7. T H A T ’ S E N G L I S H !
INTRODUCTIÓN
Bienvenido al octavo libro del curso That’s English!. En
esta introducción queremos ofrecerte varias sugerencias
para seguir cómodamente y con éxito este curso. Los
números de página que aparecen a continuación se refie-
ren al orden dentro de cada unidad.
1ª PÁGINA – PRIMER PROGRAMA DE TV
Antes de ver el primer programa de la semana, estudia
la primera página de la Sesión A. El título general te
informará sobre el tema de la unidad. En torno a este
tema girarán también los programas de TV y la cinta;
sirve, por tanto, como elemento aglutinador de toda la
lengua y actividades presentadas. Los objetivos describen
lo que se espera que hayas aprendido al finalizar el estu-
dio de la unidad. Puedes volver a ellos en ese momento y
comprobar si los has conseguido.
Los encabezamientos Before you watch, While you
watch y After you watch (antes, mientras y después
de ver el programa) te indican qué actividades debes
hacer en cada momento.
Before you watch presenta el vocabulario y las frases
clave del programa. Debes leerlas atentamente y buscar
en el diccionario cualquier palabra que desconozcas.
While you watch contiene las preguntas que los pre-
sentadores hacen al comienzo del programa; sirven para
darte una idea de qué va a tratar el sketch y para centrar
tu atención en los aspectos esenciales del mismo. Los
presentadores te darán las respuestas al finalizar el sketch.
Este apartado debes prepararlo cuidadosamente antes de
ver el programa, pues sirve para una mejor comprensión
y aprovechamiento del mismo.
Mientras ves el programa, intenta responder a las pre-
guntas hechas por los presentadores, pero recuerda que
lo más importante es seguir el hilo general de las conver-
saciones, y no debes preocuparte si hay algunas pa-labras
o expresiones que desconoces. Éstas aparecerán en el
libro y la cinta y, si no, tampoco importa. Es conveniente
que tengas papel y lápiz a mano, pues puede haber pala-
bras o explicaciones de los presentadores que te interese
anotar. Haz todo lo posible por grabar el programa en
vídeo: observarás que la segunda vez que lo veas
entenderás mucho más que la primera. Y si lo ves una
tercera vez, aún mejor.
Nada más terminar el programa, conviene que hagas la
sección After you watch. Con esta actividad, se intenta
medir si has comprendido lo fundamental del programa.
Si te resultara muy difícil realizar las actividades de esta
sección, deberías volver a ver el programa y enfrentarte
con ellas de nuevo.
La sección Now you! trata de que tú relaciones el tema
del programa con tus propias vivencias y opiniones.
También conviene que hagas esta actividad nada más
ver el programa, pues está muy relacionada con él, es
una forma de repasarlo e interiorizarlo.
2ª Y 6ª PÁGINAS – READING
Así como la primera página estaba dedicada al desa-
rrollo de la comprensión auditiva, las páginas 2 y 6
están dedicadas a la comprensión lectora, fundamental,
junto con aquélla, para el aprendizaje y dominio de una
lengua. Bajo el encabezamiento Reading, se encuentra
un texto que desarrolla diversos aspectos del tema gene-
ral. Léelo dos veces con detenimiento. Después con-
súltalo, siempre que sea necesario para realizar las activi-
dades propuestas en estas páginas, todas las cuales están
relacionadas con la lectura. La única diferencia entre las
dos páginas es que en la sexta, el texto es más auténtico,
en el sentido de que no está tan graduado su nivel, y, por
lo tanto, puede resultar más difícil. Pero lo importante en
la comprensión, tanto auditiva como lectora, no es la
comprensión de todas y cada una de las palabras, sino la
comprensión de lo esencial del texto, ya sea hablado o
escrito.
3ª, 4ª Y 7ª PÁGINAS – LANGUAGE STUDY
Estas páginas están dedicadas al desarrollo de los
siguientes aspectos:
Pronunciation Los ejercicios de pronunciación estu-
dian los diversos aspectos de la fonética: sonidos, acento,
ritmo y entonación, tratados desde el punto de vista de
las dificultades que ofrecen habitualmente al hablante
español. Estos ejercicios son fundamentales para mejo-
rar tu pronunciación. Para hacerlos, deberás usar la
cinta de audio. Conviene que grabes tu propia voz y la
compares con el modelo de la cinta. Para conseguir una
pronunciación aceptable, necesitarás repetir muchas
veces, pero el esfuerzo merece la pena.
Listening Estas actividades sirven no sólo para desa-
rrollar la importantísima destreza de comprender la pa-
labra hablada, sino también para reforzar el vocabu-
lario y las estructuras y funciones estudiadas. Para ello,
escucha la cinta con atención, no escribas nada. Vuelve
a escuchar la cinta e intenta completar los ejercicios,
rebobinando cuantas veces sea necesario. Escucha la
cinta de nuevo, siguiendo el texto y comprobando que
todas las respuestas son correctas.
Grammar La gramática juega un papel importante,
pero no esencial en el aprendizaje de una lengua. El
conocimiento de las reglas no lleva automáticamente a
aplicarlas bien a la hora de hablar o escribir; por tanto,
no debes obsesionarte con la gramática. Es más impor-
tante ser capaz de participar en una conversación, leer
un libro o escribir una carta que saber todas las reglas
de la lengua. Conviene buscar un equilibrio. El
conocimiento de las reglas gramaticales te ayudará a
entender ciertas estructuras complejas o simplemente
distintas a las españolas; también te permitirá corregir
tus propias producciones, probablemente a posteriori, y
te dará una cierta sensación de confianza; pero recuerda
que se pueden saber todas las reglas de una lengua y ser
incapaz de expresarse en la misma, así como también es
posible expresarse con toda fluidez y corrección sin
conocer las reglas. Cada actividad marcada con este
símbolo remite al apartado del mismo número
del Grammar Summary que encontrarás al final del
libro. Si todavía tuvieras dudas, llama por teléfono al
número 900 que hallarás en la guía del alumno. Intenta
resolver tus dudas de esta forma, pues la sesión de tutoría
no debe dedicarse a dar explicaciones gramaticales, sino
al desarrollo de la destreza oral.
1G
vi
8. INTRODUCTION
Speaking Muchas de las actividades de expresión
oral de estas páginas son diálogos abiertos, es decir,
conversaciones con un interlocutor, cuya voz está
grabada en la cinta. Si puedes trabajar con algún
amigo, haz estos ejercicios con él, intercambiando los
papeles: primero tu amigo hace de interlocutor y tú das
tus propias respuestas, y luego al revés. Otras activi-
dades son más abiertas y podrás realizarlas en la sesión
de tutoría con tus compañeros de clase.
Writing Para muchos de los ejercicios de expresión
escrita de estas páginas no hay una solución correcta
única. Esto no debe preocuparte. No es necesario que
todo lo que escribas sea absolutamente correcto.
Escribe con confianza, echa mano de tus fuentes de
consulta: diccionarios, gramáticas, amigos; no tengas
miedo de cometer errores, y piensa que es escribiendo
como se aprende a escribir.
5ª PÁGINA – SEGUNDO PROGRAMA DE TV
La sesión B del libro, que se corresponde con el segundo
programa de TV de la semana, tiene por objeto ampliar
la lengua presentada en la sesión anterior de forma
menos controlada y más natural. El segundo programa
está compuesto por diversos elementos que abordan el
tema general de la semana, iniciado en la sesión anterior,
desde muy distintos puntos de vista.
■ Street interviews: entrevistas realizadas en la calle
a diversas personas sobre el tema de la unidad.
■ From the archive: breves secuencias de películas o
documentos de televisión cuya función es introducirte en
el lenguaje real de dichos medios de comunicación.
■ News from the past: noticias del siglo XVI que, en
realidad, te presentan el lenguaje y la estructura de las
noticias de la actualidad (titulares, corresponsales y
resúmenes).
■ How to be British: breves sketches en los que se dan
claves para comportarse ‘adecuadamente’ en la sociedad
británica.
Todos estos elementos hacen el programa muy
atractivo y real, pero algo más difícil que el primero.
Es fundamental que antes de verlo lo prepares muy bien,
y a eso está dedicada la primera página de la sesión B.
En esta página, hay dos grandes apartados: Before you
watch y After you watch que presentan actividades
relacionadas con cada uno de los elementos menciona-
dos.
Pues bien, antes de ver el segundo programa, es muy
conveniente que leas todas las actividades de las dos sec-
ciones, porque en ellas encontrarás toda la lengua básica
del programa y, si las lees cuidadosamente, buscando en
el diccionario las palabras desconocidas, te resultará
mucho más motivador y fácil ver y comprender todos los
elementos.
Realiza las actividades de la sección Before you watch
antes de ver el programa de TV: muchas de ellas están
encaminadas a familiarizarte con el lenguaje que se va a
usar.
Realiza las actividades de la sección After you watch
después de ver el programa. Éstas tienen por misión
medir tu comprensión de los diversos elementos.
Un consejo que deberías tener muy en cuenta: no te
preocupes si no entiendes todas y cada una de las pala-
bras que oigas o leas. Lo importante es entender lo esen-
cial de cada uno de los elementos.
8ª Y 9ª PÁGINAS – CONSOLIDATION
En esta parte del libro se repasan y amplían los conteni-
dos de las dos primeras sesiones, A y B. Cada una de las
actividades integra varias destrezas, bien sea la comp-
rensión auditiva con la expresión escrita u oral, o la
comprensión lectora con la expresión escrita u oral, etc.
Aunque esta parte del libro no tenga mucha relación
directa con el tercer programa de TV de la semana, sería
conveniente posponer su realización hasta después de
haber visto dicho programa de TV. Al fin y al cabo, los
dos elementos, el programa y la sección del libro, sirven
para repasar y ampliar los contenidos de la unidad.
Algunas de estas actividades pueden ser más abiertas y
menos controladas que las de las sesiones A y B. No
debes preocuparte si no sabes si has resuelto bien la
actividad o no. El mismo hecho de realizarla te ha servi-
do para mucho. Como muchas otras cosas de la vida,
una lengua se aprende practicándola y cometiendo
errores. La corrección de los errores puede ser impor-
tante, pero mucho más importante es el uso y la práctica
de la lengua con o sin errores.
Learning strategies Por último, también encontra-
rás en estas páginas actividades dedicadas al desarrollo
de las estrategias de aprendizaje, es decir, las que ayu-
dan al aprendizaje autónomo. En este libro octavo, se
pone el énfasis en una serie de estrategias destinadas a
potenciar tu capacidad de expresarte oralmente. Para
participar en una conversación en una lengua extranjera
es importante dominar algunos recursos que te ayuden a
superar tus deficiencias en dicha lengua y a evitar que se
rompa la comunicación: pedir ayuda a tu interlocutor,
pedir aclaraciones, repeticiones, etc. En cada unidad
encontrarás actividades pensadas para que vayas desa-
rrollando de manera paulatina estas estrategias tan útiles
en la comunicación oral.
10ª PÁGINA – SELF TEST
Esta última página de cada unidad te da la oportunidad
de que te autoevalúes y además pretende prepararte para
el examen de fin de módulo. Cada página constará de
una actividad de comprensión auditiva o de comprensión
lectora, así como de una actividad de expresión oral o
escrita y de algún ejercicio sobre el uso de la lengua.
