Reading & Writing
UNIT

Part 4

Vocabulary & Speaking

Homonyms
Vocabulary and Speaking
1 Work in pairs. Discuss the meaning
Reading
of the words in the box. Do you notice
Samuel Pepys and 17th anything unusual about them?
century London
book    card    letter    note    page
Speaking
Improving your English
2 All the words have more than one
meaning. Match each word to the correct
pair of definitions.
1 a one piece of paper in a book or
newspaper or one part of a website
b to call a person using a loudspeaker,
for example at an airport
2 a a short written message
b to notice or observe
3 a one of the characters in an alphabet
b a written message from one person to
another
4 a something you can read
b to reserve, for example tickets or a
hotel room
5 a a small rectangle made of thick paper
or plastic
b a written greeting you send when
there is a celebration for example
3 Read these two definitions of the same
word. What is it?
a book in which you make
a note of arrangements, etc; you
normally write before the event takes
place
a book in which you record
your thoughts or feelings about what
has happened on that day; you
normally write after the event takes
place
4 Ask your partner.
• Where do you note your appointments?
• Do you note personal and work
appointments in the same place?
• Have you ever written a diary? When?
For how long? Did you ever show
anyone?
Reading
1 Look at the picture of Samuel Pepys.
When and where do you think he lived?
Why do you think he was famous?

2 Read the description and check your

answers.

3 Find words in the text which mean:

1 a system of letters and signs used to write
secrets
2 a deadly illness carried by rats
3 an office worker who controls how an
organisation works
4 including lots of detail
5 someone who sees an event or crime
4 Work in pairs. A: read about the Great
Fire of London. B: read about the Great
Plague. Answer the following questions.
• When did it take place?
• Where and how did it start?
• How long did it last?
• What were the consequences?
5 Tell your partner about the event you
read about.

36 Unit 3 Writing
Speaking
1 Writing is a great way to improve your English.
In pairs discuss your opinion of each of these ways
of practising. Can you think of any more?
• Think of a famous event in the history of your
country. Write an eyewitness account.
• Find a classmate and agree to write each other Samuel Pepys lived in London during
an email every day in English. the 17th century. He was an administrator with the Royal
• Write a diary in English.

Navy and later became a politician. On 1st January 1660,
• For one week, write all notes and lists in
English. Pepys began to keep a diary which he continued writing for
• Find a poem or the first paragraph of a book
you like and translate it into English. almost ten years. It is now one of the most famous diaries in
• Use the internet to find a keypal (a student of the English language. Pepys used to write about his family
English studying in a different country).
and his personal life and perhaps for this reason he wrote
2 Choose one of the ideas and try it out.
his diary in code. But his diary is famous
because it also gives us a rich,
The Great Plague
historical description of life
hit London in 1665 and
continued for over a in London in the 1660s.
year. It started in the It also includes an
Netherlands and then
eyewitness account
came to London. It
was spread by fleas of two of the most
and rats. It was a important events
terrible illness and killed
100,000 people, about in the history of
20% of the population. London: the
The Great Fire of London
Great Fire of
helped stop the Plague.
London and
the Great
The Great Fire of London
started on the night of Plague.
September 2 1666. It started
nd

in a baker’s in Pudding Lane.

Because the houses were made
of wood, the fire spread quickly.
Many people, including Samuel
Pepys, tried to put out the fire, but it
could not be controlled for four days. 16
people died and about 80% of the City of
London was destroyed.

Writing Unit 3 37
 3 Function globally  agreeing and disagreeing
UNIT

a b c d

Warm Up Language focus: agreeing and

1 Work in pairs and look at the pictures of four different
disagreeing
books. Match the pictures to the types of book in the box. 1 Read the sentences and mark A for agreeing, D for
disagreeing or I for in between.
adventure story    biography    comic book   
I agree.
fantasy novel    historical novel    science fiction    Absolutely. / Definitely.
thriller    travel book I don’t agree (at all).
Well, maybe but …
2 Which types of books do you like? You’re absolutely right.
That’s what I think too.
Oh please!
Useful language That’s right.
• I think this one is a / an … I sort of agree / disagree but …
• I’ve read / never read … Exactly.
2 1.39 Listen and check your answers. Then listen and
Listening repeat the phrases. Try to copy the intonation.
1 1.36–1.38 Listen to three conversations about books
and match each one to a situation. There is one situation Speaking
you don’t need. Work in pairs and choose one of the tasks below.
a a customer and a shop assistant in a bookshop
b a writer signing a book for a reader A Complete these sentences with your own ideas.
c two friends talking about a book one had borrowed • Two great books are and .
d a television programme about books • Two great authors are and .
• The best poet from my country is .
2 Listen again and answer the questions.
• The worst kind of books today are .
Conversation 1: Did they both like the book?
Conversation 2: Did they all have the same opinion? Compare your ideas with your partner. Do you agree or
Conversation 3: Do they both like the author? disagree?
B Decide how much you agree or disagree with these
statements.
• There are no great writers today.
• Young people don’t spend enough time reading.
• We should do more to encourage new writers.

Compare your opinions with your partner. Do you agree or

disagree?

38 Unit 3 Function globally

??
Global voices

Warm Up
1 Complete the two diagrams according to your
reading habits.
1 2

reading on paper books

reading on screen newspaper

magazines

other

2 Compare with a partner. What are the similarities

and differences?

