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Reading

ed-5ÿ Eñ?na Gißewood

& Juliet Meyers

Lessons (inte ediate I Advanced)

MARY GLASGO*

MAGAZINES

N SCHOLASTI

BblJIO>KeHO rpynnoÿl

Contents

Pupils with two or more years of English

The Other Hollywood4

Homeless on the streets

of Hollywood

Weight-Loss Camps .6

Why overweight teenagers in

Britain are going to camps

Secret Love8

Teenagers give advice about a secret relationship between a Hindu girl and a Muslim boy

Parent Trouble?10

Can parenting classes build better relationships between teenagers and their parents?

A Baby ... Maybe?12

Why are American high schools giving dolls to their teenage students?

The Teenage Brain14

Are over-sized brains the key to difficult teenage behaviour?

What's the Difference Between

Boys and Girls?16

Two teenagers share their views

Should We Eat Meat?20

The opposing views of a vegan and a meat-lover

Are You Prejudiced?24

A quiz to help you find out

Animal Hospital .26

The RSPCA (Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) hospital in London

The Fashion Spies28

Companies that pay kids to tell them what's cool

When Don't You Tell the Truth?30 Teenagers confess when and why they lie

Upper Intermediate

Pupils with three or more years of English

Mixed-race Relationships32

The difficulties faced by teenagers who go out with someone from a different ethnic group

'We Have Simple Lives' .34

The Amish people of America

Teenage Depression .36

Why are more and more teenagers suffering from mental illness?

Being Beautiful38

What lengths will people go to in their search for beauty?

Sobriety High40

America's high school for teenage drug addicts

The Best Night of Their Lives42

The high school prom

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The Cool School .  . 44            Animal Rights -

A British talent school for music, A New Breed of Activism . .  . 64 film and performing arts Animal cruelty is an issue that upsets most people, but are Happy Birthday America .46 animal rights activists

    The fourth of July                                                           going too far?

Britain Vs America48 E is for Ecstasy, Euphoria ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66

and Death

A light-hearted look at the differences between American and British people Ecstasy is becoming increasingly popular with young people,

but what are the dangers?

Life according to Hollywood		Can't We Just Be Friends?	68
Surf It!	. 52	Dealing with break-ups
The universal appeal of surfing		Coping With Stress .	. 70
Ice Hockey - The Coolest Sport	. 54	Ten tips to help combat it

Is it the sport for you?		Food, Dangerous Food	72
Road Rage	56	The eating habits that make Britain the fattest
When driving causes people to lose their tempers		European nation
The Age of the Internet Nerd .	58	Ben on ... Applying to College .	74
The teenage Internet entrepreneurs		Californian teenager Ben Roome
who are making a fortune		gives an insight into applying to
in cyberspace		college in the USA
		The Mystery of William Shakespeare Who was the 'real'	76
Pupils with four or more years of English		William Shakespeare?
		Ay Carumba!	78
Africa's AIDS Orphans .  60		Are the Simpsons America's
The devastating consequences of AIDS on Africa's youngest generation		most powerful family?

Things You Learn at the Movies50

Race in Britain Today  62

A look at the horrendous results of racism in Britain

LESSONS

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The Other Hollywood

               reading

Vocabulary

1)   Organise the students into pairs and ask each pair to look up the meaning of one of the following words: limousines, homelessness, abuse, escape, glamorous lifestyle, thieves, steal, prison, studio, HIV positive, in care.

2)   When they have definitions for the words, ask them to mingle and explain them to the other students who should make a note of what they learn.

Writing predictions

1)   Ask the class to predict the content of the article from the above words.

2)   Ask them to answer the questions below with They might... and They might believe that. .. respectively. They should brainstorm as many different possibilities as they can and then compare their answers in small groups.

Why do teenagers run away from home? Why do young people go to Hollywood?

• During reading I feedback

Scan reading

Ask the students to keep their predictions in mind as they read the article, then hold a feedback session. Were the points that they made mentioned in the article?

Reading comprehension

Hand out activity 1, Comprehension and ask the students to write answers to the questions about the text.

Discussion

Use activity 2, Discussion as a lead-in to a class discussion or debate about who is to blame for the homeless situation in Hollywood and what can be done about it.

• Follow-up activities

Discussion I grammar (used to)

Ask your class to imagine the daily life of a homeless person on the streets of Los Angeles. Allow them two minutes to discuss their ideas with their partner then ask them to give you examples of how young homeless people spend their days and write them on the board. When all of the suggestions are on the board, ask the students to speculate about what these young people's lives were like before. Encourage them to use the structure used to.

Writing

They could then write a diary for a day as a homeless person.

Answers 1. Comprehension 1  There are 4000 - 10,000 homeless teenagers in Hollywood, which is about one tenth of Los Angeles' homeless population. 2  Over half of people under the age of 25 run away because of abuse. 3  Young people often go to Hollywood because they dream they will become movie stars and lead glamorous lives. 4  Young homeless people in Hollywood face danger from thieves and gangs. There is also a danger that they might get involved in buying and selling drugs.

Timesaver Reading Lessons • Photocopiable Activities
The Other Hollywood   1. Comprehension                             2. Discussion Read the article and write answers Who do you think is responsible for creating the Hollywood to the following questions. homeless? Put a tick next to the sentence(s) you agree with. Then, discuss your answers with a partner. 1.   How many homeless teenagers live in Hollywood? The movie industry because they make films which give young people false hope. 2.   What is the reason that many The movie stars who lead glamorous lifestyles. young people run away from home? The government because they could do more to help teenagers in this situation. 3.   What attracts young people to Hollywood?The parents of these teenagers. 4.   What are the dangers forC] The teenagers themselves because they should stay at home homeless people in Hollywood?and try to work out their problems.

OE

The Other Hollywood

Say the word 'Hollywood' and we think of the movies, long limousines and famous people living in luxury on Beverly Hills.

But there's another Hollywood which we don't hear about, it's the part of Hollywood where the homeless live.

Hollywood is America's unofficial homeless capital and between 4,000 and 10,000 homeless teenagers sleep on Hollywood Boulevard every night, that's about one tenth of Los Angeles' homeless population.

Why are they on the streets? Over half of the people aged under 25 and living on the streets leave their family homes because of abuse. They might feel frightened, or even think they are responsible for it. Many teenagers don't know where to look for help, and the only way out of the situation may seem to be to run away from it.

A dream come true?

For many teenagers Hollywood seems like an escape from their difficult home life. They arrive with the dream that they will become movie stars and lead the glamorous lifestyle that they see in the movies. However, the reality is that thieves steal their money in the first week, and many soon become involved in buying and selling drugs in order to survive. Some teenagers become gang members and either end up in prison, or dead because gang culture is very violent in America. So the dream that teenagers arrive with, and the reality they find, are very different.

Who is responsible?

Movies create the image of

Hollywood which we all have. Are they responsible for what happens to homeless teenagers on Hollywood Boulevard? Some campaigners for the homeless believe that they are and have organised protests at Hollywood studios. London's Big Issue magazine recently asked Steven Spielberg's office, Warner, and Colombia Studios to comment on the problem of homeless teenagers in Hollywood, but none of them believed that they were responsible. Every day the studios continue to make movies and teenagers keep coming to Hollywood full of hope and dreams.

Weight-loss Camps

Lead in

Tell your class that weight problems among teenagers in the US and Britain are increasing. Discuss with the class the reasons whymore kids àre overweight and ask them what

can be done about it. Do they think that children in their country are becoming more overweight?

Vocabulary

Hand out the photocopiable activities and ask the students to work in pairs to complete activity 1, Vocabulary from Photocopiable Activities. When they have matched the words to their definitions, tell them that they are about to read an article about a boy called Darren who goes to a weight-loss camp (a place where young people can go to stay for a short period in order to lose weight). Ask them to use the new vocabulary to predict the answers to the following questions:

 What is Darren like?

 How do his school friends treat him?  What food does he eat?

They can check their answers as they read.

• During reading I feedback

Reading for gist

Timesaver Reading Lessons • Photocopiable Activities

Weight-loss Camps   1. Vocabulary                                                                            2. Comprehension         Match the words with their definitions.                                                          Read the text and answer the 1.      sweet-natured a) too heavy or fat          questions. 2.      size      b) a dish made of lamb with mashed      1. Why isn't Darren popular? 3.      to tease             potatoes on top               2. Why has Darren decided to go to 4.      obesec) to frighten or hurt a weaker person     a weight-loss camp? 5.      overweight      d) how big someone or something is                     3. What does Darren want to do 6.      to bully '             e) a small amount of food that you                        when he leaves school?                                                             eat between meals                                     7.      nutrition                           4. Why is being obese bad for                                                           f) to make fun of someone                                            teenagers? 8.      to progress       g) a portion of food at a meal 5. What do doctors think has caused 9.      shepherd's pie h)   so fat that it may cause health                   the increase in obesity in Britain? 10.   helping problems        1 1. snack                                                                                                                   6. What different types of activity do i)     nice, kind                            children do at weight-loss camps? j)     to develop or improve                   7. What kind of atmosphere is there k)   the study of human diet                at the weight-loss camp?

Before the students read the article, ask them what they think weight-loss camps are like. As they read, they should underline anything that confirms or contradicts their thoughts. After reading the article, ask the students for their general impressions of weight-loss camps. Do they think they are a good idea? What are the advantages and disadvantages of weight-loss camps? Would they go to a weight-loss camp if they needed to lose weight?

Understanding the text

Ask the students to read the article again and answer the questions in activity 2, Comprehension.

• Follow-up activities

Discussion

Discuss Darren's two diets with your students. What is wrong with his diet at home and what improvements are there in his camp diet? Ask the students which diet they would prefer and which diet most resembles their own. Do any improvements need to be made in their diets?

Group activity

Divide the students into small groups and tell them that it is their job to make sure the kids at their school are healthy. They should make a plan that explains what kinds of food should be available in the school canteen, and what kinds of exercise the kids should do and how often. They should be encouraged to think of their own ideas and rules, rather than simply repeating what happens at weight-loss camp.

Answers 1.  Vocabulary li 2d 3f 4h 5a 6c 7k 8j 9b 10g Ile 2.  Comprehension 1  Because he is overweight and people are more interested in his size than his personaJity; 2  Because he is teased by the children at his school; 3  He wants to be an actor or a police officer; 4  Because they are more likely to be bullied and develop health problems when they are older; 5  Junk food, computer games and TV; 6  Different types of sports, lessons on nutrition and discussions; 7  Very positive. Everyone is equal, they make lots of friends and go home healthier and happier.

Weight-loss Camps

The first weight-loss camp for young people in the UK opened in July 1999. So, is a stay at a weight-loss camp frightening or fun?

Darren Debono is sweet-natured and doing well at school. He wants to be an actor or a police officer. Unfortunately, most people are more interested in his size than his personality. Darren is 5 feet 10 inches (1 .75 metres) tall and weighs 20 stone (127 kilograms). He is twice his ideal weight. He is teased about his weight by children at his school so he has decided to attend Britain's first weight-loss camp for obese children.

Weight problems among children in Britain are increasing. In 1996 about 5 per cent of children in Britain were overweight. In the year 2000, 10 per cent of British children were obese and 20 per cent or more were over their ideal weight. Obese children are often bullied at school and may have health problems when they become adults. Most doctors blame the problem on too much junk food, computer games and TV.

Each morning at the camp, the children do three hours of activities like football, hockey and rugby. After lunch they do another sport like basketball. They have lessons on nutrition and cooking as well as discussions where they talk about how they're feeling and progressing. Everyone is equal and gets a lot of help. Most kids leave the camp with lots of new friends and feeling healthier and happier than before.

Darren's diet at home

Breakfast:

Crunchy Nut cornflakes two slices of toast

Mid-morning snack:

sweets, crisps

Lunch:

burger and chips

Mid-afternoon snack: chocolate, fizzy drinks, more burgers

Dinner:

large portion of shepherd's pie - plus second helpings

General snacks:

sandwiches

Darren's diet at camp

Breakfast:

cereal

Lunch:

low-fat pizza

Mid-afternoon snack: fresh fruit or vegetables

(only two snacks allowed per day)

Dinner: beef risotto

(restricted portion)

     E

Secret Love

Ask the students if they have ever kept secrets from their parents. Did their parents ever find out, if so, what happened? Do they feel guilty about keeping the secret or do they think it was the best thing to do? Predicting Before handing out the article to the students, read the first sentence of the letter to them. Ask them to predict the girl's problem. Vocabulary Pre-teach the following words and phrases: to approve, to break up, to solve, things come and go (things change regularly), to fall out with someone.  During reading Reading comprehension Read about the problem together before the students look at the advice. Ask them what advice they would give to somebody in the girl's situation. What would be the consequences of the following actions?  continuing to see her boyfriend in secret  telling her parents about her boyfriend  running away from home Ask the students to read what the teenagers say and choose the piece of advice they most agree with.

that the advice they have chosen is better than the advice their partner has chosen. Follow-up activities Grammar (second conditional) Ask the students what they would do if they were in the girl's position. Encourage them to use the second conditional by asking questions such as, What would you do if you thought your parents didn't approve of your girlfriend / boyfriend? What would you do if you couldn't concentrate on important exams? What would you do if you wanted to run away from home? After the students have had a chance to use the second conditional orally, ask them to complete the sentences in activity 1, What would happen? (second conditional). Write the story Discuss with the students what will happen to the girl if she runs away from home. Tell them to use these thoughts to finish the girl's story. Alternatively, they could write the story from the perspective of her boyfriend or her parents. Vocabulary You can reinforce the vocabulary which you taught at the beginning of the lesson by asking the students to complete activity 2, Vocabulary crossword.

Answers Vocabulary 1 fall out, 2 approve, 3 solve, 4 come and go, 5 break up

Speaking

Tell them to find a partner who has chosen a different piece of advice. Each person must try to persuade their partner

Timesaver Reading Lessons ' Photocopiable Activities
Secret Love If my parents found out I'd been lying to them about something important, they'd... 1. If you have a big argument 4. Things or people that change If I broke up with my with someone you  regularly in your life boyfriend / girlfriend with them (phrasal . For example, fashions, because of other people's verb). (4, 3) teachers and boyfriends or opinions, . 2. to be pleased about a girlfriends (phrase). (4, 3, 2) If I ran away from home, .                  choice to find someone an answer makes to a (7)            5. boyfriend, If you leave youyour girlfriend /with 3.                                                                                        problem (5)                                           them (phrasal verb). (5, 2)

Secret Love

Kirsty, 13	Hannah, 17	Lee, 13
Stay with your boyfriend and	Don't run away, it never	You should break up with your
get him to meet your parents.	solves anything. Talk to your	boyfriend or run away. There's
They might feel differently if	parents. Boyfriends come and	no point in talking to your
they like him. Try and solve	go but you've always got	parents because they won't
things by talking.	your family, so don't fall out with them.	understand.

The Advice

TEAM asked some teenagers for their advice.

Tick (V) the best advice.

Parent Trouble?

Tell the students that they are going to read about David, the father of three teenage children, who has done a course to help him improve his skills as a parent. Ask the students whether they think such courses are a good idea. What skills do they think a parent needs? Would they like their mums and dads to go on parenting courses? Ask them to give reasons for their answers.

Vocabulary

Hand out activity 1, Vocabulary. After they have finished, ask the students to use the vocabulary to predict some of the things that David says about the course and his relationship with his children.

 During reading I feedback

Reading for gist

As the students read, they should check how many of their predictions were correct. After they have finished, check the students' comprehension by asking them the following questions:

 Why did David go on the course?

 What happened on the course?

 What has changed since he did the course?

Reading comprehension

Finally, tell the students to look at the article again and put the questions from activity 2, Add the Questions, into the correct places.

• Follow-up activities

Speaking

Tell your students to imagine their parents are going on a parenting course. What things would they like their mums and dads to learn?

Reading and Speaking

Ask them to read the two stories in activity 3, Reading and Speaking. Get them to discuss what they would do with a partner and them share their opinions with the class.

Answers 1.  Vocabulary 1k, 2i, 3b, 4h, 5j, 6d, 7c, 8e, 9a, 10f, Ill, 12g. 2.  Add the Questions a3, b4, c 1, d5, e2

Timesaver Reading Lessons • Photocopiable Activities
Parent Trouble?
1. Vocabulary Match the words from the 1.     unenthusiastic 2.     to encourage 3.     to explore 4.     to co-operate 5.     common sense 6.     to criticise someone 7.     in advance 8.     to nominate 9.     liberal 10. attitude 11. constructively 12. to resist something	text with the definitions below. a)   not strict, free b)   to find out about things c)   before something happens d)   to say negative things about someone e)   to choose or propose f)    way of behaving g)   to stop yourself from doing something that you want to do h)   to work together with someone i)     to help or persuade someone to do something j)     something that is practical or logical k)   showing little interest in things l)     helpfully or positively	2. Add the Questions Read the article and put the questions in the correct places. a)    What did you learn? b)   What did your children think about you doing the course? c)    Why did you decide to do a parenting course? d)   Did the course help? e)   What did you do in the classes?
3. Reading and             In September 1992, Gregory Kingsley, a In December 1978, two baby girls were Speaking   12-year-old American boy wanted to     mixed up in a hospital and taken home The stories below         divorce his parents. Gregory wanted to by the wrong parents. The mistake was about children     be adopted by the people who were      discovered ten years later when one of and their parents      taking care of him. He said his mother   the girls died. When her 'parents' are all true. Read      had neglected and abandoned him. He realised the babies had been exchanged each story and      had only lived seven months of the past               and their own daughter was still alive, decide what you              eight years with her. When he was not they wanted to meet her and visit her would do.      with her, she did not ring, visit or write to him at all.       regularly. If you were the judge, would you let  If you were the judge, would you allow Gregory divorce his parents? the parents to have visiting rights? Yes No

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Parent Trouble?

Fact: Parents and their children have the most arguments and problems when the children are teenagers.

In England recently there has been a large increase in the number of parents who have decided to go on 'parenting courses'. These are courses for parents who hope to 'manage' their teenage children better. We spoke to David, a father of three teenagers who had done one of these courses with his wife.

David: We wanted to help our teenage daughter. She was unenthusiastic about things in her life and was not enjoying things she was doing. We wanted to encourage her to talk to us more.

David:

Well, firstly, we talked to several other parents about their situations. Then we acted out common problems and put ourselves in the positions of our children. We tried to explore ways in which both the parents and the children would co-operate more.

David:

A lot of what we learnt was common sense such as Jistening to our children more. We also I learnt to praise our children more, Sometimes parents find it easy to criticise and forget to praise the good things. We also learnt to talk about things in advance before a problem became too large. This way, the argument is finished before the problem is too big. We also learnt the importance of rules and nominating time for doing things to be done. Before, we felt uncomfortable doing this because we had been teenagers ourselves in the liberal 60's.

David:

They did not mind at all. They were pleased. Now they say they can notice a difference in our attitude. Sometimes they laugh and say, "We know what you're doing, you're trying to praise constructively, aren't you?" But praise is a very powerful thing. No one can resist it. It always works.

David:

Yes absolutely! How could we have been such stupid parents before?

©

A Baby...

Discuss teenage pregnancy with your students. In what ways does having a baby when you are still at school affect your life? Ask the students to brainstorm a list of jobs you have to do when you are looking after a baby.

Vocabulary

Ask the students to complete activity 1, Vocabulary before they read the article.

• During reading I feedback

Reading for gist

Tell the students they are going to read about speciat dolls that American high schools are giving their students to teach them how difficult it is to look after a baby. Ask the students to predict the things that the dolls do. They can use the vocabulary from the earlier exercise to help them with these predictions.

As they read, they should underline the things that the dolls do. Were the students' predictions correct? Was there anything that the dolls did that surprised them? Was there anything that the dolls didn't do that the students thought would have been useful?

Reading comprehension

Ask the students to re-read the text to complete activity 2, Comprehension.

 Follow-up activities

Vocabulary (phrasal verbs)

Timesaver Reading Lessons • Photocopiable Activities
A Baby... Maybe?   1. Vocabulary                                         2. Comprehension Match the words and phrases withRead the article and decide if the following sentences are their definitions.true or false. 1.   to increase          5. at random     1. There are a lot more teenage pregnancies in the USA. 2.   rapidly   intervals              2. The dolls cry every twenty minutes. 3.   to admit something         6. to record                      3. The dolls don't cry as loudly as real babies. 4.   to look after        7. a response                  4. The dolls record how many minutes it takes for someone to pick them up. a)   to store or copy information or 5. It's impossible to tell whether someone was angry when sound they picked the doll up. b)   to care for someone or something,         6. Most high school teenagers enjoy looking after the dolls. such as a child or a pet   7. Most high school teenagers are happy to return the dolls. c)   to tell someone something (usually that you are ashamed of) d)   quickly           3. Phrasal verbs e)   at any time (rather than every ten           Write one phrasal verb in each gap. minutes or every hour)  1. It's isn't easy to .                                                                                                                                                                                            f) to get bigger 2. Babies often ..... ..... ..... ..... .... ... many times during the night. g) a reaction to something 3. You have to ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... .. the baby and hold it to stop it crying. , pick up look after • wake up •

As a class, ask the students to explain the meaning of the

Maybe?

phrasal verbs in activity 3, Phrasal verbs. Then tell the students to work alone to put them into the correct places. They should check their answers with their partner.

Discussion

Ask the class the following questions and encourage debate among the students:

 Is it a good idea to give students dolls to look after?  In what ways are the dolls like / unlike real babies?  Would it be a good idea to give the dolls to students at your school?

 Do you think that these dolls prevent teenage pregnancies?

Designing a doll

Tell the students that they work for the company that makes the baby dolls. The babies have been a great success, but now they want to make a second range of dolls. These dolls are going to be toddlers (one to two year-old children). The students must work in groups to make a list of things the dolls will do. Point out to the students that the main difference between babies and toddlers is that toddlers can move and talk. You may have to teach your students some useful vocabulary beforehand.

