Contents
Plan of the book .......................................................................................................iv
Acknowledgments...................................................................................................viii
To the teacher...........................................................................................................ix
How a unit works .....................................................................................................x
To the student...........................................................................................................xii
Unit

1 .....................................................................................................................1

Unit 2 .....................................................................................................................9Unit 3 .....................................................................................................................17
Unit 4 .....................................................................................................................25
Unit 5 .....................................................................................................................33
Unit 6 .....................................................................................................................41
Unit 7.....................................................................................................................49

Unit 8 .....................................................................................................................57
Unit 9 .....................................................................................................................65
Unit 10 .....................................................................................................................73
Unit 11 .....................................................................................................................81
Unit 12 .....................................................................................................................89

Activities ....................................................................................................................97
Core vocabulary: keywords
Unit-by-unit list ...................................................................................................98
Alphabetical list..................................................................................................99
Credits ........................................................................................................................100

Plan of the book
Unit

1

Title

A World ofEnglishReading texts

Reading skills

Vocabulary

Listening

1 The Wonder ofLanguage

Skimming

Collocations

Scanning

Word parts: equa/equi
Example: equivalent

Discussion
dictation

2 An EnglishSpeaking World

Disappearing
Languages

Identifying opinions

2 The Killer
Language

Where Are All
the Babies?

Our Crowded
Earth

2 Fewer and Fewer
BabiesThe Price of
Excellence

6

iv

Word parts: prim
Example: primary

Checking details

Listen toreadings online

Skimming

Collocations

Scanning

Word parts: preExample: previous

Checking details

Discussion
dictation
Listen toreadings online

Making inferences

2 Exploding
Population

Skimming

Collocations

Scanning

Word parts: ex
Example: expansion

Checking details

Discussion
dictation
Listen toreadings online

Making inferences
Identifying purpose

2 The Search for
Speed

Skimming

Collocations

Scanning

Word parts: pend/pent
Example: suspend

Checking details

Discussion
dictation
Listen toreadings online

Cause and effect
Making inferences

1 The Economics ofSport

Do Great
Athletes
Deserve GreatSalaries?

Scanning

Discussion
dictation

Reference words

1 Sports andCompetition

5

Collocations

Making inferences

1 Population
Growth4

Skimming

Cause and effect

1 Population
Pyramids

3

Listen toreadings online

Making inferences

1 The Rise and Fallof Languages

2

Checking details

2 Salaries of Top
Sportspeople

Skimming

Collocations

Scanning

Word parts: tract
Example: attract

Checking details
Pronouns
Making inferences

Discussion
dictation
Listen toreadings online

Critical thinking
Research skills

Writing

SkillsSpeaking

Information gathering• Identifying loanwords and their
meanings

Writing a short paragraph

Identifying fact or opinion

Pros and cons of English
as a world language

Categorizing statements:
positive, neutral, negative

Discussion• Pros and cons of English as a global
language• Reaching a group consensus

Interpreting and reporting results• Comparing meanings• Discussing differences

Information gathering• Rating jobs that need English
Interpreting and reporting results• Comparing lists• Predicting the future

Information gathering• Group survey on family size
Interpreting and reporting results• Analyzing data relating topopulation pyramids• Analyzing and explaining charts

Quotable Quotes• Discussing students’ attitudes to use ofEnglishWriting a short paragraph

Identifying fact or opinion

Pros and cons of English
as the dominant world
language

Categorizing statements:
positive, neutral, negative

Writing a short paragraph

Identifying fact or opinion

Summarizing pros andcons of population
changesCategorizing statements:
positive, neutral, negative

Presentation• English as the Global Language
Tip: Use of gestures in presentations
Quotable Quotes• Discussing whether everybody in the USA
should speak English

Presentation• Effects of population changes on
countries
Tip: Presentation structure
Introductions and conclusions
Quotable Quotes• Discussing implications of low birthrates

Information gathering• Group survey on future family size
Interpreting and reporting results• Comparing results with the national
birthrate

Information gathering• Methods to help athletes performtheir best
Interpreting and reporting results• Comparing methods• Assessing their impact

