Unit 3

Our strange world

Contents:
Practicing for CAE p. 56
Speaking pp. 58, 84
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Use of English pp. 62, 72, 74, 78, 82

Reading and Use of English pp. 60, 68, 80
Writing pp. 64
Listening pp. 56, 66, 76
Review p. 70
Consolidation p. 86
Transcripts p. 88

55
 Unit
Our strange world
3 Practicing for CAE

Listening: Part 1 - Multiple choice

1 Look at the images. Describe what they are

and where you might find them. Tell in what
ways they are strange.

U3
2 Track 1 Listen
to a radio program about
five awesome discoveries made by accident.
Then tell how they were made and which
seems to be the most interesting one.

U3
3 Track 1 Listen to the program again and fill in the gaps.

a. The construction methods have changed due to ____________________.

b. It is important to go green because ______________________________.
c. If there is a problem in the construction ___________________________.
d. The discoveries include animals, _______________ and ____________.

4 Work in pairs to express what you think the workers in the building sites
would tell in each situation. After completing the sentences tell if you think
these situations are possible to happen.

1. If we continue using the same methods …

2. If we kill the spider we found …
3. If we don’t tell anyone about the archaeological site underground …
4. If people keep destroying old buildings …
5. If we sell the diamonds we found …

5 Look at the following chart. Then go over the sentences you wrote in the
last activity. Check if they are correct.

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ZERO AND FIRST CONDITIONAL

Conditional Use Example Rules
Zero We use the zero If you don’t water plants Conditional clause: simple
conditional for general regularly, they die. present
truths or natural laws. If you heat ice, it turns Main clause: simple present
into water.
First We use the first conditional If Paul gets the job, he Conditional clause: simple
to express something that will move to London. present
will probably happen in the Unless he studies a lot, he Main clause: future simple (will)
future. may not pass the test. Modal verbs: can / may /must

56 Listening
 6 Complete the following sentences with the zero or first conditional. They may have
more than one possible answer.

1. If many companies go green __________________________________.

2. Unless people stop polluting __________________________________.
3. If I make a huge discovery ___________________________________.
4. __________________________________ I will call the police.
5. ___________________________________ the world will be better.

7 Complete the sentences with the verbs 8 Tell a partner about something that was found
in parentheses to form the zero or first in a weird way. Make sure to use sentences in
conditional. zero and first conditional.

1. If I leave now, I __________ (be) home in two

hours.
2. If you __________ (want), I can lend you my
notes for two days.
3. If you ask the teacher, I’m sure she __________
(consider) your proposal.
4. Accidents __________ (not / happen), if we
__________ (drive) carefully.
5. Unless you __________ (deliver) homework on
time, your teacher __________ (not / upload)
your final grade.
Exam practice
Listening: Part 1
➤ Part 1 consists of three unrelated short texts.
These texts are approximately 1 minute
in length and involve two speakers. You
should first listen to the whole text before
answering. The information you need may
not be in order in the listening.

U3
9 Track 2 You
will listen to three different conversations about strange discoveries made in construction
sites. There are two multiple choice questions for each one. You have to select answer A, B or C.

CONVERSATION 1. Two construction workers are
talking about a discovery made while preparing a
place to build.
1. Why was the second man surprised?
A. The first man says they will not work anymore.
B. The first man says they found a weird spider.
C. The first man says a poisonous spider bit him.
2. Why does the first man think it is possible that
there are more mesh weaver spiders in the site?
A. Because spiders are all over the world.
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C. To build on top of the ruins. There are too many
already.
4. What was the discovery they made?
A. An Inca hotel.
B. Inca Chronicles from the Spanish Conquest.
C. Inca walls, ceramics, and animal remains.
CONVERSATION 3. Two reporters are amazed
about an incredible finding.
5. The fabulous discovery of a pile of diamonds was

made by…
B. Because scientists say that there are nests
A. The owner of a property in Fresno.
under the site.
B. The manager of a hotel in Fresno, California.
C. Because there are holes similar to the spider’s
home in the site. C. The workers of a construction company in
Fresno, California.
CONVERSATION 2. A tourist guide is telling a 6. The owner of the diamonds…
visitor about a great discovery. A. Sold the property so he can’t do anything
3. What did they decide to do when they discovered about it.
the ruins? B. Is the new owner.
A. To pretend nothing happened. C. Died and her daughter can become the owner.
B. To take advantage of the discovery. It would be
great publicity!
Listening 57
 Speaking: Part 2 - Long turn

1 Look at the images of strange phenomena. Label them using the words in the box.
5
1 3
4
2

1. _________________ 2. _________________ 3. _________________ 4. _________________ 5. _________________

waterspout – supercell – bioluminescence – lenticular clouds – fire rainbow

2 Tell what the phenomena in the last activity have in common. Tell a partner if you know anything about
these weird natural phenomena.

3 Read the following descriptions extracts about unusual natural events. Deduce the phrasal verbs in bold
definition from the context.

Many persons have gone over the origin of bioluminescence. The spooky light is made to by a chemical
reaction called “bioluminescence”, which goes on when tiny organisms in the water are disturbed.

Auroras or polar lights are mesmerizing natural light display in the skies of high latitude regions.
They are brought on when energetic electrically charged particles from solar wind speed up along the
magnetic field lines into the upper atmosphere, where they collide with gas atoms, causing the atoms to
give off light.

The fire whirls, fire devil or fire tornado, is a rare natural phenomenon that takes place when a fire,
combined by certain air temperature and currents, forms a whirl that goes up into the air like a tornado.
They can be actual whirlwinds that come from the flames, or else can turn out to be the vortex of flame.

1. gone over 4 Add any missing word to the following sentences:

2. made to 1. When tornadoes go into the air they look very scary.
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3. goes on 2. Sometimes, when cold currents of air with hot ones, a rare
4. brought on atmospheric event can occur.
5. speed up 3. Wind speeds marine currents inland.
6. collide with 4. Rare phenomena place all over the world and make it a very
7. takes place interesting site to live in.
8. goes up 5. Rare fire balls coming down mountains are brought as a result of
9. come from atmospheric changes.
6. Sometimes rare phenomena photos turn to be fake.
10. turn out

5 Use phrasal verbs in Activity 4 to form sentences about uncommon natural

phenomena. Compare them with your partner’s.

58 Speaking
 A

6 Work with a partner and answer the questions.

1. Match the words with the pictures on the right.
Frost flowers ____ Volcanic lightning ____
Finish Lapland ____ Ball lightning____
Aurora____
2. What do you understand by weird phenomena?
Which of the ones in Activity 1 would you B
consider as strange.
3. Do you think they have been often witnessed?
Why is that your opinion?
4. How do you think they were first discovered?
5. How would you say the persons who
discovered them felt when they first saw
them? Why do you think so?
C

7 Discuss these sentences telling if you agree or

not and why.
1. Weird natural phenomena stop being
uncommon when witnessed.
2. Only strange people can discover strange
events.
3. It would be scary to see one of these
phenomena. D
4. Natural phenomena will be different in the
future because of situations like global
warming.

Exam practice

8 Imagine you and your partner are reporters of

television program and you have the chance to E
witness a really strange natural phenomenon.
You will have to tell the world about it in no more
than 1 minute each. Then you will be able to do a
small comment on your partner’s report.

Write the three main ideas in which you will base

your report.
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1. ___________________________________________

2. ___________________________________________ Speaking: Part 2

➤ During this part of the test you have the opportunity to
3. ___________________________________________ show your ability to organise your thoughts and ideas,
and express yourself coherently in appropriate language.
Now begin writing your report. You and your partner will speak by turns. Even when
your partner is speaking, you will be asked to comment
briefly about what he/she has just said. You should not,
however, speak during your partner’s long turn.

Speaking 59
 Reading and Use of English: Part 7 - Multiple matching

1 Look at the following headlines which appeared in a newspaper in the USA. They were all taken from old
newspapers. Decide if they are real or fake situations.

A tourist guy’s photo in which he’s standing in a NY twin towers balcony while one of the
terrorists plane is about to crash them was found after the attacks while the guy’s still missing.

There’s a Japanese town named USA.

In USA there are many persons that belong to the Jedi religion, which began with the
Star Wars movie.

Bloody Mary myth has existed for many years and has scared people of different
2 Imagine thegenerations.
following situations. What would you do if you were there? Choose the option
that best fits your way of thinking from the ones in the box.
If you leave a real tooth overnight in a Coke glass it will be completely dissolved
because of its components.

2 Imagine the following situations. What would you do if you were there? Choose the option that best fits
your way of thinking from the ones in the box.
1. You have to take a night bus to cross the town, but someone If I were in the mentioned situations:
told you that the way it takes is haunted by a supernatural being.
2. You are really hungry, but the only place available is one where A. I would do exactly what others
supposedly they combine the ingredients with unknown magic tell me; I can see they know
substances. about the topic.
3. You have been offered a part-time job at the local wax museum. B. I would listen carefully to what
The conditions are great, but they say some wax figures become others tell me, analyse the
sometimes alive. situation and take my decision.
4. You are eating a very spicy dish and your tongue is on fire. Your C. I wouldn’t pay attention to what
father tells you the only way to feel better is to drink coffee, the others tell me, I would keep on
hottest you can. and follow my instincts.
5. There’s a great party tonight, but you have an exam tomorrow. D. I would tell them how crazy I
Your friends tell you that if you put your notes under the pillow think they are.
while sleeping, you don’t have the need to study.

3 Now tell a partner of your decisions. Make sure to do it by using the past tense.

4 Look at the following chart. Then go over the sentences you built in the last activity.
Identify which conditional they belong to. Check if they are correct.
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ZERO AND FIRST CONDITIONAL

Conditional Use Example Rules
Zero We use the second If I had enough money, I Condition Clause: simple past
conditional for unreal or would go to Japan. Main Clause: would + verb
improbable situations. If I were rich, I wouldn’t
work.
First We use the third conditional If Susie hadn’t got married, Condition Clause: past perfect
to express unreal situations she’d have taken the job. Main Clause: would have + past
in the past. Provided he had won the participle
lottery, he would have
bought a mansion.
60 Reading
 5 Select the correct answer for each sentence deciding if they should be in second or third conditional.

1. If people _____ less naive, they wouldn’t believe in urban legends.

a. were b. had been
2. If Americans _____ the Jedi religion, many children could have been attracted to it.
a. invented b. had invented
3. If you _____ anywhere in the world to study strange phenomena, where would you go?
a. could visit b. could have visited
4. Had they not witnessed the strange phenomena, they _____ it.
a. couldn’t report b. couldn’t have reported

6 Read the text that follows and the situations given. Then write A - D to match the legend.
1. ___ If someone lived this situation, they would be
fashion murderers afterwards.
2. ___ Unless the weather were crazy, you couldn’t
give a correct explanation.
3. ___ If it hadn’t happened in the past, we could have
said it’s absolutely impossible to happen in a public
place like that.
4. ___ Provided such a thing could happen, it would
always be a good idea to get rid of some toys.
5. ___ Had someone had such a fatal end, it would
have been a real punishment.
6. ___ If that were the solution to look better, I would
never use it for sure.
7. ___ Unless they had invented a communicating
device deep earth resistant, it would have been
impossible to survive that situation.
8. ___ Had I been the employee, I would have never
ran away until police had arrived.
9. ___ If my father had gone through that situation,
he wouldn’t have undergone the odor.
10. ___ Had my sister been the protagonist of this
legend, she would definitely have endured the
consequences to look great!
Exam practice
Reading: Part 1
➤ To answer this part of the test correctly, you
need to understand detail, attitude or opinion in
the question, and locate a section of text where
that idea is expressed, discounting ideas in other
sections which may appear similar, but which do
not reflect the whole of the question accurately.

The Four Most Popular Urban Legends
Still Being Told
Whether it’s an unsolved mystery, a
popular misconception, or sometimes
just a big hoax, urban legends are an
inevitable part of any culture. Usually
they are handed down by word of mouth
from generation to generation and
many times have their origins in some
vaguely twisted version of a true story.
Regardless of their veracity, however,
these are the four most popular urban
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kids had been complaining about a
clown watching them in their sleep
but the parents had written it off as
nightmares. In most versions of the
story the clown turns out to be a
midget who had been living in their
house for some time undetected.
When the babysitter came over he
didn’t have time to escape so he just
froze in the corner.
B. The Fatal Hairdo. Although the
hairstyle has changed with the times,
C. Dead Body under the Mattress. This
legend tells the story of a couple
spending the night in a hotel room
that is filled with a foul odor. After
a while they can’t take it anymore
and call the front desk. When the
staff arrive they discover the smell is
coming from the bed after which they
remove the mattress only to find a
rotting body beneath it. As crazy as
this story sounds, unlike the previous
legends on this list, it has actually

legends still being told. the story has remained the same. A happened… and more than once.

