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Lesson #31
WARM-UP
READING: Matching information
Exercise 1
The Intersection of Health Sciences and Geography

A
While many diseases that affect humans have been eradicated due to
improvements in vaccinations and the availability of healthcare, there
are still areas around the world where certain health issues are more
prevalent. In a world that is far more globalised than ever before,
people come into contact with one another through travel and living
closer and closer to each other. As a result, super-viruses and other
infections resistant to antibiotics are becoming more and more
common.
B
Geography can often play a very large role in the health concerns of
certain populations. For instance, depending on where you live, you will
not have the same health concerns as someone who lives in a different
geographical region. Perhaps one of the most obvious examples of this
idea is malaria-prone areas, which are usually tropical regions that
foster a warm and damp environment in which the mosquitos that can
give people this disease can grow. Malaria is much less of a problem in
high-altitude deserts, for instance.
C
In some countries, geographical factors influence the health and well-
being of the population in very obvious ways. In many large cities, the
wind is not strong enough to clear the air of the massive amounts of
smog and pollution that cause asthma, lung problems, eyesight issues
and more in the people who live there. Part of the problem is, of course,
the massive number of cars being driven, in addition to factories that
run on coal power. The rapid industrialisation of some countries in
recent years has also led to the cutting down of forests to allow for the
expansion of big cities, which makes it even harder to fight the pollution
with the fresh air that is produced by plants.
D
It is in situations like these that the field of health geography comes
into its own. It is an increasingly important area of study in a world
where diseases like polio are re-emerging, respiratory diseases
continue to spread, and malaria-prone areas are still fighting to find a
better cure. Health geography is the combination of, on the one hand,
knowledge regarding geography and methods used to analyse and
interpret geographical information, and on the other, the study of
health, diseases and healthcare practices around the world. The aim of
this hybrid science is to create solutions for common geography-based
health problems. While people will always be prone to illness, the study
of how geography affects our health could lead to the eradication of
certain illnesses, and the prevention of others in the future. By
understanding why and how we get sick, we can change the way we
treat illness and disease specific to certain geographical locations.
E
The geography of disease and ill health analyses the frequency with
which certain diseases appear in different parts of the world, and
overlays the data with the geography of the region, to see if there could
be a correlation between the two. Health geographers also study
factors that could make certain individuals or a population more likely
to be taken ill with a specific health concern or disease, as compared
with the population of another area. Health geographers in this field
are usually trained as healthcare workers, and have an understanding
of basic epidemiology as it relates to the spread of diseases among the
population.
F
Researchers study the interactions between humans and their
environment that could lead to illness (such as asthma in places with
high levels of pollution) and work to create a clear way of categorizing
illnesses, diseases and epidemics into local and global scales. Health
geographers can map the spread of illnesses and attempt to identify
the reasons behind an increase or decrease in illnesses, as they work to
find a way to halt the further spread or re-emergence of diseases in
vulnerable populations.
G
The second subcategory of health geography is the geography of
healthcare provision. This group studies the availability (or lack thereof)
of healthcare resources to individuals and populations around the
world. In both developed and developing nations there is often a very
large discrepancy between the options available to people in different
social classes, income brackets, and levels of education. Individuals
working in the area of the geography of healthcare provision attempt
to assess the levels of healthcare in the area (for instance, it may be
very difficult for people to get medical attention because there is a
mountain between their village and the nearest hospital). These
researchers are on the frontline of making recommendations regarding
policy to international organisations, local government bodies and
others.
H
The field of health geography is often overlooked, but it constitutes a
huge area of need in the fields of geography and healthcare. If we can
understand how geography affects our health no matter where in the
world we are located, we can better treat disease, prevent illness, and
keep people safe and well.

Which paragraph contains the following information?

Write the correct letter, A-H, in boxes 14-19 on your answer sheet.

NB You may use any letter more than once.

14 an acceptance that not all diseases can be totally eliminated A

15 examples of physical conditions caused by human behaviour
16 a reference to classifying diseases on the basis of how far they
extend geographically F
17 reasons why the level of access to healthcare can vary within a
country G
18 a description of health geography as a mixture of different
academic fields D
19 a description of the type of area where a particular illness is rare B

WRITING
Paraphrasing techniques in IELTS writing task 2
1. Change the sentence structure
- From active voice to passive voice.
E.g. Employers should provide their employees with better salary
packages.
→ employees should be provided with better salary packages by employers
Turn the object into subject and use a different verb from the original.
→ Employees should receive better salary packages from employers.
2. Change the word form
E.g. The government should support local businesses.
→ The government should provide support for local businesses.
3. Use dummy subjects
- “should”, “need”, “must”,... → “It”/”there”
E.g. People should protect the environment.
→ It is recommendable/reasonable…for people to protect the environment.
E.g. Fast food should be taxed heavily.
→ There should be heavy taxes on fast food.
4. Add relative clauses/explanatory phrases
E.g. The government should support local businesses.
→ The government should support businesses that operate locall
E.g. Learning through mistakes is key to a person’s development.
→ Learning through mistakes plays a vital role in a person’s development.
→ Learning through mistakes is an extremely important factor in a person’s development.

Practice
Many people say that / exercise / is key to / health / while others believe
that / a balanced diet is more important.

● Many people say that →a lot of people suppose -> it is supposed by a lot of people
● Exercise → physical activities
● Key to →it’s an important element
● Health →overall fitness
● While others believe that → while some suppose
● A balanced diet is more important → it is more crucial to have a nutritious diet

Notes
In IELTS writing task 2, oftentimes candidates have to paraphrase the
followings:
Many people believe that …
or
People should …

