LESSON 5

Reading & Writing

Lesson focus:

● Grammar: Be going to and Will

● Reading: True/False/Not Given

● Writing: Introduce reasons and solutions; Problem-solution essays

“Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.”

A. GRAMMAR
A will 1. We use both will and be going to for
predictions. But with be going to, our
We use will:
predictions are based on evidence.
1. to make predictions about the future,
I think it'll be better to shop online.
often with phrases like I think, I'm sure,
probably, definitely. I don't think those biscuits are going to taste
very good - they look burnt.
I think this recipe will be quite difficult.
2. We use both will and be going to for
2. for decisions we make at the moment of
future actions. With will, we are talking
speaking.
about something we have just decided to do.
I'm not hungry, so I’ll just have a coffee, With be going to, we are talking about
please. something we have already decided and
planned to do.
3. for offers.
I'm not sure what to have - I think I’ll have
I’ll help you make dinner.
pizza.
B. will and be going to
We're going to meet next weekend and go
Be careful: for a meal.

1. Match the sentences (1-6) with what they express (A-B).

1. Look at the prices! This meal is going to be very expensive.
2. I'm going to buy my vegetables at the market because the food is fresher there.
3. Are you going to cook the meat in the oven or on the grill?
4. I'm not going to buy any more fast food - it's too unhealthy.
5. This cake smells amazing - it's going to taste delicious.
6. You're going to get fat if you eat all that chocolate!
A. a planned future event
B. a prediction based on knowledge or evidence
2. Complete the sentences with the correct form of be going to and the verbs in brackets.
1. This fish is not cooked, so I ______ (not eat) it.
2. I need to go to the supermarket - I ______ (cook) a meal for my family tonight.
3. There are too many things on this menu - it ______ (not be) easy to choose what to have.
4. This table only seats four people, so we ______ (have to) find a bigger one.
5. My friend has decided to stop eating meat, so ______ (buy) her a vegetarian cook book.
6. Drinking coffee gives him a headache, so he ______ (drink) tea instead.
7. There's a new Korean restaurant opening soon and we ______ (try) it.
8. I'd like to learn how to cook because I ______ (go) live on my own next year.
9. That supermarket is quite expensive, so they ______ (not shop) there any longer.
10. My doctor says I eat too many sweet things, so I ______ (stop) eating cakes and biscuits.
3. a. Match the sentences (1-3) with what they express (A-C).
1. I think the price will go up next week.
2. OK. I'll buy it!
3. I'll drive you to the store as it's out of town.
A. an offer
B. a prediction
C. a spontaneous decision
b. Make sentences using will and won't
1. there / probably / be / more people shopping online / in the future
2. I don't think / people / change / the way they shop
3. do you think / you be able to afford to go on holiday / this year?
4. I / lend / you some money if you like
5. I can't afford it, so I / buy / it later
6. I / take / you to the supermarket / tomorrow
7. I'm tired, so I / go / home now
8. we probably / use / less cash / in the future
c. Match the sentences in Exercise 3b (1-8) with the descriptions in Exercise 3a (A-C).
4. a. Complete the sentences about the future of shopping. Use will or won't to give your
opinion.
1. All companies ______ have an online store.
2. People ______ stop buying books in bookshops.
3. Large shopping centres ______ replace high street shops.
4. Musicians ______ only sell music online.
5. Companies ______ improve the way they deliver their products.
6. People ______ use cash to pay for things.
b. Work in pairs. Choose two sentences from Exercise 4a and tell your partner the reasons
for your prediction.
5. Choose the correct options in italics to complete the conversations.
1. A: Did you go to the new superstore yesterday?
B: No, we'll / we're going to drive over there this afternoon.
2. A: Look, your new watch is broken.
B: Do you think the shop will/ is going to exchange it?
3. A: I've got to go to the chemist's for my prescription.
B: I’ll / I'm going to go if you like - it's on my way.
4. A: We don't have that book in stock at the moment.
B: OK, thanks. I’ll / l'm going to try the online store.
5. A: Are you cutting your prices?
B: Yes, I hope the sales will / are going to bring more customers into the store.
6. A: Everything in the new supermarket seems very expensive.
B: Well, we won't / aren't going to shop there then!
7. A: Have you got all the ingredients you need?
B: No, but Neil will/ is going to get everything on his way home from work.
B. READING

