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Module 2: Get happy!

1. Test your grammar!
Situation: You work for the school magazine and this week you are interviewing a new student.
Task 1: Look at the pairs of sentences. Which one is correct? Why?

a. They have a teenage son.

They’re having a teenage son.

b. She speaks five languages.

She’s speaking five languages.

c. Don’t turn off the TV! I watch it.

Don’t turn off the TV! I’m watching it.

d. Oh no! It rains.
Oh no! It’s raining.

e. We’re thinking opera is boring.

We think opera is boring.

f. English speaks all over the world.

English is spoken all over the world.

2. My Personality1

Context: you are interested in psychology. You are listening to the radio. A psychologist is talking about the
influence your position in the family has on your personality.
Task 1: fill in the chart!

Oldest children Middle children Youngest children Only children

1 New English Files Intermediate

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Task 2: Do you agree with it? Which four adjectives best describe your personality? Why?

3. Personality Test
Context: You have to take a personality test for a future job.
Task: take the test and find out how people see you!

This personality test will tell you how sociable you are and how others see you in
your relationships. We spend most of our lives in communities, among people.
Some of us feel really comfortable in the company of others and are able to
communicate easily with anyone. Other people feel distressed and even panic
when they have to get into contact with others. Completing this test will show
you where you belong. Enjoy it!

1. Which is your favourite day? 4. How do you sit while talking to others?
a. Monday a. with my arms fold and knees closed
b. Tuesday tightly
c. Wednesday b. with my arms let down, a slight straddle
d. Thursday c. with my arms on the back and my legs
e. Friday outstretched
f. Saturday
g. Sunday

2. Which time of the day do you prefer? 5. How do you react when you hear a joke?
a. morning a. with a loud laughter
b. afternoon b. I laugh, but moderately
c. evening c. with a slight laugh to myself
d. night d. with a smile only
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6. What do you do when you arrive to a

party?
a. I start with a loud entry to get attention
b. I look for a friend
3. How do you walk in the street?
c. I just mingle with the crowd
a. fast, with my head held up
b. fast, with swaying steps
c. fast, but watching what is happening
around me
d. not so fast, I watch my steps
e. slowly

7. You are trying hard to concentrate on 9. What do you do right before falling
your work when someone disturbs you. asleep?
How do you react?
a. I stretch
a. no problem, time for a little rest b. I lie prone
b. you mention the person that he/she c. I lie aside with my legs pulled up
has disturbed you
c. it depends on my mood

8. Which colour do you prefer? 10. You often dream that…

a. red a. you are falling from on high

b. black b. you are fighting or taking part in some
c. light blue kind of a combat sport
d. green c. you are a seeker in the wilderness
e. purple d. you fly like Superman
f. white e. I don’t remember my dreams
g. brown f. neither of these are true, but I have
pleasant dreams
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RESULTS:
a. (a)6, (b)7, (c)5, (d)4, (e)3, (f)2, (g)1 points
b. (a)2, (b)4, (c)6, (d)3 points
c. (a)4, (b)2, (c)5, (d)7, (e)6 points
d. (a)4, (b)6, (c)2 points
e. (a)6, (b)4, (c)3, (d)5 points
f. (a)6, (b)4, (c)2 points
g. (a)6, (b)2, (c)4 points
h. (a)6, (b)7, (c)5, (d)4, (e)3, (f)2, (g)1 points
i. (a)7, (b)6, (c)4 points
j. (a)4, (b)2, (c)3, (d)5, (e)6, (f)1
Over 59 points:
You seem to be quite egoistic in other people’s eyes. Despite the fact that you have admirers, many of
them simply don’t trust you and that is the reason why they don’t want to have a closer relationship with
you.
Between 51 and 58 points:
You have a versatile and vibrating personality. You are a true leader with firm decisions even if you make
mistakes from time to time. You are brave and constantly seeking adventure. Those who prefer these
characteristics will sure like you!

Between 41 and 50 points:

You are a fresh, yet, a realistic person and you radiate reliability and poise of mind. You are good at your
relationships and able to avoid any exaggerations. You are popular among your friends with your humane
and sensitive personality.

Between 21 and 40 points:

You worry too much and you are too sensitive! You make friends quite easily, but in some cases you are too
careful and slow. You are a loyal friend and expect the same from others as well. Your mood has a great
influence on your behaviour.

Under 21 points:
Others see you as a shy, unresponsive person, a man of his cast. You are unable to make decisions on your
own and prefer others to take care of you. You don’t really like company. You hide your energies and reveal
them only in emergencies. Try to change and enjoy life!

