Under pressure

• managing your time and dealing with stress
• time management and exam revision
• infinitive and -ing forms (revision)
• verbs that change meaning when followed by infinitive or -ing forms
• noun phrases made with on + noun
• writing personal statements

Under pressure: five tried and tested tips for getting things done

Do you sometimes feel that you’re wasting a lot of your time and not getting enough done?

• Most of us fail to manage our time effectively.
• There are lots of books about time management on the market, but you don’t need to waste time (and money) reading them.
• Here are some tried and tested tips for getting things done.

Five tips follow, in the book’s order. Read each one, then match it to a title.

What time management tips do you think the article might contain?

Read the main article quickly. Then choose the best title A–E for each tip.

A Look after yourself

B First things first

C Just do it!

D One step at a time

E Keep going

Reading: find the words, match the students to the tips

This part practises the words and ideas of the five tips.

Replace the underlined parts of the sentences below with words or phrases from the text.

(The part of the text where you can find the words / phrases is given in brackets.) (Introduction) With all the new products available to buy nowadays, it’s very hard to decide which to buy.

(Tip 1) She’s starting to notice the impact of things that she says and does on other people.

(Tip 2) Studying before an exam can be very stressful, but it’s necessary. When asked to say what they want in the future, most people say health and happiness are the most important.

(Tip 3) If you’re finding a job difficult, it’s important that you don’t give up.

(Tip 4) There’s no purpose in trying to open the door. It’s locked.

(Tip 5) Young babies expect to be given food whenever they want it. Some parents give their children something good if they do well in exams.

Look at what five students say about exam revision. Then decide which tip from the text is the best for each student.

There’s so much to do that it gets confusing and I don’t know where to start.

I sometimes reach a point where I get bored and information just stops.

I get worried and my head starts hurting.

I always seem to find other things to do and time just runs out.

I sometimes think it’s all too hard and want to give up.

Discuss the questions below in pairs or small groups.

Do you ever have problems managing your time? Why? / Why not?

Which (if any) of the tips in the article would you find useful?

Reading: what young Australians worry about most

When young people in Australia were asked what they worried most about, the seven answers below were the most important. Which do you think were higher, and which lower?

Now the next task.

Read the news story below quickly to find out the results. Then enter them on the chart.

Reading: words from the news story

Match the words from the text with their meanings. (The words are in the same order as in the text.)

Use the words in Part 1 to complete the sentences below.

1 Don’t be so ___ , I’ll be finished soon.

2 We all make mistakes sometimes, so it’s ___ that you will too.

3 There are some problems with this idea. I’m not really ___ it will work.

4 He was ___ because he thought he would get better results than he did.

5 She didn’t go to a private school because her parents couldn’t afford the ___ .

6 The form asks for a lot of ___ details like age and nationality.

7 Students have more money worries ___ than they had in the past.

Choose the best summary of what Annette Coleman says.

A I’m disappointed that so many people are more worried about themselves than the future of the planet.

B Many people feel that there is no point worrying about the environment because we can’t change anything.

C Environmental problems like climate change are even more important nowadays.

Discuss the questions in pairs or small groups.

How do you think the results might be different if young Palestinians answered a poll like this?

Do you and your friends have any concerns that are not included in the results in Activity 2?

I think young Palestinians are more worried about … than … One concern for young Palestinians is the problem of …

Grammar: the infinitive after certain verbs

Look at the examples. Then complete the grammar rules.

• We use the infinitive form (with to) after certain verbs like
• want, ask and tell.
• When an object is needed, it goes ___ the verb and the infinitive.
• When the sentence is negative, we put the word not ___ the infinitive.

Complete the sentences with the verbs in the box + (not) to.

1 She won’t like it if you ___ do what she asked.

2 I’m sure they’ll ___ stay when they see how enjoyable the place is.

3 I didn’t ___ catch the early bus, so I was late.

4 If you lend your phone to me, I ___ lose it.

5 When there’s a problem, they always ___ help.

6 Let’s shake hands and ___ forget the argument.

Grammar: the -ing form and on + noun phrases

• We use the -ing form after certain verbs like ___ and like.
• We always use the -ing form after ___ like in, on, about, etc.