Answers 1.  Vocabulary If, 2d, 3c, 4b, 5e, 6a, 7g. 2.  Comprehension 1 true, 2 false, 3 false, 4 true, 5 false (because the dolls record the response of the person who picks them up), 6 true, 7 true. 3.  Phrasal verbs 1 look after, 2 wake up, 3 pick up.

TIMESAVER READING LESSONS

A Baby... Maybe?

Why are American high schools giving dolls out to their teenage students?

The answer is simple. They are worried about teenage pregnancy. The number of teenage girls who get pregnant in the USA is increasing rapidly. Many teenagers do not realise what it is like to have a baby until they have one. They admit that they thought babies were easy to care for. Schools want teenagers to THINK before they have children.

They cry during the day and the night.

They are giving these dolls to both boys and girls who have to look after them for three days. It sounds easy, doesn't it? However, these are special computerised dolls. They contain computer programs which cause them to cry at random intervals. They cry during the day and the night (as loudly as a real baby). The only way to stop them crying is to hold them for twenty minutes. This is as long as the time you need to feed a real baby.

These dolls also record how many minutes they cry before someone picks them up. In fact they are so clever that they also record the response of the person who picks them up, so it is possible to hear if the person is angry or not. Most

©

schools say that the teenagers enjoy having the dolls though they are normally extremely happy when they can return them.

After they had had the dolls for three days, most of the students said they wanted to wait a long time to have children.

Is this a good experiment for your school? Yes a No a

Do you want to look after the doll for three days?

Yes a Non

The Teenage Brain

Ask the students to discuss the following question with their partners.

Do teenagers behave differently to adults? In what ways?

Encourage them to give examples from their own experience.

Vocabulary

1)   You will need to pre-teach the following words, or ask your students to look them up in their dictionaries: developed, to shrink, judgement, reasoning, impulsive, clumsy to influence, programmed, to warn.

2)   Before the students read the article, look at the diagram of the brain together. Ask the students what the different parts do so that they become familiar with the new words. If you wish, you could do this as a test by giving them a few minutes to study the diagram and then, asking them to turn the page over. Use questions like:

What happens in the Occipital lobe?

Which part of the brain controls hearing?

Language practice

This might be a good time to get your students to do activity 1, Word formation. Again, they could attempt this activity from memory and then look back at the diagram in order to check their answers.

•               During reading

Reading comprehension

Timesaver Reading Lessons • Photocopiable Activities
The Teenage Brain 1. Word formation         3. Idiomatic expressions Change these verbs into nouns. Look back at the brain diagram (words and phrases with 'brain') to check your answers. The words and phrases below all Verb Noun include the word brain! Match each 1.   to speak S  h     word or phrase with its definition. 2.   to think                                                      1. to pick someone's brains 3.   to move m            2. brainy 4.   to see    S3. a brainwave 5.   to remember / memorise   m     4. to have something on the brain                                                                                                                                                                 5. to rack your brains 2. Comprehension         a) a sudden, clever idea Read the article and decide if the following sentences are true b) very intelligent or false.  c) to be obsessed with something 1.   Scientists believe that young children have fully-developed d) to get information by asking someone who knows a lot about 2.   The teenage brain is bigger than the adult brain.                the subject 3.   The brain stops developing during the teenage years.     e) to try very hard to think of or 4.   The number of cells in your brain never changes.                        remember something

Ask the students how they think the brain changes from childhood to adulthood. Tell them to read the article to check their answers. They might be surprised by some of the information. After this, they should re-read the article to answer the comprehension questions in activity 2, Comprehension.

•               Follow-up activities

Discussion

Put the following statements on the board:  This new research is good because adults won't be able to tell teenagers off for dropping a glass or crashing a car.

 This new research is bad because parents and teachers may not want to give teenagers responsibility or freedom.

Ask the students which statement they agree with. What are their reasons? Ask for more advantages and disadvantages of this research for teenagers.

Idiomatic expressions

Get your students to do the vocabulary extension exercise, activity 3, Idiomatic expressions. Then, ask them to discuss the following questions in pairs and then do feedback with the whole class: Who is the brainiest person you know? Do you know anyone who is obssessed with something (i.e. has something on the brain)? Whose brains would you pick if you: a) were going to run a marathon? b) had to write a speech? c) had entered a history quiz? Have you ever had a brainwave? What was your brilliant idea? When was the last time you racked your brain?

Building a better brain

Ask the students to work in small groups to make a list of rules of what you should and shouldn't do to 'programme' your brain.

Answers 1.  Word formation 1 speech, 2 thought, 3 movement, 4 sight, 5 memory. 2.  Comprehension 1 false, 2 true, 3 false, 4 false, 3.  Idiomatic expressions Id, 2b, 3a, 4c, 5e

The Teenage Brain

Scientists have a new explanation for the behaviour of teenagers:

their brains are too big!

Teenagers have big brains Scientists used to believe that our brains were fully developed by early childhood. New research shows that the brain grows very quickly between the ages of 10 and 12, when it is at its biggest. During the teenage years your brain shrinks bit by bit until it is the size of an average adult's.

Explaining Teenage Behaviour The frontal and parietal lobes are the last to finish developing. The frontal and parietal lobes manage judgement, reasoning, planning for the future and visual/spatial

Frontal lobe	Parietal lobe
controls speech, thought and	controls feeling
consciousness, body movements	physical sensations,
and co-ordination Temporal lobe	shapes and positions
controls hearing and memory	Occipital lobe
for speech and music Brain stem	controls sight and reading
controls your breathing	Cerebellum

and your heart comes from Latin for "little brain", controls movement and balance

ability. This may explain why teenagers are sometimes more impulsive, emotional and clumsy than adults. It's not your fault, your brain's too big!

Building a better brain The teenage years are an important time in your brain's development and you can build a better brain. The activities of the teenager influence which cells disappear and which cells remain as they get older. Dr Giedd, a psychiatrist, says, "If you're lying on the sofa or playing video games your brain gets programmed for that." His advice: Test your brain. "If you exercise a muscle, you make it stronger. The brain works like that. Try a foreign language, music, games anything that makes the brain work hard."

How you're using your brain now, influences the kind of brain you have when you're an adult. Don't say we didn't warn you!

What's the Difference Between Boys and Girls?

 Before reading

Discussion

Ask the students what they think the main differences between boys and girls are. You could ask the following questions: How do they behave differently? Are there things that boys are better at than girls and that girls are better at than boys? How are they treated differently? Can men and women do the same jobs?

Vocabulary

The jigsaw reading activity contains some words and phrases that the students may be unfamiliar with, so before the students see the articles, they should complete activity 1, Vocabulary (see page 18).

 During reading I feedback

Scan reading

a)  Divide your students into pairs. Depending on the dynamics of your class, you may like to get your students into mixed groups of boys and girls straightaway or you may prefer to divide them into same-sex pairs to begin with and then get them to compare their answers with a pair of the opposite sex afterwards.

b)  Give each pair or group a copy of activity 2, Scan reading, and get them to discuss the statements and make a note of their answers.

c)  Ask your students to cover the statements and their answers.

d)  Explain to your students that two teenagers were interviewed about their views on the differences between boys and girls. They were asked exactly the same questions. One teenager was a boy and the other one was a girl. Give one student in each pair Donna's text and one student in each pair Barclay's text. Tell them that they must not show each other their texts. Ask them to read their text quickly, giving them a time limit. Then, ask them to check their answers to activity 2, Scan reading together with their partner without referring back to their text unless absolutely necessary. Go through and check the answers as a class.

Reading comprehension

Ask your students to read their text through again and decide if they agree or disagree with Donna or Barclay. Then, get them to discuss their opinions with another student who has read the interview with the same person. During the discussion, go round the class, checking that everyone seems to have understood the text fully.

Student interviews

Divide your class into pairs again, with one student who has read Donna's interview and then another student who has read Barclay's interview. Tell them to cover their text. Write the interview questions on the board as a prompt:

Do boys or girls mature faster? Do girls worry about their appearance more? Do you act differently when you are with girls? What can boys do better than girls? Are boys more practical than girls? What can girls do better than boys? Do you think there are some jobs which women or men should not do? When you are married, will you share the housework with your husband / wife? Do parents treat sons and daughters differently? Are girls more sensitive than boys? Do girls gossip more than boys? What annoys you about boys / girls? Will you marry?

Get them to interview each other, answering the questions as either Donna or Barclay. Emphasise that they don't need to use the same words as Donna or Barclay, just convey the same meaning. Finally, get students to exchange texts and give them a chance to read the text that they haven't read yet.

 Follow-up activities

Speaking I writing

a)  Get your students to interview each other in pairs, using the same questions, but this time giving their own opinions. Very confident speakers can go straight into the interview without any preparation. However, most students will get more out of this activity if they spend ten minutes making notes of their answers first. Make sure that they use their notes only as a prompt rather than reading them aloud.

b) Students can write up either their own or their partner's answers for homework.

Answerš 1.  Vocabulary If, 21, 30. 4h, 5m, 6a, 7n, 8e, 9i, 10d, 1 1 b, 12c, 13g, 14k. 2.  Scan reading Note: Donna is a girl and Barclay is a boy 1  about girls, said by both Donna and Barclay 2  about girls, said by Barclay 3  about boys, said by Barclay 4  about girls, said by Barclay 5  about boys, said by Donna 6  about girls, said by Barclay 7  about boys, said by Donna 8  about girls, said by Donna

What's the Difference

Between Boys and Girls?

Donna

Do boys or girls mature faster? Girls definitely mature faster!

Some boys behave like absolute babies when they are with their friends.

Do you act differently when you are with girls? I talk about different things but I don't act differently. There's no point acting differently with boys. You must just be yourself.

What can boys do better than

I'm not sure.

Are boys more practical than

No, I think boys and girls are equally practical.

What can girls do better than boys? Horse-riding and listening to people's problems.

Do you think there are some jobs which women or men should not

No, both women and men can do the same things and should get the same pay.

When you are married, will you share the housework with your husband?

Absolutely! I don't want to be just a housewife.

Do parents treat sons and daughters differently? Yes, some fathers treat their sons differently to their daughters. Some mothers treat their daughters differently to their sons. Also, in some families the daughters must 'speak nicely' and they have to look smart but the boys don't have to.

Are girls more sensitive than boys?

No, I don't think so, I think both girls and boys are equally sensitive but boys don't like showing their feelings.

Do girls gossip more than boys? No. I think they gossip the same amount but about different

What annoys you about boys? When they are in a large group they act like idiots but if they are alone, they are nice. It also annoys me that they pretend to be brave and never show their feelings.

Will you marry?

If I find someone I like, yes!

©

Timesaver Reading Lessons • Photocopiable Activities

What's the Difference Between Boys and Girls?

1.   Vocabulary 2. Scan reading Match the words or phrases with the correct           In pairs, look at the following statements and definitions from the list below.discuss the questions about each statement: 1 . to mature a) Is the statement about boys or girls? 2.   practical b) Who made the statement - a boy or a girl? 3.   to treat people differently 4.   restrictions 1. They definitely mature faster! 5.   sensitive 6.   to gossip                                                                                                                       2. At fifteen they behave like adults and wear 7.   to annoy someone smart clothes. 8.   an eating disorder 9.   a contact sport 3. They think more simply. They don't complicate 10.                   to complicate something 1 1 . creative 12.   puberty 4.   They are better at looking after children. 13.   to ignore someone 14.   unforgiving 5.   They don't like showing their feelings. a)   to chat about unimportant things6. They are impossible to argue with. They ignore you when they don't want to listen. b)   good at artistic things like drawing, music, writing poems or telling stories 7.   When they are in large groups, they behave c)   the time during teenage years when your bodylike idiots! starts changing 8.   They are better at horse-riding and listening d)   to make something seem more difficult than itto people's problems. e)   an illness that makes people eat too little, usually because they are worried about how they look f)    to become more like an adult in the way you behave or look g)   to not listen to someone h)   rules that stop you doing something i)     a sport where you can touch other people to get the ball off them, like rugby or basketball k)  not wanting to forget arguments or believe that someone is sorry l)    good at making things work well or fixing m) caring or emotional n)  to make someone angry, but not very angry o)  to behave differently with different people

What's the Difference

Between Boys and Girls?

Barclay

Do boys or girls mature faster? Girls definitely mature faster! At fifteen, we (boys) are still joking around and enjoying doing silly things. At fifteen, girls behave like adults and wear smart clothes.

Do girls worry about their appearance more? Yes. Boys don't want to look stupid but they don't worry too much about their appearance. Girls worry a lot more. Perhaps this is a reason why girls suffer from eating disorders, for example Anorexia.

Do you act differently when you are with girls? I talk about the same things to both boys and girls. However, I probably behave less violently with girls.

What can boys do better than girls?

Play rugby and football because they are rough contact sports.

Are boys more practical than girls? In general, yes! This is because we can think more simply. We don't complicate things! !

What can girls do better than boys?

Art subjects. Girls are more creative than boys. Girls are also better at looking after children.

Do you think there are some jobs which women or men should not

No they can both do the same jobs well.

When you are married, will you share the housework with your wife?

Yes, I will probably cook, clean and look after the children.

Do parents treat sons and daughters differently? Not really. It depends on the parents. Some parents worry more about daughters. I suppose this is fair, especially during puberty. Also some parents try to encourage their daughters to be more feminine. for example, the daughters must not swear but the sons can.

Are girls more sensitive than boys? I'm not sure. I know some very sensitive boys. However, in general boys are braver and less sensitive.

Do girls gossip more? Yes. However, there are some boys at my school who gossip all the time.

What annoys you about girls? They are impossible to argue with. They ignore you when they don't want to listen! Also, some girls are very unforgiving, they don't forget arguments or mistakes. Another thing I dislike is that girls always expect boys to make the 'first move' if a boy and girl like each other.

Will you marry?

Probably, if I meet Miss Right!

Should We Eat Meat?

Answers Adam 1     Adam doesn't agree with what vegetarians say because they worry about animals but there is a lot of human suffering in the world. 2     He thinks that if everyone stops eating meat, farmers will lose jobs and animals might die of hunger. 3     He has never thought of being a vegetarian, but he doesn't like eating meat that still looks like an animal. 4     He most enjoys eating roast chicken. He also likes hamburgers with ketchup, relish. lettuce and tomato. 5     He thinks that being a vegetarian is a bad idea because it's difficult to substitute meat. Meat is nutritious and eating meat is natural. We have teeth that are designed for eating meat. 6     He thinks that a vegetarian diet wouldn't suit him because he doesn't like lentils or soya and he thinks that some vegetarians 7     He thinks that vegetarians miss eating meat because they start eating meat again after a year or two. 8     He says that if half the family are vegetarian the person who cooks has to prepare two meals. 9     He's going to spend Christmas with the entire family, including his grandparents. 10   On Christmas Day, he's going to eat all the traditional things. including turkey. Judith 1     Judith is a vegan. She doesn't eat any meat, fish, dairy products or 2     She gets protein from beans. soya and nuts. 3     She says that when animals are exported they might travel for 30 hours without food or water and they can't move. 4     Cruelty to animals isn't the only reason she doesn't eat meat. She is also worried about starving people in countries where grain is grown for animals and damage to the eco-system caused by eating fish. 5     She thinks that the advantages of being vegetarian are: it's healthier; fewer vegetarians get heart disease and cancer. Also companies put a lot of chemicals in meat. 6     She says the most difficult thing about being vegetarian is finding good quality, non-leather shoes. 7     If she goes to someone's house and they offer her meat, she politely refuses and explains her reasons. 8     She hasn't protested against cruelty to animals, but she might go on a demonstration soon. 9     When she tells people she is a vegan they think she is stupid or strange at first. but when she explains they understand and often agree with her 10   On Christmas Day, she's going to eat nut roast. soya sausages vegetarian gravy, potatoes and vegetables.

• Before reading

Vocabulary

The text contains some words that the students will be unfamiliar with, so before they read, elicit the following: to suffer, to export animals, economical, starving, ecosystem, frequency, demonstration (a protest against something), relish (a sauce or pickle), substitute, nutritious.

Predicting the text

Tell the students that they are going to find out about the views of two teenagers. One is a vegan (she doesn't eat any meat or animal products). The other is a meat-eater. Before the students see the articles, ask them to work in pairs to predict what each teenager is going to say.

 During reading

Reading comprehension

1)  

For the jigsaw reading exercise, divide the students into pairs, where one student is Student A and the other is Student B. Give Student A the text about Judith and give Student B the text about Adam. Give them a limited time period to read through their text.

2)   Give the information sheet about Adam to Student A and the information sheet about Judith to Student B. Tell the students they need to ask each other to complete the information by asking each other questions. Encourage them to respond to their partner's questions from memory referring back to the text only when it is strictly necessary. Students will have to form their own questions for this exercise, so you might want to practise making some of the questions as a class before they begin the exercise.

3)   Finally, get them to swap the original texts about Judith and Adam in order to check their answers.

 Follow-up activities

Debate

Divide the class into two groups; We should eat meat and We shouldn't eat meat. If you think opinions in the class are equally divided, you can let the students choose which group to join. However, if, for example, meat-eaters are more dominant, divide the students equally into the two groups regardless of their personal views. Give the students ten minutes to prepare their groups' points before the debate begins. To give each student a chance to speak, tell the groups that students must take turns to make points.

Should We Eat Meat?

Are you a vegetarian?

I used to be a vegetarian but now I am a vegan.

What's the difference between a vegetarian and a vegan? Vegetarians don't eat meat or fish. Vegans do not use any animal products. It means that I don't eat any meat, fish, dairy products or honey.

Do you eat enough protein? People always ask me this! The answer is definitely yes. My main source of protein are beans, soya and nuts. People often worry that vegetarians and vegans don't eat enough protein. However, a diet with too much protein can prove bad too. I eat a lot of fruit and vegetables so I'm quite healthy. There's no doubt about it that a vegetarian's diet is healthy.

Why did you choose to be a vegetarian and then vegan? For many reasons. When I was eight, I was not happy about eating animals. My older sister was already a vegetarian so I decided to be one too. When I was thirteen, I found more reasons for not eating animals or using animal products. I hate the way animals suffer before they are killed. If they are exported, they might have to travel 30 hours without food or water and they can't move.

Judith

Is cruelty to animals your main reason for being a vegan? No, there are other reasons. For example in many countries, there are people dying from hunger. They might be able to grow food to eat for themselves but their fields have grain to feed animals. It's not economical use of land. The animals eat a lot of grain but the starving people can't eat the animals because one field of grain does not feed many animals. If there are not many animals, not many people can eat. Also, I don't eat fish because they are part of the food chain and it ruins the eco-system when we eat them.

What are the advantages of being a vegetarian? It's a lot healthier. The frequency of heart disease and cancer is less for vegetarians. I've also heard that food companies put a lot of chemicals in meat. I don't think these chemicals are good for people.

Is it difficult to be a vegetarian? No. Restaurants always have something for vegetarians. It's more difficult to be a vegan but I usually find something. My main problem is finding good quality non-leather shoes!

If you go to someone's house and they offer you food that contains meat, do you eat it? No way. very politely refuse and explain my reasons. People usually understand.

Have you ever protested against cruelty to animals? No, but I might go on a demonstration soon.

How do people react when you tell them that you are a vegan?

At first they think that I'm stupid or strange. However, when I explain, they understand and often agree with me.

What are you going to eat on Christmas Day? Nut roast, soya sausages, vegetarian gravy, potatoes and vegetables. Then we might have a vegan Christmas pudding if there is room in our stomachs. Last Christmas all my family ate the same food as me and they enjoyed it so we are going to eat the same thing again this year.

Timesaver Reading Lessons ' Photocopiable Activities
Should We Eat Meat?    Jigsaw reading         Student A You must ask your partner questions to complete the following information about Adam. Adam 1 . Adam doesn't agree with what vegetarians say because ... 2.      He thinks that if everyone stops eating meat . 3.      He has never thought of being a vegetarian, but ... 4.      He most enjoys eating . 5.      He thinks that being a vegetarian is a bad idea . 6.      He thinks that a vegetarian diet wouldn't suit him because , 7.      He thinks that vegetarians miss eating meat because ... 8.      He says that if half the family are vegetarian ... 9.      He's going to spend Christmas with . 10.  On Christmas Day, he's going to eat    Jigsaw reading        Student B You must ask you partner questions to complete the following information about Judith. Judith 1 . Judith is a vegan. She doesn't eat ... 2.      She gets protein from ... 3.      She says that when animals are exported .           4.      Cruelty to animals isn't the only reason she doesn't eat meat. She is also worried about ... 5.      She thinks that the advantages of being vegetarian are: ... 6.      She says the most difficult thing about being vegetarian is . 7.      If she goes to someone's house and they offer her meat, she ... 8.      She hasn't protested against cruelty to animals, but . 9.      When she tells people she is a vegan . 10.   On Christmas Day, she's going to eat ...

Should

We

Eat

Meat?

Are you a vegetarian? No, I'm not.

Do you agree with what

1.-                                  vegetarians say? Not really. Killing animals might be cruel but there are a lot of other problems in the world too. Vegetarians always worry about animals but what about the human suffering? Also, I don't think that being a vegetarian solves the problem.

Why not?

If everyone stops eating meat, farmers will lose jobs. Farm animals will not be able to eat and might die from hunger. I believe that some farm animals have a nice life before they are

Have you ever thought about being a vegetarian?

No. People need to enjoy what they eat and I enjoy meat. I admit that I don't like eating meals that remind me of the animal. For example, when cooked fish still has the head on, I don't like it.

What do you enjoy eating? My favourite meal is roast chicken. I love it. I also like burgers with everything on them - ketchup, relish, lettuce, tomato...Being a vegetarian is definitely a bad idea!

Why is being a vegetarian a bad idea?

I think it's difficult to substitute meat. It's nutritious and I like the taste, the smell and the texture. Humans have eaten meat for millions of years. Eating meat is natural. We have teeth that are specially designed for eating it.