4. What makes people happy?

Context: you are taking part in a lecture about happiness. You are asked to look at the ingredients for
happiness.
Task 1: how important is each one to you? (1=very important; 5=not important). Discuss it with your
partner.
Good health in mind and body A big house
A good friend to rely on Regular holidays
Partner A supportive family
Hobbies and leisure activities Success at school
Enough pocket money

Task 2: let us talk together!

• What do you think is the happiest time of a person’s life – when they are young or when they are
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old? Why?
• What is your best memory?

5. Sidney Fisk´s Life

Context: you are taking part in a lecture about happiness. The

first person talking is called Sidney Fisk.
Task 1: listen to Sidney Fisk. Answer the questions.

1. What does he do?

2. Where does he work?

3. Where is he working now?

4. How old are his children?

5. Where does he live?

6. His house is rather small. True or false? Back it up.

7. What is his hobby?

Task 2: what is your opinion about Sidney´s life?

6. Jeff Norman´s Life

Context: you are taking part in a lecture about happiness. The person talking is Jeff Norman.
Task 1: listen to Jeff Norman and answer the questions.

1. How old is Jeff?

2. What does he do?

3. How much does he earn a year?

4. How many hours does he work a day?

5. How much does he get in tips (a week)?

6. What time does he get up?

7. How many miles does he drive a day?

8. How many newspapers does he deliver a day?

9. What time does he usually get back home?

10. What does he do at weekends?

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Task 2: now write notes about Sidney and Jeff in the chart. Then, write a text in which you compare
Sidney’s and Jeff’s lives (about 200 words). Good luck!

Sidney Fisk Jeff Norman

Work

Home and family

Free time

7. What do you do? – Simple or continuous – Grammar & exercises

Task 1: Read the dialogue. Then work in pairs and make up similar dialogues with some of the jobs.
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1. Some verbs are used in both simple and continuous forms. These are called action verbs.

She usually drives to work, but today she is not driving. She is walking.

2. Some verbs are almost never used in the continuous form. These are called state verbs.

I like black coffee.

3. Seven of these verbs are not usually used in the Present Continuous. Underline them.

Like – know – understand – work – enjoy – think (opinion) - come – play –

have (possession) – love – want

Task 2: Complete the pairs of sentences using the Present Simple or the Present Continuous.
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8. I’m a clown doctor! – Reading & Speaking

Context: you are taking part in a lecture about happiness. You are given an article about a person who is a
clown doctor.
Task 1: read the article about Lucy Cheetham.

The Clown Doctor

“I’m a Theodora clown doctor, I call myself Dr LooLoo. I spend two days a week in children’s hospitals
being extremely silly with my friend and colleague Dr Chequers. We make funny faces, tell jokes and do
magic tricks. As I walk into the wards I blow bubbles, shake hands with the kids, and make up nonsense
songs for those children well enough to sing. We take special balloons to make ‘balloon animals’ and tell
funny stories about them. We often meet kids who one week look really sick, then we go back the next
week and they’re racing about yelling ‘ Hi there, Dr LooLoo! Hi Dr Chequers! ‘

I’m naturally a very cheerful person. I’ve always been

a clown. In fact my father’s a clown and I started
working with him when I was eight years old. I knew it
was just the job for me and I became a clown doctor
because I think it’s a great way to cheer up sick,
frightened children in hospital. I wear a fancy coat, a
yellow shirt, and tights with big stripes. Also I have a
red rubber nose and wear my hair in crazy plaits.

Being a clown in a hospital is very tiring both

physically and emotionally. We have to learn not to
show our feelings, otherwise we’d been useless.
Clown doctors are sensitive but this is not a side most
people see. To the children we’re happy all the time.
I’m still learning to allow myself to feel sad
occasionally. There are special kids you get really close
to. At the moment I’m working with a very sick little girl from Bosnia who speaks no English, so our only
common language is laughter. She’s been in and out of hospital for operations so many times and she’s
always on my mind.
At lunchtime we eat in the hospital cafeteria and that’s really useful because we meet the nurses and
doctors. They tell as about particular kids who they think will benefit from a clown doctor visit. If a child
is frightened, perhaps, they’re being given an injection or some nasty medicine- we can distract them so
the nurses can do their job.
About six o’clock Dr Chequers and I take off our make-up and change our clothes. We’re totally
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exhausted. Sometimes I have a night out with friends, it helps me unwind. When I finally fall into bed, I
crash out. At weekends we are often asked to participate in events to raise money for Theodora
Children’s Trust. It’s a charity; so we are paid with the money people give. Being a clown doctor makes
the worries of everyday life seem small. All in all, I feel privileged to do this job.“

Task 2: answer the questions.

