Unit 1 Successful People The King of Pop Paraphrasing An idea is paraphrased when it is rewritten in a new form. You can rewrite an idea using a synonym (a word that has the same meaning as another word) or simpler words which express a similar meaning. Different ways to paraphrase: Way Original idea Paraphrased idea A synonym The job is quite challenging to him. The job is quite hard to him. Simpler words Successful people are perseverant to achieve their goals. Successful people keep trying to achieve their goals and do not give up. Read the original sentences in the left column. Fill in each blank of the paraphrased sentences in the right column with your own words to replace the underlined words. Original sentences 1. I saw a plane in the sky. It was gigantic and I could see it in the distance. 2. Johnson is singing and dancing in front of the guests to catch their eyes! 3. I like all kinds of chocolate. They are fingerlicking good! Paraphrased sentences I saw a plane in the sky. It was very and I could see it in the distance. Johnson is singing and dancing in front of the guests to! I like all kinds of chocolate. They are! 4. Shopping is Daisy s favourite leisure activity. She is crazy about it and always buys a lot! She is crazy about it and always buys a lot!. 5
TSA English Theme-based Exercises and Progress Tests S2 Fill in each blank in the paraphrased dialogue with a suitable word or phrase from the box below so as to keep a similar meaning as the original one. famous various talent stress broke into tears siblings shocked career elder every corner of the world Original dialogue Paraphrased dialogue Walter: Simon, do you remember our old friend? Walter: Simon, do you remember our old friend? This one? Isn t it Natalie? She s the one This one? Isn t it Natalie? She s the one with a total of nine brothers and sisters in with a total of nine (1) in her family. her family. Walter: And she s well-known for her being good at sports. Yes, she always liked different kinds of sports. Walter: And she s (2) for her (3) at sports. Yes, she always liked (4) kinds of sports. Walter: What s her job now? Walter: What s her (5) now? She s a P.E. teacher in a secondary She s a P.E. teacher in a secondary school. school. Walter: She still likes travelling and her dream is Walter: She still likes travelling and her dream is to travel to different countries. to travel to (6). Then her older sister has to take care of her little dog for her. Then her (7) sister has to take care of her little dog for her. Walter: I heard that it passed away last month. Walter: I heard that it passed away last month. Walter: Oh, I m surprised to hear this. She must be very sad. Yes, she cried a lot. I hope she can get rid of the pressure soon. Oh, I m (8) to hear this. She must be very sad. Walter: Yes, she (9). I hope she can get rid of the (10) soon. 6
Unit 1 Successful People You are reading a feature article about the life of the superstar Michael Jackson. Read the article and answer the questions. Fill in the fact sheet by writing your answers in the spaces provided. For MC questions, choose the best answer for each question and blacken the circle. The King of Pop Michael Jackson was born in 1958 and was one of nine siblings in his family. He joined his four elder brothers to sing at various clubs in Chicago. He then became a member in a band with his brothers as The Jackson Five. 5 Michael s talent in singing and dancing was well-known. Michael became famous at the age of ten in 1970. In 1982, his best-selling album Thriller made him a big success and he became a pop icon all over the world. 10 He was the winner of 15 Grammy Awards. One of his greatest songs, named We Are the World which was about love and world peace, won the Song of the Year Grammy in 1985. However, this superstar had long been suffering from stress. He could do nothing but reduce his pain by drugs. The misuse of drugs finally damaged his career, and even worse, his life. 15 Before his death, he planned to perform 50 comeback concerts in London, U.K. Over one million people were looking forward to the show. Suddenly bad news arrived Jackson was sent to a hospital on 25 June 2009. Within just a few hours, the sad news that shocked the world came Michael was dead. He was just 50 years old. The news was saddening to his fans and people in every corner of the world. Many fans paid tribute to their friend, Michael. People who loved him broke into tears. This world star was finally buried in the ground, but he will not be forgotten. 7
Unit 1 Successful People A Person Who Matters to Our Family Writing a descriptive essay Purpose: In a descriptive essay, you have to describe people (appearances, thoughts, actions, etc.), places and things. You can organize your description in chronological (time) order or in order of importance. Language and tone: Use action verbs, adjectives and adverbs in your descriptions. You can also use figurative language such as similes and metaphors. Comparative and superlative adjectives Form Comparative adjectives: Add -er at the end of the adjective Superlative adjectives: Add -est at the end of the adjective For comparative adjectives with three or more syllables: Add more before the adjective For superlative adjectives with three or more syllables: Add most before the adjective Example She is cleverer than her brothers. She is the cleverest member in the family. He is more successful than his classmates in the sports field. He is the most successful among his classmates in the sports field. Fill in each blank in the blog entry with the adjectives in brackets in the correct form. My happy birthday! I had the (1) (happy) birthday in my life today. One of the (2) (good) friends of mine, Jackson, gave me a surprise. We went on a balloon ride! We flew into the sky and saw buildings below us which were as (3) (small) as ants. When we flew (4) (high) and higher, we got (5) (excited). We landed on the grassland at sunset. This was the (6) (enjoyable) birthday I ve ever had. Thanks, Jackson! 9
