Contents

Presentación . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .     7 
Abbreviations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .    10
Unit 1. Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .    11
Unit 2. Mathematics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .    41
Unit 3. Languages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .    69
Unit 4. Psychology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .    99
Unit 5. History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   129
Unit 6. Mass Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   159

Unit 7. Law . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   187

Unit 8. Tourism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   215
Appendix I: Key for Self-Assessment . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   245
Appendix II: Additional Grammar Notions . . . . .   295

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 Reading Comprehension

INTRODUCTION: UNED DISTANCE LEARNING METHODOLOGY

“Nowadays we live in the digital era and the era of technology is turning our lives
upside down at such a fast pace that it is a bit overwhelming for university students to
decide on the relevant technology that can enhance their study habits, especially, if they
are enrolled in a distance college.

The learning methodology found in the Spanish University of Distance Education

(UNED) is based on the hypothesis that if students are able to make the most of the
improvements which technology brings to their lives, they will improve if they use study
materials that are related to their routine tasks on their laptops, smartphones, or tablets.

In fact, most online courses at UNED make use of electronic or digital materials that
one not only can download online easily, but also read offline as well, provided that one
has the right software installed on one’s computer, laptop or smartphone.

Besides, these online courses have many other advantages over traditional face-to-
face lectures such as the promptness one gets from Internet, since there is no need to wait
to receive anything, and study materials are easy to download without any delays.

The UNED platform ALF aims to allow students to: (i) have access to study materials;
(ii) manage and share documents; (iii) upload timed online activities; and (iv) conduct a
fluid communication with their teachers and classmates.

As any standard university, undergraduate students at UNED need to be finally

examined through a final in-situ exam at a registered center. This is in fact a compulsory
requirement to complete their degree subjects” (Escobar, 2016, page 45).

Source: Escobar Álvarez, M. A. (2016). “L2 English learning and performance through online activities: A case
study”. In E. Martin Monje, I. Elorza & B. García Riaza (Eds.): Technology-Enhanced Language Learning for
Specialized Domains (pp. 47-58). Devon (Uk): Routledge Research in Education.

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 UNIT 1   Education

Exercise (see answers on page 249)

Exercise 1:
Choose the answer which you think is best according to the article.

1) The expression to turn someone’s life upside down means that…

a) You are not affected by a give situation.
b) Your life changes completely.

2) What aspect of the learning methodology at UNED is emphasized in the

second paragraph?
a) Its applicability across different devices.
b) Its effort.
c) Its price.
d) Its competitiveness.

3) Why do most online courses at UNED make use of digital materials?

a) Due to their university status.
b) Due to their price.
c) Because they can only be read offline.
d) Because they can also be read offline.

4) In the fourth paragraph of the text, it is argued that traditional face-to-face
lectures have many advantages over online courses, since students can
download study materials at any given time. True or false?
a) True.
b) False.

Notes

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 Reading Comprehension

Glossary
nowadays adv. actualmente, hoy en día
to turn sth. upside down v expr. cambiar algo por completo
pace n. ritmo
overwhelming adj. abrumador, -a
to enhance v. mejorar, aumentar, realzar
to enroll v. inscribirse, matricularse
hypothesis (pl. hypotheses) n. hipótesis
task n. tarea, deber
in fact adv. de hecho, en realidad
as well adv. también
advantage n. ventaja
promptness n. rapidez, punctualidad
to aim (to) v. pretender, tener como objetivo
to allow v. permitir
to manage v. gestionar
standard adj. común, estándar
undergraduate student n. estudiante universitario
compulsory adj. obligatorio, -a
requirement n. requisito

Notes

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Notes

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 Use of English

Language Point: Nouns and Pronouns

1. COMMON NOUNS AND PROPER NAMES
• Common nouns
car, dog, chair (singular) → cars, dogs, chairs (plural).
milk, sugar, air, oil (substances with no plural form).