Information gathering• Ranking sportspeople students
would pay to see
Interpreting and reporting results• Comparing sportspeople andsportsWriting short statements

Identifying fact or opinion

Consequences of
population growing or
decreasing

Categorizing statements:
positive, neutral, negative

Writing a short paragraph

Identifying fact or opinion

Expressing an opinion
about competition andsportsCategorizing statements:
positive, neutral, negative

Discussion• Matching speakers to statements• Discussing the statements and reportingto the class
Quotable Quotes• Discussing the decision to have children

Discussion• Considering statements about
competition and cheating• Finding out and reporting the majority
view
Quotable Quotes• Discussing what motivates successful
peopleWriting a short paragraph

Identifying fact or opinion

Summarizing arguments
about paying athletes highsalaries

Categorizing statements:
positive, neutral, negative

Discussion• Ranking factors for paying high salaries• Discussing salaries paid for different jobs
Quotable Quotes• Discussing the contradictions between
sport and moneyvPlan of the book
Unit

7

Title
The
Inconvenient
Truth of Climate
ChangeReading texts

Reading skills

Vocabulary

Listening

1 What Is Global
Warming?

Skimming

Collocations

Scanning

Word parts: dict
Example: predict

Discussion
dictation

2 Hotter and Hotter

9

The Global
Warming Myth?

Identifying opinions

2 The Myth of
Global Warming?

11

Vegetarianism

12 Animals as Foodvi

Collocations

Scanning

Word parts: pro
Example: prospect

Checking details

Discussion
dictation
Listen toreadings online

Identifying opinions

1 Beauty

Skimming

Collocations

2 What Is Beauty?

Scanning

Word parts: dis
Example: disagree

Checking details

Discussion
dictation
Listen toreadings online

Cause and effect
Making inferences

1 Improving on
Nature?

Is Beauty Skin

Skimming

Identifying reasons

Changing Ideas
of Beauty

10 Deep?

Listen toreadings online

Reference words

1 The Meaning ofMyth

8Checking details

2 The NeverEnding Desire for
BeautySkimming

Collocations

Scanning

Word parts: poly
Example: Polynesia

Checking details

Discussion
dictation
Listen toreadings online

Cause and effect
Making inferences

1 A Vegetable Diet

Skimming

Collocations

2 Vegetarianism:
The Healthy and
Moral Choice

Scanning

Word parts: kilo
Example: kilogram

Checking details

Discussion
dictation
Listen toreadings online

Identifying reasons
Making inferences

1 Meat Made Man

Skimming

Collocations

2 Animal Slaves

Scanning

Word parts: ab
Example: abuse

Checking details
Identifying reasons
Making inferences

Discussion
dictation
Listen toreadings online

Critical thinking
Research skills

Writing

SkillsSpeaking

Information gathering• Carbon footprints

Writing a short paragraph

Identifying fact or opinion

Summarizing opinions
about global warming

Categorizing statements ona scaleDiscussion• Answering questions on aspects of global
warming• Reporting results of discussions

Interpreting and reporting results• Comparing the efficiency ofdifferent forms of transport

Information gathering• Matching movies to disasters
Interpreting and reporting results• Discussing why people watch
disaster movies

Information gathering• Ranking attractive features inpeopleInterpreting and reporting results• Comparing rankings and drawing
conclusions

Information gathering• Group survey on attitudes tophysical features
Interpreting and reporting results• Comparing survey results about
appearance

Information gathering• Meat consumption by students
Interpreting and reporting results• Comparing results• Analyzing meat consumption
worldwide

Information gathering• Listing animals and their uses
Interpreting and reporting results• Comparing lists• Discussing how the use of animals
has changed

Quotable Quotes• Discussing effects of global warming onsociety

Writing a short paragraph

Identifying fact or opinion

Describing a graphshowing changes in theearth’s temperature

Categorizing statements:
positive, neutral, negative

Writing a short paragraph

Identifying fact or opinion

Summarizing opinions
about staying beautiful andthe money spent on it

Categorizing statements thatthe author might makePresentation• What is an ideal climate?
Tip: Good posture in presentations
Quotable Quotes• Discussing the leadership role of the USA
on the issue of global warming