Complete the sentences with the verbs in the box.

1 I didn’t ___ cooking anything, so I went out to a café.

2 The important thing is that you should never ___ trying.

3 I don’t ___ playing computer games, but it isn’t my favourite way of passing the time.

4 The cat crossed the road suddenly and the driver couldn’t ___ hitting it.

5 I’ll call you back as soon as I ___ writing this report.

6 He doesn’t like it when people ___ interrupting him.

Look at the examples. Then use the nouns in the box to make other on + noun phrases in the sentences below.

1 On ___ at the hotel, please go to the reception desk.

2 Police officers only have to wear uniforms when they’re on ___ .

3 The book you need is on ___ and will probably be here next week.

4 This isn’t a holiday. We’re here on ___ .

5 He hates people being late, so make sure you’re on ___ .

6 He stopped to buy a newspaper on ___ home.

7 I don’t believe it was an accident. I think he did it on ___ .

8 We will be pleased to send you more details on ___ .

Grammar: start, like and would like

Can we use the infinitive or the -ing form after start / begin and continue, without a big difference in meaning?

a Which group of examples have a similar meaning to (not) enjoy?

b Which verb form do we use after like / love / hate?

a Which group of examples have a similar meaning to (not) want?

b Which verb form do we use after would like / love / hate?

Complete the sentences with like / love / hate + -ing or infinitive form of the verbs in brackets.

1 I’m happy here in the countryside. I would ___ (live) in a city.

2 She ___ (listen) to music. It’s her favourite way of passing the time.

3 Would you ___ (go) out to the theatre this evening?

4 Most young people ___ (get up) early when they’re tired.

5 He would ___ (be) a famous film star. It’s his dream.

6 If I had the chance, I would ___ (study) in another country.

Grammar: verbs that change meaning

Which verb and verb form do we use to talk about the following?

1 stopping one action in order to do another 2 simply stopping the action you are doing 3 actions that happened in the past 4 actions we have to do or should do

Complete the sentences with the infinitive or -ing form of the verbs in brackets.

1 The first thing I remember _ is the sound of my mother singing. (hear) 2 You shouldn’t stop just because it’s a bit difficult. (try) 3 I must remember this letter while I’m in town. (post) 4 If you’re getting confused, remember about what you want to say. (think) 5 I remember surprised when I first heard the news. (feel) 6 While walking along the street, I saw him stop _ in a shop window. (look)

Work in pairs. Write sentences in answer to the questions below.

1 A friend is getting stressed about exam revision. What would you advise him/her to do?

2 What hobby do you like doing, and which new hobby would you like to do in the future?

3 What do you have to remember to do in the next few days?

4 Is there anything in your life that you would like to stop doing?

5 What should you remember to do before going on a long journey?

6 What should you stop doing if you want to be fit?

Integrated skills: what a personal statement should and should not do

Many universities and colleges ask for a ‘personal statement’ together with every application for a course.

What do you think these should (and shouldn’t) include?

I guess they’ll probably want you to write about things that you’ve done in your life.

I don’t think they’ll want to hear your personal opinions on things.

Look at the advice in the table. Then put the words and phrases in the box in the correct place in the ‘DO’ column.

Listen to a man giving advice about writing personal statements. Complete the ‘DON’T’ column in the table in Activity 2.

Integrated skills: a student’s personal statement

Read the first paragraphs of a student’s personal statement. Then discuss the questions below in pairs or small groups.

1 What is wrong with the statement?

How many examples can you find?

2 Is there anything right about it?

I don’t think she should mention this.

This part is not too bad because …

Writing: plan a personal statement

The plan has three paragraphs, in this order.

Read the suggested plan for a personal statement. Then add the paragraph headings A–C in the correct places.

A What have you done?

B Why are you applying?

C Why are you suitable for the course?

Think about what you would include in each paragraph and write some notes. Then compare your notes with a partner.

Writing: opening and closing sentences

Look at the suggestions for opening and closing sentences. Then discuss the questions below in pairs or small groups.

1 Which opening and closing sentence do you think is best?

2 What is wrong with the others?

Write a first draft of your personal statement, using the opening and closing sentences in Activity 3, your notes and any other information from this Period and Period 5.