The importance of communication skills
A recent government report has shown that a large
number of young children in the UK are suffering from
communication problems. Education professionals
suggest that a lot more emphasis has to be placed on the
development of communication skills in primary schools.
(1) Therefore / In fact, communication is the key life skill
that children need in order to learn all other skills.
To begin with, the report showed that about 50,000
children starting school in the UK have significant
speech difficulties and approximately 6,000 have serious
communication difficulties. (2) For this reason /
In addition, in some regions of England it was found
that up to 50% of school children have communication
problems. (3) Although / For example it is not clear
what causes these problems, researchers believe that
lifestyle plays an important role and factors (4) such as /
what is more exposure to video games and television at
an early age are partly responsible.
(5) Besides / Consequently, government researchers
recommend that parents should spend more time with
their children in order to improve their communication
skills. (6) Furthermore / For example, families should
eat meals together or do fun activities that require
conversation. (7) Furthermore / In contrast, teachers and
other education professionals should be better trained to
help children with their communication needs.
(8) Nevertheless / In summary, parents and teachers
should focus on helping children improve their
communication skills. Young children need to spend more
time interacting verbally with their family and teachers so
that they will learn how to communicate effectively.
5. outline
6. writing task
When writing an essay expressing your opinion:
ä underline the key words in the rubric to get a clear
idea of what your essay should focus on.
ä spend a couple of minutes to make a brief outline of
what you plan to write.
ä organise your writing in paragraphs, presenting major
points in separate paragraphs.
ä expand on your ideas by explaining them clearly and
supporting them with reasons or examples.
ä write in a formal style and do not use abbreviations or
short forms.
Use your ideas from activity 4 to write an outline for
the topic.
Read the article, the rubric and answer the questions
that follow.
1. What issue are you required to express your opinion
about?
2. What are the advantages and disadvantages of people
using cell phones in public places?
3. What examples/reasons can you think of to illustrate
the advantages and disadvantages?
4. Do you think that the advantages outweigh the
disadvantages or not?
5. What is your overall opinion?
The government is considering banning the use of cell
phones in public places. If passed, the new legislation will
prohibit people from bringing cell phones to restaurants,
cafés, etc. and any people found using one will have it
confiscated. Some people don’t agree because they claim
that cell phones have become a necessity today.
Should people be allowed to use cell phones in public
places? Explain your view. Give specific reasons and
examples.
For linking words and phrases you can use, see Appendix I .
B. Read the text below and decide which answer a, b, c or d best fits each gap.
For most of my life I’ve had my garden tended to (1) a gardener.
I have a shed but I use it (2) storing old bikes and other things,
not gardening equipment. And anyway, gardening always seemed like (3)
much hard work for me. That all changed when I (4) invited to go to
the Chelsea Flower Show. It showed me just (5) wonderful a garden
can be and I signed up for a gardening course the very next day. For a few lessons
we (6) not allowed to get our hands dirty. We just studied some basic
botany and learnt a lot of theories about gardening before we went outside. In the
beginning, I was all (7) and thumbs but in spite (8)
a few broken pots and dropped seedlings, it didn’t take long for me to get the
hang of it, and near the end of the course the teacher said I had improved
more than any of the other students. (9) fact, a new town garden is
(10) built in the town centre next month and my class (11)
asked to come up with some designs. Amazingly, I (12) my design
chosen and I’m very proud of that.
When a honey bee comes (1) a patch of flowers where nectar or
pollen can (2) , she returns to the hive to share this information
with the other (3) of the hive. Here, in the middle of a cluster
of her sisters, she performs (4) movements in a figure-eight and
shakes her body. As a (5) of this, the other bees know the exact
(6) of the flowers. The angle in which she makes these
(7) is influenced by the sun and reveals the direction of the
flowers. The distance from the flowers to the hive is (8) by the
duration of the movements. (9) this, honey bees also perform
movements which are more like a tremble. When a bee returns to the
hive with the nectar she has gathered, a receiver bee assists her by
(10) the nectar and storing it in cells. If there are a lot of
bees arriving with nectar, a receiver trembles (11) to recruit
more receiver bees to deal with the extra work. For honey bees, these
movements are a (12) of communication and they are very
beneficial for the hive as a whole.
1. a. into
b. across
c. about
d. round
2. a. find
b. be finding
c. be found
d. been found
3. a. inhabitants
b. assistants
c. habitats
d. participants
4. a. elaborate
b. illuminated
c. superficial
d. advanced
5. a. regard
b. cause
c. reason
d. result
6. a. position
b. site
c. destination
d. location
7. a. gestures
b. goals
c. signs
d. symbols
8. a. observed
b. anticipated
c. indicated
d. proven
9. a. Despite
b. Apart from
c. In addition
d. According to
10. a. transmitting
b. circulating
c. placing
d. transporting
11. a. in spite
b. in order
c. so that
d. so
12. a. practice
b. habit
c. means
d. signal
A recent government report has shown that a large
number of young children in the UK are suffering from
communication problems. Education professionals
suggest that a lot more emphasis has to be placed on the
development of communication skills in primary schools.
