NEIGHBOURS SPEAKING A Talking on your own Work in pairs as Student A and B. Try to speak for about one minute. Student A: Describe and compare the places in both pictures. Say what time of day it is and what you could hear if you were there. Student B: Describe and compare the buildings in both pictures. Say what kind of people you think live in them and which place you would prefer to liye in. B Talking about yourself Do these tasks in pairs or groups. • Describe your own home. How many rooms are there? Who else lives there with you? • Describe your 'ideal home'. 34 •. UNIT 5 READING Alison closed the door of her small flat and put down her briefcase. It had been another exhausting day at the travel agency where she worked, and she was looking forward to being alone. There was an interesting programme she wanted to watch on television later in the evening. She had just started preparing her dinner when there was a knock at her door. 'Oh, no! Who on earth could that be?' she muttered. She went to the door and looked through the 'spy hole'. A man of about sixty was standing there. It took her a few seconds to realize who he was. He lived in the flat below. They had passed on the stairs once or twice and had exchanged the usual greetings. He had a long, thin face with two large front teeth that made him look like a rabbit. 'Sorry to bother you, but ...uh... there's something I'd like to ...er... talk to you about,' he mumbled when she opened the door. Alison hesitated but then asked him to come in. Then she noticed the dog. Alison detested dogs, particularly big ones. This one was a very old and very fat bulldog. The man went into her small living room and sat down on the sofa. The dog followed him and climbed on the sofa next to him. Its mouth was open and it was breathing heavily. Alison saw several drops of the dog's saliva fall on the light green material that covered the sofa. 'Do you mind if I smoke?' the man asked. Without waiting for an answer, he lit a cigarette. 'You must be wondering why I've come. Well, I hope you won't be offended, but...' He stopped suddenly and coughed. His face went very red. Another cough exploded from somewhere very deep inside him. He pulled a dirty, grey handkerchief out of his pocket and spat into it. Some ashes from his cigarette fell on the floor. He looked around the room. Alison glanced at her watch. The man seemed to have forgotten what he wanted to say. 'Nice place you've got here/ he said at last. A Choose the best answer. 1 How do you think Alison felt when she heard the knock at her door? A afraid B irritated C pleased D curious 2 Who was the man at the door? A Someone she worked with. B A friend who needed advice. C A complete stranger. D A neighbour she hardly knew. 3 What do you think Alison said to herself when she saw the dog? A 'I wish he hadn't brought that dog in here.' B 'Oh, what a nice dog.' C T wonder what's wrong with the poor thing.' D 'I like some dogs but not this one.' 4 Why did the man want to talk to Alison? A He had forgotten to tell her something. B He wanted to tell her how nice her flat was. C The text doesn't tell us. D He wanted to apologize for offending her. 5 What do you think was Alison's general impression of the man after he came in? A She had no feelings about him at all. B She thought he was very interesting. C She liked him but not his dog. D He had some very annoying habits. B Discuss these questions. 1 What do you think is probably a typical day in Alison's life? 2 Now try to describe a typical day in the man's life, too. 3 What are some possible reasons for the man wanting to talk to her? 4 Why do people sometimes get annoyed with their neighbours? Describe two or three typical reasons. LANGUAGE STUDY Ways of asking for permission A The following examples are all ways of asking for permission. What are the differences between them? a) Do you mind if I smoke? b) May I smoke here? c) You don't mind if I smoke, do you? d| Is smoking permitted here? e) Is it okay to smoke here? Which example seems to be 1 something you can say about official regulations? 2 what people say when they think it is all right to smoke? 3 very polite - the kind of thing you say when you don't know the other person very well? 4 not very formal but still polite? 5 very informal? B Rewrite the second sentence in each pair. Use no more than five words including the word in bold. Do NOT change this word. 1 I'm sure it's all right if I open the window. mind You don't_the window, do you? 2 Do regulations allow people to park here? permitted Is_here? 3 May I close the window? mind Do you_the window? 4 Don't worry. You can park here. okay I'm sure_here. 5 Will you permit me to use your dictionary? mind I hope you_your dictionary? 