Exercise 1: Paraphrase the following sentence using the suggested

method.
1. Children should obey the rules their parents and teachers set.
(dummy subject)
→
2. Governments should spend money on measures to save languages
that are used by few speakers.
(active to passive)
→
(dummy subject)
→
3. Programs with violent content should be restricted.
(passive to active)
→
(dummy subject)
→
(dummy subject & change “restricted” to “restriction”)
→
4. The environment is being seriously damaged by human activities.
(passive to active)
→
(passive to active & change “damage” (v) to “damage” (n))
→
5. The government should carry out new regulations to protect
endangered animals.
(active to passive)
→
(dummy subject)
→
Lesson #32
WARM-UP:"Why Asking for Help Is Your Superpower" | Jen Traverse |
TEDxClintonMiddleSchool
- to harbor smb/smt
- rehabilitation /ˌriːəˌbɪlɪˈteɪʃn/
→ rehab facility /ˈriːhæb/
- unwavering support /ʌnˈweɪvərɪŋ/
- to come to terms with smt: reach an agreement with smt
- to have a hang-up about smt. E.g. He has a hang-up about his height.
- to tough it out: to stay strong and determined
- to get off that hamster wheel for good
LISTENING:
Exercise 1:
Questions 21-25
Choose the correct letter, A, B or C.
Cities built by the sea
21 Carla and Rob were surprised to learn that coastal cities
A contain nearly half the world’s population. x
B include most of the world’s largest cities.
C are growing twice as fast as other cities.
22 According to Rob, building coastal cities near to rivers
A may bring pollution to the cities.
B may reduce the land available for agriculture.
C may mean the countryside is spoiled by industry.
23 What mistake was made when building water drainage channels in
Miami in the 1950s?
A There were not enough for them.
B They were made of unsuitable materials.
C They did not allow for the effects of climate change.
24 What do Rob and Carla think that the authorities in Miami should
do immediately?
A take measures to restore ecosystems
B pay for a new flood prevention system
C stop disposing of waste materials into the ocean
25 What do they agree should be the priority for international action?
A greater coordination of activities
B more sharing of information
C agreement on shared policies
Questions 26-30

What decision do the students make about each of the following parts
of their presentation?
Choose FIVE answers from the box and write the correct letter, A-G, next
to Questions 26-30.
Decisions
A use visuals
B keep it short
C involve other students
D check the information is accurate
E provide a handout
F focus on one example
G do online research
Parts of the presentation
26 Historical background ………B……..
27 Geographical factors ………A……..
28 Past mistakes ………F……..
29 Future risks ………G……..
30 International implications ………C……..

SPEAKING
Vocabulary
1. Helping others
- lend/give smb a hand
- get back on one’s feet
- return the favor
- those in need/needy people
- walk smb through smt
2. Advice
- Advise smb = To give smb advice/a bit of advice/ a piece of advice; To
share/pass on advice to smb.
- Advisable → It is (not) advisable to do smt.
- Advise smb to do smt → Recommend smb to do smt/Suggest doing smt/Suggest that
smb do smt.
- Constructive/sensible/logical advice

Part 1: Helping others

Part 2:
1. Describe a time when you helped someone

You should say:

- Whom you helped and why.
- How you helped.
- What the result was.
- How you felt about it.

2. Describe a time when you gave advice to someone

You should say:

- Whom you gave advice to and why.
- What advice you gave.
- What the result was.
- How you felt about it.
Part 3:
- Helping others.
- Advice.

IELTS Speaking Part 2 CUE CARD - Describe a time you helped someone.
Describe a time when you helped a child | IELTS Speaking Part 2
Describe a time when you gave advice to others (IELTS Speaking Part 2 Sample)

Lesson #33

READING
Exercise 1: You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1-13 which
are based on Reading Passage 1 below.
The History of Glass

From our earliest origins, man has been making use of glass. Historians
have discovered that a type of natural glass – obsidian – formed in
places such as the mouth of a volcano as a result of the intense heat of
an eruption melting sand – was first used as tips for spears.
Archaeologists have even found evidence of man-made glass which
dates back to 4000 BC; this took the form of glazes used for coating
stone beads. It was not until 1500 BC, however, that the first hollow glass
container was made by covering a sand core with a layer of molten
glass.
Glass blowing became the most common way to make glass containers
from the first century BC. The glass made during this time was highly
coloured due to the impurities of the raw material. In the first century
AD, methods of creating colourless glass were developed, which was
then tinted by the addition of colouring materials. The secret of glass
making was taken across Europe by the Romans during this century.
However, they guarded the skills and technology required to make
glass very closely, and it was not until their empire collapsed in 476 AD
that glass-making knowledge became widespread throughout Europe
and the Middle East. From the 10th century onwards, the Venetians
gained a reputation for technical skill and artistic ability in the making
of glass bottles, and many of the city’s craftsmen left Italy to set up
glassworks throughout Europe.
A major milestone in the history of glass occurred with the invention of
lead crystal glass by the English glass manufacturer George
Ravenscroft (1632-1683). He attempted to counter the effect of clouding
that sometimes occurred in blown glass by introducing lead to the raw
materials used in the process. The new glass he created was softer and
easier to decorate, and had a higher refractive index, adding to its
brilliance and beauty, and it proved invaluable to the optical industry. It
is thanks to Ravenscroft’s invention that optical lenses, astronomical
telescopes, microscopes and the like became possible.
In Britain, the modern glass industry only really started to develop after
the repeal of the Excise Act in 1845. Before that time, heavy taxes had
been placed on the amount of glass melted in a glasshouse, and were
levied continuously from 1745 to 1845. Joseph Paxton’s Crystal Palace at
London’s Great Exhibition of 1851 marked the beginning of glass as a
material used in the building industry. This revolutionary new building
encouraged the use of glass in public, domestic and horticultural
architecture. Glass manufacturing techniques also improved with the
advancement of science and the development of better technology.
From 1887 onwards, glass making developed from traditional mouth-
blowing to a semi-automatic process, after factory-owner HM Ashley
introduced a machine capable of producing 200 bottles per hour in
Castleford, Yorkshire, England – more than three times quicker than any
previous production method. Then in 1907, the first fully automated
machine was developed in the USA by Michael Owens – founder of the
Owens Bottle Machine Company (later the major manufacturers Owens-
Illinois) – and installed in its factory. Owens’ invention could produce an
impressive 2,500 bottles per hour. Other developments followed rapidly,
but it was not until the First World War, when Britain became out off
from essential glass suppliers, that glass became part of the scientific
sector. Previous to this, glass had been as a craft rather than a precise
science.
Today, glass making is big business. It has become a modern, hi-tech
industry operating in a fiercely competitive global market where quality,
design and service levels are critical to maintaining market share.
Modern glass plants are capable of making millions of glass containers
a day in many different colours, with green, brown and clear remaining
the most popular. Few of us can imagine modern life without glass. It
features in almost every aspect of our lives – in our homes, our cars and
whenever we sit down to eat or drink. Glass packaging is used for many
products, many beverages are sold in glass, as are numerous
foodstuffs, as well as medicines and cosmetics.
Glass is an ideal material for recycling, and with growing consumer
concern for green issues, glass bottles and jars are becoming ever
more popular. Glass recycling is good news for the environment. It saves
used glass containers being sent to landfill. As less energy is needed to
melt recycled glass than to melt down raw materials, this also saves fuel
and production costs. Recycling also reduces the need for raw
materials to be quarried, thus saving precious resources.
Questions 1-8

Complete the notes below.

Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 1-8 on your answer sheet.
The History of Glass

• Early humans used a material called 1……………obsidian………….. to make

the sharp points of their 2…………spears………….
• 4000 BC: 3………………beads………… made of stone were covered in a
coating of man-made glass.
• First century BC: glass was coloured because of the 4………
impurities………………. in the material.
• Until 476 AD: Only the 5……………Romans…………… knew how to make
glass.
• From 10th century: Venetians became famous for making bottles out
of glass.
• 17th century: George Ravenscroft developed a process using 6……………
lead………….. to avoid the occurrence of 7………clouding………………. in blown
glass.
• Mid-19th century: British glass production developed after changes
to laws concerning 8………taxes……………..
Questions 9-13

In boxes 9-13 on your answer sheet, write

TRUE if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this
9 In 1887, HM Ashley had the fastest bottle-producing machine that
existed at the time. T
10 Michael Owens was hired by a large US company to design a fully-
automated bottle manufacturing machine for them. F
11 Nowadays, most glass is produced by large international
manufacturers. T
12 Concern for the environment is leading to an increased demand for
glass containers. NG
13 It is more expensive to produce recycled glass than to manufacture
new glass. F
WRITING
Grammar: Compound & complex sentences (cont.)
Complex sentences
A. Definition
- A complex sentence consists of a main clause & a dependent clause.
The dependent clause can NOT be separated into a new sentence.
E.g. We should protect the environment because it plays an important
role in our lives.
B. Types of dependent clauses
1. Noun clauses
- A noun clause starts with one of the followings:

That I believe that playing video games

has both pros and cons.
I believe that everything has its
good and bad sides/aspects.

If/whether I don’t know whether it is going to

rain or not.

Wh-question words (what, which, We need to figure out what

where, when, why, how) caused the fire.
we need to figure out who caused
the fire

- Uses:

Verb complement I think that healthcare services

should be free.

“to be” complement The truth is that we do not know

exactly what is going to happen.

Subject How you sleep can fundamentally

affect your health.
Whether there is life outside the
Earth is still a big question.

Adjective complement Many people are convinced that

advertising is harmful.
I’m not sure why he got so angry
when he saw me.

Noun complement It is hard to believe the fact that

Vietnam is gradually passing its
Golden Population period.

2. Adjective clauses (Relative clauses)

→ Common grammatical errors related to noun clauses & adjective clauses:

Missing main verb Children who play sports.

Missing relative pronoun Children play sports tend to be

very active.

Wrong tense of the main verb The country which had the
highest growth rate in 2010 was
Germany.

3. Adverbial clauses

Time when When I was having my

meal, someone
knocked on the door.

before before I did my

homework, my friend
had rung me.

after after I had done my

homework, my dad
asked for help.

Reason so that/in order People wear masks so

that/so as that (= to/in that they could avoid
order to/so as to) breathing in tiny dust
particles in the air.
in survival situation
people boil dirty
water with hot stones
in order that the
diarrhea bacteria will
be killed

Concession although/though/ he loves gambling

even though although he is poor

while/whereas He still loves her while

she has rejected him
multiple times

Conditionals if If I had known he was

home, I would have
visited him.

unless You will fail the exam

unless you study.
4. Compound-complex sentences
- A compound-complex sentence contains one or more dependent
clauses and two or more independent clauses joined by a conjunction
or semicolon.
E.g. Before students graduate from university, they have to look for job
vacancies, or they will be jobless upon graduation.
→ Sentence analysis:
+ Before students graduate from university
+ they have to look for job vacancies
+ they will be jobless upon graduation.
E.g. Even though Barry was in love with her, he was unable to express
himself; it was no surprise she left him.
→ Sentence analysis:
+ Even though Barry was in love with her
+ he was unable to express himself
+ it was no surprise she left him.

IELTS Writing task 2: Writing the intro, conclusion and a single

paragraph
1. Introduction (2 sentences)
- Paraphrase the background sentence.
- State your standpoint.
2. Conclusion (2 sentences)
Similar to the introduction.
3. Body paragraphs (5-6 sentences each)

Practice
Some universities offer online courses as an alternative to classes
delivered on campus. Do you think this is a positive or negative
development?
It is true that many university students nowadays can choose to study
online instead of attending face-to-face lessons. To my view, even
though there are some drawbacks to this, overall it is a beneficial move.
many university students nowadays can study from home rather than
attend face to face courses. In my point of view, there are several
disadvantages to this; however, studying online is advantageous.
On the one hand, studying online can be easily/extremely distracting.
To be specific/In particular, when learners get less supervision from the
teachers, they can be distracted by external factors if they are not
diligent and serious enough with their current work. For instance,
modern applications such as smart phones and laptops which
surround a student studying at home can greatly divert him or her from
the studies. Consequently, in the long run, it can lead them to fail their
tests.
first and foremost studying online can be really flexible we can attend
the class from everywhere
On the other hand/Despite the above disadvantage, I believe that
attending online courses can be beneficial regarding both flexibility
and environmental friendliness.
On the other hand/Despite the above disadvantage, I believe that the
benefits outweigh the drawbacks. First of all
Standpoint: positive]
Body 1: negative
- Point: easily distracted from studies

+ Explanation: less supervision by teachers → high risk of being distracted away if

not diligent and serious enough in work.
+ Example: studying online, face a lot of distractors such as modern
gadgets.
+ Result: bad scores, diminishing academic performance.