• Proper names
People: Mary, John, Susan, Philip.
Cities: London, Madrid, New York, Amsterdam.
Rivers and Lakes: The Thamesis, The Mississipi, The Rhin, Lake Erie.
Mountains: The Pyrinees, The Alps, Mt. Olympus, San Juan Hill.
Monuments: The Eiffel Tower, The Statue of Liberty, The White House,
The Golden Gate Bridge.
Schools and Universities: Cape Elementary School, Harvard University.
Subjects: Physics, Mathematics, Phylosophy, Grammar.

Remember: Proper names with a capital letter.

2. PRONOUNS

Pay attention: Subject and object pronouns replace nouns that are either subjects or
objects in the sentence.

Personal Pronouns: I, You, He, She, It, We, You, They.

Examples:  I have a small cottage.
You have a dog.
He teaches English.
She works in London.
It is a big city.
We love chocolate.
You live in Madrid.
They are from Burgos.

Object Pronouns: me, you, him, her, it, us, you, them.
Examples:  Mary likes me.
Peter likes you.

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 UNIT 1   Education

The children like him.

The child likes her.
The woman likes us.
The man likes you.
The boy likes them.

Pay attention: Possessive adjectives and possessive pronouns are two different ways
to show possession in English.

Possessive Adjectives: my, your, his, her, its, our, your, their.
Examples:  This is my book.
That is your book.
This is his book.
This is her magazine.
This is its leg.
These are our books.
These are your books.
Those are their books.

Possessive Pronouns: mine, yours, his, hers, ours, yours, theirs.

Examples:  This book is mine.
That book is yours.
The book is his.
The magazine is hers.
These books are ours.
The books are yours.
Those books are theirs.

Notes

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 Use of English

Exercises (see answers on pages 249-250)

Exercise 1:
Match the questions with the correct answers.
1) Who are you? a) I rent a small cottage in Poole.
2) Where do you live? b) I go to the South of England.
3) Where do you work? c) I teach English.
4) What do you teach? d) I work at the Museum of Arts.
5) Where do you go on holidays? e) I live in Madrid.
6) Do you have a house there? f)  I am Linda.

Exercise 2:
Use the correct personal pronouns to replace the words in brackets.
1) ______________ is dreaming. (Mary)
2) ______________ is green. (The tree)
3) ______________ are on the wall. (The pictures)
4) ______________ is running. (The cat)
5) ______________ are watching TV. (My friend and I)
6) ______________ are in the parking. (The cars)
7) ______________ likes his bike. (Tom)

Exercise 3:
Turn the subject pronoun into the corresponding object pronouns by
filling the blanks in the following examples.
1) I → Peter likes _________.
2) You → Molly invited _________.
3) She → Sue knows _________.
4) He → John and Peter visited _________.
5) It → Anne bought _________ in the shop.
6) We → The inspectors asked _________.
7) You → The neighbors saw _________ in the party.
8) They → My parents listened to _________ .

Exercise 4:
Possessive Adjective or Possessive Pronoun? Fill in the gaps with the cor-
responding pronoun.
1) I → _________ dog is big.
2) You → _________ car is new.
3) She → The brown cat is _________ .
4) He → The house is _________ .
5) It → _________ tail is short.
6) We → The children are _________ .
7) You → The problem is _________ .
8) they → _________ sister works downtown.