6 Selling drugs is against the law here. permitted The sale___ here. 7 Are you sure singing is permitted in this place? okay Do you know if_ here? 8 I hope it's all right to do this, mind You don't_ _, do you? 9 Is it all right if I turn on the radio? may Excuse me, but_ the radio? 10 Can I ask you something? mind Do you_ something? FOCUS ONE UNIT 5 35 LISTENING m SPEAKING A You will hear the conversation between Alison and the man. Answer the six questions below by writing W (for Alison, the woman) M (for the man] D (for the dog) The answer to the first question (0) is given as an example. 0 Who apologizes for not knowing the other's name? Who stops doing something the other speaker doesn't like? Who complains about something the other speaker often does? Who promises to do something about a problem? Who apologizes for saying something? Who dislikes a particular kind of music? Who seems to enjoy a particular kind of popular music? 1 W B Listen a second time. Then answer these questions, too. 1 Look at question 2 again. What exactly is it that the speaker is complaining about? 2 Look at question 3 again. What exactly does the speaker say when making the promise? 3 Look at question 4 again. What are the words the speaker uses that tell you the speaker is apologizing? 4 Look at question 5 again. What is the particular kind of music in the question? 5 Look at question 6 again. What kind of popular music does one of the characters enjoy? VOCABULARY_ Which is the word in each group that does not belong? Explain why it does not belong with the other three words. 1 offend embarrass amuse upset 2 offended bored annoyed insulted 3 embarrassed self-conscious ashamed confident 4 apologize complain protest object 5 disturb bother dislike annoy In pairs or groups suggest first what you would do and then what you would actually say in the following situations. Example: One of your neighbours plays very loud music late at night. >■ / think I would probably complain. 1 would say 'Please stop playing that music so loud. It disturbs me.' 1 Your neighbour's dog often barks all night long. 2 You are having a party tomorrow evening in your new flat. You want to develop good relations with your neighbours. 3 You have quickly parked your car outside a friend's house in order to give the friend some important news. You have just begun telling your friend the news when you hear someone shouting outside. 'Whose car is this? It's blocking my driveway and I can't get my car out!' USE OF ENGLISH The man who visited Alison wrote this letter to her two weeks later. Look at each line carefully. Most lines contain an unnecessary word. Underline these words and tick any lines that are correct. There are two examples (0 and 00). 0 I hope you remember of my conversation with 00 you two weeks ago when I told you about the / 1 disturbance that which your music has caused. 2 When we had spoke, you agreed to turn your 3 music down so as that it would not disturb my 4 dog, Bruno. Unfortunately, this has not been 5 happened. Several evenings later, I could heard 6 music again coming from your flat. Although 7 Bruno was very disturbed by it, I decided I 8 would not complain, hoping that it would not 9 still happen again. However, since then there 10 have been two more times there that this has 11 happened. Both times Bruno was very disturbed. 12 I hope you will agree that not only we humans 13 but also the dogs have certain rights. Please 14 remember that if you will do this again, I will 15 inform to the police about this disturbance. In groups, discuss each mistake. Then correct the sentence in which each mistake occurs. Afterwards your teacher will ask some of you to read aloud your corrected version. 36 • .UNIT 5 FOCUS TWO LANGUAGE STUDY_ Asking and telling people not to do things A Repeat these examples. Then answer the questions about them. a) Put that cigarette out! b) Excuse me but would you mind not smoking here? c) No smoking! d) Smoking is strictly forbidden. e) I'm sorry but you can't smoke here. f) Don't smoke here. g) Thank you for not smoking. 1 Which three are often seen in written notices or signs? 2 Which of these three written notices do you think is the most polite? 3 Which of the other examples do you think are polite ways of asking someone not to smoke? 4 Which example or examples sound more like orders or commands? Reporting questions, polite requests and other things people say > GS 12 B The examples below show two different ways of reporting what people said. In pairs or groups, read each example aloud. Then discuss what you think the speaker actually said. Example: A woman in a restaurant asked the man she was with not to shout because the other people in the restaurant were looking at them. > I think she probably said, 'Would you mind not shouting}' or 'Please don't shout. The other people here are looking at us.' 1 He told her he wasn't shouting. 2 She asked him why everyone was looking at them if he wasn't shouting. 3 He told her not to worry about the other people. 