1
5th edition
English – a global language
Background
Bill Bryson was born in Des Moines, Iowa, in the US in 1951,
and now lives in Britain. As well as writing books on the
English language, he has also written a large number of
travel books, which are full of humorous anecdotes about
the people he has met on his travels. His books are well
known and popular in Britain.
PRONUNCIATION
lingua franca /ˌlɪŋɡwə ˈfræŋkə/
Pasteur /pæˈstɜː/
Randolph Quirk /ˈrændɒlf ˈkwɜːk/
Lincoln /ˈlɪnkən/
Notes on the unit
e The reading text has been recorded for you to use as and
when you feel appropriate for your students.
1 Ask students to do the quiz, either individually or in pairs,
then check their answers (upside down, below the quiz).
2 Discuss the question as a class. Ask students to read the
extracts to check their answers.
Answer
The use of the English language (in aviation, between people of
different non-English speaking nationalities, in Chinese schools,
in scientific papers).
Upper Intermediate
4 Ask students to read both extracts again and answer the
questions.
Answers
1 They need to have a single language to avoid
misunderstandings.
2 They both use English, although none of their members are
native speakers of English.
3 Staff could not communicate in either German or Chinese.
4 Neither of the country’s main languages was used in
advertising at the country’s main airport, only English.
5 It is a well-known organization in France, the country that has
done the most to resist the spread of English.
6 He does it to highlight the huge number of Chinese students
of English.
7 330 million.
8 44.
9 1.6 billion/A third of the world’s population.
10 English is used in most scientific papers and many European
business deals.
What do you think?
Discuss as a class, or first in pairs/groups, and then as a class.
PROJECT
Students can do this as homework, but could also prepare it
in class, working in pairs.
3 Ask students to find the words in extract 1 and choose the
correct meanings.
Answers
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
discourse (line 4) – communication
founders (line 10) – people who started it
wryly (line 10) – ironically
billboards (line 17) – large advertisements in the street
tongue (line 20) – language
encroachment (line 21) – gradual takeover
henceforth (line 22) – from now on
Headway Culture and Literature Companion Teacher's Guide © Oxford University Press 2019
1
2
5th edition
Multicultural Britain
Background
Upper Intermediate
What do you think?
As discussed in the text, modern Britain is very multicultural,
although this is more obviously the case in some parts of the
country than others. Immigrants who have arrived in Britain
since the Second World War have tended to settle in the
major cities such as London, Manchester, and Birmingham,
and rural areas of Britain remain much less multicultural than
the cities. Immigration, and the extent to which it should be
restricted, remains an important political subject in Britain.
When immigrants began to arrive in Britain from India,
Pakistan, and Bangladesh in the 1950s, many of them started
restaurants. For many Britons, this was their first opportunity
to taste food from other countries, and the highly-spiced
dishes on offer soon became popular with British diners.
Curry, mentioned in the text, is a general name for any spicy
dish of meat, fish, or vegetables.
Discuss as a class, or first in pairs/groups, and then as a class.
You could point out to students that in Britain the debate
over integration often centres on religious issues, with
questions such as: Should Muslim girls be allowed to wear
traditional clothing at school? Should children of other faiths
learn about Christmas traditions at school in Britain? Should the
government fund faith schools specifically for children of other
faiths in Britain?
Language is another issue, with questions such as: Should
the health service and other government departments fund
interpreters for immigrants who are unable to speak English?
Should immigrants to Britain be obliged to take a test in English?
PROJECT
Students can do this as homework, but could also prepare it
in class, working in pairs.
Notes on the unit
e The reading text has been recorded for you to use as and
when you feel appropriate for your students.
1 Put students in pairs to discuss the questions, then have a
class discussion.
2 Ask students to do the quiz, either individually or in pairs.
3 Ask students to read the text quickly to check their
answers.
Answers
1 b ​2 c ​3 b ​4 b ​5 a ​6 b ​7 c ​8 a
4 Ask students to read the text again and match the ethnic
groups to the reasons for immigration.
Answers
1 d ​2 c ​3 b ​4 h ​5 a ​6 f ​7 g ​8 e
5 Ask students to find words in the text which match the
meanings.
Answers
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
diverse
races
settle
prejudice
famine
immigration
ethnic
flow
refugees
persecution
community
descended from
Headway Culture and Literature Companion Teacher's Guide © Oxford University Press 2019
2
3
5th edition
Three islands
Upper Intermediate
Background
Alcatraz, US
During its 29 years of operation as a penitentiary, there were
14 escape attempts from Alcatraz involving 36 men (two of
whom tried to escape twice); 23 were caught, six were shot
and killed during their attempt, and two drowned. Officially,
no inmate successfully escaped. There are, however, five
prisoners who are still listed as ‘missing and presumed
drowned’.
Ambergris Caye, Belize
Ambergris Caye, which is part of Belize, was under British
rule for many years and gained full independence in 1981.
Ambergris is an oily substance produced and discarded from
the intestines of sperm whales and is considered valuable
for its use in perfume-making. Ambergris Caye gets its
name from the many lumps of ambergris washed up on
its beaches. Due to its position, it was a popular hiding-out
place for pirates in the 1600s.
Shetland, Scotland
Shetland is the most northern group of all the Scottish
islands. It comprises 27 islands, most of which are
uninhabited. There are few trees on Shetland and the
climate, although harsh at times, is generally quite mild,
considering its extreme northerly location. In the summer,
the sun barely sets, but in winter it is quite dark. On clear
winter nights, it is possible to see the Northern Lights from
the islands.
3 Ask students to find the words in the text and work out
their meanings.
Answers
A penitentiary – a prison (US); notorious – famous for
something bad; inmate – a prisoner; portrayed – shown in a
book, film, etc.; maritime – relating to the sea
B staggering – amazing, incredible; settlement – place where
people live; roam – explore; indigenous – born there; not
altogether – not very
C marine life – seabirds and animals; archaeological remains –
ancient artefacts found in the ground; heritage – historical
legacy; annexed – joined onto; off the beaten track – a place
where not many people go
What do you think?
Discuss as a class, or first in pairs/groups, and then as a class.
ROLEPLAY AND CLASS DISCUSSION
Roleplay
Put students into pairs to prepare their questions. Then put
students into different pairs to act out the dialogue.
Class discussion
Discuss the questions as a class, encouraging students to
express their opinions and to agree and disagree with each
other.
PRONUNCIATION
Alcatraz /ˈælkətræz/
Fisherman’s Wharf /ˈfɪʃəməns wɔːf/
Al Capone /ˈæl kəˈpəʊn/
Ambergris Caye /ˈæmbəɡriːs kiː/
Belize /bəˈliːz/
Caribbean /ˌkærɪˈbiːən/
Maya /ˈmaɪjə/
Shetland /ʃetlənd/
Jarlshof /ˈjɑːrlsɒf/
broch /brɒx/ or /brɒk/
Vikings /ˈvaɪkɪŋ/
Notes on the unit
e The reading text has been recorded for you to use as and
when you feel appropriate for your students.
1 Ask students to read the texts quickly. Discuss the
questions as a class.
2 Ask students to read the texts again and answer the
questions.
Answers
1 C ​2 A ​3 A ​4 C ​5 A and B ​6 A ​7 B and C ​
8 B and C ​9 B ​10 A ​11 B ​12 A ​13 A and C ​
14 B and C ​15 B and C
Headway Culture and Literature Companion Teacher's Guide © Oxford University Press 2019
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4
Eat Pray Love –
Elizabeth Gilbert
Background
Elizabeth Gilbert (born 1969) is an American writer. She is
married to José Nunes, or ‘Felipe’, the Brazilian man she met
in Bali and wrote about in her travel memoir, Eat Pray Love.
