VB001 PRACTICE OPEN CLOZE: Variation in English When foreign learners of English first come to the British Isles, they are usually surprised, and often dismayed, to discover ____________________ little they understand of the English they hear. For ____________________ thing, people seem to speak faster ____________________ expected. Also, the English that most British or Irish people speak seems to be different in ____________________ ways from the English the visitor has learnt. While it is probably differences of pronunciation that ____________________ immediately strike them, learners may also notice differences of grammar and vocabulary. Their reactions ____________________ this experience will vary. They may conclude that most of the English, Welsh, Scottish and Irish people that they hear do not – or even cannot – speak English correctly. In this they would find that many native speakers agree ____________________ them. They might even be told that, since learners of English ____________________ a foreign or second language have usually studied English in a formal way, they should know better than would native speakers what is ‘correct’. WORD FORMATION: Steel that doesn’t rust Harry Brearley, the son of a Sheffield steel smelter, left school at 12 to go to work in one of the city’s steelworks. He was an ____________________(AMBITION) chap and started to study metallurgy at home and in evening classes. He ____________________(GRADUAL) built a reputation for expertise, and still in his 30s was chosen to run a new ____________________(SEARCH) facility funded by two of Sheffield’s largest steel companies. In 1912, he was tasked by a small-arms manufacturer to find a material that could ____________________(LONG) the life of their gun barrels. He set out to find erosion-resistant steel, but found corrosion-resistant steel instead. The story goes that in 1913 he threw out some ____________________(EXPERIMENT) steel made of 12.8 per cent chromium and 0.24 per cent carbon. A few weeks later, he found it in the yard still ____________________(SHINE) as new. This apparently serendipitous discovery led to the ____________________(TRANSFORM) of the already established cutlery industry in Sheffield. Stainless steel is now used in everything from ____________________(SURGERY) instruments and turbine blades to architectural cladding. SENTENCE TRANSFORMATION 1. None of the phones were left when we got to the shop. time ______________________________ the shop, all the phones had been sold. 2. I didn't know it was Carl until he took off his hat. when Only ______________________________ his hat did I recognise Carl. 3. Don't waste your time asking Bryan to come with us. worth It's ______________________________ to come with us. 4. Perhaps John heard the story from Pippa. have Pippa might ______________________________ story. 5. Until they fire me as manager here, I'll run the company my way. long ______________________________ the boss, I'll run the company my way. 6. The school's management are investigating allegations of teacher brutality. into Allegations of teacher brutality ______________________________ the school's management. 7. It's not possible that you saw Mary last night, she was with us! have You ______________________________ last night, she was with us! 8. The beach was fun even though it was too cold. fact ______________________________ too cold, the beach was fun. OPEN CLOZE WITH THE FOCUS ON ICT TERMINOLOGY WHAT IS VIRTUAL REALITY? Virtual Reality (VR) is a computer-generated environment with scenes and objects that appear to be real, making the user feel they are _____________ in their surroundings. This environment is perceived through a ________ known as a Virtual Reality headset or helmet. VR allows us to immerse ourselves in video games as if we were one of the characters, learn how to perform heart surgery or improve the quality of sports training to _____________ performance. Although this may seem extremely futuristic, its origins are not as recent as we might think. In fact, many people consider that one of the first Virtual Reality devices was called Sensorama, a __________ with a built-in seat that played 3D movies, gave off odours and generated vibrations to make the experience as vivid as possible. The invention dates back as far as the mid-1950s. Subsequent technological and software _____________ over the following years brought with them a progressive evolution both in devices and in ________________ design. WHAT IS VIRTUAL REALITY? Virtual Reality (VR) is a computer-generated environment with scenes and objects that appear to be real, making the user feel they are immersed in their surroundings. This environment is perceived through a device known as a Virtual Reality headset or helmet. VR allows us to immerse ourselves in video games as if we were one of the characters, learn how to perform heart surgery or improve the quality of sports training to maximise performance. Although this may seem extremely futuristic, its origins are not as recent as we might think. In fact, many people consider that one of the first Virtual Reality devices was called Sensorama, a machine with a built-in seat that played 3D movies, gave off odours and generated vibrations to make the experience as vivid as possible. The invention dates back as far as the mid-1950s. Subsequent technological and software developments over the following years brought with them a progressive evolution both in devices and in interface design. 1 by the time we got to 2 when he took off 3 not worth asking Bryan 4 have told John the 5 as long as I'm 6 are being looked into by 7 can't have seen Mary 8 despite the fact that it was Steel that doesn’t rust Harry Brearley, the son of a Sheffield steel smelter, left school at 12 to go to work in one of the city’s steelworks. He was an ____________________(AMBITION) chap and started to study metallurgy at home and in evening classes. He ____________________(GRADUAL) built a reputation for expertise, and still in his 30s was chosen to run a new ____________________(SEARCH) facility funded by two of Sheffield’s largest steel companies. In 1912, he was tasked by a small-arms manufacturer to find a material that could ____________________(LONG) the life of their gun barrels. He set out to find erosion-resistant steel, but found corrosion-resistant steel instead. The story goes that in 1913 he threw out some ____________________(EXPERIMENT) steel made of 12.8 per cent chromium and 0.24 per cent carbon. A few weeks later, he found it in the yard still ____________________(SHINE) as new. This apparently serendipitous discovery led to the ____________________(TRANSFORM) of the already established cutlery industry in Sheffield. Stainless steel is now used in everything from ____________________(SURGERY) instruments and turbine blades to architectural cladding. Variation in English When foreign learners of English first come to the British Isles, they are usually surprised, and often dismayed, to discover ____________________ little they understand of the English they hear. For ____________________ thing, people seem to speak faster ____________________ expected. Also, the English that most British or Irish people speak seems to be different in ____________________ ways from the English the visitor has learnt. While it is probably differences of pronunciation that ____________________ immediately strike them, learners may also notice differences of grammar and vocabulary. Their reactions ____________________ this experience will vary. They may conclude that most of the English, Welsh, Scottish and Irish people that they hear do not – or even cannot – speak English correctly. In this they would find that many native speakers agree ____________________ them. They might even be told that, since learners of English ____________________ a foreign or second language have usually studied English in a formal way, they should know better than would native speakers what is ‘correct’.