Reading and Writing

• I can recognise bias in news reports and talk about protests.
• I can identify specific details in a radio programme and talk about photos.
• I can tell an anecdote.
• I can write a story.

Same hotel, two reports: whose side is each on?

1 In pairs, look at the photos from two news reports. What do you think the reports are about?

2 Read the news reports and answer the questions.

1 What opportunities does the development bring according to the first report?

2 What other things will be built as well as the hotel?

3 Why does the second report think the development won’t be good?

4 What do the protesters want to happen?

3 Read the reports again. Match sentences A–H with gaps 1–6 in the texts. There are two extra sentences.

A However, people should have the freedom to protest about things they do not agree with.

B Everyone has the right to protest, but such obstruction is illegal.

C There have been talks for years about opportunities for new developments, but they never seem to happen.

D People were furious and took to the streets in protest.

E I am also sure that locals who work at the old restaurants will probably lose their jobs.

F Not only will the hotel need local workers but there are sure to be other jobs in tourism when the hotel guests start to arrive.

G But when I put in a request to find out more about the developers on the internet, I quickly changed my mind.

H She stressed it was ridiculous to believe the residents could be guilty of harming the workers.

Now the other side: the same hotel, a different report.

4 CRITICAL THINKING Study Active Reading. Then read the news reports again and find examples which demonstrate bias. Why is it important to recognise bias?

Spot the signs of bias, then build nouns

• Very few texts are completely balanced or objective, but there are some key indicators that a text is more strongly biased:
• facts are missing or exaggerated
• there are overgeneralisations
• there is little respect for different opinions
• there are quotation marks to indicate that the writer does not agree with a different opinion.

5 Find examples of nouns in the news reports with the suffixes in the table.

-ist -hood -dom

6 Complete the sentences with the correct noun forms of the words from the box.

allege improve replace solve 1 The two sides need to sit down and find a(n) ____.

2 It will be difficult to find a suitable ____ for Laila when she leaves her post.

3 The ____ against him are shocking, but he denies all of them.

4 There has been a(n) ____ in the standard of living in my country.

7 Complete the collocations from the articles with the correct verbs from the box. Then check your answers in the text.

come up with refute release report 1 The accident was bad enough for them to ____ the incident to the police.

2 Locals living on the street ____ the allegation that they did anything illegal.

3 Perhaps they can try to ____ a solution.

4 The developers ____ a statement about their ‘improvement’ scheme.

Four famous photos and the stories behind them

1 Check you understand the highlighted words. Then look at photos A–D and match them with these descriptions.

1 The shot looks like he is moving forward, but is not cropped very well because the background is actually a photo.

2 The image really captures the close relationship she developed with all the animals she worked with over her long career. It also shows a likeness between people and chimpanzees.

3 The men are shown having their lunch break; they look very natural, not as if they were posing.

4 This poignant photo is carefully composed; it looks like he is standing alone.

Check you understand the highlighted words.

Match each speaker with their statement (a–d).

3 4.6 Listen again and answer the questions.

1 Why is the year that the photo of the workers was taken significant?

2 What had just happened when the photo was taken of William Walker Martin?

3 Why was it surprising that Martin was such a fast cyclist?

4 Why was Jane’s relationship with David Greybeard particularly important?

5 Who took the photo of Buzz Aldrin?

6 What evidence is there that Buzz Aldrin was not alone when the photo was taken?

Telling an anecdote: what to say and when

1 What is an urban myth? Discuss in pairs.

What is an urban myth?

2 4.9 Listen and decide which stories are true, false or partly true. Then go to page 74 to check the answer.

Which phrase starts, sets the scene, turns, reacts and ends?

3 Study the Speaking box and complete it.

4 4.9 Listen again and tick the phrases in the Speaking box that you hear.

5 Choose the most suitable comment adverb to complete the sentences. In pairs, explain your choices.

1 Obviously, / Theoretically, you don’t need any help with this – you’re doing brilliantly!

2 Disappointingly, / Foolishly, I forgot to take an umbrella. I should have known it would rain.

3 Presumably, / Apparently, attention spans are getting shorter – I read that somewhere.

4 Surely, / Fortunately, you don’t expect me to believe that.

5 Presumably, / Unbelievably, he doesn’t like vegetables; I’ve never seen him eating any.

6 Personally, / Surely, I like him, but a lot of people can’t stand him.

7 Theoretically, / Clearly, your job is not important to you, or you wouldn’t keep turning up late.

8 Unbelievably, / Surely, she was rude to a customer not just once, but four times!

The man in black: a story that keeps you guessing

1 Work in pairs. Read the story. What do you think happens at the end?

Was your prediction right?

3 Study the Writing box and find examples of: negative inversion, different verbs to describe speaking, looking and moving.

4 Read underlined sentences a–f in the story. Which past tenses are used in each example?

a I turned round and saw the man in black.

b My heart was pounding furiously in my chest as the man raced towards her.

c The day had started so well.

d I had been wandering aimlessly around the city e He was wearing a black suit and tie with dark glasses f The old woman glanced at the man and stopped as she was walking past.

5 Now match sentences a–f in the story with functions 1–5 below.

1 □□ Describing an ongoing action that forms the background to a story.

2 □ Contrasting an event in progress with a single action that interrupts it.

3 □ Describing an action which was completed before a time in the past.

4 □ Describing a single completed action in the past.

5 □ Describing a situation or action which was in progress at or up to a time in the past.

Write your own story: title, structure, language

• 1 to look at something closely and carefully
• 2 to take a quick look at something
• 3 to notice something or someone
• 4 to shout angrily in a low deep voice
• 5 to shout loudly, because you are excited or angry
• 6 to speak so quietly that you cannot be heard easily
• 7 to go somewhere as quickly as possible
• 8 to walk in a casual way, often in no particular direction

6 Match the highlighted words in the story with their definitions.

7 Study Watch Out! Then put the words in the correct order to make sentences.

1 he / in my ear / yelled loudly 2 she / blankly / at him / for several seconds / stared 3 they / worked / all day / very hard / in the factory 4 I / on the bench / sat / for over two hours / patiently