A. The Clown Statue. This urban legend
tells the story of a girl babysitting
for a family when she calls the
parents to ask if she can cover up a
disturbing clown statue in the corner
of the living room. The dad tells her
very seriously to grab the kids, go
next door, and call 911 without any
further explanation. Once she is
next door and the police are on their
way she calls the father back who
then explains that they don’t have
a clown statue. Furthermore, the
girl who is very concerned with her
looks decides to wash her hair in
sugar water and leave it wrapped in
a towel overnight so that it will dry in
the exact shape she wants. The next
morning, however, she doesn’t come
down for breakfast and when her mom
goes to her room she finds her dead
in her bed. Upon removing the towel it
becomes apparent that she had been
gnawed to death by either rats or
bugs, depending on the version.
D. Buried Alive. This one can barely
be considered an urban legend
considering how often people have
been buried alive. In fact, in the past
many coffins were even equipped
with strings that ran through the
ground and were connected to a
bell not far away. This way if anyone
did happen to be buried alive they
could pull the string and get the
undertaker’s attention.
Reading 61
Use of English: Part 1-Multiple choice cloze

1 Work with a partner. Discuss these questions. 4 Look at the two columns. Match the words you
consider go together.
a. Look at the photos. How would you describe
each one? Do you think they are regular a. throw • of
touristic places? b. square • meal
b. Which of these aspects do you consider the c. window • suggest
most important ones when selecting a place d. guilty • agree
to visit? e. totally • a party
• Touristic places to visit. f. completely • useless
• Location g. strongly • vigorous exercise
• Transportation to get there h. take • frame
• Accommodation
• Services 5 Analyse the information given about
c. Add other aspects you consider essential collocations. Classify the answers you gave for
when choosing a destination. the last activity under each category given.

U3 Collocations are two or three word clusters

2 Listen to three persons talking about
Track 3
which occur with a more than chance regularity
what they think would be visiting the places in throughout spoken and written English. Below
the pictures. Answer the questions. are the most easily distinguishable types:
a. How would you summarise each speaker’s
opinion? Verb + noun accept responsibility
b. Which of the three …
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Adjective + noun grim determination

• takes full responsibility of his comments?
• seems happy about having the possibility of Verb + adjective + make steady progress
going there? noun
• barely sees a chance to visit the place? Adverb + verb barely see
c. Do you agree with the speakers? Adverb + adjective utterly amazed
d. What would you tell to each of them?
Adverb + adjective + totally unacceptable
noun behaviour
3 Give a definition of the underlined words. Do you Adjective + preposition happy about
think they always go together? Noun + noun pay packet

62 Use of English
 6 Work with a partner. Write two more examples under each category. Use the studied
collocations to write sentences about strange places to visit.

Verb + noun Adverb + adjective

Adjective + noun Adverb + adjective + noun Exam practice

Verb + adjective + noun Adjective + preposition

➤ When answering this part of the test,
Adverb + verb Noun + noun consider all the options carefully before
deciding on an answer. Some of the options
may be very tempting, but only one will be
7 For questions 1 - 8 read the text below and decide which semantically and grammatically correct in
answer (A, B, C, D) best fills each gap. There is an example that particular context.
at the beginning (0).

21 Weird towns to visit around the world

B the world! You

Do you think your hometown is strange? Check out some of the weirdest towns 0 _______
may think your town is normal after reading about some of these.

Hell is a small town in Michigan (USA) which makes every attempt to live 1. ______ its name (all in good
fun). They have numerous spooky and devilish restaurants and tourist 2. ______, and as you might guess,
Halloween is one of the residents’ favorite holidays.

Manshiyat, Egypt looks like the aftermath of some sort of natural disaster. Trash is strewn throughout the
streets, but in actuality, this is pretty normal. The people of the town 3. _____ their living by recycling what
the rest of Egypt throws away, and they are surprisingly successful at it.

Dwarf Village, China is located in China, this village is home to only little 4. _____. This might seem like a
nice place, the only sort of place where they can feel accepted and not get second looks. However, it seems
more like a tourist attraction 5. _____ times.
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Miyake-jima, Japan is an island town is composed 6. ___ residents paid by the government to live there.
Since the city is at the base of an active volcano, the inhabitants are constantly exposed to unnaturally high
levels of sulfur, and can even be in danger of poisoning! Townspeople often are forced to wear gas 7. ______
because of the toxic levels in the air. People who visit it end up utterly 8.______.

0. A. in B. around C. of D. at 5. A. in B. around C. of D. at
1. A. up to B. near C. into D. well 6. A. of B. on C. to D. in
2. A. places B. costs C. attractions D. issues 7. A. protectors B. tanks C. weapons D. masks
3. A. make B. have C. organize D. survive 8. A. happy B. surprised C. amazed D. grateful
4. A. persons B. kind C. people D. ones

Use of English 63
 Writing: Part 2 - Situational writing

UFO Aliens may have helped build Pyramids of Giza,

1 Work with a partner. Discuss these questions.
1. Do you believe in life outside our planet?
2. What could you answer if someone asks you
about the origin of the pyramids?
3. Should you have proof of alien assistance,
how would you tell the world about it?
4. If the technology were to become available,
would you contact alien civilizations?
2 Read the text on this page. Complete the
following sentences about it.
1. Given the mysteries within the Egyptian
pyramids __________________________.
2. If Egyptians mentioned beings from the sky
so often ________________________.
3. An author wrote, “Should flying boats appear
in this moment ________________.
4. If you were to prove alien assistance in the
past, ___________________________.
3 Analyse the structure of the mixed conditionals.
Check if the sentences you wrote in Activity 2
are correct.
Mixed conditionals
Different conditional forms are sometimes
mixed.
• If / when+present simple+imperative to make
suggestions or instructions
When you see the documentary, give me your
opinion.
• We can use so, given, otherwise and provided
instead of if.
Provided scientists can get more evidence,
history will be changed.
• We can replace if with should at the beginning
of a clause in very formal or literary English.
says Cairo University archaeologist
Head of the Cairo University Archaeology
Department, Dr Ala Shaheen in December 2010
had told an audience that there might be truth to
the theory that aliens helped the ancient Egyptians
build the oldest of pyramids, the Pyramids of Giza.
On being further questioned as to whether the
pyramid might still contain alien technology or
even a UFO with its structure, Dr Shaheen, was
vague and replied “I cannot confirm or deny this,
but there is something inside the pyramid that is
not of this world”.
Delegates to the conference on ancient Egyptian
architecture were left shocked, however Dr
Shaheen had refused to comment further or
elaborate on his UFO and alien related statements.
Actually ancient Egyptian writings very often talk
of beings from the sky, the sky opening and bright
lights coming down to teach them technology and
give them wisdom. Many pictures and symbols
resemble UFOs and aliens. Possibly aliens built
the Great Pyramid. And these solid long lasting
construction techniques were adopted by the
Egyptians.
Ancient Egyptian legends tell of Tep Zepi, or the
“first time”. This is described as an age when “sky
gods” came down to Earth and raised the land
from mud and water.
They supposedly flew through the air in flying
“boats” and brought laws and wisdom to man
through a royal line of Pharaohs. And of course,
this was all thrown out the window when
Christianity came along. Keep in mind that the
Gods were the one and only ‘religion’ that there
was. No other conflicting beliefs? Why? Well
because it was fact, not faith.
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Should aliens be friendly, they could help us

understand many things.
• We can use if + was/were + to + infinitive to
talk about imaginary future situations. e.g.
If the technology were to become available,
we would be able to prove quite impossible
things.

64 Writing
 4 Complete the table with data from two science fiction stories you have read. If you
don’t remember all the information, ask your partners and check on the Internet.

Title:
Author:
When written:
Genre:
Film version?

5 Choose one of the stories you read. Tell a partner about:

• the main theme or themes of the story
• the most / least interesting characters
• the most interesting relationship in the story and how it develops
• the key moment in the story
• how satisfying the ending is
• the significance of the place, time and title of the story

Exam practice

6 Write about a story you know following the

given instructions.

A website about books has invited its readers to

send in their reviews. You should write a review
of a story or book you have read, outlining the
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plot and saying whether or not you recommend it

to other readers and why.
a. Start planning your review. Think about which
book you would like to talk about. Look again
at Activity 5 to help you.
b. Write a first draft in 220 – 260 words in an
appropriate style.
c. Exchange first drafts with another student
and take turns to comment each other’s work.
d. Improve your text with your partner’s
comments.
➤ In this part of the test you will be required to
write a letter, proposal, report, or review. A
review may be about a book, magazine, film, play
or concert; it may also be about a product or a
service.
➤ A review in the Writing paper does not merely ask
for a general description of the thing reviewed,
but requires an evaluation of its suitability for a
particular purpose or audience.

Writing 65
 Listening: Part 2 - Sentence completion

4. You must be careful ____ nodding in Bulgaria, it

actually means no there!
5. There is a number ____ people____ New Zealand
that does not wear shoes ____ public.

Social
1 Read the following facts about social networking. Networking and
Tell a partner your opinion about how social Smart Phones
networking influences our knowledge of different
cultures. Over the course
of the past
Cultural differences
two years,
influence communication,
“Fourth screen” technology — smartphones, tablets,
behavior, and values.
etc. — has changed social networking and the way
There are differences in
we communicate with one another entirely. What
the way that people who
used to sit on our desks now conveniently fits in the
identify with different
palm of our hands, allowing us to effortlessly utilize
cultures, based on
functionality once reserved for multiple devices
both national identity
wherever we go.
and gender, manage their communicative behaviors
Given the abrupt rise in mobile computing, it’s not
within SNSs (social network sites). These differences
surprising the most popular social media platforms
can be understood through five dimensions and
of the past several years hinge on the capabilities of
the Diffusion of Innovation Theory. The mentioned
smartphones. Photo and video-sharing applications
cultural dimensions are: power distance, individualism/
such as Snapchat and Instagram, the latter of which
collectivism, masculinity/femininity, uncertainty
has now garnered a staggering 20 billion images
avoidance, and long-term/short-term orientation.
since the app’s initial inception in October 2010,
Power distance is the extent to which the less powerful
exist almost entirely on mobile. The same goes with
members of organizations and institutions accept and
platforms such as Foursquare, an application in which
expect that power is distributed unequally. Individualism
users use their smartphones to check in to various
and collectivism refer to the degree to which individuals
locations around the globe, and various matchmaking
are integrated into groups. Masculinity and femininity
services. Tinder, for instance, currently boasts more
describe the distribution of roles between the genders;
than 10 million daily users, based on their relation to
for example, assertive and competitive vs caring and
their smartphone.
nurturing. Uncertainty avoidance deals with a society's
tolerance for uncertainty and ambiguity, and long-term 4 Read the information about prepositions.
and short-term orientation illustrate the focus and Practise writing sentences about cultural issues
values of a culture.
around the world.
2 Highlight the prepositions you find in the texts in Prepositions are short words that usually stand in
Activity 1. Tell why you think we use them. front of nouns (sometimes also in front of gerund
verbs). There are hardly any rules as to when
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3 Complete the following cultural facts with the to use which preposition. The only way to learn
correct preposition from the box. prepositions is looking them up in a dictionary,
reading a lot in English and learning useful phrases.
on — in — at — about — for — of
Some common uses of time prepositions are:
1. Partying in a rented bus for 17 days is an
established tradition ____ Norway.
Preposition Usage Example
2. Students are static ____ Wednesdays ____ the
Netherlands, since they classes are done ____ on days of the week on Monday
midday. in months / seasons in August / in winter
3. Girls should hide during Easter ____ Slovakia, it is time of day / year in the morning
customary ____ boys to pour water ____ them. at for night, weekend at night
a certain point of time at half past nine

66 Listening
 5 Work with a partner. Look at the photos.
Discuss what tradition they represent.

6 Match these words to their definitions. Then

tell a partner what you know about each one.

sausages – puppetry – auspicious – cockfighting

a. It is a blood sport between two roosters

(cocks), or more accurately gamecocks, held
in a ring called a cockpit.
b. It is an ancient form of theatre or performance
that involves the manipulation of special dolls.
c. It is food usually made from ground meat with
a skin around it.
d. It is showing or suggesting that future success
is likely.