Is anybody in your family a

Adam	vegetarian? No, and I doubt anybody will be one in the future. My brother
Do you think vegetarians are	thought about it but it might be a
mad?	problem for my mother. She
No, I don't think vegetarians are	usually cooks for my brother, my
mad. Well, some are a bit mad	sister and my dad. My dad adores
but not all of them, I just think a	eating things like steak therefore
vegetarian diet might suit a lot of	he will never be a vegetarian. If
people but not me. I don't like	half the family is vegetarian, the
lentils or soya. I think some	person who cooks has to prepare
vegetarians look ill, people can choose what they want to eat, If	two meals.
they are healthy and happy that is	What are you going to eat on
good. However, I want to choose	Christmas Day?
what I eat too and I want meat. I	Lot of things. The entire family
don't want vegetarians to tell me	including my grandparents are
that I mustn't eat meat. It's my	going to have a meal at our house.
body! Also some vegetarians talk	We are going to have all the
about cruelty to animals but they wear leather shoes. Another thing, many people stop eating meat but they start again after a year	traditional things, including turkey.

or two. This proves that they don't enjoy it and that vegetarians miss eating meat. I doubt it's fun being a vegetarian!

Are You Prejudiced?

List the following nationalities on the board: British, French,

German, Italian, Spanish, Danish, Dutch, Polish, American, Australian. Ask the students to describe the typical stereotypes of each nationality and then discuss whether these stereotypes are fair.

Discussion

Extend the discussion into a general discussion about prejudice with the following questions:

1)   What is prejudice? Do you think you are prejudiced sometimes? Has anyone ever treated you or someone that you know in a prejudiced way?

2)   What types of people often suffer from prejudice? What kinds of things are people often prejudiced about? How do you think it feels when someone behaves in a prejudiced way towards you?

3)   In what ways can we stop prejudice in society?

•                During reading I feedback

Reading and Speaking

Ask the students to work in small groups. They must read the text and look at the options together, explaining their choices to the rest of the group. After completing the questionnaire, they should add up scores. Read the analysis to the class. Do they think what it says about them is true?

•                Follow-up activities

Discussion

Timesaver Reading Lessons • Photocopiable Activities
Are You Prejudiced?   2. Roleplay 1. Grammarcards (second conditional) Use the second conditional to Student A Student B answer the following questions.You are the school headteacher. You are in trouble at school What would you do if...A student at your school has again. The headteacher thinks 1.   ...someone from a differentbeen bullying another student you are a bully, but you have country joined your class andwho comes from a different only made a few jokes about a invited you to his / her housecountry. The bully has been foreign student. You are sure for dinner?teasing them about their the student thinks your jokes 2.   ...someone at school askedclothes and their accent. are funny. you to a big party, but told you your best friend couldStudent A Student B not come because he / she You are disabled and you need You are the manager of the was unfashionable and not a wheelchair. You go to a new new cinema in town. You like popular enough? cinema in town, but it has to hear what customers think 3.   ...you heard people calling stairs and no lift. You and your about the cinema, and you take your friend cruel names because friends cannot watch the film complaints seriously. But you he / she was overweight? you wanted to see. Complain don't want to spend a lot of to the manager. money improving your cinema.

Collect pictures (from magazines, the Internet, photocopies from books, old photographs, etc) of people who all have different jobs. You must know what their jobs are, but their

jobs shouldn't be indicated in the pictures, for example, no one should be wearing a uniform.

Keeping the students in the same groups as earlier, hand some of the pictures to each one and ask the students to discuss what jobs they think the people have. Set a time limit of five minutes for the discussion and then ask the students to share their ideas with the class. The students should give reasons about why they have come to their decisions.

After each group has spoken, reveal the people's real jobs. Ask the students whether they think they were fair in the opinions they formed of the people. Did they make judgements because people were male, female, tall, short, fat, thin, fashionable or unfashionable?

Grammar (second conditional)

Look at the first situation in activity 1, Grammar (second conditional) together. Ask three or four students what they would do. Make them give full answers, using the second conditional. Get the students to talk about the different situations in pairs. For homework, you could ask them to write about each situation using the second conditional or to write some new second conditional questions about prejudice like the ones in the activity. They could then ask their partner their questions in the following English lesson.

Roleplay

Ask the students to work in pairs and give each pair one of the cards from activity 2, Roleplay cards.

Answers Analysis 7-10 You are not prejudiced. You treat everyone with respect and you get to know people before you judge them. 11-16 You are not prejudiced but at times you notice differences between other people and yourself and you find them strange or amusing. Try not to stereotype people. 17-21 Oh dear! You are prejudiced! You judge people before you know them. The world is made up of many different types of people so you must learn to appreciate people who are different from you.

Your school arranges an exchange with an English school. You meet the English boy/girl who is going to stay with you for the first time. He/she is not attractive and has unfashionable clothes. Before you have spoken to him/her, what do you think?

a This person isn't cool enough to stay with me C] b If he/she has a nice personality, I'll enjoy spending time with him/her C] c Is this what all English people look like? Weird! C]

You have a chemistry teacher. He/she speaks with a very strong regional accent. How do you react?

a Wait until you are outside the classroom then copy his/her accent to amuse your friends C] b Think, "How am I supposed to believe anything he/she says with a stupid voice like that?" c You notice his/her accent but it makes no difference to you at all C]

You get on the bus. There are only two seats left. One is next to an old lady and the other is next to someone who looks about 40. What do you do?

a Sit next to the one who is nearest to you C] b Sit next to the 40-year-old because the old lady might talk rubbish to you or smell bad c Sit next to the old lady. She reminds you of your grandmother. [2

You go with one of your parents to the garage because the car is broken. You discover the mechanic is a woman. What is your reaction?

a We'd better go somewhere else. She might not be good enough C] b That's not unusual C] c It's good to see that men and women are doing the same jobs these days C]

B Imagine you are the boss of a company and you need to employ a receptionist. You are sent two CVs (curriculum vitae Latin): a list of what you have done in your life). One of them is from a wheelchair user. Which person do you employ?

a The person who is not the wheelchair user C]

Animal Hospital

Tell the students that they are going to read an article about an animal hospital and ask them to write a list of things that they think might happen there.

Vocabulary

Ask your students to complete activity 1, Vocabulary.

• During reading I feedback

Reading for gist

Ask the students to read through the text to find the answers to the following questions:

1)   What is the animal hospital for?

2)   What kind of work do people have to do at the animal hospital? What kinds of animals go to the hospital?

3)   What happens to stray animals that go to the hospital?

Reading and Vocabulary

As part of the feedback, ask the students to think of words that describe:

 the people who work at the animal hospital  the animals that go there  owners who abandon their animals

• Follow-up activities

Grammar (passives)

Ask the students the following questions about the animal hospital:

Who looks after the animals in the hospital? (nurses)

Who brings in animals to the hospital? (owners or

people who have found them)

Who finds new homes for stray animals? (the RSPCA) When the students have answered the questions, ask them to make sentences from them using passives. For example, The animals are brought into hospital by their owners or people Who have found them.

After the three sentences have been made as a class, ask the students to complete activity 2, Grammar individually. Remind them that for this they will have to use different tenses.

Speaking

Ask the students whether they would like to work in the animal hospital. What are the advantages and disadvantages of the job?

Designing a poster or leaflet

Ask the students to design a poster or leaflet that explains one of the following things:

 Why you shouldn't buy animals as Christmas presents

 How to look after an animal properly

 The work that is done in the animal hospital and why it is so important

Answers 1.   Vocabulary le, 2i, 3b, 4h, 5j, 6c, 7 f, 8a, 9g, IOd. 2.   Grammar: Passive sentences 1   The animal hospital was built to help stray animals and owners who can't afford to take their animals to the vet. 2   Some animals in the hospital have been abandoned by their owners. 3   Many stray animals never see their owners again, but some are returned to them by the RSPCA. 4   Most animals that don't have homes were bought as Christmas presents.

Timesaver Reading Lessons ' Photocopiable Activities

Animal Hospital

1. Vocabulary    2. Grammar:         Match the words from the article with their definitions.                                    passive sentences 1 . operating a) an injection that prevents you getting a Complete the sentences about the theatre disease animal hospital using the passive. 2. a patient b) a piece of paper that tells you how much Use the tenses that are given at the end of each sentence. money you owe for something 4.      a companion c) a pleased feeling that you usually have1 . The animal animals hospital and (to ownersbuild) to because you have done a job wellhelp stray 5.      anaestheticwho can't afford to take their d) to leave someone or something 6.      satisfactionanimals to the vet. (past simple) e) the room in a hospital where doctors 7.      irresponsible2. Some animals in the hospital perform operations 8.      a vaccination(to abandon) by their owners. f) careless(present perfect) 9.      stressful g) an adjective that describes something that 10.  to abandon is hard work and makes you feel worried3. Many stray animals never see someonetheir owners again, but some h) a friend or someone who is always with you or something(to return) to them by the i)   someone who comes to hospital forRSPCA. (present simple) treatment4. Most animals that don't have j)   an injection that stops you feeling painhomes (to buy) as Christmas when you have an operation.presents. (past simple)

                                                             ©

Animal Hospital

It's like any other hospital. It's open 24 hours, 7 days a week. It has busy nurses, operating theatres ambulances and worried people in

the waiting room. The only difference is that the patients are animals. We visited a big RSPCA (Royal Society For

The Prevention of Cruelty To Animals) hospital in London.

The hospital normally helps animals owners who cannot pay expensive vets' bills. One of the nurses explains, "Many of the owners are old or live alone with their pets. Their pets are important to them. Sometimes their pets are their main companions so we help to keep them healthy."

All the nurses have to do a two-year course before they can work there. They need to learn to give anaesthetics, do X-rays and put on bandages. It's not easy when you have to put a bandage on a rabbit's broken legs or an owl's wing!

The nurses agree that the best part of the job is the satisfaction when the animal recovers and the owners are happy. They also agree that the worst part is when owners are irresponsible or cruel. They say this is the reason why the hospital is always full. People do not look after their animals properly. Especially at Christmas, people buy cats and dogs as 'cute presents' but then are too lazy to pay for the vaccinations and collars for the animals. People often get tired of pets when they get too big or make a mess. The nurses all agree that sometimes the job is very stressful if you love animals. This is because it is sad to see animals that are either sad or ill.

Most of the animals are people's pets but the hospital also cares for strays. Strays are animals without owners or homes. Some of the strays have simply lost their owners but in other cases their owners have abandoned them, especially in the case of dogs. The nurses explain that they have a lot of animals that have escaped from houses. For example, snakes and rare owls. The RSPCA tries to find owners for these animals.

Unfortunately, they sometimes have too many animals to look after and they have to kill them as painlessly as possible. This is most common after Christmas,

The hospital also looks after wildlife. This year, their patients have included injured fox cubs, badgers and friendly neighbourhood birds.

The Fashion Spies

Divide your students into pairs and hand out activity 1, Discussion. After the students have interviewed each other about fashion, go through the questions as a class.

Vocabulary

Before the students look at the article, put the following I words and phrases on the board: a mall, a trend, a waste, under pressure. If the students are able to, define these words as a class. Otherwise, ask the students to look up the words in their dictionaries.

• During reading

Reading for gist

a)   Tell the students they are about to read an article about fashion spies - kids paid by companies to help them predict what teenagers will want to buy. Ask them where they think companies look for these kids and what they ask them. They should read the text to see if they are correct.

b)  Ask the students to read the descriptions that clothing companies give to teenagers and pick the one that best describes them. Which group do they think it is best to belong to? Which group would they least like to belong to?

Reacting to the text

Discuss the students' feelings about companies using 'fashion spies'. Ask the following questions:

What do you think about companies using fashion spies? How do you feel about the way they categorise young people?

What would you do if you were asked to be a fashion spy? Do you think that young people spend too much money on clothes and cosmetics?

• Follow-up activities

Vocabulary

a) Ask the class to name five types of clothing that are very fashionable and write their suggestions on the board. Next, ask them to name five types of clothing that are very unfashionable and add them to the board. Discuss with the students which clothes they most like and most dislike. b) Tell the students to imagine that they are a researcher for a fashionable clothing company. They must write five fashion predictions for next year.

Personality quiz

The personality quiz, How fashionable are you? is intended to give a light-hearted insight into the students' attitude towards fashion. After the students have finished the quiz, ask them to add up their scores then read them the analysis. From the results of the quiz, ask the students whether they would be a suitable fashion spy.

Answers 2. How fashionable are you? - analysis 5 - 8 Fashion isn't very important to you. You prefer to wear clothes that are comfortable. You don't care what other people think about your appearance. 10 - 12 Weil Done! You like to be fashionable but you also have individual tastes. You'd never wear something you didn't like just because it was fashionable. 13 - 15 You are a fashion victim! You wear fashionable clothes, but you are not individual. You only wear clothes you think other people will like. It's time to start buying clothes you like.

Timesaver Reading Lessons ' Photocopiable Activities

The Fashion Spies   1. Discussion          2. Personality quiz ' How fashionable are you?          Discuss the                        A You see a really cool pair of shoes             think I'm unfashionable. following in a shop, but they're very expensive. Of course. My mum always chooses questions with What do you do? my clothes. a partner. Buy them. I always spend a lot of D Your friend comes to school Do you consider     money on clothes.          wearing the same coat as you. yourself to be           Leave them in the shop. You can buy     What do you think? fashionable?cheaper shoes somewhere else.   I hate it when people copy my Buy them if they're good quality and Why / why not?a clothes. I'll have to buy a new coat. they're going to last a long time. What are yourI'm happy he/she likes my coat. favourite items         B You want to buy a pair of jeans.      It means I look good.                                                        Which do you choose?                                        I'm not          of clothing?                                                                                                                         the only person who buys The most comfortable ones. cheap clothes. The most fashionable ones. What influencesThe most unusual ones.     a E Do you like shopping for clothes? the kind ofI enjoy shopping when l - find clothes clothes youC Your mum buys you a jumper for          I really like, but I only go shopping                                             your birthday, but you don't like it.         when I need something.                                                        Do you wear it?                                                     I love shopping. have to keep up          How often do                  Yes. I don't want to upset my mum,               with fashion. you buy new but I hope my friends don't see me. I hate shopping. prefer it when my clothes? No. I don't want my friends to mum does my shopping for me.

O

TIMESAVER READING LESSONS

The Fashion Spies

Did you know that many clothes companies employ "fashion spies"? The companies want to find out what's going to be cool. Reebok sends people out every few months to malls and high streets with new shoes to find out which ones kids like best. Also, companies interview the coolest kids they can find in big cities like New York about clothing, what they like to eat and drink, and what they like to do in their free time.

Clothes companies categorise teenagers by how cool they are. Look at the descriptions and tick the one that best describes you.

Edge kids

People who think it's cool to do something that nobody else is doing. They often change their look and consider themselves to be anti-fashion. They stop following a trend as soon as the influencers start wearing them.

Early adopters

Cool kids who get their ideas about what's fashionable from the edge kids.

Influencers

Kids who follow fashion trends early on and attract other teens.

Conformers

People who follow the trends when the majority of people are wearing them.

What do you think?

Following fashion is a waste of time and money.

Clothes and appearance are very important to me.

Young people are under a lot of pressure to spend money on fashionable clothes.

Fashion is fun but I don't take it too seriously.

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When Don't You Tell the Truth?

Discuss lying with your students. Ask the following questions: Why do people lie? Do you ever lie? Who do you lie to most often? What was the last lie you told? When is it

OK to lie? What are the consequences of telling a lot of lies?

Put the students into groups of three or four and ask them to make a list of the most common lies they think people tell.

Elicit or teach the following vocabulary: to hold back on / restrict the truth, to be found out, tight, a leaflet, to chat someone up, minor things.

• During reading I feedback

Reading for gist

As the students read the article, ask them to underline any lies or reasons for lying people mention that also appear on the list they made. After they have finished reading the article, ask the class which of their anticipated lies appeared in the text. Discuss the students' reaction to what the teenagers say about lying. Which lies do they find acceptable / unacceptable? Have they been in any similar situations themselves? Which person's attitude to lying is closest to their own?

Reading comprehension

Timesaver Reading Lessons ' Photocopiable Activities

When Don't You Tell the Truth?   1. Comprehension                             2. Dilemmas Complete the sentences about the         Australian teenagers.                                       Dilemma card 1                                  Dilemma card 2 1.  Sheena thinks the problem with see your best friend's Your friend cheats in a test You girlfriend / boyfriend in town by copying your answers, with another boy / girl. Do but the teacher thinks you 2.  Sheena's last lie was that ...         you tell your best friend?            cheated. Do you tell your 3.  Zina often lies to avoid . teacher the truth? 4.  Zina's mum found out about her lie when . 5.  Hugh lies about minor things                                                                                             Dilemma card 3                                     Dilemma card 4                                                                                           You hear a group of people          Your best friend buys an 6.  Hugh lied about going to his saying bad things about your expensive jacket to wear girlfriend's house because ... friend. Your friend asks you to on an important night out. 7.  Ned thinks that people often lie tell / him her what they said. You think it is horrible. because ... If you tell the truth your Do you tell the truth? friend will be very upset. 8.  Ned can't remember the last lie What do you do? he told because ...

Ask the students to re-read the article to complete activity 1, Comprehension.

 Follow-up activities

What's the lie? (game)

Write three facts about yourself on the board, numbered 13. One of them must be a lie. Ask the students to write down the number of the lie. Ask the students which fact they chose before you reveal the lie. Next, divide the class into two groups. Tell each student to write two true facts and one lie about themselves. Ask them to take turns reading what they have written to the other team. If the team guesses the lie, they win one point. The winning team is the one with the most points.

Dilemmas

Divide the class into four groups. Give each group a dilemma card from activity 2, Dilemmas. Give the groups 5 minutes to discuss their dilemmas, then hold a feedback session where someone from each group explains their decision.

Answers 1   Sheena thinks the problem with lying is she is often found out; 2   Sheena's last lie was that she didn't smoke (but she has given up now); 3   Zina often lies to avoid hurting people; 4   Zina's mum found out about her lie when she washed Zina's trousers; 5   Hugh lies about minor things like denying eating all the ice-cream or breaking the TV; 6   Hugh lied about going to his girlfriend's house because he didn't think his parents would trust him; 7   Ned thinks that people often lie because they want to sound 'cool'; 8   Ned can't remember the last lie he told because he has told so many.

 

TIMESAVER READING LESSONS

When Don't You Tel l

Sheena	What was the last lie
I usually lie to protect myself or	that you told?
so that I don't hurt someone's	I told my parents that I was going
feelings. I think I lie most to my	to spend the evening with my
parents but I don't really lie that	friends but I spent it at my
much. I don't lie very often but I	girlfriend's house. Her parents
do hold back the truth quite a	were there but I didn't think my
lot. In other words, I don't tell	parents would trust me.
the whole truth. Some people may consider restricting the truth	Zina
and lying to be the same thing.	I normally lie to avoid hurting
But the problem with lying is	people. I also lie if there is
that I have often been found out.	something that I am supposed to do but haven't done it, for
What was the last lie	example, my homework! Other
that you told?	times when I lie are when I am not
I told my parents that I didn't	allowed to do something. Last
smoke when I did. I have given	summer I went to a huge outdoor
up now though!	festival. I wanted to wear my favourite trousers which are really
Hugh	tight. My mum said I wasn't
Everybody lies sometimes. I lie to	allowed to wear them because she
keep myself out of trouble and	didn't want loads of guys to chat
so others don't get hurt. I guess I	me up and flirt with me. I
lie to my family the most because	promised not to wear them but
I am with them a lot. I normally	then I took them with me
lie about really minor things. I	and put them on later.
deny eating all the ice cream or breaking the TV.	Unfortunately, while I

the Truth?

was at the festival, I picked up a leaflet about it and put it in my trouser pocket. I was stupid enough to leave it there and my mother found it when she did the washing. She was furious.

What was the last lie that you told?

I lied about when I was born so I could go and see a film with an MA certificate. (This means you are only allowed to see it if you are over 16.)

Ned

When I don't want to get into trouble, lie. However, just because I have admitted that doesn't mean that I lie any more than anyone else. People often lie to me when they are trying to sound 'cool'. They exaggerate or pretend that they know what they are talking about. It's something that most people do. it's not really dishonest, it's just that you don't want to sound boring or look like an idiot.

What was the last lie that you told? There are so many that I don't remember.

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Mixed-race

Discuss the problems faced by people in mixed-race relationships. Ask the following questions.

7-1 How might they be treated differently from people in same-race relationships?

-J How might friends and parents react?

-J Why do people from some religions prefer their family to marry someone of their own race?

-J Do you think that young people are more tolerant of mixed-race relationships than the older generation?

Vocabulary

Before the students look at the article, elicit the following words and phrases: to target someone, nationalist, harassment, to reject, verbal, hate mail, Muslim, Orthodox Jews, to convert to. The article contains many phrasal verbs, so follow this with activity 1, Vocabulary (phrasal verbs). Students should not move on to activity 2 until they have read the text.

• During reading

Reading for gist

Ask the students to predict the answers to the following questions then read the text to see whether their predictions are correct.

Timesaver Reading Lessons ' Photocopiable Activities
Mixed-race Relationships 1. Vocabulary  2. Gap fill (phrasal verbs) (phrasal verbs)       Use the phrasal verbs from the vocabulary exercise to fill the gaps. Match the phrasal verbs           You will have to change thé tenses of some of the verbs. with the correct definitions.                                                             1. Most non-white kids consider themselves British when born in 2. go out   Britain and have ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... .......... there. 3. carry on 2. Sometimes kids feel that they are .. their families 4. let down              if they have a relationship with someone of a different race. 5. grow up 6. split up                                                                                                                                                                                      . with someone from a different ethnic background is often the cause of a lot of arguments with your a)    end a relationshipfamily and friends. b)    become an adult c)    have a relationship          4. It's not easy to continue a relationship when your parents and d)    continue              friends are against it, so a lot of mixed-race couples e)    disappoint                                                                                                     f)     stop trying 5.   Despite pressure from family and friends, some mixed-race couples                                          . seeing each other. 6.   We should never ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... .......... trying to change people's racist attitudes.

Why do British cities have very ethnically diverse populations?

Relationships

What kinds of harassment do people in mixed-race relationships often face?

What might happen if someone from a strict religious group chooses a partner their parents don't approve of? How do many people believe mixed-race marriages affect their culture?