In this reading task type you will have statements and you have
to decide if the passage says the same thing, says the opposite or
if that information is not in the passage. True/False statements
are usually opinions and Yes/No statements are usually factual.
The answers usually appear in the same order as in the passage.
Before you read
Underline key words in the options that might help you to find
the correct answer in the passage.
While you read
• Read the passage quickly to find where the answers are.
• Answers to True/False/Not given questions appear in the same
order in the questions and passage.
• Find the easiest answers first and then look before or after for
more difficult answers.
• Try to guess the meaning of the words you do not know by
looking at the other words in the sentence - but only do this for
words that are important to answer the question.
After you read
• Remember that False means that the opposite idea is
paraphrased and stated in the passage. Not given is for anything
that is not in the passage.
• Watch your time. Do not spend too long looking for Not given
answers.

Before you read

1. Work in pairs and discuss the questions.
1. What can you do with an electronic map that you can't do with a map on paper?
2. GPS maps (maps that use global positioning systems) have had a great impact on certain jobs.
Which jobs? In what ways are these jobs different now?
Identify specific detail
2. Read the passage quickly. What is it about?
A. how to use Google maps effectively
B. collecting images for Google Street View
C. the growth of Google as a company
3. a. Look at these sentences from the first paragraph of the passage. Choose the option (A
or B) that best describes the meaning of each sentence.
1. Most people know that Google is creating maps for the entire world.
A. It is generally known that Google's intention is to map every place on earth.
B. Google is becoming the best-known maker of maps in the world.
2. Google Street View started in 2007, with the aim of providing photographs of the streets on its
maps.
A. When Google Street View started, it could provide images for most of the streets on its maps.
B. Google's initial play was to offer pictures to match all the streets on its maps.
b. Underline the words in the sentences in Exercise 3a that helped you decide.
4. a. Read this statement about the passage and underline the key words.
Google Street View uses trekkers to take pictures for them.
b. Now read the second paragraph of the passage and follow these steps.
1. Find information in the paragraph that answers these questions. Underline the parts of the
passage where you find the answers.
A. What is Google Street View's aim?
B. Who or what are trekkers?
C. What is the trekkers' role?
2. Decide if the statement in Exercise 4a is True or False, according to the information in the
passage.
5. a. Match the options (1-3) with their meanings (A-C).
1. True A. The statement contradicts the information in
the passage.
2. False
B. The statement has information that is not in the
 3. Not given passage.
C. The statement says the same thing as the
passage.

b. Work in pairs. Read three more statements about the second paragraph of the passage
and follow these steps.
1. Underline the key words in the statements.
2. Decide if each statement is True, False or Not given.
3. Underline the parts of the passage that helped you decide.
A. Trekkers use cameras fixed to a special kind of hat.
B. Trekkers are experienced photographers.
C. Trekkers go to places that are difficult to reach.

Test training
6. Read the passage again. Decide if the statements are True (T), False (F) or Not given
(NG). Remember to follow the same steps as you did in Exercise 5b.
1. The map project is having a positive effect on other businesses.
2. The trekkers choose which places to photograph.
3. The trekkers pay for the equipment they use.
4. Luis Martin is an Argentinian scientist.
5. Some people think Google should pay for photos it receives.

