LISTEN A. Look at the passage, and try to guess the missing words. Then listen and fill in the blanks. VOCABULARY reporter, serious Each Olympic athlete is _______________ from all the others. Everyone thinks that Chet Roberts is _______________ most handsome. He is also the _______________ and likes to talk to reporters. His teammate, Vic Reed, is _______________ friendly. Some people think that Vic is the _______________ serious athlete on the team. No one knows which runner, Chet or Vic, is _______________ . But one of them may be the _______________ runner in the world. B. Read the statements. Listen to each sentence. Then choose the answer that matches the sentence. 1. a. Tokyo is smaller than New York. b. Tokyo is larger than London. c. Paris is as large as Tokyo. 4. a. Yuri is less tired than Tim. b. Tim is less tired than Yuri. c. Yuri is as tired as Tim. 2. a. Jim and Tina’s songs are better than Elena’s. b. Jim and Tina’s songs are as good as Elena’s. c. Elena’s songs are the best. 5. a. Jan is a better photographer than her father. b. Jan is as good a photographer as her father. c. Jan is a worse photographer than her mother. 3. a. December is the coldest month. b. February is the coldest month. c. January is the coldest month. 6. a. Sara bought the most expensive sweater in the store. b. Brad bought a less expensive sweater than Sara. c. Brad’s sweater was as expensive as Sara’s. Unit 8 – Page 137 Copyright © 2014 Lado. All rights reserved. LISTEN AND READ Birthday Celebrations in the United States VOCABULARY blow out, celebration, closest, concerned, dirt, expression, fiftieth, fortieth, guest, piece, sixtieth, secretly, spend, wish (n) A. First read the statements. Then listen and circle “T” for True or “F” for False. 1. There is always only one candle on a birthday cake. T F 2. Younger children have friends from school at their parties. T F 3. Some adults don’t like to celebrate their birthdays. T F 4. Adults don’t get presents on their birthdays. T F Unit 8 – Page 138 Copyright © 2014 Lado. All rights reserved. B. Now listen and read. For many people, a birthday is one of the most important days of the year. It is a time for celebration with family and friends. Younger children usually like to have parties on their birthdays. Their parents invite their friends from school for cake and ice cream. The guests bring birthday gifts, too, and usually leave the party with a bag of candy. Older children often celebrate with their friends. For some children, the nicest part of the party is opening gifts. It is traditional to have a cake with candles on it. There is one candle for each year of the child’s life. First someone lights the candles and turns off the lights. Then everyone sings “Happy Birthday.” The birthday girl or boy secretly makes a wish and then blows out the candles. Finally, everyone eats a piece of cake. Birthdays are less important to adults than they are to children. Some adults may feel that their birthday is the worst day of the year. Sometimes they have a cake with only one candle on it because they don't like to talk about their age. Adults still might get presents from their families or their closest friends. Often, adults get joke gifts on their fortieth, fiftieth and sixtieth birthdays with party favors that say, “Older than dirt.” This expression means ‘extremely or very old.’ For many adults, the best birthday is one spent with family and friends. C. Answer the questions. What is the most important day of the year for many people? What do children like to do on their birthdays? Who do their parents invite? What does everyone do at the party? What is the nicest part of the party for some children? How many candles are there on the birthday cake? What does the birthday girl or boy do before blowing out the candles? Why do you think this is a tradition? 8. How is an adult’s birthday different from a child's? 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. D. Pair up. Practice a conversation using the questions below. Use your own information. Then close the book and discuss. 1. When is your birthday? Which day and month? 2. How do people celebrate birthdays in your country? 3. Think of your nicest or worst birthday. What happened? Unit 8 – Page 139 Copyright © 2014 Lado. All rights reserved.