Listening Language Focus: just

1 1.40–1.43 You are going to listen to four people Read sentences 1–3 from the listening. Which meaning
talking about their reading habits. Which person reads each does just have in each example?
of the following: a emphasis Just turn it off!
1 novels b only There’s just one bookshop in the street.
2 magazines c exactly He is just like his father.
3 thrillers 1 Just on the bus when I’m on my way to work.
4 science fiction Speaker 1
2 Listen again and match the speakers 1–4 to the 2 It just doesn’t leave me much time.
phrases a–d. Speaker 2
3 We have just the same taste in books.
a I’m normally reading two or three novels at the
Speaker 3
same time.
I read a lot online.
b
c But I do read on holiday.
Speaking
d (I read) a few minutes in bed at night before I fall asleep. 1 Choose three questions to ask your partner.
Speaker 1 • When and where do you normally read?
Speaker 2 • Do you read different things when you’re on holiday?
Speaker 3 • Do you ever discuss books with your friends?
Speaker 4 • Do you ever read anything in English? What?
• Do you think young people today read enough?
3 Which of the statements in exercise 2 are true for you?
Tell your partner. 2 Work in pairs and ask each other the questions.

Global voices Unit 3 39

 3 Writing  a review
UNIT
Reading
1 Read this review of a book and answer the questions.
1 Who wrote the book?
2 Was this the first book the reviewer has read by this
author?
3 Is it a modern-day book?
4 Who are the main characters?
5 What did the reviewer like best about the book?
This summer I read a great
book by Dennis Lehane, he’s a
modern American author, his parents
emigrated from Ireland. I’ve read two other
5 novels by Lehane: Mystic River and Shutter Island.
I really enjoyed both of them, I was really pleased
when I heard he had a new book out.
The Given Day is a historical novel, takes place mainly
in Boston in the early part of the 20th century. There are
10 two main characters: a police officer and a man with a
criminal past. The baseball player Babe Ruth also appears
in the book, he is not one of the principal characters.
As the story develops the two men meet, they later
become friends.
15 The characters are very nice, the thing I liked most
about the novel was the way Lehane describes
the historical context, this very good story
includes real events like the flu epidemic
in Boston and the start of the trade
20 union movement.
2 Would you like to read this book? Why / not?
40 Unit 3 Writing
Writing skills: sentences
1 You cannot join sentences with a comma. The reviewer
wrote:
This summer I read a great book by Dennis Lehane, he’s a
modern American author …
He should write:
This summer I read a great book by Dennis Lehane. He’s a
modern American author …
2 Find seven more places where the reviewer has joined
sentences with a comma.
3 Join some of the sentences using and, but or so.
Language focus: adjectives
Make your writing more interesting by avoiding words
like nice, good or great. Use your dictionary to find different
words.
Improve the review by using these words in the text.
believable    fantastic    gripping
Preparing to write
1 Think of a book you have read. Make notes about it.
Use the useful phrases to help you.
Paragraph 1: Who is the book by? Give brief details about
the author. Have you read any other books by
the same author?
Paragraph 2: What’s the story about? Who are the main
characters?
Paragraph 3: What did you like best about the book?
2 Work in pairs. Tell your partner about the book you
read.
Writing a book review
• He’s a young / British / science-fiction author.
• It tells the story of …
• I really enjoyed / loved it.
• It takes place in (place / time).
• It’s a gripping / original / fascinating story.
• I’d really recommend it.
• I couldn’t put the book down.
Writing
Write a review of a book. Use your notes to help you.
??
Global review Study skills

Grammar Conversation partners

1 Complete the sentences with the past simple or past 1 Work in pairs and discuss these questions.
continuous form of the verbs in brackets. • How often do you speak English outside class every
1 How much (you / pay) for that book? week?
2 I (not / pay) anything. It was a present. • In what situations do you speak English? For example,
3 When we (arrive) at the library, our with friends or family, at work, in social situations, etc.
friends (wait) for us. • What do you talk about?
4 My grandfather (find) a valuable • How can speaking outside class help to improve your
manuscript while he (work) in his attic. speaking ability?
5 He (sell) it to the museum for more than
One way to practise speaking is to meet with a
half a million dollars.
conversation partner between classes. Your partner
2 Complete the sentences with the correct form of used to can be someone from your English class. You can
and the words in brackets. use some of your time together to practise what
1 What kind of books (you / read) when you you have learnt in class.
were a child?
2 I (read) comic books. I 2 Work in pairs. Make arrangements to meet as
(not / like) historical novels then, but I do now. conversation partners this week.

Vocabulary
* Decide on a time and place to meet.
1 Read the definitions and complete the words. In school, before or after the class?
1 a place where you can borrow books l In one person’s house at the weekend?
2 a written message which you send using your mobile On the phone?
phone t
3 a type of online diary b
* Decide how long you will meet for.
For fifteen minutes?
4 a book which is very popular and sells lots of copies For half an hour?
b Some other length of time?
2 Choose the correct word to complete each sentence.
* Decide which of these topics you would like to
talk about. Add your own ideas.
1 The bedrooms and bathrooms are upstairs / carpet / hall.
2 I walked along the stairs / fire / corridor to the office. Finding out about each other.
3 There were lots of tables / paintings / fires on the wall. Your taste in books.
4 She looked at herself in the hall / mirror / carpet before Things you used to do in a previous school.
she welcomed the guests. Feelings that you had this week.
Some things that you did this week.
Speaking and Writing Instructions for using something.
.
1 Work in pairs. Tell your partner what you would read in
each situation.
• You have to go on a long journey by train. 3 Make some notes after the meeting.
• You are going on a relaxing holiday for two weeks. • What was the most helpful or interesting part of
• You’re not well and have to spend the day in bed. the meeting?
2 Work in small groups. Write four sentences about your • What was difficult?

childhood using used to or didn’t use to. One must be false. • What will you do differently next time?
Take it in turns to read out your sentences and try to guess
which one is false.

Global review & Study skills Unit 3 41