Ex. 1

In April 1896, an Irishman by the name of John Pius Boland was in Athens visiting the famous German archeologist, Schliemann,
it came to his ears that there was a sporting event
place in the city. Being a keen tennis player, he decided to investigate further and discovered
his surprise that the event in question was none other
the first ever Modern Olympic Games and that
a variety of events it included a tennis tournament.
only of modest standard, he borrowed a pair of white flannel trousers and a racket, entered and won the gold medal. Encouraged by his success, he teamed up in the Men's Doubles
a German, Fritz Krauern, and won that too - thereby earning himself a place in the record books
the first man to share an Olympic gold medal with
of another nationality. "The important thing in the Olympic Games is not winning
taking part", declared the founder of the Modern Olympics, the Baron de Courbertin. Doubtless
who fought well and won in those first Games felt every bit
satisfied with their achievements as many of today's medal-hungry competitors when the time came to line
in front of a table and step forward to receive their rewards. (The victory podium incidentally, along
flags and national anthems, was not introduced
the Los Angeles Games of 1932.)

Ex. 2

Everyone knows
is supposed to happen when two Englishmen who have not met before come face
face in a railway compartment - they start talking about the weather. In some cases this may simply be because they
to find the subject interesting. Most people,
, are not particularly interested
analyses of climatic conditions,
there must be
reasons for conver-sations of this kind. One explanation is that it can
be quite embarrassing to be travelling in the
of someone you are not acquainted with and not speak to your fellow traveller. If
con-versation takes place at all the atmosphere can
rather strained. However,
talking to the other person about some neutral topic
the weather
is possible to strike up a relationship with them
actually having to say very
. Rail-way-compartment conversations of this kind, and they do happen, even if not
often as the popular myth supposes,
a good example of the
of the important social function
is often fulfilled by language.

Ex. 3

17 Orange St
Nottingham
18 May 1995

Dear Jane,
Thanks for your letter, it
yesterday and I was absolutely delighted. I'm so glad to
that your family is well and that your mother
now fully recovered
her injuries - what
awful business that car accident was! My own situation is good, I've
practising my tennis and feel fit
healthy. My boss recently gave me a pay
and I won 100 pounds on the football pools. I'm now planning my summer holidays. On this subject, I met Fred and Anne
week and they suggested
I should join them in France in September. Their new baby is the problem, I couldn't face the prospect, so I politely turned them
. I told them I didn't have
money to go abroad this year, so now I'm stuck with holidaying in England. Which is fine as
as the weather is good.
don't you come over to England this summer for a few weeks and we can go on a camping tour of Scotland?

Write back as soon as possible.
Love, John

PS. Best
luck for the exams this June.

Ex. 4

One of
most enjoyable jobs I've
done was when I was a student. When you hear what it was, you may be a bit shocked, but
I know it sounds unpleasant I can assure you that it was
fact delightful. Believe it or
, I was a grave-digger for a
summer. It was one of those hot, dry summers which made the
as hard as a rock and it needed a great
of effort to dig the graves. Now, a grave-digger doesn't have
to do with dead bodies. All he has to do is to dig two-meter deep holes and fill them in
when the coffin has been put in.
I said, it was a marvelous summer and I'm glad to say that I didn't have to work on my
I had a workmate who had been digging graves
1950. In
of his depressing trade he was a cheerful character, always laughing and
jokes. He used to tell me all about his experience and I
to him for hours
end. Mind you, we had to work quite
and usually there were two or three graves to dig every day. By the time I had to go
to college I was fitter, browner and in some
a wiser person.

Ex. 5

I don't like crowds when I'm
holiday. I remember
when I

small boy we - my brothers and sisters and I - always tried to get
from other people.
always
our holidays
the coast. Sea and sunshine,
is what we
forward to every summer. We always went

small fishing village
the Devon coast. And if,
we got to the place
we usually bathed, there
other people
, we stopped and said, "Oh, we can't bathe
today! Somebody's got here before
!" Today people
to like crowds. You say you wish to meet and
friends with as
people as
, so I
not suggest
quiet fishing village.

Ex. 6

An oral examination is usually a very unpleasant experience - your mind works under stress. Imagine
you are
an exam and
just
asked
question to which you know the answer perfectly
, but
this precise moment
completely eludes you. This is
most irritating but all
familiar experience
most
us. You know it
that an idea is present somewhere in your mind but you cannot
hold of it for the moment. It won't come when it
called. But still you know that it is there.