She wrote several acclaimed books before Eat Pray Love
and also worked as a magazine journalist for GQ, Travel and
Leisure, and The New York Times Magazine among others.
When Eat Pray Love came out, it stayed on The New York Times
Best Sellers list for over 200 weeks and has sold over ten
million copies. It was made into a Hollywood film starring
Julia Roberts and Javier Bardem in 2010.
PRONUNCIATION
Elizabeth Gilbert /ˈɪlɪzəbeθ ˈɡɪlbɜːt/
Indonesia /ˌɪndəˈniːʒə/
Calcutta /kælˈkʌtə/
Basque /bɑːsk/
Dusseldorf /ˈdʊsəlˌdɔːf/
Notes on the unit
e The reading text has been recorded for you to use as and
when you feel appropriate for your students.
1 Discuss the questions as a class. Tell students that a film
was made of the book which students might have seen,
though it may have had a different title in their country.
Suggested answers
Photo 1: Indonesia; the photo depicts the lush farmland of Bali,
Indonesia
Photo 2: India; the photo presents people travelling by train in
India
2 Ask students to read the definition. Discuss the questions
as a class.
3 Ask students to read and complete the Factfile with the
missing words and phrases.
Answers
1
2
3
4
5
6
5th edition
Upper Intermediate
6 Ask students to discuss and answer the questions in pairs
or groups, then as a class.
Answers
1 Physically strong with a robust constitution; an ability for
languages; calm and confident in difficult situations; people
who look similar to the indigenous population.
2 She is very noticeable (her height, hair colour, and
complexion stand out); she usually doesn’t do enough
research before she travels; she has a poor sense of direction
and no knowledge of geography; she is not a calm, cool
traveller.
3 A chameleon physically blends in with any surroundings. A
flamingo, on the other hand, is brightly coloured and obvious,
which is how she feels. In Dusseldorf, the people look like her
– tall, blond, and fair-skinned.
4 She stood out and attracted a lot of unwelcome attention
and was considered a strange and sometimes scary sight.
5 It would help her plan better and waste less time and money.
6 She has a poor sense of place and direction, which means she
often doesn’t know where she is and/or gets lost.
7 ‘Poker face’ means not showing any sign of emotion during
a poker game so as not to give other players any clue what
cards you have. Therefore, ‘miniature golf face’ is the opposite
– showing all your emotions, from joy to despair. Examples
include: ‘I have never learned how to arrange my face into
that blank expression of competent invisibility’, ‘When I’m
excited or nervous, I look excited or nervous’, ‘My face is a
transmitter of my every thought’.
7 Ask students to read the additional extract and then
to write their own personal list of good and bad travel
qualities. Students can compare their ideas in pairs.
What do you think?
Discuss as a class, or first in pairs/groups, and then as a class.
PROJECT
Students can do this as homework, but could also prepare
it in class, working in pairs. Students could then read each
other’s travel memoirs or Factfiles and choose the book they
would like to read.
travel memoir
2006
Indonesia
One Woman’s Search for Everything
divorce
finding meaning in life
4 Ask students to read the extract and answer the questions.
Answers
1 The best qualities to have when travelling abroad.
2 Informal, honest, and funny.
3 Outgoing, excitable, self-deprecating.
5 Ask students to match the words to their meanings.
Answers
1 b ​2 a ​3 e ​4 d ​5 c ​6 f ​7 g ​8 i ​9 h ​10 j ​
11 l ​12 k
Headway Culture and Literature Companion Teacher's Guide © Oxford University Press 2019
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5
5th edition
Journalism in the
21st century
Background
Upper Intermediate
4 Ask students to read the extracts and answer the question.
In the last century, we’ve gone from reading newspapers,
which we either bought or borrowed, to accessing the news
online for free. On the way, we’ve listened to the news on
the radio, we’ve watched it on TV, and we’ve gone from
black and white to full colour.
We used to have to wait a few hours or even days to get the
latest news. Now, we can keep up to date at any time of the
day and night via our laptops and smartphones. News items
take seconds to reach us, and anyone can become a citizen
journalist, spreading news as it happens.
In this lesson, students read about journalism in the 21st
century and how some of these changes are affecting the
quality of journalism today.
Dr Carl Jensen is an American university professor of
communications studies and a former journalist.
Bill Clinton (US president 1993–2001) was involved in an
extramarital affair with 22-year-old White House intern,
Monica Lewinsky. When the story came out, Clinton denied
it but in the end admitted it was true. The scandal is often
referred to as ‘Monicagate’ or ‘Lewinskygate’.
H.L.Mencken (1880–1956) was a controversial American
journalist, writer, satirist, and critic.
Answer
Extract 3
5 Ask students to find the words in the extracts and match
them with the meanings.
Answers
1 h ​2 l ​3 k ​4 b ​5 e ​6 a ​7 i ​8 j ​9 d ​10 f ​11 c ​12 g
6 Ask students to read the extracts again and match them
with the views.
Answers
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Extract 3
Extract 2
Extract 1
Extract 2
Extract 1
Extract 2
Extract 3
Extract 2
What do you think?
Discuss as a class, or first in pairs/groups, and then as a class.
PROJECT
Notes on the unit
e The extracts have been recorded for you to use as and
when you feel appropriate for your students.
1 Discuss the questions as a class.
2 Ask students to read the quotes and discuss them in pairs
or small groups. Help students with meaning if they are
having trouble (see notes below). Follow up with a class
discussion.
Notes
1 If you limit the freedom of the press, you risk losing
your freedom as a citizen.
2 If the press isn’t free, the journalism it produces will
definitely be bad journalism.
3 Press freedom means that the individual loses their
freedom or anonymity (e.g. celebrities and famous
people are no longer free to do anything without
journalists following them).
4 Journalism is less truthful than fiction (e.g. novels).
3 Before they read the extract, get students to list at least
three ways in which journalism has changed in the last
100 years. Then ask them to read the text and answer the
question.
Students can do this as homework, but could also prepare it
in class, working in pairs.
Answer
It is more negative than positive:
It’s harder to distinguish between good and bad journalism.
We value journalism less because it’s free (e.g. on the Internet).
Because people aren’t prepared to pay for it, there has been a
decline in expensive journalism, like in-depth investigations.
Headway Culture and Literature Companion Teacher's Guide © Oxford University Press 2019
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6
Notting Hill screenplay –
Richard Curtis
Background
Richard Curtis (born 1956) is a British screenwriter, film
producer, and director. He is one of Britain’s most successful
comedy screenwriters, known primarily for romantic comedy
films. In addition to Notting Hill (1999), his most successful
films worldwide include Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994),
Bridget Jones’s Diary (2001), Love, Actually (2003), and The Boat
that Rocked (2009). He wrote and produced all of these. He
also wrote the script for Steven Spielberg’s War Horse (2011)
and Stephen Daldry’s Trash (2014).
Notting Hill starred Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts and won a
BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) award.
When it premiered in the US, it grossed over $27 million in
its opening weekend – an American record for a romantic
comedy.
PRONUNCIATION
Notting Hill /ˌnɒtɪŋˈhɪl/
Notes on the unit
e The reading text has been recorded for you to use as and
when you feel appropriate for your students.
1 Put students into pairs to discuss and answer the
questions, then have a class discussion.
