UnitReading strategyVocabularyListening strategyGrammarWriting/Speaking strategyFun breakPage Contents

O ^Contents

strategy Fun break Page

Entertainment Skimming Biography

Vocabulary about entertainment

Listening for people’s names

Indefinite pronouns: somebody, something, anybody, anything, nobody, nothing

Past perfect tense

Using wish and if only with the past perfect tense

Writing a biography

Using appropriate language to recount a person’s life story

Quiz about celebrities 2

Healthy lifestyle

Scanning Advice column

Vocabulary about some diseases caused by modern lifestyle and food pyramid

Listening for sequence Connectives: so, so that, so as to

Gerunds

To-infinitives and bare infinitives

Writing an advice column

Using modal verbs to give advice

Matching symptoms with health problems

14

Travel Making inferences Travel blog

Vocabulary about some famous tourist spots and adjectives describing them

Listening for directions Present participles and past participles as adjectives Present participle phrases Past participle phrases

Making use of given prompts Idioms relating to different countries

26

Technology

Speech

Vocabulary about technology

Identifying views of speakers: positive, negative or neutral

Used to and be used to Conditionals: Type 2 Conditionals: Type 3

Writing a speech

Using persuasive language

Crossword puzzle with technology words

38

Crime Identifying the topic sentence of a paragraph Report

Vocabulary about crimes, actions and lawbreakers

Listening for descriptive information

Passive voice Reporting statements

Reporting questions and orders

Writing a report

Using the passive voice

Phrasal verbs relating to crime

50

Work Identifying the writer’s tone, mood and views Magazine article

Vocabulary about work Identifying facts and opinions

Question tags

Comparative and superlative adverbs

Connectives: although, though, in spite of, despite

Stress, tone and eye contact Matching descriptions with jobs

62

• Popular Culture •

• Popular Culture •

• Popular Culture •

• Popular Culture •

• Debating •

• Debating •

• Social Issues •

• Workplace Communication •

1

5

4 3 2

6

Sample

Unit Reading strategy Vocabulary Listening strategy Grammar Writing/Speaking

strategy Fun break Page

Entertainment Skimming Biography

Vocabulary about entertainment

Listening for people’s names

Indefinite pronouns: somebody, something, anybody, anything, nobody, nothing

Past perfect tense

Using wish and if only with the past perfect tense

Writing a biography

Using appropriate language to recount a person’s life story

Quiz about celebrities 2

Healthy lifestyle

Scanning Advice column

Vocabulary about some diseases caused by modern lifestyle and food pyramid

Listening for sequence Connectives: so, so that, so as to

Gerunds

To-infinitives and bare infinitives

Writing an advice column

Using modal verbs to give advice

Matching symptoms with health problems

14

Travel Making inferences Travel blog

Vocabulary about some famous tourist spots and adjectives describing them

Listening for directions Present participles and past participles as adjectives Present participle phrases Past participle phrases

Making use of given prompts Idioms relating to different countries

26

Technology

Speech

Vocabulary about technology

Identifying views of speakers: positive, negative or neutral

Used to and be used to Conditionals: Type 2 Conditionals: Type 3

Writing a speech

Using persuasive language

Crossword puzzle with technology words

38

Crime Identifying the topic sentence of a paragraph Report

Vocabulary about crimes, actions and lawbreakers

Listening for descriptive information

Passive voice Reporting statements

Reporting questions and orders

Writing a report

Using the passive voice

Phrasal verbs relating to crime

50

Work Identifying the writer’s tone, mood and views Magazine article

Vocabulary about work Identifying facts and opinions

Question tags

Comparative and superlative adverbs

Connectives: although, though, in spite of, despite

Stress, tone and eye contact Matching descriptions with jobs

62

Appendices

• Popular Culture •

• Popular Culture •

• Popular Culture •

• Popular Culture •

• Debating •

• Debating •

• Social Issues •

• Workplace Communication •

Sample

O 6 Work

O D id you know? id you know?