Discussion

Read Suzie's story as a class. Discuss her problem and ask the students to suggest possible solutions. After the discussion, ask them to rank the advice below, giving each statement a mark out of ten.

Gap fill

Ask the students to use the phrasal verbs from the earlier exercise to complete the photocopiable exercise activity 2, Gap fill about mixed-race relationships.

Letter

Ask the students to imagine that they received the letter from Suzie. It's their job to write a response to the letter, offering support and advice. Alternatively, ask the students to imagine that they are deeply in love with someone whom their parents won't accept. They must write a letter explaining how it makes them feel.

Mixed-race Relationships

Mixed-race relationships are common in Britain, especially in multicultural urban areas. Unfortunately, mixed-race couples are still often the target of racial abuse.

Britain's ethnic population Visitors to Britain always notice that the cities have very ethnically-diverse populations.

There are 2 main reasons for this:

A lot of the 5.6 per cent of the UK's ethnic minority population are from ex-colonies of the British Empire. After the Second World War, people from the colonies were invited to come and work in Britain. So many men had been killed in the war that the workforce had grown too small.

The British government also permits a number of people to enter the country if they are in danger in their home countries. These people are called asylumseekers.

Separate communities

There are areas where some people of the same race have formed their own communities. East London, for example, has a large Bangladeshi population where there are Bangladeshi restaurants, shops and a mosque.

However, young people from ethnic minority backgrounds are integrated into British society and usually consider themselves British.

Harassment

White nationalists are responsible for many race attacks and, among other things, they believe that mixed-race relationships are wrong. However, some attacks on mixed-race couples come from their families, some from people they know at school or work, or

• Suzie's Story ,

even from friends. A lot of the attacks are verbal, but sometimes they also receive 'hate mail' or are physically attacked.

Religion and race Muslims, Orthodox Jews and other strict religious groups prohibit inter-racial relationships. Sometimes people convert to a religion before they marry into a religious family. In some communities, the tradition of 'arranged marriages' (when your parents choose your partner for you) is still common. Children who fall in love with someone their parents didn't choose are sometimes rejected by their families and live apart from them.

Culture and traditions It is sometimes thought that if you marry someone of a different race, your own culture and traditions will be lost. Happily, there are a lot of mixed-race families in the UK which shows that this isn't true. In fact, mixed-race marriages often help people to understand each other better, and their cultures are richer as a result.

I'm a British girl. / was born in London and I've grown up here. I started seeing Jamie a year ago, when I was 16 Jamie's parents are from Sri Lanka, but Jamie grew up in London, just like me. We are soul mates (we just think alike). When I see Jamie I don't see his colour.

When our parents found out we were going out together, they were so angry. Jamie's mum and dad said / could never understand how life has been for them because they aren't white. My parents said that if we had kids they wouldn't know what race they were. We laughed at that because we were only 16 and we hadn't thought about having children! My brother said that if I carried on seeing Jamie I'd be letting my family down.

Other couples who never had the same problems as us have split up, Jamie and I are still going strong, but sometimes I have felt like giving up. I still don't talk about it with my family and this makes me sad because / know they love me. But what can I do?

O

'We Have Simple Lives'

Divide the class into small groups and ask them to make a list of things that have been invented in the past 100 years that they would find it hard to manage without, for example, cars, televisions, electricity or computers.

Vocabulary

Keeping the same groups, ask the students to look up the meanings of the following words in their dictionaries: weird, modesty, corrupt. morals, carpentry, vanity, backward (meaning uncivilised), to tease, fussy.

 During reading

Reading for gist

Tell the students that they are about to read about the Amish people of America. They are a religious group who choose to live without modern-day comforts, such as cars, electricity and modern clothes. Ask them to read the article a first time and make notes on how life for the Amish is different from their lives. Before they read, explain to the students that the article uses American spelling and grammar. Can they find the American word for 'maths' (math) and the American spelling for 'jewellery' (jewelry)? You could also explain that eighth grade is the US school year when most students are thirteen or fourteen years old.

Reading comprehension

Timesaver Reading Lessons ' Photocopiable Activities

'We Have Simple Lives' 1.    Comprehension    2. Roleplay cards According to the text, are the following sentences true or false?         Put a 'T' for true and an 'F' for false next to each sentence.                          Student A You are a very traditional 1 . Amish people aren't allowed to keep animals. [2                                      of the Amish. You don't member 2.    The Amish break the law when they let their children leave      like an aspect of the modern school at 13. [2  world to come into your community. You must argue 3.    The Amish are happy for tourists to visit them. C]          against Student B who is trying 4.    The biggest Amish community is in Pennsylvania. C]     to introduce a modern invention. 5.    Amish women aren't allowed to wear buttons. [2 Student B 6.    Amish men can't cut their hair. [2 You are a more modern member of the Amish. You want to bring 7.    The Amish are a new religious group. [2              a modern invention into the 8.    Most Amish communities have a telephone box and some        community to make people's communities have a tractor. [2                lives easier, e.g. an alarm clock (with batteries), a bicycle, a 9.    Amish children are often curious about the outside world. [2    torch. You must try to persuade 10.                   Most Amish children leave the religion when they are older. [2  Student A to accept the invention.

Ask the students re-read the text and complete activity 1, Comprehension.

 Follow-up activites

Discussion

Get your students to discuss the following questions in pairs or small groups.

Do you understand the Amish way of life? Would you like to live in an Amish community? Do you find any of the Amish views difficult to understand? What do you like / dislike about the modern world? What do you think of the tourists who go to watch the Amish? Would you like to go to an Amish school?

Roleplay

Divide the class into pairs and give each pair a card from activity 2, Roleplay cards.

Answers 1. Comprehension 1 false, 2 false, 3 false, 4 true, 5 true, 6 false, 7 false, 8 true, 9 true, 10 false.

'We Have Simple Lives'

Many people's ideas of the typical American is a loud person who boasts about their possessions and owns all the latest technology. The Amish are the complete opposite of this.

Most Americans would die without a car (or at least they think they would). The Amish don't have cars; they use horses. They don't have televisions either.

In fact they don't have electricity. They don't need it because they don't have radios, computers or anything electrical all. Some people might feel sorry for them or think they are mad but this is the way that the Amish have chosen to live. They think that we're the weird ones.

Separate lives

Amish people try to be as simple as possible. Modesty, family and community are the most important things to them. They don't want to be a part of the modern world as it is too complicated and corrupt. They live independently in their own community. They even have their own schools which only have one or two classrooms. They learn reading, writing, math and morals. The big difference from regular American school is that they learn nothing about the world outside of their community and they do not continue their education beyond eighth grade. The Amish do not think their children need more school education after the age of thirteen because they will either do farm work, carpentry or help with the family business. In 1972, the US supreme court allowed them to stop school at thirteen.

'Like animals in the zoo' Amish people are not easy to interview. They are very private people and they don't like people taking their photographs. They say photographs steal their souls and are a sign of vanity. The biggest Amish community in the USA is in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, where there are 18,000 Amish people. In the summer it is visited by millions of people. One Amish teenager said he felt like an animal in a zoo. Some visitors shout things such as 'Why are you so backward?' laugh at their clothes or knock their hats off as a joke. They must feel angry when they are teased but demonstrating anger and violence are against the Amish beliefs.

Fashion is vanity

Unfortunately for the Amish, their appearance is perfect for photo-hungry tourists. They look like they are from a film about the eighteenth century. The women are not allowed to cut their hair, wear jewelry or make-up. They aren't even allowed to wear clothes with buttons because buttons are too fussy. Men have to wear suits and socks with a plain shirt.

Changing with the times The Amish are a religious group that was started in the 1720s. They are united in their beliefs. Many people can respect that but can't understand how the Amish can live the way that they do. They are frequently asked why they make life harder for themselves and when they will modernise themselves. In truth, most Amish communities have one telephone box for emergencies and perhaps one tractor for very heavy work. Communities often have meetings to discuss whether to accept a particular aspect of the modern world and what effect it will have on them. The young Amish are inevitably curious about things outside their community. Some occasionally listen to music or even try in-line skating (using a bicycle is forbidden because it is too fast), but when they confirm their beliefs at age thirteen, they promise to accept Amish rules and reject such things. Only one in five leave the Amish community. The Amish say this shows that people enjoy living the way that they do.

Teenage Depression

•

As a class, discuss the causes of teenage depression.

Vocabulary I Prediction

Before the students read the article, ask them to work in pairs to complete activity 1, Vocabulary to familiarise themselves with the vocabulary. Ask the students to use the vocabulary to predict some of the things the text might say.

Explain to the students that 'Young Minds' is a British charity that works to promote the mental health of children and young people.

   During reading I feedback

Reading comprehension

Timesaver Reading Lessons • Photocopiable Activities

Teenage Depression 1. Vocabulary2. Comprehension   3. Roleplay cards Match the words or phrasesAccording to the text are the from the article with theirfollowing sentences true or false? Student A definitions.  (Put a 'T' for true and an 'F' for You are depressed         1 . broken home                                        false next to each sentence.)                         because you think you 2. to snap at someone       1 . Teenagers don't want to        are ugly. You try to talk 3. to lose touch      become adults.             to people but they just 4. to snap out of it tell you that you're being                                                                                    2. Teenagers often don't know                          silly. You are desperate to 5. to cope how to get help with their 6. bluelose weight and become depression. 7. help linemore attractive. 8. self-injury           3. Other people are usually the 9. counsellor           first to see you are depressed. Student B 4. A common symptom of       You are worried about a) harm that you do to         your friend. He/she is teenage behaviour is moody yourself deliberately, eg, behaviour. C] depressed about the way cutting or burning yourself       look, but you can't they b) to recover quickly  5. It is easy to recover quickly understand it because he/ c) a family where the parentsfrom serious depression. C] she is good-looking.                                 have separated6. Talking to a person who is                                           Recently your friend has d)  to deal successfully with adepressed is a good way lost a lot of weight and situation to help. started to look ill. e)  to lose contact 7. Telephone help lines are a f) a telephone advice service private way to talk about g)  a person professionally your problems. trained to talk to people about their problems8. Anyone can be a counsellor. CI h)  to speak to someone angrily9. Everyone feels miserable i)    unhappy (informal)sometimes. [A

Ask the students to read the true and false sentences in activity 2, Comprehension and tell them to underline the relevant information in the text as they read. Check the answers as a class, referring to the text where necessary. Ask the students to re-write the false statements so that they are true.

   Follow-up activities

Discussion

As a class, discuss how people feel when they are depressed and how you can help them. What are the things that you must avoid saying or doing when someone is depressed? Other than friends or family, who can people go to for help when they are depressed?

Roleplay

Divide the students into pairs and give each student one card from activity 3, Roleplay cards. After all of the pairs have acted out the situation, ask them to write a new roleplay situation. They must write roleplay cards for Student A and Student B. Get them to swap their cards with another pair and act out the roleplay in front of the class.

Answers 1.  Vocabulary lc, 2h, 3e, 4b, 5d, 6i, 7f, 8a, 9g. 2.  Comprehension 1 false, 2 true, 3 true, 4 true, 5 false, 6 true, 7 true, 8 false, 9 true.

Teenage Depression

According to Young Minds, in a school of 1,000 pupils aged 14 -18,

50 of them might be seriously depressed. As many as 1 in 5 could be affected at some time. We investigate why more and more teenagers are suffering from mental illness.

A difficult time Being a teenager has always been difficult. Emotions and moods change rapidly. Many teenagers feel confused and afraid when the safety of childhood is left behind. These days, experts say that things are even harder. Peter Wilson, the Director of Young Minds, says, "We live in particularly difficult times for a growing youngster. There are huge cultural pressures and a lot of broken homes. Kids may have difficult relationships with parents, or in other cases, have no one to support them."

No one is happy all the time Everyone feels unhappy, lonely or misunderstood from time to time. But a small number of teenagers become depressed for weeks or months without change, and they begin to find that they can't continue with their normal lives.

Many teenagers don't want to ask, or don't know how to ask for help. Perhaps they don't even realise they are depressed. It is usually other people - friends, parents and teachers, who identify the symptoms of depression and offer help. One teenager explained that after a close friend had died, "l stopped believing that anything could be any good anymore. I became very aggressive, I snapped at my parents and I lost touch with friends. Things were bad for me for a year until, fortunately for me, a teacher noticed that things were wrong. "

If you recognise these symptoms in yourself or a friend, there are lots of things that can be done. You can't expect yourself, or someone else to just 'snap out of it'. You need to find ways to cope with the feelings.

How to help yourself or someone else If you are worried about a friend, listen to their problems and try to be sympathetic, and be patient. Most importantly, try and help them find help. If you're feeling blue yourself, don't panic - you need to try and understand your emotions. You are not the first person to feel like this. Try writing

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things down in a diary or talking to a friend. Perhaps writing a poem or song, drawing a picture or listening to music will help you express and understand your emotions. But most importantly of all, do something you enjoy, whether it's watching W, playing sport or just going for a walk.

Talk to someone It is a good idea for teenagers who feel depressed to try and talk to someone they like and feel comfortable with. But if they don't want to talk to friends and family, there are lots of people who are there to help. They could talk to their teacher or school nurse or maybe their doctor. Alternatively, there are telephone helplines which give confidential help to anyone with a problem. Talking to someone might help others to cope with how they are feeling.

There is someone who can help Sometimes, depression can become a very serious problem, and teenagers think about trying to escape their feelings. They might consider suicide or selfinjury. When the problem has got so bad, professional help from qualified specialist counsellors is vital. Counsellors are trained to talk to people about their worries and problems.

It is important to remember that everyone feels sad and unhappy sometimes, it is natural. Remember that, no matter how bad you feel, the feelings of sadness and happiness will come to an end.

Being Beautiful

•

Discuss with the students what being beautiful means and ask them what steps people take to be beautiful. After the discussion, ask the students to work in groups to list ten things that they do to improve their appearance. For example: brush hair, dye hair, cut hair, put on make-up, use hair gel / wax / mousse / spray, shave, file nails, wear nice clothes, pluck eyebrows, wear jewellery, go on a diet, exerase.

Hand out activity 1, Vocabulary. When they have completed the vocabulary exercise, ask the students to predict some of the things the article says using the words and phrases from the activity.

   During reading I feedback

Speaking

During feedback, ask the students what they think about the changes people make to their appearance. What do they consider to be acceptable and what do they think is unacceptable?

   Follow-up activities

Discussion

Ask the students to work in the same groups as earlier and hand out pictures of normal people, celebrities and models from magazines. Ask the students to divide them into categories such as: beautiful / not beautiful; false / natural. They should then explain why they have categorised the pictures as they have and discuss their choices.

Roleplay

Divide the students into pairs and give each pair one of the cards from activity 2, Roleplay cards.

Reading comprehension

the different ways people change their appearance or try to stay young

Timesaver Reading Lessons ' Photocopiable Activities
Being Beautiful 1. Vocabulary  2. Roleplay cards Match the words or phrases taken from the article with their definitions. Student A Student B          1 . beauty regime                                                      Your friend wants cosmetic      There is a part of your face 2. Elizabethan         surgery on part of their or body that you have 3. stencil   face or body that you    always disliked. You want 4. tame       think is fine. Try to.             to use your savings to have 5. proportioned        persuade him / her not     cosmetic surgery. 6. beauty is in the eye of the beholder       to have the operation. 7. to afford 8. cryogenics                                                                                                    Student A                                         Student B a)    to have enough money to buy   People always criticise the          Your friend always wears something way you dress. They say you      old, scruffy clothes and b)   ordinary, not extreme        are scruffy, but your clothes            never looks good. Try to c)    a routine for looking after the skin are comfortable and you persuade your friend to and body like them. Appearance isn't change his / her d)   balanced              important to you.           appearance. e)   a period of time in the 1 500s - 1600s named after Queen Elizabeth l.                                                                                                    Student A                                         Student B f)     the process of freezing a dead body Your mum always tells Your daughter is always until science has found a way to you off for wearing trying to improve her bring it back to life appearance. You think she : make-up and spending g)    different people see beauty in all your money on is too obsessed with the different ways clothes. You wish she way she looks. You wish she h) a shape cut out of paper or plastic      accept the way                                                                                                   would be more modern.             would just that allows you to cut an exact she looks naturally. shape

Being Beautiful

How far would you go?

We examine some of the extremes that people have gone to in their search for perfect beauty.

Ancient 'beauty' Appearance has been important throughout the centuries. Cleopatra and other ancient Egyptians had a practical beauty regime, Some women shaved their heads to keep cool. Heavy black eye make-up (kohl) was thought to be beautiful and act as protection against eye disease. Men had clean-shaven faces as facial hair was looked down on as a sign of laziness. Elizabethan women 'painted' their faces white with highly dangerous lead-based make-up in imitation of their pale-skinned Queen. Ladies also shaved their hairline to give the appearance of a high forehead like the Queen's. Men and women have been wearing wigs and corsets for centuries.

Cut it out! To recreate the look of your favourite star, using make-up or copying their eyebrows using stencils, seems quite tame compared to having hair sewn into your head, silicon put into your body, or having parts of your body reshaped or even removed to improve your appearance. Everyone knows about (and has noticed!) the changing face of Michael Jackson. However, the rumour that Cher had her bottom two ribs removed to make her waist thinner seems too crazy to be true. An American woman, Cindy Jackson, has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars having cosmetic surgery - 27 times so far! She wanted to bring Leonardo da

Vinci's ideas of a classically

proportioned face to life. Did it work? Her nickname is 'the human Barbie doll', so it's probable.

Is beauty in the eye of the beholder? As the number of people having cosmetic surgery increases, fewer people now regard it as 'unnatural'. As ancient history shows, those in the public eye and in positions of power and wealth were often perceived as the most beautiful people around. The situation hasn't changed much. Experts say that these days we are constantly shown images of 'beauty' and

'perfection' through the media, and told that those who achieve beauty, achieve success and happiness. Presumably then, the longer your life will be successful and happy, too.

Everlasting youth and life? The Ancient Egyptians believed that by preserving the body (if you could afford it) you were assured of immortality. These days the process, called cryogenics, is a bit more hi-tech, but the idea is similar. Most popular in America, people are paying huge amounts of money to have their bodies drained of blood and frozen in liquid nitrogen when they die. This is so that they may be revived in the future when science has found a way to bring them back to life. There are no guarantees that this process will work, but the desire to live on is so strong that they are prepared to spend thousands of dollars on something that might never happen.

TRUE or FALSE?

1.  Supermodel Elle Macpherson (known as 'the body') created the perfect body shape through surgery.

2.  Leonardo di Caprio was recently voted as being a man whose face is considered to be 'classically handsome' and perfectly proportioned.

3.  Brazil produces the most beauty queens.

4.  Some people have plastic or cosmetic surgery for art.

Sobriety High

Discuss the problem of teenage alcoholism and drug addiction with your students. Ask them to list the things that may lead teenagers to abuse drugs or alcohol. Check that students understand the word sobriety (the noun from sober) which appears in the title.

Ask your students to do activity 1, Collocation. This will familiarise them with some of the difficult vocabulary in the text and give them practice of some collocations. If you wish to extend the exercise, encourage them to think of other noun phrases that can follow the verbs in the activity, for example, to get over her ex-boyfriend, to sign a cheque, to be high on life, to recover from the flu, to break a glass / your leg, to attend school, etc.

 During reading I feedback

Reading for gist

Timesaver Reading Lessons • Photocopiable Activities
Sobriety High 1. Collocation2. Comprehension Match the two halves to make tenRead the sentences about Sobriety High. Are they true or phrases. Paying careful attention to the prepositions will help you complete this  1. All kids who go to Sobriety 5. Sobriety High makes activity. High are from äreas of students agree to a 1.     to get over          a) from addiction poverty and unemployment.            contract of behaviour 2.     to sign b) a form2. Lior didn't have a proper      while they are at school. 3.     to be high            c) a promisechildhood because he was         6. Sometimes kids are taken 4.     to suspend          d) from schoolalways on drugs.       out of school for breaking 5.     to recover         e) with your friends3. Sara had to do some         their promise not to drink 6.     to break             f) on drugsterrible things to pay for        alcohol or use drugs. 7.     to pay g) drugs                              her drug addiction.         7. The school principal 8.     to attend             h) home 4. Drug- or alcohol-addicted             becomes like a mother to 9.     to do   i) for your habit kids who don't go to      the kids at Sobriety High. 10. to confide         j) in a therapist Sobriety High normally  8. Like other schools in the 11. to hang out      k) a painful experience go to live in a new place               USA, social events, like 12. to leave l) therapy sessions when their therapy and proms, are important at treatment finishes. Sobriety High. 3. Gap fill (multi-word verbs) The kind of kids who 1 . .. ..... ..... ..... ...... going to Sobriety Choose the correct multi-word verbs to fill High are the same as ordinary kids, except that they are the gaps in the sentences. You will have to recovering alcoholics or drug addicts. They may have change the tenses of some of the verbs. 2 .. a bad crowd at school or perhaps they  grow up • end up • hang out with                  With parents who abused drugs or           , keep up                                                                          alcohol, having to steal to 4 ..... .... ..... .        . their habits.

Tell the students that they are going to read an article about a school for teenagers who have been addicted to drugs or alcohol. Ask them to make predictions about the things that happen in the school. As they read, they should check whether their predictions were correct. Tell the students that the article is written using American spelling and grammar. Discuss the following questions as a class.

 What does Sobriety High do to help teenagers recover from their addiction?

 Why is Sobriety High more successful than other forms of therapy for teenagers?

 What kind of atmosphere does the school have?

Reading comprehension

Ask the students to re-read the article and complete activity 2, Comprehension.

 Follow-up activities

Gap fill (multi-word verbs)

Get your students to do activity 3, Gap fill. All the multiword verbs appear in the original article so your students should be familiar with them but, before they start the exercise, check the students' understanding of them.

A day in the life (writing)

Ask the students to write a diary entry for a kid who goes to Sobriety High, describing a typical day. Alternatively, they could write an account of their life before they went to Sobriety High.