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Notes

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 Oral Skills

1. READ THROUGH THESE DEFINITIONS AND FILL IN THE

BLANKS IN THE CONVERSATION BELOW BETWEEN A CLERK
AND A STUDENT WHO WANTS TO ENROLL AT HARVARD
UNIVERSITY

Definitions
Dorm: a college or university building division that awards bachelor’s
containing living quarters for degrees.
students. Also dormitory, residence Credits: official certification or recog-
hall, students residence, hall (of nition that a student has successfully
residence). completed a course of study.
Campus: the grounds and buildings of Professor: a college or university
an institution, especially a college, teacher who ranks above an associate
a university or other institution of professor.
learning, a hospital, or a corporation. Teacher: a person whose occupation is
Plural: campuses. teaching others especially children.
To register: to enroll officially or Club: a group of people organized for a
formally, especially in order to vote or common purpose, especially a group
attend classes. that meets regularly.
Majors: a field of study chosen as an Honour societies: an organization
academic specialty. to which students are admitted in
Programmes: syllabuses or curricula. recognition of academic achievement.
Class: a group of students who are taught Greek life: social organization at a
together, usually at a regularly college or university, traditionally
scheduled time and in the same subject. consisting of students and designated
Cafeteria: a dining area, at a school or by Greek letters.
office building, where meals may be Fraternity: social organization at a
purchased or brought from home and college or university, traditionally
eaten. consisting of male students and
College: incorporated within a designated by Greek letters.
university, an institution of higher Sorority: social organization at a
learning that grants the bachelors college or university, traditionally
degrees in liberal arts or science or consisting of female students and
both. designated by Greek letters.
University: an institution for higher Tuition: a fee for instruction, especially
learning with teaching and research at a college, university, or private
facilities, typically including a schools.
graduate school and professional Fee: a fixed sum charged, as by an
schools that award master’s degrees institution or by law, for a service
and doctorates and an undergraduate or privilege. 〉

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〉 Loan: a sum of money that is lent, Sophomore: a second-year student in a

usually with an interest fee. US college.
Scholarship: financial aid provided for a Junior: a student who is in the third
scholar because of academic merit. year of a US high school or college.
Facilities: a building, room, array of Senior: a student in the fourth year of a
equipment, or a number of such college.
things, designerd to serve a particular Trimester: one of the three terms into
function. which an academic year is divided in
Library: a place in which reading some universities and colleges.
materials, such as books, periodicals, Quatrimester: one of the two terms
and newspapers, and often other into which an academic year is
materials such as musical and video divided in some universities and
recordings, are kept for use or colleges.
lending. Semester: one of the two divisions of
Freshman: a student in the first year- twelve to eighteen weeks each of an
class of a high school, college, or academic year in some universities
university. and colleges.

Exercise (see answers on page 250)

Conversation 1:
Fill in the blanks.
CLERK: Good morning, how can I help you?
STUDENT: I would like to know how to (1) ________________________ for classes? Online
or in person?
CLERK: You can register both ways. The deadline is the 1st of August.
STUDENT: I spent my (2) ___________________________ year at Cornell, so I would like to
transfer my first-year credits to Harvard. How can I do that?
CLERK: Just send an application form with your transcripts.
STUDENT: OK, thanks. But, first, I’d like to know about the prerequisitites for certain
(3) ___________________________ and (4) _______________________.
CLERK: No problem. You can find all that in the (5) _____________________________ and
(6) ___________________________ online. You will see that most subjects are divided into two
terms, that is (7) _________________________________ from September to December and from
February to June with a special winter term consisting of three weeks in January.
〉

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 Oral Skills

〉 STUDENT: Where can I buy books?

CLERK: You can buy all your books at the university bookstore at an exorbitant price or
you can borrow them from the (8) ___________________________.
STUDENT: Where exactly is the library?
CLERK: It’s very easy. Here, take a (9) ___________________________ map so you can find all
the buildings.
STUDENT: By the way, I’d also like to know how to get involved in other campus
activities such as honour societies and (10) ___________________________.
CLERK: Sure, are you not interested in Greek life? We have a large variety of
(11) ___________________________ and (12) ___________________________ where students can
participate in a variety of fun and rewarding activities.
STUDENT: And what about housing? My home is too far away to commute to campus
every day.
CLERK: We can provide you with a room in a (13) ___________________________ . They are
comfy and well-equipped.
STUDENT: Can you also tell me about the meal plans?
CLERK: Sure. We have several (14) ___________________________ You can bring your own
food and eat it there or buy food there at a very low cost. You can also buy meal plans
that include a certain number of meals per week each semester.
STUDENT: Talking about costs, aside from tuition, do I have to pay for room and board?
CLERK: Yes, but if you are short of money, you can apply for (15) ___________________________
and financial aid, which will certainly help you with your payments.
STUDENT: Is it easy to reach a professor with questions about class?
CLERK: Absolutely, our teaching staff are really accessible. Academic advising is one of
our quality features at Harvard. We also provide our students with medical check-ups,
fitness facilities…