Task analysis
7. Work in pairs and discuss the questions.
1. Look back at your answers. Did underlining key words in the statements help you decide?
How?
2. Did you both find the answers in the same parts of the passage?
3. If you got an answer wrong, explain to your partner why your answer was not the correct one.
 Mapping the world in photos
Most people know that Google is creating
maps for the entire world. Google Street
View started in 2007, with the aim of
providing photographs of the streets on its
maps. So a user in New York, for example,
can click on a street on a Google map of
Paris, Tokyo or Buenos Aires and see what
it actually looks like. The photos are taken
by cars which drive down streets capturing
images with a 360-degree camera on their
roof.
Over time, the project has expanded. Google
Street View now aims to include photos of
smaller towns and even places where there
are no roads. Clearly, this is an enormous
task. It is carried out by people who are
known as 'trekkers'. Carrying a special
backpack holding a 360-degree camera,
trekkers go on foot to take photos in
different locations. This means trekkers are
able to take pictures of a whole new range of
interesting places that cars cannot get to.
Google's ultimate aim of creating a complete
image of the world on its maps has obvious
advantages for individual users. It can help
them get to know a place before they travel
there; or it can help them find where they
are once they are in the area. But the
detailed views of beautiful places can also
benefit businesses. For example, photos can
help to attract tourists - many tourist
Further practice
1. a. Read the test task and underline the key words in the statements.
Questions 1-6
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the reading passage? Write:
agencies say that the publicity their area
receives from being on the system is
bringing in many more visitors.
Google has developed a clever business
model. Instead of employing its own
trekkers, it finds a local organisation to be a
partner and then their employees go out and
take photos of an area they know well. This
programme currently has more than 200
partners, including tourist agencies and
universities. Google lists the exact locations
they want photos of and then gives the
partner the camera backpack. The system
works because the trekkers really care about
the locations and know where the best spots
are. Luis Martin, a trekker based at a
national park in Argentina, one of Google's
partner organisations, says, 'The pack is
heavy but at the moment I'm enjoying the
work - it's demanding but very rewarding.'
With no salaries to pay, Google gets the
photos it wants in a very inexpensive way.
Some people argue that it is not fair for a
major international company to receive such
valuable data without paying for it.
However, others point out that anyone with
access to a computer can use and enjoy
Google's maps and photos. It is certainly an
interesting and ambitious use of both human
and technological resources.
 TRUE if the statement agrees with the information.
FALSE if the statement contradicts the information.
NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this.

1. Buffer has its headquarters in the UK.

2. A distributed team helps Buffer offer good customer service.
3. Team members contact their managers daily
4. The money employees get for their work varies according to where they live.
5. When they meet face to face, team members give presentations about their work.
6. Buffer employees focus on the financial benefits of the company's approach.
b. Complete the test task. Remember to:
• look for the correct part of the passage for each statement.
• underline the parts that help you decide.
A different way of working
Buffer is a company producing software that To keep their remote team happy and
allows users to manage their social media productive, Buffer provides staff with all the
accounts effectively. The company tools they need to be successful. Tools
originated in the UK and is now officially include laptop, tablets and e-readers. A
based in the USA. Many individuals and favourite software application for employees
businesses all around the world find Buffer is one that makes video conferencing with
software extremely useful, but what is most management and customers fast and reliable.
interesting about the company is its Another important piece of software allows
relationship with its employees. The unusual people to know where other team members
aspect of this relationship is that it uses what are and what time it is where they are. The
is known as a distributed team. This means team also uses software that encourages chat
that each employee can choose to work in between employees as that helps everyone to
any part of the world they wish. feel part of a friendly team. Keeping an
international team happy also means paying
Because Buffer has team members in
people in a way that depends partly on
different time zones, it means that someone
where they are. The price of
is available to speak with customers 24
accommodation, food and transport is very
hours a day — which they say is central to
different in different cities. Buffer's system
their aims as a company. A distributed team
of payment makes it possible for team
is better for their customers and so it is also
better for their business.
members to afford the cost of living no
matter where they are.
Buffer also brings the team together for one
week every five months in different
locations. Previous events have, for
example, taken place in Thailand, South
Africa, the US, Australia and Iceland. These
weeks are an opportunity not only to talk
about company matters, but also to get to
know colleagues as friends.
One of the many things Buffer does better
than so many organisations is telling
everyone how they encourage a culture
where everyone respects and trusts each
other. They claim that remote work plays a
key role in that. And indeed, many members
of the team have written about this and how
working remotely with Buffer allows them
to live much happier, more fulfilled lives.
The quality of life, they say, is far more
important to them than having a lot of
money in the bank.