7 You are going to listen to a lecture on

different traditions of the world. Before you
listen see how many of these questions
you can answer.
1. Which European country celebrates the
biggest funfest in the world?
A. England
B. Germany
C. Sweden
2. How many countries have shadow puppetry
groups?
A. Less than 5
B. 6 to 10
C. More than 15
3. Indian traditions are based in…
A. superstition and religion.
B. law and family. ➤ In this part of the test there is one gap in each
C. globalization and individuality. sentence, which is completed by a single word or
4. In Mexico there are traditions that: short phrase. The task focuses on the retrieval of
specific information, and stated opinions from the
A. involve animals.
text and questions follow the order of information
B. don’t care about foreigners.
presented in the text. Correct spelling is expected
C. are based in the government. at this level. Both U.S. and British English
© UNO INTERNACIONAL

U3 spellings are accepted.

8 Listen to a lecture about traditions
Track 4

in the world. Fill in the gaps with a word or

group of words as you listen.
TRADITIONS OF THE WORLD
There are many traditions in our world. Some are
stranger than others. Oktoberfest is characterised
by special food which includes
(1) ___________________. China holds
(2) ________________ as a tradition which involves
(3) ______________ as the main topics. But the
world can be surprised with the fact that over
(4) _______ countries in the world hold the
same cultural issue. India is considered as a
very important cultural place. Their beliefs and
values are set on their (5) _____________. Dream
interpretation takes place in (6) _________. Mexican
customs have evolved due to Aztec civilization and
(7) ___________ culture.

Listening 67
 Reading and Use of English: Part 7 - Gapped text
3 Read the information about making
1 Look at the magazine covers and the image
above. Work with a partner and discuss these
questions.
a. How would the world be different if the dinosaurs
hadn’t disappeared?
b. What would be your town like if the pollution
weren’t a global health problem?
c. Which books would we be reading at school if the
famous international novelists had decided not to
write?
d. How would African countries be now if Nelson
Mandela had decided not to fight for them?
e. What do you think the world be like if the Second
World War had never existed?
2 Discuss with a partner other two “What if …?”
questions about how the world nowadays
would be different if something in the past had
happened otherwise. Write the answer you think
is the most interesting one. Share it with the rest
of the group.
4 Compare your answers with your partners’.
68 Reading
hypotheses (things that we imagine). Write
answers for the questions in Activity 1 paying
attention to their structure.
When we are talking about hypotheses:
* We use present tense forms after phrases like
what if, in case and suppose to talk about the
future if we think it is likely to happen:
Those steps are dangerous. Suppose someone
has an accident.
We should leave home early in case we are late.
* We use a past tense form to talk about the future
after suppose and what if to suggest something
is not likely to happen:
It might be dangerous. Suppose they got lost.
What if he lost his job? What would happen then?
* We use modals would, could for a hypothesis
about the future:
We can’t all stay in a hotel. It would be very
expensive.
Drive carefully. You could have an accident.
* We use would in the main clause and the past in
a subordinate clause to talk about the imagined
future:
I would always help someone who really
needed help.
I would always help someone if they really
needed it.
* We use modals with have to talk about something
that did not happen in the past:
© UNO INTERNACIONAL
I did not see Mary, or I might have spoken to her.
It’s a pity Jack wasn’t at the party. He would have
enjoyed this party.
Tell your opinion about them. Correct
mistakes according to the studied rules.
 Exam practice
5 You are going to read an extract from a blog. Six
paragraphs have been removed from the extract.
Choose from the paragraphs A - G the one which
fits each gap (1 - 6).
SO WHAT IF…..?
Have you ever wondered how the world would be different
if past events hadn’t happened like they did? When we
think about this we understand that the world is a series
of different decisions which lead one onto another as a big
domino effect. Everyone has an opinion though; some are
experts, scientists, or just common people.
1 agriculture to work on very good farm land which was
Many think that it's hard to say exactly how the world
would look without Google, the world's most frequently
visited Web site. But there are hard numbers that
wouldn't exist without it. Google is a big company,
employing around 30,000 people as of this writing.
It also tries to share the wealth; in 2010, Google's
charitable giving topped $184 million.
2
And of course, without the effectiveness of Google,
ordinary students could have a lot more digging to do
when it comes to research. They might spend days, not
hours, researching a finals paper to make sure they
found the best and most relevant sources.
3 advertising efforts. So many companies depend on them
Besides, considering that as little as a second's
difference in the time where your parents conceived you
means there's just no chance of any species looking the
same as they do now.
Velociraptors would be unlikely to become much more
intelligent over time. There was just no need, they were
already more than capable of hunting and reproducing,
© UNO INTERNACIONAL
not to mention their thumbs and feet. Anyway, the world
would have become a more dangerous place to live in, at
least for human beings.
4 it’s unavoidable to ask oneself what would have happened
Experts have opinions that might surprise anyone. They
think population would probably be a lot smaller than it
is now. This is due to amazing facts.
The point of view is based on important situations, e.g.
During World War One there were more deaths from
flu than from combat. Another example is the fact that
➤ In this part of the test, read the text as a whole,
and do not focus on each gap separately. Getting
an idea of the structure and understanding the
development of the theme of the text are both
important prerequisites to doing the task.
➤ Students frequently make the wrong choices by
selecting an option which fits the text before the
gap, and neglecting to check that the text after
the gap follows on smoothly.
the conquest of the "New World" basically put European
unused by the original inhabitants.
5
In a more recent time, World War Two brought substantial
casualties from the battles, but had Germany continued
there would probably have been as many deaths from the
camps and conquest by threat of war.
6
A. This saved many persons from poverty and starvation.
Due to war the Roman Empire; established trade between
a broad group of nations. Getting conquered by Rome was
actually a good thing.
B. Businesses might also be different, as they wouldn't be
able to rely on campaigns driven by Google to power their
for revenue that Google took in around $28 billion from
them in 2010 alone.
C. We may guess about human beings, society, technology
and diverse issues regarding our daily lives. For instance,
how would the world be if Google didn’t exist? Or if Internet
had never been created? What if the dinosaurs had never
become extinct? Or if the world wars hadn’t happened?
D. On the other hand many technologies that we take for
granted now, originated with the need to fight a war.
Perhaps they would have been invented, but war is a strong
motivator. We are definitely a result of historical events.
E. When talking about the population size and organization
if there had been no wars. One wonders if there would be
more people, less or world would be very different.
F. And so, the world would have taken a different path if
browsers hadn’t been developed, but also if dinosaurs
hadn’t become extinct. Some say that, to begin with, there
would be none of us. Apes our size wouldn't last a minute
in the trees, much less walking on the ground.
Reading 69
 Review

1 There are many awkward situations that we live in

our daily life. Imagine you had to explain someone
that even though they make us feel strange,
awkward situations are normal. Take notes on
three of them. Tell your partner about them.
1. _________________________________________
2. _________________________________________
3. _________________________________________

2 Read the text and then write A to E to match the

corresponding situation.
1. ___ Hold the door open for a person far away.
2. ___ Riding an elevator with a stranger.
3. ___ Handshaking hug
4. ___ Getting a compliment
5. ___ Waving incorrectly
There are many odd situations we live every day,
but that we don’t stop to think about because in an
everyday situation, they are hard to notice. Let’s go
through some of them and try to guess what we’re
talking about!
A. There are some protocols that change from one
culture to another. For example when you meet 3 Read the five most popular answers in a survey
someone it’s almost natural to shake hands, but held in different countries of the world, about
sometimes the other person has a strange tendency what students would like their teachers to know.
for holding you as a surprise and then you get all
Then tell if you agree with them or not.
mixed up.
B. It’s always polite to do this for people, but 1. Take the issue of name-calling and teasing
sometimes you find yourself standing there letting seriously.
the heat or AC out of the room. This situation is 2. Let students know that you are available to talk
awkward for both people involved, as the holder to them.
would be rude to let go now that he’s committed 3. Take time to listen. Don’t try to “fix” a situation
and the other person feels the need to hurry up. before you have taken time to listen carefully.
C. This shouldn’t be such an awkward situation. But for 4. Don’t harp on what should have been done in the
some persons it is, because answering is a minefield. past; focus on the present.
It could happen that it sounded too arrogant or 5. Be a role model.
self-deprecating. Many times it’s better to just say
4 Write a text about what you wish would happen
“thank you”.
or you regret about specific situations, following
D. This seems so harmless, but it can become really
© UNO INTERNACIONAL

awkward when misconstrued. Have you ever the given instructions.

distant-greeted a friend only to discover it was just
a look-alike? Or even worse, have you ever greeted
back a person that you thought was addressing
to you, but in fact was trying to reach the person
behind you?
E. We get into small metal boxes with unknown persons
every day, but it doesn’t get less weird. Nobody
wants to strike up to a conversation with someone
he has never seen before – what’s the point if it will
end up in a few seconds anyway? Instead you look
at the floor and pretend you’re texting.
A popular student’s blog has asked you to write
a text about your wishes or regrets regarding
everyday situations at school which you find
strange.
a. Start planning your text. Decide which situations
you would like to talk about.
b. Write a first draft in 100 – 120 words in an
appropriate style.
c. Exchange first drafts with another student and
take turns to comment each other’s work.
d. Improve your text with your partner’s comments.

70 Review
 5 For questions 1 - 8 read the text below and decide which answer (A, B, C, D) best
fills each gap. There is an example at the beginning (0).

Ten Things Students Wish Teachers Knew

After asking 1000 students around the world which things they wished their teachers knew,
many different answers were given. Here there are the most popular ones.
1. Take the issue of name-calling and teasing seriously. Rethink statements like, “Kids will be
B kidding.”
kids.” or “He didn’t mean anything by that comment; he was (0) _____
2. Let students know that you are available to talk to them. If possible, set (1) _____ ten
minutes of class time each week to discuss issues that students want to bring up. Get to
know students as individuals.
3. Take time to listen. Don’t try to “fix” a situation before you have taken time to listen
carefully. Avoid (2) _____ the situation worse by blaming the targeted student. Make sure
your actions don’t discourage students’ honesty.
4. Don’t harp on what should have been done in the past; focus on the present. Saying, “Why
didn’t you tell me sooner?” is not helpful.
5. Be a role model. If students observe you gossiping or exhibiting other bullying behaviors
(3) _____ students, their families or colleagues, they will interpret it as permission to
behave similarly. Remember that everyone, including yourself, has biases that can
influence behavior, and that your words can have a strong impact.
6. Do not belittle, tear (4) _____ or publicly embarrass students. Although these strategies
are common in competitive sports, they are ineffective in motivating students to do better.
7. Help students learn how to become effective allies. Provide time for them to learn the
range of behaviors (5) ____ by good allies. Do not communicate the expectation that
students should always directly intervene when bias incidents occur. Discuss safety
concerns and brainstorm effective alternative strategies with students.
8. Acknowledge that name-calling and teasing are occurring and that (6) ____ the target of
these incidents can be painful. Do not downplay what a student says he or she is feeling or
experiencing.
9. Be proactive. Prepare your students to respond effectively to bias incidents and become
a partner to (7) ____ families. Discuss name-calling and bullying and school policies that
outline how these situations will be handled. Explore the different roles students can take
in bias incidents — target, perpetrator, bystander and ally, and help students strategize
responses to situations from the perspectives of each of these roles.
10. Be discreet and whenever possible, (8) ____ confidentiality. Some teachers announce to
the class when a student is having a problem with name-calling, bullying or harassment.
Whenever possible, help each student privately.
© UNO INTERNACIONAL

0 A. likely B. just C. almost D. finally

1. A. aside B. for me C. through D. over
2. A. to make B. made C. making D. makes
3. A. to B. into C. towards D. with
4. A. apart B. over C. by D. down
5. A. done B. performed C. tried D. practiced
6. A. to be B. been C. being D. having to be
7. A. his B. their C. the D. one’s
8. A. maintain B. use C. have D. supply

Review 71
 Use of English: Part 5 - Multiple choice

1 Discuss with a partner what you think:

* a mystery is.
* what skills one needs to solve a mystery
* why some mysteries remain unsolved.
Then tell him / her what you know about an unsolved mystery.