No debes realizar estos ejercicios hasta después de haber
completado las otras tres partes de la unidad y de
haber visto los tres programas de TV. Si te resulta muy
difícil esta página, vuelve a hacer las partes relevantes de
la unidad, vuelve a ver los programas de televisión,
consulta, si es necesario, con la línea 900 (la llamada es
totalmente gratuita) y, sobre todo, no te desesperes.
En esta misma página, en la parte inferior, encontrarás
el apartado How to be British, que refuerza el con-
tenido de la sección del mismo nombre del segundo
programa de TV.
Por último, un consejo muy importante para que puedas
tener éxito con el curso That’s English!: asiste a
las sesiones de tutoría con regularidad. Son funda-
mentales para el desarrollo de la expresión oral.
vii
9.
10. 1 CONSUMERISM
1
UNITONE
MAKING YOUR DREAMS COME TRUE
BEFORE YOU WATCH
1 Relaciona las ilustraciones (1–4) con el texto
correspondiente (a–d).
a Turn up the volume with this wonderful stereo.
b Relax in the leather passenger seat.
c This car does 135 mph.
d Imagine yourself driving this wonderful car.
2 Observa la siguiente lista. Antes de comprar
un coche, ¿qué se debe y qué no se debe hacer?
Marca la casilla adecuada.
1 Read the contract carefully.
2 Go for a test drive.
3 Crash the car.
4 See your bank manager to borrow some money.
5 Steal the car.
6 Make sure the car is under guarantee.
WHILE YOU WATCH
3 Responde a las siguientes preguntas.
1 Why has Tom bought a new car?
2 How does Tom try to persuade Marco to buy
the car?
AFTER YOU WATCH
4 ¿Qué terminación (a–d) elegirías para las
siguientes frases?
1 I would be
embarrassed if I had
a car that . . .
2 A car like this . . .
3 You know, few men
are brave enough . . .
4 I’d buy it . . .
a . . . is not easy to sell these days.
b . . . if I could afford it.
c . . . to make their dreams come true.
d . . . was so bad for the environment.
5 Responde a las preguntas.
1 How much did Tom pay for the car?
2 Why did the bank manager advise him not to
buy it?
3 Who would buy a car like that?
4 Why didn’t the salesman help him when the car
broke down?
5 How much was the salesman prepared to give
Tom for the car?
NOW YOU!
6 Si pudieras, ¿qué artículo de lujo comprarías?
Completa las siguientes frases.
I’ve always dreamed of (buying/owning) . . .
If I had a ...... like that, I’d . . .
O B J E T I VO S
Hablar de gastos superfluos y necesarios
Hacer una reclamación por un artículo defectuoso
Solicitar ayuda en la comunicación oral
A •••
11. T H A T ’ S E N G L I S H !2
READING
7 Paul compró un coche, pero no está satisfecho.
Lee su carta de reclamación y luego responde a las
preguntas.
1 What car did
Paul buy?
2 How did he get
the money to
pay for it?
3 What went
wrong with the
car? Where?
4 Why couldn’t
Paul get a refund
or replacement?
5 What does Paul
expect Mr Sharp
to do?
6 If Mr Sharp
doesn’t do it,
what might Paul
do?
8 A En la carta
de Paul aparecen
los siguientes
verbos. Relaciona
cada uno (1–6)
con la partícula
correspondiente
(a–f ).
1 talk 2 put 3 put 4 break 5 rule 6 look
a by b down c into d out e into f off
B Cuando un verbo y una partícula forman un
todo, el verbo adquiere un significado distinto
al que tiene por sí solo. Relaciona los verbos
compuestos de la parte A con el significado
correspondiente de la siguiente lista.
1 investigate 4 persuade
2 stop working 5 save
3 discourage 6 decide something isn’t possible
9 Completa las frases siguientes con la
información que se incluye en la carta de Paul.
1 Paul was angry because . . .
2 Paul went to his bank to . . .
3 When Paul went for a drive in the country, . . .
4 Paul asked the salesman for . . .
5 The salesman offered Paul . . .
6 If Paul didn’t get his money back, . . .
10 Deduce por el contexto lo que significan
las palabras siguientes de la carta de Paul.
Luego completa con ellas las frases que hay a
continuación.
complain
legal action
the small print
a loan
a contract
1 If I wanted to buy a
new car, I would
have to get ...... from
my bank to pay for it.
2 The last time I
bought a new car,
there was a problem
with the brakes and I
had to phone up the
manager of the
company to ......
about it.
3 Before you sign ......
or some kind of
agreement,
remember to read
...... or you may have
some unpleasant
surprises.
4 When the company
refused to pay his
car repairs, he
threatened them
with ...... .
Mr Vic Sharp
Real Racers Ltd
143 Rally Avenue
Tooting
London SW23 9JT
Dear Mr Sharp
I am writing to complain about the staff and service at your
used-car showroom in London. I am very angry indeed about the
treatment I have received.
Just three weeks ago, I bought a second-hand Pontiac Firebird
from your salesman. This vehicle was very expensive, but the
salesman talked me into it. I had some money put by for holidays
and emergencies, but it wasn’t enough to pay for the car, so I
applied for a loan from my bank. I bought the car, even though my
bank manager, who is a personal friend, tried to put me off.
One week after I had bought the car, I was out on a drive in the
country with a friend. Without warning, the car broke down in the
middle of nowhere and the engine went up in smoke. The following
day I went back to the showroom to complain. I told the salesman
that the vehicle was faulty. I wanted a refund or a replacement.
He told me the car had no guarantee. He offered to buy the car
back, but at less than half the original price.
I think it is disgusting that your staff treat customers in
this way. It is true that I did not read the small print on my
contract. However, this did not give your salesman the right to
mislead me. I have not ruled out the possibility of taking legal
action against you and your company. Please can you look into
this matter immediately and arrange to collect the car and to
give me a full refund! I look forward to hearing from you by
return of post.
Yours sincerely
Paul Punter
Paul Punter
12. O N E I C O N S U M E R I S M
UNITONE
3
LANGUAGE STUDY
11 Pronunciation
Presta atención a los siguientes sonidos vocálicos.
Unos son largos y otros son cortos.
/i / bean // bin
/u / fool /υ/ full
/ / sport / / spot
Ahora escucha las siguientes palabras. En ellas
aparecen las vocales largas y cortas antes
mencionadas. Anota cada palabra en la columna
correspondiente.
warm three moon sea six good dog
tooth big talk book not
/i / // /u / /υ/ / / / /
12 Observa las ilustraciones y construye
frases con phrasal verbs.
Example: 1 Turn up the volume./Turn the volume up.
13 Coloca las palabras de cada frase en el orden
que corresponde.
1 for/I’ve put/my next holiday/by/some money
2 my sister/thanks/last weekend/up/for putting
3 the football match/the television/down/just in the
middle of/broke
4 ruled/of buying/out/we’ve/the idea/a new house
14 ¿Qué harías si te encontraras en las
siguientes situaciones? Completa las frases
utilizando el tiempo verbal adecuado.
Example:
If I (find) a burglar in my flat, . . .
If I found a burglar in my flat, I would ring the police.
1 If someone (offer) to sell me a new watch at a
very low price, . . .
2 If my car (break down) in the desert, . . .
3 If I (hear) a loud noise in the middle of the night, . . .
4 If someone (ask) me for money on the
underground, . . .
5 If I (buy) a faulty dishwasher, . . .
15 Las expresiones (a–f ) se utilizan para
efectuar reclamaciones o quejas. Combínalas
con una o varias de las oraciones (1–6).
a I’ve got a problem with . . .
b This tap is driving me mad.
c I’m writing to complain about . . .
d I’m disappointed because . . .
e I’m upset about . . .
f I’d like to make a complaint about . . .
1 . . . my car. It’s broken down.
2 . . . this clock. It works for about 45 minutes, then
it stops and I have to wind it up again.
3 . . . this blouse. When I took it home, I realised
the collar was torn.
4 . . . this chair is damaged. One of the legs is
broken.
5 . . . the service in this restaurant. I had to wait
nearly an hour for my first course.
6 It keeps dripping because the washer is worn out.
Muchos verbos ingleses constan de dos palabras:
verbo y partícula. Por ejemplo, take down, come
on. Estos verbos compuestos suelen denominarse
phrasal verbs.
I A veces el significado de las dos palabras se
combina para formar un nuevo verbo en español.
Así, walk, que significa andar, unido a across, que
significa a través, da el verbo walk across, con el
significado de cruzar.
I En otros casos, el significado de la primera palabra
se ve intensificado por la segunda. Así, tire (cansar)
junto con out produce tire out, con el significado
de cansar mucho, agotar.
I Por último, algunos de estos verbos tienen un
significado totalmente diferente al de las dos
palabras aisladas. Por ejemplo, put up (alojar),
put off (posponer). En este caso, cuando el verbo
lleva un complemento directo, la partícula puede
ir delante de éste o detrás.
We had to put the party off.
We had to put off the party.
Pero si el complemento directo es un pronombre, la
partícula va detrás necesariamente.
We had to put it off.
Consulta la página 43 de este libro y las páginas 23 y
88 del libro 7 si quieres ver una descripción de las
oraciones condicionales del segundo tipo.
1G
13. T H A T ’ S E N G L I S H !4
16 Yvonne ha tenido varios problemas
con su teléfono móvil. Lee la carta de reclamación
que ha escrito, y coloca los párrafos en el orden
correcto. Luego anota las fórmulas que te podrían
servir para redactar una carta similar.
Dear Sir,
a Consequently, I am very disappointed indeed with
this purchase. The phone is obviously faulty and is
not worth the large amount of money I paid for
it. I would like a full refund or a new phone.
b Furthermore, when the phone is working, recep-
tion is poor. I can’t hear the people I am speaking
to. I do not know if I can receive international
calls because my World Link phone does not ring.
c This particular model, the MT200, was the most
expensive in the shop. The salesman assured me
that the batteries would last 24 hours without
recharging, that the phone would give good
reception and that I would be able to receive
international calls.
d I’d like to make a complaint about my World Link
mobile phone. I bought the phone one month ago
in the duty-free shop at Heathrow Airport,
before flying out on a business trip to Madrid.
e I would appreciate it if you could deal with this
matter at your earliest convenience, since I need
a phone for business purposes.
f Unfortunately, this is not true. First of all, the
batteries do not fit properly. They fall out of the
phone when I am using it, and I get disconnected
as a result.
Yours faithfully,
Yvonne Hay
Ahora escucha a Yvonne leyendo su carta, y
comprueba tus respuestas.
17 Imagínate que el televisor que has
comprado es defectuoso. Llamas por teléfono al
establecimiento donde lo compraste y hablas con
el dependiente. Escucha la cinta, y utiliza las notas
siguientes para responder a las preguntas del
dependiente.
Assistant Hello, Dawson Electricals. Can I help you?
You 1) want/make/complaint/an EMS
television set.
Assistant I see. Did you buy the TV set here?
You 2) yes/six weeks ago/before/holiday/
South America
Assistant Did you say it was an EMS TV? Which
model was it?