Presentation• Using questions about the nature ofbeauty as the basis for a presentation
Tip: Openers and closers in presentations
Quotable Quotes• Discussing whether beauty is just physicalWriting a short paragraph

Identifying fact or opinion

The consequences ofaltering one’s appearance

Categorizing statements:
positive, neutral, negative

Writing short statements

Identifying fact or opinion

Pros and cons ofvegetarianism

Categorizing statements:
positive, neutral, negative

Discussion• How important is appearance inprofessional life?
Quotable Quotes• Discussing making changes in life that arepermanent

Discussion• Considering statements about
vegetarianism• Reporting results of discussions
Quotable Quotes• Discussing whether an animal’s life is asvaluable as a human’s

Writing a short paragraph

Identifying fact or opinion

Arguments for and against
using animals

Categorizing statements:
positive, neutral, negative

Discussion• Answering questions related to the use ofanimals by humans
Quotable Quotes• Discussing arguments against keeping
pets

vii

To the teacher
Welcome to In Focus, a multi-level, corpus-informed course aimed at high school and university
students. In Focus is designed to build all four skills, while also systematically developing knowledgeof core vocabulary and students’ critical thinking skills. Each Student Book contains 12 topic-based
units, which are divided into six general themes. It provides two units in a row on each theme to help
better develop students’ critical thinking skills on these issues.
In Focus is supplemented by a range of free online learning components, which provide great
ﬂexibility and help to speed language acquisition.
We have created a unique lexical syllabus containing the most important words for second language
learners of English. The authors of this series are also the creators of the New General Service List
Project (www.newgeneralservicelist.com), a collection of corpus-based word lists, each providing
the highest coverage in the world for that speciﬁc genre. The syllabus for In Focus 2 is based on
the New General Service List (NGSL), a list of approximately 2,800 words that allows learners tounderstand approximately 92 percent of the words in most texts of general English. These are nearly
all the words learners will ever need (not bad, if you consider there are more than 600,000 words in
English!). In each level of In Focus, 120 of these words are taught in depth (10 per unit). In ln Focus 1
and In Focus 2, these words are taken from the NGSL, while in In Focus Academic 1, they are takenfrom the New Academic Word List (NAWL). Students can use the free online tools and resources
developed especially for In Focus to learn additional unknown words from our NGSL and NAWL
word lists.
All readings and written materials are graded to contain a very high percentage (90–95%) of highfrequency words from the NGSL. This helps develop students’ reading ﬂuency and conﬁdence.
Though In Focus can be used as a standalone textbook, dedicated online elements enable students
to personalize and extend their learning beyond the classroom. Among the online components areinteractive ﬂashcards, interactive dictionaries that show the keywords being used in authentic video
clips, crossword and word search puzzles, speed reading exercises, supplemental graded readings
for each unit, vocabulary worksheets, and audio recordings of all reading texts.
In Focus 2 is designed for students at an intermediate level. Each unit is designed to help yourstudents build both their knowledge as well as their ability to think critically about a wide range ofimportant topics. The topics covered are English as a global language, over- and under-population,
salaries and drug use in sports, global warming, ideas of beauty, vegetarianism, and factory farming.
Language prompts are provided throughout to help students express themselves.
The In Focus Teacher’s Manual contains full step-by-step teaching notes, unit-by-unit summaries,
language notes, tips, extension activities, options for assessment, and a complete answer key.
We hope you and your students enjoy using In Focus.

Charles Browne

Brent Culligan

Joseph PhillipsixHow a unit works
All units in In Focus are eight pages long and follow a similar format. An audio icon reminds students
they have the option of listening to the reading texts (available free from the website).