Answers 1.  Collocation 1k 2b 3f 4d 5a 6c 7j 81 9g 10j lie 12h 2.  Comprehension 1 false, 2 true, 3 true, 4 false, 5 true, 6 true, 7 true, 8 true. 3.  Gap fill 1 end up, 2 hung out with, 3 grew up, 4 keep up.

Sobriety High

At this US high school, the teenagers are being taught more than just math and geography. They are learning how to survive without drink and drugs. This is Sobriety High.

Case History 1: Lior Lior, 15, was suspended several times from his school for being high on drugs, If you think that kids who use drugs always come from poor, uneducated families, Lior shows that this isn't true. His mom's a college professor. But the kids he hung out with at school were all taking drugs. "l was doing cocaine, acid and anything else I could get at school," Lior says. didn't really get to be a kid because I was always getting high."

Case History 2: Sarah Sarah grew up with an alcoholic, drug addict mom and when she was only 13 she left home to be

1.-          around drugs and drug dealers. She ended up being forced to work as a prostitute for one of i? the drug dealers so that she could pay for her habit. She was 14. Eventually one day she managed to escape and she called her mom, who came and rescued her. Sarah

How it started

Before Sobriety High opened in 1989, kids who got involved in drugs and alcohol received treatment for their chemical addictions. But after their treatment finished, they were sent back to the school and neighborhood where the abuse had originated, and many of them returned to their old habits. Sobriety High was started in order to provide a safe, sober environment for kids to recover in.

Who goes there Sobriety High is for kids of 14 -18 years old. They come from all sectors of society. There are about 45 students at the school, four teachers and a special education consultant. Apart from the fact that they are recovering addicts, they are quite normal and enjoy all the same things which ordinary kids like doing.

The students' promise They sign a form when they arrive at the school promising not to take any drugs or use alcohol. If they break this promise, they are suspended - they will be made to leave the school for a period of time. If they keep offending, they may never be allowed to return.

How it works Sobriety High was built in a secluded location in Minneapolis, mid-west USA. There is a reason for this - the kids are usually running from the people they've been drinking or doing drugs with. "Students feel protected here, " Judi Hanson, the school principal, says. "At Sobriety High they are safe." The students often call Judi 'Mom' and confide in her. They attend therapy sessions where they talk about their experiences, which can often be very emotional. They also attend regular classes in the usual school subjects and many of them later go to university or college.

Learning to have fun without drugs Sobriety High is not just about getting over painful experiences. It's important for the kids to learn to have a good time just like other kids do. At the High School Prom (the yearly dance for classes of high school students) there isn't any alcohol, and at parties they only drink Coke and eat burgers. But they still laugh and have fun. Perhaps the kids at Sobriety High learn one thing that is the best lesson of all: the value of trust and friendship.

says she feels safe now.

The Best Night of Their Lives

•

Discuss the title of the article with your students. What do they think has been the best night of your life? What in the future do you expect to be an important night? If you were planning your ideal night, who would be there — your girlfriend or boyfriend, family or friends?

Vocabulary

Ask the students to complete activity 1, Vocabulary.

•               During reading I feedback

Reading for gist

Ask the students to read the text quickly and then, answer the following questions: Would you like to go to a prom? What are the upsides and downsides of going to a prom? What do you have to plan?

Gap fill comprehension

Timesaver Reading Lessons ' Photocopiable Activities
The Best Night of Their Lives   1. Vocabulary                                    2. Gap fill comprehension          Match the words from the text                   Put the verb in brackets into its correct form. with the definitions below: 1 . Students start ..... ..... .... ..... .. . their proms in February. (to plan) b)   date       c)    carnation             2. Formal dress is usually .. at the prom. (to wear) d)   to range                              e)   to elect3. Not finding a date can be ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... for some students. f)     tuxedo(to upset) g)    pressure h)   country club4. A boy will ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... the corsagé to his date at her i)     cocktail dressparents' house before the prom. (to present) 1.  to vary   limousines can be costly so the price is usually 2.  a formal dinner suit shared by several students. (to hire) 3.  a short evening dress usually for wearing at parties   3. 6. Prom kings and queen are usually . 4.  a person you arrange to see students. (to elect) socially usually in a romantic way 5.  stress caused by feeling that you have to meet people's Roleplay cards expectations 6.  a social club in the countryside   Student A           Student B 7.  a small flower with crinkled You really want to go to the You don't want to go to the petals, usually white, red or pink prom but your friend doesn't. prom. Try to persuade Student 8.  to pay money to borrow Try to persuade him / her to A not to go either. Mention something go too. all the things that you dislike 9.  to choose through voting              about the proms.

Students can re-read the text to help them complete Activity 2, Gap fill comprehension, but warn them that the sentences are not exactly the same. For example, an active sentence from the article may have become passive.

•               Follow-up activities

Roleplay

Photocopy the roleplay cards and ask the students to act out the situation they are given. You could ask some pairs to perform their roleplay in front of the class.

Speaking

Divide your students into small groups and ask them to plan a party for their graduation from school. Encourage them to think about: the place, the music, the clothes, food and drink, special shows and displays, awards, etc. How would their party be similar to a high school prom and how would it be different? Finally, get each group to make a poster advertising their party and display them on your classroom

Answers 1.  Vocabulary a)8, b)4, c)7, d) 1, e)9, f)2, g)5, h)6, i)3 2.  Gap fill comprehension 1 planning, 2 worn, 3 upsetting, 4 present, 5 hiring, 6 elected

The Best Night of Their Lives

High School Prom

Having a big party (called a 'prom') in the junior and senior years of high school is a great American tradition.

It's a special night which people plan very carefully, and remember for the rest of their lives.

The season The high school prom season usually starts in April and continues through May. Planning starts as early as February however, when the magazines and stores begin to show prom fashions. There is a lot of organization to be done.

The location Proms are held in many different places. Some schools still hold their proms in school gymnasiums but this is considered a bit oldfashioned now. Most high schools today have their Junior (first year of high school) and Senior (last year of high school) proms at a hotel or country club.

Clothes

Girls spend a long time deciding what kind of dress to wear and fashions change from year to year, and from school to school. Fashions range from cocktail dresses to full ball gowns and can be extremely glamorous. Sometimes girls have their dresses specially made by dressmakers. Each year there are different styles, but as the proms are quite traditional occasions, classic clothes are usually a good choice. Boys generally wear tuxedos.

The date One of the most important aspects of the prom night is finding a date. It doesn't have to be a regular boyfriend or

. 1

girlfriend, but you do have to know who your date will be some time in advance of the prom so that you can plan it together. Sometimes the issue of having a prom date can put a lot of pressure on the students. No one wants to go to the prom alone and people can get really upset about it if they don't find a date.

Prom night

Boys are expected to buy a

'corsage' for their female dates.

This is a small flower arrangement which they wear on their left lapel or on their wrist. Girls also wear a 'boutonniere' on their dresses, which is usually a carnation. The presentation of the corsage to the girl happens before the prom usually at her parents' house. Parents sometimes allow the kids to have a small party at their home before they go to the prom where they eat something and take photos or have photos taken by a professional photographer. Often students hire limousines to take them to the prom. Usually they share the cost of this with two or three other couples. Sometimes at the prom the students elect a prom king and queen, who are the most popular couple of the year. They are given crowns and lead the dancing when the music starts again.

The Cool School

•

What is a 'cool school'? Discuss this question with the students. Ask them which subjects they would study at school if they had the choice and tell them to make a list.

Vocabulary

Ask the students to work in pairs to complete activity 1, Vocabulary crossword. They may have to use dictionaries.

• During reading

Reading for gist

As the students read, ask them to compare their lists with the subjects students can study at the Brit School. Are the lists similar or very different?

Reading comprehension

Discuss the school with your students. Do they think it is a 'cool school'? Why / why not? What are the advantages and disadvantages of going to the Brit School? Would they like to go there? What careers does the Brit school prepare people for?

Timesaver Reading Lessons ' Photocopiable Activities
The Cool School 1. Vocabulary         2. Comprehension crossword    According to the text, are the following statements true or false? 1 . If you are younger than 14, you are too young to go to the Brit School. 2. Everyone who wants to go to the Brit School has to have an audition. 3. Parents have to pay to send their children to the Brit School. you are                                                                                                                  4. The students don't have to study maths or English. 5.         The students have shorter holidays 4. If you     than students at ordinary schools. 6.         No one has to wear a uniform. you         7. Shy students at the school feel unhappy.        3. Movie quiz                                             2. What is an extra?                                 c) The first roll of film used to          How much do you know about       a) A person who fetches and carries        shoot a movie. the movies? Test your knowledge things on the film set.    4. What do people traditionally say with this movie quiz.             b) Someone who writes extra bits       before the shooting starts? of dialogue if there isn't enough. 1. What does the producer do?             a) Lights, camera, action! c) A person who appears in crowd a)   He writes the screenplay.  b) Ready, steady, go! scenes or in the background. b)  He finds people to invest   c) Silence on set! money in the movie and 3. What is a screen test? 5. What is the 'cutting room floor'? manages the expenses. a) The first screening of a movie a) A room where editing takes c)   He works on the production             before a special audience.              of a movie using digital                  b) Part of an audition when the           b) A film set.              editing equipment.                              actors perform their part on film.  c) Hair and make-up department.

Ask them to answer the questions in activity 2,

Comprehension from memory, then re-read the text to check their answers.

• Follow-up activities

The movie quiz

Get your students to do activity 3, Movie quiz. Many of the students at the Brit School are interested in a career in acting, theatre or video production. The movie quiz is a general knowledge activity about the film industry. After the students have completed the quiz, ask them to check their answers with their partners.

My ideal career (writing)

Discuss your students' ambitions. What would their ideal careers be? What could they / their parents / their school do to help them achieve their ambitions? Ask them to write about their ideal job and how they hope to achieve it.

Answers 1.  Vocabulary crossword 1 audition, 2 talented, 3 fulfil, 4 stand out, 5 outgoing. 2.  Comprehension 1 true, 2 false (Students only need to audition if they are 16), 3 false, 4 false, 5 true, 6 true, 7 false. 3.  The movie quiz 1 b, 2c, 3b, 4a, 5a.

The cool School

Love the arts? Fanatical about film? Mad about music? The Brit School just outside London in the UK is a place where lots of kids fulfil their greatest dreams.

If you want fame	each place. Entrants at 14 have an	terms are eight weeks long, with
When people ask you what you	interview, and at 16 there is also	2-week breaks in between and
want to be in the future, they	an audition. The procedure is	only four weeks in the summer, so
seem pleased if you say 'a doctor'	tough because the school is	it involves much more attendance
or 'financial consultant'. But if you	Britain's only non fee-paying	than an ordinary school.
say J an actor' or 'a dancer' or 'a	entertainment school.
DJ' they often laugh and say 'no		How the kids feel about it
chance!' The Brit School takes	Different from ordinary school	Everyone who goes there is
such ambitions seriously:	The main thing that makes the	incredibly enthusiastic about it.
everything is done to make sure	Brit School like other schools is	Even though the school's
talented kids fully explore their	that it takes academic study	curriculum and hours make it very
passion for the creative arts.	seriously. But in other ways, the	demanding for them, they don't
	atmosphere could not be more	mind. Monique, 18, said she
What you study there	different. The teachers are called	found it a bit strange at first
The Brit School centres its studies	'guides' and speak to the kids in a	because it was so unlike her old
on the performing arts. Singing,	more informal way than many are	school. "Everyone seems so
dancing, acting, music, theatre, TV	used to. There are no uniforms	creative here so I don't stand out
and film production are all on the	and no bell at the end of the	much. Everyone's an individual,
curriculum, as wetl as academic	lesson. The school also makes sure	independent and single-minded
subjects like maths and English.	that no one lives more than an	and we don't all wear the same
The staff stress the importance of	hour away from the school so	sort of clothes." Most of the
continuing academic studies.	they don't get too tired. This is	students are outgoing, and shy
Students enter the school when	important because having lessons	students say that being there
they are 14 and 16. There is a	in radio production, theatre and	makes them more confident.
strict selection process because	video-recording as well as regular	Website:
there is a lot of competition for	lessons is very hard work. The	http://www.brit.croydon.sch.uk

C

Happy Birthday America

Ask the students to name things that symbolise the USA for them, for example, the Statue of Liberty, The White House, the Stars and Stripes, apple pie. Ask why 4th July is an important date for Americans. What do they students know about the history of Independence Day? How is it celebrated?

Vocabulary

Elicit or teach the following words and phrases: The Declaration of Independence (the document that American coionists wrote, asserting their independence); a delegate (a person sent to a conference to speak and negotiate for others); Congress (elected group of politicians that is responsible for making the law in the USA); Constitution (a system of laws and rules which formally states people's rights and duties); to inaugurate (introduce someone as a new official or leader with a special ceremony); valor (US spelling); pledge of allegiance (promise of loyalty to the USA); a streamer (a long piece of coloured paper which unrolls when you throw it); a pow-wow (a Native American festival); a rodeo (a festival where cowboys show off their skills).

 During reading I feedback

Reading for gist

Ask the students to read through the article quickly to find the answers to the following questions.

 What made America start a war against British rule?

 What was the first American flag like?

 How is independence Day celebrated across the USA? Explain to them that this article is written using American spelling and grammar. Get them to complete activity 1, Vocabulary.

Comprehension

Ask the students to re-read the article, to complete activity 2, Comprehension. They must explain the significance of each person, place and thing. After the students have found all of the information, they could use it to write their own summary of America's Independence.

 Follow-up activities

Culture

1)   Ask the students to complete activity 3, The Star-Spangled Banner, filling in the gaps in the American national anthem. Suggest to them that the rhyme pattern may help them to place the words in the correct places. If possible, find a version of the song that you can play to them after the activity to see how the words fit to the music (If you can't find one, try typing 'Independence Day' into a search engine on the Internet. There are lots of patriotic sites that have the national anthem.)

2)   Finally, ask the students to think of what makes them proud of their nationality and ask them to work in small groups to make a similar song or poem.

Answers 1.  Vocabulary 1 color, 2 valor, 3 July Fourth, 4 cookies, 5 jello. 2.  What do they mean? 1 13 is the number of colonies that America consisted of before its independence; 2 Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence; 3 Philadelphia is the place where you can find the Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell; '789 was the year that George Washington was inaugurated; Betsy Ross sewed the first American flag; Red white and blue are the colours of the American flag; The Empire State Building is decorated with red, white and blue lights on July 4th; Apple pie is a traditional American dish. 'As American as apple pie t is a common saying. 3.  Star-Spangled Banner 1 dawn's, 2 proudly, 3 broad stripes, 4 fight, 5 glare, 6 proof, 7 still there, 8 home of the brave,

Happy Birthday America

July fourth is the most significant day in the American calendar because it is America's birthday. What actually happened on this

day? How do people celebrate it? Read on to find out.

The history of the Declaration of Independence July fourth is the day the Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776. It was the time of colonies and empires. After the French-Indian Wars, the British ended up with a huge national debt because the wars had been so expensive. Consequently, they raised taxes in their 13 North American colonies. The people living in the colonies resented this because it meant they were paying high taxes to a parliament where they had no representatives. In 1774 the colonies sent defegates to the first Continental Congress and a revolutionary war was started against British rule. Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of

Independence and on July 4th, 1776, nine of the 13 colonies approved it. In Independence Hall, what was then called the 'Province Bell', was rung on July 8th to celebrate the birth of the United States. It was renamed the 'Liberty Bell' afterwards. It can be seen in the Independence Hall in Philadelphia today.

The making of modern

America

Establishing the US Congress,

Constitution and President took a lot longer. Peace with Britain was made in Paris in 1783, and it was 1789 before George Washington was inaugurated as the first President of the United States.

The Star-Spangled Banner

The most important symbol of

American Independence is its flag.

The flag is known by three different names: the Star-Spangled Banner, which is also the name of the American national anthem, the Stars and Stripes, which is its most common name, and it's also sometimes called 'Old Glory'. The first Star-Spangled Banner was sewn by a friend of George Washington, called Betsy Ross, in 1776. There are a few theories about why the colors were chosen. In 1782 the Congress of the Confederation stated that white was chosen for purity and innocence, red for valor, and blue for vigilance and justice. George Washington is reported to have said that the stars were taken from the sky, the red from the British flag and white to signify its separation from the home country, There were 13 stars and 13 stripes to represent the 13 colonies, and the stars were placed in a circle to show that no colony could be viewed above another. Today's flag has 50 stars to represent the 50 United States.

The American pledge of allegiance A truly patriotic American is supposed to take the oath of allegiance: "l pledge Allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. And to the Republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

Celebrations Today, July fourth is celebrated with parades, marching bands, barbecues, picnics and fireworks. Some people wear red, white and blue clothes, and dress their homes with red, white and blue streamers. Being a patriotic nation, it's a big party for Americans everywhere. Some of the biggest celebrations are in the following places:

* In Virginia there are historic parades with people dressed in 18th century costumes.

* The Empire State Building in New York is decorated with red, white and blue lights.

In Arizona, native Americans celebrate with a pow-wow, a rodeo and tribal dances. In Bridgeport, California, someone reads the Declaration of Independence to the town at 10 am. Then cowboys and Indians come into town on horseback. There is a big pieeating competition, and a barbecue, and afterwards a game of baseball.

Food

Eating strawberries, blueberries and whipped cream is typical, and there are hundreds of other recipes for patriotic cookies, Starsand-Stripes jello, muffins and cakes. The most traditional dish has to be mom's apple pie. 'As American as apple pie' is a common saying.

Britain vs America

•

Discuss British and American stereotypes with your class. How do British and American people behave differently? Put the following headings on the board: The people, Children, Food and drink, Weather, Houses and Television. Ask the students to work in pairs to write one sentence about the differences between Britain and America for each heading.

Vocabulary

Pre-teach the following words and phrases: to look after number one; to accept your lot; class system; clingfilm; to make up your mind; to assume; attention span. Do not hand out the vocabulary activity until after the students have read the article.

• During reading I feedback

Comprehension

As they read, ask the students to underline anything they wrote that is mentioned in the article. Tell them that what they wrote under the heading of 'The People' may be mentioned in the paragraph with the heading 'Themselves'.

Vocabulary

Finally, hand out activity 1, Vocabulary and ask the students to re-arrange the letters to make words that match the definitions. They will probably have to re-read parts of the

Word building (adjectives)

Timesaver Reading Lessons ' Photocopiable Activities

Britain vs America   1. Vocabulary                                                   2. Grammar: If or unless? The following words are taken from the text,           Read the sentences about British and American but the letters have been jumbled. Put the        people. For each sentence, choose 'if' or 'unless'. letters in the correct order to make the word              1. British people would like to be rich, but they think that is described.they can still be happy if / unless they're not. 1.   niquat (adjective) attractively old-2. The British think that their children will become fashioned overconfident if / unless they receive too much 2.   rotacored (noun) someone employed to               praise. change the way a room looks3. If / unless Americans say it's hot and sunny it by choosing colours andmeans you can cook eggs on the pavement. furniture, etc.4. American houses aren't complete if / unless they 3. filsteely (noun) the way that you live             have a lot of gadgets.                                      your life                                                            5. British people don't mind if / unless their houses 4.   tagged   (noun) an object that is are cold and their furniture clashes. interesting for its novelty or 6. Americans don't let anyone appear on TV if / cleverness rather than its unless they are good-looking.                                     practical use.                                                   7. British people aren't happy with their food if / 5.   pendisser (noun) a machine thatunless it has been boiled for twice as long as automatically gives out somethingnecessa ry. 6.   vargul (adjective) lacking in8. Americans eat large quantities of junk food if / sophistication and good taste unless they come from California.

Ask the class to look again at the paragraph entitled

Themselves. The Americans could be described as 'selfcentred' or 'focussed' depending on your point of view. Likewise the British could be described as 'considerate' or 'snobbish'. Ask the students to work in pairs to make a list of positive and negative adjectives for each nationality, using the other paragraphs.

Speaking

During feedback, ask the students what stereotypes there are of their nationality. For each heading ask the students to describe their country's traits.

• Follow-up activities

Grammar

Get your students to complete activity 2, Grammar.

Writing

Tell your students to imagine they are on holiday in either Britain or America. They should write a letter home describing their experiences based on the paragraphs in the article. As an alternative or extra exercise, you could ask the students to write additional paragraphs comparing Britain and America under the following headings: Music, Sport, Cinema and Geography.

Answers l. Vocabulary 1 quaint, 2 decorator, 3 lifestyle, 4 gadget, 5 dispenser, 6 vulgar. 2. Grammar: If or unless? 1 if, 2 if, 3 if, 4 unless, 5 if, 6 unless, 7 unless, 8 unless.

Britain vs America

We take an insulting (and hopefully humorous) look at the differences between Americans and British people and probably manages to offend both of them!

Themselves

Americans aim to do three things in life: 1. 'Look after Number One', 2. Live forever and look beautiful and young for as long as possible, 3. Make lots of money and/or become famous.

They will do anything to

L achieve these three goals. The British are very different. They would like to be quite rich, but are happy to accept their lot if they're not. They would never dream of putting themselves before others (which is why they like to queue so much and allow people to go in front of them in races), even if their lives depended on it. They are proud of the class system that divides them.

Food and drink The Americans love food, in large quantities and endless varieties. Many American meals often don't even fit on the plate. Americans like their food to be wrapped in clingfilm (or shrink-wrap as Americans call it — see what we mean about this language difference thing!) and ready for the microwave. This is true unless of course they are Californians in which case they eat 'raw energy food' known to the rest of the world as salad. The British only eat food to survive and would never dream of enjoying it. They prefer to cook their food for twice as long as necessary just to make sure it's done, and don't like to have too many choices on menus as they find it impossible to make up their minds.

Children

Both British and American parents are proud of their children, but here the similarity ends. American parents publicly admire their children and like to share their successes with everyone, assuming that everyone else is interested. They change their children if they don't like them the way they are, by, for example, straightening their teeth or

boosting their self-confidence by planning extra activities for them. British parents think that too much praise would make their children overconfident. British parents are happy to accept their children as nature intended, even if it means their teeth look terrible.

