DISCUSS
How do you usually communicate with your friends? Use the ideas in the box.
I usually message and chat with my friends on social media apps like Instagram and Telegram. We frequently send videos and pictures to each other, and we make video calls when we want to hang out or work on school projects together.
Do you prefer going to the cinema or watching films at home? Why?
I prefer going to the cinema because the huge screen and high-quality sound make the film much more exciting. However, watching films at home is also convenient when I want to relax comfortably on the sofa.
Go through the module and find:
• three social media posts: pages 38–39 (Lesson 3a)
• what teenagers think about social media sites: page 34 (Lesson 3a)
• an online film review: page 42 (Lesson 3b)
• a radio programme: page 41 (Lesson 3b)
• four reviews of a TV series: page 40 (Lesson 3b)
READ
A. Discuss.
• Do you use social media? If so, what do you use it for?
• What are some popular social media sites in your country?
Yes, I use social media every day. I mainly use it to keep in touch with my classmates, watch entertaining and educational videos, and follow interesting news. In my country, the most popular social media platforms and apps are Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and Telegram.
B. Read the texts A-D. What is each person’s opinion of social media? Is it positive, negative or both?
• A. Iryna: Positive. She thinks social media sites are great for keeping in touch with friends, finding old schoolmates, helping others, and playing educational games.
• B. Adrian: Negative. He believes social media is risky and worries about privacy issues, spam, viruses, cyberbullying, and identity theft.
• C. Ronnie: Both. He is annoyed by pointless everyday status updates, but he finds social media very useful for organising and promoting school events.
• D. Emma: Both (mixed). She enjoys playing games and chatting with friends, but she feels it takes away too much time from her real life and feels uncomfortable because her mother monitors her activity online.
READING
C. Read the texts A-D again and answer the questions below. Write A, B, C or D.
- D (Emma)
- A (Iryna)
- C (Ronnie)
- B (Adrian)
- C (Ronnie)
- D (Emma)
- A (Iryna)
D. Look at the highlighted words in the texts and choose the correct meaning a or b.
- drawback — a. disadvantage
- nasty — b. unpleasant
- day after day — b. all the time
- update — a. give the most recent information
- highlights — a. the best parts of something
- deactivating — a. making something stop working
E. Discuss. • Whose opinion do you agree with the most? Why? • Have you ever had any similar experiences?
• I agree with Adrian the most because online privacy and protecting personal data are extremely important nowadays, as cyberbullying and identity theft are real threats.
• Yes, I once lost touch with a classmate who moved to another city, but thanks to social media, I was able to find them again and keep in touch.
GRAMMAR
Choose the correct option.
- Rodney always gives a little money to charities. I want to give some money too, but there are so many organisations that I don’t know which one to choose.
- A: Have you got much homework to do?
B: Not really, just a few maths exercises. How about you?
A: Well, I’ve finished most of it. I’ve got very little today. - A: I’m going camping in the woods with my friends.
B: Are you going to buy any equipment for your trip?
A: No, I’m going to borrow everything from my cousins. - A: Uncle Charlie, you’ve been skydiving plenty of times. Is it difficult?
B: Well, not really, but you need to do some ground training before your first jump. And you need to be over 18, so you’ll have to wait a few more years.
Choose the correct option.
- A: Do you know Gary?
B: Yes! Everybody in my class knows Gary. He’s really sociable. - A: Do you want to go somewhere this afternoon?
B: I’m sorry, I can’t. I’ve got something important to do in the city centre. - A: I’m looking for some speakers for my computer. Have you got any black ones?
B: I’m afraid there are no black ones left, but we’ve got some grey ones. Would you like to see them? - A: Where would you like to go this weekend, Stacey?
B: Nowhere! I’d like to stay at home and finish my project! Every time I think it’s ready, I come across another problem.
VOCABULARY
A. Match 1-6 with a-f to make phrases.
- turn on / shut down — e. a computer / a laptop
- download / upload — f. information (e.g. music, videos)
- charge — a. a battery / your smartphone
- install — c. software / an antivirus program
- press — b. the ON-OFF button / ENTER
- attach — d. a document / an image, etc. (to an email)
B. Complete the sentences with the words in the box.
- If you want to move that part of the text, first you select it. Then cut and paste it further down the page.
