UNIT 4: LANGUAGES

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Unit 4 LANGUAGES
LESSON 1
Reading Comprehension

Warm Up
How do you feel about learning a new language?
Text 1
Read the passage “The Hardest Language” and answer following questions:

The Hardest Language

People often ask which is the most difficult language to
learn, and it is not easy to answer because there are many
factors to take into consideration. Firstly, in a first language
the differences are unimportant as people learn their mother
tongue naturally, so the question of how hard a language is
to learn is only relevant when learning a second language.

A native speaker of Spanish, for example, will find

Portuguese much easier to learn than a native speaker of
Chinese, for example, because Portuguese is very similar to
Spanish, while Chinese is very different, so first language
can affect learning a second language. The greater the
differences between the second language and our first, the harder it will be for most
people to learn. Many people answer that Chinese is the hardest language to learn,
possibly influenced by the thought of learning the Chinese writing system, and the
pronunciation of Chinese does appear to be very difficult for many foreign learners.
However, for Japanese speakers, who already use Chinese characters in their own
language, learning writing will be less difficult than for speakers of languages using the
Roman alphabet.

Some people seem to learn languages readily, while others find it very difficult.
Teachers and the circumstances in which the language is
learned also play an important role, as well as each learner's
motivation for learning. If people learn a language because
they need to use it professionally, they often learn it faster than
people studying a language that has no direct use in their day
to day life.
Apparently, British diplomats and other embassy staff have found
that the second hardest language is Japanese, which will
probably come as no surprise to many, but the language that they
have found to be the most problematic is Hungarian, which has 35
cases (forms of a nouns according to whether it is subject, object,
genitive, etc). This does not mean that Hungarian is the hardest

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language to learn for everyone, but it causes British diplomatic personnel, who are
generally used to learning languages, the most difficulty. However, Tabassaran, a
Caucasian language has 48 cases, so it might cause more difficulty if British diplomats
had to learn it.

Different cultures and individuals from those cultures will find different languages more
difficult. In the case of Hungarian for British learners, it is not a question of the writing
system, which uses a similar alphabet, but the grammatical complexity, though native
speakers of related languages may find it easier, while struggling with languages that
the British find relatively easy.

No language is easy to learn well, though languages which are related to our first
language are easier. Learning a completely different writing system is a huge
challenge, but that does not necessarily make a language more difficult than another.
In the end, it is impossible to say that there is one language that is the most difficult
language in the world.

Define all the underlined words. Write their definitions in your notebook.

Answer the questions by TRUE / FALSE:

1. The question of how hard a language is to learn is relevant to both first and
second language acquisition. True/False

2. Portuguese is definitely easier than Chinese. True/False

3. A Japanese speaker may well find the Chinese writing system easier than a
speaker of a European language. True/False

4. The Hungarian alphabet causes problems for British speakers. True/False

5. Hungarian is the hardest language in the world. True/False

6. Hungarian has as many cases as Tabassaran. True/False

7. Many British diplomats learn Tabassaran. True/False

8. The writer thinks that learning new writing systems is easy. True/False

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Lesson 2
Reading Comprehension
Text 2

Read the passage “Language and Communication” and answer following questions:

Language and Communication

English is called an international language, but there are actually quite a few varieties
of English that exist around the world. English originated
in England, but soon English spread to other countries, and different varieties of
English began to exist. Today, the countries in which English is spoken can be divided
into three groups.

The first group is made of those countries where English is the primary language.
These are countries like England, Canada, the United States, Ireland, Australia, and
New Zealand. There are more than 380 million native1 speakers of English in these
countries alone.

There is a second group of countries that have their own varieties of English.
Their histories have been directly influenced by one of the early English-speaking
societies. They use English in various important ways within their own government
and everyday life. India, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Kenya are examples of this
group. The total number of speakers in this group is in the hundreds of millions.

In a third group of countries, English is widely used as a foreign language.

However, citizens use their native language within their own government and in
everyday life. Some countries in this group are China, Russia, Japan,
Korea, Brazil, Indonesia, and many Western European countries. Some people
calculate the number of speakers in this group to be as many as one billion—and it is
growing fast.