Weather

In America, 'hot and sunny' means that you should wear factor 20 suncream and you could cook eggs on the sidewalk (or 'pavement' as the Brits would say). In Britain, 'hot and sunny' means it isn't raining so you should expose any white skin in a public place until it goes pink, or it starts to rain.

Television America has thousands of TV channels because most Americans have a very short attention span. TV and film companies won't film anyone who isn't blonde and beautiful, who is slightly overweight or who does not have perfect teeth, unless they are appearing on a talk show. Britain is well known for its comedy, drama and awardwinning commercials (or 'advertisements' as those 'quaint' little Brits would say) and the fact that it has only 5 TV channels. However, as most British people would never want to appear on TV, they don't need more than 5 channels.

Houses Americans spend thousands of dollars employing decorators to create a perfect home and lifestyle for themselves. They are particularly fond of gadgets, as well as things which are remotecontrolled (garage doors and temperature controls), extremely large (fridges) or just for lazy people (ice cube dispensers). Britons are much less vulgar than the Americans. They really like patterned carpets and furniture (as many different patterns as possible in the same room) and are not concerned that they live in freezing conditions indoors as well as outdoors.

O

Things You Learn at the Movies

Use the title of the article as the starting point for a discussion with your students. You could ask the following questions:

Do you think you can learn things from the movies? Can you think of a film that you have learnt something from ? Are your favourite films educational in some way or are they purely entertainment? What are your favourite and least favourite types of films - why? How are the movies different from real life and how are they the same?

Vocabulary

Put the following words and phrases on the board. (We've given our definitions in brackets after each word.): to be bound to (to be inevitable) a brat (a badly-behaved, annoying child) to get on someone's nerves (to annoy someone) to speed (to drive fast, to go over the speed limit in a car, etc.) a nerd (someone who is socially awkward and often obsessively interested in a hobby e.g. computers) a plaster (a small piece of material that sticks onto the skin and is used to cover a wound)

Ask the class to define them, giving clues if necessary.

 During reading I feedback

Reading for gist

Before reading, discuss the stereotypes of Hollywood movies with the class. What typically happens in... a romantic comedy? an action film? a horror story?

What are the typical roles played by animals and children in these films? What are the stereotypical good guys and bad guys? What is the typical Hollywood heroine?

Timesaver Reading Lessons • Photocopiable Activities

Things You Learn at the Movies 1. Add the headings Put the following headings in the correct places above the 12 points in the article on page 51: a) nationality e) weight i) life after death b)   weather               f) fights j) young children c)    love       g) saying 'ouch' k) families d)   appearance        h) driving

Ask the students to make predictions about what they will read based on this discussion. As they read, they should underline any of their predictions that appear in the text.

Add the headings

Hand out activity 1, Add the headings and ask the students to put the headings missing from the text in the correct

 Follow-up activities

Discussion (using the second conditional) Tell the students to imagine that they have the chance to be in a Hollywood movie. In small groups, ask them to discuss the following:

Which movie would they be in?

Which role would they play?

Which film stars would they choose to play alongside them ?

Encourage them to use the second conditional form.

Debate

Divide the class into two groups to debate the following

Movies are dangerous because they encourage people to live in a world of fantasy.

Writing a Hollywood film script

Ask the students to write their own film script or plot based on a typical Hollywood movie, using particular sections from the page and ideas from the earlier discussions.

Answers lc,

Bf, 91, IOa lid, 129

2j, 3k, 4b, 5h, 6e, 7i,

4	The sun never shines in science	7	Beware of apparently dead	10 Bad guys are always British.
	fiction or horror movies, and		bad guys or girls who die half	If disaster approaches or the
	bad weather and		an hour before the end of the	world is about to end, the
	thunderstorms usually appear at the same time as danger.		film. They'll be back!	Americans will always save us.
		8	No matter how many bad guys	11 People who wear glasses are
5	No one ever gets caught for		there are, they'll only attack	either nerds or scientists, or
	speeding, causing accidents or damage to other people's cars or property while they are in car chases.		one at a time. The hero never runs out of bullets.	are secretly sexy and attractive. 12 Heroes have nine lives and
		9	The family dog is a good judge of character. Dogs always spot	never need a plaster.
6	Large people are always friendly, funny and likeable.		the bad guy before anyone

Things You Learn at the Movies

We all enjoy going to the movies to escape from reality. If you spend a lot of time at the movies, you will begin to develop a strange view of the world. We look at life according to Hollywood.

love them.

Surf It!

Ask the students for their thoughts about surfing. What is the appeal of the sport? What is the stereotypical surfer like? Which countries are best for surfing? What do beginners need before they start surfing? What are the possible dangers?

Vocabulary

Ask the students to complete activity 1, Vocabulary. The exercise contains anagrams (words with the letters jumbled up that need rearranging).

• During reading

Reading for gist

Ask the students to read the article and do activity 2, Add the headings, putting the headings in the correct places. An alternative would be to ask the students to think up headings of their own, without looking at the ones in activity 2.

Reading comprehension

Timesaver Reading Lessons ' Photocopiable Activities

1. Vocabulary       3. Grammar (gerund vs infinitive) Put the letters in the correct order to Decide whether to use a gerund or an infinitive to make the word that is described. complete the following sentences. 1.   dial-cabk               relaxed, easygoing         1 . It's something about the art of . 2.   pjphise  people (usually with long             (catch) waves that makes surfers feel so laid-back. hair) who believe in peace, love and chilling out 2. Being out in the elements makes you . (feel) very relaxed. 3.   tenb       not straight 4.   jilyflesh a sea creature with a jelly            3. If you want to start surfing you need                                        body and tentacles                                             (get) a board. 5.   urn toni meet by accident             4. You need     (be) able to swim 25 metres underwater if you want to surf. 2. Add the headings Add the following headings to the correct          5. Remember ..... ..... .... ..... .. ..... (take) advice from sections of the article.  someone more experienced when you go surfing as a a)  What to do if you want to start surfing   beginner. b)  Dangers c)   Today's surfers(meet) stringrays, jellyfish and sharks d)  Finding the right wave   is very rare and usually surfers have more e)  Where they come from from their own boards.

Tell the students that they know somebody who is thinking about taking up surfing. Ask them to read the text again and to choose the three most important pieces of information to give to this person. During feedback, ask if there is any information they would not pass on or that they disagree with.

 Follow-up activities

Grammar (gerund vs infinitive)

Tell the students that they need to complete the sentences in activity 3, Grammar by choosing the correct form of the word in brackets - gerund or infinitive. Tell them that the infinitives may or may not use 'to'.

Surfing dos and don'ts

Ask the students to work in pairs to making a list of do's and don'ts using the information from the article. For example, Do make sure you can swim 25 metres underwater before you start surfing. Surfing isn't a safe sport if you're not a good swimmer.

Don't use a big wave board if you're not an experienced surfer.

The sentences can be serious or funny. The activity will work best if a time limit of 5-10 minutes is set.

Answers 1.  Vocabulary 1 laid-back, 2 hippies, 3 bent, 4 jellyfish, 5 run into 2.  Add the headings lc, 2e, 3a, 4d, 5b 3.  Grammar 1 catching, 2 feel, 3 to get, 4 to be, 5 to take, 6 meeting, to fear.

TIMESAVER READING LESSONS

who hang out on the south west coast where the Atlantic waves hit the shore.

Get a board. Most surfers start on short boards. Long boards and guns are only for experienced surfers catching huge waves. You also have to be a very strong swimmer: being able to swim at least 100 metres, and 25 metres underwater is required.

Beach breaks are waves which fall onto sand. They can be big, but are best if you are a beginner. Waves vary in size during different seasons and even at different

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Ice Hockey - The Coolest Sport

Ask the students what they know about ice hockey. Ask the following questions: What are the rules of ice hockey? What do you have to wear? What kind of training is involved? What do you think is the appeal of ice hockey?

Vocabulary

Use the lead-in as an opportunity to elicit the following vocabulary relating to the sport: shin pads, elbow pads, shoulder pads, helmet, hockey stick, ice skates, puck (the disk that the players try to gain control of), ice rink.

 During reading

Reading and Speaking

As the students read the article, they must decide whether ice hockey is the sport for them by answering each piece of information with INFM (It's not for me) or ISLF (It sounds like fun). Students could complete this by themselves or you could ask them to work in small groups discussing their reasons for each decision. After they have finished, discuss the results. Do the students think that ice hockey is the sport for them? Why / why not?

Vocabulary

Timesaver Reading Lessons • Photocopiable Activities
Ice Hockey — The Coolest Sport 1. Vocabulary   2. Grammar (gerund vs infinitive) Find words or phrases from the article         Read the sentences about ice hockey and complete the that mean the same as:       sentences by choosing the gerund or infinitive form of the                                                     like the metal                  verb in brackets. 1.  protective clothing, suits people used to wear in battlesbecause (play) ice hockey is exciting 2.  special clothing needed for a it's a fast contact sport. particular sport 2. It's easy(get) injured during a game 3. damage to the brain (often temporary) caused by a knock to       of ice hockey. Some injuries can cause players the head                                                                                                              (suffer) from concussion. 4. area of ice where players skate3. If you commit fouls during the game, the referee will want 5. the beginning of the game when  (send) you off. the players try to get control of the puck 4.                (train) hard and . (eat) a 6. player who normally stays in thehealthy diet are essential if you want to be a good middle of the playing area player. It's also important... . . (warm up) before the game. 7. an action which is against the rules               of the game                                                             5.              (wear) roller skates or blades allows 8. to cause someone to fall overyou to play street hockey if you don't have an ice rink 9. to tell someone to leave the game nearby. It's best . . (use) empty car because of their bad behaviour parks, playgrounds or indoor gyms.

Ask the students to re-read the article to complete activity 1, Vocabulary.

Grammar (gerund vs infinitive)

Ask the students to complete activity 2, Grammar, then put the following verbs on the board:

to foul, to trip, to charge, to drop, to fight. Ask them to make their own sentences about the game using gerunds and infinitives. Each verb is taken from the text, so students can refer back to the article for help.

 Follow-up activities

Speaking and Writing

As a class, ask the students which sport in their opinion is the 'coolest'. Ask them to give reasons and encourage agreement or otherwise from the rest of the class. After the discussion, tell students to write an account of why their choice is 'the coolest sport'. Alternatively, they could choose a sport they detest and give reasons why it isn't the sport for them.

Answers 1.  Vocabulary 1 armour, 2 kit, 3 concussion, 4 rink, 5 face off, 6 centre, 7 a foul, 8 to trip someone, 9 to send someone off. 2.  Grammar (gerund vs infinitive) 1 playing, 2 to get, to suffer, 3 to send, 4 training, eating, to warm up, 5 wearing, to use.

 

TIMESAVER READING LESSONS Ice Hockey The Coolest Sport

To play it you have to wear an armour of kit to stop yourself from getting hurt, but still players often get concussion and broken bones. So why do they do it? Maybe you already play ice hockey - but if you don't, decide whether it appeals to you or not using the following categories: INF-M (It's not for me) or ISLF (It sounds like fun).

Appeal

most players.	Fouls and injury 'Roughing' — which is a penalty for being too rough, is
The fast, aggressive nature of	very common in ice hockey. Other
the sport creates a high number	fouls include charging
of injuries. At the last winter Olympics in 1998, women's ice hockey was	(deliberately running into) another player and tripping someone with a stick.
made a gold medal sport, so ice	Players suffer most from
hockey is definitely not just for	concussion, which can, in extreme
men.	cases, lead to brain damage.
Rules of play	The referee will send a player
At the start, the puck (the	off the ice for 2 minutes or more
small rubber disk used like a ball)	for fouls. If someone commits a
is dropped between the two	serious foul, like fighting, they
centres who try to get control of	get a 10-minute misconduct
it. This is called a 'face off'. Players then try to get the puck into one of the goals at the end of the	penalty.
rink. There are three 20-minute	Kit
periods to each game. One goal	The protective kit which players
equals one point and at the end	have to wear consists of helmets;
of the game the team with the	face masks; shin, elbow and
most points wins.	shoulder pads.

According to the NHL (National Hockey League) it's the 'speed and physical contact' which attracts

trt1E

Training

The key skills you need to be a good player are flexibility and strength.

Players, like Eric Lindros of the Philadelphia Flyers, started playing at age 5. He was confident on the ice aged 3.

JSLF O

You need to prepare yourself physically before each game. This means eating high carbohydrate food like bread and rice, and doing extensive warm-up exercises.

No ice?

The speed of the game is reduced a lot if you play field hockey.

[40

You can play street hockey, wearing roller skates or blades, in empty car parks, playgrounds and indoor gyms.

Road Rage

I vocabulary

Write the following headings and words on the board:

Words associated	Words that describe how
with driving	drivers might feel

tired

Show the picture from the article to your students and ask them to add as many words as they can to the two lists. Ask some of the students to read their lists to the rest of the class. Use this opportunity to pre-teach the vocabulary necessary for understanding the article: to hold someone up, a four-wheel-drive vehicle, tail-gating, hard shoulder, a level crossing.

 During reading

Reading for gist

Timesaver Reading Lessons ' Photocopiable Activities
Road Rage   1. Comprehension                                                2. Grammar (modal verbs) According to the article, are the followingRead the sentences and fill the gaps with mustn't sentences true or false?or don't have to. 1.   Most British drivers have never been affected by road rage.1. Driving aggressively is very dangerous. You 2.   The British police strongly believe in road rage.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        lose you temper when you are driving a car. 3.   Some psychologists believe that road rage is caused by a combination of modern technology and primitive instincts.be male to get road rage; women can get it too. 4.   Another possible reason for road rage is that people feel safer inside their cars and this feeling of power can make them aggressive. 3. In Britain, you 3 ..... .. .... do a special 5.   Most often it is men, rather than women, whodriving test to own a powerful sports car. experience road rage. 6.   Drivers of big, four-wheel-drive cars are more    4. The law is very clear: drivers 4 ..... ...... . likely to be aggressive.behave aggressively or threaten others. 7.   People who behave aggressively in general are usually the ones who behave aggressively5. There are a lot of mad drivers on the road, and                   be allowed to use 8.   Cases of 'trolley rage' and 'ski rage' have been'road rage' as an excuse for their behaviour. reported.

Discuss road rage with your students. Ask them for reasons why someone might become angry when they are driving a car. Why do some people behave more aggressively when they are driving than when they are doing other things? Ask the students to make three predictions about what the article is going to say. They should check their predictions as they read.

During feedback, ask the students if road rage exists in their country. Can they tell you of any examples? What other situations can make people aggressive? (e.g. queuing in a supermarket or being a passenger on a plane) What should be done to stop road rage and similar types of aggression?

Comprehension

Ask the students to do activity 1, Comprehension from memory and then re-read the text to check their answers.

• Follow-up activities

Grammar (modal verbs)

Ask the students to complete activity 2, Grammar. When they have finished, go over the answers, revising the differences between mustn't and don't have to where necessary.

Debate - What is road rage?

Organise a group debate where half the class argue that road rage is a genuine problem and the other half argue that it is just an excuse for violent behaviour.

Answers 1.  Comprehension 1 false, 2 false, 3 true, 4 true, 5 true, 6 false, 7 true, 8 true. 2.  Grammar (modal verbs) 1 mustn't, 2 don't have to, 3 don't have to, 4 mustn't, 5 mustn't.

TIMESAVER READING LESSONS

1.-    Road Rage

'Road Rage' describes the strange behaviour of some people who can't control their temper when they're driving. A recent report showed that 75% of British drivers said that they had been a victim of road rage at some time. 1.3 million drivers said that they were forced to pull over or stop their car and

L                             250 000 people said that they had been attacked by

other drivers. Does the stress of driving make ordinary people more aggressive? Or is 'road rage' just a new excuse for violent behaviour?

According to the British police, there is no such thing as road rage. Drivers who harass or attack other drivers are breaking the law. However, British motoring organisations like the AA and the RAC do believe in road rage. They think that there's something about driving a car that brings out the worst in people.

L Psychologist Conrad King agrees that road rage is real and he's developed a theory to explain it.

Animal drivers King describes a case where a motorist almost killed himself by trying to overtake a long queue of cars that were stuck behind a slow-moving vehicle. The driver got angry because he thought that the other cars were deliberately holding him up. King believes that road rage is a product of modern technology and primitive instincts. When inside a car, drivers behave like animals. If they feel threatened by another driver they respond aggressively, just like a guard dog chasing an offending car for miles and miles.

Metal cage In one incident, two young women followed a nurse for two miles. When she stopped outside her house, the young women jumped out of their car and started screaming at the nurse and

her elderly patient. King's research shows that people behave differently when they get behind the wheel of a car. Perhaps it's because they feel safer inside all of that metal and glass. Cars can give normally peaceful people a feeling of power that can make them more aggressive.

Lose control When annoyances turn to anger, powerful chemicals like adrenaline and endorphins are released into the blood. The heart starts beating faster and the body prepares to fight, or run away. Perhaps it's not so surprising that 1,200 road-rage related deaths were reported in Ameräca in the 1980s. Anger can be a dangerous thing in a country where it's not unusual to own a gun.

Road rage 'Rubbish' Critics of 'road rage' psychology say that it's wrong to make excuses for violent behaviour. One British comedian defined road rage as 'men being stupid in cars as well as everywhere else.' Some experts point to evidence that supports this theory. According to government figures, men aged between 18 and 26 are most likely to behave aggressively or violently whilst driving. Interestingly, drivers with small cars are more likely to be aggressive. Drivers of big cars like four-wheel-drive vehicles are more likely to to be the victims of aggressive behaviour like tailgating.

Mad person + car = mad driver According to behavioural psychologist Matthew Joint, 'nine times out of ten, road rage depends on the psychological profile if the drivers.' In other words, mad person + car = mad driver. Perhaps that explains recent reports of 'trolley rage' in the supermarket and 'ski rage' in the queue for ski lifts. Despite their new concern about road rage, a European poll confirmed that British motorists still think that they are the best drivers in Europe. Unluckily for the British, the rest of Europe believes that Germans are the best drivers.

Could 'road rage' be connected with bad driving? The AA teaches 75,000 people to drive every year. Here are two students' answers to instructors' questions.

(S = student; I = instructor.)

I . 'What is the hard shoulder on a motorway for?'

S. 'To help drivers to go round a bad bend.'

l . 'When should you use your horn

S. 'When I'm picking up my friends.'

The Age of the Internet Nerd

I vocabulary brainstorm

Ask your class to brainstorm words that are associated with the Internet and write them on the board. Tell the students they are going to read an article about a British teenager who has started his own Internet companies. How many words associated with companies can they add?

Specific vocabulary

When the students have finished the crossword, pre-teach the following vocabulary, which they will also need: worth, at ease (comfortable with something), venture capitalist (a person who invests money in businesses), 'A' levels, bar mitzvah (a ceremony which takes place on the 13th birthday of a Jewish boy and marks his entry into adulthood), disadvantage.

 During reading

Reading for gist

Ask the students why they think young people are wellsuited to Internet companies. As they read they should write down the reasons given in the article.

Reading comprehension

On a second reading, the students should complete activity 1, Comprehension.

Discussion

Timesaver Reading Lessons • Photocopiable Activities

The Age of the Internet Nerd   1. Comprehension                          2. Vocabulary crossword According to the text, are the Read the sentences and write the words in the correct places. following sentences true or false? All of the words are associated with Internet companies. 1.   Internet companies usually make their money from advertising. 2.   Ben Cohen has made £80 million from his websites. 3.   Ben wasn't interested in the Internet until he became ill when he was 13. 4.   Ben borrowed thousands of pounds from his dad to set up his company. 5.   Ben couldn't take his exams because he was too busy with his Internet businesses. 1. A person who sets up a business (12) 6.   Ben's company CyberBritain.com 2. Slang name for someone, usually a boy, who works hard is the fastest growing on-line and loves computers (4) network in Europe. 3. Extra money a business makes after paying expenses (6) 7.   Most young people involved in 4. The name for a web address (6,4) Internet companies manage to 5. The person who is in charge at work (4) have a normal social life.  6. Internet companies are sometimes called companies (6)

Get your students to discuss in small groups the advantages and disadvantages of owning an Internet company as a teenager.

Does the potential for making money make up for losing your social life? Is it possible to own an Internet company and still be a normal teenager? We know that Ben took his 'A' levels like the other kids from his school, but do you think there are parts of teenage life he might have missed out on?

 Follow-up activities

Vocabulary revision

Ask the students to complete activity 2, Vocabulary crossword in pairs. Each word, taken from the text is associated with the Internet / Internet companies.

Designing a website

Ask the students what information or service they would provide if they were going to start an Internet company. Perhaps some of them have their own websites that they can tell you about. Divide the class into small groups. Tell the students that each group is a new dot.com company and they must decide what to put on their website.

This exercise could just be about sharing ideas, but an interesting extension would be to ask the students to research the topics they choose and write up their findings. If your school has the facilities, they could use the material to make real websites.

Answers 1.  Comprehension I true, 2 false, 3 true, 4 false, 5 false, 6 true, 7 false. 2.  Vocabulary crossword 1 entrepreneur, 2 nerd, 3 profit, 4 domain name, 5 boss, 6 dot com.

The Age of the Internet Nerd

Some people are making a fortune in cyberspace. Here are some teenage Internet entrepreneurs who are showing the adults how to do it.

What's it all about?

Most companies have their own website these days, but some companies exist only on the

Internet. They are sometimes called 'dot com' companies. A lot of them don't make a profit from selling products and some companies only provide information to the general public. They usually make money from advertising.

How are young people connected to Internet business? Some of the most successful Net entrepreneurs are teenagers who are still at school. Tom Hadfield, 16, started a football results website called Soccernet in his bedroom and it became a business worth £80 million. Cyber-Britain.com and Jewishnet were started by Ben Cohen, who is 18.

Why are they so successful?

David Hands, of the Federation of Small Businesses, says: 'Children are at ease with the Net and new

L technology. They can now start a small business from their bedrooms and it doesn't cost them much money.'

What kind of teenagers start dot com companies?

Charlie Skilling of the charity Young Enterprise, which helps teenagers learn about business, says that there are two kinds of

L teenage entrepreneur. "There are

those who want to get rich and those who want to be creative and provide something for the community."