Notes

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 UNIT 1   Education

2. NICKY WILLIAMS IS A SIXTEEN-YEAR-OLD ENGLISH STUDENT

WHO LIVES IN MANCHESTER. HER YOUNGER SISTER PAT
ASKS HER ABOUT WHAT SHE DOES AT SCHOOL. ANALYSE
VOCABULARY AND EXPRESSIONS. YOU CAN WRITE ANOTHER
CONVERSATION FOLLOWING THIS PATTERN

PAT: Why is sixteen such an important age for you at school?

NICKY: Because I have to decide which course I will take in order to pass the exams that
will allow me to go to university.

PAT: What are your subjects this year?

NICKY: My subjects are Spanish, French, English, History, Latin, Mathematics, Web Design
and Physical Education. But I’m mostly interested in modern languages.

PAT: You seem very busy. What is your timetable?

NICKY: I have classes from 9 to 12:30, with only one break of a quarter of an hour at 11
o’clock. At 12.30 there is a longer break for lunch. Most of the students stay at school and
have lunch there, but some of them, who live nearby, go home and come back in an hour’s
time. Classes are resumed at 1:30 and they go on until 4:00 o´clock.

PAT: Oh, and what about sports?

NICKY: I have Physical Education classes two afternoons a week, either in the gymnasium
or on the playing fields.

PAT: But you also belong to the school football team.

NICKY: Yeah! And we have organized a league with the students from other schools, and
we play a match every Saturday. You know, sometimes my teammates and I stay on in
order to train for the next match.

PAT: Tell me about your youth club.

NICKY: My friends and I usually meet there two or three evenings a week. The club is a
lively place, and there is always a lot of things to do there. We spend lots of time listening
to music, playing videogames or just talking. Since many members of the youth club are
girls, we very often dance to music.

PAT: But you also like painting, don’t you?

NICKY: Absolutely. One of my hobbies is painting and I spend a great deal of my time at
the club painting posters. Some boys and girls take painting very seriously and have long
discussions about art.

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 Oral Skills

PAT: Oh, Nicky, when do you do your homework?

NICKY: Easy! After 4 o’clock when I arrive home. I go straight to my bedroom to study the
lessons for the next day.

PAT: Nice! I do really love when the whole family has dinner together in the evening. I
want to be like you when I am older.

3. READ AND LISTEN TO THIS CONVERSATION BETWEEN A

UNED PROFESSOR AND A STUDENT. ANALYSE VOCABULARY
AND EXPRESSIONS. YOU CAN WRITE ANOTHER
CONVERSATION FOLLOWING THIS PATTERN

STUDENT: Good morning, Professor Johnson.

PROFESSOR: Good morning, Mr Smith.

STUDENT: I’m in my senior year and I’d like to know about the “must do’s” or compulsory
subjects for the English Studies degree.

PROFESSOR: Of course, to earn your degree you must take all the subjects indicated in our
guidelines. You can find them online.

STUDENT: I’d like to focus on English Literature. How many subjects do I have to study?

PROFESSOR: Our course of study focuses on the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries and
it’s divided into two semesters. We deal with drama, novel, essay and poetry.

STUDENT: How can I obtain the books and other materials?

PROFESSOR: All the recommended texts are online but if you prefer printed versions you
can purchase them at the bookshop or on the Internet.

STUDENT: I’m worried about how I’m going to be assessed.

PROFESSOR: I know exams are horrible but they have to be done. Like I said, the subject is
divided into two semesters, four units each. Then, you’ll have two exams, one in February
and another one in June.

STUDENT: Can I also write papers?

PROFESSOR: Of course you can. You’ll have the opportunity to see what the exam is like
if you write a couple of Continuous Assessment Tests. That way you can do some research
on the subject.

STUDENT: And what about electives?

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