Questions

Exercise 1. Answer the following questions.

1. What were you like as a child?

2. What sort of character did you have as a child?

3. What were your childhood dreams and ambitions?

4. What did you want to be when you grew up?

5. What were your parents' attitude?

6. What kind of school did you attend?

7. Which subjects did you have to study?

8. Which subject (s) did you like most?

9. Which did you like the least?

10. What was discipline like at your school?

11. Did you play truant when you were at school?

12. How long did you stay on at school?

13. What did you enjoy most about school?

14. What didn't you like about school?

15. Do you think school uniform is a good idea?

16. What are the advantages and disadvantages of single sex schools?

17. Nowadays there are quite a few private schools in this country. What school would you prefer - a state school or a private school? Give your reasons.

Exercise 2. Put each of the following words or phrases in its correct space in the passage below.

state	primary
break up	graduate
compulsory	terms
academic	private
secondary	degree
nursery school	co-educational

When children are two or three years old, they sometimes go to a (a) _, where they learn simple games and songs. Their first real school is called a (b) _ school. In Britain children start this school at the age of five. The (c) _ year in Britain begins in September and is divided into three (d) _. Schools (e) _ for the summer holiday in July. (f) _ education begins at the age of about eleven, and most schools at this level are (g) _, which means boys and girls study together in the same classes. In Britain education is (h) _ from five to 16 years of age, but many children choose to remain at school for another two or three years after 16 to take higher exams. Most children go to (i) _ schools, which are maintained by the government or local education authorities, but some children go to (j) _ schools, which can be very expensive. University courses normally last three years and then students (k) _, which means they receive their (1)_.

Social english At the Railway Station

arrival/departure platform;

train:

long distance train;

local/suburban train;

slow/stopping train;

through train;

passenger train;

to get on/off a train;

to catch a train;

to go by train;

to travel in a (non-) smoking carriage;

a lower/upper berth;

a luggage rack;

bedding;

a train timetable/schedule;

to arrive ahead of schedule/on schedule;

to leave on/behind schedule;

destination;

ticket:

single ticket;

day return/period return ticket;

season ticket;

ticket inspector;

Ticket Office;

Information Office.

UNIT 8

PATHS TO SUCCESS

Focus on

Use of English

Grammar

The Present Perfect Tense

just / already / yet / still

any more / any longer / no longer

been to / been in / gone to

Present Perfect vs. Past Simple

since / for / ago

Further practice: Articles

Reading Career Prospects

Speaking Applying for a Job

Social English

Making an appointment

USE OF ENGLISH

Grammar

The Present Perfect Tense

The Present Perfect Tense is used:

to talk about something which started in the past and continues up to the present

- with time references like before (now), never, ever, up till now, so far

She’s seen this film before.

I’ve never been there.

Have you ever eaten Chinese food?

He's received 30 cards up to now.

I've never tasted papaya so far.

- with since/for

We haven't been there since we were young.

She's worked in London for six months.

- with today, this morning, this afternoon, etc. when these periods of time are not finished at the time of speaking

I've written four letters this morning. (It is still “this morning”)

when the result of a past action is connected to the present

Someone's broken the window. (= The window is now broken.)

We've cleaned the flat. (= The flat is now clean.)

to describe personal experience (with superlatives or ordinals)

She's met a lot of interesting people. (= in her life, up now)

He is the most intelligent person I've met.

This is the third time we've complained.

to announce “news”

I’ve found a new job.

to describe actions which happened at unspecified time in the past

- with no time reference at all

He has passed his driving test.

- with references to recent time, like just, recently lately, already, still, yet

I've just eaten.

He has recently become a director.

I haven't seen you lately.

They've already spoken to me.

She still hasn't answered my letter.

I haven't drunk my tea yet.