2 Match the following words with their definitions. If you are not sure, look for them
in the text in the next page.
1. decipher (verb) a. a humorous or malicious trick
2. hoax b. live in or at a specific place
3. deceased c. provide a stimulus for an event or process
4. linen d. considering everything, on the whole
5. replicate (verb) e. shameful, embarrassing
6. recount (verb) f. make an exact copy of, reproduce
7. abduction g. find or locate exactly
8. humiliating (adj) h. tell
9. spark sth (verb) i. cloth made from flax (a blue-flowered plant)
10. dwell (verb) j. dead
11. all in all k. convert a code into normal language
12. pinpoint sth(verb) l. the action of forcibly taking someone
against his or her will

3 Read at the following sentences. Underline 4 Write sentences about unsolved mysteries.
and give a definition for the phrasal verbs Use the given clues. Write two more clues and
in them. have a partner make a sentence with them.
1. The police looked into the possible abduction 1. look into / hoax
immediately. 2. all in all / take after
2. Many persons say that abducted persons 3. put off / abduction
children take after their parents – they 4. bring up / deceased
are sensitive to supernatural events. 5. make up / decipher
3. Rob dwelt in the same house his father was
brought up.
4. When they looked back they knew it was
a hoax.
© UNO INTERNACIONAL

Exam practice
5. What does pinpoint stand for?
6. The computer broke down so we couldn’t
decipher what it meant.
➤ In this part of the test you will be required to
7. They were treating each other in an practice skills like reading for detail, giving
humiliating way. opinion, identifying tone, purpose, main idea,
8. She could finally get over finding the implication, and attitude.
deceased body. ➤ It is very important that you read first the
9. All in all I think he made the whole thing up. complete text to get a general idea, and then
10. She felt so bad that she put off recounting look for the specific information.
the story.

72 Use of English
 5 Read the following text. Then select the correct option to answer the questions.

Unsolved Mysteries
There are many strange situations that can’t be easily explained. They are what we call unsolved
mysteries and are interesting, but with a hidden meaning or solution.
Voynich Manuscript — This 240-page book, known as “the world’s most mysterious manuscript,” is
written in a strange language or script that has yet to be deciphered. Adding to the document’s mystery,
its pages contain odd diagrams and drawings of plants that do not match any species known on Earth.
The manuscript’s author is unknown, and carbon dating indicates it was made between 1404 and 1438.
Some theorise that the manuscript was a pharmacopoeia (a book containing a list of drugs and their use)
of medieval medicine. The pictures of herbs and plants also suggest the book may have been used for
alchemy. Most theorists doubt it could be a hoax, given its detail.
Shroud of Turin — Most Catholics believe this shroud (a cloth used to wrap around a deceased person)
had been placed on the body of Jesus Christ at his burial site. Mysteriously, the linen cloth carries an
image of a crucified man, whom millions of people believe in, Jesus. Scientists still have to explain or
replicate how the image was imprinted. Radiocarbon tests place its creation in the middle ages, although
defenders of the shroud reject this. Some academics believe it was also known as the Image of Edessa, a
shroud reliably reported since the 4th century.
Allagash Alien Abductions — In 1976, four men were fishing at night together in Maine when they saw a
bright object float towards them. What happened next is unknown; all men claimed to have no memory of
the events that followed. They remember lighting a large fire on the lakeshore and then seeing it burnt
out a few moments later. After the event, each man underwent regressive hypnosis and recounted a
story of abduction and subjection to physical experiments. In the weeks that followed, each man claimed
to have had dreams of an invasive and humiliating experience. The stories of all men were sparked and all
passed lie detector tests, and psychiatrists reported that each man was mentally stable.
Rain of Seeds — A man in Southampton, England was alarmed when hundreds of mustard and cress
seeds coated in a jelly-like substance began falling onto the place he dwelt and in his garden. A similar
phenomenon occurred the following day, except with corn, pea, and bean seeds that seemed to have fallen
from the heavens above. All in all, the man and his two neighbors endured a total of 25 bombardments of
similar items from the sky. A police investigation could not pinpoint the source of the objects.

1. Which is true about the previous text? 4. The Shroud of Turin is…
A. The Shroud of Turin cannot be considered an A. definitely a cloth with which they wrapped dead
unknown mystery due to religious issues. bodies.
B. All the paragraphs give facts and hypothetical B. Jesus image printed after his death according to
situations. scientific studies.
C. Some of the paragraphs contain facts, but some C. still not known for sure if it is a dead body image
others don’t. or not.
© UNO INTERNACIONAL

2. The so called Voynich Manuscript could be defined
as…
A. an extraterrestrial manual about human life.
B. a not yet de-codified document that might be a
manual.
C. a fake document according to many persons that
have studied it.
3. The plants shown in the Voynich Manuscript
A. have been proved to come from an alien civilization.
B. match some ancient terrestrial herbs.
C. might be part of a pharmacopoeia which origin is
yet unknown.
5. In the Allagash Alien Abductions case, the fishermen…
A. were all under psychiatric treatment.
B. had to be tested by psychiatrists.
C. had weird dreams and collective psychosis.
6. A man in Southampton, England was alarmed
because…
A. it was unusual that kind of seeds falling from
the sky.
B. the seeds had a jelly-like substance coating.
C. a seeds rain is unusual wherever you may be.

Use of English 73
 Use of English: Part 2 - Open cloze
1 Discuss the following aspects with a partner:
* what your favorite food is.
* what is the strangest food you have ever tasted.
* if you know what the dishes in the illustration
are and if you have tasted them.
2 Read an extract of a conversation. Tell then
who you think they are and how it will keep on.
A: Good afternoon, it’s a pleasure to have such
an important person today.
B: I’m absolutely delighted.
A: If you could choose a place to live because of
its gastronomy, what would it be?
B: Should I have to choose, I think I’d definitely
stay in an eastern country.
A: Oh! What an interesting reply, Mr. Jenkins, and
why is that?
B: If I had to say what my cuisine passion is,
I reckon I’d say it’s the exotic one and the
eastern countries have many examples of it.
A: If you will be able to tell us some of the dishes
you find the most appealing, we’ll be very
pleased.
B: My pleasure. There are plenty, like the fried
spider from Cambodia, Balut from Philippines,
and Sannakji from South Korea.
A: Oh, it surely seems interesting, we’ll definitely
have you over again soon!!
3 Reread the conversation and perform the
following tasks:
* Tell a partner what kind of relation you think
the speakers have and why you say so.
* Write the conversation again as if you were
talking to a friend of yours.
* Share your new conversation with a partner and
decide how it is different from the original one.
74 Use of English
4 Read the following information about polite
requests. Identify similar sentences in the
conversation in Activity 2.
Other Conditionals
We can use different structures for polite requests.
Some of them are also named other conditionals.
 You can use will after if in polite requests.
If you will just wait a moment, I’ll tell you what
ingredients this dish has.
 To make the request more polite, we can use would.
If you would just tell us what the most exotic foo for
you is, we’ll be thankful.
 We can replace if with should at the beginning of the
clause, particularly in very formal of literary English.
Should you visit India, taste exotic food.
5 Rewrite the following requests. Use the structure
studied. Use at least two options for each one.
Write two polite examples of your own.
1. If you try Mexican food, you will love it.
2. If you taste escamoles, you will tell everyone to
do it as well.
3. If a western country inhabitant goes to an eastern
© UNO INTERNACIONAL
one, he / she must definitely eat at least one
exotic dish.
4. If one doesn’t like sea food, he / she should avoid
eating many eastern cuisine dishes.
5. If our eating habits influence the way we think,
we should try a wide variety of international food.
6. __________________________________________
__________________________________________
7. __________________________________________
__________________________________________
 6 Read the following sentences and write in the parentheses whether they must be
completed with a verb (v), a preposition (prep), an adjective (adj), a noun (n) or a
pronoun (pr). Complete them then with only one word.

( ) 1. The use of different kind of seafood is typical _____ some Eastern countries.
( ) 2. The weather was cold and foggy so the lady fixed _____ a hot soup and relaxed.
( ) 3. My mom used to give us typical food _____ day of the week.
( ) 4. It is true that preparing dishes others find strange may _____ broadening our
possible decisions.
( ) 5. It was an epoch _____ produced many gastronomic options.
( ) 6. Jack was not sure _____ his cooking proposal would be accepted or not.
( ) 7. Each country has _____ own gastronomic style determined by
culture and other factors. Exam practice
( ) 8. The chef was not ready so he decided to put _____ the event.
( ) 9. ______ Jane had considerable success in the festival, she will
apply for a new job. ➤ In this part of the test you will be
required to write just one word for
each gap and it should never be a
7 For questions 1 to 10 fill in the following text with just contraction. The word must be correctly
one word for each gap. The first one is done for you. spelled to get a correct mark.

THE WEIRDEST FOOD EVER!

that we now share there are changing boundaries between

In the global society (0) ______
what is regarded as ‘acceptable’ and ‘unpalatable’ to consume.
As more and more people travel (1) ______ widespread locations, our food ideals are
revolutionizing. We’ve done a little investigating and in this occasion we have uncovered
for you 5 food items that you will (2) _____ love or loath.
This may seem a little upsetting for some. Our first item is Balut, a duck embryo that
is boiled alive (3) _____ it hatches, and then eaten from the shell. It is commonly found
in Southeast Asian countries such as Vietnam and Cambodia. FYI the word ‘Balut’ is
(4) _____ as ‘wrapped’ in Filipino and Malay.
Surstömming is a unique dish from northern Sweden and roughly translates to
‘sour herring’. Baltic fish is caught in May and June and fermented for (5) _____ to
two months before being tinned. Once tinned it continues to ferment for the further
6 months, after which it begins to release a range of offensive gasses. Interestingly in
2006, several major (6) _____ including Air France, KLM, and British Airways, banned
Surstömming from their airplanes.
Kopi Luwak is apparently the world’s (7) _____ expensive coffee. Commonly produced
in Indonesia, it has become a highly exclusive product in the last 20 years. Made from
© UNO INTERNACIONAL

civets eating juicy coffee berries; once in their digestive tract fermentation occurs,
before (8) _____ defecated. Yummy, don’t you think so? Retail prices for these beans
range from €550 / US$700 per kilogram.
And our fifth place is rotten cheese!!!This is basically sheep milk cheese. So
what’s wrong with a little rotten cheese? After (9) _____, many cheeses go through
fermentation. Well, what makes Casu Marzu different is that it contains live insect
maggots made by leaving the cheese outside until thousands of cheese-flies lay their
eggs (10) _____. This stomach-turning delight is found almost exclusively in Sardinia, Italy.

Use of English 75
 Listening: Part 3 - Multiple choice

1 Work with a partner. Look at the photos.

Discuss what kind of remedy each one shows.
U3
2 Listen to Speakers 1 - 4 and match
Track 5

what message they are giving.

Speaker 1 a. an advice
Speaker 2 b. a decision
Speaker 3 c. an anecdote
Speaker 4 d. a scientific fact

3 Match the words with their definitions.

An advice A decision

An anecdote A scientific fact

a. the thought process of selecting a logical

choice from the available options.
b. an opinion or recommendation offered as a
guide to action, conduct, etc.
c. any observation that has been repeatedly
confirmed and accepted as true.
d. a short and amusing but serious account,
which may depict a real/fake incident or
character.
5 Read the information about prepositions. Then
check the answers you gave in Activity 4.
4 Look at the following clues about weird
A preposition is a word that expresses the relation
remedies and do the activities: between two events, things or people. They
a. Put the sentences in order. can be used to talk about time, space, or other
b. Give your opinion about each one. relations.
c. Underline the prepositions.
Examples:
d. Tell the use of each preposition.
* That remedy is a tradition in the Isle of Wright.
1. but / I / tried / I / got / to / a / drink / hot / * The city where they follow that tradition is on the
coffee / stomachache / lemon / with Isle of Wright.
* In the capital of many countries people don’t
2. when / my / out / mum / sick / you / go /
follow as many remedies to heal.
© UNO INTERNACIONAL

thinks / are / shouldn’t / you

3. hot / healthy / is / drinking / be / said /
alcohol / tea / it / with / in / some / is / be / to
4. eat / to / our / fresh / not / grandma / fruit /
ought / while / we / being / sick / says
5. health / good / system / is / respiratory / it /
your / to / for / exercise
6 Write a small text about unusual remedies
Some common prepositions are:
with (addition), to (direction), out (place),
while (time), for (reason), at (place / time), of
(possession)
(80 – 120 words). If you don’t know many, ask
someone from the staff to tell you. Make sure
to use prepositions in the correct way.