4 She asked him again not to shout and not to shake his fist at her. 5 He told her to stop giving him orders. 6 She asked him if he knew the difference between an order and a polite request. 7 The manager of the restaurant came and asked the man not to disturb the other people in the restaurant, 8 The man told the manager not to interrupt his conversation with his girlfriend. 9 The manager threatened to call the police but the woman politely asked him not to. 10 Afterwards, the man begged the woman to forgive him. C Report the conversation between the man and the woman in the restaurant by completing the second sentence in each pair. 1 'Please lower your voice,' she said to him. asked She_to lower his voice. 2 'Listen to what I'm saying,' he shouted at her. told He_ _to what he was saying. 3 'I'll leave unless you lower your voice,' she said. threatened She_if he didn't lower his voice. 4 'Please don't leave. Please don't,' he said to her. begged He_to leave. 5 'I'll speak calmly, I really will!' he said, promised He_calmly. 6 'Am I still speaking too loud?' he asked. asked He__he was still speaking too loud. 7 'I'm afraid I can't hear you very well/ she answered. told She_hear him very well. 8 'Why are you speaking so quietly?' she asked, asked She_speaking so quietly. D Suppose you lived in the same building as Alison and the man with the dog. Yesterday you heard them talking in the hall. In pairs, discuss how you could report their conversation today. Report what the man said to Alison (1-5) and then what she said to him (6-10). 1 Can I talk to you for a few minutes? 2 Do you know how thin the ceiling is? 3 I can still hear the music you play in the evenings and it's very loud. . . 4 Don't disturb my dog any more. 5 If you disturb my dog and me again, I'll call the police. 6 Now what do you want to talk to me about? 7 Can't we talk about this later? 8 All right. I'll turn it down even lower. 9 Are you crazy? I don't disturb your dog. He disturbs me! 10 Would you mind not raising your voice? FOCUS TWO UNIT 5 37 USE OF ENGLISH A The article below appeared recently in a local newspaper. Read it quickly to get an idea of what it is about, ignoring the missing words. DOGS' MISERY IN SMALL HOUSE A seventy-two-year-old widow, Mrs Francis Lovell, pleaded guilty yesterday to causing unnecessary suffering to the dogs she (0) kepi in her small three-roomed house in the village of Wheatley near Oxford. The court was told that Mrs Lovell's neighbours repeatedly complained to her for more than six months about the (1)_in which the dogs were kept. The dogs often (2)_all night long. Despite these complaints, she (3)_to do anything about the problem. Finally, one of the neighbours who was unable to (4)_up with the noise any longer, called the police. The police (5}_in touch with the RSPCA*, who sent one of their inspectors to call on Mrs Lovell. The widow claimed that she had 'only a few pets', and that she (6)_after them very well. At first she tried to (7)_the inspector from entering her house. However, he (8)_on seeing the dogs for himself. It (9) . out that she had forty-four dogs, most of them poodles, and that she never let them out of the house. According to the inspector, John Carey, the dogs were all suffering from neglect, malnutrition and the (10)_of being kept all day in a very small house. Seventeen of them were in such a (11)_ state that they had to be destroyed. The lawyer defending Mrs Lovell said that she had never intended any (12)_to the animals. 'My (13)_is a lonely old woman whose only companions were her dogs. She was afraid that if she let them out of the house, something bad would (14)_to them. Her only (15)_of income is a very small pension, most of which she used in order to purchase food for them,' he said. Royal Society for trie Prevention of Cruelty to Animals B Decide which is the best word, A, B, C or D, to complete the sentences with missing words in them. An example is given (0). VOCABULARY WORD FORMATION 0 A maintained C kept B held D stopped 1 A states C situations B conditions D positions 2 A cried C sounded B barked D called 3 A denied C disagreed B resisted D refused 4 A put C pass B stand D let 5 A came C became B went D got 6 A saw C cared B watched D looked 7 A avoid C escape B prevent D refuse 8 A insisted C emphasized B commanded D impressed 9 A showed C turned B proved D found 10 A results C effects B returns D affects 11 A wrong C poor B ill D ruined 12 A harm C hurt B damage D injury 13 A client C patient B customer D passenger 14 A occur C happen B succeed D come 15 A origin C stock B supply D source SPEAKING In pairs or groups, discuss the following possible punishments for Mrs Lovell. Give reasons why you think each punishment is bad or good in her case. 1 Send her to prison for several months. 