EXTRA SPEAKING:  Answer 

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Last year, I went to visit my cousins, who live in Juneau, Alaska. Juneau is the capital of Alaska. There are no
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roads linking Juneau to the rest of the USA, so everything is brought there on ships or planes. In fact, we travelled
there on a ship. When we arrived in the harbour, I noticed a small statue of a dog. My cousin told me the story of
this unusual dog, called Patsy Ann.
Patsy Ann was a white bull terrier, born in Oregon in the USA. In 1929, she arrived in Juneau on a ship with her
owners. She was supposed to be a family pet, but Patsy Ann kept running away, so her owners gave her to
a new family. But Patsy Ann preferred to spend her time at the harbour, waiting for the ships to arrive. The local
townspeople soon noticed something unusual about Patsy Ann: she was completely deaf and couldn’t hear when
she was called. However, somehow, she always knew when a ship was about to arrive and was always waiting
at the docks, ready to greet the travellers. No one understood how Patsy Ann knew when a ship was close, as
she couldn’t hear the ship’s whistle or the sound of the ship’s engines. By the mid-1930s, the little dog had be-
come famous, and in 1934, the mayor made her the “Official Greeter of Juneau, Alaska”. Her photograph ap-
peared on postcards, and a local writer, Carl Burrows, even wrote a book about her. Whenever a ship arrived
in the harbour, the passengers threw treats to Patsy Ann, and many of the ships’ cooks fed her, too. In fact, she
became quite fat from all the food! Patsy Ann died in her sleep in 1942. The next day, the people of Juneau put
Patsy Ann’s body in a small box and threw the box into the harbour. Fifty years later, the townspeople collected
money for a statue of this faithful dog. You can see her statue today at the harbour, waiting to greet the ships
and the travellers that still come to Juneau.
I had a great time with my cousins, but I think the story of Patsy Ann is the thing I’ll always remember.

1 1. T 2. F 3. F 4. T 5. F
2 1. Oregon, USA
2. She kept running away.
3. Although she was completely deaf, she knew when a ship was about to arrive.
4. In 1934, the mayor made her the “Official Greeter of Juneau, Alaska”. / Her photograph appeared
on postcards, and a book was written about her.
5. to greet the ships and travellers
3 Accept all logical and grammatically correct answers.

Pairwork activity Page 2

Accept all logical and grammatically correct answers.

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Girl 1: When did I start? Um, let me see. I think I began when I was six. It was my birthday and we all went on
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a picnic in the countryside. Then, after we had finished eating, my parents gave me my present. It was
a camera! Well, I just began to take pictures of everything and I haven’t stopped!
Boy 1: We spend all our spare time together, practising on the court. Sometimes we have to meet three or four
times a week. You really have to know how to work as a team. You’ve got to help each other and play to-
gether if you’re going to win. But knowing how to lose is part of the game, too. I can’t think of anything I’d
rather do in my spare time. Basketball is really the best!
Girl 2: I’m the kind of person who’s always in a hurry and on the move. I used to worry about arriving on time
wherever I went. That was before I got Rollerblades! Now I don’t have that problem. I use my
Rollerblades all the time, so I get around quickly. It’s really fun. I love roller-blading!
Boy 2: I think it came naturally to me. I’ve always loved being in a pool or in the sea. I never felt any fear of wa-
ter, and when I learnt to swim, I found that I was really good at it. Now I’m in the school swimming team,
so I take part in competitions but I still really enjoy the sport.
Girl 3: I haven’t been doing it for long, actually. A couple of years ago, I went on a trip to London with my par-
ents. They’re really interested in art, so we went to a lot of museums. I didn’t think I’d enjoy it, but
I did. When we got home, I knew I wanted to try it. Sometimes it takes me weeks to finish a picture,
but I don’t care. I don’t think I’m an artist, but it’s a great hobby.

1 1. photography 4. swimming
2. basketball 5. art
3. roller-blading
2 Possible answers
1. take pictures of everything
2. together, practising on the
3. my Rollerblades all the
4. take part in
5. takes me weeks to finish
3 Accept all logical and grammatically correct answers.
4 Accept all logical and grammatically correct answers.

Pairwork activity Page 2

Accept all logical and grammatically correct answers.

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The strangest thing that ever happened to me … let me see. Yeah, I know. I’ll tell you about it, but you have to
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promise you won’t think I’m crazy. It happened on a Friday last winter. I was home alone that night because my
parents had gone out. I had just finished reading a book – it was a fantastic book, all about ghosts and weird ex-
periences people have had with ghosts.
Anyway, I went to sleep at around 10.30, and the next thing I remember was a loud noise waking me up. I heard
it again – it was a kind of banging sound, and it seemed to be coming from the kitchen. At first, I thought it was
my parents coming home. But when I called out to them, no one answered. I went downstairs to see what was
happening, nervously turning all the lights on as I went. All this time, the banging and crashing sounds didn’t stop.
Then, suddenly, when I reached the kitchen door – silence! No sound at all. I opened the door and just stood
there. I couldn’t believe my eyes. For a moment, I couldn’t move. All the cupboard doors were open, and the floor
was covered with pots, pans, broken dishes and glasses. I think I screamed, and then I ran back to my bedroom
as fast as I could and locked the door. I quickly called my parents and told them what had happened. They said
they’d come right home. They told me to stay in my bedroom. They didn’t have to tell me twice – I wasn’t going
anywhere.
I’m sure it wasn’t more than ten minutes, but it seemed like a lifetime before I heard my parents unlocking the
front door. I ran downstairs and went with them into the kitchen.
Now here’s the really scary part. We opened the kitchen door and …
So, that’s it. And to this day, I still can’t explain it.