The most promising jobs for the next decade in Hong Kong Experts forecast that the ‘silver hair’ market will bring in new business

opportunities for health and fitness products, tourism and care services. Those with knowledge about China-related business and are trilingual will benefit if they are from the banking, accountancy and retailing sectors. Also, the Web economy will lead to digital marketing. Those with good IT knowledge and management skills with a strategic mindset will emerge to lead business.

Identifying the writer’s tone, mood and views

When you are reading, it is important to understand what the writer is trying to say. Tone is the writer’s attitude towards the subject of a text. Mood is the feeling you get from the text. This is the atmosphere created by the writer. The writer’s views refer to what the writer thinks about a subject. The following steps will help you to do this:

Pay attention to the writer’s choice of words, especially those that create feelings, and punctuation marks.

Make guesses based on any clues.

Your turn Your turn

Read the text and answer the question below.

When asked about their top 10 priorities in new hires, overwhelmingly, employers claim they want candidates who are team players and problem solvers who can plan, organise and prioritise their work. In another survey, 1 in 5 employers worldwide cannot fill positions constantly because they cannot find people with soft skills.

Specifically, companies are dying for candidates with motivation, interpersonal skills, appearance and punctuality. ‘What can you expect when they can’t even show up on time in a button-down shirt and organise a team project?’ commented an employer. It is just hard to teach these skills because correcting a lifetime of bad habits in a short period of time is simply impossible.

What is the writer’s attitude towards the fact that employers can’t fill vacancies constantly?

R

Sample

Unit 6 • Work •

O

Read the following magazine article.

O R eading comprehension eading comprehension

Background checks through the Web Employers always perform background checks

on potential employees. Sometimes, surviving a

background check can be tough. It will soon be tougher as Internet search technology grows more sophisticated, e.g. through social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook to check up on potential hires.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in the US has passed a law for the Social Intelligence Corporation to transmit reports about candidates’ Internet postings to employers. The file will last for seven years! Even if you are clean as a whistle with your online tracking, you may have made some Facebook friends with a criminal record unknown to you. An employer could possibly turn you down for this reason.

‘Is this fair?’ you may wonder.

You can be deemed a bad apple by association. The employer’s decision not to hire you may be ethically outrageous, but it is not illegal. What’s more, the corporation has to conduct background checks compliant with the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), which regulates the collection, dissemination and use of consumer information. If evidence found leads to rejection of an applicant, the employer is required to notify the applicant of the basis. The applicant then has five days to dispute the findings.

Besides, the report given to an employer only includes the information he can legally use to evaluate a candidate as determined by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. This helps protect the privacy of potential candidates.

On the other hand, the search also provides positive criteria. For instance, any charitable or volunteer work the candidate may have done or awards won, etc.

can help show his or her leadership history, if any.

Background checks online are here to stay and there are always checks and balances against abuse of the practice. So, what’s the golden rule? Honesty as well as modesty is the best policy. Why do people post stuff that will only get them into trouble some day? Why do they drink drive or swear on Facebook? Remember you are creating a public persona to the world, where people are watching,

including potential employers!

Sample

Answer the following questions.

1. About the chance of applicants being employed, what is the writer’s tone towards the background checks?

2. What does the writer think if an employer turns down a candidate because he has made some Facebook friends with a criminal record?

3. Decide if the following phrases are ‘Positive’ or ‘Negative’ in meaning in relation to the article. Blacken ONE circle only next to each phrase.

Positive Nagative

(i) clean as a whistle (ii) deemed a bad apple (iii) ethically outrageous

4. What does ‘the findings’ in paragraph 3 refer to?

5. Name TWO laws from the article and their functions that help ‘check and balance’ the background checks online.

Law Function

(i) (ii)

(iii) (iv)

6. Decide whether the following statements are True, False, or the information is Not Given. Blacken ONE circle only for each statement.

T F NG

(i) Twitter and Facebook are the only social media that allow

employers to do background checks on job seekers.

(ii) One of the duties of the Federal Trade Commission in the US is to mediate in relationships between employers and employees.

(iii) The background checks on job applicants also have positive

impact on employers.