(1) Therefore / In fact, communication is the key life skill
that children need in order to learn all other skills.
To begin with, the report showed that about 50,000
children starting school in the UK have significant
speech difficulties and approximately 6,000 have serious
communication difficulties. (2) For this reason /
In addition, in some regions of England it was found
that up to 50% of school children have communication
problems. (3) Although / For example it is not clear
what causes these problems, researchers believe that
lifestyle plays an important role and factors (4) such as /
what is more exposure to video games and television at
an early age are partly responsible.
(5) Besides / Consequently, government researchers
recommend that parents should spend more time with
their children in order to improve their communication
skills. (6) Furthermore / For example, families should
eat meals together or do fun activities that require
conversation. (7) Furthermore / In contrast, teachers and
other education professionals should be better trained to
help children with their communication needs.
(8) Nevertheless / In summary, parents and teachers
should focus on helping children improve their
communication skills. Young children need to spend more
time interacting verbally with their family and teachers so
that they will learn how to communicate effectively.
5. outline
6. writing task
When writing an essay expressing your opinion:
ä underline the key words in the rubric to get a clear
idea of what your essay should focus on.
ä spend a couple of minutes to make a brief outline of
what you plan to write.
ä organise your writing in paragraphs, presenting major
points in separate paragraphs.
ä expand on your ideas by explaining them clearly and
supporting them with reasons or examples.
ä write in a formal style and do not use abbreviations or
short forms.
Use your ideas from activity 4 to write an outline for
the topic.
Read the article, the rubric and answer the questions
that follow.
1. What issue are you required to express your opinion
about?
2. What are the advantages and disadvantages of people
using cell phones in public places?
3. What examples/reasons can you think of to illustrate
the advantages and disadvantages?
4. Do you think that the advantages outweigh the
disadvantages or not?
5. What is your overall opinion?
The government is considering banning the use of cell
phones in public places. If passed, the new legislation will
prohibit people from bringing cell phones to restaurants,
cafés, etc. and any people found using one will have it
confiscated. Some people don’t agree because they claim
that cell phones have become a necessity today.
Should people be allowed to use cell phones in public
places? Explain your view. Give specific reasons and
examples.
For linking words and phrases you can use, see Appendix I .
B. Read the text below and decide which answer a, b, c or d best fits each gap.
For most of my life I’ve had my garden tended to (1) a gardener.
I have a shed but I use it (2) storing old bikes and other things,
not gardening equipment. And anyway, gardening always seemed like (3)
much hard work for me. That all changed when I (4) invited to go to
the Chelsea Flower Show. It showed me just (5) wonderful a garden
can be and I signed up for a gardening course the very next day. For a few lessons
we (6) not allowed to get our hands dirty. We just studied some basic
botany and learnt a lot of theories about gardening before we went outside. In the
beginning, I was all (7) and thumbs but in spite (8)
a few broken pots and dropped seedlings, it didn’t take long for me to get the
hang of it, and near the end of the course the teacher said I had improved
more than any of the other students. (9) fact, a new town garden is
(10) built in the town centre next month and my class (11)
asked to come up with some designs. Amazingly, I (12) my design
chosen and I’m very proud of that.
When a honey bee comes (1) a patch of flowers where nectar or
pollen can (2) , she returns to the hive to share this information
with the other (3) of the hive. Here, in the middle of a cluster
of her sisters, she performs (4) movements in a figure-eight and
shakes her body. As a (5) of this, the other bees know the exact
(6) of the flowers. The angle in which she makes these
(7) is influenced by the sun and reveals the direction of the
flowers. The distance from the flowers to the hive is (8) by the
duration of the movements. (9) this, honey bees also perform
movements which are more like a tremble. When a bee returns to the
hive with the nectar she has gathered, a receiver bee assists her by
(10) the nectar and storing it in cells. If there are a lot of
bees arriving with nectar, a receiver trembles (11) to recruit
more receiver bees to deal with the extra work. For honey bees, these
movements are a (12) of communication and they are very
beneficial for the hive as a whole.
1. a. into
b. across
c. about
d. round
2. a. find
b. be finding
c. be found
d. been found
3. a. inhabitants
b. assistants
c. habitats
d. participants
4. a. elaborate
b. illuminated
c. superficial
d. advanced
5. a. regard
b. cause
c. reason
d. result
6. a. position
b. site
c. destination
d. location
7. a. gestures
b. goals
c. signs
d. symbols
8. a. observed
b. anticipated
c. indicated
d. proven
9. a. Despite
b. Apart from
c. In addition
d. According to
10. a. transmitting
b. circulating
c. placing
d. transporting
11. a. in spite
b. in order
c. so that
d. so
12. a. practice
b. habit
c. means
d. signal
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