76 Listening
 Exam practice

U3
7 You will hear an interview in which two
Track 6
➤ In this part of the test you will be asked
journalists called Ruby Langdon and Tommy Sharp to answer multiple choice questions. It is
are talking about unusual remedies. For questions essential to listen for attitude, opinion,
1 – 5, choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which fits agreement, gist (general idea), feeling,
best according to what you hear. speaker purpose, function (what language is
used for) and detail.

1. What is the main point in Jean-Jacques Dugoua explanation?

A. Immunoglobulin A, essential in our body, is produced in several music styles,
starting by jazz.
B. Jazz fosters Immunoglobulin A production, which can be helpful in healing
processes.
C. Jazz musicians never get sick. This is because their music is like medicine to our
body.
D. No matter how long you listen to jazz, if you do, you may get cured of many
diseases.

2. We can say that the main statement of Leslie Solomonian is that

A. Wearing wet socks is highly recommended when having an infection.
B. Wearing wet socks has been proved to be useful when having a cold.
C. Wearing wet socks is recommended as a substitute of hydrotherapy treatments.
D. Wearing wet socks could be recommended when overcoming a cold.

3. When we talk about drinking chocolate as a remedy for the cold, it is

recommendable
A. to sweeten it so the chocolate won’t get stuck on your throat.
B. never to sweeten the chocolate because you will gain weight besides not healing.
C. to sweeten it with honey if necessary, but it is better not to.
D. to sweeten it with honey because it helps a lot when we are sick.

4. Doctors recommend to get an improved white blood cell function when we are sick
by getting
A. oysters, proved to have to do with white blood cell function.
B. honey sweetened beverages along with zinc products.
C. oysters, because they contain zinc and so they taste delicious.
© UNO INTERNACIONAL

D. coconut water which is a combination of vitamins and metals like zinc.

5. The intention of recommending to drink coconut water when we are sick is

A. to get a cheaper remedy which really works.
B. to improve our general health by being properly hydrated.
C. to balance our blood chemistry and thus, improve our health.
D. to get cured with a natural method.

Listening 77
 Use of English: Part 4 - Key word transformation
1 Discuss the following questions with a partner.
Give reasons and examples.
1. Have you ever heard about a strange law?
2. Some people say that laws aren’t so important. Do
you agree?
3. Would you like to have the power to change laws?
Which?
2 Scan the article about weird laws and match the
subjects.
health – pollution – mood – family – safety – technical
skills – national identity
3 Summarise the information in just one sentence
for each number.
4 Read the following information. Then complete the
activity.
There are several ways to express obligation. Here
there are some of the main ones:
should – may – require to – must – be supposed to – to
be allowed
Now fill in the gaps in the following sentences with the
given word and some other(s) to match the meaning in
the article. You must not change the given word.
1. When travelling around the world, ______________ do
your research on local laws and traditions. (SHOULD)
2. Apparently, rebels who defy this law _____________
receive a fine of up to AU$10 (£5.50). (MAY)
3. Milan requires ________________ at all times, or face
a fine. (TO SMILE)
4. In Oklahoma, it is ____________ to have a sleeping
donkey in your bathtub after 7 p.m. (ALLOWED)
5. In 2009, lawmakers set a maximum waistline,
meaning every man aged over 40 ___________
31ins, and every woman cannot measure over 35ins.
(UNDER)
When travelling around the world, it's a good idea to
do your research on local laws and traditions. Not only
could this keep you out of trouble, but it can also help
you get the most out of your holiday. However, there
are some weird and wonderful rules that surely nobody
is expected to follow.
But whether you are akin to having a sleeping donkey
in your bathtub to enjoying eating somewhere that's on
fire, it pays to be clued up.
Erica Chang, regional director of HomeAway UK who
conducted the research, said: 'Travel really does open the
78 Use of English
mind so it's curious to see what odd rules and regulations
can be found on the law books around the world.
'Some might be seen as health and safety gone mad,
but others are just funny – I'm sure most Brits abroad
would never think they could be breaking the law if they
changed a light bulb in Victoria or flushed the toilet at
night while in Geneva so it's always best to know before
you go!'
1. Only a qualified electrician is allowed to change a
light bulb in Victoria, Australia. Australia's second
most populated state says it's illegal to change a light
bulb unless you're a licensed electrician. Apparently,
rebels who defy this law could receive a fine of up to
AU$10 (£5.50).
2. Milan requires that citizens must smile at all times,
or face a fine. This city in Italy states that it is a
legal requirement to smile at all times, except during
funerals or hospital visits. Frowners could face a
hefty fine.
3. In England, it is illegal to die in the Houses of
Parliament. This was voted the most ludicrous law
in the UK in 2007. A spokesman for the House of
Commons said: 'The people who know about these
things here say there is no basis for such a law, not to
say it does not exist somewhere in writing.'
4. In Oklahoma, it is against the law to have a sleeping
donkey in your bathtub after 7pm. It is great if
your donkey is awake and just enjoying a bit of
relaxation time, but not so good if it has snoozed off
in a lava of bubbles.
5. In Canada, by law, one out of every five songs on the
radio must be sung by a Canadian. This is great for
Justin Bieber fans, not so great for others.
6. It is forbidden to be fat in Japan. In the very country
that brought us sumo wrestling, it is illegal to be
fat. In 2009, lawmakers set a maximum waistline,
meaning every man aged over 40 must not have a
waistline measuring over 31ins, and every woman
cannot measure over 35ins.
7. Flushing the toilet after 10pm is illegal in Switzerland.
The Government considers it noise pollution.
© UNO INTERNACIONAL
8. In Chicago, it is against the law to eat in a place that's
on fire. No matter how good the pizza tastes, if the
restaurant sets on fire, you can't stick around!
9. Running out of petrol is illegal on Germany's
autobahn, and so is walking along it. So those who
do break down must pull over and use their horn
to attract attention. The penalty is €80 (£65) for
endangering other drivers.
10. In July 2013 a law was passed in China that states it
is illegal for adult children to not visit their parents
“often” in China. They are also required to attend to
their parent’s spiritual needs.
 5 Use the following words to describe the laws you think are
mentioned in the images.

let – allow – legal – illegal – must – have to

– required – supposed to – fine – court
➤Part 4 tests your knowledge of grammar and
Exam practice
6 For questions 1 – 5, 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. You must use
between three and six words. The first answer is given as
an example (0).
vocabulary. It is impossible to predict areas
that you could be tested on here. However,
the following categories below appear quite
often: Comparative structures/adverbs;
expressions/common lexical patterns,
phrasal verbs, formal structures (Including
conditionals).

0 In Mobile, Alabama, it is against the law to throw confetti or spray silly string. (FINED)
YOU CAN BE FINED IF YOU throw confetti or spray silly string.
In Mobile, Alabama, _____________________________
1 In Saudi Arabia, it is illegal for any woman to drive a car and vote. (PERMITTED)
In Saudi Arabia, ______________________ for any woman to drive a car and vote.
2 In Saudi Arabia, there is no minimum age for marriage. In 2008, a Saudi court refused
an 8-year-old girl, in the moment she asked for a divorce from her 58-year-old
husband. (REQUIRING)
In Saudi Arabia, there is no minimum age for marriage. In 2008, a Saudi court refused
an 8-year-old girl, _____________________ a divorce from her 58-year-old husband.
3 In Singapore, selling non-medical chewing gum or chewing normal gum represents a
fine of $1000. (PUNISHED)
In Singapore, ______________________selling non-medical chewing gum or chewing
normal gum with a fine of $1000.
© UNO INTERNACIONAL

4 There is a law in South Carolina called the “no mock proposal” law, which states that
anybody above the age of 16-years-old is not allowed to perform a proposal if they do
not mean it. (ILLEGAL)
There is a law in South Carolina called the “no mock proposal” law, which states that
_______________________ the age of 16-years-old performs a proposal if they do not
mean it.
5 In Samoa it is illegal to forget your wife’s birthday. (MUST)
In Samoa ______________________ your wife’s birthday.
6 In Turin, Italy, dog owners must take their dogs on a walk at least three times a day.
(COMPULSORY)
In Turin, Italy, _____________ to take their dogs on a walk at least three times a day.

Use of English 79
 Reading and Use of English: Part 6 - Cross text multiple matching

1 Discuss these questions in pairs. 7. To display or behave in an ostentatious or

a. What do you think the photos are showing? conspicuous way
b. Do you think people are born with special 8. Perform
talents or they are developed as they 9. Someone in the top of the list in a category
practice? 10. Accelerate a process
c. What do you think uncommon talents are
useful for?
Exam practice
2 Match the following words to have a logical
meaning.
➤ This part of the test presents four short texts
a. better things along with multiple-matching questions. You must
b. gone breaker read across all of the texts to match a prompt
c. turn out to elements in the texts. Understanding and
d. head wrong comparing opinions and attitudes across texts
are essential.
e. believe through
f. hook up
g. record their eyes
h. show off
i. make it off
j. speed known 4 You are going to read four extracts from a
magazine. For questions 1 – 4, choose from the
extracts A – D. The extracts may be chosen
© UNO INTERNACIONAL

3 Match each group of words in Activity 2 with

more than once.
its definition.
Which extract
1. Trust one’s sight 1. has a different opinion from the others when
2. To depart or set out defining talent?
3. To end up; result 2. shares an opinion about what talent is, with
4. That did not work in conformity with fact or the reporter about skin hyperextension?
truth; opposite of what it should have been 3. presents more possibilities than the other
5. More familiar or renowned than ones?
6. To connect or attach something to 4. is the most similar to the opinion of extract B?
something else

80 Reading
 TALENTED OR JUST LUCKY?

When talking about weird talents, some claim it is pure talent, while others say it is just luck. There
have always been all kinds of reports about unusual talents. Here we present four which have
appeared in different magazines. You have the final opinion… talent or just luck?

A. Birth talent is undeniable, but there is a big difference between a talent and a medical condition.
When talking about skin hyperextension, there is no one like Garry Turner (UK), better known as
the Stretchy Skin Man, who is able to stretch the skin of his stomach to a distended length of 15.8
cm (6.25 in) due to a rare medical condition called Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, a disorder of the
connective tissues affecting the skin, ligaments and internal organs. Many consider this as a weird
talent, though.

B. Captain Frodo is a very disconcerting figure. He has been admired by many, but not exactly
because of a personal talent, or might be… It could be his semi-naked and very white body, bulging
eyes, tattooed back, or maybe it is the small fact that he is currently squeezing his body through
a 10 inches diameter tennis racquet - strings removed. And while doing so, to speed things along a
bit, he dislocates one joint after another, leaving spaces where shoulders should be and white limbs
flopping and flapping in all the wrong places like a rag doll gone wrong. He’s a contortionist in La
Clique, a circus that also features juggling, sword-swallowing, strong men acts, acrobatics - indeed,
pretty much everything but the bearded lady.

C. Next time your car needs a tow but it turns out you haven’t got the right equipment, talk to this
man. Stuntman Xie Zhongcai in Hefei, China’s eastern Anhui Province, has another idea that fits the
job. Just tie the car to your ear and head off. And if that seems like it might sting just a little, how
about his next trick. If the locals in Heping Square were left with their mouths open after his first
stunt, they couldn’t believe their eyes the second time – since the stuntman hooked up the minivan
to his eye sockets! The strength this man shows is almost unbelievable.

D. Next time you need a really talented person for a show, you can decide between two incredible
persons:

The man who won a place in the Guinness World Records for having a mouth so rubbery he can fit
an entire Coke can in it… sideways. Francisco Domingo Joaquim’s mouth stretches to a massive
6.69-inch-long, which adjudicators from the famous record book say is the world’s widest. The
20-year-old record breaker from Sambizanga, Angola, is said to have shot to fame after showing off
his ‘talent’ at local markets and football games. Although many say it is not a talent, he has certainly
had to practice a lot!
© UNO INTERNACIONAL

On the other hand, performer Claire Hawes left Britain’s Got Talent judges speechless after showing
off her extraordinary abilities with the recorder. Not content with playing just one instrument, she
took to the stage with two - which she promptly proceeded to blow with her nose, instead of the more
conventional method of using her mouth. Claire was just one of a clutch of performers who hoped to
make it through to the finals of the hit TV show. She is one of the most incredibly talented person.
Besides she rehearses many hours a week, so she surely deserves a chance!

Writing 81
81
 Use of English: Part 4 - Key word transformation

1 Discuss the following questions with a partner:

a. Which do you consider are the weirdest jobs
you know?
b. What do you think are the advantages and
disadvantages of having an unusual job?
c. If you had to decide on an uncommon job,
what would it be? Why would you decide
on it?

