Unit 11

DIALOGUE I

Before the Mid-term Exam

A: Do you know when we're going to take the mid-term exam for the comprehensive English course?
B: Yes, in a fortnight. Don't tell me you didn't know that.
A: No, I had no idea. It's not spelt out in the course syllabus and nobody told me about it.
B: That's right. You were on sick leave when the teacher announced the date of the exam.
A: I was down with a serious case of bronchitis and stayed in bed for a whole week.
B: How do you feel now?
A: I'm OK. I've come round.
B: I'm glad you've recovered.
A: But I've missed all that I should know about my exams. This is the mid-term point and I don't want to look bad on the exams, you know. I would appreciate it if you'd tell me what'll be covered in the English exam.
B: Don't worry. You have a decent academic record. About our mid-term, we'll be held responsible for the first nine units, excluding Unit One. According to the teacher, this exam will focus on our integrated language skills. It will also cover vocabulary and grammar.
A: Will there be an oral test?
B: Yes, we'll have one, that's for sure. We'll take a twenty-minute test in small groups on the day following the written test. We're expected to do questions and answers, guided talks, role playing, and things like that.
A: OK, the usual stuff. I hope the questions will come from the coursebook and what we usually do in class. I've learned all the texts and exercises by heart.
B: Well, you'll be disappointed then. Memorization of the texts and the exercises is necessary but not sufficient for the oral test if you want to get more than a passing grade. According to our teacher, what will be tested is not only what we actually say but how we say it.
A: I don't get it.
B: I mean language fluency, accuracy, and the appropriate use of words and expressions on a given topic — all these combined will add up to one's oral English grade. According to the teacher, this is an integral approach to testing.
A: It's quite a new approach.
B: Yes, it's not a bad idea. Anyway, you'd better get yourself a partner and practise speaking on various topics.


DIALOGUE II

Dialogue:
A: What did you think about the film we went to see last night?
B: Well, I was a bit disappointed. I didn't really enjoy it at all.
A: In my opinion, it was the best film I've seen all year.
B: Oh, you don't really mean that, do you?
A: Yes, I do...
B: I'm afraid I don't agree with you at all!
A: Why?
B: Well, the acting was terrible, and there was no story to it. I was so bored.
A: You're the first person I have met who hasn't enjoyed it.
B: In fact, I thought the music was so bad. I nearly left!
A: I can't understand that. How did you feel about the main actor?
B: Well, he was quite good, I suppose.
A: That's exactly how I felt! I'm glad we agree on something!


READING I

Crossword Puzzles

The crossword puzzle is a pencil-and-paper game in which the solver fills in words on a pattern of blank squares separated by solid blocks. The crossword, as its name indicates, uses different, interlocking words across and down and is provided with two sets of numbered definitions, one for those words to be written across the pattern and one for those to be written down. Many blanks are numbered and each number matches a definition bearing the same number either across or down or both. The letters of the word that fits the definition are put in the blank squares. The filled-in puzzle is usually printed later so that each person can check his accuracy and learn the words he has been unable to identify.
Have you ever wondered how the crossword puzzle came into existence? The first crossword puzzle appeared on December 21, 1913. Arthur Wynne created it for the New York World newspaper. Wynne made the puzzle in the form of a diamond. He gave 35 clues and called it a wordcross. He was not certain how the puzzle would be received, but it proved to be an immediate success.
It can be said that the crossword puzzle, as it is called today, is the world's most popular form of recreation. Nearly 90 per cent of the world's newspapers publish crossword puzzles. In the United States alone it is estimated that there are 30 million fans.
Most forms of recreation require a partner, but crossword puzzles do not. This is, perhaps, the reason why they are so popular. They can be done by one person in almost any place.
It is believed that most people do crossword puzzles just for fun. Most puzzle fans do not do them for their educational value, and most experts doubt that puzzles teach anything.
What is the challenge of crossword puzzles? Most dedicated fans explain that they want to test their mental ability. And others say that they want to test their speed and perseverance in solving the puzzle. Many hope that they will improve to meet the challenge of more difficult puzzles.