2 Ask students to read the extract and answer the question.
Answer
It’s a romantic comedy and this is the first time that ‘boy meets
girl’. You can tell that William is in love from the stage directions:
‘He looks up casually. And sees something. His reaction is hard to
read.’ Later it says, ‘The most divine, subtle, beautiful woman on
earth’. William presumably also holds this opinion.
3 Ask students to read the extract again and discuss and
answer the questions in pairs.
Answers
5th edition
1 Owning a travel bookshop, William is likely to be interested in
travel. He could be a dreamer. The bookshop is ‘chaotic’, so he
might not be well-organized. It doesn’t sound mass-market or
profitable as he has a ‘sole employee’, suggesting that he is not
ambitious and is more interested in doing something he loves.
2 The scene: Martin goes out. William is alone. Someone comes
in – a movie star. A thief comes in. William sees him trying to
steal something and stops him. The movie star is watching
this. She buys a book that William didn’t recommend. He gives
her another for free. She leaves. He doesn’t tell anyone about
this encounter.
From the stage directions we learn: William is quiet, diffident,
but shows confidence regarding the thief and Anna’s book
choice. Anna is beautiful, very confident, and self-assured.
Martin is optimistic and enthusiastic. The thief is scruffy,
unashamed, and brazen.
3 William is polite and humorous. Anna is quite direct, mildly
sarcastic, and not easily impressed. The thief is cheeky and
blatant. Martin is kind.
4 It depicts an ordinary scene and everyday lives, but where
people deal with out-of-the-ordinary events – movie stars,
thieves – and how they react. Also, that it is a ‘boy meets
girl’ story.
Upper Intermediate
4 Ask students to find the words in the text which match
the meanings.
Answers
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
uncrushable
gloomily
ease
subtle
browsing
glimpse
tempting
dazed
5 Ask students to read the information and discuss as a
class.
Answer
The scene is short but a lot happens in it. There is a lot of
movement – three people leave, arrive, and leave again.
The directions are clear and detailed. It’s also clear how the
actors should behave.
The dialogue is brief.
A lot happens. The thief’s appearance interrupts the main
dialogue and moves it along faster. We see another side of
William. Audience attention is grabbed early by the arrival of
Anna, the movie star.
What do you think?
Discuss as a class, or first in pairs or groups, and then as a
class. If any students have seen the film, ask them to share
this information with the class after all ideas have been
discussed. In the film, William and Anna bump into each
other (literally!) by accident later the same day. He spills his
drink over her. She needs to get changed, so he takes her
back to his house. Afterwards, she surprises him with a kiss.
PROJECT
Students can do this as homework, but could also prepare
it in class first, working in pairs. Then they could act out their
scenes at the beginning of the next lesson.
Headway Culture and Literature Companion Teacher's Guide © Oxford University Press 2019
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7
5th edition
Old Wives’ Tales
Background
Most countries around the world will have their own
versions of old wives’ tales. Some will be nonsense and
others might have some truth in them.
Here are some which are believed or known to be true:
• Sharing toothbrushes spreads disease.
• Cloves help soothe toothache.
• If you sleep on your back, you’re more likely to snore.
• Parsley helps get rid of bad breath.
• A warm glass of milk before bed helps you get to sleep.
And here are some which have been proved to be false:
• Hair and nails keep growing after death.
• We use only 10% of our brains.
• If you swallow chewing gum, it will take seven years to
digest it.
• Going out with wet hair will give you a cold.
• Sitting too close to the TV can damage your eyes.
Notes on the unit
Upper Intermediate
6 Have a brief discussion about journalistic style in general
(often formal) and the style of the magazine article
students have just read (informal and chatty). Ask students
to work in pairs and read the article again, looking for
more examples of conversational techniques.
Answers
a ‘let’s take a closer look’; ‘you’ll do well to eat them up anyway’;
‘whatever your granny might say’
b ‘Ridiculous, of course!’; ‘Why?’
c Informal words: ‘chomping’; ‘squidgy’; ‘granny’
Phrasal verbs: ‘pass down’; ‘come about’; ‘give up’; ‘get over’;
‘get away with’; ‘nod off’; etc.
d ‘clearly’; ‘oddly enough’; ‘luckily’
e ‘This is such an annoying habit’
What do you think?
Discuss as a class, or first in pairs/groups, and then as a class.
PROJECT
Students can do this as homework, but could also prepare it
in class, working in pairs.
e The reading text has been recorded for you to use as and
when you feel appropriate for your students.
1 Ask students to guess which definition is correct. Then
ask them to read only the first paragraph of the article to
check.
Answer
B
2 Ask students to read the old wives’ tales and compare
them with similar tales from their country. Discuss as a
class and list the ones that are familiar.
3 Ask students to read the old wives’ tales in exercise 2
again. In pairs or small groups, ask them to decide if they
are true, false, or partly true.
4 Ask students to read the article and see if they were right.
Answers
1 F ​2 PT ​3 F ​4 T ​5 F ​6 T ​7 F ​8 F ​9 F ​10 T ​
11 F ​12 F ​13 PT ​14 F
5 Ask students to look in the text and match the words to
make collocations, then match the collocations with their
definitions.
Answers
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
oddly enough (line 19), c
nutritious diet (line 43), g
almost unanimous (line 23), a
worth keeping off (line 29), f
detrimental effects (line 37), d
wide of the mark (line 67), h
spot on (line 70), b
Headway Culture and Literature Companion Teacher's Guide © Oxford University Press 2019
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8
5th edition
The Importance of Being
Earnest – Oscar Wilde
Background
Oscar Wilde (1854–1900) was an Irish playwright, poet, and
author. He is known for his lively wit, and many quotations
from his works are known by British people. Wilde spent two
years in prison for his homosexuality, which was a crime in
Britain until the 1960s. After his release in 1897, he moved to
France and never returned to England or Ireland. His other
works include the novel The Picture of Dorian Gray and the
poem The Ballad of Reading Gaol, written while he was in
prison.
PRONUNCIATION
Oscar Wilde /ˈɒskə ˈwaɪld/
Lady Bracknell /ˈleɪdi bræknəl/
Algernon /ældʒənɒn/
tragicomedy /ˈtrædʒɪˈkɒmədi/
Cecily /ˈsesɪli/
Dr. Chasuble /ˈdɒktə(r) ˈtʃæzjʊbl/
Notes on the unit
e The extracts have been recorded for you to use as and
when you feel appropriate for your students.
1 Ask students to read the short extract and say whether
they think the play is a comedy, or a tragedy.
Upper Intermediate
5 Ask students to read the extracts again and answer the
questions.
Answers
1 Coolly, in a matter-of-fact way – she starts taking notes.
2 She is probably not as naive as she may seem (she is already
thinking about book sales).
3 Further compliments like ‘absolute perfection’.
4 Possibly because she is not well educated and has not spent
much time reading and writing.
5 Of the adverbs ‘wildly’, ‘passionately’, ‘devotedly’ and
‘hopelessly’, she only finds the last one inappropriate. Also, as
she is busy writing down every word he says, his stated love
for her hardly seems hopeless (at this stage).
6 She has always dreamed about falling in love with someone
of that name; she feels it inspires complete confidence.
7 He is pretending not to be called Algernon, so talks
hypothetically about having a name other than Algernon –
such as Ernest.
8 To ask him to change Algernon’s name to Ernest.
9 Algernon says his name is rather aristocratic and that it is
the name of many bankrupt men, which is an unexpected
link between the nobility and poverty. Cecily asserts that Dr.