How do they get interested in the Net? Ben Cohen's story is a classic example. When he was 13 he became very ill and couldn't leave his house. "l hadn't been into the Internet much before that, but I started using it to keep in touch with the world. I realised how powerful it was for reaching people at a low cost," says Ben.

How did he start Jewishnet? He borrowed £1 50 from his dad to buy the domain name

Jewishnet.co.uk and contacted the venture capitalist who had given money to support Soccernet. Despite the success of his web businesses, Ben has continued a normal life. He still goes to school and took his 'A' levels last summer.

What is Jewishnet?

It is a successful website for the

Jewish community. You can find links here to sites on everything from bar mitzvahs to teenage chat rooms. Ben also started CyberBritain.com which is the fastest growing on-line network in Europe.

Are there any disadvantages to being young and successful? Some young people report feeling a lot of pressure to succeed after venture capitalists have invested money in their companies. They often have no social life. They also say they sometimes have problems with other students. "When I go into the college laundry room, people say things like, 'Oh, I didn't think millionaires did their own washing,"' one student entrepreneur said. "Certain people in my company didn't like having a boss who was 17 years old," Ben Cohen says. "And I'm having to make decisions that I don't really want to, like how many desks we should have and what colour the walls should be. Sometimes I think it's pressure I don't really need."

Africa's AIDS Orphans

Discuss AIDS with your class. Which areas of the world are most affected by AIDS? How can it be controlled? What drugs and treatments are available? What are the long-term effects of AIDS upon families and communities?

Vocabulary

Ask the students to work in pairs and use their dictionaries to find the meanings of the following words and phrases: orphan, Sub-Saharan Africa, a devastating effect, to beg, feral, to turn (someone) away, a pandemic, a stigma, in the long run, to foster a child.

•              During reading I feedback

Reading comprehension Ask the students to work in small groups and make notes about the following things:

1   parents with AIDS

2   South Africa's current population of 15-year-old boys

3   education about AIDS

4   crime

5   hospitals

6   life expectancy

7   money and pharmaceuticals

8  

the potential effect of AIDS on companies Discuss the students' findings and their reactions to the article. Which fact or statistic did they find most shocking?

Timesaver Reading Lessons • Photocopiable Activities

Africa's AIDS Orphans 1. Vocabulary / Synonyms2. Grammar (If vs unless) Read the facts about AIDS below. For eachRead the following sentences and decide whether number there are two phrases / words that they need if or unless. can fit in the sentence. Choose the words or            . Africa receives cheaper drugs, the phrases from the list below.             hospital will not be able to control HIV in people. Africa's population 1 a' k . only 10% of the                                                                                                                                                                        children aren't taught about AIDS, world's population 2 ..... ......              of all AIDS           they will not know how to protect themselves or deaths have 3 .              . there. future sexual partners from it.                                                                                                                                             the lack of AIDS education in Africa,                                                                                                                                                                 . someone can look after AIDS orphans, it is not surprising that the disease is 5 .       they will end up on the streets. Hospitals cannot 6 .       ... with the amount           . a pregnant woman has AIDS, she is of AIDS patients at the moment, let alone likely to pass HIV to her unborn child. the anticipated amount in five years' time.                                                                                                                                                . something is done to help Africa soon, Many people are angry that America is the problem will become even more out of hand. . to spend over $40 million on the        . politicians and the media remind war in the Balkans but only spend 1% of people of the problems of the African people, that amount on Africa's AIDS epidemic.  they are likely to be forgotten about.             a) makes up b) spreading c) but                                    7.          . an orphaned child is desperate, he /            d) willing e) deal       f) due to                                                 she is likely to turn to crime.           g) on the increase h) occurred                                          . many HIV positive Africans change             i) cope j) yet k) comprises       l) prepared                         their sexual behaviour, they will continue to           m) taken place n) because of                                                 spread the disease.

What are the obstacles in the way of coping with AIDS in

Africa? How can Africa / the developed world begin to tackle the problem?

Vocabulary / synonyms

Before the students begin activity 1, Vocabulary / Synonyms, ask them to suggest synonyms for the following words or phrases: look after, to cope with, because of, but. Tell that that the activity involves finding pairs of appropriate words and phrases: for each gap in the text, they must find two answers from the list.

•              Follow-up activities

Grammar (If vs unless)

Ask the students to complete the grammar exercise, and if possible add their own sentence(s) about Africa's AIDS problem using if and unless. They can use some of these sentences to help them with the following writing activity.

Speech / persuasive letter (writing)

Ask the students to use the information from the article to prepare a speech or write a letter about either of the following:

 Why Africa needs AIDS education

 Why money is needed to help Africa to fight AIDS

Answers 1.  Vocabulary / Synonyms 1 a, k; 2 c, j; 3 h, m; 4 f, n; 5 b, g; 6 e, i; 7 d, l. 2.  Grammar (If vs unless) 1 unless, 2 if, 3 unless, 4 if, 5 unless, 6 unless, 7 if, 8 unless.

Africa's AIDS Orphans

For much of the developed world, although AIDS is still a huge concern, it is being controlled by drugs and education. For the developing world, however, and Sub-Saharan Africa in particular, AIDS is having more devastating consequences than ever. So far 11.5 million Africans have died from AIDS; a quarter of those were children.

The facts

Although Africa's population only makes up 10% of the population of the world...

70% of people who become newly-infected with AIDS and HIV each year do so in SubSaharan Africa.

90% of children (aged under 15) in the world who have AIDS live in Africa.

83% of all AIDS deaths have been in Africa.

In Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe, 20% of people aged 15-49 have AIDS.

95% of children who are orphaned due to AIDS live in Africa.

The problem in real terms The human suffering and tragedy that a statistic can indicate is often

L missed. There has already been 'a generation lost to AIDS'. Due to the virus hundreds of thousands of children have no parents. By the year 2005, Zimbabwe will have

900,000 children under the age of

L 15 who will have been orphaned due to AIDS. Although South Africa didn't use to have such a large AIDS problem as other African nations, it is about to. Half of South Africa's current group of 1 5-year-old boys will probably die of AIDS. 13% of South African girls in their late teens who are pregnant have AIDS. Most AIDS orphans have nowhere to live and have nobody to look after them or

to educate them (even state schooling has a fee). Often their grandparents are too old to care for them. They can't go into children's homes because there aren't enough. This phenomenon itself brings further problems.

Many of these children have AIDS themselves but are not educated to know about 'safe sex'. They continue to spread the disease or pass it to their children.

Many children live on the streets and beg. They are malnourished and exploited. Eventually many turn to crime to survive.

Many children never receive the proper emotional care needed when a parent dies. Because of this, many end up becoming maladjusted with behavioural problems, especially if they are living on the streets too and many become almost feral.

In some African communities rape of young girls is becoming even more common, not just because they often do not have an adult to protect them, but because men want to be sure they are having safe sex so they force sex on young girls who have not been sexually active before.

Due to the large number of deaths, many communities have simply fallen apart. Much African tradition has been lost, and therefore people cannot look after each other as well as in the past. Hospitals cannot cope with the number of people in them at the moment but in the future the problem is likely to mean that hospitals will turn away the majority of AIDS patients.

The future How can Africa possibly cope with the AIDS pandemic and the enormous social problem it is causing? Despite the high level of poverty and war in much of the continent, AIDS is by far the biggest killer. Although the population is increasing due to the number of births, it is one of the few places in the world where life expectancy is going down. So what can Africa do?

Race in Britain Today

Discuss the consequences of racism with your students and ask them to make notes on how racism could affect the following things for ethnic minorities:

—u daily life u employment prospects education

—l criminal justice

Vocabulary

Elicit the following words and phrases: to stab someone, custody, likely, harsh, to set up, to recruit, to go down (for example, 'The news did not go down well'), to get at someone.

• During reading

Reading for information

Discuss with the students how people from ethnic minorities might be treated differently from white people even today, and tell them as they read to make notes of any differences that are mentioned in the text. During feedback discuss with the students whether similar problems occur in their own country.

Reading comprehension

Students should re-read the text to complete activity 1, Comprehension.

Discussion

Ask the students for their reactions to the text. How do they feel about the way the Stephen Lawrence murder enquiry was conducted?

Ask the following questions:

Timesaver Reading Lessons • Photocopiable Activities
Race in Britain Today   1. Comprehension                                     2. Grammar (If vs unless)         Read the text and answer the questions.              Complete the sentences by choosing either if or unless. 1.  What evidence did the police fail to 1 . If / unless the police had presented all of the evidence present at the Stephen Lawrence at the Stephen Lawrence murder trial, the results might murder trial? have been very different. 2.  Why can't the five men originally 2. If / unless you are found innocent of a crime in Britain, accused of Stephen Lawrence's murder you cannot be tried again for the same thing. face a retrial?3. If / unless people's negative attitudes toward ethnic 3.  How did the Macpherson Report sayminorities change, black and Asian people will continue that the police force treated people                        to be treated unfairly. from ethnic minorities?4. If / unless you are a black person in Britain, you are more 4.  What steps are the police now taking tolikely to charged with a crime, refused bail, and jailed. combat racism? 5. If / unless more people from ethnic minorities are 5.  What reaction did the terrorist bomb     recruited into the police force, racial awareness is attacks on black and Asian communities      unlikely to improve. provoke from the public? 6. Positive discrimination means that if / unless a white person and a non-white person are equally well-suited to a job, the non-white person will be given the job.

 Were the police guilty of racism or incompetence in the Stephen Lawrence case?

 From the facts presented in the text, do you believe the murder suspects were guilty?

 Should the British 'double jeopardy' law be changed?  Is it a good idea to try to encourage ethnic minority citizens into the police force through advertising campaigns such as the video that featured rappers?  Is positive discrimination (where people from ethnic minorities are treated preferentially) fair?

• Follow-up activities

Grammar

The students should complete the sentences in activity 2, Grammar, by choosing 'if' or 'unless'. When they have completed the activity, they could add some sentences of their own.

Writing

Ask the students to write one of the following:  a speech to be delivered by the British police force saying how you intend to deal with the problem of race hate crimes and discrimination within the force. a a letter of support to Stephen Lawrence's parents

(who continue to campaign against racism)

Answers 1 . Comprehension 1  A video of one of the men possibly disposing of evidence. 2  Because the British 'double jeopardy' law means that someone cannot be put on trial for the same crime twice. 3  The report said that although in most cases the police were not overtly racist, their behaviour and attitudes towards ethnic minorities meant that they were stereotyped and treated unfairly. 4  They have introduced harsher penalties for officers acting in a racist manner and they have set up special racist crime units. 5 The public were outraged and disgusted. 2. Grammar (If vs unless) 1 if, 2 if, 3 unless, 4 if, 5 unless, 6 if.

Today    guilty,        The action of a brainless If they were coward the In April both black and Asian suspects? communities of London were the targets of vicious bomb attacks by a right-wing extremist. The as the public's outrage and disgust at claimed that these attacks showed just how the police used to living in relative harmony 'their    with different races Britain had and              become. It is exactly this situation at a              that racist groups feel threatened them   by - Asians and blacks doing well.

THERE ARE LOTS OF PLACES IN BRITAIN WHERE RACISM DOESN'T EXIST.

randomly Racists know that they can't get the police. at them politically so they have the police had to use intimidation. harsher found to be             Ethnic minorities in Britain have  In terms of professions, it seems training        Britain has made a conscious effort aLso set up        to implement 'equal opportunity' around the        policies. Additionally, although it will make  has been the subject of controversy, report.        companies and government obvious ways        departments have also operated awareness in        positive discrimination policies. (If a be to recruit        person from an ethnic minority and - a solution        a white person are equally welldone, as       suited to the job, it is given to the (there are person from the ethnic minority.) minority The percentage of unemployed blacks is almost double the whites. try and However, things are improving. have Young black men are more likely featuring a to stay in in education after the concerns age of 16 than their white peers go down. are. They recognise education as a with way of escaping poverty and be seen as becoming more powerful against racism.

Race in Britain

Earlier this year an official inquiry into the murder of a black teenager in England provoked a series of discussions and arguments about the treatment of ethnic minorities by police in Britain today. A few months later, there were two bomb attacks on ethnic communities by a rightwing extremist. In general, Britain is proud of its ethnic mix. What's going on?

Getting away with murder? Six years ago, Stephen Lawrence, an 18-year-old student, was stabbed to death at a bus stop in south-east London. Five white men were suspected of the murder but were found innocent. However, after the trial, the victim's parents managed to prove that the police had not presented all the evidence in court and had not acted quickly enough in arresting the suspects in the first place. They had even ignored a video of one of the men disposing of what could have been evidence. Was this racism or plain incompetence?

The Lawrence family understandably felt that justice had not been done. These feelings were shared by many when a video recording of the accused men talking in custody was shown on British television. The men were using incredibly racist language and discussing 'the best way to stab a black man.' Although the video still didn't provide concrete proof of the men's guilt, it showed their undeniable racism and disposition to violence. Despite fresh evidence and strong indications of police malpractice, a retrial was out of the question. According to the British 'double jeopardy' law, someone cannot be put on trial for the same crime twice. There was outrage. If the five accused men were they were walking free. innocent, then why hadn't police found any other

The Macpherson Report The official report known Macpherson Report although in most cases were not overtly racist, discriminatory behaviour attitudes put minorities disadvantage by stereotyping and subjecting them to unfair treatment.' Blacks are more likely to be charged than whites (when both have truly committed a crime); are more likely to be jailed if found guilty; more likely to be refused bail and more likely to be stopped on the streets by In response to the report, have introduced much penalties for officers acting in a racist way and increased racial-awareness to all staff. They have special racist crimes units country which they hope racist crimes easier to

One of the most of increasing racial the police force would more ethnic minorities that is easier said than hardly any ever apply currently only 900 ethnic police officers in London's Metropolitan police). To remedy this, the police commissioned a video rapper but there are about how well this will Although it is being made good intentions, it could stereotyping.

                                                                                             ©

Animal Rights - A New Breed of Activism

reading

Discuss animal rights with your students. From the following list, which things do they consider necessary, acceptable and unacceptable? Ask the students to justify their answers and encourage debate.

animal testing for medical research

-a animal testing for cosmetics battery farms (where hens are kept in incredibly cramped conditions) blood sports (sports in which animals are killed,

e.g. fox hunting, bull fighting)  the fur trade  eating meat

 During reading

Vocabulary

Pre-teaching of vocabulary should not be necessary, as students will probably be able to work out the meaning of any unfamiliar words from the context. However, you can invite students to ask the class about words they do not understand after the first reading. Next, test their understanding of the new vocabulary by asking them to complete activity 1, Vocabulary.

Reading and Speaking

Discuss with the students the animal rights issues that people protest about.

What things do people do to demonstrate against cruelty to animals? Which kinds of protests are effective and which are ineffective? As the students read the article, ask them to make notes under the following headings:

Types of animal activism I approve of

Types of activism disapprove of

During feedback, ask the students whether they believe violence is ever justifiable as a part of a campaign for animal rights.

Reading comprehension

Test the students' comprehension by asking the following questions:

Timesaver Reading Lessons Photocopiable Activities

Animal Rights - A New Breed of Activism

1. Vocabulary                                                                                                 2. Express yourself         Find words or phrases in the text that match the definitions below:                               Write sentences to 1.  showing violence or blood (adjective)    6. in danger (phrase)     express your feelings 2.  something on which huge advertising 7. to take someone away by about the following posters are placed (noun) force and keep them in a organisations: 3. to almost force something into secret location (verb) 1.  McDonald's someone's hands when they haven't 8. liquid used to get paint off asked for it (phrase) walls (noun) 2.  PETA 5.   to be attached to something by 9. a change (noun) electrical cables (phrase)      10. to create circumstances to 3.  The ALF (Animal 6.   scientific experimentation on animals    make something happen Liberation Front)                 (noun)                                                                            (phrase)

1   

What is the evidence that animal rights groups have

raised awareness of animal cruelty?

2    What are the effects of extremist behaviour?

3    Why did animal rights activists attack Katharine Brown and what did they do to her?

4    What is PETA's tactic in campaigning against McDonald's? 5 What happened when McDonald's went to court in 1997?

(answers provided below)

• Follow-up activities

Discussion

Discuss the following questions with your students:

Do you think that the anti-McDonalds posters go too far?

What is your opinion of the people who attacked Katherine Brown?

What ways of protesting would you participate in  signing a petition?  writing a letter to your MP (Member of Parliament)?  going on a demo?  handing out leaflets?  writing on a wall?

 attacking a building that represented what you were protesting against?

Writing and Vocabulary building

Write 'McDonald's' on the board and ask three or four students to suggest an adjective that describes the organisation. Ask them to explain their choice of adjective. Repeat the process for PETA and the ALF and then ask the students to write about their feelings under each heading in activity 2, Express yourself.

Answers Reading Comprehension 1 Supermarkets are selling more products such as free range eggs, some bans have been made on drug or cosmetic testing and the British government could ban fox hunting; 2 It can harm the work done by non-violent protestors and put the animal rights movement in jeopardy; 3 Because she and her husband owned a farm that bred cats for medical research. They chained her to the fence; 4 It has run an advertising campaign, using shocking posters; 5 The court ruled that the organisation was 'responsible for cruelty to animals'. It agreed to follow PETA's outlines for changing farming methods, but apparently broke this promise. 1. Vocabulary 1 gory, 2 an advertising hoarding, 3 to thrust something into someone's hands, 4 to be wired up to something, 5 vivisection, 6 in jeopardy, 7 to kidnap (someone), 8 paint stripper, 9 a shift, 10 to pave the way.

Animal Rights - A New Breed of Activism Imagine you're on the way to McDonalds for a nice, juicy Big Mac when you see this gory animal rights poster screaming out at you from a huge advertising hoarding. Do you still want a Big Mac?

Animal rights success We have all had leaflets thrust into our hands featuring disturbing photographs of helpless kittens wired up to medical experiments in research laboratories or pictures of dirty, overcrowded conditions in factory farms. Whatever our views on animal experimentation or food production are, we cannot help but be shocked by the examples outlined in such leaflets. Animal rights groups have achieved a considerable amount of success for their causes over the years, raising awareness and keeping the issues in the public eye. With food, for

L             example, supermarkets are selling more and more organic products L    and free range eggs to meet an increasing demand. With regards

L                                         to vivisection, some bans on drug

or cosmetic testing on animals have been implemented and even fox-hunting could soon be banned L              by the British government.

Cowardly violence or moral crusaders?

In the past few years, instances of animal rights violence have continually hit the headlines.

L                                   Animal rights activists in Britain recently attacked 62-year-old

L farmer's wife Katharine Brown, while she was walking her dog in L the countryside. They chained her

to a fence and demanded that she

L                                 and her husband close their farm,

which breeds cats for medical research. Similarly last year, an

The power of

Do you want advertising

The PETA (People for the

fries with that? Ethical Treatment of

Animals) advertising

                          McDonaid±sä Crue;tv to gc,    campaign against

McDonald's marks this shift veg              in protest tactic: using

advertising activism. No Oxford University professor was other organisation has reached attacked as he gave a lecture. In PETA's level of impact by attacking the 1970s, it was revealed that one of the largest worldwide Professor Blakemore had been corporations. PETA has spent involved in using animals for $200,000 so far on the campaign medical research. His windows which is 'peanuts' in comparison have been smashed and his to McDonald's' $2 billion a year children threatened with spent on advertising. However, the kidnapping. In 1993 a bomb poster campaign has already made packed with needles was sent to a lasting impression on the world's his home and, in 1998, paint media. Many newspapers or stripper was poured all over his advertising spaces have refused to car. Both the Browns and print the posters because they are Professor Blakemore insist that seen as too shocking according to the activists were "misguided and advertising standards. But this misinformed" about what they do negative attention has only served and said that they would be to heighten awareness about willing to talk face-to-face with McDonald's' already damaged them about the issues concerned. reputation. The group behind many of these attacks is the ALF (Animal Mac attack!

Liberation Front) which has made McDonald's has been at the no secret of its belief in the use centre of the cruelty to animals' of violence in order to fight for controversy since 1997, when a

animal rights.                                            Court ruled that it was

"responsible for cruelty to

A justifiable method?    animals". PETA outlined Some people in favour of animal             suggestions for changing the way rights would argue that violence     McDonald's treated animals in its against animals deserves violence      farming methods and the against the humans concerned.            restaurant company agreed to However, most would agree that       change. It has now become such extremism is damaging the      apparent that McDonald's has not animal cause and we are losing                fulfilled its promises, hence the sympathy for the real issues.     new powerful poster campaign.

E is for Ecstasy, Euphoria    and Death

reading

Speaking

As a class, discuss the dangers of the drug Ecstasy. How dangerous do the students consider Ecstasy to be? Which situations make the drug more dangerous? How do they feel about the title of the article? Do they think that it is accurate or sensationalist?

 During reading

Reading for gist

Ask the students to gist-read the article for information about the effects of Ecstasy then ask them to tell you as much as they can remember without referring back to the text.

Vocabulary

On a second reading, the students should look for words or phrases to match the definitions in activity 1, Vocabulary.

Comprehension

Ask the students to re-read the article and do activity 2, Comprehension. Tell them to check their answers with their partners before discussing them as a class.  Follow-up activities

Discussion

Discuss the students' reactions to the text. Ask the following questions:

 Is it ever safe to take Ecstasy?

 Under what circumstances is the drug most dangerous?

 What does the drug do?

Timesaver Reading Lessons • Photocopiable Activities
E is for Ecstasy, Euphoria     and Death 1.                   Vocabulary  2. Comprehension         Find words or phrases in the article that                         Read the text and answer the questions.         mean the same as:                                                                 1 . In which ways is alcohol more dangerous than 1.   a person who goes to clubs, dances all illegal drugs like Ecstasy? night and often uses drugs to reach a 2.   Why do many young people refuse to listen to 'high' scientific facts about drugs? 2.                   an exclusive group of people who do not 3.                   How does Ecstasy bring about feelings of bliss mix with people outside their group and euphoria? 3.   to take action through good intentions 4.   Why do Ecstasy users sometimes experience (even though the result is often not short-term memory loss or depression? good) 5.   How does Ecstasy cause overheating? 4.   to talk very enthusiastically about something 6. What happens in the most severe cases of overheating after taking Ecstasy? 5.   to change from liquid to a solid state 7. What has happened to most people who end 6.   a person who sells drugs up in hospital after a night's clubbing?