Body 2: positive
- Point 1: flexible

+ Explanation: study anywhere, save resources such as time and

energy whereas when studying offline….
+ Example: if studying online, save time commuting to school.
+ Result: spend time on other chores; widen opportunities for
foreign students.

- Point 2: environmentally friendly

+ Explanation: less pollutants coming from vehicles used by

students and lecturers to go to campus.
+ Example: COVID-19.

Conclusion: positive
Lesson #34
WARM-UP: This Psychological Trick Makes Rewards Backfire
LISTENING
Questions 11-15

Choose the correct letter, A, B or C.

Visit to Branley Castle

11 Before Queen Elizabeth I visited the castle in 1576,
A repairs were carried out to the quest rooms.
B a new building was constructed for her.
C a fire damaged part of the main hall.
12 In 1982, the castle was sold to
A the government
B the Fenys family.
C an entertainment company.
13 In some of the rooms, visitors can
A speak to experts on the history of the castle.
B interact with actors dressed as famous characters.
C see models of historical figures moving and talking.
14 In the castle park, visitors can
A see an 800-year-old tree.
B go to an art exhibition.
C visit a small zoo.
15 At the end of the visit, the group will have
A afternoon tea in the conservatory.
B the chance to meet the castle’s owners.
C a photograph together on the Great Staircase.
Questions 16-20

Label the plan below.

Write the correct letter, A-H, next to Questions 16-20
Branley Castle
16 Starting point for walking the walls ……H…………
17 Bow and arrow display ……D…………
18 Hunting birds display ………F………
19 Traditional dancing ………A………
20 Shop ………E………

SPEAKING
Part 3: Helping others
Part 1: Sunglasses
Part 2:
1. Describe a difficult task that you completed at work/study that you
felt proud of.

You should say:

- What the task was.
- How you completed it.
- Why the task was difficult.
- How you felt about it.
2. Describe an activity that made you feel tired.
You should say:
- When it happened.
- Where it took place.
- What the activity was.
- Why it made you feel tired.
Part 3:
1. Feeling proud, challenges, rewards
2. Time management, feeling tired

Lesson #35

READING
Why being bored is stimulating – and useful, too

This most common of emotions is turning out to be more interesting

than we thought
A
We all know how it feels – it’s impossible to keep your mind on anything,
time stretches out, and all the things you could do seem equally unlikely
to make you feel better. But defining boredom so that it can be studied
in the lab has proved difficult. For a start, it can include a lot of other
mental states, such as frustration, apathy, depression and indifference.
There isn’t even agreement over whether boredom is always a low-
energy, flat kind of emotion or whether feeling agitated and restless
counts as boredom, too. In his book, Boredom: A Lively History, Peter
Toohey at the University of Calgary, Canada, compares it to disgust –
an emotion that motivates us to stay away from certain situations. ‘If
disgust protects humans from infection, boredom may protect them
from “infectious” social situations,’ he suggests.
B
By asking people about their experiences of boredom, Thomas Goetz
and his team at the University of Konstanz in Germany have recently
identified five distinct types: indifferent, calibrating, searching, reactant
and apathetic. These can be plotted on two axes – one running left to
right, which measures low to high arousal, and the other from top to
bottom, which measures how positive or negative the feeling is.
Intriguingly, Goetz has found that while people experience all kinds of
boredom, they tend to specialise in one. Of the five types, the most
damaging is ‘reactant’ boredom with its explosive combination of high
arousal and negative emotion. The most useful is what Goetz calls
‘indifferent’ boredom: someone isn’t engaged in anything satisfying but
still feels relaxed and calm. However, it remains to be seen whether
there are any character traits that predict the kind of boredom each of
us might be prone to.
C
Psychologist Sandi Mann at the University of Central Lancashire, UK,
goes further. ‘All emotions are there for a reason, including boredom,’
she says. Mann has found that being bored makes us more creative.
‘We’re all afraid of being bored but in actual fact it can lead to all kinds
of amazing things,’ she says. In experiments published last year, Mann
found that people who had been made to feel bored by copying
numbers out of the phone book for 15 minutes came up with more
creative ideas about how to use a polystyrene cup than a control
group. Mann concluded that a passive, boring activity is best for
creativity because it allows the mind to wander. In fact, she goes so far
as to suggest that we should seek out more boredom in our lives.
D
Psychologist John Eastwood at York University in Toronto, Canada, isn’t
convinced. ‘If you are in a state of mind-wandering you are not bored,’
he says. ‘In my view, by definition boredom is an undesirable state.’ That
doesn’t necessarily mean that it isn’t adaptive, he adds. ‘Pain is adaptive
– if we didn’t have physical pain, bad things would happen to us. Does
that mean that we should actively cause pain? No. But even if boredom
has evolved to help us survive, it can still be toxic if allowed to fester.’
For Eastwood, the central feature of boredom is a failure to put our
‘attention system’ into gear. This causes an inability to focus on
anything, which makes time seem to go painfully slowly. What’s more,
your efforts to improve the situation can end up making you feel worse.
‘People try to connect with the world and if they are not successful
there’s that frustration and irritability,’ he says. Perhaps most
worryingly, says Eastwood, repeatedly failing to engage attention can
lead to state where we don’t know what to do any more, and no longer
care.
E
Eastwood’s team is now trying to explore why the attention system fails.
It’s early days but they think that at least some of it comes down to
personality. Boredom proneness has been linked with a variety of traits.
People who are motivated by pleasure seem to suffer particularly badly.
Other personality traits, such as curiosity, are associated with a high
boredom threshold. More evidence that boredom has detrimental
effects comes from studies of people who are more or less prone to
boredom. It seems those who bore easily face poorer prospects in
education, their career and even life in general. But of course, boredom
itself cannot kill – it’s the things we do to deal with it that may put us in
danger. What can we do to alleviate it before it comes to that? Goetz’s
group has one suggestion. Working with teenagers, they found that
those who ‘approach’ a boring situation – in other words, see that it’s
boring and get stuck in anyway – report less boredom than those who
try to avoid it by using snacks, TV or social media for distraction.
F
Psychologist Francoise Wemelsfelder speculates that our over-
connected lifestyles might even be a new source of boredom. ‘In modern
human society there is a lot of overstimulation but still a lot of problems
finding meaning,’ she says. So instead of seeking yet more mental
stimulation, perhaps we should leave our phones alone, and use
boredom to motivate us to engage with the world in a more meaningful
way.