Ex. 7

Among European nations, English and Belgian foods share the distinction of being
least popular, according
a recent survey
European lifestyles conducted
the London-based research group Mintel. It questioned
8000 adults in seven EC countries, and
average of only three percent
foreigners said they
buy more English-type food
available.
clear favourite - nearly double
other country's score - was Italian cuisine, which
Mintel wonder
it will one day
the food of Europe.
French, as you
expect, showed an overwhelming preference
their
food but, if they were going to buy foreign, they preferred Italian. As the report's authors note,
lot depends on
people are familiar
. Even the proudest Italian chef
admit
much of his national food's appeal depends on
re-lative cheapness and easy packaging, either in a pizzeria
as dry pasta. The reputation of English food suffers
contrast since, for
, roast beef, to
remotely palatable, needs
quality beef freshly cooked. The usual tasteless stewed leather is the
of economic factors as
as the low status of the chefs. The English manufacturers,
, have failed to market their products effectively through continental supermarkets. The absence there
English cheeses, simple biscuits and pork pies reveals more about management confidence and energy
about foreigners' tastes.
times and traditions are changing,
the report shows. Young middle-
consumers are
more interest
frozen dishes and
designed for microwave cooking.

Ex. 8

When Odette Smith was
little girl, her mother
to reward her with sweets
she behaved well. Cooking huge meals was a predictable
she had
showing love for
family. Odette came to
food with warmth and affection, rewards and treats. But it set
a pattern of eating
would take Odette years to break.
the time she was ten, she weighed 70 kilos and wore a special tunic
school because she couldn't get
uniform big
to fit her. At sixteen, she was a size 18 and had to resign
to a life of being obsessed
food. Eventually, she was
up in a vicious circle of eating
dieting — when she was depressed she ate, when she was bored she ate: a box of cakes and half a
Mars bars in one session was
unusual. Her health suffered and so
her family.

Key

Ex. 1

In April 1896, an Irishman by the name of John Pius Boland was in Athens visiting the famous German archeologist, Schliemann, when it came to his ears that there was a sporting event taking place in the city. Being a keen tennis player, he decided to investigate further and discovered to his surprise that the event in question was none other than the first ever Modern Olympic Games and that among a variety of events it included a tennis tournament. Although only of modest standard, he borrowed a pair of white flannel trousers and a racket, entered and won the gold medal. Encouraged by his success, he teamed up in the Men's Doubles with a German, Fritz Krauern, and won that too - thereby earning himself a place in the record books as the first man to share an Olympic gold medal with someone of another nationality. "The important thing in the Olympic Games is not winning but taking part", declared the founder of the Modern Olympics, the Baron de Courbertin. Doubtless those who fought well and won in those first Games felt every bit as satisfied with their achievements as many of today's medal-hungry competitors when the time came to line up in front of a table and step forward to receive their rewards. (The victory podium incidentally, along with flags and national anthems, was not introduced until the Los Angeles Games of 1932.)

Ex. 2

Everyone knows what is supposed to happen when two Englishmen who have not met before come face to face in a railway compartment - they start talking about the weather. In some cases this may simply be because they happen/tend to find the subject interesting. Most people, though/however, are not particularly interested in analyses of climatic conditions, so there must be other reasons for conver-sations of this kind. One explanation is that it can often/sometimes/really/frequently be quite embarrassing to be travelling in the company of someone you are not acquainted with and not speak to your fellow traveller. If no con-versation takes place at all the atmosphere can become/be/get rather strained. However, by talking to the other person about some neutral topic like the weather it is possible to strike up a relationship with them without actually having to say very much. Rail-way-compartment conversations of this kind, and they do happen, even if not as/so often as the popular myth supposes, are/offer/provide a good example of the kind/sort of the important social function that is often fulfilled by language.

Ex. 3

17 Orange St
Nottingham
18 May 1995

Dear Jane,
Thanks for your letter, it came/arrived yesterday and I was absolutely delighted. I'm so glad to hear/know that your family is well and that your mother has now fully recovered from her injuries - what an awful business that car accident was! My own situation is good, I've been practising my tennis and feel fit and healthy. My boss recently gave me a pay rise and I won 100 pounds on the football pools. I'm now planning my summer holidays. On this subject, I met Fred and Anne last week and they suggested that I should join them in France in September. Their new baby is the problem, I couldn't face the prospect, so I politely turned them down. I told them I didn't have enough money to go abroad this year, so now I'm stuck with holidaying in England. Which is fine as long as the weather is good. Why don't you come over to England this summer for a few weeks and we can go on a camping tour of Scotland?

