Online session, March 23rd / 24th

LEVEL: C1.2

GROUPS: A, B, C

DATE:    March 23^RD, 24^TH

CHECKING HOMEWORK:

Answers to reading tasks:

Task 4: A, Jason

Task 5: 1B, 2C/D, 3A, 4B, 5A, 6D, 7C, 8C, 9D.

Task 6: 1 spin, 2 grey area, 3 buzz word, 4 plan A, 5 agenda, 6 do-gooder, 7 undercut, 8 give it a go. 

Answers to pronunciation task:

Task 2: 1FSO, 2MS, 3MS, 4FSO, 5MS, 6FSO, 7FSO.

Answers to the vocabulary tasks:

Task 1 (pdf): 1c, 2a, 3c, 4b, 5a, 6c, 7a, 8b

Task 8 (textbook):

plus ça change (French) = the more things change, the more they stay the same; a way of saying, in a resigned way, that nothing changes no matter what you do

prima donna (Italian) = literally the first woman, so used to describe the lead female dancer or singer in an opera; often used to describe someone (male or female) who is egotistical and demanding

fait accompli (French) = a situation or choice which has already been made (so you can’t change it – you have to accept it)

a faux pas (French) = literally, a false step; an embarrassing mistake

déjà vu (French) = literally, already seen; when you feel you have been somewhere or done something before

zeitgeist (German) = spirit of the age; used to describe something that captures that spirit

en route (French) = on the way (to)

guerrilla (Spanish) = revolutionary fighter; a positive word to describe freedom fighters or revolutionaries

chef (French) = cook; used to suggest a cook with status (i.e. in a good restaurant or hotel); people sometimes say ‘compliments to the chef’ to be polite when complimenting the person who has cooked, whether they are professional or not

plaza (Spanish) = big square in a town

angst (German) = feeling of worry about how to behave and what will happen

macho (Spanish) = stereotypically masculine; often used negatively in English to describe overly aggressive or ‘showy’ behaviour

au fait (French) = knowledgeable about

fiasco (Italian) = a disaster; used to describe a situation that has become chaotic

kitsch (German) = popular but bad taste

trek (Afrikaans*) = long walk or hike through difficult terrain

*Afrikaans is a derivation of Dutch and is spoken in South Africa.

Task 9 (textbook):

1 zeitgeist

2 plazas

3 guerrillas

4 fait accompli

5 macho

6 angst

7 a faux pas

8 kitsch

9 déjà vu

WRITING:

You have already been sent your marked composition. Please, make sure everything is ok. Something important to take into account when you write a composition is the kind of format you’re in front of. A newspaper article basically gives current information about a specific topic. We usually answer the most important questions in the first paragraph and develop this information in the second one (or third one as well, in case you decide to write more than three in total). The last one would be for our conclusion and opinion, if you think you should include this more subjective remark.

ORAL PRESENTATIONS:

I remind you that those of you who were scheduled for today should record a track (preferably on MP3) and upload it on  www.padlet.com. Remember that you have the link for your group in my blog.

LISTENING:

Go to track n.47 in your Class-DVD rom.  You will listen to two conversations about business matters. After the first time you listen, answer the questions in activity 4, page 125 about these two conversations. Listen to the same track again and contextualize the words or expressions given in activity 5, page 125. 

SPEAKING (production):

Maybe you realized that in the previous conversation, they were dealing primarily with business. However, they also engaged in small talked. This is considered to be quite important in business when it comes to networking. In countries such as the UK, small talk may involve asking about health, family,  the trip made to get there; it may involve talking about the weather, the economy, a favourite team, programmes on TV, plans for the weekend or (at this moment) talking about coronavirus.

Go through the questions in activity 6. We will share our answers in our video call meeting. 

WRITING:

Write 10 questions for the answers given in activity 7, page 125. In our next session, I will give you the answer key for this activity.

SPEAKING (coproduction):

Go to activity 9. If you have the possibility of holding a conversation with any of your classmates using calls or video calls via Zoom, Hangousts, Skype or Whatsapp, please do it. Develop two conversations together in these two situations:

1.- arranging a convenient time and place for a meeting.

2.- chasing up an order that hasn’t arrived yet.

Change your roles. In one of them, A is the caller and B takes the call. In the other one, B is the caller and A takes the call.

When you finish, compare it with the video on your Class DVD-rom. Go to clip n. 32 and watch two model conversations of two English students. Listen up to 3 minutes 44 seconds. The rest of the video is just a brief explanation in which they highlight some specific expressions. Watch the rest you wish to go deeper. After watching the video, can you compare their performance and the one that you put on?

Suggestion:  You may record yourselves and watch the video/listen to the track after watching the sample clip so that you can compare more objectively. 

HOMEWORK:   READING. 

Read the text on page 127: Jailing of Icelandic bankers shows need to put people first. After reading the blog post and comments, answer the questions in activity 3, page 126.