SESSION 1:
FCE LISTENING TEST PREPARATION
This week , you will be taking your FCE (B2) listening test. So, I will dedicate one of the sessions to give you some tips for the exam, read them carefully, please. Do not conclude you are prepared for a test like this, maybe you think it is a good idea not to revise for it but, just for you to know, Napoleon thought it was a good idea to invade Russia in winter...
...AND IT WAS NOT.
1. BEFORE THE EXAM
Listen, listen and listen to videos, presentations, radio shows, podcasts, etc. Here you have some:
VIDEO:
RADIO PROGRAMME:
Accents:
You will hear to a variety of accents, some standard British and American accents, but you may also hear Australian, South African, Irish, Scottish...Here you have an interesting video on the different accents in the UK.
And the same with ages, so make sure you listen to different types of people, from teenagers to the elderly, men and women.
VERY IMPORTANT! Practice listening and writing at the same time! Many of you say you can't listen AND write. NOT TRUE! You just need to practice. Try with this:
Jimmy and Ariana Grande take turns drawing questions from the best friends box and guessing each other's answers. Write the questions and answers while listening.
Don't stop the video to write.
2. IN THE EXAM
You need to manage time. Most people do not prepare so you can give yourself an advantage by doing so. While the others are listening to explanations, you can start reading the questions in the next section.
Listen twice ALWAYS. Although you think you already have the right answers, check for possible mistakes.
Read the questions carefully, underline keywords, and predict the answers. This is really helpful.
3. DISTRACTORS
Read this passage:
This morning I ate a bacon and lettuce sandwich with some sliced egg, and then I went to my job at the zoo where it's my job to make sure the sloths have enough cushions and baskets. I'm on my way to the monkey cages now so I've got a few apples and carrots for them. Oh, and a banana, as you can see poking out of my rucksack.
Maybe you wait for questions like the following like "What does the speaker have in his backpack?" and then you will have to choose the right answer:
a] sloth, cushion, basket b] apple, banana, carrot c] egg, bacon, lettuce
But there will be distractors, on purpose. Let's analyze the different options:
a] It's the speaker's JOB to give cushions and baskets to the sloths. The question is 'what does he have in his backpack?' Meaning right now, and he doesn't say that he has a cushion in his backpack. And he wouldn't carry sloths around in a backpack - he knows sloths prefer to be carried in buckets.
b] He mentions that he has some apples and carrot for the monkeys, and that a banana is sticking out of his rucksack, which is a synonym for backpack. So this is clearly the right answer. Let's just check c before we write anything down.
c] He had egg, bacon, and lettuce for breakfast - it's not in his backpack.
Most of the students will stop listening when they listen to bacon and lettuce and will choose c.
Take this sample test and follow instructions. You can read to the recording twice:
SESSION 2:
Time for revision!
FUTURE PERFECT
FORM: subject + will + have + past participle
Dan uses the future perfect to talk about specific lifetime goals and when he hopes to achieve them. Many people have definite ambitions and plans. They have their lives and careers mapped out with timetables for achieving goals by particular ages and times. Dan is no exception. He has some very ambitious plans for his life and in this video he explains how to use the future perfect verb form to talk about them.
A. Complete the sentences with the future perfect (will have done) or the future continuous (will be doing) and the verbs in the box.
disappear arrive cook watch replace move finish fly teach listen
When we reach Portsmouth we ........................................................ our voyage. When I drive my car I ................................................ to the new CD.
In a twenty years' time thousands of species ....................................................... from this planet.
In a few hours' time we ........................................... on the plane.
I'll meet you at four o'clock. - At four? I'm afraid I ................................................ English.
We ............................................................... the wheels before you come back from the shop.
Shall I buy a pizza? - There's no need. I ........................................... as usual.
I'm sorry, we can't come tonight. We ........................................... the new documentary on TV.
My new PC ............................................................ by the end of this week.
The Johnsons .......................................................... in their new house by Christmas.