U3
2 Track 7Listen to some of the weirdest jobs
ever, according to a website named news.com.
Then tell a partner your opinion about them.

U3
3 Listen again and answer the following
Track 7
questions with a word from the box. Make sure 5 Read the following information and check the
you use the correct form of the selected word. mind maps you built in Activity 4. Define if they
use a prefix or a suffix or both.

oll – technique – lay – capital – align –

sweet – sit – poison – test – smooth Affixation
Most English words are made up of the base
1. What is the actual work of the man with the word known as root which contains the heart of
pet food? the meaning of the word. To expand such words,
2. What is that special result beauty companies affixes are added at either the beginning or at
always advertise? the end of the word. It is the process of attaching
3. What characteristic besides burst of flavor these affixes that is referred to as affixation. The
and tartness is a gumologist supposed to affix added at the beginning of the root is known
look for? as prefix while that at the end of a word is suffix.
The root is central to the building of new words.
4. When do fountain pen doctors say that nobs
For instance, advantage, help, forgive, measure
may be scratchy?
are the core words (roots) in disadvantageous,
5. What’s the importance for the future in a sex
unhelpful, unforgivable, and immeasurable,
tester finding out if a hen is a female?
respectively.
6. Where can a waterslide tester have lunch?
7. Who is the expert that, according to the text They can be analysed in the following way
can make children smile again? PREFIX ROOT WORD SUFFIX NEW WORD
8. When Michael Quaranto realized that cinema Dis advantage ous disadvantageous
screens got really dirty and were very hard to Un help ful unhelpful
clean, what did he do? Un forgive able unforgivable
9. What is the actual job of a cup keeper? Im measure able immeasurable
© UNO INTERNACIONAL

10. What condition of the animal makes a snake

milker’s occupation really dangerous?
4 Build mind maps with as many words you can
think that may be formed with the base words in
Activity 3.
Despite the fact that prefixes and suffixes are
just a combination of two, three or four letters,
they have meaning in English. They are therefore
morphemes. A morpheme is the smallest
meaningful unit of a word. They change the
meaning of the root word.

82
82 Use of English
 6 Look at the following words which have
been formed with the word root depend.
Underline each affix indicating if it is a
prefix (P) or a suffix (S). Mention the use
of each one.
1. dependence
2. dependent
3. independent
4. dependant
5. independently
6. dependability
7. dependable
8. interdependent
9. dependence
10. independence
Exam practice
7 List as many words as you can, based on
the following words.
➤ In this part you will be presented a text
1. law 6. head containing eight gaps. Each gap represents
2. hope 7. office a word. At the end of the line is a ‘prompt’
3. act 8. broad word which you have to change in some way
to complete the sentence correctly. You are
4. press 9. clear
tested in vocabulary and language structure.
5. centre 10. inspect

8 Read the text below. What type of word

is needed to fill each gap: a verb, a 10 For questions 1 – 8, read the text below. Use the
noun, etc.? word given in capitals at the end of some of the
lines to form a word that fits in the gap in the same
The circus where the acrobats once line. There is an example at the beginning (0).
fought and (1) ____________ attacked a
clown during a special show has been
Nine years ago, Philip Fletcher was a normal,
transformed and is now in the top 10
amusement places. The spectacle is
HAPPILY married man with three
(0) ______________ HAPPY
children, working as a highly
described as interesting, (2) ________ and
(1) _________ chemical inventor. Then an SKILL
unforgettable by the latest (3) ______ of
accident changed his life beyond
inspectors to visit the circuses in the east
(2) ________. He was plunged into a surreal RECOGNISE
coast of the country. Four years ago the
and (3) _______ world as a head FAMILIAR
government (4) _________ an emergency
(4) ________ meant he could remember INJURE
inspection after a circus performer’s
nothing of the previous 15 years. In the
© UNO INTERNACIONAL

(5) ________ voted to back members

refusing to lead their (6) ______ partners.
Union leaders described the circus
descending into chaos and said the
situation could be (7) __________ only by
the permanent exclusion of around one in
10 of the 100 (8) ___________.
9 Now fill in the gaps.
accident a metal pole became
(5) __________ and fell on his head. He LODGE
survived only thanks to his (6) __________ SAFE
helmet. He was (7) __________ from hospital CHARGE
after only a few hours. He seemed normal at
first but was soon having (8) ____________. CONVULSE
He suffered for a number of years but his
(9) _________ breakthrough came when PSYCHOLOGY
he learned to accept his own (10) _________. LIMIT

Use of English 83
 Speaking: Part 3 - Collaborative task
1 Discuss the following questions with a partner.
a. How do you define extraordinary?
b. What makes a person extraordinary?
2 Read the following comments of people who
have been considered as extraordinary. Then
tell a partner
* if you agree or not, and why.
* if you know someone who is like these persons
and what results it has.
“Treat people well. Don’t mislead them. Don’t be
prickly. Don’t say things that are aggravating. Try
to be as agreeable as you can be. Try to be helpful
rather than harmful. Try to cooperate.”
Justice Sandra Day O’Connor
“I was 18 and didn’t know anything about fish. My
mentor taught me the basics. For the first three
years, I didn’t make sushi; I washed dishes and
cleaned the fish. But if I asked questions, he always
answered. I learned a lot of patience.”
Chef Nobu Matsuhisa
“One isn’t born with courage. One develops it by doing
small courageous things — in the way that if one
sets out to pick up a 100-pound bag of rice, one
would be advised to start with a five-pound bag,
then 10 pounds, then 20 pounds, and so forth, until
one builds up enough muscle to lift the 100-pound
bag. It’s the same way with courage. You do small
courageous things that require some mental and
spiritual exertion.”
Poet Maya Angelou
84 Speaking
3 Chose the correct option.
1. If you want to be special treat people with /
treat people on respect.
2. My mentor taught me how to / taught me
prepare all kinds of food.
3. I had never made sushi of / made sushi out
of seaweed.
4. A good teacher always answers to / answers
the questions his students make.
5. When you want to be a better person, you
need to learn about / learn patience.
6. Courage is like muscles. You need to build it
beyond / build it up.
7. Experts say that it is as hard to set out / set
off one activity than to keep up / keep on.
8. Extraordinary people are never afraid to
lift up / lift away their own lives although it
could seem hard.
4 Read the following information. Then form
different verbs by combining them with the
possible preposition. Tell an example with
each one.
To form phrasal verbs it is important to use the
correct preposition with the verb. If we happen
to mistake the preposition, we won’t express
what we want, but something very different.
For example:
CORRECT Ð Get off at the sixth bus stop.
INCORRECT Ð Get off on the sixth bus stop.
about – against – around – at – back
© UNO INTERNACIONAL
– down – for – in – into – out over
1. talk
2. turn
3. bring
4. look
5. do
 5 Work with a partner and discuss the photos
below.
a. Who are these people?
b. Do you think they are special?
c. What characteristics make them special?
7 Discuss the following questions in two minutes.
8 Answer the situation in a one minute speech.
© UNO INTERNACIONAL
6 Work in small groups. Choose an issue that
you feel strongly about when talking about
extraordinary people. Use one of the ideas
below or one of your own.
* social policy towards the underprivileged
* home study and school education
* the value of hard work
* protecting other’s lives
* improving services in your town
* fostering the efficiency of a service
Exam practice
➤ In this part of the exam you will be given 2
minutes to discuss some questions with a
partner. At the end you will have to answer
a final question in 1 minute. Make sure to
balance your participation and your partner’s.
Use ideas from the images on the page and
Activity 6.
1. Why do you feel strongly about the issue you
selected?
2. What would you like to be changed in that
issue? Be as precise as you can.
3. Who would you like to persuade to become an
extraordinary person?
4. What changes would that person have to do
in his / her life?
5. How would you persuade the people to make
the changes? What action could you take and
what arguments would you use?
Plan what you will say following the clues.
You have been asked to report your class
what makes a person extraordinary in order to
motivate them to become better day by day.
a. Think about who you are talking to.
b. Choose the best language to convince your
audience.
c. Include ideas from the questions you discussed
in Activity 7.
Speaking 85
 Consolidation

1 Read the following review. Choose 10 suitable words to gap in this text making sure they
are the kinds of words usually gapped. Exchange your gapped text with a partner and fill
in the missing words.

Rarely has a man defined the spirit of an age as well as Alexis Soyer:
celebrity chef, best-selling author, entrepreneur, inventor, philanthropist,
and Crimean war hero.
Soyer built the world famous kitchens of London’s Reform Club, which
he filled with such ingenious inventions as the gas stove and steam lifts.
He set up the most innovative culinary theme park ever seen in the
capital. In the 1840s he set up revolutionary soup kitchens during the Irish
potato famine, and in the following decade risked his life by travelling
to the Russian peninsula to reform army catering for the troops, saving
thousands of soldiers from the effects of malnutrition.
Alexis Soyer was one of the most famous names of the early Victorian
age, and his legacy lives on through the radical army reforms his work set
in train. He was also in a similar spirit of the age, a secret womaniser, near
bankrupt and alcoholic.
Yet this brilliant man, who during his lifetime was more famous than the
men he regularly brushed shoulders with, men such as Thackeray, Disraeli,
Dickens and Palmerston, dropped completely from public view after his
untimely death. Today his grave lies neglected and rotting in Kensal Green
cemetery.
This is the first full length, fully researched biography of Alexis Soyer,
which explores the life, career and legacy of one of the most enigmatic
and extraordinary figures of the Victorian age.

2 Choose the correct form of the word in brackets to complete these sentences. Each new
word should be formed with either a prefix or a suffix.
1. It was thought that the magician had ___________ the public into believing his act was
not a trick at all. (LEAD)
2. Eating ____________ glass make is the way he earns a living. (SHATTER)
3. The athlete’s ____________ has been a way to get the necessary income to keep on
with his career. (POPULAR)
4. The hero’s ____________ was idyllic, as he was brought up in a tight-knit family. (BOY)
5. I can’t witness that act. It’s ____________. I get too nervous when the acrobat flies
through the air. (DO)
6. A great work has been done to _____________ freedom for zoo animals in order to
protect their well-being. (CLAIM)
© UNO INTERNACIONAL

7. Wow!!! Stop being so ____________! I was just trying to help. (POLITE)

U3
3 Listen to five speakers talking about meeting new and interesting people.
Track 8
Then match the speakers 1 - 5 to topic headings A - G. Two headings do not match.

A Testing friendships
Speaker 1 B Exchanging cultures
Speaker 2 C No way to get to know a lady
Speaker 3 D Sharing experiences strengthens friendships
Speaker 4 E Business and pleasure
Speaker 5 F Strangers are not so strange
G Sharing the delights of the environment

86 Consolidation
 4 Work with a partner. Look at these extracts of information sheets. Discuss who they
have been defined for and what techniques they use to attract readers.

The Magical Ringmaster

has planned a show full of
acrobats, elephants and
tightrope walkers … but the
acts have disappeared and the
Clowns have taken over! This
is a colorful, exciting show full
of audience participations,
crazy circus capers and
marvelous magic!

Bank online
Wherever you are, whenever you want!
Wouldn’t it be useful to check your account, transfer
money or pay a bill, no matter where you are or what
time it is?
These are just some of the ways our Internet banking
service can make life easier for you – wherever you are.