Chasuble is extremely knowledgeable because he is not a
writer, implying that the two are mutually exclusive.
10 ‘Darling’; ‘my dear child’; ‘my own dear, sweet, loving little
darling’
What do you think?
Discuss as a class, or first in pairs/groups, and then as a class.
Answer
PROJECT
A comedy.
2 Ask students to match the types of comedy to their
definitions.
Students can do this as homework, but could also prepare it
in class, working in pairs.
Answers
1 d ​2 a ​3 b ​4 c
3 Ask students to read the background and the extract and
decide what type of comedy the play is.
Answer
A comedy of manners.
4 Ask students to find the words in the extracts which
match the meanings.
Answers
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
offend (Extract 1, line 1)
frankly (Extract 1, line 2)
does you great credit (Extract 1, line 5)
pray (Extract 1, line 16)
devotedly (Extract 1, line 28)
pity (Extract 2, line 6)
object to (Extract 2, line 15)
chaps (Extract 2, line 20)
bankruptcy (Extract 2, line 20)
rector (Extract 2, line 26)
rites (Extract 2, line 28)
christening (Extract 2, line 33)
Headway Culture and Literature Companion Teacher's Guide © Oxford University Press 2019
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9
5th edition
Still I Rise – Maya Angelou
Background
Maya Angelou was born in St Louis, Missouri, one of the
racially segregated southern states of the US, in 1928. She
published seven autobiographies, five collections of essays,
and several books of poetry. She also wrote plays, movies,
and television shows in her 50-year career.
In 1959, Dr Martin Luther King asked her to become the
northern coordinator for the Southern Christian Leadership
Conference. He was assassinated on her birthday and she
was so devastated that she stopped celebrating it for many
years.
From 1961, she lived abroad in Egypt and Ghana and met
Malcolm X on his visits to Ghana. She corresponded with
him as his thinking evolved from the extreme radicalism
of his youth to his later more inclusive vision of society.
She returned to the US in 1965 to help him set up the
Organization of African American Unity. He was assassinated
shortly afterwards.
Pronunciation
Maya Angelou /ˈmaɪjə ˈændʒəluː/
metaphor /ˈmetəfɔː/
simile /ˈsɪməli/
Arkansas /ˈɑːrkənsɔː/
twisted (line 2)
trod (line 3)
sassiness (line 5)
beset (line 6)
springing (line 11)
bowed (line 14)
soulful (line 16)
haughtiness (line 17)
awful (line 18)
backyard (line 20)
welling (line 34)
swelling (line 34)
bear (line 34)
wondrously (line 37)
Answers
1 The speaker is from the oppressed black minority. Although
slavery and segregation have long been abolished, there is
still racism and hostility to contend with in everyday life.
2 White racists. The speaker is black and the accusations in the
poem are clearly aimed at those who are oppressing the
black minority, i.e. white racists.
3 Proud, strong, and uplifting.
4 Slavery.
5 You can overcome anything, and nothing will stop you if you
are strong and have self-belief.
4 Ask students to read the poem again to find examples.
Answers
a metaphor – ‘I’m a black ocean’; ‘I am the dream and the hope
of the slave’
b simile – ‘like dust, I’ll rise’; ‘walk like I’ve got oil wells’; ‘just
like moons and like suns’; ‘like hopes springing high, I’ll rise’;
‘shoulders falling down like teardrops’; ‘laugh like I’ve got gold
mines’; ‘like air, I’ll rise’; ‘dance like I’ve got diamonds’
Answers
e The poem and biography have been recorded for you to
use as and when you feel appropriate for your students.
1 Refer students to the title of the poem and the photos
and discuss the question as a class. Then ask students to
read the poem to check their ideas.
2 Ask students to find the words in the text which match
the meanings.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
3 Discuss the questions as a class. Ask students to refer to
the poem to check their answers.
5 Ask students to answer the questions in pairs.
Notes on the unit
Answers
Upper Intermediate
1 Images of nature: dust, moons, suns, tides, air, and ocean.
These give an effect of unstoppable, powerful forces which
automatically rise every day.
2 These are man-made signs of wealth and success, which are
used to describe her confident and proud appearance and
manner, i.e. she behaves as if she were rich.
3 The main rhyming sound is /aɪ/ – ‘rise’, ‘lies’, ‘tides’, ‘eyes’, ‘cries’,
‘mines’, ‘surprise’, ‘thighs’, ‘wide’, ‘tide’. The rhyming scheme is
not fixed, but the repetition builds up into a rhythmical chant.
4 The rhythm changes in the last two verses, and the effect is
that the poem seems to speed up and build up to a climax for
the last three repetitions of ‘I rise’.
6 Ask students to read and complete the text with the
missing words.
Answers
1
2
3
4
5
celebrated
varied
raised
overcome
disadvantaged
6
7
8
9
10
activist
movement
change
assassinated
spokesperson
What do you think?
Discuss as a class, or first in pairs/groups, and then as a class.
PROJECT
Students can do this as homework, but could also prepare it
in class, working in pairs.
Headway Culture and Literature Companion Teacher's Guide © Oxford University Press 2019
9
10
5th edition
Teenagers at work
Background
It is very common for teenagers to work in the UK, US,
Canada, Australia, and New Zealand to earn pocket money
while they are at school and college. Common jobs include
babysitting, doing a paper round, working in shops as
sales assistants, in restaurants as waiters/waitresses, and as
lifeguards at their local swimming pools. Teenagers often
have Saturday jobs and work in the school holidays. They are
generally paid a minimum wage.
Child labour is a topic students are likely to be familiar with
in relation to developing countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin
America. They might be surprised, however, to find out how
many teenagers work in the US and how often child labour
laws are broken there and in other developed countries.
Encourage them to find out about child labour laws in their
country and compare them to other parts of the world.
Notes on the unit
e The reading texts have been recorded for you to use as
and when you feel appropriate for your students.
1 Ask students to choose suitable jobs for teenagers in pairs.
Then discuss as a class.
Suggested answer
All the jobs would be suitable for teens, although farming would
probably be limited to weeding, fruit and vegetable picking,
mucking out, etc. Teens wouldn’t be allowed to drive tractors or
use machinery.
2 Have a brief discussion about child labour laws around the
world. Then ask students to read and complete the text
with the missing words.
Answers
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
owned
employed
hazardous
youth
employment
declared
limited
limits
exempt
chores
Upper Intermediate
4 Ask students to read the extract and find two examples of
American labour laws being broken.
Answers
Fifteen-year-olds working twelve-hour shifts; a seventeen-yearold operating an electric tomato dicer and/or the deep fryer
machines that should have been off-limits.
5 Ask students to look in the text and match the words to
make collocations, then guess their meaning from the
context.
Answers
1 feels groggy (line 3)– feels tired
2 the morning shift (line 15) – the working period before lunch
3 packets of condiments (line 16) – tomato sauce, relish, etc.
that are individually packaged
4 takes orders (line 30)– asks people what they want to eat
5 is wiped out (line 33) – is exhausted
6 flops onto the living room couch (line 34) – sits or lies down
on the couch/sofa
7 long past midnight (line 41) – much later than midnight
8 bragged about his skill (line 46) – boasted about how good
he was at something
6 Ask students to read the text again and answer the
questions.
Answers
1 ‘She’s wiped out. She comes through the front door, flops
onto the living room couch, and turns on the TV.’
2 It emphasizes the monotonous nature of the job.
3 ‘She takes orders and hands food to customers from breakfast
through lunch.’ – There is no mention of a break. ‘When she
finally walks home, after seven hours of standing at a cash
register, her feet hurt.’ – She hasn’t sat down for seven hours.