2. Decide if these statements are TRUE, FALSE or NOT GIVEN according to the
information in the passage below.
1. Sylvia Earle lives in the USA. ………………….
2. Until 1970, nobody had lived underwater before. ………………….
3. Sylvia Earle was worried about the amount of fish that were being caught ………………….
4. Her books offer some solutions to marine problems. ………………….
5. She thinks people should avoid eating seafood. ………………….
Sylvia Earle, underwater hero
She has spent her working life studying the world's oceans
Sylvia Earle is an underwater explorer and reaching a record-breaking depth of 381
marine biologist who was born in the USA metres.
in 1935. She became interested in the In 1970, she became famous around the
world's oceans from an early age. As a child, world when she became the captain of the
she liked to stand on the beach for hours and first all-female team to live under water. The
look at the sea, wondering what it must be team spent two weeks in an underwater
like under the surface. 'house'. The research they carried out
When she was 16, she finally got a chance to showed the damage that pollution was
make her first dive. It was this dive that causing to marine life, and especially to
inspired her to become an underwater coral reefs. Her team also studied the
explorer. Since then, she has spent more problem of over-fishing. Fishing methods
than 6,500 hours under water, and has led meant that people were catching too many
more than seventy expeditions worldwide. fish, Earle warned, and many species were
She has also made the deepest dive ever, in danger of becoming extinct.
Since then she has written several books and
magazine articles in which she suggests
ways of reducing the damage that is being
done to the world's oceans. One way, she
believes, is to rely on fish farms for seafood,
and reduce the amount of fishing that is
done out at sea. Although she no longer eats
seafood herself, she realises the importance
it plays in our diets. It would be wrong to
tell people they should stop eating fish from
the sea, she says. However, they need to
reduce the impact they are having on the
ocean's supplies.
C. WRITING
Generate ideas and vocabulary
1. Read the writing task. How many paragraphs would you include in your essay? What
would you include in each paragraph?
Write about the following topic.
Children nowadays are playing less and less sport and this is having a bad effect on their health
and their behaviour. Why do you think this is happening? What can we do to solve the problem?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your knowledge or
experience. Write at least 250 words.
2. a. Work in pairs. Note down your ideas under each of these headings.
1. Reasons why children play less sport
2. Possible solutions

Introduce reasons and solutions

b. Look at your notes from Exercise 2a. Think of phrases you can use to introduce:
1. the reasons you thought of.
2. the solutions you thought of.
3. Read the model answer on the right and answer the questions.
1. Does it follow the structure you planned in Exercise 1?
2. Does it mention any of the ideas you thought of in Exercise 2a?
3. Does the student use any of the phrases you thought of in Exercise 2b?
4. What other phrases does the student use to introduce reasons and solutions?
4. Match the sentence beginnings (1-6) with the endings (A-F). Then look at the
words/phrases in bold for introducing reasons and solutions. Did you think of any of these
words/phrases in Exercise 2b?

1. The cost of joining a sports club is
one reason
2. Hoping to get fitter is one of the
main reasons
3. The opportunity to make friends is
another
A. because their friends like it.
B. by making sports club membership free for
students.
C. for joining a walking club.
D. reason for becoming a member of a sports
club.
 4. A lot of children take up a sport E. to the problem could be to introduce
compulsory sports lessons at school
5. We could solve the problem
F. why some people don't do much sport.
6. A further solution