Unit organization
Page 1

Pages 2–3

Objective

SectionWarm up

1 Critical cartoons

Schema building

Warm up

Real world connections

Media link

Vocabulary development

2 Core vocabulary

Reading

Skimming and scanning

Speaking

Words in context: collocations
Word parts
Discussion dictation

Pages 4–5

Reading

3 Reading skills

Reading skills

Pre-reading

Speaking

Reading
Checking details; Making inferences;
Identifying opinions/purpose/reasons;
Cause and effect; Reference words; Pronouns
Discuss it

Page 6Gathering, comparing,
and analyzing information
Speaking

Pages 7–8

Critical thinking skills

4 Researching a topic
Information gathering
Interpreting and reporting results
5 Critical thinking

Writing

Fact or opinion?

Discussion

Categorizing
Writing
Discussion; Presentation
Quotable QuotesxUnit sections
1 Critical cartoons
This is a short speaking activity centered on a cartoon related to the topic of the unit. All cartoons areauthentic cartoons, and each was carefully chosen to represent the unit topic. Questions help activate
schema and develop critical thinking skills.

2 Core vocabulary
Each unit teaches 10 important words from the New General Service List (NGSL). The section
begins with a short reading passage (approximately 250 words) on an aspect of the unit topic that
contextualizes the 10 keywords. A series of learning activities focuses on developing knowledge of
collocations and analyzing and understanding word parts. This gives students practice using the words
introduced in the unit. It also develops vocabulary learning skills and strategies that will be useful when
encountering new words not introduced in the unit. A speaking activity rounds off this section.

3 Reading skills
Students work with a longer text (approximately 500 words) that gives a different or expanded pointof view on the topic of the unit. This exposure to multiple points of view is a key aspect of developing
skills in critical thinking. All 10 keywords appear in the second reading as well, providing additional incontext information about how the words are used. This is followed by a series of carefully structured
activities including pre-reading, comprehension, making inferences, and identifying opinions. The
section culminates in a short discussion.

4 Researching a topic
Since information from various points of view is crucial to thinking critically about an issue, the pairor group activities in this section encourage gathering further information related to the topic. This isfollowed by interpretation and presentation of the information collected.

5 Critical thinking
Through pair, group, and open class work, students are encouraged to develop critical thinking
skills, such as identifying the difference between statements of fact and opinion, analyzing charts,and categorizing data. A language model helps students to write a short paragraph and express
their opinions on the topic. The ﬁnal page brings the content of the unit together in a discussion orpresentation about the topic. Useful language prompts help students where necessary.

6 Quotable quotes
This ﬁnal section introduces a quote on the topic of the unit, in most cases by a famous person. Several
thought-provoking questions on the quote conclude the unit. This section can be done in class as ashort discussion activity or as a writing assignment outside the class.

xi

To the student
Welcome to In Focus, a multi-level course for high school and university students. We have designed
this series to help you build your vocabulary, work on all four basic skills (reading, writing, speaking,and listening), and help improve your discussion and presentation skills. In Focus will also help you
think critically, which is a very important general academic skill. In each Student Book you will ﬁnd 12
topic-based units. In addition to the Student Book, there is a range of free online components, which
will help you focus on what you really need, learn more quickly, and become a more independent
learner.
For In Focus, we have created a unique vocabulary syllabus containing the most important
vocabulary words for learners of English. This list has a total of about 2,800 words, which are nearly
all the words you will ever need. If you know these words, you will understand 92 percent of thewords in most texts of general English (not bad, if you think that English has over 600,000 words!).
You will learn 120 of these words in each book, 10 per unit. You can use the website and online tools
developed especially for In Focus to learn the rest of the 2,800 words efficiently and enjoyably.
Online, you will ﬁnd a range of activities such as vocabulary puzzles, games, ﬂashcards, and audio
recordings of the reading texts.
In Focus 2 is designed for students at an intermediate level. Each unit will help you build yourknowledge about a wide range of interesting topics as well as help you think critically about these
topics. You will study and discuss issues such as English as a global language, over- and underpopulation, salaries and drug use in sports, global warming, ideas of beauty, vegetarianism, andfactory farming. In every unit, we also provide you with useful language and expressions where
needed to help express yourself better.
We wish you good luck using In Focus. We are sure that the book and the online materials will help
you to learn English quickly and in a fun way!