4 It emphasizes the fact that many teenagers can be reckless
about safety and need protecting from injuries.
What do you think?
Discuss as a class, or first in pairs/groups, and then as a class.
PROJECT
Students can prepare the list as homework, but could also
do it in class, working in pairs. They then discuss them as a
class, and come up with ten child labour regulations they all
agree on.
3 Ask students to discuss labour laws in small groups and
make notes about what they know. Then have a class
discussion.
Note: If you find that students don’t know much about
the labour laws in their country, encourage them to find
out about them for homework. Most countries have a
website listing all the relevant rules and regulations. You
could discuss them at the beginning of your next lesson.
Headway Culture and Literature Companion Teacher's Guide © Oxford University Press 2019
10
11
I Capture the Castle –
Dodie Smith
Background
Dodie Smith (1896–1990) is most famous for her children’s
novel The Hundred and One Dalmatians, first published
in 1956, and later made into a Disney animated film. She
was a British writer, but spent many years living in America.
Her most critically acclaimed work is the novel I Capture the
Castle, which she wrote in America and which was inspired
by her nostalgia for England.
Upper Intermediate
5 Ask students to find the words in the extract that match
the definitions.
Answers
1
2
3
4
5
surge (line 18)
scorches (line 26)
fetching (line 28)
bitter (line 31)
unreasonable (line 38)
6 Ask students to read the extract again and decide if the
sentences are true or false.
Notes on the unit
e The biography and reading text have been recorded
for you to use as and when you feel appropriate for your
students.
1 Ask students to read the biographical text and complete
the Factfile about Dodie Smith.
Answers
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
5th edition
1896
1990
British
writer
The Hundred and One Dalmatians
I Capture the Castle
Alec Beesley
J.K.Rowling
Answers
1 T 2 T 3 F 4 F 5 T 6 T
7 Before students do the exercise, you might like to ask
them what they understand about contrast as a literary
device. Ask students to read the example and discuss it as
a class. You might like to give some further examples of
contrast in book titles: The Hare and the Tortoise (Aesop’s
Fables), The Beautiful and Damned (by F. Scott Fitzgerald),
War and Peace (by Leo Tolstoy). You could then ask them
to think of a few more or make some up.
Answers
2 Ask students to read the definitions and discuss how
Dodie Smith creates a play on words in the title.
Answer
One meaning is literal: I take control of the castle. The other
meaning is more figurative: I describe/express the atmosphere
of the castle; I put it into words.
3 Ask students to read the extract and decide which
meaning of capture the title conveys.
Answer
It conveys the more figurative meaning of ‘capturing’ the essence
of the castle – on the one hand romantic, on the other a cold,
damp ruin.
4 Ask students to find the words in the extract and decide
what they refer to and what they have in common.
Answers
depressing (line 4) – the smell of the carbolic soap
drips (line 12) – (of rainwater) from the roof
plopping (line 12) – drips of rainwater from the roof
drear (line 14) – the view
dank (line 14) – the garden
boggy (line 16) – ploughed fields
leaden (line 17) – sky (grey)
drained (of all colour) (line 21) – the twilight
crumbling (line 37) – the castle/ruin
The words describe a cold, grey, wet and rather dismal scene.
Two are onomatopoeic: ‘drip’, ‘plop’.
‘I wrote my very best poem while sitting on the hen-house … I
have decided my poetry is so bad that I mustn’t write any more
of it.’
‘Although I am rather used to her … I know she is a beauty.’
‘She is nearly twenty-one and very bitter with life. I am
seventeen, look younger, feel older.’
‘… our situation is really rather romantic – two girls in this
strange and lonely house … she saw nothing romantic about
being shut up in a crumbling ruin surrounded by a sea of mud.’
‘… our home is an unreasonable place to live in. Yet I love it.’
8 Ask students to discuss what effect the use of contrast has
on the reader.
Answer
It creates irony and humour and emphasizes the differences
between the characters (e.g. Rose is beautiful and bitter;
Cassandra feels older, implying that she thinks of herself as the
wiser sister), and between the fantasy and reality (Cassandra
imagines the castle in spring – the reality is wet and cold). This is
a particularly economical way of writing – a lot can be said in a
few words.
What do you think?
Discuss as a class, or first in pairs/groups, and then as a class.
PROJECT
Students can do this as homework, but could also prepare it
in class, working in pairs.
Headway Culture and Literature Companion Teacher's Guide © Oxford University Press 2019
11
12
5th edition
A sonnet by William
Shakespeare
Background
The plays of William Shakespeare are studied by all children
in British schools. His sonnets, which deal with themes such
as love, beauty, politics, and morality, are also popular and
can be heard regularly on radio poetry programmes.
Sonnet structure
A couplet is a group of two lines and a quatrain is a group
of four lines. Iambic pentameter is a rhythm used in poetry,
in which each line consists of ten syllables made up of five
pairs of syllables. A rhyme scheme is the pattern of rhyme
between lines of a poem or song. It is usually referred to by
using letters to indicate which lines rhyme; lines designated
with the same letter all rhyme with each other.
In the first line of the second stanza, the word ‘fixed’ should
be pronounced with two syllables: /ˈfɪksəd/.
PRONUNCIATION
Shakespeare /ˈʃeɪkspɪə/
Shakespearean /ˈʃeɪksˈpɪərɪən/
quatrain /ˈkwɒtreɪn/
couplet /ˈkʌplət/
iambic pentameter /aɪˈæmbɪk penˈtæmɪtə/
Upper Intermediate
4 Ask students to read the sonnet again and answer the
questions.
Answers
1 What love is: 2
What love is not: 1, 2, and 3
Narrator’s certainty: 4
2 It slows it down.
3 Love: ‘that looks’; ‘mark’ refers to a ‘sea-mark’. These were
familiar rocks that guided sailors, and, like modern-day
lighthouses, they can be said to ‘look’ down on the stormy
seas and the ships on them.
4 ‘It is the star to every wandering barque’
5 Time: ‘within his bending sickle’s compass’; ‘love alters not
with his brief hours’. This is the traditional figure of Father
Time, the old man with a beard and a sickle. As the sickle was
also used for reaping crops when they are ready, he is also
portrayed as the Grim Reaper, the figure of Death who comes
to take us when our time has come.
6 ‘sickle’s compass come’
What do you think?
Discuss as a class, or first in pairs/groups, and then as a class.
PROJECT
Students can do this as homework, but could also prepare it
in class, working in pairs.
Notes on the unit
e The sonnet has been recorded for you to use as and
when you feel appropriate for your students.
1 Ask students to read the sonnet. Reiterate that they
needn’t worry if they don’t understand every word.
Discuss possible titles as a class.
Suggested answers
True love, What real love is, Love that lasts forever, etc.
2 Ask students to work in pairs to complete the text. Check
answers, and check understanding of quatrain, couplet,
iambic pentameter, and rhyme scheme (see ‘Background’
notes above).
Answers
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
14
12
four
two
CDCD
GG
ten
five
3 Ask students to match the lines with their modern
equivalents.
Answers
1 g 2 e 3 b 4 h 5 a 6 f 7 d 8 c
Headway Culture and Literature Companion Teacher's Guide © Oxford University Press 2019
12
13
5th edition
Conversation conventions
Background
The focus of this lesson is on conversation conventions and
‘small talk’. Small talk is often seen as having little useful
purpose. However, it is an incredibly useful form of bonding
ritual. It has many different functions in helping to define
the relationships between new acquaintances, colleagues,
business associates, friends, and family members.