5. Plan your answer to the task in Exercise 1. Think about these questions and use your
ideas from Exercises 1 and 2.
1. How will you introduce the topic in your own words?
2. What reasons will you include?
3. What examples will you give to support your reasons?
4. What solutions will you include?
5. How will you conclude your essay?
6. Write your essay.
Studies have shown that children today do not play as much sport as they did in the past. This is
worrying because it means children are not as fit as they could be. Therefore, it is important, for
several reasons, to try to get children back to the sports field.
Firstly, we need to understand why young people are less active nowadays. Probably the main
reason is that there are too many other exciting things to do - there are so many attractive
games to play on phones, tablets and laptops. Another reason is that there are so many amusing
video clips and movies to watch - it is not surprising that children spend so much time looking at
screens. Schoolwork is a further reason for this change in behaviour. Students today get much
more homework than their parents did. This means that they have less time available for sport.
So what can we do about the situation? Firstly, I think schools could help by introducing
students to a variety of sports. Not everyone enjoys football or tennis. But they may find that, for
example, judo, canoeing or the trampoline becomes more exciting than a computer game. A
further solution to the problem is for parents to do sports together with their children. If sport is
a regular, fun family activity, children learn to love sport from a young age.
If schools and parents do all they can to encourage children to play sport, then the situation will
start to improve and young people will become fitter and better behaved as a result.

Task 2: Problem-solution essay

Lead-in
1. Work in pairs and discuss the questions.
1 Why can it be good to try different sports?
2 Which sports have you tied once or twice but not continued with? Why did you stop doing
them?
Understand the task

Model answer

7. a. Read the writing task and underline the key words.

Write about the following topic.
People often stop doing a new sport soon after taking it up. This is a pity as it means that they are
missing an opportunity to do something healthy and enjoyable.
What do you think are the reasons for this?
What solutions can you suggest to deal with this situation?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your knowledge or
experience. Write at least 250 words.
b. Which of these things do you need to do in your essay?
A. explain why you think this situation exists
B. say whether you agree or disagree with the statement in the task
C. present ideas for solving the problem
Language and content
8. a. Read the model answer below and answer the questions.
1. How many paragraphs are there? What is each paragraph about?
2. Has the student given reasons? Where?
3. Has the student supported the reasons with examples or explanations?
4. Has the student suggested solutions? Where?
5. Has the student given examples or explanations about how the suggested solutions could
work?

There are lots of different sports for everyone to try today. There are more traditional ones like
football, tennis and golf, of course, but there are also newer ones like wind-surfing, jet-skiing
and scuba diving. Unfortunately, many people have a go at a sport once or twice and then never
try it again.
There are a number of reasons for this, in my opinion. A main reason is that doing a sport can be
very expensive. Take golf, for instance. As with any sport, a good coach charges a lot for a
lesson. Moreover, if you want to play it seriously, you need to have your own golf clubs. So
many people decide that it is all going to cost too much for them. A further reason is that it is
often necessary to travel a long way to be able to do the sport. There may not be a golf course
near your home, for example.
So what can we do about this? One solution is for people to share the cost of doing the sport.
Having lessons with a group of friends will be much cheaper than individual lessons and perhaps
you can share your equipment as well. Also, I think another solution would be for the
government to do more to help people get and stay involved in sport. They should build more
sports facilities so that doing a sport is easier for people. This may be expensive for the
government but it will be good for the nation's health and happiness.
It is a pity that people do not keep up with all the sports that interest them. I think individuals and
governments too should do all they can to solve this problem.
b. Work in pairs. Look at a student's notes for this task. Decide if each point refers to a
reason or a solution.
1. takes a long time to learn
2. organise open days in sports clubs to let people try out lots of different things
3. no one wants to play with a beginner
4. give people questionnaires to make them think about what they really want
5. not as much fun as it looks
6. have more TV programmes teaching people about sports
c. Match the sentences (A-F) with the points in Exercise 3b (1-6). Then compare and
discuss your answers with a partner.
A. This solution would help people analyse their own aims.
B. This solution would help teach people some simple things they can quickly enjoy doing.
C. The solution to this problem is to make sure the coaches are good at motivating people.
D. This solution would mean people have more information before they try the sports
themselves.
E. You could solve this problem by organising groups of people who are also new to the sport.
F. This would help solve the problem by helping people to quickly find out what they like and
what they don’t like.
9. a. Look at the words/phrases in the box for adding information. Which ones has the
student used in the model answer?

also as well (as this) furthermore

in addition moreover too

b. Underline the words and phrases for adding information in the sentences. Then complete
them using your own ideas.
1. Swimming is an excellent sport. It is very enjoyable. In addition, …
2. Greater investment in sport will help to make the population of the country healthier.
Furthermore, it will ...
3. Joining one of the college's sports clubs is a good way to make friends. Moreover, ...
4. The university has an excellent fitness centre, with a well-equipped gym and also …
Plan your essay
10. a. Work in pairs. Think of reasons and solutions you could include in your essay.
b. Plan your essay. Make notes in the table. Use your ideas from Exercise 5a.