7. Is the writer in favour of background checks on job applicants? What is the writer’s overall view of them?

HKDSE

HKDSE

HKDSE

HKDSE

Sample

Unit 5 • Crime •

O

Crime (noun) Action (verb) Lawbreaker (noun)

arson – arsonist

burglary burgle burglar

crook crook crook

extortion extort extortioner

forgery forge forger

fraud defraud fraudster

hijacking hijack hijacker

kidnapping kidnap kidnapper

murder murder murderer

phishing phish phisher

rape rape rapist

robbery rob robber

smuggling smuggle smuggler

theft thieve thief

trick trick trickster

Your turn Your turn

Match the lawbreakers with the correct definitions.

1. A kills someone on purpose.

2. A steals something from

another person.

3. An sets fire to buildings

on purpose.

4. A steals with the threat of force.

5. A cheats people for their money illegally.

6. A breaks into a place to steal.

7. A takes a person hostage in exchange for money.

8. A takes something illegally into another country.

9. A takes control of a plane, train or other vehicle by using force.

10. A copies works of art or documents to deceive people.

11. An obtains money from someone by force or threat.

12. A steals Internet usernames, their passwords or personal data for money.

O V ocabulary _{ocabulary O}

O

Sample

Listening for sequence

In some listening tasks, you may be required to put items or events in the correct order.

The following words and phrases help you identify the sequence of events.

A happened before B At first, before, beforehand, earlier, firstly, initially, in the beginning, previously, prior to, sooner than, to start with B happened after A After, afterwards, eventually, finally, in the end, later, next,

subsequently, the following day/week/month, then Ordinal numbers First, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, etc.

e.g. To start with, you should avoid eating junk food.

Next, you have to set up a workout schedule.

Your turn Your turn

Listen to the step-by-step guide and fill in the table.

Step Reason/Detail

1. (i) for

working out.

You will be (ii) to go

ahead.

2. (i) the

gym.

You will be (ii) the

proper use of the (iii) .

3. (i) for

5–10 minutes.

This helps your body adjust to the

(ii) .

4. Work on

(i) .

For example, from (ii)

to (iii) .

5. Work on

(i) .

For example, from (ii)

to triceps. (iii) when

you curl your weights up.

(iv) and release your

arms back to your sides.

6. (i) for

3–5 minutes.

This lets your body

(ii) .

L

Track 3

Sample

Unit 2 • Healthy lifestyle •

O

Situation

You are Chris Wong. Your elder brother John has been troubled by sleep disorders for a long time. You are calling the Pacific Health Sleep Centre for information. Listen to the conversation. As you listen you can make notes on the note-taking sheet.

Listening note-taking sheet

Data File

Study the Data File for relevant information to be included in the writing task.

1. John’s sleep cycle graph 2. Memo from the Pacific Health Sleep Centre to Chris

O I ntegrated skills ntegrated skills

Track 4

• Aim:

• Things to do before the overnight sleep test:

1. 2.

• Things to do on the day of the test: 1.

2. 3.

Your turn Your turn

Complete the letter to John using information from the Data File and your notes.

Dear John,

I know you’re always busy and can’t sleep well at night. Mum showed me your

which shocked me a lot. I found that you are always and seldom go to during the night. This worries Mum and me so much. I have called the Pacific Health Sleep Centre. They aim at

. Then,

. You may do an

in their centre. Before the test, you need to

. On the day of the test, remember to . Please also attach your . Hope everything goes well with the test.

Chris

Hi Chris,

One more thing, please ask your brother to attach any document related to his sleep disorder to the questionnaire and bring it back to us on the day of his appointment.

Ms Lau

Sleep

Time 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07

Deep sleep Awake

Sample

Connectives: so, so that, so as to

So is used to join two sentences or ideas together to indicate the result of an action.

e.g. Thomas has eaten too much ice cream, so he doesn’t feel well.

So that is used to join two sentences or ideas together to indicate the purpose of an action.

e.g. Most office workers prefer a weekend off so that they can relax from their hectic lives.

So as to is also used to indicate the purpose of an action. It is followed by the bare infinitive. It has the same meaning as in order to.

e.g. My father has quit smoking so as to maintain good health.