Questions 14-19

Reading Passage 2 has six paragraphs, A-F

Choose the correct heading for each paragraph from the list of
headings below.
Write the correct number, i-viii, in boxes 14-19 on your answer sheet.
List of Headings
i The productive outcomes that may result from boredom C
ii What teachers can do to prevent boredom
iii A new explanation and a new cure for boredom F
iv Problems with a scientific approach to boredom A
v A potential danger arising from boredom D
vi Creating a system of classification for feelings of boredom B
vii Age groups most affected by boredom
viii Identifying those most affected by boredom E
14 Paragraph A
15 Paragraph B
16 Paragraph C
17 Paragraph D
18 Paragraph E
19 Paragraph F

Questions 20-23

Look at the following people (Questions 20-23) and the list of ideas
below.
Match each person with the correct idea, A-E.
Write the correct letter, A-E, in boxes 20-23 on your answer sheet.
20 Peter Toohey E
21 Thomas Goetz B
22 John Eastwood D
23 Francoise Wemelsfelder A
List of Ideas
A The way we live today may encourage boredom.
B One sort of boredom is worse than all the others.
C Levels of boredom may fall in the future.
D Trying to cope with boredom can increase its negative effects.
E Boredom may encourage us to avoid an unpleasant experience.
Questions 24-26

Complete the summary below.

Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 24-26 on your answer sheet.
Responses to boredom

For John Eastwood, the central feature of boredom is that people

cannot 24……………focus………………, due to a failure in what he calls the
‘attention system’, and as a result they become frustrated and irritable.
His team suggests that those for whom 25…………pleasure…………….. is an
important aim in life may have problems in coping with boredom,
whereas those who have the characteristic of 26…………curiosity……………..
can generally cope with it.

WRITING
Writing Task 1: Pie chart
A. Vocabulary & grammatical structures
1. Vocabulary
a/ Fractions

80% four-fifths

75% three-quarters
60% three-fifths

50% a half

40% two-fifths

25% a quarter

20% a fifth, one-fifth

→ Approximation:
E.g. 77%: just over three-quarters
49%: just under/nearly/almost a half

b/ Chart layout

account for/take up/make Agriculture, which comprised

up/consist almost a quarter of Turkey's
of/include/contribute/constitute/ economy in 2000, fell to 14% in
comprise + number of percentage 2016.

sector/segment/share/proportion Construction sector accounted

for 3% of Turkey's economy in
2000.

overtake/surpass X to become

responsible for the highest

amount of

B. Types of pie charts

1. Dynamic chart
Introduction: The following pie charts give information about various
kinds of energy generation/creation/created in France in 1995 and 2005.
The given pie charts compare the percentages of energy generated
from 5 types of sources in France over a period of 10 years.
Overview:
+ Trend: four sector in the chart include gas, coal, nuclear, and
other experienced growth in 10 years while petrol decreased
+ Size: gas and coal accounting for the majority of energy
resources in france both 1995 and 2005
Body:
W1: according to years
W2: according to categories
NOTES: No matter how large the “others” sector is, it is always
mentioned last.

2. Static chart
Lesson #36

WARM-UP: How to get motivated even when you don’t feel like itLISTENING
Questions 21-26 intrinsic

Complete the notes below.

Write ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.

Background on school marching band
It consists of around 21…………50………… students.
It is due to play in a 22…………regional…………. band competition. incentive
reward
It has been invited to play in the town’s 23………carnival…………….
They have listened to a talk by a 24………drummer……………..
Joe will discuss a 25…………film…………. with the band.
Joe hopes the band will attend a 26…………parade………… next month.
Questions 27-30

What problem does Joe mention in connection with each of the

following band members?
Choose FOUR answers from the box and write the correct letter, A-F,
next to Questions 27-30.
Problems
A makes a lot of mistakes in rehearsals
B keeps making unhelpful suggestions
C has difficulty with rhythm
D misses too many rehearsals
E has a health problem
F doesn’t mix with other students
Band members
27 flautist ………D………
28 trumpeter ………B………
29 trombonist ………E……
30 percussionist ………F………

SPEAKING
Part 3:
- Feeling proud, challenges, rewards.
- Feeling tired.
Part 1: Social media.
Part 2:
1. Describe a famous person you would like to meet.
You should say:

Who he/she is

Why he/she is famous

Why you want to meet him/her

and explain what you would do if you meet him/her.

2. Describe a successful person you know.

You should say:

Who this person is

How you knew him/her

What he/she does

and explain why he/she is successful.

Part 3:
- Successful people, business.
- Success.