You 3) yes/ZL 520/most expensive/in/shop
Assistant What seems to be the problem?
You 4) salesman/assured/TV/was colour/had
NICAM stereo
Assistant And doesn’t it?
You 5) No/colour/not work
Assistant Sorry, I don’t understand. Why doesn’t
it work?
You 6) TV picture/black and white
Assistant Oh, I see. Are there any other problems?
You 7) picture/blurred
Assistant Sorry?
You 8) picture/not/clear
Assistant Anything else?
You 9) not have/stereo sound
Assistant What do you mean exactly?
You 10) not have/time to explain/write your
company/letter
Ahora escucha la conversación completa de la
cinta.
18 La conversación con el dependiente de
Dawson Electricals no ha servido de mucho.
Ahora tendrás que remitir tus quejas por escrito.
Indica en la carta que quieres un televisor nuevo
o que te reembolsen el importe de lo que pagaste;
asimismo, señala que te gustaría que tramitasen
tu reclamación cuanto antes porque necesitas un
televisor para ver los programas de That’s
English! al empezar el nuevo módulo dentro de
tres semanas. Básate en el modelo de carta de la
actividad 16.
Dear Sir,
I’d like to make a complaint about . . .
I’m very disappointed with . . .
I would appreciate it if . . .
Yours faithfully,
14. O N E I C O N S U M E R I S M
UNITONE
5
BEFORE YOU WATCH
1 How to be British
¿Qué responderías si alguien hiciera las siguientes
observaciones acerca de tu casa?
1 Your house looks expensive!
a Well, we’ve always loved this type of
architecture. It’s so stylish.
b Yes, I’m very rich.
c Something else.
2 You’ve got a garden and a gardener! I’ve worked
hard all my life and I can only afford a small
house at the other end of town.
a It took a long time for me to get where I am
today. I’ve worked hard too.
b You obviously aren’t very clever.
c Something else.
2 News from the past
Responde a las preguntas.
1 Why did people start smoking in the 16th century?
2 What important plants were brought back from
the New World?
3 From the archive
Relaciona las palabras (1–6) con su significado
correspondiente (a–f ).
1 manufacture a with lots of light
2 well lighted b helping you spend less money
3 time saving c sellers to supermarkets
4 money saving d things you buy
5 purchases e helping you spend less time
6 suppliers f make in a factory
MAKING COMPLAINTS
AFTER YOU WATCH
4 Street interviews
Señala las situaciones en las que se quejaron las
personas entrevistadas en el programa.
5 How to be British
John y Mike estaban hablando de la nueva casa
de John. Responde a las preguntas siguientes.
1 John bought his house because . . .
a he and his wife love Georgian architecture.
b it was expensive.
c it has a garden and they enjoy gardening.
2 His house cost . . .
a £320,000.
b about £300,000.
c less than £300,000.
6 News from the past
Reconstruye la noticia con los siguientes elementos.
1 Indians/America/smoking tobacco. Sir John
Hawkins/brought back/tobacco/New World.
Now/people/tobacco/court/Queen Elizabeth.
2 Sir Walter Raleigh/taken/potato plant/New
World/planted/Ireland.
Potato/popular food/Britain.
7 From the archive
Aquí tienes cuatro ventajas que ofrecen los
supermercados. ¿Cuáles se mencionaron en
la película?
1 It’s a good place to meet your friends.
2 The food is fresher than in ordinary food
shops.
3 You can buy food from all round the
world.
4 It’s easy to find the food in a supermarket.
¿Estás de acuerdo con todas estas afirmaciones?
NOW YOU!
8 Responde a las siguientes preguntas.
I When was the last time you complained?
I What was it about?
I Why did you complain?
B •••
15. T H A T ’ S E N G L I S H !6
READING
9 Observa el título de este
artículo sobre las compras
en los supermercados.
A Tú, ¿qué crees? ¿Son
verdaderas o falsas las
siguientes afirmaciones?
1 Supermarkets try to
persuade customers to
buy more.
2 They tell the customer
what they are doing.
3 Their methods are not
effective.
¿Qué palabras del título te
han hecho pensar que las
anteriores declaraciones
eran o verdaderas o falsas?
B ¿Qué aspectos crees que
se van a tratar en el artículo?
Anótalos.
Ahora lee el artículo y
comprueba tus respuestas.
10 Responde a las siguientes preguntas.
1 Why do most people prefer ‘turning to the right’?
2 What is a ‘KVI’?
3 When do people miss ‘buying opportunities’?
4 Do supermarket customers enjoy preparing and
cooking their own food?
12 Completa la tabla siguiente.
sliced very
finely
Adapted from How hidden persuasion makes shoppers spend
by James Erlichman, The Guardian
Supermarkets don’t like
talking openly about
their selling tactics. In
fact, everything in the
local supermarket is try-
ing to increase sales and
profits. This means get-
ting consumers to buy
things they don’t really
need, but cannot resist.
Virtually every new
superstore has its main
doors on the left so that
shopping is done clock-
wise, to the right. Nine
out of ten people are
right-handed and they
prefer turning to the
right. The mouth-water-
ing smell of fresh bread
from the store’s bakery
is blown through venti-
lation ducts to attract
customers into the shop.
Fruit and vegetables
greet the shopper when
they enter: supermar-
kets like customers to
associate them with
high-quality, fresh pro-
duce.
Profits from the
stores’ ‘own label’ prod-
ucts are normally higher
than those from the big
manufacturers. A store’s
‘own label’ baked beans
are usually placed to the
left of the Heinz display
because the eye reads
left to right and will spot
the store’s brand first.
Of the 16,000 items of
food which a superstore
displays, only about 200
are KVIs – Known Value
Items – essentials such
as tea, butter and cof-
fee, the price of which
will be known by most
customers.
Supermarkets apply
two rules here. Firstly,
keep the cost competi-
tive. Secondly, place the
KVIs around the store so
that customers will have
to search for them and
walk past the frozen
black forest gateau, or
the mange tout peas –
items they do not really
need.
The lighting in the
wine section is usually
soft to encourage
browsing, but it is sharp
and bright at the cos-
metics counter to sug-
gest cleanliness. A large
shelf with lots of bottles
of tomato ketchup sells
more sauce than a shelf
that is small and half
empty. The width of the
supermarket aisles is an
important factor too. If
people move too fast,
they miss buying oppor-
tunities. Supermarkets
try to make people go
across the aisles by
putting the best-selling
digestive biscuit on one
side and the most popu-
lar chocolate one on the
other.
Many consumers
appear willing to pay
almost any price to
avoid preparing food.
Grated carrots wrapped
in a nice plastic bag sell
well for £1.18 a pound
at the local supermar-
ket. Whole carrots, a
short distance away,
cost just 19p a pound.
Hidden persuasion makes shoppers spend
11 Relaciona las palabras del artículo (1–5) con
el significado correspondiente (a–e).
1 ‘own label’ products a looking at things in an
2 spot unhurried way
3 browsing b see, notice
4 cleanliness c hygienic conditions
5 aisles d the space between two
rows of shelves
e foods prepared by the
supermarket itself, the
store’s brand
SELLING TACTIC REASON
I Main doors are on the left. I Most people are right-handed and prefer to do their shopping
clockwise to the right.
I The smell of fresh bread is blown through the ventilation ducts. I ......
I ...... I Customers see the fresh produce as soon as they enter the store
and get a good first impression of the supermarket.
I ...... I We read from left to right, so customers see the store’s
own label product before they see the rival product.
I KVIs are in different places around the store. I ......
I ...... I Soft lighting helps customers feel relaxed and this encourages
them to buy.
I There is bright lighting at the cosmetics counter. I ......
I ...... I Customers buy produce from well-stocked shelves. They don’t
buy as much from shelves that are small and have little on them.
I The aisles are narrow, and popular products are opposite each I ......
other across the aisles.
the number of
items a shop
sells and the
money it makes
as a result
distance across
place where
bread and
cakes are
made
16. she’s at 7) ...... home in 8) ...... London, she pays
regular visits to 9) ...... expensive boutiques of
10) ...... Knightsbridge and 11) ...... Bond Street.
12) ...... truth is, she loves 13) ...... beautiful things.
Official duties are tiring, and 14) ...... Diana spends
a lot of 15) ...... money on 16) ...... alternative
therapies like 17) ...... reflexology, 18) ......
aromatherapy and 19) ...... holistic massage. For
20) ...... entertainment, she goes regularly to 21) ......
theatre, to 22) ...... concerts and to 23) ...... cinema.
In 24) ...... winter months, she loves 25) ...... skiing in
26) ....... most exclusive European resorts, and in
27) ...... summer, she plays 28) ...... tennis at one of
29) ...... most expensive clubs in 30) ...... south of
31) ...... England. Her ‘grooming’ bill last year was
over £250,000. Her life is expensive.
15 Escribe una lista de las cosas que compras
habitualmente. En tu clase de tutoría indica por
qué compras tales artículos.
16 En esta unidad se ha hablado de cómo
se convence al consumidor para que gaste más
dinero en los supermercados. Escribe unas cien
palabras sobre aquellos artículos de consumo que
consideres más superfluos. Menciona los siguientes
aspectos.
I things we don’t need
I why we buy them
I what could we do with the money we save
Empieza del siguiente modo:
I think we spend too much money on things we
don’t really need. For example, I buy ...... . I also
spend a lot of money on ...... . My friend buys . . .
O N E I C O N S U M E R I S M 7
LANGUAGE STUDY
13 Christine Snowdon tiene un problema:
roba en las tiendas de forma compulsiva. Escucha
las razones que da y colócalas en el orden en que
las menciona.
a She took something if she needed it. It was a
habit.
b She took things because she couldn’t afford them.
c She put some things in her bag, but she forgot
she had taken them.
d She and her friends stole things for fun.
e She stole because it was a challenge and she was
bored.
14 Lee este resumen de un artículo periodístico
y añade el artículo donde corresponda.
1) ...... Prince Charles is annoyed that 2) ...... his wife
spends so much 3) ...... money on 4) ...... clothes
and 5) ...... general ‘grooming’. She makes frequent
shopping trips to 6) ...... United States, and when
UNITONE
Se usa the para referirse a lo siguiente:
I algo que ya se ha mencionado
Which tie do you want?
– The striped one.
I algo que se conoce bien
I’ll meet you at the pub/the cinema.
Se usa the con un adjetivo para indicar todas las cosas
o personas del mismo tipo.
Only the rich can afford to live in this area.
Cuando la referencia es de tipo general se suele omitir
el artículo determinado . . .
Wine is my favourite drink.
Life is a dream.
beautiful things, money, skiing, expensive clubs,
holistic medicine
. . . pero se incluye en afirmaciones específicas.
The wine I usually drink is Rioja.
In the summer months I go to London.
One of the most expensive clubs in London.
The aromatherapist I go to is very good.
El artículo no se usa con nombres de personas, cargos,
calles, países o continentes.