1. Who is Dr. LooLoo? Who is Dr. Chequers?

2. In what ways is their job „extremely silly“? Give examples.

3. How did Lucy become a Theodora clown doctor?

4. Why does she like her job?

5. What does she wear?

6. What would be useless?

7. Why is it useful to eat in the hospital cafeteria?

8. What does she do after work?

9. Where does the money for Lucy´s salary come from?

Task 3: find lines in the text which mean the same as the following.

1. They´re running about shouting.

2. I have a happy personality.
3. We would be no help at all.
4. I´m always thinking about her.
5. I go out for the evening with friends.
6. It helps me relax.
7. I go to bed and immediately fall into a deep sleep.
8. I am lucky to have this job.
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9. Sport and Leisure – Quiz, Vocabulary & Listening

Context: you are crazy about sports! You like reading magazines about sport...
Task 1: do the quiz and find out if you are really a sports fan! Do the exercises.

ARE YOU A SPORTS FAN?

1. Who are the people in the photos?

a. ...........................................................
b. ...........................................................
c. ...........................................................
d. ...........................................................
e. ...........................................................
f. ...........................................................
g. ........................................................... A
2. What are the colours of the Italian
national football team? B
a.  green shirt, red shorts and socks
b.  blue shirt, shorts and socks
c.  red shirt, green shorts and socks

3. Would you prefer to. . .

d.  do sports with your friends?
e.  watch sports on TV?
f.  chat with friends?

4. Would you prefer to be?

g.  a sports presenter?
h.  a famous sportsperson?
i.  a famous singer or film star?
5. Do you watch sports on TV…
j.  more than once a week? C
k.  about once a week?
l.  about once a month?
m.  never?
SCORES
1. 2 points for each correct answer
2. a 0 p. b 2 p. c 0 p.
3. a 3 p. b 2 p. c 0 p.
4. a 1 p. b 2 p. c 0 p.
5. a 3 p. b 2 p. c 1 p. d 0 p.
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D E

F G
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B. Sports Idioms generally originate from a specific A. Sports: match the following icons with the
sport such as baseball or sailing. sports they represent:

1. Match the Idiom with the Sport… athletics badminton baseball basketball
weightlifting cycling football golf gymnastics
a. the ball is in your court cards ice hockey judo karate rugby surfing
swimming table tennis tennis volleyball
b. give it your best shot tennis
c. race against time boxing
d. hit below the belt horse racing
e. under the table hunting
f. neck and neck track

2. What do these Idioms mean in everyday life?

Can you think of other idioms related to sports?
3. Complete with the correct idiom:
a. Now that I gave you Paul's phone number, ___.
b. John and Tom finished the Math contest ___.
c. I don't have a work visa, you must pay me ___.
d. Amy ___ when she called Ray a loser.
e. ___ and you may pass the exams.
f. It's a ___ to find a kidney donor for my cousin.

C. Sports places: where do you practise these sports? (you can use the words more than once)
boxing _____________ baseball _____________
ring court football _____________ judo _____________
pitch pool athletics _____________ racing _____________
track course basketball _____________ tennis _____________
tatami mat field swimming _____________ golf _____________

D. Sports equipment: What equipment is needed in each of them? Write them in the correct column:
motor racing karate ice hockey skateboarding surfing kimono helmet
skate-board gloves
wetsuit skates stick
coloured belt boots
surf-board knee-pads
motorcycle elbow-pads
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E. Sports verbs: complete with the correct form of play, go or do. Underline the time markers.
1) Mary and Lee ____________ tennis at the moment.
We normally use: 2) My wife ____________ horse riding twice a week.
• PLAY with team and ball sports, 3) Anne ____________ gymnastics since she was a child.
• GO with sports that end in –ing, 4) My brother ___________ jogging every day when he was at university.
• DO with other sports. 5) Ray's quite an athlete. He ____________ rugby, baseball and hockey for years.
6) Larry ____________ athletics for the national Olympic team.

Task 2: three people are talking about the sport they do. Fill in the chart.

Jenny

Mary

Thomas
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Which sport? How often? Where? What Are they good

equipment? at it?

Mary

Jenny

Thomas

Task 3: work in pairs and ask each other the following questions!

What sports do you play?

How often do you play...?
Where...?
What equipment...?
Are you good at...?