Lesson #37

READING
MAKING THE MOST OF TRENDS

Experts from Harvard Business School give advice to managers

Most managers can identify the major trends of the day. But in the
course of conducting research in a number of industries and working
directly with companies, we have discovered that managers often fail to
recognize the less obvious but profound ways these trends are
influencing consumers’ aspirations, attitudes, and behaviors. This is
especially true of trends that managers view as peripheral to their core
markets.
Many ignore trends in their innovation strategies or adopt a wait-and-
see approach and let competitors take the lead. At a minimum, such
responses mean missed profit opportunities. At the extreme, they can
jeopardize a company by ceding to rivals the opportunity to transform
the industry. The purpose of this article is twofold: to spur managers to
think more expansively about how trends could engender new value
propositions in their core markets, and to provide some high-level
advice on how to make market research and product development
personnel more adept at analyzing and exploiting trends.
One strategy, known as ‘infuse and augment’, is to design a product or
service that retains most of the attributes and functions of existing
products in the category but adds others that address the needs and
desires unleashed by a major trend. A case in point in the Poppy range
of handbags, which the firm Coach created in response to the
economic downturn of 2008. The Coach brand had been a symbol of
opulence and luxury for nearly 70 years, and the most obvious reaction
to the downturn would have been to lower prices. However, that would
have risked cheapening the brand’s image. Instead, they initiated a
consumer-research project which revealed that customers were eager
to lift themselves and the country out of tough times. Using these
insights, Coach launched the lower-priced Poppy handbags, which were
in vibrant colors, and looked more youthful and playful than
conventional Coach products. Creating the sub-brand allowed Coach
to avert an across-the-board price cut. In contrast to the many
companies that responded to the recession by cutting prices, Coach
saw the new consumer mindset as an opportunity for innovation and
renewal.
A further example of this strategy was supermarket Tesco’s response to
consumers’ growing concerns about the environment. With that in mind,
Tesco, one of the world’s top five retailers, introduced its Greener Living
program, which demonstrates the company’s commitment to protecting
the environment by involving consumers in ways that produce tangible
results. For example, Tesco customers can accumulate points for such
activities as reusing bags, recycling cans and printer cartridges, and
buying home-insulation materials. Like points earned on regular
purchases, these green points can be redeemed for cash. Tesco has not
abandoned its traditional retail offering but augmented its business
with these innovations, thereby infusing its value proposition with a
green streak.
A more radical strategy is ‘combine and transcend’. This entails
combining aspects of the product’s existing value proposition with
attributes addressing changes arising from a trend, to create a novel
experience – one that may land the company in an entirely new market
space. At first glance, spending resources to incorporate elements of a
seemingly irrelevant trend into one’s core offerings sounds like it’s
hardly worthwhile. But consider Nike’s move to integrate the digital
revolution into its reputation for high-performance athletic footwear. In
2006, they teamed up with technology company Apple to launch Nike+, a
digital sports kit comprising a sensor that attaches to the running shoe
and a wireless receiver that connects to the user’s iPod. By combining
Nike’s original value proposition for amateur athletes with one for
digital consumers, the Nike+ sports kit and web interface moved the
company from a focus on athletic apparel to a new plane of
engagement with its customers.
A third approach, known as ‘counteract and reaffirm’, involves
developing products or services that stress the values traditionally
associated with the category in ways that allow consumers to oppose –
or at least temporarily escape from – the aspects of trends they view as
undesirable. A product that accomplished this is the ME2, a video game
created by Canada’s iToys. By reaffirming the toy category’s association
with physical play, the ME2 counteracted some of the widely perceived
negative impacts of digital gaming devices. Like other handheld games,
the device featured a host of exciting interactive games, a full-color
LCD screen, and advanced 3D graphics. What set it apart was that it
incorporated the traditional physical component of children’s play: it
contained a pedometer, which tracked and awarded points for physical
activity (walking, running, biking, skateboarding, climbing stairs). The
child could use the points to enhance various virtual skills needed for
the video game. The ME2, introduced in mid-2008, catered to kids’ huge
desire to play video games while countering the negatives, such as
associations with lack of exercise and obesity.
Once you have gained perspective on how trend-related changes in
consumer opinions and behaviors impact on your category, you can
determine which of our three innovation strategies to pursue. When
your category’s basic value proposition continues to be meaningful for
consumers influenced by the trend, the infuse-and-augment strategy
will allow you to reinvigorate the category. If analysis reveals an
increasing disparity between your category and consumers’ new focus,
your innovations need to transcend the category to integrate the two
worlds. Finally, if aspects of the category clash with undesired outcomes
of a trend, such as associations with unhealthy lifestyles, there is an
opportunity to counteract those changes by reaffirming the core values
of your category.
Trends – technological, economic, environmental, social, or political –
that affect how people perceive the world around them and shape what
they expect from products and services present firms with unique
opportunities for growth.

Questions 27-31

Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.

Write the correct letter in boxes 27-31 on your answer sheet.
27 In the first paragraph, the writer says that most managers
A fail to spot the key consumer trends of the moment.
B make the mistake of focusing only on the principal consumer trends.
C misinterpret market research data relating to current consumer
trends.
D are unaware of the significant impact that trends have on
consumers’ lives.
28 According to the third paragraph, Coach was anxious to
A follow what some of its competitors were doing.
B maintain its prices throughout its range.
C safeguard its reputation as a manufacturer of luxury goods.
D modify the entire look of its brand to suit the economic climate.
29 What point is made about Tesco’s Greener Living programme?
A It did not require Tesco to modify its core business activities.
B It succeeded in attracting a more eco-conscious clientele.
C Its main aim was to raise consumers’ awareness of environmental
issues.
D It was not the first time that Tesco had implemented such an
initiative.
30 What does the writer suggest about Nike’s strategy?
A It was an extremely risky strategy at the time.
B It was a strategy that only a major company could afford to follow.
C It was the type of strategy that would not have been possible in the
past.
D It was the kind of strategy which might appear to have few obvious
benefits.
31 What was original about the ME2?
A It contained technology that had been developed for the sports
industry.
B It appealed to young people who were keen to improve their physical
fitness.
C It took advantage of a current trend for video games with colourful
3D graphics.
D It was a handheld game that addressed people’s concerns about
unhealthy lifestyles.
Questions 32-37
Look at the following statements (Questions 32-37) and the list of
companies below.
Match each statement with the correct company, A, B, C or D.
Write the correct letter, A, B, C or D, in boxes 32-37 on your answer
sheet.
NB You may use any letter more than once.
32 It turned the notion that its products could have harmful effects to
its own advantage. D
33 It extended its offering by collaborating with another manufacturer.
C
34 It implemented an incentive scheme to demonstrate its corporate
social responsibility. B
35 It discovered that customers had a positive attitude towards
dealing with difficult circumstances. A
36 It responded to a growing lifestyle trend in an unrelated product
sector. C
37 It successfully avoided having to charge its customers less for its
core products. A
List of companies
A Coach
B Tesco
C Nike
D iToys

Questions 38-40

Complete each sentence with the correct ending, A, B, C or D below.

