LET’S TUNE IN
Look at your new book and answer these questions:
What’s the full name of the book?
Who are the authors?
Who’s the illustrator?
Who published the book?
How many units are there in the book?
What are they about?
It’s school time again! You’re probably feeling excited about seeing your friends, but at the same time sorry that the summer is over. Kids your age don’t usually like school as much as they used to when they were younger. But school is a fact of life and getting an education will help you build the kind of future you want. So think positively and get ready for a great year!
It’s hard to stay focused all day at school, isn’t it? Luckily, the subjects change, so you don’t need to focus on the same thing all day long. Each subject lasts for 45 minutes, so you only need to focus for short periods of time. There’s usually a quick break between lessons so you can clear your head, stretch your legs and talk with your friends.
Nearly everything you learn at school has some practical use in your life. You learn your own language, so that you can tell others clearly what you want and what you know. You learn foreign languages in order to benefit from what people in other countries have written and said. You study geography in order to know something about the world around you. You do history to know what people through the centuries have thought and done and what happened to them. Maths and science help you understand how things around you work. Physical education is necessary to keep both your body and your mind healthy and knowledge of the arts, music and literature is good for your soul.
But there is more to school life than just hard work and study. Like your relationships with other students and the teachers – dealing with peer pressure and bullying, getting along with teachers, making difficult choices about cheating and surviving your first crushes. In your English lessons this year, you’ll have a chance to discuss all that and more.
Exercises
Exercise A 1
According to the text, what is the practical use of learning?
your own language?
foreign languages?
geography?
history?
maths and science?
music and literature?
physical education?
What other topics about school life will be discussed in this year’s book?
relationships between ...
dealing with...
getting along with...
making difficult choices about...
surviving...
Which do you think will be the most interesting topic for you?
Exercise B 1
Can you remember the topics from last year’s English book? Divide the topics among yourselves, and in pairs make mind maps with words you remember about them. Present your mind maps to the class.
Words about Great Britain
Words about school life
Words about miracles, wonders and mysteries
Words about the environment and the world around us
Words about television and film
Words about surviving
Words about the Olympic Games
DIALOGUE
Tom: Hi! My name’s Thomas.
David: Hi! I’m David. Nice to meet you!
Tom: Are you in year seven?
David: Yes, how about you?
Tom: I’m in year seven too!
David: Oh, great! Let’s stick together.
Tom: I’ve heard this school has a great science programme.
David: Are you into science?
Tom: Well, a little. I like history too.
David: Yeah, history’s one of my favourite subjects as well. But I don’t like science that much. I like the experiments, they’re fun, but I don’t like learning about plants and trees and stuff . Boring!
Tom: To me, music is boring. All we did last year was learn about some dead composers.
David: I know! Why couldn’t we just listen to cool music! But I actually like music. I play the piano too.
Tom: Oh, really? Does that mean that you have to perform at concerts a lot?
David: No, no! I seldom perform, I’m just learning to play.
Tom: OK. I wonder if the school has any good sports teams. I’m into sports. I want to play basketball or football...
David: I don’t know, but I don’t really care either. I’m not into sports.
Tom: So, what do you do after school?
David: Mostly play on the computer, watch TV or hang out with friends. I have to practise the piano every day too, but that’s OK, I don’t mind.
Tom: I usually have training at least 3 or 4 times a week, so I don’t have that much spare time. But when I’m home, I just do my homework or sit at the computer.
David: Well, seems like it’s time to go in.
Tom: Yeah, let’s find out where we have to go.
IDIOMS
An idiom is a combination of words that means something different from the meanings of the individual words themselves.
For example
to be in hot water can literally mean that one is sitting in a bath full of hot water.
However, the idiomatic meaning of the phrase is to be in trouble.
There are lots of idioms in the English language. You’ve already learned many of them.
Exercises
Exercise C 1
Can you match the following idioms with their explanations?
1. to stretch one’s legs
2. to hang out with someone
3. to stick together
4. to feel blue
5. to be green
6. to have a cold
7. to be into something
8. to know something by heart
9. to make friends
10. to run out of something
11. to hold your tongue
12. to get along with someone
a. to be inexperienced, new at something
b. not to have enough of something, to use it all up
c. to be sad
d. to meet new people and become friends
e. to know something very well from memory
f. to stand up and walk around after sitting
g. to like something
h. to be quiet
i. to have a good relationship with someone
j. to spend time with someone
k. to stay together/to be together
l. to have a cough, runny nose and head ache
Exercise D 1
Complete the dialogues with the idioms from exercise C 1.
1. A: “Why do you need to go to the supermarket?”
B: “Oh, we have ... milk.”
2. A: “Did you say anything to the teacher?”
B: “No, I just ...”
3. A: “What do you like doing in your spare time?”
B: “I’m ... art, so I like drawing and painting.”
4. A: “This young shop assistant is really slow.”
B: “Yes, I think she’s a bit ...”
5. A: “Do you ... with your brother?
B: “Yes, we play together every day.”
6. A: “Look, there’s a bench! Let’s have a seat.”
B: “No, I need to..., I’ve been sitting for too long.”
7. A: “Are you ...?
B: “Yes, a little. I’ve lost my mobile.”
8. A: “What did you do this afternoon?”
B: “Oh, just … with my friends at the shopping centre.”
9. A: “I’m going to the library.
B: “So am I, let’s … .
10. A: “You look tired. Are you feeling well?”
B: “No, I ...”
11. A: “Does anyone have Steve’s phone number?”
B: “It’s 655 1424. I know it ...”
12. A: “Did you have fun at the camp?”
B: “Yes, I ... with lots of people.”
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