B. Rewrite these sentences in the future perfect or future continuous. Use the verbs in brackets.
Example: This time tomorrow I will be on my way to London.
This time tomorrow I will be driving to London. (drive)
1. We will live in a new house at the end of this year. We will have moved in a new house by the end of this year. (move)
2. I have no homework for tomorrow. I ..................................................... any homework tonight. (not do)
3. I am going to do my homework tonight. I ..................................................... my homework by tomorrow. (finish)
4. The show starts at 9 p. m. and it ends an hour later. We ................................................... the show between 9 and 10 p.m. (watch)
5. The show ends just a few minutes before ten o'clock. The show ............................................. by ten o'clock. (end)
6. You can meet your grandpa while he is working in the graden. You can meet your grandpa in the garden. He ............................................. grass. (cut)
7. Your grandpa won't be waiting for you if you come late. Hurry up or your grandpa ............................................... by the time you arrive there. (leave)
8. In 2050 the Internet will be accessible everywhere. In 2050 everyone ................................................... the Internet. (use)
9. In 2050 everyone will be connected to the Internet. By 2050 everyone .................................................... the Internet one way or the other (access)
10. How will I recognize you? - According to my red dress. How will I recognize you? - I ...................................................... a red dress. (wear)
11. I can't wear this dress at the party. I have used it so many times. I will need a new dress for the party. I .......................................................... this one by then. (wear out)
Let's play some games:
IN CLASS: Chairup Game! Students will be divided in three groups. I will arrange three chairs in front of the classroom and will label each one with present continuous, to be going to and will. The groups will name a representative for their groups. The representative of each group will stand in front of the chairs. I will project a sentence with a gap on the whiteboard and they will have to decide the tense very quickly and sit down on the right chair to complete the sentence with the correct form of the verb. The fastest is the first to answer, if s/he is wrong, the other two give it a try. The one who says the right answer will score a point for their groups.
SESSION 3:
THE IMPORTANCE OF ART
Art helps us make sense of the most inexplicable parts of life. At the top of this list is Death. Death has been portrayed for centuries in different formats, painting, sculpture, architecture and of course, literature. Do you recognize these representations?
We saw this some sessions ago as one of the wonders of the ancient world. Today we will see the pyramid as a symbol. A symbol is defines as something that represents or stands for something else, especially a material object representing something abstract.
The pyramid commonly represents the tomb of Kings and Queens of ancient Egypt. It also recalls the mound covering the bodies of the dead. As a mound, it looks like a hill or a mountain as well as an island emerging from the sea. Climbed, effectively or symbolically, it uses to be reminiscent of ladders or stairways (of Amerindian pyramids), symbols of ascension. Its steep slope suggests that it should be climbed in one direction only, upwards. The edges and sides of the pyramid converge towards a unique point, the summit, so it also symbolizes unity. Death makes us all equal.
This is ....................................................??? Here Mary, too young to be a mother of a 33 year-old, and far from being the typical crying or mourning figure, exhibits a serene scene of tranquility and graceful acceptance. In contrast, Jesus’ head is thrown back in the helplessness of human death. The word pietà comes from the Italian word for “pity” and the Latin word for “piety”, giving it a sense of “compassion” and “devotion” altogether, the compassion of the mother towards her dead son is quite obvious. Can you see its structure? It's also a pyramidal one, also representing ascension.
Let's focus on this beautiful painting by Gustav Klimt. Can you guess its title? Do you know any of his paintings? The Kiss or the Tree of Life?
Listen to this analysis of Death and Life and complete the transcript while listening:
"Colour and form contrast to create a powerful message from this famous 1............................ artist. The symbolism used by Klimt in Death and Life is bold and abrupt, making this a typically accessible 2........................... His colour scheme is similarly aggressive, using un-diluted oils, straight onto 3......................... Few can fail to spot the message of the artist here.The two halves of this painting are constructed of Death and Life, with the former on the left and the 4........................... on the right. The grim reaper represents the dark elements to this artwork, whilst the intricate female portrait represents life in all its 5..................... and beauty. Many of the elements representing life here can be found throughout his career, such as the flower 6........................ in The Kiss or the mix of generations found in Three Ages of Woman. Females are 7........................ several times in this painting, something Klimt prefered and also his way of symbolizing life.