2 Order her to pay a very heavy fine. 3 Permit her to keep only one dog, but order her to allow an RSPCA inspector to visit her regularly to see how she is treating the dog. Here is some useful language. 'I don't think the court should... because...' 'In my opinion, the best thing would be to... My reasons for saying this are as follows. First,... Second,...' 'I disagree with you because...' 'Yes, I agree with you. However, 1 think the court should also...' 'I'd like to make another suggestion. I think the best thing would be to...' Phrasal verbs A In pahs or groups, underline the phrasal verbs in each question (a-h). Then match the phrasal verb with its meaning (1-8). Finally, answer each of the questions. If your answer is 'Yes' or 'No', give a reason for your answer. a) Do you think you could put up with Mrs Lovell if she were your neighbour? b) What do you think the RSPCA inspector said to her when he called on her? c) What did she do when he said he wanted to look into the complaints that her neighbours had made? d| What do you think he said when it turned out that she had forty-four dogs in the house? e) Do you think people should be allowed to keep pets if they can't look after them properly? f) In your opinion, does Mrs Lovell's case call for understanding or punishment? g) Do you think she should give up all her dogs except one? h) Can you explain how she got through her money so quickly? 1 require or demand something that is best in a particular situation % visit 3 take care of 4 what you can say when you mean 'the result of our investigation showed that...' 5 live with, in the sense of 'tolerate' or 'accept' 6 no longer have something or no longer do something 7 spend completely 8 find the cause of, investigate B Complete the following sentences with a phrasal verb from A above. Yesterday I decided to (1)_a woman who lives next door. Her father is very old, so she has to (2)_him. She finds it very difficult to (3)__some of his habits. He (4)_ amount of money every week. She couldn't understand what he was spending it on, so she decided to (5)_the matter. It (6)_ a large that he was buying a large amount of cat food. There are a lot of hungry cats in the neighbourhood and he is convinced that their condition (7)_him to feed them all. My neighbour wants her father to (8)__this habit, but she can't persuade him to do so. Read through this text. Then use the words in capital letters below to form a word that fits each space. An example is given (0). It is very difficult to decide on the correct (0) punishment m caSes like these. This was why it took the judge so long to reach a (1) in Mrs Lovell's case. Her lawyer said in her (2)_that she was lonely and confused and that this was why she had ignored the (3)_of her neighbours for so long. He also argued that this was not a case of deliberate (4)_. In other words, Mrs Lovell had no (5)_of causing suffering. He also argued that a case like this called for (6)_• The judge finally found her (7)_, but gave her (8)_to keep one dog for a period of a year, subject to good (9)_. In other words, if she repeats her (10)_, the dog will be taken away from her. 0 PUNISH 1 DECIDE DEFEND COMPLAIN CRUEL INTEND 6 UNDERSTAND 7 GUILT 8 PERMIT 9 BEHAVE 10 OFFEND LANGUAGE STUDY Verbs and prepositions Complete the text by filling the spaces with the correct prepositions. Mrs Lovell was accused (1)_treating the dogs badly. They all belonged (2)_her and they all suffered (3)_neglect. This was one reason her neighbours complained (4)_them and why they wanted to prevent her (5)_getting any more dogs. They blame her (6)_the poor condition (7)_the animals. The judge has said that he does not believe (8)_punishment for cases like this and that sending her (9)_ prison would be 'completely wrong'. 38 UNIT 5 FOCUSTHREE FOCUSTHREE UNIT 5 • 39 WRITING Report 1 In Part 2, you may be asked to write a report for a company or other organization. This will contain factual information and may include a recommendation. You will have to supply the necessary details for the report. A Sample task Mr Klimt is a Swiss executive who is moving to your country with his family and will be working for your company for a year. You have been asked to look at possible housing for him by the Personnel Officer in your company. Write a report on your findings, recommending a suitable home for Mr Klimt and his family. B Read this answer. To: J Hainan, Personnel Department Fran: H Hunter Re: Housing for Mr Klimt and family FINDHSES Here is the infonfation on the three places I visited last i/tfeek: 1 Apartment 41, Victoria lower (£1800 per month) This is a two-bedroom flat, and although it is luxurious, it would be rather small for a family of four. 2 Meadow Farmhouse (£2050 per iroith) This is a five-bedroom farmhouse in the country with good rail links into the city centre. However, it is expensive and there are no suitable schools nearby. 