Paragraph Notes

Introduction

Reasons

Solutions

Conclusion

Write your essay

11. Write your essay. Use your plan from Exercise 5b. Remember to:
• introduce the topic in your own words.
• use topic sentences in your paragraphs.
• support your reasons and solutions with explanations and/or examples.
• use appropriate phrases to introduce your reasons and solutions and to add information.

Test practice
1. Read the writing task below.
Write about the following topic.
With the help of technology, many people nowadays often work from home.
What problems might this cause? What can they do to solve these problems?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or
experience.
Write at least 250 words.
a. Look at the problems below. Think of two more problems to add.
1. no clear start and finish time to the day
2. homes might be too small for work and private life
3. _________________________________________________________
4. _________________________________________________________
b. Match these solutions (A-B) with problems 1-2 in Exercise 1a.
A. make one room an office
B. turn technology on and off at a set time
c. Think of solutions to your problems from Exercise 1a.
3. _________________________________________________________
4. _________________________________________________________
d. Read the model answer and answer the questions.
1. How many problems does it mention? Underline them.
2. How many solutions does the writer suggest? Circle them.
3. Does the essay mention any of your ideas from Exercise 1a and 1c?
Technological developments mean it is easier for employees nowadays to work from home.
While this has many advantages, it can also lead to a number of problems.
Firstly, one of the problems is the lack of face-to-fact contact with colleagues. Working from
home means people are far away from each other and do not work together as often. Due to this,
people may feel isolated and lonely. Another problem is the inability to check the standard of
work people do at home - it may be difficult to manage employees effectively. Without a
manager working next to them, there are more opportunities to spend time doing things other
than work. As a result, the employees and the company might not achieve as much.
There are a number of possible solutions to these problems. One solution is to use technology
that makes it easy for employees to stay in touch. People can make calls using programs which
allow online meetings to happen in a similar way to face-to-face meetings. This way, people will
feel closer to their colleagues. One way to solve the problem of not being able to check an
employee’s work is to ask employees to report to their manager regularly. Most people would
realise the purpose of this and therefore make sure they complete enough work in time.
Managers can also compare different employees and how long it takes to complete similar tasks.
In my view, choosing to work from home is a good thing. People simply need to change their
traditional ways of working to the new technology available.
2. You should spend about 40 minutes on this task. Write about the following topic:
Youth unemployment is increasing throughout the world.
Why do you think this is? How can this problem be solved?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or
experience.
Write at least 250 words.
HOMEWORK
1. a. Read Part 1 of the following text as fast as you can. Try to understand the main idea of
what you read even if you do not know all the vocabulary. Check your understanding by
answering the questions.
Part 1
Changes in family structure
There are many types of family systems
around the world. In North America and
northern Europe, the nuclear family (with
two generations — a father, mother and one
or more children) is often seen as the most
typical. In contrast, in most other parts of the
world, extended families, which include
other family members such as grandparents,
aunts, uncles and cousins, are seen as the
norm.
True or False? The nuclear family is seen
as the most common in the USA.
The common view is that the nuclear family
has become the norm in many Western
societies as a result of industrialization and
urbanization. This trend began in the late
eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, when
people were forced to move to cities to find
work in the factories that sprang up during
the Industrial Revolution. In the twentieth
century, greater industrialization resulted in
b. Read Part 2 of the text in the same way as you read Part 1 and answer the questions.
Part 2
We may think we know what we mean by a
'nuclear' family and an 'extended' family, but
reality is more complicated than most people
believe. Most nuclear families are part of
extended families: children have
even more people leaving their large
extended families. Urbanization also meant
that people lived in much smaller houses,
which were not big enough for an extended
family.
True or False? Nuclear families started
with the rise in industrialization.
The trend towards nuclear families meant
that many of the duties and responsibilities
of a family, such as providing food and
shelter, cleaning the home, preparing the
food, caring for children and their education,
and caring for the sick and elderly are no
longer shared among the members of the
extended family. The parents (or parent)
now have to do this, with some help from
the state. However, this is the price that
people pay for the higher standard of living
that may come from living in a city.
True or False? In nuclear families, people
have a higher standard of living.
grandparents and in many cases, aunts,
uncles and cousins as well. Part of what
makes them 'nuclear' is that they live in their
own separate household, but it is not the
whole story. In Greece or Italy, for example,
a nuclear family may live in its own flat, but
the extended family may live in the same
apartment block or in the same street and
family members see each other and even eat
together every day.
True or False? Nuclear families are
isolated from their extended family.
There is at least one more factor to consider.
Family members may be separated from
each other by geographical distance, but
they may have close emotional ties. Even in
North America and northern Europe,
grandparents usually have close bonds with
their grandchildren, and families often travel
long distances so that they can see each
other. Grandparents often help their adult
children, for example, by cooking and
looking after their children in emergencies.
In the same way, when their parents become
too old to live on their own, adult children
may take them into their own homes. As a
result, they turn their nuclear family into an
extended family.
True or False? Members of extended
families often look after people who live in
other households.
The structure of families changes over time.
The effects of urbanization and
industrialization are enormous, but they are
not the only reasons for the changes. People
marry, have children, become widowed,
divorce and die. Children grow up and
adults grow old. Nuclear families become
extended families and extended families
become nuclear families. Family ties stay
strong or become weak. One thing is certain:
in a changing world, the family will
continue to change, but ultimately, it is
likely to continue to be the basic unit of
society.
True, False or Not Given? Changes to
family structure will become increasingly
fast in the future.