Charles Browne

xii

Brent Culligan

Joseph Phillips

1

UNIT

A World of English

In thisIn
i uniit, you willll::• read an article
about language
development.
• read an article about
the English-speaking
world.
• discuss the pros andcons of English as aworld language.

1 Critical cartoons
A Warm up

English is spoken as
a ﬁrst language in …

Work with a partner or in a small group. Look at the informationon this page and the cartoon. Discuss the questions below.
1 How many countries can you name where English
is spoken as a ﬁrst or second language?
2 Have you ever met an English speaker who expects others to be able
to speak English? Why do you think they might have that attitude?
3 Think about the use of English among your grandparent’s generation,
your parent’s generation, and your own. How has it changed?
4 What is the message of the cartoon?
What is the connection to the unit topic?

MEDIA link

I guess some English
speakers think …
One way the use ofEnglish has changed is …
Maybe the messageof the cartoon is …

Fry’s Planet Word (2011) is a five-part documentary series written by actor andwriter Stephen Fry. It explores language and its role in human history. Episode 4,“Spreading the Word,” examines the influence of English as a world language. It
looks at how technology influences language evolution and spread.
For additional media links, go to infocus-eltseries.com
12 Core vocabulary
A Skimming and scanning
1 Find and underline the keywords in the passage. Try to guess their meanings.

Keywords
acquireperequivalentregional

estimate
researcher

exposureretainmultiplestruggle

The Wonder of Language
We all speak one. Every day, people
communicate with one another using
language. From the thousands of words
we know, we easily find the words weneed and arrange them into sentences togive our opinions or make requests. Some
researchers who study how we acquire
language, like the well-known writer on
language Steven Pinker, estimate thatpeople know about 50,000 to 60,000 words by the age of 20. That is roughly equivalent tolearning eight or nine words per day from birth.
This amazing process begins from the day we are born. Children who have not yet learned to
speak listen to their mothers, fathers, brothers, and sisters talk to them. This early exposure
introduces the child to the sounds of their language. This is when they begin to acquire theirregional accent. We are all amazed at how little American babies sound American, while
little English babies speak with a British accent.
By the time children become three, they have usually learned many thousands of words.
Children have heard some words multiple times, so it is not surprising that they know them.
Other words children may hear only once, but they retain the meaning. Some words are
difficult, and the child has to struggle to say the word but still has no problem remembering
its meaning.
Learning a foreign language may be difficult, but it is important to remember that people areborn to communicate through speech. It is a gift we all have.

2 Read the statements below. Which best describes what this text is about? Circle A, B, or C.
Then explain your answer to a partner.
A How we learn foreign languages
B How children acquire their accentsC How we learn our own language
2

Unit 1

5

10

15

20

B Words in context: collocations
1 Look at the text on page 2. Find the keywords that form collocations with the words below.
1

researchers ________________

2 roughly ________________

3 ________________ day

collocations

4 ________________ accent

2 Match the four keywords with the words below to make new collocations.
1

5 average ________________________________ costs

2 ________________ amount

6 cash ________________

3 ________________ government

7 ________________ director

4 ________________ month

8 ________________ year

C Word parts: equa/equi

Collocations arecommon word
combinations. For
example, the verb
express is often foundwith the noun opinion,
as in express youropinion.

Example: equivalent

Words with equa/equi
adequateequation

equatorequidistantequinoxequivalentinequality

1 Use the words in the box to complete the sentences below. Try to guess the meaning of any
words you don’t know.
1

A kilogram is roughly ____________________ to two pounds.

2 When something is ____________________, it is enough for a situation.
3 A mathematical statement in which both sides are the same is an ____________________.
4 We can see ____________________ in a society when groups of people are treated differently.
5 When a place is the same distance from two other places, we can say they are____________________.
6 The invisible line that divides the earth into northern and southern halves is called the____________________.
7 The time when the sun is directly over the equator and night and day are the same length iscalled an ____________________.
2 Work with a partner. What do you think equa/equi means? Write your guess below. Then checkyour answer with another partner.
I think equa/equi means _______________________________________________________D Discussion dictation
1 Listen and write down the questions. Then discuss them in small groups.
1 How ________________________________________________________________________ ?
2 How ________________________________________________________________________ ?
3 What _____________________________________________________________________?
2 Form new groups and compare your answers.
Unit 13

3 Reading skills
A Pre-reading
1 Quickly scan the text and circle the 10 keywords.
2 How many people around the world do you think are learning English?
3 Why do you think English has become an international language?