TSA English Theme-based Exercises and Progress Tests S2 Your father is telling you some stories about your grandma. In about 130 words, write a descriptive essay about what your grandma did in her younger days. You can use some ideas from the following mind map and / or your own ideas in your writing. good academic results Chairperson of the Student Union her younger siblings housework at home at school My Successful Grandma an international news journalist at work attitude? travelled to many places many good news stories persevere brave Planning: 1. Keep the introduction and conclusion precise. 2. Describe your grandma from different perspectives. 3. Try to balance the length of every paragraph. 4. You may add your personal feelings into your descriptions. When she was young, she... Being the eldest daughter, she... had a brilliant performance participated actively in extra-curricular activities had outstanding achievements strong character has a great influence on me admired by people 10
Unit 4 Film Magic You are reading a film review of Avatar. Read the film review and answer the questions. Choose the best answer for each question and blacken the circle. Avatar After a dozen years of hard work, director James Cameron has proven that he is King of the world. His new film Avatar has attracted thousands of audiences around the world. It is really an exciting and impeccable film which is full of ground-breaking special effects. 5 The film is about a paraplegic marine soldier, Jake Sully, who is brought to another planet called Pandora. Pandora is home to the Na vi, and his job is to learn their ways so that he can earn their trust and eventually take control of their resources. If he finally succeeds, the government will keep its promise of getting his legs back. 10 However, at the time he is learning the Na vi s ways, he also learns how to treasure what the planet has given him and how to live harmoniously with it. He even builds a romantic relationship with a beautiful Na vi called Neytiri. Eventually, he stands side by side with the Na vi to fight against the humans. 15 The storyline of this film may not be innovative, but this is compensated for with wonderful special effects and exciting fight scenes. You may find the sight of the blue-skin Na vi a bit weird at first, but as the film goes on, you will simply fall in love with them. The director has successfully brought us the message that we should always know what s right from wrong. We could have a self-reflection after watching the film, which urges us to respect our planet and other races in the world. 43
TSA English Theme-based Exercises and Progress Tests S2 1. How many years has James Cameron worked on Avatar? A. six years B. eight years C. ten years D. twelve years 2. In paragraph 1, the review said James Cameron is King of the world. What does it suggest? A. He is arrogant. B. He is a great director. C. He is crazy. D. He is an ideal person. 3. In paragraph 2, what does the word paraplegic mean? A. He cannot see. B. He cannot hear. C. He cannot walk. D. He cannot speak. 4. What does Jake finally choose to do? A. to kill the Na vi B. to fight against the humans C. to relocate the Na vi D. to take over the humans 5. In paragraph 4, the writer gives both positive and negative comments about the storyline of Avatar. Quote two phrases which are positive comments. 6. Overall, do you think the writer has given positive or negative comments on this film? Write three related adjectives to show this. 7. Is there any message in the film? If so, what is it? 44
TSA English Theme-based Exercises and Progress Tests S2 Your English teacher has asked you to share your experience about helping people. Prepare a two-minute presentation about how you helped a child who got lost in a shopping mall. You can use some ideas from the following mind map and / or your own ideas in your preparation. to meet friends to buy something appearance age reason you were there Lost in the Shopping Mall the child what he / she was doing what you did asked him / her questions gave him / her food / drinks comforted him / her how you felt You may use the following or your own words to begin and end your presentation. Good morning / afternoon, everybody. I m going to talk about how I helped a child who got lost in a shopping mall. That s all I want to say. Thank you. END OF PAPER 76 Athens Education
Effective TSA Skills Effective TSA Skills Listening Unit 1 Listening for sequence When listening for sequence, read the questions carefully, identify the kinds of information required and study the information you have already collected. Demonstration Listen to the recording and number the pictures in sequence. Tapescript: Teacher: Have you ever heard of Aesop s Fables? Many children and adults have read the stories written by Aesop and are impressed by his wisdom. But do you know anything about him? Aesop was a great story teller with goals and faith. He liked to use animals as characters and emphasize their strengths and weaknesses in his stories. People always praise his stories because they are very educational and children can learn a lesson after reading them. There are no proper records of the background of Aesop, but most people believe that he was born in 620 B.C. in a town in Greece called Samos. People also said that he was born a slave and led a very hard life. Later his master admired his intelligence and gave him freedom. After Aesop was set free, he travelled to many countries and shared with people about his interests. He also preached what he believed with his stories and fables. Some of his audiences memorized his oral stories and had them written down and printed. It is believed that he had told over 600 fables which have been written and translated into different languages now. a. b. 2 4 c. d. 1 3 e. 5 157