3 Holly House, Ashton Street (£1550 per month) This is a three-bedroom house with a small garden. Although the house is in need of redecoration, the garden is pleasant and the rent is reasonable. The house is on a bus route and close to the Ashton International School. REO>iMEMEffi.TICKiS I reccctmend that we rent Holly House and arrange for it to be redecorated before the Klimt family arrive. I look forward to discussing the matter with you at our next meeting. C Answer these questions about the report. 1 Would you describe the language as informal or formal? Which words and expressions make you think so? 2 What do you notice about the layout of the report? 3 How much of the detail in the report has been supplied by the writer? 4 Which words and expressions would you be able to use in a similar type of report? D Writing task An American College is going to hold a five-day conference in your country. You have been asked by the College Principal to suggest three possible hotels where the conference could be held. Write a report on what you have found out and recommend a suitable hotel. ROOM RATES (£2*7.88) E Divide your report into three parts. 1 Opening 2 Findings Include factors you think are relevant, such as the following: Price and standard of the hotel (eg 4/5 star) Location (city centre or out of town? near the airport or near town facilities?) Facilities (conference rooms? number of bedrooms available? restaurants?) 3 Recommendations Say which of the hotels you thought was the most suitable, and include an appropriate ending. REVISION AND EXTENSION Review of verb forms > GS 13 A Complete the table below. The first one has been done for you as an example. Infinitive present go Past simple u/enl Participle after have/had gone swam rise drunk lay forgive lay blow lit -- stuck Present perfect or past simple? >GS 13.1.3, 13.2.1 B Complete the following conversation with the correct form of the verb in brackets. Use only the present perfect or the past simple, for example, is the first answer have left or leftl A Since you (leave) school, you (travel) a lot, (not you)? B Yes, so far I (live) in eight countries, but of course I (visit) more than that. A What is the most interesting place you (be) to? B It's hard to say. I (be) in Paris a few years ago and I really (enjoy) it. A (you do) a lot of sightseeing while you (be) there? B Yes, I (do). A Where (you go)? B I (go) up the Eiffel Tower, and I (see) a play at the Comedie Francaise. I must say, the play (be) really good. A (you ever be) to South America? B No, I [not have) the chance to go there yet, but I (hear) a lot about it and I hope to go there next year. C Match the sentences 1-10 with suitable contexts a-j. 1 My parents have lived in London for three years. 2 My parents lived in London for three years. 3 Have you eaten breakfast? 4 Did you eat breakfast ? 5 I hope you have enjoyed the party. 6 I hope you enjoyed the party. 7 The teacher hasn't come. 8 The teacher didn't come. 9 Have you seen that film? 10 Did you see that film? a) There's a good film on this week. b) The students are still waiting for the teacher. c) It is eight o'clock in the morning. d) It is eight o'clock at night. e) The party has just finished or is just about to finish. f) There was a good film on last night. g) They live in London now. h) The party was last week. i) The students waited for the teacher and the lesson is now over. j) They lived there from 1980 to 1983. D Use the correct form of the verb in brackets and choose one of the words for, since or ago for the following sentences. 1 I (not speak) to her (for, since, ago) she (go) to London. 2 He (leave) school three years (for, since, ago), then he (work) in France (for, since, ago) a few months before coming back to England. 3 She (have) a headache (for, since, ago) she (get) up this morning. 4 How long (you know) him? 5 I (be) here (for, since, ago) an hour! Where (you be)? 6 He (just get) a new job, and he's going to work in the States (for, since, ago) six years. 7 It's two weeks (for, since, ago) I (see) him. E Rewrite the second sentence in each pair. Use no more than five words including the word in bold. Do NOT change this word. 1 Is smoking permitted in British cinemas? allowed Are_in British cinemas? 2 Please don't play your music so loudly, playing Would_your music so loudly? 3 I'm going to take the car - that's okay by you, isn't it? take You don't_the car, do you? 4 Alcohol is bad for you and so are cigarettes, good Neither_for you. 5 I said to the waiter 'Could I have another coffee?' bring I asked_another coffee. 6 The doctor asked 'Why didn't you make an appointment?' made The doctor asked her _an appointment. 7 We haven't got enough room for this huge sofa. takes This huge sofa_ space. 8 Howe finally solved the problem in a dream. final The_came to Howe in a dream. 40 • - UNIT 5 FOCUS FOUR FOCUS FIVE UNIT 5 • 41