Mrs Thatcher, Queen Elizabeth, Oxford Street, Spain,
Africa
Sin embargo, algunos nombres no siguen esta regla.
the United States, the Philippines, the United
Kingdom, the Netherlands, the south of England
17. CONSOLIDATION
1 Todas las semanas, el programa de radio Time Out cuenta con tres invitados a los que se pide
que imaginen unas vacaciones en un lugar que se sale de lo corriente. Esta semana, los invitados son
Graham, Linda y Robert, y el lugar de destino es una isla desierta. Escucha el programa, y luego rellena
la tabla con lo que cada invitado se llevaría y el porqué.
What? Why?
Graham
Linda
Robert
2 Algunas de las cosas que acaban de mencionar los tres invitados aparecen en un catálogo de venta
por correo. Linda se va realmente de vacaciones, aunque no a una isla desierta, y como ya sabes las cosas
que se llevaría, te ha pedido que rellenes en su nombre la hoja de pedidos y te ha
dejado una nota con la información que necesitas.
T H A T ’ S E N G L I S H !8
1 A handsome sports watch with a stainless steel case. It gives you the date, it
has a second hand, and it chimes every hour. Water resistant.
Strap colours: green, red, black.
WA 448 £44.95
2 Sunray sunglasses. These sunglasses
darken as the sun gets brighter.
Anti-glare. Styled for men and
women.
Colours: silver or gold.
SU 672 £56.99
3 This floral print bikini is just what you
need for your summer holiday. It
comes in three attractive colours:
blue, pink, yellow.
Sizes: 8, 10, 12, 14
BK 289 £17.99
4 Personal cassette player and
stereo waveband radio.
Automatic stop, with head-
phones and belt clip. Requires
two AA batteries.
Colours: black, blue, yellow.
CP 211 £24.99
5 Take perfect pictures every time
with this compact 35 mm
automatic camera. The camera
has a zoom lens and comes
complete with a carrying case
and batteries.
Colours: black, white, pink.
AU 635 £39.99
6 These binoculars really are
pocket-sized – in fact, they’re
possibly the smallest binoculars in
the world. They come complete
with a protective case, a wrist strap
and a lens polishing cloth.
Colours: grey, black, navy.
BI 522 £59.99
18. 3 Para ahorrar tiempo, Linda te ha rogado que hagas el pedido por teléfono. Usa la información
que te ha dado Linda sobre sus datos personales y su cuenta. Escucha a la empleada y responde a sus
preguntas.
4 Haz tres listas:
I five different objects and possessions that you use regularly in the course of a week, like your car, your
telephone, etc.
I three services you use in the course of a week, like going to the hairdresser or supermarket
I five different foods that you eat very often
Indica todo aquello que te parezca fundamental, y de lo que no puedes prescindir. Menciona también
aquellas cosas sin las que podrías vivir perfectamente. Indica las razones. Empieza del siguiente modo.
I could easily live without ...... because ...... , but it would be very difficult for me to live without ...... for these
reasons. Firstly, ...... . Secondly, ...... . Lastly, ...... . If I had to give up four things from each of my lists, I
would choose ...... because ...... . If I lived on a desert island, the thing I would miss most is . . .
O N E I C O N S U M E R I S M
UNITONE
9
ORDER FORM
Goods required
Please check all order details, especially the item number. This is important to ensure you
receive the right goods at the right price.
Catalogue How Colour Size Description Price each Total
item number many? value
TELEPHONE OR POST
YOUR ORDER NOW.
19. 3 Imagínate que has comprado una crema
anticelulítica, pero no te ha servido de nada.
Escribe una carta de unas cien palabras al
fabricante quejándote de los escasos resultados.
1 Escribe preguntas para las siguientes respuestas.
1 If I won the lottery, I’d go to the Bahamas.
2 If I were rich, I’d buy a villa in Tenerife.
3 If I didn’t understand, I’d say, ‘Could you repeat
that please?’
4 If I took something from a shop by mistake, I
would take it back.
5 If someone said she liked my work, I’d feel very
pleased.
2 Aquí tienes un artículo sobre un experimento
científico que se llevó a cabo en Estados Unidos.
Lee el artículo y contesta las siguientes preguntas.
1 What did millions of women use these special
creams for?
2 What did the expert mean when he said the
‘wonder products’ were ‘a fat lot of good’?
3 What would happen if a woman exercised and
changed her diet at the same time as she used the
cream?
4 How did the sixteen women know that the
cream had not worked?
5 Why did the seventeenth woman think the cream
worked?
T H A T ’ S E N G L I S H !10
SELF TEST
No ‘thigh’ hopes for cellulite sufferers
To millions of women they offered smooth slim thighs! If you
used these creams, they would melt away the cellulite from the
upper legs.
But yesterday an American expert concluded that such wonder
products are a fat lot of good. ‘If you just applied the cream
and didn’t exercise or change your diet, there would be no
difference,’ said Dr Leroy Young, of Washington University in
St Louis.
He recruited seventeen women for an eight-week experiment.
Some applied a £20 jar of cream to their thighs, while others
were given a placebo – a substance known to have no effect.
Sixteen noted no difference and they could prove this with
photographs and measurements. The seventeenth woman
convinced herself that the cream worked, even though her
size and weight did not change. ‘Some people just believe in
miracles,’ Dr Young told the American Society for Aesthetic
Plastic Surgery in San Francisco.
For years there has been much discussion about so-called
cellulite-reducing creams. Some doctors don’t believe that
cellulite exists and say that it is merely fat.
Money tends to be a taboo subject in some circles
in Britain. Many British people find it very
embarrassing to discuss personal finances, even
with close friends, and it is considered impolite to
do so. As a rule, it is advisable not to ask people
how much they paid for their house, their clothes or
their other possessions. In general, the British do
their best to protect their ‘privacy’, so you would
not, for example, ask someone personal questions,
such as how much they earned, what they paid for
clothes or jewellery or how old they are.
To show one’s wealth is regarded as vulgar, and this
makes it difficult to know how well off someone is
just by looking at his or her external appearance.
If a person wears inexpensive clothes and little or
no jewellery, it does not necessarily mean that they
have no money. Similarly, if they are smartly and
expensively dressed, it does not mean that they are
wealthy.
How to be British
Adapted from
Cellulite thigh creams ‘just melt away women’s money’,
Daily Mail
20. 2 EARTH MATTERS
11
UNITTWO
ECOLOGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT
BEFORE YOU WATCH
1 Combina las palabras de la primera lista
(1–6) con las de la segunda (a–f ) para formar
expresiones que se utilizan normalmente al
hablar de ecología. Luego relaciona dichas
expresiones con las ilustraciones (A–F).
1 bottle a clearance
2 endangered b bank
3 exhaust c warming
4 nuclear d fumes
5 global e waste
6 rainforest f species
2 Relaciona las expresiones de la actividad 1
con los siguientes temas.
deforestation animal conservation recycling
climate change air pollution
environmental pollution
WHILE YOU WATCH
3 Responde a las siguientes preguntas.
1 Who is going to make a lot of money from the
new road and why?
2 What happened to Louise?
AFTER YOU WATCH
4 Subraya la información correcta.
1 The council is planning to build a new road
through the town/through Highfield woods.
2 Many local people are for/against the destruction
of Highfield Woods.
3 The council prefers route A/route B for financial/
environmental reasons.
4 The baby has suffered because of global warming/
air pollution.
5 The mother knew/didn’t know who Louise was.
NOW YOU!
5 Señala las cosas que haces en beneficio del
medio ambiente.
I recycle bottles I limit the amount of
I use public transport water you use
instead of your car I keep the streets and
I join in a car share beaches clean
I recycle newspapers I care about local
I use unleaded petrol wildlife
I use low-energy lamps I use aerosols without
in your home CFCs (chlorofluoro-
carbons)
O B J E T I VO S
Describir hechos y procesos
Expresar interés y preocupación
A •••
21. T H A T ’ S E N G L I S H !12
READING
6 Lee estos tres textos rápidamente e
indica de qué aspectos de interés ecológico
se ocupa cada organización.
7 Ahora lee los textos más detenidamente y
responde a las siguientes preguntas.
1 Which organisations want new members?
2 Which organisation is the most radical?
3 According to the texts, which organisation also
exists in the United States?
4 Which organisation works in only one area of
environmental protection?
8 ¿Verdadero o falso?
1 Friends of the Earth campaign to make laws more
environmentally friendly.
2 Earth First! always organises non-violent protests.
3 Earth First! campaigns against the construction of
new roads.
4 The Woodland Trust has been working for more
than fifty years.
Youc a n
help
make
the world cleaner
and safer for future
generations. Rainforest destruction, air pol-
lution, global warming, threatened wildlife
areas . . . It is easy to feel powerless against
environmental destruction like this. But you
can have an impact by joining Friends of the
Earth. We believe it is important to deal
with the causes, not just the symptoms of
environmental destruction. With every cam-
paign, we try to force industries and govern-
ments to stop practices which pollute and
degrade. For more than 20 years, Friends of
the Earth has cam-
paigned for stricter
laws to protect
the environ-
ment. Please
join us and
help us to
carry on.
Supporters of Earth First!,
Britain’s most radical envi-
ronmental group, are meeting to
decide if they should intensify
their campaign from non-violent
protest to ‘green sabotage’. Based
on the US group of the same
name, Earth First! has been
responsible for many of the
recent anti-motorway protests
in Britain. They have already
used sabotage in their strategy,
with attacks on timber yards as
well as road-building projects.
The group was founded in the
UK four years ago by students
who felt disillusioned with exist-
ing organisations such as
Greenpeace. It now has more
than 60 local groups and thou-
sands of committed activists.
Protecting Britain’s woodland
for everyone to enjoy
The Woodland Trust is Britain’s largest charity
dedicated solely to the protection of our native
woodland. Since 1972, the Trust has acquired
over 700 woods covering more than 24,000 acres across Britain, and
planted over one million trees. But we need help to continue our work.
Over the last 50 years, 50% of Britain’s ancient woodland has been
destroyed. The rest is threatened by growing urbanisation, road-building
programmes, and other industrial expansion. Woodland planted to
replace the trees that have been destroyed needs careful planning
and management. If you believe that Britain’s woods are important for
ourselves and for future generations, please join The Woodland Trust
today.
9 Relaciona los términos y expresiones de los
textos (1–5) con las definiciones (a–e).
1 green sabotage a safe places for animals
2 charity b stronger
3 wildlife area c intentional damage to
4 stricter something for an
5 timber yards environmental cause
d places which process
wood for building
e an organisation that
does not make profit
10 Responde a las siguientes preguntas.
1 How does Friends of the Earth campaign against
industry and governments to stop pollution?
2 Why was Earth First! formed? How is it different
from Greenpeace?
3 According to The Woodland Trust, why are
Britain’s woodlands in danger?
4 What does The Woodland Trust do?
5 What do all three organisations have in common?
a
c
b
‘No Compromise in Defence of Mother Earth!’
Adapted from Green radicals split over stepping up sabotage
by Derek Wall, The Independent on Sunday
22. T W O I E A R T H M A T T E R S
UNITTWO
13
LANGUAGE STUDY
11 Pronunciation
Escucha los siguientes sonidos vocálicos.
/ǡ / cart / / cat / / cut
Escucha los siguientes términos y relaciona los
sonidos subrayados con los ejemplos anteriores.
plant ban park dump rubbish
garden plan practical public
Rebobina la cinta y repite cada palabra. Luego
escucha y repite las frases siguientes, prestando
especial atención a los sonidos vocálicos.