 What can be done to minimise the number of young people who die each year from Ecstasy and other drugs?

Writing

The article states that both users of Ecstasy and anti-drug agencies are guilty of 'stopping people understanding the true risks and assessing the real impact the drug can have on your body'. Discuss with your class the reasons for this, then ask them, using the information in the article, to write a balanced information sheet aimed at teenagers about the risks involved in taking Ecstasy. This could be set as a class or a homework activity.

Answers 1.  Vocabulary la raver, 2 a clique, 3 to mean well, 4 to rave about something, 5 to coagulate, 6 a (drug) dealer (dealer in another context just means someone who sells something in particular) 2.  Comprehension 1  More teenagers in the USA die from alcohol than any other drug. Also 37% of deaths from car crashes for Americans aged 16-20 involve alcohol 2  Because anti-drug agencies often use scare tactics that annoy young people and make them think that the dangers are exaggerated. 3  It releases the body's mood-regulating chemical, called serotonin. 4  Because serotonin is not designed to be released all at once and it should be stored in nerve endings. Using Ecstasy can cause these nerve endings to be permanently damaged. 5  Serotonin also controls the body's temperature. When all of the serotonin has been released into the body, the body can't produce any more at the nerve endings where it is usually stored. Overheating is made worse by taking several pills and dancing in a hot room. 6  The blood temperature can reach 43 degrees. The blood coagulates at this temperature, causing the user to die. 7  They have taken a fake Ecstasy tablet containing cheaper and more dangerous chemicals.

E is for Ecstasy, Euphoria and Death

Originally used by club-scene ravers, the drug Ecstasy, known as E or MDMA, has now spread from the dance floor to schools, offices and homes. Cliques in American High Schools use it; executives in high positions use it. But is it safe?

One of the main arguments Eusers cite to defend their choice of drug is that it is safer than alcohol which claims thousands of lives a year. It is certainly true that for teens in the USA, alcohol is still the deadliest drug. For Americans aged 16-20 car crashes are the leading cause of deaths, and 37 percent of those involve alcohol. Ecstasy, however, can still endanger life.

Users of Ecstasy will defensively declare that taking it is completely safe. Anti-drug agencies will say it is completely unsafe. Both sides are guilty of stopping people understanding the true risks and assessing the real impact the drug can have on your body. Although anti-drug agencies mean well, their scare tactics often annoy young people who sense that they are being presented with an exaggerated story. This means many young people often refuse to listen to the scientific facts.

Raving about Ecstasy

The rave scene is indisputably cool - the electronic music, the clothes, the people, the DJs. For many, the experience is made even better by 'taking an E', the music sounds incredible, you feel a sense of 'love' for your fellow clubbers and you just want to dance all night long. There's no denying that this is true, however, the biological way Ecstasy gives you a high is also the way it can harm or kill you.

Side Effects E works by causing nerve cells in your body to release serotonin. This is the body's mood-regulating chemical. When the brain is flooded with serotonin, it can cause you to experience feelings of bliss, empathy, and perceived insight. The problem with this is that the body is not designed to release serotonin all at once; it is supposed to be stored in nerve endings. In some cases E causes the nerve endings to be permanently damaged. This phenomenon has been linked to short-term memory loss and depression the day after taking the tablets.

OvErhEating and dEath Serotonin is also used by the body to regulate temperature. While the brain is flooded with it, the body cannot produce any more at the nerve endings where it is usually stored. Particularly when several pills are taken, the body starts to overheat. Dancing in a hot room with other people makes

the situation worse. Regular users know they must drink water but often it is too late. Some deaths have been caused by people drinking too much water. Some people's blood temperature can reach 43 degrees when they use E. At this temperature the blood coagulates and the user dies.

From E to E.R. - It's impossible to know what you're buying E is indisputably a dangerous drug for many people. Even more dangerous is the stuff that is sold as E but is something else. The majority of people who end up in the E.R. (emergency room) of hospitals, have not taken E. They have been tricked and have taken fake E, containing cheaper and more dangerous chemicals than those in E. According to TIME magazine, as demand for E has grown, so has the incentive to manufacture fake E, especially for one-time raves full of teens who won't see the dealer again.

Can't We Just Be Friends?

Get your students to look at the title of the article. Ask them: Who might say this? When? Where? Why? How might you feel if someone said this to you?

Speaking

Get your students to discuss relationships in pairs.

What are the most important things in a relationship? What are the most common reasons that young couples break up? Why do some people want to stay in relationships even when they are unhappy?

 During reading I feedback

Reading for gist

Ask your students to write four pieces of advice for a friend who has just split up with their boyfriend / girlfriend. Get your students to read the article quickly. As the students read, ask them to keep their four pieces of advice in mind. How much of their advice is given in the article?

Vocabulary

Students should look for words or phrases in the article that match the definitions in activity 1. Vocabulary.

Reading and Speaking

Timesaver Reading Lessons • Photocopiable Activities

Can't We Just Be Friends?   1. Vocabulary                          2. Phrasal verbs and idioms Find words or phrases in Each of the sentences beloW has a missing phrase or verb with 'get'. the article that mean the Fill in the correct phrases from the list. You will need to change the same as:  tense of some of the verbs. 1.  to pretend you are OK,   1. If you split up with someone you really like, it might take a while to when really you are. it especially is you went out with them for a long extremely upset. 2.  to feel very embarrassed              2. For some couples, the split is temporary and they . about something3. At first you might miss your ex a lot and things will feel strange, but 3.  to stop holding onto        after a while you will .                                                                                             . and perhaps even enjoy it. somethingAfter all, nobody's perfect and there must be some things about your 4.  a foolish person who has               ex which .... ..... ..... ..     .                                                                                                                        been tricked or taken for4. If your boyfriend / girlfriend tells you that they have kissed someone granted else while they have been going out with you, you might want to 5.  to recover from breaking                                                                                                                                                                                                by doing the same thing.              up with someone                            5. It's hard to tell someone it's over, but if you want to split up with 6.  to go out with someone someone, most people agree that it's best just to ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ....... to help you forget about instead of beating about the bush. your ex-boyfriend / • get on your nerves  get to the point • get your own back girlfriend. get back together • get used to it • get over •

After the students have finished reading, ask them to decide which pieces of advice in the article are good and which pieces are bad, then write numbers next to each piece of advice in order of importance. Get the students to discuss their reasons for deciding which advice is good or bad.

• Follow-up activities

Personality questionnaire

As the students choose answers for the questionnaire, ask them to look at the answers they are rejecting and think how they would explain to someone why they would be the wrong things to do.

After the students have finished the questionnaire, read out the scores and ask the students to add their choices up. Read the analysis to the class.

Vocabulary

As a class, ask the students to give definitions for each of the verbs or phrases from the box in activity 2, Phrasal verbs and idioms with get Then, ask them to work in pairs to complete the activity.

Answers 1.  Vocabulary 1 to put on a brave face, 2 to cringe, 3 to let go, 4 a mug, 5 to get over someone, 6 to go out with someone on the rebound. 2.  Phrasal verbs and idioms with get 1 get over, 2 get back together, 3 get used to it, got on your nerves, 4 get your own back, 5 get to the point. 5 a=3, b=l, c=2 5-7 You are either very charitable and kind or you don't really mind splitting up with your boyfriend / girlfriend. Do you never feel sad or jealous? Maybe your ex just wasn't the right person tor you. 8-12 Half of you secretly wants to get back together with your ex. The other half knows that someone else will come along soon. You're feeling strange at the moment, but deep down you know that breaking up was the right thing to do. 13-15 Feeling angry can sometimes be a good thing because it helps you defend yourself mentally, but be careful not to go too far. Being a bitter person will stop you enjoying life and might put people off you.

L-

Can't We Just Be Friends?

What's the best way to get over a broken relationship?

1. Admit to yourself that you're unhappy. You don't have to put on a brave face all the time. OK, when an acquaintance asks, 'How's your boyfriend/ girlfriend?' you shouldn't break

L down in floods of tears, but it is good to admit to yourself how you really feel.

2. Use friends. They'll understand and listen. Liz (19) now cringes when she remembers how much she talked about her ex. 'I l was unbearable. If we were talking about any subject, for example cats, I'd go all pathetic and say

L 'Cameron always loved cats', then bore everyone to death for hours. Friends were very tolerant. I also hated anyone who said they never L liked Cameron much anyway, even though they were just being nice."

3. Think of the advantages. L Simon (20) says, "l wanted her back so much but after three months or so I thought, 'oh well at least I don't need to do things on L Friday and Saturdays that I never particularly wanted to anyway.'

L We had totally different interests I started to think about what my next girlfriend might be like and wondering when I'd meet her."

4. Stop thinking of your ex as your perfect other half. If you can't stop thinking of the 'good times', try to remember some of the bad things too. Dominic (17) remembers the things he did for L    his ex: "When I went to parties with Janine, my friends would be there and I'd wanted to have a laugh. She used to make me feel L         guilty for enjoying myself and accused me of flirting with other girls unless I just stood there with

her all night. I turned down doing loads of things with my friends for her. When she said she wanted to go out with someone else, I felt a total mug. Being angry with her helped me get over her."

S. Enjoy being single. When you finish with someone, you might think the best thing to do is to find someone else immediately so your confidence isn't damaged.

In fact, it's better to wait a while. If you go out with someone on the rebound, it's not fair to your new girlfriend / boyfriend. You'll spend the whole time comparing them to your ex and possibly wishing they were your ex.

6. Staying friends. Unless they hurt you so much that you never want to see them again, it seems a shame not to stay in touch with your ex, especially if you had a good relationship with them. The only problem with this is if you see your ex a lot, you might still hold hopes that you will get back together. For this reason many people decide not to see their ex for a few weeks or more.

How do you cope with splitting up? 1. Two days after you have split up with your boyfriend/girlfriend, you are in an art class. The teacher says she wants you to draw a person. What do you draw?

a Your ex-boyfriend/girlfriend u b A large object... with your exboyfriend/girlfriend trapped underneath it

0 c A famous person or someone in your family

2.                 Two days after you have split up with your boyfriend/girlfriend, a close friend of yours asks you for your ex's number because they'd like to go out with him/her. What do you say? u a 'Over my dead body.' b 'Sure. By the way, here's a tip, it's his/her birthday soon and he/she really likes Baywatch.' a c 'I'd rather you didn't go out with him/her just yet. I might feel a bit strange about it.'

3.                 Your ex always hated holding hands. However, you see your exboyfriend/girlfriend holding hands with their new boyfriend/ girlfriend. What do you think?

a a I'm pleased that my ex has found someone he/she really likes a b I feel jealous and angry a c I'm going to get my own back by finding someone and kissing them in front of my ex to prove I'm over him/her

4. Your ex still has a CD of yours. It's by a group that you absolutely hate so you don't particularly want the CD back. What do you do?

a a Use it as an excuse to ring him/her b Demand it back just to spite him/her o c Hope their taste in music improves otherwise they'll always be uncool!

5. While you are in the city centre, you see someone vandalising your ex's bike. What do you do? u a Help the vandal b Stop the vandal. You know how much your ex loves that mountain bike

1-5 c Stop the vandal so that your ex will be indebted to you for ever more

Coping With Stress

Ask your students to discuss these questions in pairs:

a)   Do you ever get stressed?

b)   What types of things stress you out?

c)   Most people agree that the teenage years can be the most anxiety-ridden and stressful years of our lives.

Do you think this is true? Why / why not? Get feedback from your class about their discussion and together as a class write a list of common sources of stress for teenagers on the board.

 During reading I feedback

Reading for gist

a)  As the students read the article, ask them to choose the three pieces of advice that they think are the best. Discuss the students' opinions as a class.

b)  Ask them to re-read the text, making notes under the following headings:

1   

Things you should do to deal with stress

2    Things you avoid to deal with stress

Understanding the text

Hand out activity 1, Add the Headings and ask the students to put the headings with the correct pieces of advice.

Vocabulary

Coping With Stress    1. Add the headings                      2. Change the words Put the following headings with Read the sentences about stress. Each phrasal verb is in the the correct pieces of advice. wrong place. Re-arrange them into the correct places. A) Stop worrying about things you can't change It's tempting to (1) calm down when the task you need to do seems enormous, but you must (2) take on these negative B) Look after yourself  feelings. Tell yourself that you can cope. C)    Communicate If you're panicking, take a few deep breaths and (3) bottle up. D)   Remember to have fun E)    Organise and prioritise  Don't (4) turn down too much at once. (5) Get over your work F) Try new things         into achievable units. G) Take charge and be pro-active Don't (6) blow over your feelings. Talk about your anxieties with H) Don't procrastinate the people who are close to you. l) Breathe!  Everyone needs a break, so don't (7) give up invitations to J) Stay positive socialise. Write down possible solutions to your problems. You'll feel better if you're doing something positive to deal with stress, rather than waiting for the situation to (8) break up.

Ask the students to complete activity 2, Change the words.

 Follow-up activities

Solving problems

Tell the students to imagine a particular situation that could be causing them stress. Ask them to write a letter explaining how they feel. When the students have finished their letters, collect them in and re-distribute them to other people. Tell the students that they have to write an answer to their new letter offering support and advice. As feedback, ask the students to read the problems they have been given and their advice. This exercise will run more smoothly if you set a time limit of ten minutes for writing letters.

Answers 1.   Add the headings .47, B3, C, 05, El, F8, GIO, H2, 14, 2.   Change the words 1 give up, 2 get over, 3 calm down, 4 take on, 5 break up, 6 bottle up, 7 turn down, 8 blow over.

Coping With Stress

Although stress can sometimes be a good thing because it gives you the motivation to do your best, it can have a harmful effect on you mentally and physically. If it continues for too long, it can cause sleeplessness, anxiety, mood swings, depression and illness. Here are 10 ways to combat excess stress.

1	By doing this you will feel in control and decide which things are more urgent and important. Feeling prepared can get rid of a lot of stress. Much stress is caused by doing things when there isn't enough time to do them, e.g. revising everything you have learned the night before a			8	Find out about new things: two clichés that people often quote are 'variety is the spice of life' and 'a change is as good as a rest'. The good news is that they are both true. Realising that the world holds a lot more possibilities than the things you generally focus on can make you forget your problems.
2	Instead of worrying about doing something or avoiding it because you are scared of doing it (in case you fail) - just do it! The sooner you take			9	Telling people about your problems can often help. This way you will feel less isolated. You should also tell people such as teachers or
	action, the more time you will	S	Doing something you really		boyfriends/girlfriends or
	have if anything goes wrong.		enjoy means you get a chance to take a break and 'recharge your batteries'. People who don't do this feel depressed		parents how stressed you feel about certain things. Once they realise how you feel they might be able to help, e.g.
3	Keeping your body healthy		and then their problems seem		proving to parents that you are
	reduces stress. Cut down on		bigger and they can no longer		adult and mature rather than
	too much caffeine and sweet things. Make sure you get enough sleep and vitamin C.	6	put them into perspective. If you think negatively, stress can take over but if you keep		shouting it at them during an argument often helps.
				10 Find somewhere where you
4	Deep breathing works because		reminding yourself that you	have space to think, rest and
	getting more oxygen into your		can cope and that you know	generally chill out. You should
	body relaxes you. You can		what you are doing, stress	also use this space to write
	either take up yoga or simply try breathing in deeply through your nose then exhaling through your mouth, and then repeat it		often goes away.	down some possible solutions to the things that are stressing you. Then write down possible ways you can do those things.
	ten times.	7	You can't change them so why worry? Work on the things you can do something about.	Attacking the problem is better than waiting for it to just go away.

Food, Dangerous Food

•

Ask the students which foods they consider to be part of a healthy diet. Do they believe that they eat healthily? What good and bad eating habits do they have? Have any of your students ever eaten English food? Do they consider it to be healthy or unhealthy food?

 During reading I feedback

Reading comprehension

As the students read the article, ask them to make notes on what is said about the following:

 Reasons for bad eating habits

 The effects of a bad diet

 Losing weight a What to drink

Get them to compare their answers in pairs. As you get feedback from the class, encourage them to cover their notes and give you their answers in their own words.

Vocabulary

Ask the students to work in pairs to complete activity 1, Vocabulary.

Writing comprehension questions

Timesaver Reading Lessons ' Photocopiable Activities
Food, Dangerous Food   1. Vocabulary                               2. Writing comprehension questions Find words or phrases in the             Write the comprehension questions for these answers about the article that mean the same as:              text. 1.     extremely and unhealthily fat                                      They arrive at school feeling tired, empty and irritable. 2.     a drink with gas (opposite to a still drink)                                                                                         Because they often cause people to binge. 5.  food that has been genetically changed so that it is no longer         completely natural Chicken and fish (especially fish high in Omega 3). 6.  to consume a lot of food in a Because they are diuretic (they take water away from the body) short space of time and they contain phosphorous which reduces the amount of        calcium that people can absorb.

Ask students to complete activity 2, Writing comprehension questions.

• Follow-up activities

Writing menus

Ask the students to write the ideal menu for one of the following people; a footballer in training, an old lady, a teenager, a model on a low fat diet. The students must justify their reasons for each item on their menu. An alternative would be to write a terrible menu and explain why each thing is so bad.

Keeping a food diary

Ask students to keep a food diary in English of everything they eat in one week. Get them to compare their food diaries with those of other students. Who has the healthiest

Answers 1.  Vocabulary 1 obese, 2 fizzy drink, 3 to opt for, 4 osteoporosis, 5 genetically modified food (GMO), 6 to binge. 2.  Writing comprehension questions Suggested answers 1  What effect does missing breakfast have on schoolchildren? 2  Why do children in particular tend to eat a bad diet? 3  What evidence is there that people's eating habits are worse than they used to be? 4  Why are weight loss diets often a bad idea? 5  What are the healthiest kinds of meat? 6  Why are fizzy drinks bad for our health?

Food, Dangerous Food

Britain is the proud holder of the title for the fattest European nation, with 17 percent of men and 20 percent of women considered to be clinically obese.

Thirsty? Tired? Reach for a can of fizzy drink and feel the buzz. We all do it, but for many English school kids, this is breakfast! More than 50,000 8-10-year-olds miss food in the morning and arrive at school tired, empty and irritable. And what are the prospects for healthy eating at school? Many schools now have a 'canteen culture', where kids have a if's        choice. And when the bell goes, they opt for pizza and chips instead of salad and fish. When you're still young, you feel immortal, untouched by 'adult' concerns of obesity and heart disease, The Heart Foundation has just launched a campaign to show that bad habits formed when we're young are often the root causes of heart problems when we're older.

Modern eating habits are seriously destructive. Today's children are more at risk of developing osteoporosis, heart and respiratory diseases and some forms of cancer than their parents and grandparents. They also face the dilemmas of eating genetically-modified food (GMOs) or organic — an increasingly popular option in Britain.

Starting points for healthier eating:

1  If you want to lose weight, eat normally and exercise. Diets are hard to maintain and it's all too easy to start bingeing. Particularly, exercising in the morning will help you keep trim, while late-night snacking is a guaranteed way to put on weight

2  If you're a meat-eater, chicken and fish high in L

Omega 3 are far better than red meats.

They're good for your brain, too!

3  Fizzy drinks, tea and coffee are all 'diuretics'. This means that they take water away from the body, rather than replenishing it. Fizzy drinks also contain phosphorou, which reduces the amount of calcium the body can absorb from food. So, if you suffer from headaches, mood-swings, or just a general lack of energy, try replacing all those drinks with lots of water. Other benefits are that your complexion gets clearer and your eyes start glowing like headlamps!

Ben on  Applying to College

Discuss with the students what they plan to do when they leave school. What things do they have to take into consideration if they want to go to college or get a job? What procedures do they have to go through? What will they miss about school?

Tell the students that they are going to read an article written by an American high school student about applying to college in the USA. The article is written using American grammar and spelling. Ask the students to predict what differences there might be between applying to an American college and applying to a college in their country. Before they read the article ask them to complete the vocabulary exercise.

 During reading

Reading for gist

Write the following question on the board:

What are the difficulties of applying to college in the US? Ask the students to gist-read and then share their findings with the class. Their ability to do this activity should be unaffected by the missing words.

Vocabulary

Before reading the text for a second time, students should complete activity 1, Vocabulary. Then they should read the text again and do activity 2, Gap fill, putting the words from activity 1 in the gaps in the text.

Reading comprehension

Ask the students to complete activity 3, Comprehension. During feedback, you could test the students' comprehension further by asking questions, such as:

1)                   How many universities do students usually apply to?

2)                   What do some people write about in their essays? 3) What is the rumour about the selection process at Stanford University?

4)   What is the disadvantage of getting into one of the top universities for students who live in California?

5)   Do you think that the college entry system is better in the US or in your country? What are the similarities and differences?

• Follow-up activities

Writing a letter

Tell your students to imagine they are thinking of applying to a university but want to know more about their courses. Ask them to write a letter asking for information.

Roleplay

Ask the students to work in pairs or groups of three to make a roleplay about someone being interviewed for university. One or two people can be interviewers and the others can be interviewees.

Answers 1.  Vocabulary 1 i, 2d, 3g, 4b, 5h, 6e, 7 f, 8a, 9c. 2.  Gap fill 1 hang out, 2 nerve-racking, 3 pondered, 4 ultimately 5 indiscernible, 6 rumor (US spelling), 7 Ivy League, 8 selective, 9 buddy. 3. Comprehension 1  Because you need a university education to have a decent lifestyle and to find a 'useful' job; 2  Because they are looked down upon as high schools with ashtrays; 3  Finding old report cards, test scores and awards and writing them down. The students also need to write an essay; 4  Because they never know what they should write about; 5  They are the preferred applicants to the University of California 6  Harvard, Yale, Brown and Stanford.