Write the correct letter, A, B, C or D, in boxes 38-40 on your answer
sheet.
38 If there are any trend-related changes impacting on your category,
you should B
39 If a current trend highlights a negative aspect of your category, you
should C
40 If the consumers’ new focus has an increasing lack of connection
with your offering you should D
A employ a combination of strategies to maintain your consumer base.
B identify the most appropriate innovation strategy to use.
C emphasise your brand’s traditional values with the counteract-and-
affirm strategy.
D use the combine-and-transcend strategy to integrate the two worlds.
WRITING
Grammar: Cleft sentences
1. Definition
E.g. It was me who did all the work in this project.
→ cleft sentences are a type of complex sentences, consisting of a main clause and a
dependent clause, linked together by a relative pronoun.

2. Structure
It + to be + smt/smb + that/who/whom + …

Emphasis on subject It + to be + S + It was me who did all

who/that + V the work in this
project.

It + to be + S + It was him who was

who/that + to be + V- told to finish the task.
ed

Emphasis on object It + to be + O + it was the chair that I

whom/that + S + V sit on

Emphasis on adverb It + to be + adverb + It was yesterday that I

that + S + V had a meaningful
party.

- Cleft sentences with what, where, when, why,...

E.g. What I want to do right now is to go to bed.
Where I’ve always wanted to visit is Japan.
All I want for Christmas is you.

IELTS Writing Task 2: Advantages & Disadvantages

1. Types of questions
- What are the advantages & disadvantages of X?
E.g. In many countries today, if people want to find work, they have to
move away from their families and friends. What are the advantages &
disadvantages of this development?

- Do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages?

E.g. In many countries today, if people want to find work, they have to
move away from their families and friends. Do you think the advantages
of this development outweigh the disadvantages?

- Is it a positive or negative development?

E.g. Parents are putting a lot of pressure on their children to succeed. Is
it a positive or negative development?

2. Essay structure
a/ Introduction
[Background]. While I accept that X can sometimes have a positive
effect on/be beneficial/advantageous to …, I believe that X is more likely
to cause harm/negative impact/repercussions/negative consequences.
b/ Body 1
- Topic sentence: On the one hand, …
Explanation: To be specific, This is because, To be particular
Example: For instance, For example, Take Y as an example,...
Result: As a result, Therefore, Hence,...
→ EER.
c/ Body 2
- Topic sentence: On the other hand/However, I would argue that the
benefits mentioned above are outweighed by the drawbacks.
→ EER.
d/ Conclusion
In conclusion, it seems to me that the potential dangers of X are more
significant than its possible benefits.
In conclusion, although X can bring several benefits, it seems to me that
its potential downsides are more significant.
Parents are putting a lot of pressure on their children to succeed. Is it a
positive or negative development?
→ Outline: negative development
Body 1: positive
- Point: they will be better at study
- Explanation: parent will force their child to study so they won’t lose
their knowledge
- Example: more time spent on study less time spent on video game
(- Result)
Body 2: negative > positive
- Point 1: more stress on the kid can cause a negative effect on the kid's
mental health.

+ Explanation: parent force kid to study even they don’t want to in

the long term it can cause kid anxiety disorder
 + Example: kid don’t want to study but their parent keep forcing
them to they will start to conduct oppositional behaviours

- Point 2:

+ Explanation
+ Example
+ Result

Lesson #38
LISTENING
Complete the notes below.
Write ONE WORD ONLY for each answer.
The hunt for sunken settlements and ancient shipwrecks
ATLIT-YAM

● was a village on coast of eastern Mediterranean

● thrived until about 7,000 BC

● stones homes had a courtyard

● had a semicircle of large stones round a 31………spring…………

● cause of destruction unknown – now under the sea

● biggest settlement from the prehistoric period found on the

seabed

● research carried out into structures, 32………tools………… and human

remains

TRADITIONAL AUTONOMOUS UNDERWATER VEHICLES (AUVs)

● used in the oil industry, e.g. to make 33…………maps……….

● problems: they were expensive and 34………heavy…………..

LATEST AUVs

● much easier to use, relatively cheap, sophisticated

Tests:

● Marzamemi, Sicily: found ancient Roman ships carrying

architectural elements made of 35………marble………

Underwater internet:
 ● 36……light………… is used for short distance communication,

acoustic waves for long distance

● plans for communication with researchers by satellite

● AUV can send data to another AUV that has better 37………

cameras…………, for example

Planned research in Gulf of Baratti:

● to find out more about wrecks of ancient Roman ships, including

– one carrying 38…………medical……… supplies; tables may have

been used for cleaning the 39……eyes……………
– others carrying containers of olive oil or 40………wine…………

SPEAKING
Part 3:
- Successful people, business.
- Success.
Part 1: Music.
Part 2:

1. Describe your dream job.

You should say:
- What it is.
- What tasks it involves.
- Why it is your dream job.
- What you plan to do to achieve it.
2. Describe a science subject that you are interested in.
You should say:
- What it is.
- How you knew about it.
- How you usually study it.
- Why you are interested in it.