Task 4: do some research about your favourite sport and tell about it to the class!
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10. Grammar – The passive voice

Football is played all around the world.

A goal was scored before half time.
A football match has never been played here.
The match will not be won by the team.

Are these sentences active or passive?

Write these sentences in the active voice.

_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________

RULE : __________________________________

Invent a passive sentence (each tense!)

Simple Present

Continuous Present

Present Perfect Simple

Simple Past

Past Continuous
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11. Unlucky Athletes

Context: There is always hype about the winners, but the media never talks about the unlucky athletes. So
this time, we will deal with those who came home with no medals.
Task 1: Say what happened to each of them. Start each sentence with a word in the big circle. Then find a
suitable verb in the small circle. Decide if you have to use the passive or not.

assistant

boxer

archer

baseball bat
torchbearer 2

STAB THROW OFF

CHASE RIP rider

CATCH
FIRE CHASE

LOSE

fencer FALL

SHOOT cyclist

KICK
HIT

bar
PAIR UP
BREAK

BREAK

swimmer

torchbearer 1

weight
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12. Passive Voice

Task: change the sentences into the passive voice.

1. We should clean these windows before tomorrow.

2. The workers gave the boss some flowers.

3. The police followed the thieves into a building.

4. The mechanic can’t fix my car.

5. The neighbour has told us the news.

6. The students painted the walls last year.

7. The old woman feeds the pigeons every day.

8. They will pick up John at this office.

9. She showed the visitors the new house.

10. You shouldn’t throw litter on the ground.

11. The teacher asked the students a very difficult question at the oral exam.

12. First, we have to read the text and then, we have to do the exercises.

13. His parents promised Tom a hundred Euros if he passed the test.

14. Did they repair all the windows?

15. The news surprised us all.

16. Is the teacher correcting the exams right now?

17. Someone has sent John a mysterious letter.

18. Where did they find the book?

19. The taxi driver drove us to the airport.

20. Many people have seen a UFO in this area.

21. Have they watered the plants?

22. Someone stole my purse while I was doing the shopping.

23. The secretary has already sent all the documents to Mr. Smith.

24. They have offered Michael an excellent job in a British company.

25. The police could arrest the bank robbers when they were crossing the border.

26. Someone has used the computer without permission.

27. My grandmother is baking a delicious cake.

13. Numbers
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Task 1: say the numbers.

15 50 406 72 128 90 19 850 36 1,520 247 5,000 100,000

2,000,000 2/3 0.7 7.8 30% $600 £90 ¥66

Task 2: say the numbers.

Money
$100 £400 ¥5,000 50p 9.40 euros

Fractions
¼ ¾ 2/3 7/8 12 ½

Decimals and percentages

6.2 17.25 50% 75.7% 100%

Dates
1995 2020 1789 15/7/1994

Phone numbers
01865-556890 800 451-7545 919 677-1303

Task 3: listen to the conversations. Write the numbers you hear.

1. _____________ _____________
2. _____________ _____________
3. _____________ _____________
____ ____ ____ ____
4. _____________ _____________ _____________
5. _____________ _____________

14. Speed Dating

Context: you are single and you want to find a partner. You are taking part in a speed dating meeting...
Task 1: the teacher has just given you a picture. YOU ARE THE PERSON!
Invent a new life:
− Name/First Name
− Date of birth
− Job (where you work, what you do – describe a typical day)
− Languages
− Place where you live (describe the town/city, your house)
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− Hobbies (sport + frequency + equipment / music / …)

− Describe yourself mentally (3 positive and 3 negative sides)
− What you expect from a partner
− Goals in life

Task 2: try to find your ideal partner in class... Good luck!

15. An email - Writing

Context: You have just found the email address of an old friend on the website Friends Reunited… Before
writing an email to your friend, do the following tasks…
Task 1: read extracts 11 from some letters and email. Which are beginnings and which are endings? Write B
or E.
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Task 2: Match the beginnings and endings of these different letters and emails.

Task 3: Continue the beginnings with one of these lines.

- Could you please send me your brochure and a price list? I would be most grateful.
- I’ve changed my job a few times since I last spoke to you, and as you know, I’ve moved to a new flat.
- Unfortunately, this amount did not include packing and postage, which is £7.50.
- We’ve got four tickets for that open-air concert in Woodstock. Interested?
- We’d love to come.

Task 4: Which one…

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Task 5: Write a short email to your friend. Give your news, describe some things that you’ve done recently,
and write about your favourite sport and what your future plans are. Ask about his/her news and family.