LESSON 1: SPEAKING

PART I: SOCIAL INTERACTION (~ 3 mins): Could you repeat the question, please?

Let’s talk about newspapers:

1. Do you often read newspapers?

Yes, I do. I love reading news when I have free time.

No, I don’t. I am so busy with my job.

2. What kinds of newspapers (or magazines) do you usually read? I usually read from
Online sources about hot news.

3. What influence do you think newspapers have on society? They have good influences/
impacts/ effects. They help people get news in over the world.

Now, let’s talk about sleeping habits

4. How many hours do you sleep every day? I sleep 6 hours a day. Because I am so busy with
my job.

5. Is it necessary to take a nap every day? Yes, it is. It can help people feel relaxed.

6. What should we do to have a good sleep? We do not eat too much after 8 pm.

PART II: SOLUTION DISCUSSION (~4 mins)

Situation: You are going to organize a High School Reunion and you have to create an
event to make your reunion be successful.

There are THREE options for you to choose:

            - Raising money.

            - Choosing a location, date and time.

            - Designing a theme and color.

Which do you think is the best choice?

I am going to organize a High School Reunion and I have to create an event to make my
reunion be successful.

There are THREE options for me to choose:

            - Raising money.

            - Choosing a location, date and time.

            - Designing a theme and color.

Among them, I think raising money is the best choice. Why do you choose?/ How do you do to
raise money.

PART III: TOPIC DEVELOPMENT (~ 5 mins)

Topic: Shopping online is one of the greatest aspects of the internet today.
It is said that shopping online is one of the greatest aspect of the internet today. I do agree
with this opinion. Shopping on the internet can bring a lot of benefits. The first one is being
convinient for people. The second one is that it helps people save much time.

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 READING PRACTICE

I. Read the following passage and choose the item (A, B, C or D) that best
completes the unfinished statement (or best answers the question) about the
passage.

Our eyes and ears might be called transformers because they sense the light and sound around us
and turn them into electrical impulses that the brain can interpret. These electrical impulses that
have been transformed by the eyes and ears reach the brain and are turned into messages that we
can interpret. For the eye, the process begins as the eye admits light waves, bends them at the
cornea and lens, and then focuses them on the retina. At the back of each eye, nerve fibre bundle
together to form optic nerves, which join and then split into two optic tracks. Some of the fibres
cross so that part of the input from the right visual field goes into the left side of the brain, and
vice versa. The process in the ear is carried out through sensory cells that are carried in fluid-
filled canals and that are extremely sensitive to vibration. Sound that is transformed into
electricity travels along nerve fibres in the auditory nerve. These fibres form a synapse with
neurons that carry the messages to the auditory cortex on each side of the brain.

1. According to the author, we might call our eyes and ears “transformers” because

A. They sense light and sound. B. They create electrical impulses.

C. The brain can interpret the input. D. The messages travel in the brain.

2. To what does the word “them” in line 4 refer?

A. Light waves B. Processes. C. Eyes. D. Messages

3. Which of the following is closest in meaning to the word “vibration” as used in the
reading?

A. Sound B. Movement C. Light D. Heat

4. According to the passage, when input from the right visual field goes into the left side of the
brain, what happens?

A. The nerve fibres bundle together. B. The optic nerves split

C. The retina receives light waves D. Input from the left field goes to the right side
5. According to the passage, optic nerves eventually

A. bend B. split

C. admit light waves D. become messages

II. Read the following passage and choose the item (A, B, C or D) that best
completes the unfinished statement (or best answers the question) about the
passage.

Sources of Energy

When man first appeared on earth, his greatest source of power was his own physical strength.
As he grew wiser, he learned to make animals supply power for him. Then, many centuries later,
he discovered that wind and water were even better power sources than animals. Still later he
found that power from steam, coal, and oil was often even better than these.

In the latest search for improved living, physicists – scientists who study energy and matter –
have been led to the study of the atom. The physicists have found that atomic energy can do such
things as supplying electricity to cities, blasting out harbors, running ships and submarines, and
may soon provide energy for space flights.

Finding ways to make the atom work for us is a new science. It just started in the twentieth
century. However, by working with atoms, scientists have found that these tiny storehouses of
energy can both help and unfortunately, harm mankind.

1. Which of the following is the main idea of paragraph 1?

A. Man’s greatest sources of power B. Man’s own physical strength

C. Man’s earlier sources of energy D. Man’s most recent source of power

2. The word wiser in paragraph 1 probably means ________.

A. Older and weaker B. richer and more powerful

C. having ability to invent useful things D. having more experience and knowledge

3. The word these at the end of paragraph 1 refers to ________.

A. Power sources B. animals

C. coal and oil D. steam and coal
 4. According to paragraph 2, which of the following is NOT true about atomic energy?

A. It is the newest source of power B. It was discovered too late

C. It was discovered by physicists D. It can be used for various purposes

5. Which of the following is closest in meaning to blasting out in paragraph 2?

A. removing rock violently out of B. blowing everything away from

C. creating out of rock by explosion D. filling up with air and water

III. Read the following passage and choose the item (A, B, C or D) that best
completes the unfinished statement (or best answers the question) about the
passage.

The Nobel prizes, awarded annually for distinguished work in chemistry, physics, physiology or
medicine, literature, and international peace, were made available by a fund bequeathed for that
purpose by Swedish philanthropist, Alfed Bernhard Nobel.

The prizes, awarded since 1901, are administered by the Nobel Foundation in Stockholm. In
1969, a prize for economics endowed by the Central Bank of Sweden was added. Candidates for
the prizes must be nominated in writing by a qualified authority in the field of competition.
Candidates are judged by Swedish and Norwegian academies and institutes on the basic of their
contribution to mankind. The awards are usually presented in Stockholm on December 10, with
the king of Sweden officiating, an appropriate tribute to Alfred Nobel on the anniversary of his
death. Each prize includes a gold medal, a diploma, and a cash award of about one million
dollars.

1. What does this passage mainly discuss?

A. Alfred Bernhard Nobel B. The Nobel prizes

C. Great contributions to mankind D. Swedish philanthropy

2. How often are the Nobel prizes awarded?

A. Five times a year B. Twice a year

C. Once a year D. Once every two years

3. A Nobel prize would not be given to

A. an author who wrote a novel

B. a doctor who discovered a vaccine

C. a writer who plagiarized most of works from the other writers

D. a diplomat who negotiated a piece of settlement

4. Why were the prizes named after Alfred Bernhard Nobel?

A. He left money in his will to establish a fund for prizes

B. He won the first Nobel prize for this work in philanthropy

C. He’s now the first living in Sweden

D. He serves as judge of the Nobel Foundation

5. Why are the awards presented on December 10th?

A. Because it is a tribute to the King of Sweden

B. Because Alfred Bernhard died on that day

C. Because that day was suggested by Nobel’s will

D. Because the Central Bank of Sweden administers the trust

WRITING PRACTICE