Lesson #39

READING
The coconut palm

For millennia, the coconut has been central to the lives of Polynesian
and Asian peoples. In the western world, on the other hand, coconuts
have always been exotic and unusual, sometimes rare. The Italian
merchant traveller Marco Polo apparently saw coconuts in South Asia
in the late 13th century, and among the mid-14th-century travel writings
of Sir John Mandeville there is mention of ‘great Notes of Ynde’ (great
Nuts of India). Today, images of palm-fringed tropical beaches are
clichés in the west to sell holidays, chocolate bars, fizzy drinks and even
romance.
Typically, we envisage coconuts as brown cannonballs that, when
opened, provide sweet white flesh. But we see only part of the fruit and
none of the plant from which they come. The coconut palm has a
smooth, slender, grey trunk, up to 30 metres tall. This is an important
source of timber for building houses, and is increasingly being used as
a replacement for endangered hardwoods in the furniture construction
industry. The trunk is surmounted by a rosette of leaves, each of which
may be up to six metres long. The leaves have hard veins in their
centres which, in many parts of the world, are used as brushes after the
green part of the leaf has been stripped away. Immature coconut
flowers are tightly clustered together among the leaves at the top of the
trunk. The flower stems may be tapped for their sap to produce a drink,
and the sap can also be reduced by boiling to produce a type of sugar
used for cooking.
Coconut palms produce as many as seventy fruits per year, weighing
more than a kilogram each. The wall of the fruit has three layers: a
waterproof outer layer, a fibrous middle layer and a hard, inner layer.
The thick fibrous middle layer produces coconut fibre, ‘coir’, which has
numerous uses and is particularly important in manufacturing ropes.
The woody innermost layer, the shell, with its three prominent ‘eyes’,
surrounds the seed. An important product obtained from the shell is
charcoal, which is widely used in various industries as well as in the
home as a cooking fuel. When broken in half, the shells are also used as
bowls in many parts of Asia.
Inside the shell are the nutrients (endosperm) needed by the developing
seed. Initially, the endosperm is a sweetish liquid, coconut water, which
is enjoyed as a drink, but also provides the hormones which encourage
other plants to grow more rapidly and produce higher yields. As the
fruit matures, the coconut water gradually solidifies to form the brilliant
white, fat-rich, edible flesh or meat. Dried coconut flesh, ‘copra’, is made
into coconut oil and coconut milk, which are widely used in cooking in
different parts of the world, as well as in cosmetics. A derivative of
coconut fat, glycerine, acquired strategic importance in a quite
different sphere, as Alfred Nobel introduced the world to his
nitroglycerine-based invention: dynamite.
Their biology would appear to make coconuts the great maritime
voyagers and coastal colonizers of the plant world. The large, energy-
rich fruits are able to float in water and tolerate salt, but cannot remain
viable indefinitely; studies suggest after about 110 days at sea they are
no longer able to germinate. Literally cast onto desert island shores,
with little more than sand to grow in and exposed to the full glare of the
tropical sun, coconut seeds are able to germinate and root. The air
pocket in the seed, created as the endosperm solidifies, protects the
embryo. In addition, the fibrous fruit wall that helped it to float during
the voyage stores moisture that can be taken up by the roots of the
coconut seedling as it starts to grow.
There have been centuries of academic debate over the origins of the
coconut. There were no coconut palms in West Africa, the Caribbean or
the east coast of the Americans before the voyages of the European
explorers Vasco da Gama and Columbus in the late 15th and early 16th
centuries. 16th century trade and human migration patterns reveal that
Arab traders and European sailors are likely to have moved coconuts
from South and Southeast Asia to Africa and then across the Atlantic to
the east coast of America. But the origin of coconuts discovered along
the west coast of America by 16th century sailors has been the subject
of centuries of discussion. Two diametrically opposed origins have been
proposed: that they came from Asia, or that they were native to
America. Both suggestions have problems. In Asia, there is a large
degree of coconut diversity and evidence of millennia of human use –
but there are no relatives growing in the wild. In America, there are
close coconut relatives, but no evidence that coconuts are indigenous.
These problems have led to the intriguing suggestion that coconuts
originated on coral islands in the Pacific and were dispersed from there.
Questions 1-8

Complete the table below.

Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 1-8 on your answer sheet.

THE COCONUT PALM

Part Description Uses

trunk up to 30 metres timber for houses and the

making of 1…………
furniture…………..

leaves up to 6 metres to make brushes

long

flowers at the top of the stems provide sap, used as a

trunk drink or a source of 2………………
sugar…….
 fruits outer layer

middle layer used for 3…………ropes…………,

(coir fibres)

Inner layer (shell) a source of 4…………

charcoal………….

(when halved) for 5……………

bowls……….

coconut water a drink

a source of 6……………
hormones……….. for other
plants

coconut flesh oil and milk for cooking and

7……………cosmetics……….

glycerine (an ingredient in

8…………dynamite…………….)

Questions 9-13

Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading

Passage 1?
In boxes 9-13 on your answer sheet, write
TRUE if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this
9 Coconut seeds need shade in order to germinate. F
10 Coconuts were probably transported to Asia from America in the
16th century. F
11 Coconuts found on the west coast of America were a different type
from those found on the east coast. F
12 All the coconuts found in Asia are cultivated varieties. T
13 Coconuts are cultivated in different ways in America and the Pacific.
NG

WRITING
IELTS Writing Task 1: Table
I. Dynamic table
E.g. The table below shows the prices of a cup of coffee in 6 cities in
Australia in 2010 and 2014.
the given table below gives information about the change in cost of
coffee in 6 Australian cities between 2010 and 2014.
Overview:
+ Sydney highest price in both years.
+ Melbourne most dramatic change in price.
Body 1: Melbourne → Sydney → Brisbane.
Body 2: Perth → Adelaide → Canberra

II. Static table

E.g. The table below gives information on consumer spending on
different items in five different countries in 2002.
Overview:
+ Food/Drinks/Tobacco biggest share of expenditure, Leisure/Edu
smallest.
+ Turkey accounted for the highest spendings on F/D/T & L/E,
whereas Italy accounted for the highest spendings on C/F.
Body 1: Turkey, Italy.
Body 2: the rest.
Lesson #40

WARM-UP:Being busy all the time is a habit you made. You can unmake it. | Dan
Pontefract | Big ThinkLISTENING
Complete the notes below.
Write ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
Bankside Recruitment Agency

● Address of agency: 497 Eastside, Docklands

● Name of agent: Becky 1……jamieson………
● Phone number: 07866 510333
● Best to call her in the 2……afternoon………
Typical jobs
● Clerical and admin roles, mainly in the finance industry
● Must have good 3…………communication…… skills
● Jobs are usually for at least one 4………week………..
● Pay is usually 5 £……10……….. per hour
Registration process
● Wear a 6……suit…………. to the interview
● Must bring your 7…………passport…….. to the interview
● They will ask questions about each applicant’s 8………personality……….
Advantages of using an agency
● The 9…………feedback……. you receive at interview will benefit you
● Will get access to vacancies which are not advertised
● Less 10…………time…… is involved in applying for jobs

SPEAKING
Part 3:
- Jobs & AI.
- Science.
Part 1: Collecting things.
Part 2:
1. Describe a time when you were very busy.
You should say:
- When it was.
- Why you were busy.
- What you did to deal with the situation.
- How you felt about it.
2. Describe a time you had to do something in a hurry.
You should say:
- What you had to do.
- Why you had to do it in a hurry.
- How well you did this.
- How you felt about it.