4 Listen to each question or statement and make responses using the sentences below. Stress the correct part of the verb when you reply.

1 It is an awful lot of money, I agree.

2 I was there, I promise you.

3 She has read it, she told me so.

4 But I do care. You know that.

5 Oh no, she does work in a bank.

6 No, it did make a difference, honestly.

PRACTICE

5 Rephrase the sentences starting with What.

EXAMPLE

1 What seems strange is that so many people like watching it.

1 It seems strange that so many people like watching it.

2 It appeals me how much money has been spent.

3 It amazes me how he can run so far.

4 I can't understand how people can call fox-hunting a sport.

5 I can't see why they don't ban it.

6 It worries me that they don't teach anything about politics at school.

ROLEPLAY

6 Student A is irritated with Student B because he/she has not done some things he/she was asked to do. Try to be as emphatic as possible about the points you want to make. For your rolecards, Student A turn to page 125, Student B turn to page 126.

H LISTENING

7 Listen to a woman giving her opinion about boxing on a radio phone-in programme and answer True, False or Don't know.

1 Her son was a professional boxer.

2 He often got injured.

3 He enjoyed boxing.

4 She thinks it's morally wrong to teach boxing at school.

5 She agrees that there is a 'right way' to fight.

6 Her son was always naturally aggressive.

STUDY POINT: Balancing opinions

The phrases in bold below show that you have considered both sides of an argument.

At first sight the rules seem very simple but in actual fact they're enormously complicated. In theory you can start at any age but in

practice you need to be over a certain weight. It may be true that some people watch boxing because they like violence but on the whole most people enjoy it as a sport. Many people believe/argue that it should be banned but as far as I'm concerned you can always switch the TV off.

You can mix some phrases.

Many people argue that... but on th whole/in my experience... Many people believe that... but in actual

fact...

PRACTICE

8 Join these ideas with an appropriate pair of phrases.

1 Boxing/very brutal/the sport requires a lot of skill

2 Motor-racing/very dangerous/very few serious accidents

3 Tennis/exciting to watch/extremely tedious

4 Wrestling/requires a lot of skill/primitive and barbaric

5 You might be able to ban it/it would still continue

9 Talk about it.

In groups, discuss whether you think some sports should or shouldn't be banned, e.g. boxing, Sumo-wrestling or the 'martial arts' like Kung Fu.

WRITING

10 Write a letter to the editor of a daily newspaper giving your opinion on the topic you discussed in the previous exercise. Use the following guide:

Dear Sir,

PARAGRAPH 1

Introduction: Why are you writing? Have you read anything in the papers that has shocked or surprised you?

PARAGRAPH 2

State your opinion but balance it with arguments for the other side. Develop each point with an example where possible.

PARAGRAPH 3

Restate your opinion strongly and point out the consequences of not following your suggestion.

Yours faithfully,

11 You see this announcement in an Internet forum:

Tests

International sports survey

Calling sports lovers everywhere!

We want to get a picture of sport around the world.

Send us a message, telling us about: what sports are played in your region which ones are the most popular the differences between older and younger people's interest in sports.

Write your message in 40-50 words.

EXAM TIP

Make sure you show the examiners how much English you know. For example, look at the first point required: 'what sports are played in your region'. Now, if you just write a list of the names of sports, you're not going to be showing the examiners very much English. It's better to take the opportunity to present your ideas more interestingly: 'A wide variety of sports are played in my region, from football to ice hockey. We play different sports at different times of year, so we go skiing in winter and swimming in the summer.'

Writing an informal letter ► 75 minutes