- Scroll down the web page, find the information you need and print it out so that we can all read it.
- Oh no! I’ve just deleted all the pictures from my sister’s laptop. What should I do?
- The program I was using crashed a few minutes ago, so I restarted my computer. Luckily, I didn’t lose any files because I had saved them.
C. Read the sentences and match the phrases in bold with the definitions a-f.
- d (phone someone because he/she phoned you)
- a (stop communicating)
- f (get an answer)
- b (lose the phone connection suddenly)
- c (speak to someone for a short time)
- e (connect someone by phone to somebody else)
GRAMMAR
Choose the correct option.
-
A: Do you know Gary?
B: Yes! Everybody in my class knows Gary. He’s really sociable. -
A: Do you want to go somewhere this afternoon?
B: I’m sorry, I can’t. I’ve got something important to do in the city centre. -
A: I’m looking for some speakers for my computer. Have you got any black ones?
B: I’m afraid there are no black ones left, but we’ve got some grey ones. Would you like to see them? -
A: Where would you like to go this weekend, Stacey?
B: Nowhere! I’d like to stay at home and finish my project! Every time I think it’s ready, I come across another problem.
LISTEN
You will hear people talking in five different situations. For questions 1-5, choose the best answer a, b or c.
- b (on a social media site)
- b (He enjoys them.)
- a (He’s giving some advice to someone.)
- c (She’s fond of gadgets.)
- a (She’s got a new smartphone.)
SPEAK
Talk in pairs. Look at the photos of a tablet and a desktop computer. Talk about the advantages and disadvantages of them. Then say what you like or dislike about each item. Use the words and phrases in the boxes to help you.
Student A: One of the main advantages of a tablet is that it is lightweight, portable, and very convenient to carry around. You can easily use it anywhere without needing lots of cables. However, a common problem with tablets is that they usually have less memory and typing long essays on the touchscreen can be difficult without a physical keyboard.
Student B: That is true, but desktop computers are much more useful for serious work and studying because they are more powerful and have a large screen size. The disadvantage is that a desktop computer takes up a lot of room on the desk, is heavy, and has many cables. Personally, I prefer using a tablet for entertainment and watching videos, but I like using a desktop computer for gaming and writing school projects.
WRITE
A. Read statements a-e about posting things on social media. Tick the reasons that are true for you.
a. to ask for information / someone’s opinion
b. to recommend something
c. to share something funny/interesting/personal, etc.
d. to provide information about something
e. to share a photo/video
(All statements are typical reasons for using social media; statements a, b, c, and e are true for me.)
B. Read the social media posts and match them to the reasons a-e in activity A. More than one answer is possible.
- a (to ask for information / someone’s opinion)
- b (to recommend something), c (to share something funny/interesting/personal, etc.), d (to provide information about something)
- b (to recommend something), d (to provide information about something), e (to share a photo/video)
C. Read the information in the box and find examples in activity B. Then turn sentences 1-3 into social media posts/comments.
Examples from activity B:
- Leaving out words: Need it for my studies… (Post 1); Perfect buy! (Post 2); Not too expensive either. (Post 2); Also lighter and easier to carry. (Post 3).
- Abbreviations: ASAP (Post 1); btw (Post 3).
- Emojis: 😊 (Post 1).
- Adjectives and exclamation marks: Perfect buy! (Post 2).
Rewritten sentences:
- Looking for present for dad. Any ideas? 🤔
- Still studying for maths exam. So tired! 😴
- Want delicious Japanese meal? Check out Japan House in city centre. Fantastic! 🍣😋
D. Work in pairs. Student A: Write a short post or update about any topic you like for a social media site. Student B: Read Student A’s post or update and write a comment responding to it.
Student A (Post):
Looking for a good sci-fi film to watch tonight ASAP! Any recommendations? 🎬🍿
Student B (Comment):
Check out Interstellar! Amazing visual effects and fantastic story. U will definitely love it! 🚀✨