B ReadingRead the text and check your answers to the pre-reading questions above. Then highlight aninteresting idea in each paragraph.

An English-Speaking World
English is widely spoken in many countries aroundthe world and is an official language in more than
50. Many of these countries are former colonies ofBritain and retained English after independence. But
5even Rwanda, the former French-speaking colony ofBelgium, has adopted English as an official language.
English has truly become an international language.
Researchers at the British Council estimate that itis spoken as a ﬁrst language by 375 million people

10

15

20

25

and as a second language by another 375 million.

English websites are created per minute. Eighty percent

Meanwhile, over 750 million people speak it as aof international organizations use English as an official

foreign language, and this number is growing rapidly.

language, including the United Nations, the European

In China, there are an estimated 400 million English

Union, and the International Olympic Committee. English

language learners. According to the British Council,

is the most important language in science: half thetwo billion people around the world are attempting

world’s scientiﬁc papers are written in it. Finally, in theto acquire English, and one in four can speak someworld of entertainment, it is impossible to avoid exposure

English.

to English. Hollywood movies sell the most tickets in

When the captain of a Mexican passenger planecinemas, and popular songs in countries from Sweden toﬂies into an airport in France or Germany, he or

Japan are sung in English.

she communicates with the air traffic controller inEnglish is an international language because of two main

English. It is easy to understand why: the pilot may

regional inﬂuences. The ﬁrst is the rule of the British

not speak French or German, the air traffic controller

Empire, which at its peak in 1922 governed a fourth of the

may not speak Spanish, and it is necessary to conﬁrm

world’s area and a ﬁfth of its population. The second isdetails about the ﬂight. However, in the equivalent

the power of American companies that spread around thesituation, when the same plane lands in Argentina

world after World War II.

or Colombia, the pilot again communicates with theEnglish is not just an international language because it

ground in English, even though both the pilot andthe ground controller have Spanish as their mothertongue. This is just one example of how English is30

used as the standard international language aroundthe world. Today, three-quarters of the world’s mail,most books, and many of the world’s newspapers andmagazines are written in English. More than half of
the world’s websites are in English, and over 100 new

4

Unit 1

35

40

45

50

is spoken all over the world. English now belongs to theworld. People all over the world don’t just struggle to learn
it to get better jobs. They add words and expressions of
their own, and they are changing the language in multiple
ways. This helps to make English a true world language.
English as a world language allows all countries to be partof the world community, and this beneﬁts us all.

55

C Checking details
Read the questions below and circle the correct answers according to the text.
1 Which of the following statements is true?
A
B
C
D

There are more speakers of English as a ﬁrst language than as a second language.
The majority of English speakers speak it as a ﬁrst language.
Approximately 25 percent of people in the world can speak some English.
Nearly 50 percent of international organizations use English as an official language.

2 Which of the following statements is NOT true?
A
B
C
D

Many former British colonies kept English as an official language after independence.
A former French colony has English as an official language.
Mexican pilots speak English when communicating with air traffic controllers in Colombia.
Most of the world’s books are written in English.

D Making inferences
Read the sentences below and circle the correct answers according to the text. (There may be morethan one correct answer.)
1 People around the world want to acquire English because …
A
BCD

they want to understand Hollywood movies.
air traffic controllers need English.
they want better jobs.
they want to learn about American companies.

2 Which of these changes are likely to take place in the future?
A
B
C
D

English vocabulary will grow.
English won’t be spoken at meetings of the Olympic Games Committee.
Pilots will choose which language to speak when they are in the air.
English will become a world language.