Women and nature together, intertwined, were the two aspects of life that 8......................... to a positive-minded Klimt. Again, in his indoor garden frieze, he would produce Tree of Life, for example.
The Death and Life Painting by Gustav Klimt is 9....................... The artist tackles a topic which raises fear in many people. He has positioned each element in the painting carefully, directing the eyes from one subject to another as he tells his story.
The painting is divided into two 10............................ and is designed as a reminder that Life is always being observed with a degree of malice. This is true for people of any age. Older and younger men and women are represented in the painting, seemingly 11........................ that at any moment, Death may strike.
Klimt has always utilised colour for contrast in his paintings and his execution of "Death and Life" is no different. Death is portrayed in deep 12....................., wielding an object that can be used to strike down anyone. It contemplates people from different backgrounds, who are positioned to the viewer's right.
As a Symbolist artist, Klimt suggests several ideas through his use of various symbols in "Death and Life" which are 13......................... with the people. Death gazes at everything as a whole, assessing adults in their prime, children and the hidden things represented through symbolism. All of these form Life and the shape of Life approximates a 14.............................
Klimt's subjects in the circle are there as a reminder that even if Death strikes one, the rest will remain to continue living and thriving. The forms he has used are chilling. His colours are also symbolic as he does not 15........................ in applying undiluted oils to the canvas. Death is bold and striking. Its intentions are not subtle or hidden.
The 16....................... used to portray Life are bright and in one section, flowers seem to be freshly blooming. Other circular ornaments are found right around the circle of Life. They adorn it and speak of beauty which continues even after the 17....................... times.
Gustav Klimt described "Death and Life" as his most important 18......................... painting. While it was completed in 1910, he was not fully satisfied with it even five years later. Eventually, he changed the original gold background to 19..............................He also added more symbolic ornaments to both Death and Life.
SESSION 4:
BECAUSE I COULD NOT STOP FOR DEATH
Yesterday, we delved into the symbolism of death in art and saw different representations of it. What about literature? Writers have always used everyday life in their writing, and death is a crucial part of it. It is one of the most recurring themes in literature, from the emotions that emerge as a consequence of it to the various beliefs through which it is interpreted.
Today we will dive into Because I Could not Stop for Death by Emily Dickinson.
1. Please, read it carefully trying to visualize what the poet is trying to convey. Study the words and the structure.
Because I could not stop for Death –
He kindly stopped for me –
The Carriage held but just Ourselves –
And Immortality.
We slowly drove – He knew no haste
And I had put away
My labor and my leisure too,
For His Civility –
We passed the School, where Children strove
At Recess – in the Ring –
We passed the Fields of Gazing Grain –
We passed the Setting Sun –
Or rather – He passed Us –
The Dews drew quivering and Chill –
For only Gossamer, my Gown –
My Tippet – only Tulle –
We paused before a House that seemed
A Swelling of the Ground –
The Roof was scarcely visible –
The Cornice – in the Ground –
Since then – 'tis Centuries – and yet Feels shorter than the Day I first surmised the Horses' Heads Were toward Eternity –
2. Now, watch the video and answer the quiz:
Overall, what mood does the poem convey?
Which lines contribute to the personification of the speaker?
What does the central, controlling image of the poem convey about life or death?
What is the purpose of the third stanza? What does it provide to the poem?
The imagery in the fourth stanza is describing what item, action, or event?
What is the house described on line 17?
What is the "then" on line 21 referring to?
What is ironic in the last stanza? What literary device conveys it?
What characters are here and what roles do they play?
How do the illustrations or sounds in the video help you understand the meaning of the video?
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