Plant more trees in your garden.
Don’t dump your rubbish.
Ban the bomb!
Be practical! Plan for the future!
You can’t park there. It’s a public place.
12 Lee el siguiente texto sobre el medio
ambiente. Escribe los verbos entre paréntesis en la
forma pasiva y en el tiempo correspondiente.
It seems that every area of the environment is under
attack. Every day on the news you hear of areas of
South America which 1) ...... (damage) by the effects
of deforestation. A recent report says that, over the
last few years, industrial waste 2) ...... (throw) into the
sea, and air 3) ...... (pollute) by smoke from factories.
Even before, cities 4) ...... (allow) to burn waste in
incinerators which destroyed the countryside. This is
a bad situation, and it 5) ...... (make) worse in the
future by individuals dropping rubbish in our streets
and on our beaches. What should we do? In our
opinion, laws should 6) ...... (make) which limit the
damage, so that, in the future, the sources of
environmental damage 7) ...... (remove). Right now,
alternative sources of energy 8) ...... (require) which
use the earth’s natural resources, such as wind
power and energy from the sun.
13 Completa las frases con el término
correspondiente.
1 I’m ...... that levels of pollution will increase.
2 My children love animals and they are very ......
about endangered species.
3 We’re ...... to take our children to the beach
nowadays.
4 Scientists are very ...... in the effects of global
warming.
5 I hate talking about the environment. It doesn’t
...... me at all!
6 Many people are ...... of snakes, but people are
more dangerous than they are.
Recuerda que la voz pasiva se usa para resaltar lo que
se hace, no quién lo hace. Observa cómo cambian los
tiempos verbales.
Active Passive
Present He does it. It is done.
Present He’s doing it. It’s being done.
continuous
Past simple He did it. It was done.
Present perfect He has done it. It has been done.
Past perfect He had done it. It had been done.
Future He will do it. It will be done.
Conditional He would do it. It would be done.
Toma nota de las oraciones pasivas reflejas.
Se habla inglés pasa a ser English is spoken.
Observa también que para indicar quién hace la
acción, hay que usar la preposición by.
English is taught by the English teacher.
En inglés, hay varias maneras de expresar interés,
temor y preocupación.
Interés
I’m interested in the environment.
Estoy interesado en el medio ambiente.
The environment interests me.
Me interesa el medio ambiente.
Temor
I’m afraid that the earth’s resources are running out.
Me temo que los recursos naturales se están agotando.
I’m afraid to swim in the sea because of the pollution.
Me da miedo nadar en el mar por la contaminación.
I’m afraid of the sun’s rays because the ozone layer is
getting thinner.
Me dan miedo los rayos solares porque la capa de
ozono cada vez es más fina.
Preocupación
I’m worried about living near a chemical factory.
Me preocupa vivir cerca de una fábrica de productos
químicos.
I’m worried about air pollution.
Me preocupa la contaminación atmosférica.
2G
23. T H A T ’ S E N G L I S H !14
14 Escucha lo que dicen cuatro amigos,
Simon, Andy, Emma y Claire, sobre su actitud
ante los problemas ecológicos. Responde a las
preguntas siguientes.
1 Who takes action against environmental damage?
2 Who is worried about some areas of the
environment but won’t take action?
3 Who doesn’t care about the environment
at all?
4 Who is worried about the environ-
ment and will take limited action?
5 Who do you agree with most?
Why?
15 Piensa
en una cuestión
ecológica
que te
preocupe, y
escribe algunas
notas bajo los
epígrafes siguientes.
Luego prepárate para
contestar las preguntas que
hace el entrevistador en la
cinta.
I problem
I effect(s) on the environment
I your action
I government action
I future action
I your opinion of radical groups
Interviewer Thank you for agreeing to talk to us
about the environment.
You That’s OK.
Interviewer Which aspect of the environment are
you most worried about?
You ......
Interviewer Why are you worried about it?
You ......
Interviewer What effect does it have on you or
the area you live in?
You ......
Interviewer Have you taken any action against it?
You ......
Interviewer What do you think the local or
national government should do about
it?
You ......
Interviewer And finally, what do you think of
very radical groups who protest in a
violent way?
You ......
Interviewer Thank you very much.
16 Lee el texto sobre la actitud de los británicos
hacia el medio ambiente y los animales.
In general, British people are quite interested in
the environment, but not many of them actually
protest about environmental damage. But recently
the question of animal rights has united people
from different areas of the country to protest
against live animal exports. The British are
passionate about protecting animals. Many
people are vegetarian for reasons of
conscience, not just health, and a
very high number of people keep
pets. There have been regular
campaigns and even violent
protests against all blood
sports. Of course,
people are also
worried about
air and water
pollution,
traffic levels,
deforestation and
many other environ-
mental problems, but the
most
emotive area for the general
public is definitely animals.
Ahora escribe unas 100 palabras
sobre la actitud de los españoles hacia las
cuestiones medioambientales. Indica qué es
lo que les preocupa, y si hay un problema
específico que suscite las protestas de la opinión
pública en general. Responde a las siguientes pre-
guntas.
I Which are the main environmental problems
discussed in Spain? (e.g. pollution/waste/animal
rights/global warming)
I Are Spaniards interested in protecting animals?
I What environmental issue (if any) do Spaniards
protest about?
I How do they protest? (demonstrations/
petitions/newspaper articles/talking to local
and national government)
24. T W O I E A R T H M A T T E R S
UNITTWO
15
BEFORE YOU WATCH
1 Street interviews
En tu opinión, ¿qué artículos o productos son los
que se reciclan con más frecuencia? ¿Coincide
con los ejemplos que se dan en las entrevistas?
2 News from the past
Indica qué problemas ambientales se tenían, a tu
juicio, en el siglo XVI.
noise pollution exhaust fumes
traffic problems air pollution
global warming deforestation
3 How to be British
Una característica de los británicos es el under-
statement, es decir, manifestar algo sin excesiva
fuerza o sentimiento para así restar importancia
a lo que se está diciendo. En cada una de las
siguientes situaciones, indica cuál de las dos
opciones es un understatement.
1 In a traffic jam
a Quite a few cars on the road today.
b God, I hate traffic jams!
2 A person carrying lots of shopping bags
a I just adore shopping!
b I’ve bought one or two bits and pieces.
3 Looking at a rubbish dump
a I get angry when people throw rubbish here.
b Not very pretty, is it?
4 From the archive
¿Qué sabes de la organización ecologista
Greenpeace? Escribe tres preguntas sobre dicha
organización y comprueba si se contestan en la
sección que vas a ver.
RECYCLING
AFTER YOU WATCH
5 Street interviews
Responde a las preguntas sobre la gente de la
entrevista.
1 Who recycles bottles?
2 What does Nigel do for the environment?
3 Who avoids using leaded petrol?
4 Who uses public transport?
6 News from the past
¿Cuáles son las tres causas que se barajaron para
explicar la peste?
7 How to be British
Observa los cinco ejemplos siguientes de under-
statement e indica lo que realmente se quiere
decir con cada uno de ellos.
1 It’s unfortunate that the accident involved quite a
few cars.
2 The director has just bought a sweet little house
outside London.
3 I had a bit of luck on the National Lottery.
4 Have you met her husband? He’s quite a nice-
looking man.
5 We’ve had a few days away in the Caribbean.
8 From the archive
¿Verdadero o falso?
1 Greenpeace is very good at getting publicity.
2 Greenpeace campaigns to protect the whale.
3 Greenpeace is a new organisation.
NOW YOU!
9 Pregunta a cinco personas qué reciclan y cómo
lo hacen. Compara sus respuestas con las tuyas.
B •••
Tamsen Lucy
Sean Nigel
25. T H A T ’ S E N G L I S H !16
READING
10 Observa la ilustración y el título del texto, y
responde a las siguientes preguntas.
1 Who was Noah and what did he do with the Ark?
2 What do you think the text is about?
a wall or bank built to retain
water
broke
veterinarians
make unconscious
Adapted from
The Independent on Sunday
11 Coloca en orden cronológico lo que sucedió.
a The animals moved from their habitats to higher
ground.
b The dam broke.
c The company EDF built a dam on the Sinnamary
River.
d The vets set the animals free in a different area.
e The vets set up a rescue operation.
f The vets captured the unconscious animals.
g The vets captured the animals which couldn’t
climb.
h The land became flooded.
i The vets anaesthetised the bigger animals.
12 Responde a las siguientes preguntas.
1 Do you think it’s important to preserve the
world’s wildlife? Why (not)?
2 Which area of Spain is well known for its wildlife?
3 Which animals are protected species in Spain?
4 Are there any national parks in Spain?
‘Ark’ saves
rainforest animals
from flood
Thousands of animals like sloths and monkeys have
been rescued from death after a man-made dam flooded their
rainforest habitat. The animals have been relocated in another part of
French Guyana’s rainforest. The Noah’s Ark operation, as it was called,
is the largest animal rescue ever.
The Amazon rainforest is home to some of the rarest and most exotic animals
in the world. It is also an important source of water power, and a dam was built
on the Sinnamary River which runs through the Amazon forests. Last year, the
Sinnamary River burst its banks and flooded 150 square miles of the rainforest.
Over the past year, the water has risen two inches a day and earlier this year, the
water level was 100 feet above normal. Animals were forced to move to higher
levels of land and into the trees.
With funding from the French government and EDF, the electricity company which
built the dam, a team of forty French vets and students has worked against the flood
to save the animals. Using speedboats and dart guns to stun the animals, the team
rescued 5,000 animals, birds and snakes.
Animals such as rodents were saved first because they could not climb. Monkeys were
the most difficult to capture because they were agile and suspicious. After they had
been anaesthetised, they sometimes fell into the river and the vets had to swim
to catch them. The sloths were also unco-operative. ‘We had to shoot darts in them
from the boats and climb up the trees,’ said Catherine Cloarec, who filmed
the rescue. ‘They are not very fast, so at least they can be seen easily.
Three or four vets had to swim to rescue an anaesthetised
sloth.’ Within a day of being captured, the animals were
released to safety in French Guyana’s first
national park 20 miles away.
a sloth
26. 16 Imagínate que estás escuchando a
alguien que te cuenta muy rápidamente una
historia. Responde, siguiendo las indicaciones
entre paréntesis y usando las expresiones del
recuadro anterior.
Friend Remember the story of the crocodile and
the scorpion?
You (Ask her to speak more slowly.)
Friend The crocodile and the scorpion. Is that
better?
You (Ask for help with the word ‘scorpion’.)
Friend I don’t know, but it’s an animal with claws
and a curved tail. It stings you.
You (Ask her to speak more slowly.)
Friend The story’s about how you can’t expect
people to behave differently from their
nature.
You (Express ignorance about the word ‘nature’.)
Friend Your nature. It’s the way you are. You
always behave according to what you are
really like.
You (Ask her to speak more slowly.)
Friend Sorry. You always behave according to what
you are really like.
17 La revista Ecology está dedicada a los
problemas medioambientales. Escríbele una carta
al director sobre un aspecto que te preocupe.