E Identifying opinions
Work with a partner and answer the question below. Check (✓) the boxes.
In this article, how can the author’s point of view best be described?
Paragraphs 1–4

positiveneutralnegative

Paragraphs 5

positiveneutralnegative

Discuss it
Work with a partner or in a small group. Ask and answer the questions below.
1 Look back at the ideas you highlighted in the text. Are they
the same?
2 Give at least two examples of the spread of English in yourcountry.
3 Are there any languages that could one day compete withEnglish? Explain which language and why or why not.

Unit 1

5

4 Researching a topic
A Information gathering
1 Work in small groups. Use the pictures below to identify words English has borrowed from otherlanguages. Can you guess which language they came from?

A ________________ B ________________ C ________________ D ________________

E ________________ F ________________ G ________________ H ________________
2 Think of six words from your language that came from English. Then look up the meaning of thewords in English in a dictionary or online. Complete the table below.

Borrowed word

Meaning in your language

Meaning in English

1
2
3
4
5
6

B Interpreting and reporting results
Form new groups and compare your ﬁndings. Discuss the questions below.
1 Which meanings are the same in both English and your language? Can you think of any thatare different?
2 Why do you think the meaning of some borrowed words is different in your language?
3 Do you think borrowed words help you acquire English more easily? Why or why not?

One word with different
meanings is …
6

Unit 1Perhaps the ﬁrst usersof the word didn’t ...

We think that borrowed words
don’t always help because …

5 Critical thinking
A Fact or opinion?
There are many different points of view on the topic of English. Work with a partner and decide if thefollowing statements are fact (F) or opinion (O).
1

Spanish sounds more beautiful than English.

_____

2 Chinese is the most difficult language to learn.

_____

3 English has more words than most other languages.

_____

4 English has borrowed words from many other languages.

_____

5 British English is easier to understand than American English.

_____

B Categorizing
1 Decide if the statements below sound positive, neutral, or negative. Put checks (✓) in the boxes.
Underline any words in the sentences that support your choice.

Positive

Neutral

Negative

1 English is spoken widely throughout the world.
2 The spread of English is destroying many languages andcultures.
3 English as an international language will lead to world peace.
4 Pilots ﬂying Mexican planes in France or Germany always use
English.
5 It is impossible to escape English in the world ofentertainment.
2 Compare your answers with a partner and explain your reasons.

C WritingLook back at the statements in B above. Write a short paragraph about the positive and negative
results of English becoming the world language. Use the model below.

There are different opinions about English
becoming a world language.
On the positive side …
However, there are also negative results. For
example …

Unit 1

7

D Discussion
1 In C, you wrote about the positive and negative results of English being the world language. Now
read the statements below about language from young people around the world. Discuss them insmall groups. Do you agree or disagree? Share your opinions and ask follow-up questions.
“English helps speed globalization and economic development. That’s a good thing.”“English as a global language gives English speakers an unfair advantage.”“If English spreads everywhere, then so does Western culture. That makes the world a worse place.”

Well maybe, but
the way I see it …

I agree with you.
AGREEING

DISAGREEING

I see your point, but …

That’s what I think too.

I understand what
you’re saying, but …

Absolutely.

2 Now agree on a group opinion for each point. Share your results with the class. Each group shouldpresent one idea.

We felt that … because …

Overall, we believe that …
We don’t think that …

Quotable quotes
Final thoughts . . .

Learn a new language and get a
new soul.
Czech proverb*

1 How is this quote connected to the
topic of the unit?
2 Do you feel or act differently when
you speak English? In what way?
3 Is the growth of English in yourcountry changing your culture?
If so, how?
*proverb (n): a well-known statement that
often gives advice; a saying

8

Unit 1

Core vocabulary: keywords
Unit-by-unit list

98

Unit 1

Unit 4

Unit 7

Unit 10acquirecriticconcludecontext

equivalentdecademassiveelsewhere

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Unit 2

Unit 5

Unit 8

Unit 11absolutely

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facility

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prospectrequirement

vital

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theorythreaten

Unit 3

Unit 6

Unit 9Unit 12era

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increasingly

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guard

investment

largely

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Y
yield

S
securesettlement99