The topics of small talk can differ between cultures. In
the UK, for example, the weather is a common subject
for small talk. The text discusses various reasons why the
weather is such a popular topic for small talk in Britain.
Other acceptable topics would be music, television, films,
and sport. These are all seen as relatively ‘safe’ topics.
One reason is that there will be some shared knowledge
between the speakers on these topics, which will help to
avoid the conversation becoming too one-sided. Taboo
topics between new acquaintances in the UK would include
money, politics, or the economy.
When to initiate small talk can also differ between cultures.
In the UK, it can be perfectly acceptable to start a business
meeting with small talk. However, it can be rare to see
strangers on a bus or train initiating any small talk.
Upper Intermediate
4 Ask students to read the text again and match the writers
with the points they make.
Answers
1 C 2 B 3 E 4 B 5 A 6 B 7 D 8 E
What do you think?
Discuss as a class, or first in pairs/groups, and then as a class.
PROJECT
Students can do this as homework, but could also prepare it
in class, working in pairs.
PRONUNCIATION
Benjamin Orlove /ˈbendʒəmɪn ˈɔː lʌv/
Notes on the unit
e The reading text has been recorded for you to use as and
when you feel appropriate for your students.
1 Discuss the questions as a class.
Answers
Small talk: polite conversation about ordinary or unimportant
subjects, especially at social occasions.
Topics: students’ own answers.
2 Ask students to speculate why British people talk about
the weather so much. Ask them to read the text to check
their answers.
Answers
Reasons given in the text: 2, 5, 6
3 Ask students to look in the text and match the words to
make collocations, then match the collocations to their
definitions.
Answers
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
natural reserve (line 21), d
miss the point (line 33), i
global warming (line 35), b
weather patterns (line 36), j
cultural identity (line 42), g
daily routine (line 44), h
deeply embedded (line 48), a
come to light (line 58), f
diary keeping (line 65), c
Headway Culture and Literature Companion Teacher's Guide © Oxford University Press 2019
13
14
Composed Upon Westminster
Bridge – William Wordsworth
Background
William Wordsworth is one of the most popular and widelyread British poets. Westminster Bridge is one of the many
bridges across the River Thames in central London, close to
the Houses of Parliament. The Lake District, so-called for its
landscape of lakes, rivers and mountains, is in the north-west
of England and is a popular destination for people wanting
to go walking in the countryside.
Upper Intermediate
6 Ask students to find the archaic forms in the poem to
match the modern equivalents.
Answers
beautiful – fair; does – doth; to – unto; never – ne’er;
glides – glideth
7 Ask students to read the poem again and answer the
questions.
Answers
PRONUNCIATION
Wordsworth /wɜːdzwɜːθ/
ballad /ˈbæləd/
limerick /ˈlɪmərɪk/
elegy /ˈelədʒi/
Notes on the unit
e The biography and poem have been recorded for you to
use as and when you feel appropriate for your students.
1 Refer students to the photographs and discuss the
questions as a class.
2 Ask students to read the text and answer the question.
Answer
The Lake District in Cumbria: a beautiful area of lakes, rivers, and
mountains.
3 Ask students to read the text again and complete it with
the missing words and numbers.
Answers
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
5th edition
1 ABBA, ABBA, CDC, CDC.
2 The notion that a city can be more beautiful than the natural
world.
3 Someone lacking the ability to appreciate beauty and
splendour.
4 Between the splendour associated with majesty and the very
human associations of touching, reflecting the poet’s outlook.
5 By not stating the subject until the fourth line.
6 ‘Majesty’, ‘splendour’, ‘mighty’; we associate these words with
royalty.
7 ‘Doth like a garment wear’; to compare the aura that
envelopes the city to an item of clothing.
8 ‘Majesty’, ‘bare’, ‘steep’, ‘houses seem asleep’, ‘that mighty heart’
9 That it took him by surprise; ‘Dear God!’
10 The use of ‘to show’ with ‘Earth’; ‘garment’ and ‘wear’ with ‘City’;
‘his’ with ‘sun’; ‘his own sweet will’ with ‘river’; ‘ houses seem
asleep’; ‘that mighty heart is lying still’.
What do you think?
Discuss as a class, or first in pairs/groups, and then as a class.
PROJECT
Students can do this as homework, but could also prepare it
in class, working in pairs.
1770
eight
Cambridge
Switzerland
France
1793
Romantic
1802
Coleridge
financial
Dorothy
1850
4 Ask students to match the sentence halves describing
different types of poetry.
Answers
1 d 2 e 3 a 4 c 5 b
5 Ask students to read the poem and answer the questions.
Answers
1 sonnet
2 morning
Headway Culture and Literature Companion Teacher's Guide © Oxford University Press 2019
14
15
Tiger mothers and turbo-charged
fathers
Background
The majority of British children go to state schools, free of
charge. They start nursery school at the age of three, primary
school at four or five, and secondary school at eleven.
Most secondary schools are comprehensive schools. This
means that they are all-inclusive – children of all abilities can
attend, and they don’t have to pass an entrance exam to
get in.
Although the vast majority are comprehensives, there are
some selective state secondary schools. They are called
grammar schools, and you have to pass an exam called ‘the
eleven-plus’ to get in. They are very academic and hard to
get into. At present, there are fewer than 200 such schools in
the UK.
There is a small percentage (around 8%) of children who
aren’t educated in the state sector. They go to fee-paying
private schools. In other words, parents or guardians have
to pay for their children to go there. This is called the private
(or independent) sector. Children go to pre-prep schools
from the age of two or three. At the age of seven, they go
to a prep school (short for preparatory school), where they
are prepared for the ‘Common Entrance’ exam, which they
will need to pass in order to get into a private secondary
school. This can be a day school or a boarding school (where
you live during term time). Private boarding schools are
often called public schools and are the most expensive and
exclusive in the country. Eton College is one of the oldest
and most famous public schools in the world. Prince William
and Prince Harry both went there.
As the birth rate in cities like London has risen, there are
more children than places available in private schools. As a
result, getting into private schools has become increasingly
competitive. This has resulted in entrance exams even for
pre-prep schools and parents increasingly ‘hot-housing’ their
children to get them into the schools of their choice.
5th edition
Upper Intermediate
4 Ask students to find the words in the article and match
them with the meanings.
Answers
1 c 2 f 3 e 4 a 5 j 6 h 7 b 8 i 9 g 10 d
5 Ask students to read the statements and decide in pairs if
they are true or false according to the Eton housemaster.
Answers
1 F 2 T 3 F 4 T 5 F 6 F 7 T 8 T
What do you think?
Discuss as a class, or first in pairs/groups, and then as a class.
PROJECT
Divide the class into three groups: A, B, and C.
Give each group a role: A are pushy parents, B are school
teachers, and C are grandparents.
Allow each group some time to prepare what they are going
to say, then put students in groups of three: an A, B, and C
student in each group.
Ask students to discuss how to bring up happy, successful
children and make a list of five top tips. Remind them to
express their opinions according to their roles.
Compare the top tips of each group as a class.
PRONUNCIATION
Eton College /i:tn ˈkɒlɪdʒ/
Notes on the unit
e The reading text has been recorded for you to use as and
when you feel appropriate for your students.
1 Ask students to do the quiz, either individually or in pairs,
then check their answers (upside down, below the quiz).