5 Which of these features do you think are not likely to be found on information sheets?

Catchy slogans – jargon – rhetorical questions – imperatives – very formal language – encouragement
to do / buy something – long sentences – headings and subheadings – lots of adjectives

6 Plan an information sheet about an extraordinary event. Include place, date and general information.
Then plan how to report it to the class.
© UNO INTERNACIONAL

Consolidation 87
 Transcripts
U3 Track 1, Activities 2 and 3
Presenter: And today in Our Strange World, your
favourite program: Weird Discoveries, Weirder Ways…
The construction industry has grown in leaps and
bounds over the past centuries. It’s gone through
economic booms and downturns, and is now rising to the
“green” challenge. If everyone helps, we can really save
our planet. However, although the methods change, the
basics remain the same—you either build from scratch
on a new piece of property or you break down whatever
is on an existing one and start over. Sometimes delays
happen and deadlines come too fast, and occasionally,
unexpected things can put a halt to a building project.
If there is something that stops it, you will never finish
on time. This list names five weird and wonderful things
that have delayed or shut down construction projects
around the world.
The number 5 in this list was on a highway construction
site where they found a rare endangered spider which
made them stop a 15 million dollar-project.
Number 4 in our list is the discovery of the foundation
of a medieval mansion which apparently never existed in
Somerset, Wales during the digging in a
construction site.
While getting ready to build a swimming park, workers
discovered an ancient Mayan ball game court. This made
the construction become an archaeological site. Our
number 3 of today.
Discovery number 2 was while building a Marriot Hotel,
they discovered ancient ruins of Inca walls, so the hotel
had to be built elsewhere.
And number 1 of today’s program is the discovery of a
stash of diamonds!! Yes!! Diamonds were found while
having some renovations done in a property in Fresno,
California.
So, stay with us and enjoy all the information we have
for you!
U3 Track 2, Activity 9
CONVERSATION 1
MAN 1: We had to stop work recently on a $15 million
highway construction project in Texas!
MAN 2: Why was that? I mean, it’s a great deal of
money!
MAN 1: Well, we were digging to begin the construction
when a rare spider was discovered on the site.
88 Transcripts
MAN 2: A spider? What kind of a spider? Had you seen it
before?
MAN 1: It was huge and extremely rare! It turned out
to be an endangered species! It was only the
second time a sighting of this species has taken
place in over 30 years! It is a Braken Bat Cave
mesh weaver. It is also not a very pretty sight, as
it has no eyes!
MAN 2: And what did you do?
MAN 1: Well, we called our boss and he called the police
who called a group of scientists! They took the
spider and asked us to stop. Afterwards, he told
us the now-famous spider was spotted only once
before in 1980, not far from the construction
site, and had a cave named after it. Federal
officials now have the difficult task of trying to
move the project forward without causing any
disruptions to the area the spider had claimed
as its home, since several holes have been
discovered that are similar to the one the spider
was living in. Scientists are confident that more
mesh weavers might be found in the same area,
which is good because the one we did find had to
be dissected for verification and study purposes.
MAN 2: How did the community react?
MAN 1: Residents near the site are overjoyed at the
find because it will likely delay the highway’s
construction for a long time, maybe even put a
stop to it altogether.
CONVERSATION 2
GUIDE: It is no real surprise that Inca walls were found
during the construction of your hotel in Peru,
but it was still an exciting find. The city of Cuzco
was preparing to welcome a new Grand Hotel
when construction was halted by the discovery
of the ancient ruins.
TOURIST: Really? Wow! So they destroyed them to
build it?
GUIDE: No!!!! The construction was stopped until they
decided what to do. Chronicles from the Spanish
conquest indicate that the site where the hotel
would be standing was a farming area, but it
has become clear by the discovery of the walls
that the map of the city will have to be altered.
This is because the walls that were found are
consistent with those used by Inca civilizations
in their urban areas. Other than the walls, they
also discovered ceramics, flooring, bones, and
 coal on the site. It is widely expected that more
historic discoveries will be made as construction
continues. The main architect of the Grand
Hotel has confirmed that the Inca walls will be
strengthened and somehow incorporated into
the new building.
TOURIST: I can’t wait to see the final construction!!!
CONVERSATION 3
REPORTER 1: This is Lindsay Black and Paul Ramsey
reporting from Fresno.
If there’s anything that could make a day
better, it would be finding a massive pile of
diamonds on your property. This is more or less
what happened to a property owner in Fresno,
California. Tim Jones bought an old jewelry
store and hired a construction company to do
some renovations for him. During this time, a
construction worker came across a stash of
diamonds hidden away behind some shelving.
REPORTER 2: The previous owner of the property, Casey
Stephenson, passed away six years before the
discovery of the diamonds, and the family let
the business go. Stephenson’s daughter has
since heard of the discovery and is trying to
claim the diamonds for herself. A lawyer who
specializes in these types of claims has said that
deciding who gets the diamonds will depend
on the property contract and what it states
regarding property that stays behind after a
building is sold.
REPORTER 1: And if they have any problem deciding on
what to do with them we will be happy to help!
Isn’t that right Paul?
REPORTER 2: Sure Lindsay! We’re such good persons!
Hahahaha!
U3 Track 3, Activity 2
SPEAKER 1: I reckon visiting Meteora would be the best
experience in my life ever. I’m a big fan of open
places mainly if they represent a challenge
for me. Something I always enjoy is visiting
uncommon places. It gives me the sensation to
be a different and interesting person myself.
When I saw the publicity of the place I became
crazy to be there. I can’t think of a more
appealing place! The only disadvantage I can
see is that it is a bit far from home! I think flying
to Greece won’t be as cheap, mainly parting
from Puerto Rico, where I live!
SPEAKER 2: Visiting a desert is something that scares
me so much! I’ve seen these films where they’re
travelling in the middle of a desert and suddenly
their car breaks down many kilometres away
from anywhere! It would definitely be one of my
worst nightmares! Anyway I need to confess I
feel attracted by scary events, so even though
it scares me so, I might go there one day… This
Uyuni Salad Desert in Bolivia is what I would say
is a horrible appealing scene!
SPEAKER 3: Dracula!!! Mmmm I don’t really believe in the
supernatural, and visiting Romania… mmmm not
sure…they say it’s so cold and lonely… anyway
the castle looks great and people get very
excited about being in the actual Bran Castle…
I’m not sure, probably I would go elsewhere if I
had the money…
U3 Track 4, Activity 8
Every religion and culture has what outsiders consider
odd traditions, but which seem perfectly acceptable
to true believers. Every religion has ceremonies and
practices that mark life’s milestones: birth, marriage,
the transition to adulthood, and death, many of which
may sound unusual to non-practitioners. Sometime
people practice some rituals which are adopted as
a part of religion, sometime they practice cultural
traditions which seems bizarre to others. There are
a lot of traditions that seems really bizarre to the
world where it is not followed, but let’s focus on
some of them.
Oktoberfest is the world’s largest funfair held annually
in Munich, Bavaria, Germany, unmistakably a German
tradition. This 16-day festival, running from late
September to the first weekend in October, attracts
over six million visitors per year who consume about
1,320,860 gallons of beer, 400,000 pork sausages and
480,000 roasted chickens. It started October 12, 1810,
at the wedding of Bavaria’s Crown Prince Ludwig to
Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen. Against
tradition, the couple invited Munich’s locals. The events
were held over five days on the fields that today are
named “Theresienwiese” after the bride.
Far from Germany, Beijing Opera is a uniquely Chinese
form of theatre that relates stories of romance, legend
and battles. There used to be troupes that travelled
China to put on the shows, but today, the best place to
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 enjoy it is in Beijing. Chinese Shadow Puppetry is an
ancient form of storytelling which was popular during
the Song Dynasty during the holiday season. The
stories of the shadow puppets told of events that had
happened elsewhere in the country and stories with a
Buddhist background.
Shadow play or also known as shadow puppetry is
an ancient form of storytelling and entertainment
which uses flat articulated figures (shadow puppets)
to create cut-out figures which are held between a
source of light and a translucent screen. The cut-out
shapes of the puppets sometimes include translucent
colour or other types of detailing. Various effects can
be achieved by moving both the puppets and the light
source. A talented puppeteer can make the figures
appear to walk, dance, fight, nod and laugh.
Shadow play is popular in various cultures; currently
there are more than 20 countries known to have
shadow show troupes. Shadow play is an old tradition
and it has a long history in Southeast Asia; especially
in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Cambodia. It is
also considered as an ancient art in other parts of
Asia such as in China, India and Nepal. It is also known
in the West from Turkey, Greece to France. It is a
popular form of entertainment for both children and
adults in many countries around the world.
Another very interesting country is India. The
standard viewpoint is that most of the Indian beliefs
and values have sprung with an objective to protect
from evil spirits, but some were based on scientific
reasoning. With the passage of time, the reasoning
part behind the origin of these cultural beliefs and
superstitions got eroded. That is exactly why most
of these beliefs appear unsubstantiated and false.
However, in reality, there are many such beliefs in the
Indians culture which are absolutely absurd and have
no logic behind them.
Leaving one’s home after wedding or for some other
important task is a significant occasion. Thus, Indians
often consult astrological charts to fix an auspicious
time for this. Again, it is considered lucky to see
cereals, paddy, cotton or hay before embarking on a
journey. In India, you may also come across or hear
about people who help in interpreting other’s dreams.
Even the daily life of Indians is governed by beliefs
and superstitions. For example, Monday is not an
auspicious day for shaving and Thursday is a bad day
for washing one’s hair.
A full of culture country is Mexico. Mexican culture
encompasses a broad range of fascinating customs
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and traditions. Varying cultural influences throughout
history have extended the diverse nature of Mexican
customs, of which origins lie in Aztec rituals, the
Mayan civilization and European conquests.
The Roman Catholic Church is a fundamental part of
many Mexican people’s life, as the family unit is too.
Many religious festivals, parades and celebrations that
are centred on religion are also often celebrated with
family. The celebration known as ‘La Quinceañera’
is widely practiced in Mexican culture. Traditionally
it involves a thanksgiving mass and a big party
to celebrate the transition from childhood to
womanhood.
A light-hearted, entertaining and emblematic Mexican
custom is the Piñata. These papier-mâché containers
filled with fruit and candies are most popular during
‘Las Posadas’ and for children’s birthdays.
Bullfighting is also extremely popular in Mexico, and
considered to be a well-established part of Mexican
culture just as cockfighting, which is staged in
‘Palenques’ all over the country.
The traditions and customs of Mexico are varied and
diverse. Each region has its own distinct celebrations
and cultural practices, and every community has its
idiosyncrasies. Mexican culture has evolved over time
and possesses a unique flavour.
U3 Track 5, Activity 2
REPORTER: What can we do when we get a cold? Let’s
listen to some persons opinions.
SPEAKER 1: Until you’re feeling better, it may help to
drink plenty of fluids to replace those lost
from sweating and having a runny nose, get
plenty of rest, eat healthily – a low-fat, high-
fiber diet is recommended, including plenty of
fresh fruit and vegetables… mmm … You may
lose your appetite when you have a cold. This
is perfectly normal and should only last a few
days. Don’t force yourself to eat if you’re not
feeling hungry.
SPEAKER 2: You can calculate how far away to stand
from someone who’s sick. When a sick
person coughs, sneezes or talks, they expel
virus-containing droplets into the air. These
respiratory droplets can travel up to six feet
to another person. A recent study found
that the largest visible distance over which a
sneeze travels is 0.6 meters, which is almost
two feet. It did so at 4.5 meters per second,
 about 15 feet per second. A breath travels
the same distance but much slower, at 1.4
meters—4.5 feet—per second. Moral of the
story: remain six feet from infected people,
and move quickly when they gear up to sneeze.
SPEAKER 3: For the last week I have had a cold. I usually
get one each winter. I have two kids in school
and they bring home a lot of viruses. I also
work in a hospital, which tends (for some
reason) to have lots of sick people. Although
this year I think I caught my cold while
traveling, I’m almost over it now, but
it’s certainly a miserable interlude to my
normal routine.
One thing we can say for certain about the
common cold – it’s common. It is therefore
no surprise that there are lots of cold
remedies, folk remedies, pharmaceuticals,
and “alternative” treatments. Finding a “cure
for the common cold” has also become a
journalistic cliché – despite the commonality
of the cold, the overall success of modern
medicine, and the many attempts to treat
or prevent the cold – there are very few
treatments that are actually of any benefit.
The only certain treatment is tincture of time.
SPEAKER 4: Follow a chart for information about how
to treat the symptoms of a cold or the flu
and how to know when to see a doctor. Other
illnesses may also cause flu- or cold-like
symptoms. Self-care is often all that is needed
to treat common viral illnesses. Ask yourself:
