Exercises of Student’s Book

Lesson 2 and 3

Reading

1   Read the text. Which came first: the alphabet, hieroglyphics or cave painting? How do you think people will communicate in twenty years' time?

Cave painting came first.

2   Listen to the words below in context. Try to guess their meanings.

Audioscript

1. Bricks made out of clay have a lovely red colour.
2. The government is doing a good job of running the country.
3. Cotton is suitable to make everyday clothes.
4. These running shoes are really light - they make lifting my feet for every step so much easier!
5. I can carry my portable radio with me everywhere.
6. Papyrus was one of the earliest materials that people wrote on.
7. Don't hurt the messenger! He's just bringing the news!
8. The country's economy collapsed and led to many problems.
9. Private companies are not run by the government.

3   Read the text on page 38 again. Then answer the following questions.

1. How do you think cave painting helped us understand the lifestyle of the civilisations in the past?
2. In your opinion, how did the post office help people in the 60s communicate better? What's the role of the post office nowadays?

Suggested answers

1. Cave painting was a way for people in the past to communicate with each other and to tell about their lifestyle: how they hunted for food, the animals they used to hunt, etc.
2. The post office used to send, sort and transport mail, also redirecting wrongly-addressed mail. People could make telephone calls, send telegrams (a way of sending a printed message through a telephone) and speak to an 'operator' who would search for a specific person if the caller did not have their number.

Nowadays, the post office is in charge of sending letters and parcels around a country. Other methods of communication have been taken over by other companies, or replaced by the Internet.

Grammer

First Conditional

1    Match the sentence beginnings (1-4) with their endings (a-d) then write them down in your notebook.

1. If you want to know more about communication by writing, c. you should read this short history of writing.
2. If you read this article, d. you will want to know more about this subject.
3. If you are a caveman that is good at drawing, a. you may decide to cover the walls of your cave with paintings of your hands.
4. If you want to send a letter, b. you should use a postal service.

2    Read and complete the text about reading tracks in the desert. Then, listen and check your answers.

If you (1) want to discover the desert and experience the life of the Bedouins who live there, you (2) have to visit the Wadi Rum desert in Jordan. If you spend enough time there, you (3) will soon be able to read and understand the surface of the sand like a book.

If you (4) see eaten grass and a disordered surface of the sand, you will know that a herd of sheep had passed from there. You will also (5) notice the difference between a young traveller's footprint and that of an older one. If you see wavy lines in the sand, you (6) will know then that a snake was there not long ago.

3    Complete the statements and questions using the correct form of the verbs in brackets.

1. What will you do if it rains tomorrow?
2. If you want to learn Chinese, you will have to study hard.
3. Will you help me with my French homework if I help you with the dishes?
4. My sister won't go to the theatre with us if she doesn't finish her English homework.
5. Dad will tell us where to find this information if we phone him.
6. If you hurry up, you will get to the post office before they close.

4    Read the story below. Work in groups to make conditional sentences about the story.

Suggested answers

If Omar sends the email, his classmate won't bother him again.

If Omar sends the email, his grades will become better.

If Omar sends the email, his parents will become happy with his performance again.

If Omar doesn't send the email, his classmate will keep bothering him.

If Omar doesn't send the email, his parents will keep being unhappy.

If Omar doesn't send the email, he will not like going to school anymore.

5    Make a chain of five conditional sentences using one of the beginnings as your starting point.

Students' own answers