2 Ask students to make a list of similarities and differences
between the education system in Britain and their
country. Discuss as a class.
3 Ask students to read the headline and expressions in the
box and make predictions about the article. Discuss in
small groups or as a class. Then ask students to read the
article and see if they were right.
Headway Culture and Literature Companion Teacher's Guide © Oxford University Press 2019
15
16
5th edition
Binge-drinking Britain
Background
Binge-drinking, especially among teenagers, is a serious
problem in the UK. Excessive drinking leads to fights,
accidents, and health problems, all of which are expensive
for the country.
Throughout the UK the sale of alcohol is restricted. Shops
must have a special licence to sell alcoholic drinks, and pubs,
cafés, and restaurants require a licence to serve alcohol to
customers. The hours during which alcohol can be sold are
also restricted. These strict ‘licensing laws’ were brought in
during the 19th century, partly as a result of pressure from
Temperance Societies, which were established by religious
groups in response to the growing problem of drunkenness
and alcoholism among working-class people. In recent years,
the licensing laws have been relaxed in the hope that fewer
restrictions and a more relaxed attitude towards alcohol
might lead to a reduction in binge-drinking.
The ‘male-dominated boozer’ mentioned in the text is a
reference to the traditional British pub (‘booze’ is an informal
word for ‘alcohol’). Until the 1960s, pubs were very maledominated, and women rarely went into a pub if they were
not accompanied by a man.
PRONUNCIATION
Upper Intermediate
4 Ask students to find the words in the text and guess their
meaning from the context.
Answers
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
a name used to describe something
new
invented
tradition
out of control behaviour
results of past events
created
intelligent
introduce
becoming more similar
drinking
showing signs of
5 Ask students to read the text again and decide whether
the statements are true, false, or not stated in the text.
Answers
1 F 2 F 3 NS 4 T 5 T 6 F 7 F 8 NS 9 F 10 F
What do you think?
Discuss as a class, or first in pairs/groups, and then as a class.
PROJECT
binge-drinking /bɪndʒ ˈdrɪŋkɪŋ/
lager louts /ˈlɑːɡə laʊts/
Students can do this as homework, but could also prepare it
in class, working in pairs.
Notes on the unit
e The reading text has been recorded for you to use as and
when you feel appropriate for your students.
1 Discuss the questions as a class.
2 Ask students to read the text and decide what type of text
it is.
Answer
B
3 Ask students to look in the text and match the words to
make collocations, then match the collocations to their
definitions.
Answers
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
aggressive outbursts (line 5), k
road rage (line 6), b
loose boundaries (line 7), j
rapid expansion (line 14), d
licensed premises (line 15), h
cultural ambivalence (line 24), a
disinhibited behaviours (line 31), f
first-rate incentive (line 39), i
male-dominated boozer (line 65), l
drunken swill (line 66), c
vertical drinking establishments (line 74), g
Headway Culture and Literature Companion Teacher's Guide © Oxford University Press 2019
16
17
The War of the Worlds –
H.G. Wells
Background
H.G.Wells (1866–1946) was an English writer best known
for his works of science fiction. He was born in Kent, in
the south of England, and when, at the age of 12, he was
bedridden with a broken leg, he developed a love of reading
novels, which later developed into a desire to write. Wells
studied science at university and was also interested in
politics, becoming a member of the socialist Fabian Society.
His best-known works include The War of the Worlds, The Time
Machine, The Invisible Man, and The First Men in the Moon. His
works are still widely read, and there have been film and TV
adaptations of several of his novels.
PRONUNCIATION
Martian /ˈmɑːʃn/
Upper Intermediate
5 Ask students to read the extract again and answer the
questions.
Answers
1 He assumed they would resemble humans.
2 They were like snakes; in Greek mythology, the Gorgons had
snakes for hair.
3 He moved back from the edge of the pit, but kept his eyes
fixed on the creature.
4 Gravity on Earth was greater than on the alien’s planet.
5 The look in its (huge) eyes.
6 He couldn’t stop looking at the aliens, rather than watching
where he was going.
7 The sound of a scream.
8 He was too afraid.
What do you think?
Notes on the unit
e The reading text has been recorded for you to use as and
when you feel appropriate for your students.
1 Discuss the questions as a class.
2 Ask students to speculate on what kind of aliens they
expect to find in the novel. Ask them to read the extract to
check their answers.
3 Ask students to match the groups of words with their
meanings.
Answers
1 e 2 d 3 b 4 h 5 c 6 g 7 a 8 f
4 Ask students to answer the questions, either individually
or in pairs.
Answers
5th edition
1 By describing it little by little, keeping the reader guessing.
2 They vary, sometimes very short and sometimes quite long.
This changes the pace and helps to increase the tension felt
by the reader, who doesn’t know what to expect next.
3 a ‘glistened like wet leather’
b ‘like the fall of a great mass of leather’
4 It creates the impression of an eyewitness account, giving the
reader the feeling of being present at the vital moments, and
able to imagine the fear he/she would feel.
Discuss as a class, or first in pairs/groups, and then as a class.
You might like to read the following quote to the class, from
Chapter 1 of The War of the Worlds, which suggests that
Wells feels that humans can be taken as a model for how a
technologically superior race might behave aggressively and
destructively towards a less developed one:
‘And before we judge them [the Martians] too harshly, we
must remember what ruthless and utter destruction our
own species has wrought, not only upon animals, such as
the vanished bison and the Dodo, but upon its own inferior
races. The Tasmanians, in spite of their human likeness, were
entirely swept out of existence in a war of extermination
waged by European immigrants, in the space of 50 years.
Are we such apostles of mercy as to complain if the Martians
warred in the same spirit?’
PROJECT
Students could do the task for homework, or could do the
research for homework and then write the account in class,
working in pairs.
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Inventions
Upper Intermediate
Background
Answers
Boiling water to produce mechanical motion goes back
about 2,000 years. First, the Greeks experimented with
various rudimentary devices, then the Turks, Italians, and
Spanish followed suit. The first commercial steam-powered
device was a water pump, developed in England in 1698 by
Thomas Savery. Thomas Newcomen’s engine was based on
technologies discovered by Savery.
Although James Watt is credited with the first commercial
engine, his low-pressure version was quickly superseded by
a high-pressure one, which Watt vigorously fought against to
protect his commercial interests, claiming it was unsafe.
Samuel Morse made a reasonable living as a portrait painter,
artist, and teacher. After his first wife’s death, he painstakingly
worked on his invention as well, although it took a long time
for it to become recognized for what it was. He had to work
hard for recognition, funding, and investment. He finally
received a patent for it when he was 56, after 25 years.
The take-up of electricity was slow over the first ten years
due to the high installation costs, but as the price came
down, Thomas Edison gained three million customers over
the following ten years. However, Edison’s direct current (DC)
system of electricity was superseded by the Westinghouse
Electric Company’s more powerful alternating current (AC)
system, designed by Nikola Tesla. Although Edison fought
the new system, claiming it was unsafe for household use,
the more efficient AC system is the one we use today.
PRONUNCIATION
1845: Samuel Morse formed a company to install telegraph lines
from New York to other cities.
1769: James Watt received a patent for his steam engine.
1837: William Cooke and Charles Wheatstone patented their
telegraph device.
1825: Morse started work on a system of long-distance
communication.
1876: Joseph Swann patented an incandescent lamp.
1879: Thomas Edison filed a patent for his light bulb.
1712: Thomas Newcomen’s steam engine appeared.
1847: Morse received a patent for his single-wire telegraph
device.