Do you have a sore throat and a fever? You
may have an infection. Go to the doctor. Did
your symptoms start suddenly, and do you
have a combination of symptoms including
muscle aches, chills, a sore throat, runny
nose or cough? You may have the flu. Get
plenty of rest, and drink lots of fluids. Over-
the-counter medicines may relieve some of
your symptoms.
U3 Track 6, Activity 7
Ruby Langdon: So, to begin talking about very unusual
remedies for a cold… Let’s see, what do you think,
Tommy… can playing jazz boost immunity? Can cold,
wet socks relieve congestion? Some swear it can, by
using some of these methods. Next time you feel a cold
coming on, ditch the over-the-counter meds and try
these unusual remedies.
Research has shown that listening to jazz for 30
minutes boosts our levels of Immunoglobulin A
(IgA), an immune protein that plays a critical role in
defending against infection. “IgA resides in the mucosa
— the lining of the nose, mouth, throat and other areas
of the body. It acts as an antibody and prevents virus,
bacteria and other microorganism infection,” explains
Jean-Jacques Dugoua, a naturopathic doctor (ND) and
director of clinical pharmacology and naturopathic
medicine for Newtopia.com.
Furthermore, adds Dr. Dugoua, the effect of jazz on
IgA levels continues for an additional half hour after
music stops playing. Bluegrass, choral music and
soft rock have also been shown to induce a similar
response, meaning that this kind of music fans are
lucky too.
Tommy Sharp: That sounds amazing, Ruby! The
next remedy may sound counterproductive, but
according to Leslie Solomonian, assistant professor
at the College of Naturopathic Medicine in Toronto,
wearing cold wet socks to bed when coming down with
a cold can mimic the effects of immune-enhancing
hydrotherapy treatments.
Her recommendation: “Soak a pair of socks in cold
water, put them on your feet and cover them with a
pair of wool or thermal socks. Go to bed and keep your
feet in a warm blanket.” According to Dr. Solomonian,
cold socks stimulate the body to increase circulation to
the feet, relieving congestion from the head, regulating
immune response and aiding in the elimination of
waste. By morning, socks are usually bone dry and feet
wake up toasty and warm.
Ruby Langdon: Mmm… not sure about that Tommy!
But what about this one: Many persons recommend
drinking chocolate to recover from a bad cold. As
wonderful as this remedy sounds, there’s a catch:
sugar-sweetened and milk chocolate don’t apply. “Try
hot, dark chocolate and sweeten it lightly with honey,”
recommends Dr. Dugoua.
“Chocolate contains theobromine, a component that
suppresses the nerve activity responsible for coughing
and has been found to be three times more effective
in stopping persistent coughs than codeine.” Sugar, on
the other hand, can weaken immunity, so it’s best to
avoid it all together when you have a cold.
Tommy Sharp: This is a good one: eat onions and
oysters! Onions can help you fight a cold for two
reasons. Firstly, they are naturally antimicrobial,
especially when they haven’t been cooked. “They
also contain a lot of sulfur, which is helpful for both
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 immune responsiveness and detoxification,” explains
Dr. Solomonian. Try using raw onions in a homemade
cough syrup, or swap some of its antimicrobial benefits
for taste by cooking it in a chicken or vegetable broth
— another tried and tested home remedy. Oysters can
do more than just taste good. Their high zinc content
also makes them beneficial when you’re out with a
cold. “Zinc is responsible for white blood cell function,
which is associated with fighting viruses and bacteria,”
says Dr. Dugoua. “Oysters are the best source of zinc,
followed by beef shank and crab.”
Zinc is also important for the health of mucus
membranes, our barrier between our internal and
external environment, continues Dr. Solomonian. For
vegetarians, she suggests eating whole grains, snacking
on nuts like pumpkin seeds or taking a supplement.
Sucking on a zinc lozenge can help too.
Ruby Langdon: Ok Tommy! And if none of these work,
have a glass of coconut water. “Hydrating is important
when you have a cold and are losing fluids, especially
when you have a fever,” explains Dr. Dugoua. But to
achieve proper hydration the human body requires
electrolytes, which balance out our blood chemistry.
“Coconut water is a good source of electrolytes,”
says Dr. Dugoua, who notes that salt, bananas and
electrolyte replacement drinks used in sports also
replenish our electrolyte reserves.
Tommy Sharp: So interesting, Ruby! I think I’ll try
them!! Aaachoooo!!!
U3 Track 7, Activities 2 and 3
Think your job is boring? Well, it probably is compared
to some of these odd professions.
We’ve rounded up some of the weirdest jobs out there.
Some are awesome, some are dangerous and some are
just disgusting.
1. Pet Food Tester
Yes, it’s a thing, and yes it’s totally gross. But as the
owner of pet food company Huds and Toke, Mark
Gooley, says, “If you wouldn’t put it in your mouth,
don’t you dare expect your dog to eat it.” Mr. Gooley
eats dog food for a living. He eats everything from
doggie treats and chewy bones to liver mixture. “I’m
looking for palatability. I want it to be soft in the mouth
and I want it to be an enjoyable experience for the
dog,” he told PerthNow.
“The dog might not be able to tell me ‘that tastes
terrible’, so I have to taste it,” he said. And if it doesn’t
pass the taste test, it’s back to the drawing board.
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“I don’t know how to explain it. It’s like being a mad
scientist. People look at me blankly and say, ‘I just don’t
get it’. But I wouldn’t do anything else.” Someone’s got
to do it, I guess.
2. Face Feeler
Ever wondered how shaving brands and beauty
companies can claim their products give you the
smoothest skin?
Well, one lucky person has verified it for them. A face
feeler tests how soft and smooth a person’s skin is
after using a product, to prove how well it works. So all
day, they just sidle up to beautiful test models and feel
their faces. Nice.
3. Gumologist
A lot of hard work goes into creating the perfect
piece of chewy. Just ask Jesse Kiefer, who works as a
Gumologist for Cadbury Schweppes. “A piece of gum
weighs just one to seven grams, but it’s packed with
a lot of different technology,” he told Fortune. “It has
to deliver a burst of flavour, a lot of sweetness, and a
lot of tartness if it’s a fruit gum. “Our team figures out
how to combine all those. “Some days, I don’t blow any
bubbles. Other days I have to blow a lot. It depends
on what stage we are in the project.” Kiefer has to
get the flavour just right, which isn’t easy with some
combos like strawberry and lime - which he says don’t
complement each other that well. Kiefer started out
as a chemical engineer and was working mainly with
detergent and soaps. “But with gum there are just so
many flavours! I find the job very stimulating. I’ve had
only one cavity since I started here.”
4. Fountain Pen Doctor
Don’t you just hate it when your fountain pen breaks?
It’s the worst. Luckily there’s a man whose sole job it
is to fix fountain pens. Richard Binder, 59, of Richard
Binder Fountain Pens in Nashua, New Hampshire,
has been “pen doctoring full-time” since leaving his
software engineer job in 2002. He receives broken pens
from everywhere - Argentina, Japan, South Africa. He
often has 600 pens waiting to be fixed at any one time.
“More than half of my work, really, is nib work,” Binder
told Fortune. “The heart of a fountain pen is the nib,
the point through which the ink flows. If the nib is no
good, it doesn’t matter how fancy the rest of it is, it’s
not a good pen. Nibs can be scratchy if they’re worn
or misaligned. People often want them adjusted for
more or less ink flow, or customised for calligraphy.
“My gross income is less than when I was a software
engineer, but I’m happier. “I just got a handwritten
thank you from a gentleman in the Philippines.
Basically I get my pleasure from making people happy
with their pens.” What a nice guy.
5. Chicken Sexer
Don’t worry. It sounds way worse than it actually
is. When chicks are born they all cuddle together in
masses trying to stay warm. But these cute young
things need to be separated according to their sex. It’s
a sad end for male chicks - most are sent off for culling
because they’re irrelevant for egg production. But the
female chicks are primed for their future careers as
egg-layers. Brutal, but true.
6. Waterslide Tester
This is my personal favourite. Monday morning
definitely seems a lot more enticing if you get to
spend your working week slipping down water slides.
Especially come summer. And water slides are usually
placed in massive theme parks. Imagine getting to
spend your lunch break on a rollercoaster, and eating a
hot dog for lunch. Working holiday, am I right?
7. Teddy Bear Repair Technician
Kids get really emotional about their toys. Remember
when your favourite toy lost an arm, or suffered a
similar life-threatening injury? It was devastating. But
now there’s a special technician who can come to the
rescue. The Build-A-Bear Workshops have a Teddy Bear
Repair Technician who is hired to repair those much-
loved teddy bears and get them back to their cuddly,
intact, lovable selves.
8. IMAX Screen Cleaner
Those giant cinema screens are total germ-bait.
It’s a business model just waiting to happen. And
Michael Quaranto, of Houston’s 1570 Cinema Services,
capitalised on it big time. The airline pilot got together
with his best mate, Andrew Brown, and on their 14
days off a month, they travel around the country and
clean IMAX screens. “Theatres that carry concessions
often have Gummi bears or soda thrown at the screen.
We also find spit wads,” Quaranto told Fortune. “The
biggest problem is that they get dusty. The most dust
we’ve ever seen was a quarter-inch thick. “We usually
have to empty the vacuum cleaner at least two or three
times during the process. We’re covered in dust by the
end of the night”. So next time you go to the movies,
make sure you take a good look at that super-clean
screen.
9. Cup Keeper
This job takes babysitting to a whole new level.
The Stanley Cup is awarded to the championship
team in the US / Canada’s National Hockey League
competition. But there’s only one cup, and each year’s
winning teams are engraved on it. Due to the trophy’s
huge price tag, it must be chaperoned at all times while
it’s away from its permanent home at the Hockey Hall
of Fame. A “Keeper of the Cup” is paid to accompany
the trophy during its travels and make sure it doesn’t
go astray.
10. Snake Milker
Snake venom is powerful stuff. It can be turned into
drugs to treat all kinds of conditions, including a
poisonous snake bite.
But some brave soul needs to collect that venom by
hand. They gently expose the snake’s fang and squeeze
out the deadly juices. “The only difference between
me and any other company in the world that produces
something is that the means of production here can kill
you...and wants to,” Alabama snake milker Ken Darnell
told NPR.
U3 Track 8, Activity 3
SPEAKER 1: Well this was one of the funniest anecdotes ever.
It was also one of the most embarrassing ones
I have lived. Once I had to travel between two
cities and I was going by bus. This travel would
take forever, because the cities were really far
away. So, after some hours, the bus stopped
and everyone hurried down to the convenience
store. Since we parked, I could see there was
this funny lady entering the convenience
store and she had quite a look that made her
look weirder. Well, I got off the bus and went
directly to the store and forgot about the lady.
I went to the restroom and one of the doors
was slightly open. So I opened the door to get
in and to my surprise there was the woman!!!
I was petrified when she shouted! Anyway it
was all just a local joke. The lady was not really
a lady, but a stunt, and everything was a show
for the store’s publicity!!
SPEAKER 2: One of my most special vacations ever was
probably one when I had to visit a very small
village that had no more than 500 inhabitants.
We were stuck in the middle of an expedition
and the guide told us there was no other
solution but to stay there overnight. None of us
wanted to do so, because, of course, there were
no hotels, not even a hostel, nonetheless we
accepted. When we got to the village we were
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 overwhelmed because of the way they treated SPEAKER 5: They have always said that dolphins are
us! They had never received tourists over, so some of the most intelligent creatures ever.
we became their special guests! It was such a There is this place in the coast of the Caribbean
good experience, that we stayed for a whole where you can swim among them but having
week! I absolutely adored it! the funniest feeling. I know there are many
SPEAKER 3: We went to this incredible place, a place places where you can have this experience,
which has one of the largest mosques in the but in this place, you can really feel they are
whole North Africa. We went in and then some laughing and having lots of fun. Even when you
boys came and, er, they wanted to show us enter the water and you see in their eyes, you
around. Well, we weren’t so sure, but they did can sense they are laughing at you!
anyway. After that, they asked us to come to a
carpet museum and they said, really, you have
to see – it’s wonderful, there are old Tunisian
carpets. So we decided to go with them. And
guess what! The museum turned out to be a
carpet shop, owned by the father of one of
the boys. And of course, he wanted to sell us
a carpet. We actually didn’t want to buy one,
because we didn’t have enough space in our
backpacks, but finally he managed to persuade
us to buy one. So my friend, yeah, she bought
one. To thank us for that, the boy guided us
around the town and we ended up going down
these really narrow alleyways and we had no
idea where we were because this whole city
was like a maze. Then we came to a house
and we realized it was the house of one of the
boys and we were invited in by his family, we
had tea, food and lots of fun. It was a great
experience!
SPEAKER 4: Well I guess one of my worst experiences
was when I had to sleep almost hugging other
10 strangers. Yes! It was in a hiking trip in the
mountains. All the members of the expedition
were amateurs, including me, but the brochure,
and the guide, said there was no risk at all. We
began hiking and for some hours everything
went fine. But after some difficult climbing,
there was this horrible cliff and after some
tripping, all our supplies, blankets and clothes
fell off!!! Yes!!! We were there in the middle
of nowhere, at dusk, extremely cold and with
nothing!!! So the guide called for help, which by
the way took hours to get to where we were.
So, cold, tired and not knowing each other, we
had to go to sleep holding each other in order
not to freeze!!

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