Intermediate Outcomes Student's book

VOCABULARY Learning languages _

 

A Work in pairs. Discuss what you think the words and phrases in bold mean,.

 

1 Do you speak any other languages? How well? a I’m fairly fluent in Spanish. I can maintain

 

conversations on a range of topics.

 

b I get by if I'm travelling in Germany - I can

 

do the basic things.

 

c My Japanese is very basic-just a few words, d I'm more or less bilingual in English and Turkish, е I can have a conversation about some things in Italian if people speak slowly.

 

2 How did you learn your foreign language? Did you go to classes, teach yourself, orjust pick it up off the street?

 

3 Do you find it easy to pick up a new language?

 

4 Why are you learning English?

 

B look at question 1 and answers a-e in exercise A. Order the answers 1-5:

 

1 = the person who speaks the language best.

 

5 = the person who speaks the language worst.

 

C Work in groups. Answer the questions in exercise A. If you only speak English and your language, think of someone you know who speaks several languages and answer questions about them.

A top head teacher in the L Iv ha; called for a “review of languages policy after the number of students taking exams in languages at. sixteen fell by ,:аи;т foreign languages arc ism optional after the am- or fourteen.

 

■Towdeveis nfl language Teaming are "nothing new-iri Britain -;over:;6Q% of the population -агегштМеУо get by in a foreign language.. As Edward Jones, a

 

teacher from Manchester, says, “Many of my students lack motivation and. strangely foreign, travel doesn’t really help. Often, they make an effort to speak French, or whatever, when they go abroad, but then find that local people reply in English and are more fluent than they are. The)' then-feel embarrassed and just speak English alter * ■. Tt / > . . u. ck to class asking

 

■ the nc iSii-,... "

Reading

You a:e going to read an article about British people and foreign languages.

 

A Look at these headings from the article. Discuss with a partner what you think is going to be said.

 

• ‘Language policy a disaster’ says head teacher

 

• Lack of motivation

 

• Lost trade

 

• Change to early teaching questioned

 

B Read the article and see if your ideas were correct.

 

C Decide if these sentences about the article are true or false.

 

1 UK students never have to study a foreign language, f

 

2 Most British people only speak English. T~

 

3 Edward Jones' students never try to speak a foreign

 

language. f

 

4 Britain could do more business abroad. T

 

5 The Government accepted there was a problem with their policy, f

 

6 Learning languages earlier is definitely more effective. f~

 

7 The European Commission supports early teaching. /

 

8 There aren't many opportunities for older people to