This changing situation raises many questions. Will another language replace
English as the international language? If not, will people continue to use the English of
countries such as England or the United States as models? Will new varieties of
English develop in countries such as China or Brazil? Or, in the future, will a new
international variety of English develop that doesn’t belong to any one country, but
to an entire area like Asia or Europe?

Define all the underlined words. Write their definitions in your notebook.
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Questions

A. Choose the correct answers for the following questions.

1. England, America, Canada, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand
are countries where .
a. people speak English as a foreign language
b. English is the main language
c. people still use the type of English used in England

2. In China and Brazil, English is widely used ________.

a. in everyday life
b. by the government
c. as a foreign language

3. The group has the most number of English speakers.

a. first
b. second
c. third

4. Which sentence is the writer most likely to agree with?

a. English will stay in its current form for a long time.
b. No one knows if English will remain the international language.
c. Soon there will be more native speakers of English than non-native
speakers.

B. Read the following sentences. Check (✓) true (T), false (F), or not
given (NG). If the sentence is false, change it to make it true.

T F NG
1. English originated in the United
States.
2. The writer thinks English is easy
to learn.
3. The Philippines has its own
variety of English.
4. English is widely used as a
foreign language in Egypt.

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C. Match each word with its definition. The words in bold are from the
passage.

1. exist a to work with numbers

2. calculate b to grow or change over time
3. primary c how things are
4. develop d begin
5. originate e type or kind of something
6. replace f the main or most important thing
7. situation g to take or fill the place of
8. variety h to be real or to be present

D. Complete the following sentences using the correct form of words from

1. I’m terrible at math. It takes me forever to my expenses.

2. I need a new pair of shoes to _______ my old ones, but there’s such a
3. big ___________ that I can’t decide which to buy!
4. It can be an uncomfortable___________ when you forget someone’s
name.
5. The city _________slowly along the river, which became its
source of water.

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Lesson 3 LANGUAGES
Listening

Listen to Simon talking about how he learned several languages in a variety of

different ways.

Before listening

Do the preparation task first. Then listen to the audio and do the exercises.

Preparation task

Match the definitions (a–h) with the vocabulary (1–8).

Vocabulary Definition
1. …… to be a struggle a. clearly the best
2. …… to rehearse b. a certain level
3. …… to get over c. to be difficult to do
4. …… a degree d. to notice
5. …… a catchphrase e. to do something quite badly
6. …… to pick up on f. to feel better about something upsetting
7. …… by far the best g. to practise something you plan to say or
8. …… to make a right mess perform
of h. a short, popular phrase that makes you think
of the person who says it

A. Circle the best answer.

1. Which continent has the speaker NOT lived in?

a. Asia
b. Europe
c. South America

2. Which two things does the speaker do to learn a new language?

a. Go to classes and speak to people
b. Speak to people and use a dictionary
c. Watch TV and listen to the radio

3. Why does the speaker think watching game shows is useful?

a. Because of the pictures
b. Because contestants are always winning
c. Because the language is repetitive

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 4. What does the speaker say about using newspapers?
a. It was easy to learn a lot of new words quickly.
b. A lot of things were happening in the country.
c. Other people sometimes explained new words to him.

5. What does the speaker say about talking to people in the street?
a. Preparation was necessary.
b. The embarrassment made it a failure.
c. People reacted negatively.

6. Why were colloquial expressions a problem for the speaker?

a. They took ten years to learn.
b. They were never written down.
c. They were often unnoticed.

B. Complete the sentences using the words below.

Over degree find way

typical again mess far

1. I’ve learned several languages to one _________or another.

2. I just ______________them fascinating.

3. The _____________kinds of programmes we see every day.

4. You can really quickly hear the same words repeated _______and again.

5. There was no ____________I was going to understand everything.

6. By _____________the best practice I had was just talking to people.

7. Usually, I’d make a right _______________of it first of all.

8. But after you get ______________the embarrassment, it’s quite funny

really.