2. Do the following statements agree with the information in the text?

Write:
TRUE if the text confirms the statement
FALSE if the text contradicts the statement
NOT GIVEN if it is impossible to know from the text
Statements
1. Sixty years ago, children were expected to help around the house. ………….
2. Today the world is a more dangerous place. ………….
3. Helicopter parents love their children more than other parents. ………….
4. People today have shorter childhoods than children in the past. ………….
5. In the past children who lived in the country worked out of doors. ………….
6. Eighteenth-century mothers were cruel or indifferent to their children. ………….
7. Children serving in the Royal Navy in the eighteenth century might find themselves in charge
of adults. ………….
8. Modern Western ideas about childhood are probably considered unusual in other cultures.
………….
The Meaning of Childhood
What do we mean by a 'normal' childhood? Childhood also ends later than it used to. At
It really depends on the period when a the beginning of the twentieth century, a
person was born and where they live. If you twelve-year-old girl might have been sent
asked a parent in Britain today, they would off to work in a factory or as a maid for a
probably say that childhood should be the wealthy family. She would have earned
happiest time of a person's life: a time when money and sent some of it back to her
the child is loved, kept safe and is free to family. Twelve-year-old boys often become
play. apprentices and learnt a trade, and in the
countryside children worked in the fields
However, even within the same culture,
and looked after animals almost as soon as
ideas about childhood have changed
they could walk.
dramatically within a short period of time.
British children growing up in the 1960s or The further back we go in history, the more
1970s seem to have had more freedom than difficult it is to have an accurate picture of
children in the early twenty-first century. attitudes to childhood. We know very little,
They were allowed to go about more freely, for example, about the attitudes of mothers
walking to school or to visit their friends, or in eighteenth-century Britain. For example,
using public transport. They were also more what sort of mother could send her son, still
likely to be asked to do things like clean a child, to join the Royal Navy, where he
floors and wash the dishes and to look after could expect a tough life, bad food and
younger brothers and sisters. constant danger? Was she indifferent, cruel,
or did she simply have no choice? And yet,
Today, parents are far more protective. They
boys as young as ten were sent away to sea.
worry more about the dangers their children
And it wasn't only the sons of the poor;
might face, and some parents also involve
wealthy families sent their sons, some as
themselves excessively with their child's
young as eight, to join the navy. Incredibly,
experiences and problems. These are the
they were put in charge of men who had
'helicopter' parents. They are called this
many years of experience at sea.
because, like helicopters, they continually
hover over their child's head. So how have things changed? In some
societies people are having fewer children.
Does this fact alone mean that children are
more precious to their parents and that problems for the child as they start to grow
therefore they have more of a 'normal' up.
childhood? There is a concern that in a
A childhood in the slums of Bangladesh or
family with an only child, the parents and
on the war-torn streets of so many parts of
grandparents give the child a huge amount
the world remains what it has been for most
of attention and spoil them by buying them
children for much of history: a time of
anything the child wants. The result of this
physical hardship, danger and little
is that the child expects their parents to do
opportunity to get an education.
anything they tell them to, which creates
3. Read the passage below and complete the test task.
Question 1-6