Empieza del siguiente modo e incluye
las frases siguientes.
Dear Editor,
In my opinion, one of the most important
issues in the environment is . . .
I think there are a number of problems at
the moment.
Something should be done. I suggest . . .
Yours faithfully,
T W O I E A R T H M A T T E R S
UNITTWO
17
LANGUAGE STUDY
13 Prepara descripciones verbales sobre los
siguientes animales, y pídele a un amigo o
compañero que averigüe los nombres. No te
olvides de hacer referencia a características
específicas de cada animal.
tiger gorilla dolphin eagle camel
Example: penguin
It’s a seabird with a black and white body and long
wings which it uses for swimming.
14 Vuelve a mirar el texto de la página
16 y subraya todos los ejemplos de la voz pasiva.
Example: have been rescued
15 Lee el texto y responde a las preguntas
usando la voz pasiva.
Do you remember the story of the crocodile and
the scorpion? The scorpion wanted to cross the
Amazon, and the crocodile offered to carry him.
The scorpion’s friends said, ‘Don’t cross! The
crocodile will eat you!’ The crocodile said, ‘Don’t be
stupid. If I try to eat you, you’ll sting me to death.
We’ll both drown and the piranha fish will eat us!’
So the scorpion got on the crocodile’s back and they
crossed the river. Halfway across, the crocodile tried
to bite the scorpion and the scorpion stung him. As
they lay in the water and the piranha fish came
towards them the scorpion said, ‘Why did you try
to bite me? You knew I’d sting you and the piranhas
would get us!’ ‘Yes,’ replied the crocodile, ‘But I’m
like that. It’s my nature!’
1 Why didn’t the scorpion’s friends want him to
cross the river with the crocodile?
2 What did the crocodile think would happen to
him if he tried to eat the scorpion?
3 What did he think would happen next?
4 Halfway across, what happened to the crocodile?
5 What wouldn’t have happened if the scorpion
hadn’t crossed the river?
2G
Cómo expresar ignorancia
I don’t know . . .
I don’t know how to say ...... in English.
Cómo pedir ayuda
What do you call . . . ?
What do you call ...... in English?
What’s the English/Spanish for . . . ?
How do you say ...... in English/Spanish?
Cómo pedir a alguien que hable más despacio
Can you speak more slowly, please?
Not so fast, please! (con humor)
Cómo hacer referencia a características físicas
específicas
a bird with a red beak
an animal with black and white stripes
2G
27. T H A T ’ S E N G L I S H !18
CONSOLIDATION
1 Observa la foto e intenta
predecir el vocabulario que
se usaría en una carta que
describiera el estado en el
que se encuentra este lugar.
2 Ahora lee la siguiente carta y responde a las
preguntas.
1 Why is Alex writing to
Greenline?
2 What does he want the
editor to do?
3 What does Alex send
with the letter?
4 Why is Alex worried
about Millheath?
5 Does Alex think
Greenline is an interesting
newspaper?
174 Belgrove Gardens
London NW1
The Editor
Greenline
149 George Street
Manchester MA6 OEN
Dear Sir/Madam
I’m writing to tell you about an area of the country which interests me greatly but which I am
also very worried about. Please find enclosed a photo which was taken last week of an area just
outside the village of Millheath. I was told that you and your colleagues have helped co-ordinate
environmental ‘clean-up’ projects and that you know what has to be done in these situations.
As you can see from the photo, the area is in an awful state and would need to be completely
transformed. I’m afraid that people will continue to use the area as a rubbish dump and that it
will never be restored to its former beauty. It is rumoured that the council is planning to build a
road along this area which could mean it will be destroyed completely. The area interests me as I
was born just outside Millheath and often used to go there to play. I would really appreciate it if
you could get in touch and we could talk about the problems and possible areas of action.
Many thanks and I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Best wishes
Alex J. Harper
Alex J. Harper
P. S. Keep up the good work on the newspaper. It’s a fascinating read!
28. T W O I E A R T H M A T T E R S
UNITTWO
19
3 Escucha la conversación entre Alex y Christine, la directora de Greenline. Selecciona, de
entre los ejemplos siguientes, los consejos que le da a Alex, y luego colócalos en el orden correcto.
build paths
contact the national newspapers
find volunteers
plant trees
recycle
get some publicity
collect rubbish
clear the ground
catalogue wildlife
contact the council
repair fences
4 Dos años más tarde, Alex concede una entrevista a una emisora de radio. Imagínate que tú eres
Alex. Responde a las preguntas que te haga la entrevistadora. Luego escucha el modelo de conversación
que hay en la cinta.
Interviewer First of all, Alex, you’re a local man, aren’t you?
Alex (born here/live in London)
Interviewer What was the problem outside Millheath?
Alex (rubbish dump)
Interviewer So you decided to clean it up. How did you do it?
Alex (get together with Greenline/start a campaign)
Interviewer And what’s happened in the last two years?
Alex (area cleaned up/ground cleared/young trees planted/new path to river)
Interviewer And it looks beautiful. But what’s to stop it happening again?
Alex (green legislation introduced/rubbish dumping forbidden)
Interviewer Alex, thank you very much.
5 Escríbele una carta a la directora de Greenline, en la que hables de un lugar real o imaginario
donde se requiere hacer mejoras de tipo ecológico. Indica lo que conviene hacer, y haz sugerencias sobre
el proceso de mejora que ha de aplicarse.
29. 3 Escucha lo que se dice sobre el medio
ambiente y el movimiento ecologista. Luego
responde a las preguntas.
1 Does the speaker feel positive or negative
towards the ‘green’ movement?
2 What aspects of ecology and the environment
does she mention?
3 What does she think about animal conservation?
4 What does she think about the ban on smoking in
her office?
5 What is her prediction for the future?
4 Piensa en cómo contestarías las
siguientes preguntas.
I What is the green movement called in Spain?
I What does it do?
I Is it politically important?
I Do you agree with the green movement?
I What do you disagree with?
I Have you had a personal experience of green
issues or the green movement?
I If you have, was it a positive or negative
experience? Why?
Ahora responde a las preguntas en la cinta.
1 Elige la opción correcta.
1 I’m not very ...... in the environment in general.
a interesting
b interested
2 But I think we ...... worried about air pollution.
a should all be
b will all
3 The biggest problem is nitrogen, which ...... by
road vehicles.
a produces
b is produced
4 I think legislation ...... to ban cars from city
centres.
a should be introduced
b should introduce
5 Government ...... provide more public transport,
so that people would use their cars less.
a ought to
b ought to be
2 Rellena los espacios en blanco con el verbo
entre paréntesis en voz pasiva.
1 Thousands of trees ...... (cut down) every year.
2 Twenty-five people ...... (arrest) at last week’s
anti-nuclear protest.
3 Many species of animal ...... (save) over the last
few years.
4 Many animals ...... (transport) in awful conditions
every day.
5 A huge area of the rainforest ...... (destroy) now.
6 I think nuclear power should ...... (ban).
7 Many animal rights campaigns ...... (organise)
recently.
8 The new road ...... (build) next year through
protected woodland.
T H A T ’ S E N G L I S H !20
SELF TEST
Understatement rather than complaint or
boasting is a traditional British characteristic.
So when they use phrases like ‘quite nice’ and
‘a bit of a shame’, they sometimes mean ‘very
nice’ and ‘awful’. Be careful not to take them
literally. You should assume they feel more
strongly than they say they do.
How to be British
30. 3
MANY PEOPLE,
MANY BACKGROUNDS
21
UNITTHREE
A MULTIRACIAL SOCIETY
BEFORE YOU WATCH
1 A continuación figuran una serie de palabras
y expresiones que vas a escuchar durante el
programa. Asegúrate de que entiendes lo que
significan, y relaciona cada una con su definición.
1 discriminate 5 ethnic
2 racist 6 reggae
3 Asian 7 black community
4 multicultural
a a society that contains many different cultures
and ways of life
b usually a person who comes from India or
Pakistan or some other part of Asia
c a rhythmic type of music associated with
Afro-Caribbeans
d the attitude that people from some races are
inferior to other races
e a sector of the population, usually of
Afro-Caribbean origins
f relating to a particular race or culture
g to treat one group of people less fairly than
other groups of people
WHILE YOU WATCH
2 Responde a las preguntas.
1 What does Alex
think is wrong
with The Echo?
2 Is Alex going to
get the job?
AFTER YOU WATCH
3 Responde a las preguntas.
1 What job does Alex want at The Echo?
2 Will she be the first black person to work there?
3 What’s the main story in The Echo?
4 Which part of the population likes a muticultural
society?
4 Utiliza palabras de la actividad 1 para
completar lo que Alex dijo a Jilly.
1 There are tens of thousands of people living in
this area who are black or ...... . And most of
them don’t read The Echo because it is ...... .
2 The Echo ...... against black people.
3 I have talked to lots of people in the ...... and they
say that your newspaper isn’t interested in black
events or stories.
4 A lot of young white readers will be interested in
...... dance and music. It’s not just black people
that like reggae. Young people appreciate a ......
society much more than older people.
NOW YOU!
5 ¿Has probado alguna de las siguientes cocinas?
¿Podrías citar algún plato típico de ellas?
Example: French – coq au vin
French Indian Chinese Italian English Turkish
Korean Greek Mexican Thai Japanese
Colócalas por orden de preferencia. ¿Conoces
alguna otra?
O B J E T I VO S
Hablar del futuro
Expresar indiferencia y aprobación
Comprender textos con información estadística
A •••
31. T H A T ’ S E N G L I S H !22
READING
6 Imagínate que emigras de un país del tercer mundo a uno de la Unión Europea. Indica tres aspectos
del modo de vida de ese país que te llamarían la atención.
7 Jean tenía 21 años cuando salió de las Antillas para trabajar en Gran Bretaña. Lee rápidamente
el texto, en el que se cuenta su historia, e intenta relacionar cada uno de los siguientes epígrafes con el
párrafo correspondiente.
Income Nationality and identity
First impression of place Preparations
Social life First impression of people
8 Ahora lee el texto más detenidamente y
contesta las preguntas siguientes.
1 What two items of clothing did they tell Jean to
take with her when she left for Britain?
2 What did Jean know about England before she left
home and how
had she found
out?
3 Why was she
shocked when
she saw white
people
washing dishes?
4 How did Jean and
her friends enter-
tain themselves?
5 Where does
Jean’s mother live
and where does
Jean herself feel
most at home?
Adapted
from
Third in line
by Gary
Younge,
The Guardian
9 Indica cuál de las dos opciones significa lo
mismo que los términos en cursiva.
1 Most of it was about how to cope with the weather.
a live with, survive b enjoy, make the most of
2 I was shocked at first at just how drab and
depressing the place was.
a cold, chilly b dull
3 Everyone wore these dreary grey and black
clothes.
a boring b dirty, unwashed
4 A lot of us would stick together.
a have arguments or angry discussions
b stay in each other’s company
5 . . . even though I’m a granny . . .
a someone who is aged over sixty
b a woman who is a grandmother
Before we left, we had to go to orientation classes.
They didn’t tell you anything about racism or any
of that. Most of it was about how to cope with the
weather. They said we had to pack lots of flannel
pyjamas and that you had to wear a hat or the cold
would make you go mad.