Discussion
What is the most effective language learning method for you?

Speaking
You have five minutes to prepare, then you will be called to speak in front of the class.
TOPIC: Let’s Talk about food

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 Lesson 4
Grammar
Imperative Verbs

Imperative verbs are also known as ‘bossy verbs’ because they tell people what to
do! e.g. shut the window or turn the kettle on.

A. Colour in the words that could be used as imperative verbs.

Remember a verb is a doing word.

shut filthy chair turn gold

Lovely mix unhappy close stairs

B. Look at the sentences below. Can you think of some imperative verbs that could
go at the beginning to make an instruction?
1. the door, there’s a draught.
2. off the light please.
3. the milk into the glass.
4. on a coat before you go out.
5. left at the traffic lights.

C. Choose any two imperative verbs and uses them in sentences.

1. _____________________________________________________________

2._____________________________________________________________

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 Imperative Verbs

Grammar Instructions for an Alien

You are going out and will be leaving your little alien friend at home, all alone. To stop
your alien from going hungry you must leave him instructions for how to make a
sandwich.

Think of what connectives you should use. Use the list below to help you:

Firstly Secondly Thirdly Next

After Finally Then Meanwhile

You will also need to use imperative verbs. These may be useful:

Put Mix Spread Open Chop Season Add

Slice Cut Get Serve Place

Once you have decided what type of sandwich you want your alien to make, write
your instructions below.

How to Make a Sandwich

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Grammar Imperative Verbs _ Recipes

Choose the correct imperative verb to go with each instruction in this recipe to
make a cheese omelette.
1. and enjoy – your omelette is ready!
2. your pan until it’s nice and hot.
3. some eggs in a bowl and whisk.
4. together thoroughly.
5. some cheese and add to the egg mixture.
6. for a final two minutes until completely cooked.
7. your egg mixture and cook for three minutes.

Mix Grill Heat Grate Crack Serve Add

Can you put the instructions in the right order to complete the recipe?

Firstly,

Secondly,

Thirdly,

After that,

Then,

Next,

Finally,
______________________________________________________________________
_

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Lesson 5 – 6

Writing

Learning a new language is an interesting experience. Choose any

language that you know then tell your friend the steps that you followed to

learn this new language.

______________________________________

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

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Lesson 7 – 8 The Secret Garden
Literature
Chapter 3
Focus: Characters – The people and animals in the story
Read Chapter 3 then complete the activities below.
A. Answer the following questions.
1. What was Mary always thinking about?
__________________________________________________________
2. What smells nice, fresh and damp?
__________________________________________________________
3. What are the first plants in spring?
__________________________________________________________
4. How is spring different in India?
__________________________________________________________
5. What plants can be found in Robin’s garden?
__________________________________________________________
6. What did Mary notice lying on the ground?
__________________________________________________________
7. What present did Martha bring for Mary?
__________________________________________________________
8. How did Mary finally find the door to the secret garden?
__________________________________________________________
9. What did the garden look like when Mary walked through the secret
door?
_________________________________________________________
10. Who did Martha and Mary write a letter to?
_________________________________________________________
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B.Complete the sentences with the words from the box.

bloom confusion lock skip weed

seen come out move

1. The bird wasn’t afraid of Mary – it didn’t even_________ when she came
closer.
2. When you ___________out your front garden, it will look much nicer.
3. Our apple tree started to ____________last week – you can see beautiful
little white flowers between the leaves.
4. If you don’t want a thief to steal your jewelry, you should
______________your house and activate the alarm.
5. Mary was happy that nobody had_________________ her unlocking the
garden door and she walked in quickly.
6. Mary wasn’t surprised – nobody had been in the garden for ten years.
Everything was growing in great _______________because nobody had
looked after the plants.
7. Leaves _____________in the spring and everything starts turning green.
8. Let’s go outside, we can _______________ rope or watch the boys play
street hockey.

C. Match pairs of words that have OPPOSITE meanings.

damp careless
still dead
shiny dry
alive dull
careful moving

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