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the reading passage? Write:
TRUE if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this
Statements
1. The Pareto Principle originally showed how Italians managed their time.
2. According to Tim Ferris, we should check emails frequently.
3. The most successful businesses sell online products.
4. Reducing everyone’s working hours keeps more people in work.
5. Shorter working days make people healthier.
Working less
Phones, lifts, cars - all these things were worked just 15 hours a week. However, so
invented to avoid or minimise work. Some far, it has not been possible to avoid or
people make machines do as much as minimise work, and some people are even
possible. When machines started to do more worried about relying too much on
work, some people thought humans would technology that puts humans out of work.
work less, but many actually work more
Working less does not mean being less
hours. In his 1930 work Economic
effective. Some people believe in the Pareto
Possibilities for Our Grandchildren, British
Principle: just 20 percent of your efforts
economist John Maynard Keynes wrote that
gives 80 percent of the results. This idea
by 2030, he expected a system where
comes from the Italian economist Vilfredo
machines did more than humans and people
Pareto, who created the formula in 1906 to
describe how, in his country, 20 percent of while you sleep, and need little effort from
people owned 80 percent of the money. the business owner. But there are even ways
However, it is now used as a time- of making everyday businesses successful
management technique. Of the things you do while not working hard. If you are selling a
during your day, the theory says that only 20 product, for example, you can create a range
percent really matter. Some people can cut that is like a McDonald's menu. Produce
down on 80 percent of their work by five things - burgers, fries, chicken, salad
identifying and focusing only on those and soft drinks - and just put them together
things. differently to reduce time and effort.
In 2007 Tim Ferriss published his book The Working just four hours a week might seem
4-Hour Workweek, in which he wrote about crazy to many, but how about a four-hour
the Pareto Principle and the idea of working workday? Research shows that a shorter
as little as possible. This self-help book was working week has interesting benefits.
a worldwide success, selling 1.35 million When everyone works fewer hours, more
copies in 35 languages. According to people are needed to do a job, reducing
Ferriss, to be really productive, we must unemployment. Less work makes a
check our email just once a day and focus country's economy grow slowly but it also
only on those tasks that make the most reduces the negative effects of that growth,
money. such as pollution. A four-hour workday
leaves plenty of time for family and child
Some businesspeople build companies that
care. There are also health benefits: stress is
make money even when they are nowhere
reduced and people have time for exercise.
near their desk. Online products such as
This reduces the risk of heart disease and
training videos, e-books or regular payments
other weight-related illnesses.
for online magazines could all make money
4. You should spend about 40 minutes on this task. Write about the following topic:
Nowadays people have very inactive lifestyles and this is having a negative effect on their health.
Why do you think this is happening? What can we do to solve this problem?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or
experience.
Write at least 250 words.
5. You should spend about 40 minutes on this task. Write about the following topic:
People spend a lot of money joining exercise classes and gyms that they rarely or never use.
What do you think are the reasons for this? What solutions can you suggest to deal with this
situation?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or
experience.
Write at least 250 words.