4 Ask students to find the words in the texts and match
them to the meanings.
Answers
1 h 2 c 3 d 4 e 5 a 6 b 7 i 8 f 9 j 10 g
5 Ask students to find the phrases in the text and work out
their meanings.
Answers
1 attempt to do something for the first time
2 make future development easier for something or somebody
3 work together on a common enterprise or project
6 Ask students to look at the texts again and answer the
questions.
Answers
1 A 2 B 3 A, C 4 A, B, and C 5 Morse 6 Edison ​
7 Morse and Edison 8 Watt and Morse 9 Morse
Thomas Newcomen /tɒməs njuːkʌmən/
James Watt /dʒeɪms wɒt/
Samuel Morse /ˈsæmjuːwel mɔːs/
William Cooke /ˈwɪljəm kʊk/
Charles Wheatstone /tʃɑːls ˈwiːtstəʊn /
Thomas Edison /ˈtɒməs ˈɛdɪsən/
Joseph Swann /dʒəʊsəf swɒn/
What do you think?
Discuss as a class, or first in pairs/groups, and then as a class.
Students might be interested to learn that in a vote by
listeners to BBC Radio, the bicycle was voted the number
one invention.
PROJECT
Notes on the unit
e The reading text has been recorded for you to use as and
when you feel appropriate for your students.
1 Students discuss the question in pairs, then as a class.
Students can do this as homework, but could also prepare it
in class, working in pairs. You might like to display students’
texts on the classroom wall and then ask students to have a
class vote for the top invention of all time.
Possible answers
bicycle, car, computer, television
2 Discuss the question as a class, then ask students to read
the texts quickly to check their ideas.
3 Ask students to read the text again and find what the
years refer to.
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Life of Pi – Yann Martel
Background
Yann Martel (born 1963) is a French-Canadian author best
known for his novel Life of Pi, which won the prestigious Man
Booker Prize for literature in 2002. Although his first language
is French, he writes in English. He was born in Spain and
grew up in Costa Rica, France, Mexico, and Canada. As an
adult, Martel spent over a year in India and also read different
religious texts and castaway stories. All of this formed the
basis of Life of Pi – his most successful novel to date, selling
over ten million copies worldwide.
The novel was made into a film in 2012 by award-winning
director Ang Lee. At the 2013 Oscars, the film won four
awards, including Best Director and Best Visual Effects.
PRONUNCIATION
Yann Martel /jæn mɑːˈtel/
Pi /paɪ/
Notes on the unit
e The reading text has been recorded for you to use as and
when you feel appropriate for your students.
1 Discuss the questions as a class. You could mention that
this is the back-cover blurb of the book. If any students
have read the book or seen the film, you might like to ask
them what they thought of it.
2 Ask students to read the review and answer the questions.
Answers
Positive.
A fable is a type of story.
3 Ask students to match the story types to the definitions.
Answers
4 Ask students to read the extract and answer the questions.
Answers
One person is mentioned – a boy.
A zebra, some sharks, and a tiger named Richard Parker.
5 Ask students to find words in the extract which match the
meanings.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
orphaned (line 1)
oar (line 2)
prospects (line 3)
lifebuoy (line 9)
awkward (line 12)
the elements (line 14)
prowl (line 15)
lunge (line 16)
flotsam (line 21)
tarpaulin (line 30)
6 Ask students to find the phrases in the text and work out
their meanings.
Answers
1 rationally, objectively
2 as safe as it could be, given the circumstances
3 (deal with) the problem immediately before you panic, and
not worry yet about the next problem
4 noise from the seawater entering the ship
5 do something as carefully as you can
7 Ask students to read the extract again and discuss the
questions in pairs.
Answers
1 After the ship is wrecked and before the boy gets on the
lifeboat. At this point, only the tiger and zebra are on board.
2 He didn’t feel or think much at all. The rational part of his brain
switched off and he instinctively did what he could to survive.
3 He put the pole of the oar through the ring and positioned
himself inside the ring with his arms and legs round the oar.
Now the ring was helping him hold onto the oar.
4 The darkness melted away from the sky. The rain stopped.
5 He needed to get out of the water. He was cold,
uncomfortable and couldn’t see anything. He wanted to look
for other signs of life from the shipwreck.
6 He worked out that the tiger wouldn’t see him because it
was looking at the zebra at the other end of the boat. Also,
from what he knew of tigers, the sound of the storm and
the fact that he was wet would allow him to climb on board
unnoticed by the tiger.
7 Pi has a strong instinct for survival. He is tough, resourceful,
and intelligent. He assesses his possibilities quickly and
accurately. Above all, he is brave and will take a calculated risk.
8 Ask students to read the information in the box.
9 Ask students to answer the question based on what they
read in exercise 8.
Answer
1 b 2 a 3 c 4 d
Answers
Upper Intermediate
They decide to believe the animal version because otherwise
Pi would be a murderer and cannibal, and they find that too
horrible to believe. There is no evidence for either story.
What do you think?
Discuss as a class, or first in pairs or groups, and then as a
class.
If you believe the more unbelievable tale with the animals,
it shows that you perhaps have a more trusting, optimistic
nature than the more rational, cynical nature required for
assuming the only-human version of the story is possible.
PROJECT
Students could do this as homework, but could also prepare
it in class, working in pairs.
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The Call – Charlotte Mew
Background
Although London-born poet Charlotte Mew (1869–1928)
isn’t very well-known today, she was highly esteemed during
her lifetime by poets like Siegfried Sassoon, Ezra Pound, and
Thomas Hardy. Her output was small but compelling and
original, with themes of disillusionment, loneliness, doubt,
and mental illness dominating her work. Mew had a short,
sad life. She never married, but lived in the family home with
her sister and her mother, and was always short of money.
She was an eccentric sight, a diminutive figure always
dressed in men’s clothes (it is likely that she was a lesbian).
She ended her life at the age of 58.
Notes on the unit
e The reading text and biography have been recorded
for you to use as and when you feel appropriate for your
students.
1 Ask students not to read The Call yet, but to look at the
pictures illustrating the poem. Discuss them as a class.
Then get students to make notes predicting what the
poem is about under the headings.
Upper Intermediate
6 Ask students to read and complete the text with the
missing words.
Answers
1
2
3
4
5
6
schizophrenia
poverty
inconsolable
suicide
acclaimed
generation
7 Ask students to work in groups to discuss if and how their
interpretations of the poem have changed.
8 Students can write their own interpretation of The Call in
pairs in the lesson or individually for homework.
What do you think?
Discuss as a class, or first in pairs/groups, and then as a class.
PROJECT
Students can do this as homework, but could also prepare it
in class, working in pairs.
Possible answers
Setting: an old house in the country, at night in winter.
Characters: two people (a couple, friends, siblings); a visitor,
someone with bad news, an intruder, or a ghost.
Story: something happens to make the two people leave the
warm fire and walk out into the night – bad news, maybe.
Atmosphere: lonely, ominous, mysterious.
2 Ask students to read the poem and match the illustrations
to lines from the poem. Discuss as a class.
Answers
A
B
C
D
lines 1–2
line 8
lines 15–16
lines 19–25
3 Ask students to find the words in the poem which match
the definitions.
Answers
1 d 2 f 3 b 4 e 5 a 6 c
4 Before students read the interpretations, ask students
what they think the poem is about. Then ask them to read
the three possible interpretations of the poem and match
them to the titles.
Answers
1 Impending destruction
2 Growing up
3 Mental health
D000751
5 Ask students which interpretation they like best and why.
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