I thought I knew what to expect because we had
seen newsreels of England in Barbados, showing
us Buckingham Palace and all of the sights and
we thought we were coming to the mother country.
But I was shocked at first at just how drab and
depressing the place was. Everyone wore these
dreary grey and black clothes and the houses looked
like small factories.
The second big shock was seeing white people doing
manual work. In Barbados, the white people had the
money and black people did all the work and that
was that. So seeing white people washing dishes was
really something.
When I arrived, I only planned to stay for five years.
I thought I could make a fortune and then go back
home. But I was only earning £3 a week, which was
not a lot, and after my rent I had to send some money
home.
A lot of us would stick together. None of us had
phones, so we used to write to each other and arrange
to meet up every Sunday at somebody else’s house
where we would drink ginger wine and listen to ska,
soul and reggae.
Now I go back to Barbados every two years, and even
though I’m a granny, my mum still treats me like a
child when I go back. I would say I’ve always been
Black British ever since I came here. The passport I
had in 1964 said I was a subject of the British
Commonwealth. But when I’m abroad, if people ask, I
say I’m from Barbados but I live in England. I wouldn’t
go back. My children and my grandchildren are here
and I would miss them terribly. This is my home now.
1
2
3
4
5
6
32. T H R E E I M A N Y P E O P L E , M A N Y B A C K G R O U N D S
UNITTHREE
23
LANGUAGE STUDY
10 Pronunciation
Escucha la diferencia entre estos sonidos.
/e/ fen men pen
/ǩ/ an of the
/ / fern bird world
En las siguientes frases se incluyen los tres sonidos.
Primero, léelas en voz baja, subrayando los tres
sonidos distintos. El primer ejemplo ya está hecho.
Luego escucha y repite las frases de la cinta.
men of the world an extra apartment
a circus elephant a purple pen
a birthday present
11 Lee detenidamente este anuncio del
célebre carnaval de Notting Hill. Luego escribe
una carta a un amigo animándole a que acuda y
explicándole cómo pensáis pasar el día allí.
Empieza del modo siguiente.
Dear Mike,
I’m sending you this advert for the Notting Hill
Carnival in London. Melanie’s coming. Do you want
to come too? Here’s how to get there and what
we’re going to do . . .
Incluye los siguientes aspectos.
I Where are you going to meet?
I When are you going to meet?
I What are you going to do during the day and in
the evening?
I What are you going to eat and drink?
I Who are you going to go with?
I What are you not going to do?
12 Rellena los espacios en blanco con la
forma más adecuada de futuro de los verbos entre
paréntesis. Guíate por el contexto.
1 Do you think I ...... (get) the job?
2 Why ...... you ...... (turn on) the television?
– I ...... (watch) the news.
3 When I finish work, I ...... (go) out with my friends.
4 What’s wrong with him?
– He’s got a headache. He ...... (take) an aspirin.
5 Promise me you ...... (be) there on time.
La expresión going to se usa para hablar de
intenciones o planes futuros.
When I finish reading this novel, I’m going to buy
another one by the same author.
The advertisers aren’t going to like it if we make the
newspaper more multiracial.
También se puede utilizar el presente continuo en
estos casos, pero entonces hay que expresar cuándo se
va a realizar la acción.
I’m doing my washing on Tuesday and I’m taking the
cat to the vet on Wednesday.
I’m taking my exams next year.
(Observa que se dice next year y no the next year.)
El futuro con will se usa para hacer predicciones o
promesas, es decir, lo que el hablante piensa que va a
suceder.
People of different races will live together
harmoniously.
El futuro continuo se usa para indicar algo que va a
suceder durante un periodo de tiempo en el futuro.
Next month I’ll be finishing my exams.
Get it on with us on August Bank Holiday
The Notting Hill Carnival
London
; Dance in the procession through the streets
of Notting Hill. Starts Ladbroke Grove 10 a.m.
; Enjoy Caribbean specialities: ackee, salt
fish and black-eyed peas.
; Enjoy Caribbean beer and rum.
; Hear the famous steel bands playing their
drums. Under Westway at 8 p.m.
How to get there: by underground to Notting Hill
Gate (Central Line). Walk to the Carnival down
Portobello Road . . .
And just follow the noise, man!
3G
3G
33. T H A T ’ S E N G L I S H !24
13 Escucha la cinta. Alguien quiere salir
contigo. Utiliza las siguientes expresiones para
excusarte.
Example: Sorry, I can’t . . . (I/wash/hair/Monday night)
Sorry I can’t. I’m washing my hair on Monday night.
1 Saturday I would, but . . . (I/have/dinner/aunt
and uncle/Saturday)
2 Sunday I’m afraid so . . . (I/collect/my friend
Pilar/at airport)
3 Tuesday I’m really sorry . . . (My brother/drive/
me/coast. We/visit/parents)
4 Thursday Yes, I am . . . (My friend/take/me/
summer party)
5 Friday That’s right . . . (I/go/evening class/
ethnic and vegetarian cookery)
14 Estudia el siguiente cuadro.
Ahora completa estas frases escribiendo las cifras
en letra.
Example:
She spent hundreds of pounds. (00s)
We spent five thousand pounds. (5,000)
1 Bradford in the UK has an Asian community of
...... . (70,000)
2 A Nigerian woman has earned ...... pounds
through clever investment. (000,000s)
3 Nancy Koo is a top model from Hong Kong and
she earns ...... dollars an hour. (00s)
4 An Asian factory worker in Luton recently won
...... pounds on the lottery. (00,000s)
5 Indian films from ‘Bollywood’ (Bombay) are so
successful in Britain that they can earn ...... dollars
in just one weekend. (000s)
15 Frank Edwards es sociólogo. Escucha
lo que predice sobre una Europa multirracial,
e indica si las frases siguientes son verdaderas o
falsas.
1 Frank doesn’t think that many black people will
hold important positions.
2 Educated people from minority groups will leave
the places where they lived and went to school.
3 Frank thinks that the big cities will not be so
overcrowded.
4 Frank believes there will be an increase in
unemployment.
5 In Frank’s opinion, children from ethnic minorities
will have serious language problems and poor
academic results.
16 Imagínate que tienes un negocio con un
amigo. Éste te hace una serie de propuestas.
Expresa indiferencia o aprobación a cada una de
ellas.
INDIFERENCIA APROBACION
I don’t care. I don’t mind at all.
It doesn’t matter. I’m delighted.
It doesn’t really matter to me. I’m glad.
Example: I’m going to get a new teapot in my office.
It doesn’t really matter to me.
1 I broke the flower vase in reception. I’ll replace it.
2 I’d like to hire a new secretary – but from an
ethnic minority.
3 I’ve got this great idea for a profitable new
product.
4 I want to take a long weekend holiday. Is it a
problem for you?
5 I’m going to dance in the Notting Hill Carnival
this year. What do you think?
6 I’m going to come in late on Monday. Is that
a problem for you?
$400 four hundred dollars
00s hundreds of dollars
2,000 km two thousand kilometres
000s thousands of kilometres
30,000 ft thirty thousand feet
0,000s tens of thousands of feet
400,000 four hundred thousand
00,000s hundreds of thousands
50,000,000 fifty million inhabitants
000,000s millions of inhabitants
4G
´
34. T H R E E I M A N Y P E O P L E , M A N Y B A C K G R O U N D S
UNITTHREE
25
BEFORE YOU WATCH
1 How to be British
Not very Fine, it’s not I don’t
happy a problem know
How do you
feel about . . .
I discussing politics
with a stranger?
I telling a stranger
who you vote for?
I talking in public
about your views
on immigration?
2 News from the past
A continuación verás mezcladas las dos noticias
del programa. Sepáralas y coloca las frases en el
orden correcto, según corresponden a:
I NEW WORLD WOMAN MEETS QUEEN ELIZABETH
I EUROPEAN TOURISTS VISIT LONDON
a The two married and went to England where
they met Queen Elizabeth.
b More tourists than in any other century are
visiting London.
c Another place that is especially popular with
tourists is the Tower of London.
d The chief didn’t want his daughter to marry
Rolfe, but she was in love.
e One of the main attractions is London Bridge.
f Three years ago, the English explorer, John
Rolfe, met Pocahontas, the daughter of a Red
Indian chief.
3 From the archive
Relaciona las palabras (1–5) con su definición
correspondiente (a–e).
1 withdrawn a man
2 bloke b (something bad)
3 denied happening frequently
4 rife c very quiet and shy
5 discriminate on d treat someone unfairly
racial grounds because of their race
e not permitted to have
LIVING TOGETHER
AFTER YOU WATCH
4 Street interviews
El equipo de That’s English! hizo esta pregunta
a varias personas: Do you think racism is a
problem in Britain today? Rellena la tabla
para indicar lo que respondió cada uno.
Racism exists and Racism is less
is a problem of a problem
Keith
Christopher
Derek
Mrs Simpson
Nigel
5 News from the past
Responde a las siguientes preguntas.
1 What were John Rolfe and Pocahontas going to do?
2 What did Queen Elizabeth say about Ireland? Was
she right or wrong? Why?
6 From the archive
De las siguientes afirmaciones sobre el Sr. Dunton,
¿cuáles son correctas? Corrige las que sean
incorrectas.
1 Mr Dunton was offered a job as an architect.
2 The company’s Managing Director withdrew the
job offer.
3 The company refused to pay compensation to
Mr Dunton.
4 Many of Britain’s leading employers still
discriminate on racial grounds.
5 White people are twice as likely to be
unemployed as members of ethnic minorities.
NOW YOU!
7 ¿De qué temas no se debe hablar con
desconocidos en España? Haz una lista.
B •••
35. T H A T ’ S E N G L I S H !26
READING
8 En el siguiente artículo se indican algunos de los problemas que tiene la comunidad asiática que vive
en Gran Bretaña. Al leer, señala los temas que se mencionan en el texto.
riots employment prospects the Church of England police the Muslim community the Chinese
discrimination against Muslims universities colour Bradford discrimination by Muslims
Adapted from Muslim leaders warn of other cities on the verge of violence as police give up
by Lawrence Donegan, The Guardian
9 Las siguientes frases resumen las ideas principales del artículo. Relaciona el comienzo de cada una
(1–6) con la terminación correspondiente (a–f ).
1 There will be more riots . . . a but the Muslim community does not have any of
2 Young Asians don’t want . . . these benefits.
3 Some serious problems which exist under the b because of the colour of their skin.
surface . . . c if the government doesn’t improve the living
4 The rest of Britain enjoys good jobs, housing and conditions and work prospects of young Asians.
schools . . . d because people are prejudiced against Muslims.
5 More Pakistanis are unemployed than other e to experience the same suffering as their parents.
minority groups . . . f were the cause of the dispute.
6 Young Asians suffer prejudice . . .
10 Relaciona las palabras del texto (1–5) con
su definición correspondiente (a–e).
1 rise a respecting and obeying the law
2 upset b existing below the surface
3 underlying c increase
4 law-abiding d denied
5 deprived of e made unhappy
Asian community leaders
warned last night that the
weekend riots in Bradford
could occur again else-
where if the government
didn’t take steps soon to
stop increasing disillusion
among young Asians.