1 1. c 2. f 3. b 4. a 5. e 6. d
2 Accept all logical and grammatically correct answers.
3 Possible answers
1. the strangest thing 5. couldn’t believe
2. reading a book 6. as fast as
3. a loud noise 7. seemed like
4. was happening 8. can’t explain
4 Accept all logical and grammatically correct answers.
5 Accept all logical and grammatically correct answers.

Pairwork activity Page 2

Accept all logical and grammatically correct answers.

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 EXTRA SPEAKING: Answer Key

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Reporter 1: Yesterday morning, two robbers tried to rob the Royal Bank in Curzon Street. They entered the
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bank at 9.30 am and demanded all the money from the safe. The thieves ran to their getaway car,
carrying two bags full of money. When they got to their car, they found police officer Bob Smith giv-
ing them a ticket for parking illegally! Smith asked to see what the men had in their bags. He ar-
rested them immediately.
Reporter 2: Can you tell us why you’re demonstrating, madam?
Woman: This is a public park, and there’s nowhere for children to cross the street safely – no zebra crossing,
no stop signs … nothing! Yesterday afternoon, a girl was hit by a car while crossing the street to
the park. Only last year, a 10-year-old boy was seriously injured in exactly the same place. How
many more victims will there be?
Reporter 3: When the alarm went off, people began to panic. At first, everyone tried to get to the exit, but it
was impossible to get to the doors, so people were breaking the windows and jumping. At least 15
people were taken to hospital. By the time the firefighters arrived at the scene, the whole building
was on fire.

1 1. d 2. b 3. a
2 Accept all logical and grammatically correct answers.

Pairwork activity Page 2

Student A
1 1. no 2. yes 3. no 4. no 5. yes 6. yes

Student B
2 1. yes 2. yes 3. no 4. no 5. no 6. no

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Good morning and welcome to Health for All, a weekly programme of tips and advice as well as interesting infor-
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mation about health and healthy lifestyles. One listener, Mary Smythe from Colchester, e-mailed us the following
question: What is cold-water swimming and is it good for you? Well Mary, for most of us, swimming in freezing
cold water in the middle of winter sounds horrible, but for many people living in extremely cold climates, it’s a na-
tional tradition. Cold-water swimming is part of life in places like Russia and Scandinavia, and in Serbia, people
actually swim in ice holes! They claim that it’s painful when they first get into the water, but that they feel amazing
and full of energy afterwards. So – is it good for you? Well, cold-water swimmers say they’re never ill
and don’t even get colds. Many doctors agree with this. They believe that swimming regularly in very cold water
boosts your immune system. Dr Mark Harper, a consultant at Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals in Eng-
land, says there’s evidence that cold-water swimming boosts the immune system, improves the way our bodies
handle glucose and insulin and may help prevent diseases such as diabetes. Dr Harper has also begun
a study that suggests that patients who are regular cold-water swimmers generally recover much quicker after
an operation than others. He believes that this is because their bodies are used to being shocked. However, ex-
perts warn that cold-water swimming isn’t for everyone and can be very dangerous. For example, people with
a history of heart problems and people that are very overweight shouldn’t try cold-water swimming.
So Mary, if you’re generally healthy, aren’t old or overweight, then cold-water swimming might be for you – but
please, check with your family doctor before you try it.
Right, now to our next question …

1 Tick 2 and 3.
2 1. sounds horrible
2. in ice holes
3. painful
4. diabetes
5. operations
3 Accept all logical and grammatically correct answers.
4 Accept all logical and grammatically correct answers.

Pairwork activity Page 2

Accept all logical and grammatically correct answers.

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 EXTRA SPEAKING: Answer Key

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Mrs Smith: Barbara Smith speaking.
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Bob: Hello, Mrs Smith, this is Bob Wexler.

Mrs Smith: Hello, Bob. What can I do for you?
Bob: Well, I saw the notice about the summer basketball camp on our school noticeboard a couple of
weeks ago, and I’d like to know if it’s too late to sign up. I’d really like to go to the camp.
Mrs Smith: I have to tell you, Bob, the camp is almost full. As you said, we put up the notice two weeks ago.
But maybe we could fit in one more player. Tell me a bit about yourself.
Bob: Let’s see. I’m 16 years old and I’ve played basketball since I was about five years old. I’ve been a
member of our school basketball team for five years now, and last year I was made team captain.
Mrs Smith: From what you say, you’re already a very good basketball player. So tell me, why do you want to go
to the summer camp?
Bob: Well, I love basketball. I’m even interested in a career in basketball. My coach says that the more
practice I get, the better, and a month-long camp would really give me lots of practice. So I’d really
like to sign up if possible – and my coach is willing to give his recommendation.
Mrs Smith: You certainly sound very motivated, Bob. Why don’t you send me an e-mail with all the details
you’ve just told me? I’m sure we can find a place for you.
Bob: Thanks a lot, Mrs Smith. I’ll e-mail you today!

1 1. school noticeboard
2. a couple of weeks ago
3. He wants to go to the basketball camp.
4. 16 (years old)
5. five years
6. He loves basketball and is interested in a career in basketball. / The coach says the more practice
he gets, the better.
7. his coach

2 Jose Oliviera wants to learn more about life in Britain.

3 Accept all logical and grammatically correct answers.

Pairwork activity Page 2

Accept all logical and grammatically correct answers.

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