Your turn Your turn

A. Read the article and fill in the blanks with so, so that or so as to.

Listen to Our Green TEAcher Most people prefer to start their day with a cup of coffee (1)

they can feel refreshed. However, coffee contains caffeine, a stimulant which is addictive, (2) it’s time to think whether to go on drinking coffee or not.

Coffee carries a list of health problems, such as acid reflux, intestinal problems, nausea and unwanted stress. Now, it is advisable to cut down on coffee

(3) stay healthier. Have you ever thought of drinking green tea instead? Green tea is a healthier hot beverage alternative. It also contains caffeine (4) boost your spirit. Yet, there are powerful antioxidants in green tea, (5) they can help you fight off diseases. For this reason, many people have opted for green tea (6) they can have a lower risk of cancer.

Green tea is a staple in Asian cultures, (7) you won’t miss out when you have meals at a Chinese or Japanese restaurant. In fact, the aroma of green tea is very difficult to resist, (8) many Asians and other people around the world have developed a liking for it. Green

tea can also be separated into different specialities, (9) there are classes for us to learn how to serve green tea as well. Join one if you are interested (10) you can also have something you enjoy while keeping you healthy.

O G _{rammar rammar}

You can also use therefore and as a result to indicate the result of an action.

Note that because and so are not used together in the same sentence.

O Useful tip O

Sample

Unit 6 • Work •

O

Comparative and superlative adverbs

Adverbs can be used with verbs, adjectives and other adverbs to tell you more about them. Most adverbs are formed by adding -ly to an adjective. Like adjectives, you can use comparative and superlative adverbs to compare the actions of people, things and places.

You add -er/-est to short adverbs and use more/less or most/least before long adverbs.

Positive Comparative Superlative

Tom works fast. Joe works faster than Tom. Sue works the fastest.

Tom works efficiently. Joe works more efficiently than Tom.

Sue works the most efficiently.

Your turn Your turn

B. Read the letter and insert the adverbs correctly. The hints are given in the right column.

One has been done for you as an example.

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am writing to invite your sponsorship for our funfair to be held in May, two months from now. The aim of the event is to raise funds for the regular programmes of our youth centre, which is expanding than ever before. Our centre is located in Tin Shui Wai, where the youth population is growing than in other areas. Therefore, we are working than any organisation to improve our services.

We believe it is a good opportunity for you to promote your products to the public than any other means. It is our honour that logos of sponsoring companies like yours will be attached to products given out as gifts. The name of your company will also be shown on our banners and in flyers during the funfair. The target to attract media coverage will be fulfilled among all means.

As one of the companies that always contribute than others to society, surely your positive response to our appeal will be awaited.

A total amount of $50,000 or more is sufficient to cover the cost of our game stalls and publicity. Once again, we believe that among all companies, you will be reacting to our call for charity and for the healthy growth of our youth.

Looking forward to your favourable reply and thanks for your attention.

Yours faithfully,

Ruth Tam (President of Sunlight Youth Centre, Tin Shui Wai)

e.g.cordial 1. near 2. fast

3. rapid 4. hard

5. direct

6. clear 7. successful 8. generous 9. much

10. enthusiastic

The word than is usually used with comparative adverbs and the is often put in front of superlative adverbs.

O Useful tip O

cordially

^

Sample

Report: Using the passive voice

can be informative or analytical, conveying factual information and evaluating a situation in order to make recommendation.

presents figures like percentages, fractions and proportions using the past tense.

uses formulaic expressions such as ‘According to the respondents’ and ‘Based on the findings’.

should be written in an objective tone. The third person is used instead of the first person. The passive voice is usually used, for example, ‘The survey was conducted…’,

‘Respondents were asked…’ and ‘Actions should be taken…’

What should be included in a report?

A report should include the following:

W

Your turn Your turn

Recently, there has been much discussion about bullying at school and online. As the chairperson of the Student Union, you have conducted a survey on students’ experience and views about it. You have also collected suggestions for ways of tackling it. Write a report on the survey based on the findings in about 300 words.

Title

Give your report an appropriate title.

Introduction

Provide relevant background information and state the purpose of the report. Detail how the data was collected.

Findings

Present the data clearly, one point in each paragraph.