Poor employment
prospects, bad housing
and the rise in racial
attacks have upset second
generation British Asians.
They are no longer pre-
pared to put up with the
same difficulties that their
parents have suffered.
Massoud Shadjareh,
chairman of the human
rights committee of the
Muslim parliament, said
that this was a minor
dispute between police
and local people and it
had started because there
were serious underlying
problems.
‘The Muslim community
is the most law-abiding
community in Britain, but
it is clear it is being
deprived of many things
that the rest of the coun-
try has: jobs, housing,
good schools. I have met
teachers who think young
Pakistanis and
Bangladeshis are only
good for working in
restaurants. When it
comes to business and
employment, Pakistanis
are twice as likely to be
unemployed than Afro-
Caribbean or Indian peo-
ple – the only explanation
for this is the discrimina-
tion of Muslims,’ said Mr
Shadjareh.
Dr Syed Aziz Pasha, gen-
eral secretary of the
Union of Muslim
Organisations, agreed,
although he argued that
the efforts of organisa-
tions like the
Commission for Racial
Equality had done a lot to
stop such racism. The
CRE now has power to
take legal action against
racism. ‘But there is still
some way to go,’ he said.
‘The younger generation
feels alienated and angry
– they speak the same
language, in the same
accents, as their white
neighbours, but when it
comes to schools, jobs
and housing they are dis-
criminated against for no
other reason than the
colour of their skin.’
Bradford’s 70,000-strong
Asian community is
among the biggest in the
country and has a reputa-
tion of being one of the
most peaceful.
violent behaviour
by large groups
of people
causing damage
to property
two times
more probably
do something
(to improve a
situation)
when the
situation
concerns
tolerate
36. a It’s a sort of flower.
b It’s made of metal and it’s used for cooking.
c It’s how you feel when someone does something
bad to you.
B Escucha la cinta y completa las frases siguientes
en las que se describen los objetos que se ilustran
más abajo.
1 It’s ...... working out sums.
2 It’s small, ...... metal and ...... holding pieces of
paper together.
3 ...... a tube and it contains ...... make-up that
women put on their lips.
4 ...... machine, ...... a bicycle and people use it when
they’re exercising.
C Ahora relaciona las descripciones con los objetos.
13 Usa las expresiones de la casilla anterior
para describir las siguientes palabras.
1 happy 2 cotton dress 3 vacuum cleaner
4 smile 5 guitar
14 Escucha este programa de radio
sobre unos disturbios raciales. Después de presentar
el tema, se pregunta telefónicamente a varias
personas si presenciaron los disturbios. Imagínate
que tú estuviste presente y que llamas a la emisora
para contar lo que has visto. Escucha al entrevistador
de la cinta y responde a sus preguntas.
15 Escribe una carta a un periódico inglés,
dando tu opinión sobre los problemas de la
comunidad asiática en Inglaterra. Utiliza la
información del artículo de la página 26 y la de la
actividad 14. Puedes empezar del modo siguiente.
Everyone is asking why young Asians in Britain today
are disillusioned. Basically, they feel let down
because . . .
Their community is the most law-abiding in Britain,
but they feel . . .
It is true that . . .
It’s unfair that . . .
They would like the British government to . . .
T H R E E I M A N Y P E O P L E , M A N Y B A C K G R O U N D S
UNITTHREE
27
LANGUAGE STUDY
11 Rellena los espacios en blanco con el
pronombre indefinido correspondiente.
someone everyone no one everything
1 In principle, ...... in Britain has the right to apply
for any job unless they are in prison or in the
armed forces.
2 In practice, some members of ethnic minorities
complain about job discrimination. However, ......
in companies admits this is true.
3 Recently, however, ...... got a job on his
qualifications and on the phone, but when he
arrived to start work, he was told the job had
already been filled. He is Indian and a lawyer and
he is accusing the company of job discrimination.
4 In fact, the situation is very difficult. ...... wants to
work with people they feel familiar with. ...... likes
working with people they don’t know. They do
...... they can to find problems with employing
people from other cultures.
5 But for the future of our community, it is
important that ...... feels deprived of the
opportunity to work if they have the right
qualifications or experience.
12 Cuando no sepas cómo decir algo en
inglés, debes intentar decir lo mismo con otras
palabras; por ejemplo, describiendo su función, el
material de que está hecho, su aspecto físico, etc.
A ¿Cómo definirías tú las tres palabras siguientes?
1 upset 2 a carnation 3 a saucepan
Se pueden combinar los términos every, some, any
y no con body, thing, one y where para formar las
siguientes palabras compuestas.
everybody everything everyone everywhere
somebody something someone somewhere
anybody anything anyone anywhere
nobody nothing no one nowhere
Consulta el resumen de gramática para mayor
información sobre su uso.
Estudia las frases siguientes que se usan para describir
algo.
Descripción física It looks like a . . .
Descripción de categoría It’s a type/sort of . . .
Descripción de materiales It’s made of . . .
Descripción de función It’s used for . . .
It’s something that . . .
Descripción de sentimientos It’s how you feel
when . . .
5G
37. T H A T ’ S E N G L I S H !28
CONSOLIDATION
1 Estudia el siguiente artículo. Habla de los resultados de la encuesta ICM (International Creative
Management) que figuran en la tabla de abajo, pero tiene cuatro errores, uno en cada párrafo. Subraya
la información errónea y luego corrige las frases. Comprueba tus respuestas.
ICM POLL BLACK IN BRITAIN
How much prejudice is there in Britain today against black people – people whose families
were originally from the West Indies or Africa?
A lot 40%
A little 39%
Hardly any 4%
How prejudiced are you yourself against people of other races?
age 65+ 18–24 Overall
Very prejudiced 3% 4% 3%
A little prejudiced 24% 9% 16%
Not prejudiced at all 66% 83% 77%
And how prejudiced are people in your street?
Very prejudiced 6%
A little prejudiced 22%
Not prejudiced at all 40%
Based on the ICM poll Black in Britain, text adapted from Most white Britons say racial
prejudice lives on by Martin Lintop and Gary Younge, The Guardian
2 Antes de escribir una carta a un periódico sobre un tema polémico, es
necesario estar debidamente informado. Stefan Kaczmarek quiere saber el
número de habitantes que pertenecen a distintas comunidades extranjeras en
Gran Bretaña. Sabe que has estado estudiando esta unidad, que cuentas con
estadísticas recientes y que le puedes informar por teléfono. Escucha sus preguntas
y responde con la mayor exactitud posible utilizando la información del gráfico.
Most white Britons say
racial prejudice lives on
Alarge number of Britons believe
there is widespread racial prejudice
in this country, according to an ICM
poll conducted for The Guardian
newspaper. Seventy-nine per cent of
white Britons who were questioned for
the poll think there is ‘a lot’ or ‘a
little’ prejudice towards black people –
people whose families were originally
from the West Indies or Asia.
Twenty-seven per cent of people
over sixty-five describe themselves
as prejudiced, but more than half that
percentage of eighteen- to twenty-four-
year-olds describe themselves in the
same way.
Very few people can accept that
they themselves are prejudiced.
Only three per cent will admit they are
‘very prejudiced’, and sixteen per cent
will admit they are ‘a little prejudiced’
towards people of other races.
Seventy-seven per cent of the people
who were asked ‘How prejudiced are
you yourself against people of other
races?’ say that they are ‘extremely
prejudiced’.
The statistics change when the
question is changed from asking
how ‘you yourself’ feel about people
of other races to how ‘people in
your street’ feel. The figure of three
per cent who say they are ‘very
prejudiced’ becomes a figure of six per
cent and the figure of sixteen per cent
who say they are ‘a little prejudiced’
becomes forty per cent.
FIGURES FOR SPECIFIC
COUNTRY MINORITY
GROUPS IN 1991
(Other figures available on
request)
America 143,000
Australia 73,000
Bangladesh 105,000
Cyprus 78,000
France 53,000
Germany 216,000
India 409,000
Irish Republic 592,000
Italy 91,000
Jamaica 142,000
Kenya 112,000
Northern
Ireland 245,000
Pakistan 234,000
Poland 74,000
Spain 39,000
Uganda 51,000
Total population
Great Britain: 54.9 million
38. T H R E E I M A N Y P E O P L E , M A N Y B A C K G R O U N D S
UNITTHREE
29
3 Stefan Kaczmarek se ha informado a fondo sobre la cuestión de las comunidades extranjeras que hay
en Gran Bretaña, y también dispone de las encuestas sobre discriminación racial. El tema le preocupa
considerablemente, por lo que escribe a un periódico para aclarar algunas ideas equivocadas.
A Divide su carta en cinco párrafos que correspondan a la secuencia lógica de exposición de ideas.
B Indica cuáles son las ideas equivocadas que intenta aclarar.
4 Abajo verás tres
pósters publicados por
la entidad británica
denominada Comisión
para la igualdad racial en
su campaña contra el
racismo.
A continuación hay seis
eslóganes. Elige tres,
uno para cada póster.
Consulta la clave para
averiguar qué eslóganes
se usaron efectivamente
en la campaña.
a No one likes racism.
b Criminal, isn’t it?
c How many white
children do you see
like this?
d Children from ethnic
minorities often get
the worst marks at
school.
e Who’s the real
criminal?
f There are lots of
places in Britain
where racism doesn’t
exist.
Se te ha encomendado la tarea de diseñar un póster para una campaña en pro de la igualdad racial en
una Europa multirracial. Describe la imagen que usarías e invéntate tu propio eslógan para acompañar
esa imagen. Además del eslógan, incluye opiniones y datos en el póster.
Dear Editor
Does racial prejudice live on? Yes, it does. Many white Britons are preju-
diced against foreign immigrants. I know because I am the child of an
immigrant family. But a lot of this prejudice is the result of ignorance
and misunderstanding. Everybody says immigrants come here to take
everything that is free – free health care, free schooling, free housing and
child allowances. In reality, a higher percentage of immigrants are
employed than native British people. They pay their taxes – some British
people don’t – and they pay their council tax and national insurance –
some British people don’t. All in all, they make an important contribution
to this country. Everybody says that there are millions of black people in
Britain. It’s just not true. The total population of Great Britain is around
54.9 million and under a total of 1.5 million from countries like
Bangladesh, Pakistan, Kenya, Jamaica, India and Uganda. Did you know
that the number of immigrants from the Republic of Ireland alone is over
half a million, with another quarter of a million from Northern Ireland?
And what about the Americans (143,000), the Germans (216,000) and the
Australians (73,000)? Then, there’s the subject of employment. If anyone
says that immigrants take people’s jobs, they are wrong. Don’t forget that
the British Government invited people from the Commonwealth to come
here back in the early fifties. First London Transport tried to attract work-
ers to take jobs on the buses and the underground. Then, in the sixties the
National Health Service recruited black medical workers. Today immi-
grants still do a lot of the jobs that native Britons won’t do. No one has a
right to complain about immigrants. They do their best and people repay
them with hatred and indifference.
Yours
Stefan Kaczmarek
money paid by
the government
to people with
children
money paid to
local councils to
pay for services
tax paid to
government to
pay for pension,
health service, etc.
When you
consider
all these things
employed
extreme dislike
1 2
3
