Task 1
Imagine that you are preparing a project with your friend. You have found some interesting material for the presentation and you want to read this text to your friend. You have 1.5 minutes to read the text silently, then be ready to read it out aloud. You will not have more than 1.5 minutes to read it.
Some newspapers, TV channels and well-known companies publish false news stories to fool people on 1 April. One of the earliest examples of this was in 1957 when a programme on the BBC, the UK’s national TV channel, broadcast a report on how spaghetti grew on trees. The film showed a family in Switzerland collecting spaghetti from trees and many people were fooled into believing it, as in the 1950s British people didn’t eat much pasta and many didn’t know how it was made! In 2008 the BBC managed to fool their audience again with their Miracles of Evolution trailer, which appeared to show some special penguins that had regained the ability to fly.
On April Fool’s Day 1998, the American hamburger chain Burger King announced that it had created a left-handed hamburger. The advert for the ‘new product’ explained that all the ingredients had been rotated 180 degrees so that it was more comfortable for left-handed people to pick up and eat.
Task 2
Study the advertisement.
Where technology tells its story…
You are considering visiting the Computer History Museum (in Mountain View, California) and now you’d like to get more information. In 1.5 minutes you are to ask four direct questions to find out about the following:
- museum hours
- upcoming events
- membership levels and benefits
- interactive experiences
You have 20 seconds to ask each question.
Task 3
You are going to give an interview. You have to answer five questions. Give full answers to the questions (2–3 sentences). Remember that you have 40 seconds to answer each question.
Tapescript for Task 3
Interviewer: Hello everybody! It’s Teenagers Round the World Channel. Our guest today is a teenager from Russia and we are going to discuss climate change and global warming. We’d like to know our guest’s point of view on this issue. Please answer five questions. So, let’s get started.
Interviewer: Is global warming a real phenomenon? Can you share some examples of how global warming has already affected your local environment or region?
Student: _________________________
Interviewer: How concerned are you about the impact of climate change on our planet’s future?
Student: _________________________
Interviewer: Do you think human activities or natural factors are mainly responsible for global warming, and why?
Student: _________________________
Interviewer: Do you think your generation can make a difference in the battle against climate change? If yes, what actions can make a difference?
Student: _________________________
Interviewer: What are your thoughts on the role of governments and international organisations in addressing climate change?
Student: _________________________
Interviewer: Thank you very much for your interview.
Task 4
Imagine that you and your friend are doing a school project “Travel choices”. You have found some photos to illustrate it but for technical reasons you cannot send them now. Leave a voice message to your friend explaining your choice of the photos and sharing some ideas about the project. In 2.5 minutes be ready to:
- explain the choice of the illustrations for the project by briefly describing them and noting the differences;
- mention the advantages (1–2) of the two travel choices;
- mention the disadvantages (1–2) of the two travel choices;
- express your opinion on the subject of the project – who you prefer to travel with and why.
You will speak for not more than 3 minutes (12–15 sentences). You have to talk continuously.