Write back as soon as possible.
Love, John

PS. Best of luck for the exams this June.

Ex. 4

One of the most enjoyable jobs I've ever done was when I was a student. When you hear what it was, you may be a bit shocked, but although/though I know it sounds unpleasant I can assure you that it was in fact delightful. Believe it or not, I was a grave-digger for a whole summer. It was one of those hot, dry summers which made the ground as hard as a rock and it needed a great deal of effort to dig the graves. Now, a grave-digger doesn't have anything to do with dead bodies. All he has to do is to dig two-meter deep holes and fill them in again when the coffin has been put in. As I said, it was a marvelous summer and I'm glad to say that I didn't have to work on my own I had a workmate who had been digging graves since 1950. In spite of his depressing trade he was a cheerful character, always laughing and telling jokes. He used to tell me all about his experience and I listened to him for hours on end. Mind you, we had to work quite hard and usually there were two or three graves to dig every day. By the time I had to go back to college I was fitter, browner and in some ways a wiser person.

Ex. 5

I don't like crowds when I'm on holiday. I remember that when I was a small boy we - my brothers and sisters and I - always tried to get away from other people. We always had our holidays on the coast. Sea and sunshine, that is what we looked forward to every summer. We always went to a small fishing village on the Devon coast. And if, when we got to the place where we usually bathed, there were other people there, we stopped and said, "Oh, we can't bathe here today! Somebody's got here before us!" Today people seem/appear to like crowds. You say you wish to meet and make friends with as many people as possible, so I will not suggest a quiet fishing village.

Ex. 6

An oral examination is usually a very unpleasant experience - your mind works under stress. Imagine that you are taking an exam and have just been asked a question to which you know the answer perfectly well, but at this precise moment it completely eludes you. This is the most irritating but all too familiar experience for most of us. You know it well that an idea is present somewhere in your mind but you cannot get hold of it for the moment. It won't come when it is called. But still you know that it is there.

Ex. 7

Among European nations, English and Belgian foods share the distinction of being the least popular, according to a recent survey on European lifestyles conducted by the London-based research group Mintel. It questioned about/nearly/approximately 8000 adults in seven EC countries, and an average of only three percent of foreigners said they would buy more English-type food if available. The clear favourite - nearly double any other country's score - was Italian cuisine, which made Mintel wonder if/whether it will one day become/be the food of Europe. The French, as you might/would expect, showed an overwhelming preference for their own food but, if they were going to buy foreign, they preferred Italian. As the report's authors note, a lot depends on what people are familiar with. Even the proudest Italian chef would admit that much of his national food's appeal depends on its re-lative cheapness and easy packaging, either in a pizzeria or as dry pasta. The reputation of English food suffers by contrast since, for instance/example, roast beef, to be remotely palatable, needs high/good quality beef freshly cooked. The usual tasteless stewed leather is the result of economic factors as well as the low status of the chefs. The English manufacturers, too/however, have failed to market their products effectively through continental supermarkets. The absence there of English cheeses, simple biscuits and pork pies reveals more about management confidence and energy than about foreigners' tastes. But times and traditions are changing, as the report shows. Young middle-class consumers are showing more interest in frozen dishes and those designed for microwave cooking.

Ex. 8

When Odette Smith was a little girl, her mother used to reward her with sweets whenever/if/when she behaved well. Cooking huge meals was a predictable way she had of showing love for her/the family. Odette came to associate/link/identify food with warmth and affection, rewards and treats. But it set up a pattern of eating that/which would take Odette years to break. By the time she was ten, she weighed 70 kilos and wore a special tunic at/to/for school because she couldn't get any/a uniform big enough to fit her. At sixteen, she was a size 18 and had to resign herself to a life of being obsessed with food. Eventually, she was caught up in a vicious circle of eating and dieting — when she was depressed she ate, when she was bored she ate: a box of cakes and half a dozen Mars bars in one session was nothing/not/hardly unusual. Her health suffered and so did her family.

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