Conclusion and recommendation

Draw a conclusion based on the findings and suggest actions to be taken if appropriate.

Experience of bullying

15%

26% 50%

9%

current been bullied witnessed only

no experience

Views on which type(s) of bullying are common

22%

16%

25%

37%

social

physical

verbal online

Proposed solutions for bullying

A: school campaigns B: harsh penalties C: teaching tactics D: buddy scheme

others

11%

20%

16%

49%

4%

type A

type D

type C type B

Sample

O

Step 1: Planning — mind map Title:

Introduction:

Conclusion and recommendation:

Finding (1): Finding (2): Finding (3):

Step 2: Writing

Useful vocabulary

O O

serious, minor, deserve concern, sign of concern, disclose, irritating, teasing, tackle, impose, preventive measures, mutual support

Sample

Making use of given prompts

In an oral exam, you may be asked to have a group discussion based on given prompts.

It is important to understand the prompts and make use of them when you prepare for the discussion.

What are the given prompts?

The given prompts include four parts:

S

Instruction

Show the text type of the discussion input you are going to read.

Discussion input

Tell you the subject matter and provide relevant information for the discussion.

Some common kinds of input are news articles, letters to the editor, posters, tables and charts.

Task description

Tell you the situation, your role and details of the task.

Discussion points

Provide some points for discussion.

Your turn Your turn

A. Read the following prompts for a group discussion and identify the different parts by writing the correct letters in the boxes.

A. Discussion input B. Discussion points C. Task description D. Instruction

The following is a poster.

Amazing Taiwan, Enchanting Culture

• Magical sky lantern tour along the historic old rail line

• Nor thern sea coast: sea-eroded landscapes, Yehliu Geopark, Queen’s Head

• Refuse Incineration Plant and food waste centre

• Local delicacies and snacks: food haven

$3,000 (5 days)

Cosmopolitan Singapore, Eye-opening Experience

• Sentosa Island: Underwater World and Dolphin Lagoon Show

• NEWater Visitor Centre: water reuse

• Mobile classroom built from double- decker bus and led by English native speakers

• Ethnic districts: Little India and China Town

$4,500 (5 days)

Aims: to widen students’ horizons, enhance their learning about the cultures of Asian cities while helping them become more independent

Sample

O

Your turn Your turn

B. Complete the notecard below based on the discussion topic in Part A.

You are the chairperson of the Student Union. Your principal would like to organise a 5-day study tour for all Secondary Three students during the Easter holiday. Discuss which tour is more suitable for students and explain your choice. You should think about:

• Which tour students will be more interested in

• What students can do and learn from the tour

• Which tour can fulfill the aims and can be afforded by most students

• Anything else that you think is impor tant

Making notes during the preparation time You will have 10 minutes to prepare.

Dividing the notecard into four parts

Familiarise yourself with the discussion task and make notes of the key points.

To make notes clearly, you may divide the notecard into four parts, i.e. the four discussion points.

Extracting points from the input

Try to extract relevant points from the input and generate ideas and reasons to support your points.

Sample

Finish the crossword puzzle with some technology words with the help of the clues.

O F un break _{un break}

Below is a list of items you have learnt in this unit. How well do you understand each of them? Put a tick (✔) in the appropriate box.

O S elf-evaluation elf-evaluation

Fully understand Don’t understand

^{at all}

3 2 1 0

An awesome invention: Soccket

Reading strategy — Following the development of an argument

Vocabulary about technology

Listening strategy — Identifying views of speakers:

positive, negative or neutral Used to and be used to Conditionals: Type 2 Conditionals: Type 3 Writing strategy — Speech

Crossword puzzle with technology words

1

2

3 4 5 6

7 8

9

10

DOWN

1. a kind of currency used for online business 3. to spoil a photo by unexpectedly appearing in it 4. to remove somebody from a list of friends on a

social networking site

6. an image that one has taken of oneself using a smartphone

7. a short form of ‘high-technology’

ACROSS

2. to adjust or alter a recording with software 5. a place where a wireless Internet

connection is available

8. asking for financial contributions from people online

9. a short form of ‘laughing out loud’

10. a person’s followers on Twitter Clues

Sample